Markers

 Relying on my memory to recall what seeds were planted where is not a good plan.  When the seeds are sown, I try to mark the information on the seed packet.  Date, location, etc.  Germination dates are jotted down if I think of it; but that's typically not recorded. 

The information noted on the seed packet is then transferred to a wooden stake and pounded into the ground in the general area of the crop.  This system works pretty well.  The ink gets weathered down and can be erased with a light sanding making the stake available as another marker.

Carrots - Chantenay Red Core

 Even if the crop is easily identifiable, the variety may not.  This group of carrots are Chantenay Red Core.  They are supposed to grow well in heavy soil.  The raised beds aren't heavy.  These were planted because of other factors:  One of the sweetest, this variety was introduced in 1929 and is a large, stump-rooted carrot with a deep red-orange center; great for juicing or fresh eating.  A good market variety that is smooth and refined in shape.

Lettuce - Cimmaron

The salad bed has several varieties of lettuce that were planted at different times.  The south 1/2 of the bed was planted about a month before the north 1/2 to allow for the impending shade when the Earth tilts away from the sun creating more shadows over the garden.  The markers for the lettuce have that information recorded.

If more time could be dedicated in the garden, it would really be a Jeffersonian organization.  But I live in the real world and simply do the best I can.  Martha Stewart I am not.

Garden Update:

Apples - Granny Smith

The harvest is complete from the Granny Smith apple tree.  At one time, I wasn't sure that tree was going to recover from scorch.  It really performed well this year.  Now I will be busy in the kitchen making sticky apple muffins and apple/cranberry pies...all freezer friendly.

National Empty Chair Day

Labor Day marks the end of summer (...not here in Bakersfield, California however.  We have a long, hard road to go.)  Labor Day weekend is a summer weekend with typical celebrations of barbecues and fun in the great outdoors.  In the garden, Labor Day weekend is just that...labor.

Farmer MacGregor has been busy preparing the shed for painting.  He dug out all the Celebrity tomatoes and their wooden supports.  The lawns have been mowed and everything is thoroughly irrigated.  The broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage seeds have been planted in a bed that had signs of Root Knot Nematodes on the beans but no evidence on the Black Beauty Zucchini.  I'm rolling the dice with an investment of a few dollars for seed to see if these fall crops succeed.  Peas will be planted in the Celebrity Tomato bed were there was evidence of nematodes on the tomato roots; but the plants produced well.

In a nod to the viral observation of National Empty Chair Day that was spurred by Clint Eastwood's speech at the Republican National Convention last week, Maybelline's Garden offers a version of the empty chair.  The chair isn't used much during time when work needs to be done.  Others are so much more creative. If you should see this one floating around the conservative interwebs, you'll know a bit more about the story behind the image. 

This is February?!

Today would have been a perfect beach like day IF it was July.  However, it’s February in Bakersfield.  I need some cold weather to kill the bugs, rain in the garden to settle the dust and clear the air, and snow in the mountains to use when it is July.

Can you believe ladybugs are already working in the garden?Here’s what’s growing on in the garden today:

The cauliflower has been bothered by aphids in this warm weather.  I was considering taking the plants out and getting the bed ready for summer crops; but there are 16 head that seem to be doing alright.  I’ll wait.Broccoli has also had aphid troubles.I’ve blasted the plants with a power stream of water from the garden hose and relocated some of the early ladybugs so they can help control this problem.Probably every seed of lettuce germinated successfully in the garden this season.  There is lettuce growing in a salad bed and lettuce growing in the holes of the cinder blocks that form the beds.  Another reason the hope for cooler weather is to extend my lettuce enjoyment.The discovery of Root Knot Nematodes* has led to a search for knowledge on the topic and a successful safe way to control the wee beasties.  At least I have beets and carrots successfully growing in beds that don’t seem to effected by nematodes.The carrots are coming along nicely and have been used in roast beef and pasta salad.  Of course, they have been snacks while out in the garden along with peas.  I can never seem to get peas past the garden gate because I eat them while enjoying the garden.By about 10:30 this morning the temperature was just under 70°F with clear skies and a light breeze.  By nightfall, the lights were visible out in Elk Hills, on the Grapevine, and Breckenridge where there is no snow.

*  If anyone has information to share about ridding my garden of damaging nematodes, I would appreciate it.

Cabbage Patch

  The cabbage patch is moving right along.  The broccoli heads aren’t grocery store big.  Rather, they are smaller, more tender, and plentiful.  Most will be harvested soon and frozen to enjoy later when the grocery store prices zoom.

The purple cauliflower heads don’t grow tight like the white variety grown last year.  It’s still tender and tasty.  It will be harvested and frozen if all of it doesn’t get eaten.

The purple cabbage is the prettiest in the garden with its pink veins and silver water drops.  They really glitter after the rain.

Pests have increased along with the temperatures.  Aphids and loopers have made their appearance.  So far, they have been kept under control with a spray of water or simply picking off the culprits.  Hope they don’t overwhelm me.

Brassicaceae Economics

 

This…

Plus this…

Equals this… 

How much does organically grown, fresh broccoli and cauliflower cost in the store?  I have no clue.  The broccoli seeds used this fall cost about $1.50.  A variety of Calabrese, Nutribud, and Waltham29 was planted.  I prefer the Waltham29 variety purchased at Floyd’s Hardware Store and planted in late September.  The buds are loose and plentiful.  They even seem a little darker and that translates to more nutritious to me.  I could be wrong.  It happens.  The Purple of Sicily Cauliflower cost about $2.50 for about 200 seeds.  I don’t even know if markets sell purple cauliflower. 

All seeds were sewn in place in September or October.  Most all the seeds sprouted with the exception of the Nutribud Broccoli seeds purchased from Baker Creek.  Pill bugs may have been responsible for fewer of those plants in the garden.

 

This is a pretty economical way to provide produce for your steam pot.

Harvest Moon / Planting Moon

Fall planting is almost complete.  I’m a bit late but I hope to see some results.  As expected, the radishes are up.  The radishes pictured above are Jaune D’Or Ovales.  These were planted on September 16 and the photo was taken this evening (September 22).  These radishes are planted in the lettuce bed that was most recently the Lemon Squash bed.

I use stakes and old tomato cages to keep garden kitties (any kitties) out.  Redwood stakes are used to mark the rows.  Even though I write down what I planted on the seed packet and on my garden plan, the stakes are a handy reference.

This evening, I planted as long as I could thinking that the light of the harvest moon would help me complete my planting.  No way.  I’m almost done though.

Here’s what’s in the ground now:

Bed 1	Bed 2	Bed 3	Bed 4
Peas – Tall Telephone	Lettuce - Merlot		Cabbage – Early Jersey Wakefield
blank	Radishes - Watermelon		Onions – Yellow of Parma
Peas – Tall Telephone	Lettuce - Cimmaron		Cabbage – Mammoth Red Rock
Peas – Tall Telephone	Beets - Crapaudine		Beets – Early Wonder
Carrots – to be determined	Radishes – Juane D’Or Ovale		Cauliflower – Purple of Sicily
Carrots – Atomic Red	Onions – He-Shi-Ko		Onions – Flat of Italy
Carrots – to be determined	Lettuce – Brune d’Hiver		Broccoli – to be determined
Carrots – Cosmic Purple	Lettuce - Iceberg		WILD CARD
	Stevia		Lavender
	Strawberries - established		Orange Thyme
	Basil - established

The beds are listed from west to east.  The crops are listed from west to east with framing crops at the bottom of each list.  Grey italic means the seeds still need to be planted.

The hot peppers in bed 3 (Serranos and Black Hungarians) are producing like mad and I’m going with the flow.  This bed may be reserved for early tomato planting in about six months.  I don’t know.

Here Comes Spring

The buds are forming.  Some are even swelling so much that they are about ready to burst.  Here’s what’s going on in the garden:

Wisteria – My dad gave me this vine.  I’ve had it quite a few years and thought I lost it in the transplant.  Looks like it may thrive.

Day Lilies -  These rarely bloom.  I’m keeping them crowded to see if that might work.

Lilac – Love, love, love lilac.

Apricot – See the sap running?  I don’t like this cut and may correct the pruning later after the blossoms pop.

Nectarine – Thought this tree was scorched this summer and might need to be replaced.  Glad I was wrong.

Pear -  The buds are pointed and oblong.  Don’t know if these are leaves or blossoms.

Apple – Notice how orange the bark is?  It has a copper like shimmer to it due to the dormant oil spray.

Plum – This may be the earliest to bloom of the fruit trees.

Brussels Sprouts – The sprouts are finally starting to form.  These have some raindrops on them.

Camellias – This is my first year with camellias.  I don’t know if these buds are leaves or flowers.  Stay tuned.

Azaleas – See the pink starting to break through?  I’ve killed every azalea I’ve ever had and intend to break that trend.

Cauliflower – Old reliable keeps on giving and giving.

Roses – This Pope John Paul II and my Jaune Desprez along with all the other roses in the yard are all starting to leaf out.

The rain continued today.  It was soft and gentle but continual.  Lovely.

Garden Update

There was a nice harvest today.  Romaine and Bibb lettuce was thinned.  The heads were used to make a salad.  The beets were also thinned.  The baby beets were pickled to add to the salad. The cauliflower is ripening all at the same time so a few heads were cut along with some broccoli to make casseroles.  This was the 1st day to harvest any cauliflower or broccoli.  Cauliflower and cabbage are in extreme abundance and are being shared to take advantage of the fresh, tender produce. The peas are continuing to mature.  Last weekend they needed to be staked up more to eliminate their sprawl.  They were beginning to overtake the garlic.  Now, the garlic has a clear shot at the sun.  I’m thinking about planting this entire bed with tomatoes next. With the beets thinned, they have more room to grow larger and are less likely to shade the garlic.

Note:  Do not plant peas on the east side of  a bed.  Their vigorous growth tends to shade anything trying to grow on the west side.

Winter Garden – California Style

Here’s what we’re enjoying in Maybelline’s Garden:

 

 

 

While Noah was building his ark this weekend, I took pictures while the sun was still operating.  Today, January, 18, 2009, the winds howled and the sky opened up.  Wow.  It poured.  I hope the next storm sticks some snow up in the mountains.   This time of year is delightful.