Fall Radishes

There’s a ton of catch up posts to get posting.  I’ll start with the radishes that were planted.  There are a couple of varieties planted in the salad bed.  This bed had lemon squash and watermelons this past summer.  Now, there is a variety of lettuces, onions, and radishes growing. 

Radishes are a snap to grow.  Jaune D’Or Ovale and Watermelon Radishes were planted on September 16.  By September 20, they had germinated.  Harvesting of the Jaune D’Or Ovale began on October 10.  Keep the soil moist, not wet and radishes will grow without much trouble.  They need plenty of sun and well drained soil.  Since they’re a root crop, remove any stones so they can grow nice and fat.  As they plump, the crop needs to be thinned.  I simply eat them as they are thinned.  The image above is a bunch of radishes that were thinned to help the others fatten up.

A package of radish seeds cost around $2 and produce enough radishes to make it well worth growing them instead of buying them.  Imagine how much better they taste just after the dirt has been rinsed off.  They are a lot crunchier than the store variety too.  Since radishes are fairly small, not much landscape is required to grow a crop.  A pot on a sunny patio might even work.  Radishes are ideal for the gardener that wants to try growing vegetables.

Give it a shot.

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.

Garden Update

The weather has been great.  Yesterday it was cool and rainy!  It’s May and it was cool and rainy!!!  Here’s a quick garden update:The strawberries are really producing well.  They’ve been fed (Dr. Earth), irrigated daily, and are enjoying full sun.  The fruit size is large and well developed.  There is some loss to insects; but no loss to birds.  The scare tape and owl kite seem to be great scarecrows.French Breakfast Radishes were planted among the Lemon Squash on 05/15/10.  They germinated today, 05/18/10.  The purpose of planting them with the squash is to repel pests that could damage the squash.  If anyone is new to gardening with seeds and would like to enjoy fast results, these radishes should do the trick.In the holes of the cinder block that form the raised bed for the peppers, I planted some Borlotto Solista Beans.  They are only planted on the north side of the bed to allow for maximum sun to the peppers.  Al Kuffa tomatoes are also sharing the bed with the soon to be planted peppers. A few small oranges are hanging on to the Robertson Navel Orange tree.  I thought this tree might be in danger of being lost; but it looks like it is gaining strength and may grow vigorously.  Sadly, the Satsuma Mandarin was pitched into the green waste.  It’s root system was very small and the tree ended with no leaves.

All the tomatoes have been planted (37 plants) with the remaining to be given away.  Four of the tomato plants were auctioned at today’s meeting of the Daughters of the British Empire. It was a nice day in the garden.

Measuring Up

I’m adding a measuring stick today to record the progress of a few items in the garden.  Above is a Scarlet Nantes Carrot planted 10/05/09. Jaune D’Or Ovale Radishes planted 04/28/10.

 Evergreen Bunching Onions planted 04/18/10.

O’Henry Peaches planted 01/12/09.  This is the tree’s 2nd season.  Each season it has produced fruit.

Red Flame Grapes planted January 2009.  Like the peach, the grapes are in their 2nd season.  Each season fruit was produced.

Henderson’s Pink Ponderosa planted 03/01/10.  All the tomatoes are ready to be planted in the ground.  As soon as Farmer MacGregor finishes building the supports, the planting can begin.  Some of the tomato plants have buds on them.

Sweet Pinkie Strawberries planted 03/01/09.  This variety is really thriving in the cinder blocks.  During this coming winter they need to be thinned.

This evening’s harvest of Sweet Pinkies.  No chance of me being scooped up as a hand model.  Oh well.

Candy Hybrid Onions planted 09/20/09.

Here’s a seed head on a Candy Hybrid Onion.

Ladybug dining on parsley.

Rio Red Grapefruit planted 02/14/09.  The fruit seems to be staying on the tree this year although some are dropping off.

Variegated Pink Lemon planted in a pot fall 2009.

That’s how a few things are measuring up in the garden today.

Bees Do It

There’s more than just produce in the garden.  There’s a variety of flowers that attract the local bees.  It’s good to have them here to help with the pollination of the tomatoes, melons, squash…you get the point. 

Lobelia

Lantana (yellow)

Thyme

Sweet Peas

Lantana (purple)

Lavender

Nasturtium

Strawberries

Grapefruit

Lemon

Note:  The fancy French radishes (Jaune D’Or Ovale) planted on April 28 look like they have sprouted; but it was too dark this evening to take any photos.

Summer Crops – Part II

In the last post I highlighted the western most raised bed.  Now let’s move east.  There are still onions developing.  They were planted on September 20, 2009.  The heat has really pushed their growth.  You can easily see the location of the Candy Hybrid onions.  The stakes are placed to prevent garden kitties from littering where they ought not litter.  The bed is trimmed with lobelia, freesia, and strawberries.

From left to right I have planted seeds from Baker Creek.

Crapaudine Beets – are planted under the squash support (4/29/10).  Here’s the description from Baker Creek: In 1885, the French book, The Vegetable Garden stated this is one of the oldest varieties. Today some experts feel this may be the oldest beet still in existence, possibly dating back 1000 years. This unique variety is one of the most flavorful, with carrot-shaped roots that have rough, dark colored skin which looks like tree bark. Inside, the roots are very dark, with almost black flesh that is of superior quality and sought after by chefs who want real flavor. We are proud to offer this rare old selection.

 Beets are cool weather crop; but I wanted to see how they would grow in the shade of the squash as the vines cover the support.  This is a simple experiment.  There’s plenty of seeds to plant at the end of summer if this is a flop.

Lemon Squash – has a custom made support to climb.  Farmer MacGregor installed his workshop creation the same day the seeds were planted (4/28/10).  The idea is to have the lemon shaped squash dangle through the hog wire of the support.  They will stay out of the dirt and moisture and should be easy to harvest.  Lemon Squash has received great reviews at Baker Creek.

The description is this:  The shape, size and color of a lemon, it grows great here, has huge yields and the best resistance to insects I have seen in a summer squash. Very tasty, great fried! A favorite, this is a superb market variety and is very attractive. Our most popular summer squash!

Planting radishes with the squash will help to repel beetles.  I’ll just pick up regular old radish seeds for this purpose.

 

Malali Watermelon – from Israel rounds out the bed.  I picked these because they don’t grow to the size of Guinness Book of World Record prize winning melons and they can take the heat.  The seed company has a wide variety to choose from but these should be perfect.  A sugary-sweet watermelon from Israel; this variety is great for warm climates. Small fruit weigh about 10 lbs. Green-striped rind and delicious light-red flesh is really refreshing. A good little melon for small families and market growers.

I try to mark the date I plant seeds on each packet whenever possible.

Good luck with your Kentucky Derby wager.

Summer Crops – Part I

There are four raised beds in the garden.  Three of the four beds are ready for planting.  Let’s start the tour with bed number one.  Notice the tomato cages laying on their sides.  This is kitty litter prevention.  All four rows have been sewn and I do not want garden kitties to help themselves.  This should do the job until the seedlings are established.  All four rows will be planted with a variety of heirloom tomatoes.  I wanted to get the companion seedlings started before the tomato supports are installed and the tomatoes planted.

Here’s what has been planted from left to right.

Atomic Red Carrots are brilliant red and unique looking.  The 8” roots are high in lycopene which is helpful in preventing several types of cancer.  They should mature in 75 days.   They are supposed to be good companions to tomatoes according to Carrots Love Tomatoes.

Genovese Basil is very popular with cooks claims the seed package and catalogue.  It’s supposed to help tomatoes to overcome both insects and disease.  The flavor of the tomatoes is also improved with this companion.  Did you know basil repels mosquitoes and flies?

Yellow of Parma Onions is described in the catalogue as a Long-day type--Large, golden onions are oblong-globe shaped. This late onion makes an excellent keeper; a rare and hard-to-find Italian variety.  Like garlic, onions help repel insects from tomatoes, not to mention they taste great.

Jaune D’Or Ovale Radishes are golden.  The package has this to say:  In 1885 the French seed house Vilmorin mentioned “Jaune D’Or” as a new variety.  This French variety starts out a pale tannish-white and turns a yellowish-tan as the large roots mature.  The egg-shaped roots are medium-hot, and are great for salads; they seem to remain tender over a long period.  Be sure to try this unique old classic that France has been enjoying for over 125 years.  Radishes repel the two-spotted spider mite.

This bed is on the western most edge of the garden and in full sun.  With temperatures expected in the 80s next week (yuck), the seeds should be sprouting at a record rate.

Harvest!

Yippee! Radishes were pulled this evening to add to the salad for the dinner table. Along with BBQed Honey Mustard Chicken and a baked potato, everything was delicious. The radishes are called Sparkler. Zowy. They're peppery. So far, so good on the garden front. Today, was wonderful. It rained and was nice and cool. There's now a dusting of snow in the mountains. Wonderful.

Radishes

The radishes are breaking through. I think the peas will follow. Today started out with a gentle, soft rain. I enjoy this as much as possible because dry, hot oven-like weather is on its way. The plants thrive in this wonderful weather. Even the weeds look lovely; but they gotta go. Tumbleweeds are already propagating in abundance. I think at the time of Armageddon that not only will cockroaches survive but tumbleweeds will flourish. Until then, I'll enjoy watching my radishes grow and probably eat way too many at harvest time and get a belly ache. Keep on raining.