Clean-Up Time!

 It is time to clean up your summer/fall garden!

Last July I was in a bit of an accident which left me incapable of caring and maintaining my garden. With the new year almost here, and my neck feeling a little better, I am slowly trying to clean up the mess from my summer garden. 

Some books encourage gardeners to keep leaves on the ground, but I have found in reference to a garden specifically, it is best to remove everything off the ground.  Old tomatoes and decomposing peppers only lend themselves to attracting pests and odd molds. 

Any kind of plant greens or vegetables that do not look moldy or covered in fungus I put into my compost.  I keep my compost as free from fungus and disease as possible by usually only putting clean and healthy greens into my compost.  I clip them into smaller branches to quicken the decomposing process.  Make sure to layer your compost alternating with green branches, kitchen scraps and dirt.  Keeping dirt on top of the kitchen scraps keeps little rascals out of your compost.

Clippings that may look suspicious, I put into my city's green waste can.

Once my soil is free of debris from my summer garden, I turn my dirt.  I mix in a large supply of compost and rabbit poop and then mix my dirt again.  Allowing the compost and rabbit pellets to sit for a month or so through January and February will feed my soil so it is energized and ready for planting when the weather warms.

Find some time to unwind and get your garden clean and ready!

You Say, "Good-Bye" but I say, "Hello"

Today I said, “good-bye” to my spring veggies.  As tradition holds in the valley our transition from spring to summer is quite short.  One week it is 70 and the next week it is above 90!  I don’t always plant “spring crops” but I was pleasantly surprised with my outcome and will most definitely try it again in the fall.  Unlike usual aprils, however, our weather remained remarkably cool.  While that put a snail-like growth on all our summer, heat lovin' plants, it gave our spring veggies more time to grow and produce.

By “spring crops” I am meaning broccoli, brussel sprouts, sugar-snap (snow) peas, spinach, and lettuce.  I kept in the ground my snow peas and spinach hoping I might harvest a little more for another week before I pull those out as well. 

I learned that I can grow a larger head of broccoli by snipping off the leaves.  I also learned that once I harvest the main top broccoli floret, the plant will send off more florets along the stock of the plant (who knew?).

With brussel sprouts I discovered they take a long time to produce.  While my plant foliage looked beautiful (notice the large, silver-looking leaf to the right of my broccoli on the picture above), I only recently began to see signs of formation of the actual vegetable.  I never knew the brussel sprouts actually form along the stock of the plant above where each leaf protrudes.  I did not clip the leaves.  I will need to experiment more on this plant to determine the best method of producing the sprouts.  Perhaps clipping the leaves would have directed more energy to growing the fruit not the (very pretty) foliage I enjoyed.  I planted this plant way too late in the spring season for adequate time for harvest.  The only ones who really enjoyed my brussel sprouts were my rabbits!  I let them eat the leaves!

My sugar-snap snow peas are holding in okay despite the few 90° days we received.  They are slowly (with my guidance) climbing up my netted trellis.  My children are enjoying their crispy, tender texture & flavor!  My spinach is yellowing and looking a bit wilty.  I prefer to cut my spinach leaves while they are young, but with the heat, the leaves grow a huge amount in one given day!  I cannot keep up!

My radishes and strawberries are heavy-hitters right now!  This beautiful weather has these two plants pumping out produce!

While it is sad to pull out dear friends, it also opens up space for more summer vegetables!  Hello summer squash!!

How are your gardens growing?

Blueberries for Sal

One of my favorite children’s story is, Blueberries for Sal.  Not only is it a funny story of quite an unusual mix-up on Blueberry hill, but it also gets me exited for blueberry season.

Years ago, blueberries were not grown here in the Central Valley.  I remember visiting my husband’s uncle in Pennsylvania who had a HUGE blueberry field.  We crouched down inside the netting and ate blueberries (just like Sal) for at least an hour solid! 

Recently in the south valley, farmers are giving blueberries a try.  From what I have heard, the two tricks are: acid soil and lots of MULCH!  Below is a guide to help your backyard blueberries have a great year!

What you need:

·                    Blueberry plants – always plant more than one (for cross-pollination).  In fact, even better is to plant two different varieties.  Last year (my first year of attempting blueberries) I bought my bushes at Lowe’s.  They did not grow too good and I had a booming harvest of 5 berries.  This year, I visited Evergreen Nursery where I bought two varieties that have been engineered to survive our summer heat and winter chill.  These bushes were much more expensive ($25 each), but I am hoping for a much better harvest.  I purchased a Misty Blueberry and a Sharpblue Blueberry.  By the way, these varieties of blueberry plants are more like bushes.  They are evergreen (never die or loose leaves) and can grow up to 6 feet tall!

·                    Acidic Planting Mix – blueberries thrive in acid soil.  My backyard, and most basic potting soil, is that very thing – basic (or alkaline).  Time for a simple Chemistry lesson.  Plants require differing levels of acid.  Most flowers and vegetables thrive in alkaline soil (a high ph).  Blueberries and other favorites like Azaleas & Hydrangeas, propagate best in acidic soil (low ph).  Most nurseries carry acidic soil.  I bought mine at H&E Nursery.  I got a nice 2 cubit feet bag for $8.99.

·                    A place/pot to plant your blueberries.

·                    Mulch – although I have never personally bought mulch, you can ask your local nursery if they have some for purchase.  I usually create my own out of newspaper & leaves!  Remember- I believe in being resourceful (aka- cheap!).

Here’s what I did:

                After I assembled my supplies, I dumped my nice alkaline soil into my barrel.  (If you purchase a new barrel, make sure you drill holes in the bottom so your soil can drain!  I even have my barrels balancing on red bricks to keep the bottoms from rotting out.)

                Dig a nice hole for each plant (remember to purchase at least two plants).  I tucked my plant in right at the soil line. 

                My soil line is about 8 inches down from the top of the barrel.  This will allow me to mulch, mulch, mulch once our summer heat begins.  Blueberry roots do not like to be dried out! 

                Then I watered my new plants.

                If you have the capabilities to hook up a drip line or some watering device to put in your Blueberry Barrel that would be a good idea.  The roots should not ever dry out.  (Hence the trick with Blueberries in Fresno!)

                When our heat begins, tear some black & white newspaper into strips and place over-top of the soil.  Then sprinkle some yard trimmings (not weeds) onto the newspaper.  Even better are pine needles.  Pine needles are naturally acidic so are a great addition to your mulch.  It’s kind of like making a lasagna: paper, clippings, needles, repeat!  Layer to your hearts content!

                Be sure to lift the paper every few days do a visual snail and slug check.  Those rascals love the moist soil- and your blueberries!

This should get to going and on your way to a summer of blueberries.  As with most crops, the first year is the smallest harvest.  Hopefully within a few years we can experience, like little Sal, the kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk of blueberries filling our bowls!

 

Good luck and let me know how it grows!

Planting Tomatoes

Tomatoes are my family’s most favorite garden crop.  The selection for tomatoes is huge!  For those of you just starting out, you might be overwhelmed with the variety available to you.  Below is a list of my family’s favorite varieties as well as some helpful tips to get your tomato plant off to a great start this spring!

If I could only plant one tomato plant, it would be the Super Sweet 100.  This tomato is a tiny, bite-sized, cherry tomato that is loaded with zip and flavor.  My kids eat these like candy!  We even take them to the movies (instead of buying popcorn)- seriously!  Super Sweet 100 is an indeterminate variety which means it grows wide and tall.  Determinate varieties stay smaller and do not “vine” out so much.  I would encourage everyone to find a 2’ x 2’ square piece of land where you could plant just one of these delectable sweeties in the ground!  They require very little care, can handle our Fresno heat quite well and produce abundantly all-season-long.

My second favorite is the Yellow Pear.  These are also small, cherry-like tomatoes except this is yellow in color (obviously).  I have found the Yellow Pear is a bit more  tangy than other varieties (like Sun Gold).  These plants grow the same as the Super Sweet 100 and are just as easy to get a bountiful harvest.

Those are my top two favorites.  Other tomato plants require more time and care, but will bring you great results!  I don’t have “favorites” per say.  I tend to experiment with different large tomatoes and have not found a favorite as of yet.  This year I am growing Early Girl (which will provide me with an early harvest), Big Boy (these are a “hamburger-sized” tomato – if all goes well), Roma Toma (great for salads and sauces), Fresh Salsa (they hold their form so you can chop them up easy for salsa- yumm!),  and Tye-Dye (just for fun I grow a crazy one).

Planting Tips:

1. Lots of Sun!  Tomatoes need a HUGE amount of sun!  The more sun, the more tomatoes!  Plant them in a very sunny location.
2. Tomatoes take up an approximately 2’ x 2’ square.  Be sure you have enough room for the amount of tomatoes you want to plant.
3. When you actually plant your plant, I plant mine nice and deep.  My tomato plants right now are about 4-6” tall.  When I planted my tomatoes this weekend, I dug a nice deep hole and then stuck my plant in.  When your plant is covered, you should only have the top part of your plant showing.  The deeper your plant is planted, the stronger your roots will develop.  All along the stem of your tomato plant, more roots will shoot off once it is planted.  This will also give it more support.  Make sure enough of the leaves are above ground so they can photosynthesize! 
4. Tomato plants DO NOT like standing in water.  Your soil (whether in the ground or in a pot) needs to be porous enough it can drain.
5. I have found my tomatoes prefer a nice long soak twice (3x in the summer months) a week compared to being watered every day.  They actually seem to enjoy drying out a tad (not dried out) between watering.
6. Tomato plants prefer to be watered from below.  You can stick a metal pipe or cut off a piece of PVC pipe to stick down deep into your tomato hole.  Then, when you water, send your water down the hole so it waters your plants down deep.  As your plants are small right now, be sure to water from the surface too.  Plants have a way of finding their water source.  If you train them at this early stage to go down into the ground to find water, you will have a stronger, healthier plant.
7. While your plants are small, be sure to purchase some kind of tomato cage to give them support.  It is easier to train your branches and direct them while they are new and green than try to shove mature, hard branches into a cage.

Those are a few basic tips I do with my plants.  If you have any questions, just ask!

Soil Preparation & Planning

With more rain and cool weather in the forecast for the Central Valley, be sure to keep busy with soil preparation and garden planning.  I have already begun planting my plants in the ground, but March and April are considered the months to plant- so you are not too late!  If you have already started planting- good job!  If not, be sure to read below on how to prepare your soil for planting.

Wherever you plan on planting your garden (no matter how big or how small) your soil composition is one of the most important ingredients (the other two being sun and water!).  If you are new to planting, you might want to consider a soil-test kit available at a local garden-supply store.  These inexpensive kits can give you a gage as to the characteristics of you soil as well as what your soil is lacking (or if your soil is too high in a certain element).  Years ago during my “baby-stage” of life, when my days were filled with laundry, nursing & diapers, I loved to watch on PBS the Master Gardener, Jerry Baker.  One thing I remember him saying over and over again was, “You don’t feed your plants.  Your soil feeds your plants.”  Those two sentences have stuck with me since that time.  One way, in fact, that I literally “feed my plants” is by composting.  My soil health has increased dramatically the last four years since my family began composting.  Composting adds organic material to my soil.  I toss all my vegetable scraps, bunny droppings and plant trimmings (pesticide & disease free) into my compost bin.  This keeps my soil free of disease, plus recycles our “trash” back into a renewable source of food for our family.  I will blog more about composting once our gardens are healthy and growing well.  Common problems in Fresno County with soils: soil is overly acidic, lacks nitrogen, hard pan (too much clay), too sandy (for my Caruthers friend!) or too alkaline (opposite of acidic).  Each of these problems can be solved by adding missing elements to your dirt.  So, first figure out what kind of soil you have and then we’ll troubleshoot soil that needs extra care.

If this is your very first year to stick a vegetable plant in the ground, here are some good tips.  First, purchase some basic soil mix.  I have seen soil mixes specifically for vegetables, which work good too.  When I start a new garden bin or work on a new plot of ground, I will add a nice big bag to my dirt and then till it under.  You want your soil to be light and easy to work in.  I usually try to turn up about two feet in depth.  You can add green material (leaves, clippings, etc.) as long as they are clean.  In the Central Valley especially, the next important factor in preparing for a garden is a watering system.  I try to hand-water most my garden (since it is so small), but I still have a watering system set up for those times when I am just too busy to get outside and water (or we go out-of-town).  I never depend on my sprinklers for watering.  For me watering is my chance to say, “hi” to each of my plants, troubleshoot impending problems, watch for the first sign of pests, divide plants, help trellis my plants and adjust water basins around the plants themselves. 

Same holds true if you plan on sticking a tomato plant in a barrel/pot.  Be sure you fill the barrel with good soil and attach a drip-system sprinkler into the bucket for those days when you can’t seem to get outside to water.  Depending on the plant, our lovely Fresno heat can kill a plant in just one day. Our sun dries up the soil in a barrel/pot much quicker than the plants in-ground.  Make sure your barrel has a hole (or two) in the bottom for drainage.  Your plant will rot at the roots if it sits in water.  I actually set my barrels on bricks to help the water drain.

Another early-spring activity is to sketch out your garden.  A technique (and book) I have used for years (and another PBS special) is called Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew.  My garden is very small and limiting.  To optimize my space, I draw out my garden space onto graph paper (bird’s eye view- from above).  Then, I estimate how much space each plant will take.  This gives me a good idea how many plants to plant/buy as well as provides an opportunity for me to think through my garden height demands and water drainage issues before putting an actually plant/seed in the ground.  For example, my gardening boxes are 4’x 8’.  An average indeterminate tomato plant takes up a 2’x 2’ square.  So in one of my garden bins, I can only plant 8 tomatoes.  I have learned the square foot gardening specifications are not “if you feel like it, plant tomatoes this particular distance apart.”  Planting much closer inhibits airflow through and around your tomatoes and keeps plants from getting the sunlight and water they need. 

If your soil is healthy and your garden is planned out, you are sure to have a bountiful year in vegetables this summer!

Conquer Plant Intimidation

I began gardening as a stress-reliever when I was in high school.  A friend of mine would laugh at me as I saved my lunch money to buy plants on the way home from school.  Since that time, I have gradually added a new plant here or there.  At this point in my gardening “career” I have a good handle on the summer basics: tomatoes, beans, peas, squashes, cucumbers and berries. 

Recently a friend mentioned she planted broccoli, brussel sprouts, swiss chard and beets.  I was amazed at how intimidating those four plants sounded to me.  Those “cool weather” plants are strangers to my world of gardening.  The thought crossed my mind that I could plant them too.  At first I dismissed the thought but then, after more consideration, I decided to not let a plant intimidate me.  What’s the worst that could happen?  The plants die and I wasted $4.  So…today I bought four broccoli and four brussel sprout plants.  (Lowe's is selling a nice, healthy four-pack for about $1.69.)  This is my first year to grow these.  Time will tell if we will be friends or foes.  Perhaps next year: swiss chard and beets? 

All that to say, we are never too old to try something new!  If you have only grown tomatoes, this year plant a few bush beans.  If you only grow yellow crook-neck squash, branch out this year with some carrots.  You will not know unless you try!  Walk on the wild side and plant something new!  I did!

Happy Gardening!

No sense wasting sunshine!

** If this is your first time to visit my site, I encourage you to check out my first blog, "Here We Go" to better understand the purpose and goals for my gardening blogs. **

While the air is a brisk 50 degrees outside, the sunshine adds remarkable warmth to my yummy dark soil.  Below is a summary of what I was up to in my yard on Saturday. 

Before you begin gardening, make sure the location of your garden will have at least eight hours of (summer) sunlight.  Garden vegetable require a lot of sun!  My garden consists of four 4’x8’ raised beds.  For a family of five, this is actually a bit small, but I make-do with what I have.  I have learned to overplant my beds and train plants to grow vertically to save space.  My problems with vertical gardening in a small backyard are my surrounding neighbor's trees and my monster two-story house that shades my garden in the afternoon.  Be sure if you decide to use vertical garden techniques to save space that you place your tallest plants and structures to the north end of your garden so these do not shade your garden.

So, in the beautiful sunshine, my husband and I emptied the lower-half of my compost into my four garden bins.  I also scooped up some bunny droppings and turned it into my soil.  The raised bed closest to my house is loaded with strawberry plants.  The other three bins are where I will grow my summer crops.

With the soil turned and looking absolutely lovely, I decided it was time to plant a few seeds.  While my frost-sensitive plants continue to thrive in a sunny window in my bathtub, I planted my peas & spinach directly in the ground.  The peas are sugar-snap peas (Burpee’s Snowbird Sugar-Snap Peas).  These grow well in the cool of spring, but stop growing once the summer months come.  I attached a net above my seeds to encourage them to grow vertically.  I planted my peas in pairs along half the length of my most northern bin, just below my vertical netting.  With the limited space, I plan on 4 feet being used for peas, while I reserve the other 4 feet for my beans once the weather warms a little more.  At the front of my small strip of peas I planted a row of spinach (Burpee’s Baby Leaf Hybrid Spinach).  This spinach is fast growing and tastes delicious picked young.  My girls love to go outside with a small pair of scissors and snip spinach leaves for our dinner salad.

Already growing indoors, I have my tomatoes, peppers & eggplant.  I typically start indoors the plants that are sensitive to frost.  This gives my garden a jump-start on its yield.  Once Clovis is past the danger of frost (typically mid/end of March), then I will bring my cold-sensitive plants outdoors.  In the meantime, I have them growing in a sunny window in my bathtub.

I hoped you enjoyed your yard a little this weekend while the weather was cool, but the sun was warm!  It's not too early to begin preparing for spring!

Here We Go!

With much intrepidation, I set off on the task of blogging about my gardening experience this 2011 season.

Many friends ask me when to plant certain vegetables and how I prune vines.  This blog is an opportunity to "peek" into my backyard to read about what I've been doing.  I do not consider myself a gardening expert.  Nor do I claim to know all the best techniques for backyard gardening.  I am simply a busy Mom who has gardened for years who hopes to help friends & family keep on-pace with the growing season. 

I have read Sunset Gardening Magazines, Square Foot Gardening Methods, Western Garden books and a many more books through my gardening journey.  Sometimes I laugh-out-loud at the time requirements or space needed for projects in magazines.  Other times, I take a few notes and try out ideas. 

This blog is a compilation of years of trial and error.  I will post the good, the bad and the ugly that occurs in my garden this season. I like to think of every new season as an opportunity to experiment a little and learn something new.

I live in Clovis, CA where temperatures can soar up to 110 degrees! My planting methods reflect the hot climate where I live.

I have very little time, few resources and a small yard.  If I can do this...anyone can!

If you have always wanted to grow a simple garden, but are unsure when to plant, where to plant, or how do to it, keep pace with me as I write about all the "happenings" in my backyard!

Happy reading and let's get dirty!