joene's garden » Edibles

Re-GOOPs: a review of 2011’s gardening-oops

joenesgarden — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Welcome to January 1, 2012. The first of each month is confessional time. Time to fess up to a gardening blunder, or gardening oops. GOOPs for short. I share one of my gardening mis-steps and hope you'll do the same.

This is Re-GOOPs month, when I look back at some of the GOOPs from last year.

The GOOPs that drew the most comments is from June 2011. I described how the landscape fabric we installed, as directed by the block manufacturer, while building a retaining wall planting bed became blocked with fine soil silt. It hinders drainage to the point of making the bed virtually unplantable (new word?) during rainy springs/summers. Most of the comments to this post mentioned similar and other landscape fabric issues. I even had a manufacturer suggest we had installed the landscape fabric incorrectly …. we didn't.

To use the bed last season I dug out some of the soil so large clay pots would rest on the fabric layer. I filled the pots with new soil and planted them with hot peppers, cherry tomatoes and eggplant.

Trailing nasturtium seeds and coleus seedlings went into the remaining soil surrounding the sunken pots.

I promised, back in June, to report whether my scheme worked.

The hot peppers thrived, the tomatoes did okay, and the eggplant was not happy.

I planted bush and pole beans between a couple of pots at the far end but, with such a wet growing season, the soil remained too moist for the beans to really thrive.

The nasturtiums and coleus, however, had a banner year.

No aphids … not one.

The nasturtiums went wild, they never had a mid-summer slump, and the coleus grew mighty tall and bushy right up to first frost.

Eventually I plan to remove all the soil from this bed. I'm on the lookout for decorative planters that will fit the space and style of the surrounding block. The planters, which I'll fill seasonally, will sit in the raised bed on top of and within decorative stone. The stone will facilitate drainage and the planters will add seasonal interest and break up the visual impact of the long, narrow bed. I can also add other interesting accents – think cool rocks, shells, candles – at my whim. The new design is still germinating in my idea seed bank but, in the meantime, the sunken clay pots work as a temporary planting solution.

My GOOPs tale of voles eating crocus bulbs and deer nibbling on crocus and Tete-a-tete narcissi garnered a number of sympathetic comments. I think the photos of bright, cheery blooms followed by shots of stubby green leftovers helped in the sympathy department. Isn't this sad?

My solution for the narcissi is to cover newly emerging shoots with upside-down apple baskets each night and to keep a sharp eye out for marauding deer during daylight. For the crocus issue I've taken the advice from Nell Jean at Seedscatterer. I planted tommies (Crocus tommasinianus Ruby Giant and Barr's Purple).

I won't know till spring whether voles left the tommies alone. Keeping fingers crossed and praying to the bulb gods.

The last Re-GOOPs for today is Don't count your tomatoes … a gardening oops. It's another tale, and another sad photo, of creature damage. This time from those cute, fast-moving, devilish chipmunks.

They have superb ripe-tomato radar. The only way for me to beat them to the fruit was to pick before the tomatoes were totally ripe and let them finish ripening on a windowsill. So far the chipmunks haven't figured out how to get into my kitchen. Keeping fingers crossed and praying to the fox gods.

Looking back reminded … though I didn't really need it … that weather had a huge impact in 2011. Three GOOPs posts - February, March and November - involved snow and I hurricane/tropical storm Irene prevented a GOOPs post on September 1 (no power for seven days).

I suspect 2012's GOOPs will also involve weather and creatures and creatures and weather. At least that gives me the chance to blame something besides my own actions.

I hope you'll join the GOOPs party this year. If you are REALLY gardening then you must have made a GOOPs or two.

Either add your GOOPs tale in a comment below or post your GOOPs on your blog and leave a teaser in a comment below.

Happy New Year. Garden thoughtfully.

Categories: Bulbs, Edibles, Gardening, General, GOOPs-Gardening Oops.
Tags: Bulbs, creature damage, gardening in Connecticut, gardening oops - GOOPs, landscape fabric, tomatoes.

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A Look at Young Farmers

joenesgarden — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:37:29 +0000

It stands to reason that the growing popularity for organic produce – preferably locally grown – equates to a rising number of organically run farms. A recent piece on National Public Radio (NPR) provides a glimpse at a crop of young farmers gathered for the Young Farmers Conference in Tarrytown, New York. Follow the link and read or listen to the report. Here's an excerpt.

Ben has been running his own farm in Tivoli, New York, for ten years now. He says that the great thing about farming is that it's a really practical form of idealism. «It's all well and good – and important – to have political opinions, and protest, and things like that. But when you're farming, you get to live your values, and farm the world that you want to see,» he says.

As a backyard vegetable grower, I've always had the utmost respect for people who choose to grow food for others. As an Accredited Organic Land Care Professional (AOLCP) I have even more respect for those who commit to farming organically.

We need to understand where our food comes from and what it takes to grow the fresh food we desire. Farming is difficult work but, thankfully, there are people willing and ready to learn from past farming practices and investigate new innovations in small-scale farming.

These are practical, resourceful, down-to-earth individuals who remind me of the farm-practicality my Grandmother learned as a child and passed on to her grandchildren.

In contrast to all the negative press blasted at us on television, radio, print and the Internet; the rising sense that big business is far more important than the public; and the paralyzing inability of Congress to work together to get anything done, organic farmers provide a positive, public-oriented, tangible service.

They feed people while helping to preserve the land for future generations. They work hard, with limited capital, to keep farming. They seem to embody all the peace/love/respect-the-planet aspects so many in my generation professed during the 60's while embracing the positive aspects of current technology.

Watch here to understand their drive, their vision, their desire to work in a truly meaningful profession.

They deserve our respect and our appreciation. They give me a powerful gift … they make me hopeful for the future.

Note: Many thanks to Alicia Ghio at local food rocks for bringing NPR's Who are the farmers of Generation Organic? to my attention … I must not have been listening the day it aired on All Things Considered.

Categories: Edibles, Gardening, Newsy Items.
Tags: local food rocks, NPR, organic farming, Young Farmers.

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Hurricane prep

joenesgarden — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 01:13:13 +0000

All predictions have hurricane Irene hitting Connecticut sometime after midnight Saturday. The past few days have been filled with preparations of one sort or another. Of course, we stored away outdoor furniture, wind chimes, the gas grill, and garden ornamentation that would blow in high winds, tools, and the many potted plants around the house. Some plants went into the garage, some went under the deck, and some came inside. We moved the biggest potted plants against a retaining wall and hope this will give them some protection or at least keep them from blowing around. It's hard to predict what winds up to 75 mph will do to such things.

I harvested as many veggies as possible. Many will get eaten during the next few days. The hot peppers, however, had to be canned. And since I had so many green tomatoes I canned green tomato relish. The cucumbers I bought at a farm stand on Wednesday had to become pickles and relish. I was not going to let the fantastic basil growing in the gardens get battered by hurricane winds …half of it is now pesto, some went to a neighbor, and some is sitting in a vase in water waiting for me to get to it another day. The ton of peaches picked during Wednesday's farm visit are now sliced and stored in the freezer.

All the hydrangeas are cut and resting safely in vases all around the house and other blossoms are cut and in water. I figure I'll want something to do to keep my mind off the wind and rain expected to stay with us for most of tomorrow. What better activity than arranging bouquets of flowers from the garden?

Irene is acting much like a previous hurricane – Gloria – that hit CT in 1985. We lost power for six days. Irene is following the same track, but is larger and expected to stay for a longer visit. We have a generator, but if you don't see any posts from me for the next week, blame Irene. Living in the woods, hurricane force winds, driving rains and electrical wires don't always get along well.

Categories: Edibles, Gardening, Harvests.
Tags: canning, gardening in Connecticut, hurricane preparations.

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Don’t count your tomatoes … a gardening oops

joenesgarden — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:00:00 +0000

It's the first of August. It's GOOPs day … the day for my monthly gardening oops post. I share a gardening blunder of my own and offer you the chance to do the same.

My August 2011 GOOPS revolves around expectations. It's high season for fresh-picked vine-ripened tomatoes in zone 6a Connecticut. I look forward to this time from the start of gardening season. The flavor of home-grown tomatoes, warmed by the sun, can't be beat. I ordered the seed, planted them in flats, provided at least 10 hours of light to the little seedlings, watered them when they were dry, and set up a fan to gently blow on them so they developed good strong stems. I watched the weather and waited for it to warm enough to harden off the tomato seedlings. I chose high-quality rich compost-based potting soil for the large pots that would be the outside home for my tomato seedlings. When the conditions were favorable I planted the seedlings in their pots. I staked them, watered them, checked them daily for bugs and disease. They grew large. They looked healthy. They blossomed and began to set fruit. As each tiny tomato expanded into mature size and began to show a reddish tinge, my anticipation grew. The first cherry tomato was heavenly. Then came the first heirloom, a Cherokee, with phenomenal flavor. One slice was all that I needed for a toasted tomato sandwich.

Then it was the plum tomatoes' time to turn red. I took a visual inventory to determine about when I'd be able to make the first batch of fresh tomato sauce. That was my GOOPs. I counted my tomatoes before they were picked. The very morning I went out to harvest the plum tomatoes I was greeted with half eaten tomatoes. A chipmunk, or two or three, had also been watching the progress of the plum tomatoes … they got to them first. Anyone have any good chipmunk deterring tricks?

The next morning, during my usual plant-check stroll - with freshly-brewed coffee in hand - I spotted trouble with the Cherokee tomatoes. Leaves that had been healthy, firm, and of good color were suddenly wilting and damaged. I'm not exactly sure of the cause … I'm still investigating … but my Cherokees may be near they're last hurrah.

This experience is a good reminder that gardening outcomes are unpredictable. Best efforts don't always result in best harvest. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my remaining pots of cherry and heirloom tomatoes continue to grow unscathed. I'm hoping for a few more toasted tomato sandwiches and many more fresh tomato sauces and salads. But I won't count my tomatoes until they're picked … free of teeth marks and disease … and sitting on my kitchen counter.

Do you have a GOOPs to share? Tell all in a comment below or leave a teaser that directs readers to a GOOPs story on your own blog.

Categories: Edibles, Gardening, GOOPs-Gardening Oops.
Tags: Gardening blunders, gardening in Connecticut, gardening oops - GOOPs, tomato disease, tomato pests.

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Garden Tour Highlights

joenesgarden — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:06:59 +0000

Gardeners are inventive people so when you take a garden tour your bound to come away with some ideas or inspiration. I've had time for just one garden tour so far this year … the 2011 Lyme/Old Lyme Garden Tour with proceeds going to a worthy organization - the Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut. Each property had some noteworthy design features worth sharing here.

One garden used color repetition to tie different areas together.

Orange, featured in plantings and the seat cushions, is beautifully contrasted by the brown decking and umbrella …

then it's picked up as the feature color in adjoining areas …

to tie the gardens together.

A highlight in another garden … masses of common plants.

A row of daylilies (Hemerocallis) beautifully offsets this magnificent stone retaining wall.

Bachelor's buttons (Centaurea) provide airy, understated, cooling color in a full sun garden.

One set of gardens stood out for their wow factor and inventive ideas.

This small birch grove, underplanted by ferns and featuring a rather large praying mantis, welcomes visitors to a most unusual and unexpected series of gardens carved out of neighboring Connecticut woods.

The property owners literally went with the flow to deal with drainage issues. They created curving dry stream beds where water flowed naturally.

The creamy round rock dramatically contrasts against the black mulch. Native flat field stones bridge pathways crossing over the streambeds.

Besides the resident botanist's collection of shrubs and trees …

the totally fenced in 'back yard' included a raised bed vegetable garden

and a pond and all it's associated sounds.

Drama continued inside the greenhouse with this centrally located green wall … whimsy surrounded by heat loving greenery.

Many of the properties highlighted vegetable gardens to give visitors ideas to use in their own gardens …

mostly raised beds and all fenced from predators.

One vegetable garden brought in a cozy feature … brightly painted chairs and a table that encouraged visitors to sit a spell and enjoy the beauty of edible plants.

My favorite gardens evoked a sense of peaceful relaxation …

of beauty and interest and an understated drama around every turn and from every view.

Many of the gardens enticed me to sit and enjoy the views around a home, along a wall, on a slope, on the edge of a field,

or in the woods.

This view left visitors with welcoming feeling even on the way out. I love the use of nepeta along the outer edge – instead of farther back in this driveway planting.

I like taking garden tours to get ideas … and to spend time with my best friend and garden touring buddy. While touring I pay close attention to the way I feel when I walk through gardens. Those that work for me give the sense that I could live there.

Categories: Edibles, Garden Design, Gardening, Perennials & Annuals.
Tags: garden tour, gardening in Connecticut, Lyme/Old Lyme Garden Tour 2011.

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