Starting Early Crops, the Winter Garden & Seed Starting/Planting Schedule

Today I finally got some of my early crops started! I was planning on starting some crops last weekend. However, cleaning up the basement and fixing my one germinating table took more time than I expected.

Since last year was my first time trying to use soil blocks......and I didn't do all that well with them. I decided to start my first plantings in containers. I am however planning to start my Broccoli, Cabbage & Cauliflower in soil blocks.

 I started Collards, Arugula, Tatsoi, Pak Choi, Baby Choi, 4 varieties of Kale and 6 varieties of Lettuce. All of these will be planted out in the empty cold frames very early.

These pretty and colorful tomato cages are the only thing in the cold frames right now. "The Italian" got them for me for my Birthday in December. I think they are really cool! He had them all lined up in a path from where I park my car to the back door and then a special present in the last one!

 

I didn't get around to planting the cold frames this past fall. Life got hectic and truthfully I think it was best for the soil. Last year I had slugs all winter and lots of bugs all season due to the mild winter we had. Maybe a good freeze will help things out a bit. That's my excuse reason and I'm sticking to it!

 

The overwintered spinach (the only way I can grow it) is doing well. The plants are very close right now. I will space them out once the weather permits.

 

There are some burned leaves. But, we will have happy Spinach this Spring!

 

I also started two varieties of Leeks, Caratan & Large American Flag. Large American Flag is new variety for me. I received the seeds from Seeds of the Month Club and am happy to try a new variety. I wanted to try another variety.....so, we shall see how they do.

 

The Celery was also sown today. This year I sowed my tried and true variety, Golden Self Blanching. I also started another new variety from Seeds of the Month Club, Utah. I'm really excited to see how the Utah celery does. Let's just hope we don't have more celery than last year!

 

Also sown were some Herbs; Rosemary, Basil (for inside), Winter Savory, Summer Savory, Cumin & Lemon Grass.

 

 

 My seed starting & planting schedule for this year is as follows:

 

February 23/24 - Start Broccoli & Cabbage

March 9/10 - Start Cauliflower, Eggplants & Peppers

March 16/17 - Peas Outside

March 30/31 - Start Tomatoes

March 30-Mid April - Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, maybe Beets & Greens Outside, weather permitting

April Mid-Late - Broccoli Outside

April -Late to May-Early - Cauliflower Outside

May Early - Start Squash & Melons

May-Early to Mid - Tomatoes Outside

May-Late - Peppers & Eggplants Outside

May-Late to Early June - Direct sow, Beans, Cucumbers, Squash, Popcorn and any other warm crops that I forgot!

 

I'm sure this will change a bit, as it always does. But, that's the plan for now! How are you making out with your garden planning for this year???

First Frost/Freeze!

When I left work today it felt quite chilly. I really didn't think anything of it since the radio said it was going to get down to 36 tonight. Then I decided to call Dora from the Community Garden. It's a good thing I did! She wanted to know if I was on my way to the garden since we were getting a freeze tonight. What??? Oh, that's right, I work near Philly and it's a half zone warmer!!

Since daylight ends much earlier then I would like this time of year, I went straight to the garden. Dora was so kind and left me a sweatshirt and containers to harvest the last of the summer veggies.

Hot & Spice Peppers and a couple of small Eggplant

Sweet Peppers

I do have some celery plants in the home garden. But, I think they will be just fine.

Have you had your first frost or freeze yet???

The Plots at the end of September

I can't believe that September is almost over! Boy, time sure does fly! Today I spent 8 hours at the plots cleaning up. All of the tomato plants were pulled and all of the beds were tidied up.

A view from the front

Bed #1

This is where the potatoes were planted this year. I dumped a bag of composted manure on the bed. I will work it in and plant the garlic in this bed next weekend.

Bed #2

a/k/a Tomato Bed 1

All tidied up and ready for winter. I left the marigolds and basil in the bed.

Bed #3

The 3 Sisters planting was at this end of the bed. The hot & spice peppers and eggplants are still going strong at the other end of the bed.

Bed #4

a/k/a Tomato Bed 2

All tidied up and ready for winter

Bed #5

There are still some leeks left in this bed and also the sweet peppers at the far end.

Bed #6

This is not a good picture. I couldn't get a good angle to show the bed. The blackberries are at this end and the raspberries at the far end. As you can see the berries all survived the transplant and are thriving. I'm going to build supports for them next weekend.

Bed #7

The strawberry bed. This bed still needs some attention before winter sets in.

Bed #8

This bed has asparagus at each end and another section in the middle where the onions were planted this year.

The asparagus also survived the transplant and is thriving.

A view of the garden from the back.

The gate is locked and most things are in order for the winter.....but, not everything is done!

So, how's your Fall Clean-Up coming along???

Starts are Finished

I guess that I really should have taken a closer look at my fall starts. I uncovered them today to find sticks. They were covered with little cabbage worms.

This is what is left of my Fall Broccoli & Cauliflower!

I do have about a dozen starts that Jose from the community garden gave me. That is not nearly enough though. I'm going to start some more starts today. This time I am going to cover them and keep them covered!! I'm not sure if it's too late. But, I'm going to give it a try. I can always purchase some too. The worst thing that can happen is I will have too many.

Harvest Monday............03/26/2012

There were some pretty good harvests this past week here at the home garden. I finally got around to harvesting some more overwintered Collards, Kale, Lettuce & Spinach!

Overwintered Cold Frame Vates Collards, 14.5 oz.

Overwintered Cold Frame Lacinato Kale and a few leaves of Winter Red, 10 oz.

Overwintered Cold Frame Squire Kale, 8.5 oz.

Overwintered Spinach of mixed varieties, 13 oz

This is my first good Spinach Harvest since 2010!!! And there is a lot more out there!

Total Weighed Harvest - 3 lbs. 4 oz.

Collards, Vates - 14.5 oz.

Kale, Lacinato - 10 oz.

Kale, Squire - 8.5 oz.

Lettuce - 6 oz.

Spinach - 13oz.

Stop on over to Daphne's Dandelions, our host of Harvest Monday to see what's going on in Veggie Gardens around the globe!!

Harvest Monday............03/12/2012

This past Saturday, I finally harvested some of the overwintered Kale and Collards from the cold frame beds. I figured that I would harvest just the bigger leaves and that would be enough for dinner. As you can see, there were a lot more greens ready then I had thought!

I came in with this nice big colander full of greens! 

There are Vates Collards, Lacinato Kale, Squire Kale and a few leaves of what I think must be Winter Red Kale. There is one plant in the bed which has light purple veins. I was having trouble with the Winter Red Kale germinating...but, I guess that one made it.

Total Harvest - 10.7 oz    
Collards - 3.8 oz
Kale - 6.9 oz

Hop on over to Daphne's Dandelions, our host of Harvest Monday to see what's going on in Veggie Gardens around the globe!

Harvest Monday............03/05/2012

I had a couple of harvests the past two weeks. This is a re-run of my last Harvest Monday post. I harvested a small amount of spinach for 'The Italian's" BD dinner last Sunday, February 26th.

The spinach harvest was about 3 oz.

 It was just enough to stuff the flank steak which I posted about on Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard.

The remaining Tatsoi in the cold frame was harvested on Wednesday. The Tatsoi was starting to bolt, even the smaller heads.

"Miss Banana" is checking it out. You know how those nosy cats can be!

The Tatsoi weighed in at 45.5 oz.

After the Tatsoi was harvested, I removed the tops from both cold frames. I also turned off the lighting, which I had on a timer to give the plants 2 extra hours of light during the winter. This will give the cold frames some fresh air and exposure to some colder temps. Hopefully, this will help take care of some of the bugs in there. I will also give them a good dose of DE this week.

Hop on over to Daphne's Dandelions our host of Harvest Monday to see what's going on in Veggie Gardens around the globe!!

What's Growing on at the end of February

The sun is shining and spring is just around the corner! Well, almost.....we are supposed to get a wintery mix tomorrow. 

There are some seedlings growing in the basement. 

These are the first soil blocks that I planted.

I am finding that there is a learning curve to growing in the soil blocks. I am sure I will master it sooner or later.

I did a little experiment and sowed the same seeds in these soil blocks as I did in the containers below.

As you can see, the containers are doing much better then the blocks right now.

The carrots that I planted in the big container in the basement.

They are coming along nicely. I had to re-sow some of them because I ripped the seedlings out when I removed the burlap. This time I put little pieces of cardboard over the seed mats instead of the burlap.

This is the Left Cold Frame. 

The Kale and Collards are really taking off. There is a celery plant in the back and it made it through the winter. This should give us some early celery.

This is the Right Cold Frame. 

The Kale in the back is doing well and the rest of this Tatsoi will be harvested on Friday after the weather calms down. There are also a couple of celery plants in here too. I think that I am going to remove the cold frame tops this Saturday. There are aphids in the left cold frame and I need to get them under control.

The over-wintered spinach is doing well. 

I have been harvesting a little here and there. I will probably throw some more seeds in this bed soon. That is the only way I can get spinach to grow. Just throw a bunch of seeds on the ground and forget about them!

The Music garlic is peaking through the straw at the other end of the bed where the spinach is planted. It's not easy to see in this picture though.

The balance of the garlic is Silverskin and is planted in another bed which is heavily protected from the squirrels. This variety is growing much faster.

That's what's growing on around here! What's growing on around your place???

Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard..........2/02/2012

We had a nice harvest of Baby Choi from the cold frames this past week which I posted here. We haven't used any of it yet, as it will store well in the refrigerator.

This week I did make one of my favorite dishes, Shrimp & Sausage served with Spaghetti Squash. I have to say that this is a great dish! This recipe is enough for "The Italian" and I. You will have to increase the amounts if you have a larger crowd.

Shrimp & Sausage w/Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients:

• Olive Oil
• 2-3 Hot Italian Sausage Links or loose sausage (we make our own sausage)
• 12 Medium Shrimp, whole or butterflied
• 1 Pint Tomatoes
• 1 Medium Onion, Chopped
• 1 Large Clove of Garlic, minced
• Oregano & Basil 
• Spaghetti Squash
• Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese, if desired

Directions:

1. Remove Sausage from casing
2. Add a little Olive Oil to a medium or large skillet or deep frying pan on medium-high heat
3. Saute Onion & Sausage pieces until cooked
4. Add minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds
5. Add Tomatoes, Oregano & Basil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes
6. While the sauce is cooking prepare Spaghetti Squash or pasta
7. Add Shrimp and cook just a couple of minutes until shrimp is cooked
8. Serve over Spaghetti Squash or Pasta with a little grated cheese

Note: This is not a thick type of sauce

This isn't the best picture....but it is a great dish!

What goodies have you been putting away in your cupboard or serving from your stored goods??

Harvest Monday............01/30/2012

I finally decided to harvest all of the Baby Choi in the cold frame. I think it was just in the nick of time! Some of the outer leaves were turning yellow and they were just about to bolt.   


Do you believe that there are still hungry live slugs living in the cold frames?? Occasionally I leave them open for several nights in a row, hoping to kill off some of the bugs. I guess that once the Tatsoi is harvested, I should take the tops off. 

It was a decent harvest weighing in at 2.83 lbs.

Hop on over to Daphne's Dandelions, our host of Harvest Monday to see what's going on in Veggie Gardens around the globe!!

Trying to get a Head Start on some Carrots

Since we are now carrot less in this house. I thought that I would bring one of my big plastic pots that I grow carrots in from outside. I brought it to the basement to thaw out first. Then I added some composted manure, vermiculite, peat and some composted soil that I managed to chip off the top of one of the beds out back. I went outside a couple of times after the sun was shining on the soil for several hours (before the snow) and did manage to get enough for the pot.


After I added everything to the pot, I added more water. It was a bit too much so then I let it dry out for a couple of days. After drying out, the soil temperature was a bit too cold for germination. So I took one of the many rope lights we have and wrapped it around the pot. The next day the soil was warm enough for germination. 


Next I put some seed mats that I had made (Granny's famous seed mat tutorial can be found here) on the soil, covered them with some vermiculite and burlap. Now I have to remember to keep them moist in order for them to germinate.

Since the basement is quite cool, I think that I am going to leave the lights on for awhile

Once they start growing, I will move them to the table in the tool area of the basement and lower one of the shop lights to give them light. I'll keep you updated on how this experiment works out.

Are there any other crazy gardeners out there trying something new to get a jump start on the garden this year???

Harvest Monday...........12/05/2011

This week I finally remembered to take a picture of something that has been harvested from the garden!

The bottoms of these green onions were used to make a wonderful Turkey Noodle Soup. The tops wll be used in another dish this week...probably a Gumbo or Jambalaya.

We have been using fresh herbs from the garden on a regular basis. But, I have not been taking any pictures or weighing them.

Yesterday I stopped by the plots. Our one gardening neighbor Bill was there and he was digging up his parsnips. Look what he gave me.

These two parsnips weigh 3 lbs. 9 oz. before trimming. I think that "The Italian" and I will get a couple of good meals from these babies!

Hop on over to Daphne's Dandelions, our host of Harvest Monday to see what's going on in gardens around the globe!

Cold Frame Maintenance & Changes

I've been doing a little maintenance on the cold frames. Before we went on vacation I did a little work on the tops. First I put some sturdier braces on the corners. Some of the original ones were not real sturdy and the tops started to twist a bit. Then I put new plastic on the tops. The plastic that we had originally used was some that we had around. It was not the proper plastic to use for the tops.....but, it was free. This year we decided to buy the proper type of plastic for the tops. I did some searching and found greenhouse plastic that is supposed to last for 4 years. I purchased enough to re-cover them twice. It was about the same price with shipping as buying a roll of plastic at a Big Box Store. I can either use it to cover them again or to make a protective covering if needed in the garden.

I was not happy with the original supports to hold the tops open. They were short and could not hold the tops open very wide...so I made some new ones. I just took some stakes that I had around and drilled holes in them.  They seem to be working well. We shall see how I feel during the cold winter days.

I also put concrete blocks in the front to put the bottom of the stakes in. I think this will work much better and I will now be able to adjust the height of the opening to as small or as large as needed.

The rope lights that were in the cold frames last year were also re-installed. I wasn't going to put them in. However, they seemed to work well last year. So, I decided to put them back. One of you bloggers out there (I don't remember who) did a post with a link to an article about winter greenhouse growing. The article said that if you have 1-2 hours of additional light during the night, it will stimulate growth during the winter. After reading the article I decided to add one light per cold frame. They are connected to a timer and come on for 2 hours in the middle of the night.

I found everything that I needed to make the lights in the basement.

The only problem that I am having besides the hungry bugs is this.

The timer would not fit under the flap to the exterior water proof outlet cover. I removed it and replaced it with an indoor one. Now I have to find a cover that will protect the outlet and the timer from the rain. I'm sure I will think of something. If not "The Italian" always seems to come up with innovative ideas!

Harvest Monday...................11/14/2011

This past week I harvested the remaining leeks from both gardens. There were two leeks left in one of the beds at home and four leeks left at the plots. They aren't all that big....but, they will make a nice soup!

Normally a lot of the leeks are left in the garden to harvest over the winter. This year due to bad planning on my part at the home garden and the weather....all of them are now out of the ground.

Note: We are going away for most of the day. So, I may not get to respond to your comment or visit your blog until tomorrow.

Total weighed Harvest: 1.25 lbs of Leeks

Stop by Daphne's Dandelions, our host of Harvest Monday to see what's going on in Veggie Gardens around the Globe!!

Fall Garlic Planting

Since the sun has been shining the past couple of days, I have been getting a lot of chores done outside! The remaining tomato plants at the home garden have been pulled and the supports and wiring were taken down.

I was planning on planting the garlic at the plots this fall. But, since the Community Garden is moving (more on that later, I am on the garden moving committee), it is being planted at the home garden. I usually plant some of my own garlic. However, since I really don't think that we have quite enough for the year and the bulbs were smaller then usual, I ordered some new seed garlic. Since I decided upon this a bit late and we didn't go to the Garlic Festival this year, it was a little difficult to find some organic seed garlic. I finally found a grower in Oregon, Whistling Duck Farm, that had two good storage varieties available. I purchased 8 oz each of Silverskin (softneck) and Music (hardneck). Both are supposed to be really good keepers. I have to say that I forgot how much seed garlic cost.

When I was finished dismantling the tomato supports, the mail had arrived and my garlic was here. Boy, what nice heads of garlic! I think this is the nicest seed garlic that I have ever purchased! After separating the heads, I ended up with 81 really nice cloves.

I totally forgot to take pics of the heads of garlic before I started planting. These are a couple of cloves of the Music variety which have yet to be planted.

Here is my Garlic Fortress.

I planted the Silverskin and a few of the Music is this small bed. Since the squirrels are totally out of control right now, I covered the top with some plastic fencing that was at the plots when we got them. I usually have tomatoes in this bed. Next year I will only have 4 tomato plants at the home garden, so I decided to put some of the garlic in one of the smaller beds.

The plastic squirrel protectant is held on by these little plastic clips I had. This will make it easy to remove when I cover the garlic with straw for the winter.

The balance of the garlic will be planted at the one end of  the former Garlic Bed. I still have to add compost to this bed before I plant the rest of the garlic.

So, what Fall gardening have you been up to??

Home Veggie Garden Mid-March

Since we had rain this morning, I did not go to the plots. I have spent several hours over there the past two days, but have not taken any pictures. I will take pictures of the plots tomorrow and post an update on them in the next day or two.

The weather was nice this afternoon so I decided to clean out the veggie and perennial beds. Here are some photos of what is going on in the veggie department at home.

I weeded  and loosened up the soil in the two cold frames. Now all I have to do is move some of the plants around next week. There is a lot of wasted space in them.

Some Arugula and Lettuce in the cold frames.

Kale and Rainbow Chard in the cold frames

The garlic bed behind the cold frames. There is one Brussels Sprout plant from last year that looks like it may give us a harvest after all.

These little guys spent the day outside and will soon begin to spend the nights out there too.