Growing In My Garden

Watercress

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Karen

Looking for a ground cover. I’m trying to buy only edibles from here on out. And, I need ground cover so my sister suggested Watercress. Comments?

“It will grow quite happily in very moist soil or a bucket of water! Watercress can be sown directly into the ground from May, as long as the site is quite damp and in the shade, and you chose the land cress variety. It will have grown sufficiently to harvest in July.”

Land cress variety? Hmmm. I have a very damp, shaded area in the yard where I’d like to try this. We’ll see!

Posted in Ground Cover | Comments Off

My Hostas are Here!

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Karen

Thank you Hosta Farm for sending my order so promptly.

We planted hostas and ferns and are waiting patiently…

And, the first of our beans have sprouted! Everything’s looking so good. Blueberry bushes are happy, the black raspberry bushes are… well, less happy, frankly. Several are beginning to bud but my hopes are less there.

Spring has sprung!

Posted in Getting Started, Hostas | 5 Comments

We Planted!

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Karen

Planting with Laura and Frank

I checked Farmer’s Almanac. Today is a good day to plant. Tomorrow and Monday, no.

So, we planted. Potatoes, beans, lettuces, broccoli, spinach, even herbs. I’ve been told not to plant before April 15, but we don’t have any frost predicted. In fact, we have heat predicted!

And Laura and Frank are here. Frank’s parents are major gardeners so I’m enlisting all the help I can get.

We had a great time. Can’t wait for the harvest!

Posted in Beans and Potatoes, Broccoli, Getting Started, Lettuce, Planting, Spinach | 3 Comments

I’ll start planting this week

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Karen

Supposed to be in the 70’s all week! Oh, my gosh!

But we’ll still probably have another frost between now and April 15th so I am moving with caution.

Today, I bought some seeds I’ll be planting – Henderson Bush Lima beans and Blue Lake Bush string beans. I also bought some red potatoes and I can’t wait to see if those work!

Thanks, so much to my good friend Ray McGalliard for recommending Guilford Garden Center at Friendly and Guilford College. I’ve been by there so many times and hadn’t even noticed them! Kind of tucked away in that very crowded area.

They’re WONDERFUL and they have a lot of loose seeds. I’ll be going back mid April to buy some plants. A great garden shop so close to home!

Bush Lima Beans

Bush Lima Beans – 6″ apart, 1″ deep. 65 days to maturity. Harvest when pods are bright green, the seeds are full-sized and the ends of the pods will be soft.

Blue Lake Bush Beans

Blue Lake Bush Beans – 2″-4″ apart, 1″ deep. 55 days to harvest. Plant every 2-4 weeks until August. Water after planting. Have shallow roots. Harvest when firm, crisp, and thoroughly dry.

Red New Potatoes

Red Potatoes – add lots of compost at least 6″ down – 2 weeks before last frost. Place 2-3 potato eyes on the ground. Hill 3″-4″ of soil on top. Water thoroughly. Space center of hills 1′ apart. As plants grow, mound soil and compost around plants. Don’t expose to sunlight.

Posted in Beans and Potatoes, Getting Started | Comments Off

When do I plant? Farmer’s Almanac

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Karen

April 2010
1st-3rd. Good Days For Planting Beets, Carrots, Radishes, Turnips, Peanuts, And Other Root Crops. Also Good For Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Kale, Celery, And Other Leafy Vegetables. Start Seedbeds.

4th-5th. Barren Days. Do No Planting.

6th-8th. Favorable Days For Planting Beets, Carrots, Turnips, Radishes, Onions, And Other Root Crops.

9th-10th. Excellent Time To Kill Weeds, Briars, Poison Ivy, And Other Plant Pests.

11th-13th. Favorable Days For Planting Root Crops, Extra Good For Vine Crops. Set Strawberry Plants.

14th-15th. Poor Planting Days. Break Ground Or Cultivate.

16th-17th. Favorable For Planting Beans, Corn, Cotton, Tomatoes, Peppers, And Other Above Ground Crops.

18th-19th. Poor Days For Planting, Seeds Tend To Rot In Ground.

20th-21st. Plant Tomatoes, Beans, Peppers, Corn, Cotton, And Other Above Ground Crops On These Most Fruitful Days. Plant Seedbeds. Start Flower Gardens.

22nd-25th. Grub Out Weeds, Briars, And Other Plant Pests.

26th-28th. First Two Days Good For Planting Corn, Melons, Squash, Tomatoes, And Other Above Ground Crops. Last Day Favorable For Planting Root Crops. All Days Favorable For Sowing Grains, Hay And Fodder Crops, And For Planting Flowers

29th-30th. Good Days For Planting Beets, Carrots, Radishes, Turnips, Peanuts, And Other Root Crops. Also Good For Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Kale, Celery, And Other Leafy Vegetables. Start Seedbeds.

Posted in Farmer's Almanac, Getting Started, Resources | Comments Off

Planting for the Seasons

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Karen

Spring: Plant cool season crops. Spinach, carrots, radishes, snap peas, chard, lettuces.

Summer: Pull cool season crops and plant warm season ones. Chard, beans, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes.

Fall: Remove summer crops. Leave tomatoes, lettuces, chard, broccoli, brussel sprouts.

Posted in Garden Organization | Comments Off

Bought some herbs…

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Karen

Bought some herb and vegetable plants. They’re sitting in the windowsill waiting to be planted. Hence my next question.. When do I plant?

Broccoli: Full sun. 18″ apart. 65-75 days. Takes 6-8 weeks/summer – 5-6 weeks/fall to mature. Best time to plant? Fall! Prefers temps. 65*-75*. In summer, allow time to harvest before the weather is too hot. For a fall harvest, start your seeds in midsummer.

Water in the morning to 6″ deep.

Harvest before the buds open. Use a sharp knife to cut the head off of the stalk just below the floret heads. Leave the plant in the ground because it will sprout new florets at other places along the stalk. Don’t pick if it’s already flowering.

Lettuce: Partial Shade. 6″- 8″ apart. 3-5 weeks. Grows most easily in cool weather. Plant new crops every 3-4 weeks. Springtime – plant 1 week before last expected frost. Summer – plant heat resistant varieties and plant in shade of taller plants. Fall – plant in August. Remove from shade when weather cools.

Can be scattered throughout garden to find shade. Roots grow 18″-36″ deep.

Spinach: 4″-6″ apart

Cut while young, at or just below the soil surface when leaves are large enough. Harvest entire crop when seedstalk formation begins.

Onions: 3″ apart. Early Spring.

Sage: Full sun. Hardy to -30*! Plant after frost. 2′ apart.

Catnip: Full sun. After frost. Grow to 3′ tall. Harvest when it gets about 1′ tall.

Basil: Full sun. 10″ apart. Plant when 70* days, 50* nights. Pinch flowers that appear. Plant near tomato plants. Dig up and bring in before first frost.

Lavender: Full sun. After frost. Well drained soil. 3′-4′ apart.

Dill: Full sun. Sandy soil. Plant 2-4 weeks after final frost.

Anise: Full sun. 12″ apart. 2 weeks after last frost. 12″-24″ tall.

Thyme: Full sun. 12″ apart. Grows to 15″ tall.

Chamomile: Full sun. 6″ apart. Near onions. 2 weeks after last frost. Don’t cut before flowers.

Parsley: 2-3 weeks before last frost. 12″ apart. Height to 1.5′.

Posted in Getting Started, Herbs, Lettuce, Onions | Tagged basil, Broccoli, catnip, chamomile, dill, lavender, lettuce, onions, parsley, sage, spinach | Comments Off

Been a busy week…

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Karen

I have my garden ready.

My bridge got painted.

My blueberry bushes are planted.

My black raspberry bushes are planted.

I have a bunch of herbs on my windowsill waiting for a month until the last threat of frost passes.

I’m reading, preparing, and loving every minute of anticipation! Come on Spring!

Posted in Getting Started | 1 Comment

How to care for my Black Raspberries

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Karen

Just wrote to Sharon and asked some questions about the Black Raspberry bushes that just arrived from her farm.

I asked: What variety of black raspberry bushes are they?

Are they summer fruiting or autumn fruiting?

Any help you can give about soil, etc. would be appreciated.

Here’s her response:

I do not know the variety name of these berrys . They were a gift from a friend when we helped him pour his garage floor 30 years ago. I started with 3 plants . They like a lot of humus and a deep leaf mulch . They grow in about 6.5 PH .

If the weather is dry when they are flowering, they should be watered at least till after fruiting . After that they are pretty drought tolerant as long as they are mulched. They seem to produce better in semi -shade with larger berries .

They bear in the early spring here, right after strawberrys. We prune them in March before they leaf out . You can grow them in a horseshoe shape OR train them onto a fence.

They are our families favorite berry and rarely seen in any market. I hope this helps . We make jelly with them and can the pure juice ,as well as make wine with them.
HAVE FUN! :)

SHARON

Posted in Black Raspberries | Comments Off

Black Raspberries

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Karen

Black Raspberry or Rubus occidentalis is a species of Rubus native to eastern North America. The common name Black Raspberry is shared with the closely related western American species Rubus leucodermis. Another common names for Rubus occidentalis are Blackcap, or Scotch Cap.

Rubus occidentalis is a deciduous shrub growing to 2-3 m tall, with thorny shoots. The leaves are pinnate, with five leaflets on leaves strong-growing stems in their first year, and three leaflets on leaves on flowering branchlets. The round-shaped fruit is edible, and has a high content of anthocyanins and ellagic acid.

Black raspberries are high in anthocyanins. This has led to them being very useful as natural dyes and, since anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants, to a great deal of interest in them for their potential nutraceutical value. Extensive work has been ongoing at Ohio State University to evaluate their benefit for cancer treatment in mammalian test systems and the first clinical trials on patients with esophageal cancer.

Continue reading →

Posted in Black Raspberries | 17 Comments