What's happening in the garden.

Here's hoping your Christmas/Holiday was all you hoped it to be.  We are fast approaching the end of 2016 as hard as that seems to fathom.  And while this is traditionally the time I generally am disconnected from the garden, this is not the year for that.  I have been thinking a lot about the garden and how I can make it produce more benefits for the family and neighbors.  The one glaring area where I have seldom ventured in all my gardens is with respect to a winter garden.  I have thought about it from time to time but have never put forth a serious effort given our cold temperatures and the subsequent snows from January through early March.  As I have related, I have been busily attempting to grow a winter garden this year with some good results so far.  I took the picture below Saturday morning.

As can be seen, the lettuces are not faring too well at this point.  I think it is due to a combination of picking the wrong variety of lettuces and the lack of a strong enough sun getting through the layers. The other crops, however such as the spinach, carrots and onions seem to be faring quite well at this time.  So, overall, I'd say it is definitely a mix bag of results.  The true test will be when our winter weather is upon us and how frozen the ground in the structure actually gets.  

I went out today and made a path to this part of the garden as it was getting quite muddy given the rains we have had.  I raked the ground and laid foot stones to the plants as can be seen below.

As you can see, it will reduce the mud situation for me until it snows.  I'll cross that bridge when the soon approaching time comes.  My plan is to plant the area with grass this Spring so I don't have to deal with weeds next year.  You can also see that the winter rye is doing fairly well in the beds given it's late planting and the temperatures.  It will at least have laid down roots for the next summer crops which will add structure and nutrients.

I am also continuing to add plant material and kitchen scraps to my compost bin.  This isn't the usual time of the year to be doing this but our temps have been somewhat moderate.  The weather is supposed to be very mild through this week with a high of 60 tomorrow and mid-high 40's the rest of the week.  While the process of the breakdown has slowed at this point, I had a bunch of scraps yesterday from our Christmas family dinner so I decided since it was almost 50 yesterday and was going to remain that way for a few days, why not add them to the existing pile? You can see that in the photo below. 

The egg carton is biodegradable and so are the paper towels.  The egg shells will break down with a little effort on my part in the spring and the potato peels will disappear eventually.  After I added the various items, I covered them with a heavier layer of decomposing grass cuttings I saved just for this use.  

I will add some leaves in the early spring along with kitchen scraps to get the decay process reignited for the next season.  But for now, I have to keep an eye on the temps to insure that the edible scraps actually break down.  I don't want to invite any uninvited guest to my yard.  

Below is a picture of the units that I use to compost given our areas population of field mice.  They have worked out really well for my area,

I also began prepping for my first plants to start from seed.  According to my calculations, Broccoli and Cabbage need to be started around the 22nd of January and Cauliflower follows on the 29th .  I also plan on growing peas this year.  As I said early in this post, I plan on making this garden the best ever and that entails a wider array of plants - and a lot of planning.  So, I won't be having a bumper crop of tomatoes or peppers like I did in 2016.  

That's a wrap for all that is going on in the garden at this time.  Seems like it's a lot but it has been somewhat therapeutic to say the least.  This is probably my last post for 2016 so I will wish you and yours a very Happy and Safe New Years.  Until next time, Happy Gardening everyone!   

Whipsaw!!

The weather here is whipsawing quite dramatically due to an earlier polar vortex and many fast moving lows.  Just yesterday (Saturday the 17th) , we had what initially looked like a benign cold front coming through overnight with some frozen precipitation.  Well, it actually was a little more widespread than anticipated and which covered the area with ice on all surfaces.  In fact, we had a very tragic accident on I-95 in the downtown Baltimore region. There was a tanker truck that flipped over a barrier and exploded into flames and then there was a corresponding 67 vehicle pileup.  2 people were killed and over a dozen were injured.  I was just grateful I didn't need to drive yesterday. Our weather today started out much warmer as it was 55 at noon.  So, I took advantage of the weather and went out to check on my plants that I am attempting to grow through the winter.  After uncovering them, I was quite pleased with their progress.  As can be seen, most of the plants are healthy and seemed to have survived yesterdays low temps.

Long term though, I have my doubts about the lettuce but everything else looks healthy enough.  Of course, the goal is not to produce plants in the winter but rather, to produce early mature plants in the Spring.  Again, it's an experiment to see how well what I have set up will work.  We haven't hit the really cold winter weather yet so I am still not making any predictions.  

As I was watering these plants and taking pictures, the horizon suddenly turned an ominous dark grey.  So, I hurried up and covered the plants back up again as I began to feel a light rain hitting me along with a distinguishable drop in temperature with strong winds starting to whip the trees in the neighborhood.  To give you an idea of what happened, here's a picture of a lighted tree we have in our front yard.  I have 3-7 lb stones trying to hold this upright but our winds have been very tenacious to say the least.  

I will have to go out and realign the tree again.  I probably have put it back up 5 times this year. Crazy weather to say the least.  

We have a saying in Maryland that if you don'l like the weather, wait an hour.  We are prone to wide variations in the types of climate activities in this region due to the effects of the Appalacian Mountains just west of Baltimore.  There have been countless times when a system comes out of the west and dissipates completely or weakens considerably before moving into our region.  It can be a double edged sword as it sometimes results in periods of little rain and periods of little snow.  We need the snow to kill bacteria and harmful insects that otherwise will survive the winter.

That's about all the activity there is in the garden at this time.  The experiment is proceeding and the winter rye is still hanging in there at this time.  I hope everyone is having a great Christmas season

Until next time, Happy Gardening!

  

Winter's doldrums and the Spring garden

While winter hasn't hit quite yet in the Mid-Atlantic, the temperatures sure took a nose dive this past weekend.  Frigid air, much like most of the US, has taken hold.  And, that has resulted in a hold on activities in the garden.  The winter rye is hanging in there and has actually grown a bit since the cold air descended on the region.
At this time of the year, I like to begin the preps for the early spring crops.  I do that by looking in the various catalogs and determining which plants I want to grow in the upcoming year.  As I usually grow way too many tomatoes and peppers, I have begun to rethink that.  I had 16 tomato plants and 16 Pepper plants last year.  That was way too many for our family and I ended up giving away most of them to neighbors, friends and family.  While I was in the process of doing that, it occurred to me that while it was nice to give my crops away, there certainly could be more efficient use of the space I had taken up with excess crop plantings.
There are an abundance of crops that could replace them and give us more yield for our family.  After all, that's the central point of a backyard garden.  I know I could grow plants like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage to name a few.  I grew spaghetti squash one year and it was very good as a replacement for actual spaghetti.
I have to really look at it this time as there are other crops I know I have grown that we ate as a family. Timing is everything and it is fast approaching the period to begin starting my plants from seed.  Yes, it seems like only last month we were shutting down the garden and now we begin the whole process over again.    
I checked the progress of my small winter garden and it seems to still be moving along albeit very slowly.  From my research, that is to be expected.  It is supposed to get very cold this weekend so that will give further insight into just how successful I may be.  I am contemplating putting another layer of the heavy duty plastic over the structure to give it more insulation.  But, I have to weigh the benefit of that over the reduction of light getting to the plants.  The winter sun is much less intense and therefore you have to balance the amount of reduction of sunlight the extra layer will result in with the amount of coverage you are implementing.  I am also thinking of laying down a layer of compost around the plants as an alternative to the extra plastic.  I will have to research that in the next couple of days.
Well, that's all that is happening at this moment.  Until next time, Happy gardening everyone.    

Leaves, leaves and more leaves.

One of the mainstays of my gardening routine is the annual fall collection of leaves.  It affords me time to get outside, get some exercise and collect one of the most important ingredients for my composting.  Last Saturday, our region was hit by some really heavy winds which meant a good portion of the leaves that were still on my tree were blown to other yards and even over my house. When I looked at my tree after the storms, it seemed mother nature threw me a huge curve ball by stripping away a larger percentage of the leaves from my tree than I even imagined.
Nonetheless, I went out yesterday to recover the leaves that were piling up in my back yard.  Much to my surprise, it seems that I was still left with a sizeable amount of leaves.  When all was said and done, as seen in the picture below, I was able to get 6 heavy duty bags of leaves collected.

  

Not a bad haul given the loss from the storms.  I will take these back behind my garage and let them sit in place during winter.  They should decompose a bit during this time.  If my neighbors do put their leaves on the curb for pickup, I may take a bag or two to augment my supply.  These are such a great additive to you compost that it seems such a waste to see them thrown away.

On another note, I checked in to my mini winter garden to see the progress.  As seen below, so far so good!

The lettuce and spinach are doing quite well while the carrots are slowly maturing.  All the plants seem to be on schedule.  We have had several freezes and temperatures in the 30's and the plants seem quite robust given these conditions.  Of course, the telling factor will be when we get into winter weather.  My hope is that the plants will grow to a point where I can cover them with compost thereby adding a little more protection to get them through the winter.  The lettuce probably will not make it through this.  It was a gamble that, to date, has paid off.  I am told that carrots and spinach that have been exposed to colder temps taste better.  We shall see.  And as I have said, this is an experiment that I undertook just to stay active in the garden.  I will have to water them today which should get them through the week.  Winter gardening requires much less work than summer ones.  

Well, that's all for now.  Hope you are enjoying whatever gardening you are doing.  Happy gardening everyone!     

A lot has been happening.....

Even though I have not posted for awhile, all due to a very busy few months, I have been quite active in both getting the garden set for winter and experimenting with winter gardening.  I hope that everything settles down to a point where I can post more often.

Most people shut their gardens down after the typical season is over and stop all activity after removing all the dead plants.  There is nothing wrong with that.  That was what I typically did every year.  But after seeing a plateau in both the quality and quantity of production in my gardens, I did research on how to improve the soil.  I soon realized the value of using cover crops in my garden beds.  I have written about this in previous posts but I certainly believe it bears another mention.

Cover crops can be a whole array of plants that you grow in your beds that will add structure and nutrients to your garden.  They can be planted any time of the year but I do it at the end of the planting cycle.  I have settled into a pattern of growing winter rye every year.  Winter Rye grows well into early winter and remains quite vibrant throughout.  I was a little delayed in getting it started this year but it has done pretty well given it's late start.  As can be seen in the picture below, it is filling in pretty well.  If I had been able to start it earlier, the growth would have been much more robust.  A reminder that in gardening, it's about the timing.

This will suffice though as it will continue to grow over the winter season.  It will prevent soil erosion, give me a green manure that I can cut in the Spring and the roots will supply structure and nutrients over the next growing season.  

While the rest of the garden is on auto pilot, I decided to experiment with growing cold weather crops in a structure.  It has it's challenges for sure.  In the mid-atlantic area, we get some pretty cold temps and snow during the December through February period.  So, I have decided to utilize the structure as seen below.  

By itself, it will not offer enough protection for the whole season.  While I am not an expert, I am going to use a multiple layer approach to see if it will work.  I have no illusions that I will get robust crops on my first attempt.  As I said earlier, this is an experiment.  But, any crop I do get, will be a bonus.  

So, here is a chronological look at where I am at this point in time.

I planted the crops about 3 weeks ago and they have grown as seen in this above photo I took Saturday.  I have various lettuces in the first set of rows with spinach in the middle set and in the far row I have onions, carrots and La Rosa lettuce.  

Temps have been dropping steadily lately and we are under a frost warning tonight.  So, this morning, I went out and added layers to move my effective zone up probably 2-3 levels.  From my guess, this is now probably at a zone 9-10 area.  That supposedly will get me to lower Georgia or northern Florida zones.  

I first put a layer of vegetable spun fiber over the crops inside the structure.  I put in sticks and then pinned the fabric down on the ends so it would be taut.  The fabric does not touch the plants that way. Then, I took some UV heavy duty plastic and put it over the structure itself as seen below. 

This should allow the air inside to warm up during the day and slowly cool off during the night. Again, no assurances this will work but I think it gives me a fairly decent chance. 

I am also doing the last of composting that can be achieved.  I cut my front lawn for what I hope is the last time.  In doing so, I cut it very low which produced a pretty large amount of clippings.  I collect the last cuttings of the season as I believe they do not decompose fully and thus can cause various issues in the Spring.  So, here is the final collection.

Given they were very wet when I cut them, I am going to let them sit out overnight to dry.  This insures that there will not be any ammonia smell due to their fresh state.  Once dried, I will use them in each of the three composters I have.  This will add bulk and allow me to add leaves to get one last burst before the real cold weather hits.
Another facet of the year end gardening around here is rounding up of leaves that are currently falling.  As seen below, I get a pretty good supply from my tree.  I do have to augment it by picking up my neighbors leaves.  I've even been known to stop on my way to or from work and pick up a few bags.  It always has amazed me that people don't use this free source of nutrients in place of the artificially produce fertilizers that they do use.  I really have no issue with grabbing the bags regardless of what people may think.  I can't seriously remember the last time I bought any soil for my garden.  It makes sense to me both monetarily and environmentally.

Well, that sums up the activities in the garden at my house.  Hopefully you are enjoying the last of the season and are doing your necessary prep work for a great start to your garden season next year. Until next time, Happy Gardening everyone! 

Garden renovation progress

As I have related in my previous posts, I am in the process of renovating my garden this fall.  I am doing this because the beds were uneven and it just looked bad to me.  So, after having to delay the work due to family issues, I have begun in earnest to relocate the beds.  What I have desired is to bring everything into alignment including where they end.

I would never harm the tree for garden symmetry

Sunday morning was a beautiful day with a low temperatures and a gentle breeze.  I cranked up the Sirius radio and off I went.  One issue I ran into was that in the bed I was working on, the Oak tree in our yard has a big root running right where the one border is located.  I naturally had to concede that this was not an issue I could solve by removing the root.  It is quite large and I would be concerned that cutting the root would harm the tree.  It's a beautiful tree so I had to figure out how I was going to work around the root.
The issue was that the cement block over the root was standing up higher than all the rest of the blocks and looked out of place.  So, I devised a plan to build up the blocks in the border so that there would be a slight rise to the block and then a slight decline after this block.  As you can see, it's noticeable but not overpowering.

Granted, it wasn't perfect, but it did solve the issue with the least cost.  If I leveled all the other blocks to this one block, I would have had to buy a lot of soil to put under the rest of the other blocks.
I worked for about two hours getting the blocks in alignment and leveled as seen in this photo.

I also made sure that the two block borders were 48" apart which is what I consider the optimum width.  It allows you to work on the bed on each side and you can reach every plant in the bed.  My previous bed was 44" wide and that did not quite allow me to plant my vegetables with their correct spacing.

Cement blocks: a concern in vegetable gardens.

One concern I have heard people express is that my borders are cement bricks.  People are concerned that the blocks will cause the soil to turn alkaline.  While I understand the concern, research is inconclusive as to the mobility of the acids coming off the blocks.  But I also know that the bricks I have are at least 20 years old and were out in the elements their entire life.  My neighbor gave me about 100 of them because he just wanted to get rid of them.  I would think their age would negate the issue of acid bleaching.
Cement blocks are extremely durable so I know that I will not have to do this again.  My reasoning for doing this is to first widen each bed to 4 feet widths.  Additionally, I can now use drip irrigation to water them if we have another dry spell next summer like we did this year.  I am also doing this to get an aesthetic look to the beds.  I plan to fill the holes in the blocks with dirt and grow bee attracting flowers in them.  That will also anchor the blocks in place so they won't shift.
So, in two hours time, I was able to get the first plot about 70% completed.  There is supposed to be a period of about 16 hours of on and off again rains.  It supposed to be clear most of the weekend so I am hoping to complete the first plot and then maybe get the second plot about 50 % complete.
You may be saying that you don't have this much space at your house to do something of this proportion.  You should remember that everything can be scaled to fit whatever space you do have. Even a small garden can produce great abundance.  It's all in the planning you do.  Don't rule out a garden just because you think it cant be done in your case.  The rewards are too high not to have a garden that fits your space.
So, there you have the status of the project at this time.  I will follow up with more reports as I work through this.  So, until next time, happy gardening everyone!

Saturday at the community garden

The Remington Improvement association held their fall cleanup for their area and the community garden.  It was an overcast day so it was actually pretty nice out.  Along with the various neighborhood volunteers and gardeners, there were about 70 volunteer students from a local college. They ably assisted the various leaders with projects around the neighborhood and in the gardens. There certainly was a lot to be accomplished

The gardens needed some weeding along the paths and the application of mulch spread over the areas.  I must say the students I worked with were very determined and worked at a very steady pace. Between the waste from the neighborhood alleys and all the weeds and tree branches that were trimmed at the garden, at the end of three hours we filled a large trailer and a full sized pickup truck with green waste.

The garden looks beautiful and is now ready for fall preparation.  We agreed that we need to come back to the gardens in a few weeks and spread winter rye onto the individual beds so that we can grow it as a green manure for the spring.  
In speaking with the students, there was an overwhelming opinion that endeavors such as the community garden were efforts they felt good about assisting.  We told them that the gardens were organic for the most part as we leave what the various gardeners do to their plots up to them.  There was talk about food deserts in most of the major cities such as Baltimore and that community gardens were seen as a big answer to some of the issues involved.  There also was discussion with regards to freshness, safety and the carbon footprint of most food we consume.  And again, the gardens were seen as a solution to this issue along with the various farmer's markets we have here in Baltimore.  It was really a pleasure to speak to them and hear their concerns and their admiration for what we had started in this section of the city.
I left the gardens that day a bit tired but also very satisfied that the efforts of all the people associated with our gardens were being noticed and appreciated by the young women and men we met.  It gives me a boost to know that I am not alone in my opinion of just how important gardening in these times has become.  I cannot think of a better endeavor for any family to undertake than gardening.      

Composting deluxe

Before I begin writing about my continuing composting activities, I must relate that today and tomorrow are very sad days for my wife's family.  We begin the funeral process of saying goodbye to her beloved grandmother who passed away on Saturday after living for 90 wonderful years.  I have known this fine lady for almost 20 years now and I can honestly say - I have never met a sweeter, kinder, more loving and accepting person in my life.  She truly epitomize the very essence of being a lady living under grace.  I will deeply miss having her in my life.

I decided to look into the progress of my composters as I had some kitchen scraps to add to my current working pile.  I have three units which I have lined up behind my garage as seen here.

 I have one composter with finished product which I will add to my beds once I finish the reconfiguration of my beds which I an currently working on.  It's the furthest composter in the above picture.  Here is a picture of how much is available.

 












Additionally, I have one pile that is probably 80% through the process as seen below. It's the nearest composter in the first picture.

And, I have one that I just recently have been adding product to so I can get the last possible compost for the year as seen by these two pictures.  It is in the middle as I am going to take steps to attempt winter composting and I figured it may insulate it from the winds.  

 

As can be seen, the decomposition process is underway already as attested to by the gray pores developing on the compost.  They showed up at about day 4.  Those are fungi and actinomycetes which are generally prevalent at the beginning the breakdown process.  They prepare the waste for further breakdown by other actors in the pile.  I wanted to show you how it looks when the fungi appear.  So after I took these pictures, I added leaves, watered it down a little and turned the product in order to get the proper breakdown process underway.  

I will continue to add product and water to the middle pile through the winter - snow permitting.  I will also continue to add moisture to the other pile to assist with the ongoing breakdown of that pile. By the beginning of next Spring, I should have two composters filled with ready to use product.  

Composting is an ongoing year long process.  It pays dividends to do this if you want to control what your produce is taking up.  

One misconception is that compost is only for vegetable gardens.  It is actually a great amendment to a variety of items.  I use it as a planting medium for flowers and grass seed.  You can use it as a foliar spray on any plant by making compost tea.  It can also be used as a fertilizer for your lawn by spreading the compost over the lawn.  Additionally, it can also be used as a side dressing for any plant.  And on an environmental note, if you compost, the waste you recycle through composting is kept out of the landfills.

Composting saves you money.  It has been a long time since I bought commercially produced compost or fertilizer for any part of my landscape.  And, I know that the compost I produce is as fresh as it can be.
You may be thinking that you don't have the space to compost in your yard.  While I have 3 what I consider larger composters, there are alternatives for small space composting.  There are numerous small composters offered online that fit into every urban landscape quite well.  And, you have to keep in mind, that with a small landscape/garden, you have less demand for compost.      

So, there you have it.  If you have any questions regarding composting or any other gardening subject, you can add a comment or you can email me through this site.  Happy Gardening everyone!  

Fall composting?

Most people think that at this time of the year, composting would be drawing to a close.  Nothing could be further from the truth actually.  I am currently loading my 3 composters with all the materials that I can find.  I still have many bags of leaves that I collected both last fall and this spring that I need to use.  I am collecting as many table scraps that I can find and am combining that with the leaves and cardboard to get a last pile into play before the weather turns colder.
This is a perfect time of year to actually begin to compost as the wealth of items are outstanding.  I use newspapers, cardboard, fresh cut grass, kitchen scraps, tea and coffee grounds and of course, my bags of leaves.  Also, this is the time of year that if you have a garden, you can put your clean spent plants into the composter.  You have to be vigilant to not put any plant waste that died from a disease or fungus.  You would only be adding that to your garden next year.  You can always look online to find more extensive lists of materials you can use.
The point is, now is the time to either begin to compost or get your last loads in before the snow and cold weather begins.  It is a fact that if the pile is big enough, it will continue to breakdown over the winter.  It will just happen on a smaller scale and at a much slower rate.  But, it still happens.
Naturally, those of us who live in the warmer climes of the south can compost year round.
I cant emphasize enough as to the importance that composting plays in the scheme of gardening.  It is the black gold of soil as it renews the ground and recycles the natural resources we have at our disposal.
If you have never composted, you can check out my guest post that I did for Brennan Young at The-Urban-Farmer.com. that will explain the details of composting in much better detail.  I hope you like it!

Pre-season Fall gardening preparations.

Yes, it is almost that time of the season again.  Yesterday was absolutely a beautiful day so I decided to take advantage and do some preps early.  I cleaned out my bed that has protection for when the weather takes a change in course.  So, I pulled the few weeds there were and decided it was time to add some of compost for nutrient enrichment.

I pulled several shovel fulls of compost and screen sifted them so that I wouldn't have any unfinished compost in my beds.  Here is a picture of before and after compost to show you the reason for the sifting.  The compost in the wood bin is unsifted and  you can certainly see the difference in the compost in the wheel barrel bed.

Then, after sifting several loads, I unloaded it into the bed where I am going to attempt to grow the winter crops.  This is probably about ten shovel fulls of sifted dirt.

I then spread it out to even the bed out.  I will let it now sit and work its way into the soil beneath it.

So, I will water this area a few times to allow for the compost to release the nutrients deeper into the soil.  That, in turn will supply the plants I put in there with the nutrients at their root level.

All the while I was doing this, I was being closely watched by our neighbors super inquisitive dog Meg.  I don't mind a bit.  She's really a sweet dog.  Hopefully she is picking up some pointers.

While I was doing all these preps, I noticed there were several cucumbers and a lot of new pepper blooms.  I watered the area around noon yesterday and followed with another soaking in the evening. A ritual that I always follow with no bad results.  

So, this morning, I went out to the garden and picked the cucumbers.  Can't believe all the cucumbers and peppers I am getting this year.  And no, I am not complaining.   

We will be enjoying these over the next few days.  There is nothing like eating fresh vegetables you have grown from seed to what you see.  Very satisfying indeed.  Well, that's all for now.  Hope you are having a great season.  Happy Gardening everyone!

Blossom End Rot - scourge of the tomato.

"Failure of one thing is repaired by the success of another."  Thomas Jefferson, Garden Book,1809

I don't think that there is anything more disheartening than putting in the planning, exerting the labor and tending to your tomatoes only to have them end with Blossom End Rot.  Although this malady of the soil can occur on other plants such as squash, peppers and even watermelons, it is most associated with the tomato plant.  That may be because the tomato is likely the most planted vegetable across all gardens. 
Unlike Mr. Jefferson's outlook, to have it all end with a black, soft spot on the end of your tomatoes is an almost epic failure in most gardeners opinions.  But, is there really anything a gardener can do to decrease the chances their tomatoes won't be beset by BER?  Thankfully, the answer is that there are certain steps that can be implemented that will reduce the occurrence drastically.
In order to defeat this scourge, one has to understand the origin of it and the complex nature of the issue. Blossom End Rot is often mistaken as a fungus or pest issue by gardeners.  If they see it, they will spray their plants with pesticides or fungicides to combat it.  When in fact, BER is really an environmental soil issue.  Once detected by sight on the fruit, it is almost impossible to correct the situation in time to save the rest of the crop.  
Rot occurs under certain identifiable soil and weather conditions.  Calcium deficiencies and long periods of wet weather are the main culprits that bring on rot.  While one cannot control the weather, you can control the structure and mineral content of your gardening soil to manage it.  As with any issue of the soil, it is best to start with a soil test.  Preference here would be to submit your soil samples to the local extension service instead of using the do it yourself kits that are available.  The extension services often will give you concrete steps to take which is based on their many years of experience.
If the soil test showed a calcium deficit, you will likely will be advised to add limestone to your soil.  If there was too much, you will told to add gypsum.  The test may even show you have the necessary calcium and nutrients for your plants.  The rot may have occurred because your plants cannot access either due to other practices.
Whichever your results are, the next step is to build up your soil structure.  As alluded to earlier, BER can be the result of your plants inability to take up the calcium and nutrients present in the soil that they need.  They are blocked by other less noticeable issues.  This condition is generally brought about by poorly draining soil, the use of high nitrogen fertilizers or salts and/or irregular watering practices.
Poorly draining soil can be best addressed by adding organic matter to your beds in the spring before planting begins.  It can take the form of almost any amendment offered.  Compost is perhaps the most used one.  Either buy a OMRI rated compost or use your own if you practice composting.  Others would be composted cow manure, mushroom compost or leaves.  One caveat here.  When buying commercially produced amendments, look for the OMRI certification to insure you have a clean product for your garden.  No sense in introducing harmful pathogens into your garden. 
Adding organic matter addresses a multitude of issues that can occur in your soil.  It both allows your soil to hold the necessary moisture, and it also structurally allows it to drain the excess off.  It adds nutrients to your soil that are slowly released to the plants too.
With tomatoes, an even watering pattern will go a long way to lessening the chances of Blossom End Rot.  Uneven watering does not allow the roots to supply the fruit with the balanced nutrients required for successful maturity.  A balance must be maintained between your watering and the rains you get.
Another step that can be taken is to mulch around your tomatoes.  This results in the maintenance of a constant soil moisture and temperature.  Mulch has the side benefit of also depressing the occurrence of disease transfer from the ground to the plant leaves when it rains or you water in the garden.
Another practice to stem BER is to rotate your crops each year so the plants are not being grown in the same plot year after year.  Different plants deplete different nutrients throughout the growing season.  Rotating also reduces the opportunity for diseases and pests to become prevalent in the garden.  
One last trick that can be used is to spread dolomitic lime into the hole you are transplanting your tomato seedlings into.  Then cover the lime with native soil and transplant the tomato.  This will allow for a ready supply of calcium right at the root zone.  You can also spread a little of the lime on the top of the soil for an added boost later.  
These are the most effective known methods and practices any gardener can take to insure the best possible outcome for your tomatoes.  Using any combination of these will significantly decrease the occurrence of Blossom End Rot in the garden.  I hope this has been helpful and that it will ensure you great tomato crops in the future.  Happy Gardening everyone.         

Sunday in the garden.

Like any gardener, I spent a fair portion of my morning in the garden.  Yesterday was absolutely hot and humid.  I tried to endure the heat but when I checked the weather on my phone and it was 90 degrees with a feel like 98.  Now, I like to garden, but it just seemed pretty illogical to continue to fight the elements.  So I stopped even trying to get stuff done in the garden.  And for me, that's a very hard task to do.  I don't like missing a day in the garden, especially a weekend day. 
So, I just resolved to get up early today and knock some things out. 
First priority was to pick some veggies.  I watered the veggies last night so they would be firm.  That's something I have always done and it seems to work very well.  I picked Peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers.  All favorites of my family.  As you can see, there was a good amount of fruit available. 

The one large cucumber was the result of the vine travelling into the pepper plot unseen.  I did not see that one until this morning so it matured to a larger size than I normally pick them at.  I will eat it but when they get to that size, they begin to become overrun with larger seeds inside.  The quality is diminished for sure.  But like I said, I will eat it nonetheless.  After all, it's a cucumber. 

The big tomato on the bottom second from the left is a Cherokee Purple.  That's an heirloom which can grow tomatoes up to about a pound or better.  And the taste is almost as good as my favorite heirloom - Brandywine.

My wife made me a cucumber/tomato mixed salad for dinner tonight.  I can say this, there is absolutely nothing as great tasting than fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers with my favorite dressing.  No store bought - even local sourced tomatoes and cucumbers - can even come close.

On another note, as I mentioned in my last post, I have decided to renovate my garden to give it more structure and better production.  Well, that process has now begun.  As seen below, I have removed the first set of bricks at the back of my one bed.  I measured the area to make sure I wasn't reducing my beds and when all was measured, turns out the area will be a bit larger.  Seems I will have an extra 4 square feet per bed.  All good news. 

 So, there you have a day in the life of my garden.  Hope you enjoyed your day as much as I did.  Until next time, Happy Gardening everyone.       



Back from vacation

Our family just finished a great vacation cruising on the Carnival Pride out of the Port of Baltimore.  I cannot say enough good things about our experience as it was fun and the crew was fantastic to say the least.
While I was on vacation, I had some time every morning to think before getting busy with the activities onboard and the ports of calls.  And it became clear to me that it is time to begin renovations to my garden.  I want to get more production and make it easier to maintain.  I have two uneven beds that are producing but I've had a feeling that I am not getting the maximum utility out the space I have available.
The first order of business will be to even out the beds.  As seen below, the right bed is shorter than the left bed.

This is from a different perspective.

I will shorten the left bed and stretch the right bed so they won't go beyond on the fence post.  I think it will give the beds symmetry and make working them easier.  I have hopes that it will allow me to use soaker hoses connected to my rain barrels next year.
I know this appears to give me less space for my plants but there is another area I can use that I presently am not.  Behind each bed is a walk way along the neighbors fence. 

I plan, at this time, to pull the pavers up behind each bed and run the bricks directly to the fence.  My initial calculations show that this will be a small net gain in space. 
Another idea I have is to widen the beds to perhaps 5 to 6 feet each.  I still have to do some calculations to see if that is both plausible and necessary.  After all, I can expand the garden to the whole area but the question remains, do I need that much space?  I am not totally convinced as of yet.











My tools of gardening.

No matter how many gardeners I run across in my travels, they always seem to have a few tools that I have not seen before.  Whether that would be a generational hand me down like an antique weathered trowel one of their parents used or a random item they picked up at a yard sale, they always have seemed to peak my interest.  If pursued, most of the gardeners can relate a story or memory that made the tools more than just that - a tool.  No, these have a connection that goes far beyond the utilitarian purpose the item serves.
So, that got me to thinking about some of the tools that I have accumulated throughout my years of gardening. I don't have any that I would say are generational hand me downs from my side of the family as my parents were not enthusiasts of gardening.  But, I do have some beyond the ordinary tools that I have acquired or bought.
For instance, I have a hoe that was given to me by my father in law that his dad used many years ago.

 As you can see, it isn't something you are going to find in any store, flea market or yard sale.  It is kind of rough looking but has a very menacing look to it.  I cant remember ever seeing tines that big and thick on a hoe.  I have used this untold times in my garden and I can tell you, it is very effective at loosening the soil and removing deep rooted weeds with little effort.  But beyond that, I have memories of my wife's grandfather and I can envision him taking this hoe and swinging it with authority.  I am sure this piece is the result of him taking the head piece and fastening a new handle to it.  He was just that kind of man.  And therein lies the connection.




Another piece I have is what I call a root killer.

 Much like the hoe, it also came from my wife's grandfather.  It doesn't look like it, but it too is a heavy piece.  Seems that he had several pieces that were of this ilk.  I know this is because these were probably made during the 40's or 50's when almost everything made, was made to last.  And, attesting to this fact is that they are still around and I have continued to use them.  I did in fact use this to remove a stump last year.  Sure, there probably was an easier way but I do get a kick using these.  I can attest to this pieces' heft and it's strength.  It is a fitting testimony to both that generations grit and the pride they put into their work.  



And yet another piece from Grandpa's collection - I didn't realize I had so many until I started this blog entry - is an old wooden handled potato fork.  At least I think that's what is called.

I haven't grown potatoes but maybe this will give me the motivation to do that.  

Next, is a pitch fork that probably is for bailing hay.  I can attest to it's ability to reach way down into my garden soil in the spring.  I don't have any hay so I had to re-purpose it.  

Next is a sifter that I use on my compost.  And, yes, I pulled this out of grandpa's garage.

You can see the aging and I was told that he built it himself.
The next piece may bring back good or bad memories of when you were young, depending on your age naturally.  I actually do remember using one of these and I have used it here in my yards.  See, before there was the invention of the weed whackers, we had to use this.                                            

Oh man, I spent countless hours in my parents front yard pushing and pulling one of these contraptions.  It did the job alright but it was and still is kind of a back breaker.  I bought this at an antique store in Annville Pa. called The First Floor Attic.  I have used it since then but generally only in the Spring to cut a definitive edge.  Then I use my weed whacker to maintain the edge.
And finally, I bought this piece at the same store.

I wasn't sure what it was actually but I later found out from my wife that it was a chicken feed spreader.  Who knew there was such a thing?  Well, besides my wife that is.  I saw it and figured it would be a good compost spreader.  I actually use it to spread almost any soil amendment I use such as vermiculite, sand or peat moss.  It works really well and doesn't overload me.

So there you have it.  My collection of old tools still in use in my gardening endeavors shared for the whole world to see what my family and friends have known for many years.  That I am a bit fanatical about my gardening and the tools I use.  Hopefully, this has been a bit of a walk back into your past or an enlightenment of what people used over the years.  I get a sense of when I am using these, that I am reconnecting to the past in some way myself.  I hope you have enjoyed it!  Until next time, Happy Gardening!         

  

Garden growth

So far, I am pretty pleased the state of my gardens' progress.  The tomatoes are coming along fine even though they were delayed in being transplanted due to our wet Spring weather.  Here is a picture of them at this time.                                                                                                                        

   

               
They are full of little tomatoes so at this time, I have to be sure to continue to supply them with periodic nutrients and water.  I plan on giving the garden a dose of compost tea this weekend to start them on their way to maturity.
Here is my first watermelon of the year on the left and a volunteer tomato that decided behind my garage was a great place to reside on the right.  I just put a pole by it to see what I am getting.  I love surprises!

And finally, my cascading crop of cucumbers after a month.  They have taken over the trellis!

 

                                                                 

Like I said, all in all, not bad progress for this time of the year.  Well, I hope everyone is having a great year so far too!  Remember to be vigilant as there are a lot of distractions this time of the year.  Until next time, Happy gardening everyone. 

Awwww..... Man!

Well, I have spoken of the various challenges facing gardeners. And, I experienced one of the most exacerbating one's yesterday.  My cucumbers have been growing quite well this year.  As these are probably my wife's favorite veggie that I grow, I decided it was time to pick one that I had my eyes on for a day or two.  I was letting it mature to the right size and all seemed well.  That is, until this happened.

Yup!  What a disappointment that was.  And, this is all because of a squirrel.   I've seen them in my garden and their damage is undeniable. Squirrels present an ever present threat to your gardens.  There really isn't a vegetable they don't like.  I'm sure they look down from the power lines or the trees and simply cannot resist the storehouse of edibles that lay beneath them.
There really isn't much you can do about it.  I've tried many types of deterrents with minimal results.  I've just found it easier just to grow a few extra of whatever vegetable that I want.  I was told once by another gardener to grow three of every vegetable - 2 for you and one for the varmints.  These can run the gamut of squirrels, rabbits, moles, feral cats, mice and even a groundhog.  None of which, I make any attempt to welcome into my "back 40".
My worst experience was with a groundhog.  They can get rather large and can do pretty extensive damage to your garden and worse - to your yard and even house.  And, trying to catch one is difficult.  In our region, if you do catch one, you have to then release it back to nature.  I had the recurring scenario (nightmare really) of catching it and then having to drive far away and then managing to release it without incident.  Not sure that would have ended well.  I was always concerned that the little dog we had at the time would end up injured or worse.  I did take measures to make it's life a little more uncomfortable every opportunity I had.  So, I waited it out and after a couple of summers, it seemed to have just gone on its own way.
So I guess I view "squirrel loss" as not so catastrophic in comparison.  And hey, squirrels need to eat too!  Right?  As long as old Mr. Squirrel leaves me some for my efforts, I think we can just coexist with each other.
So there you have it.  Just another experience in the world of gardening.  Until next time, Happy gardening everyone!  

Pondering "organic" gardening.

Yes, even gardeners ponder at times.  There is this whole argument going on in the farming communities all the way down to the backyard gardeners such as myself.  It's about whether or not going "organic" is really as important as it has been made out to be.  Much like the climate change dialogue, there are varying opinions among even the supposed experts on this subject.  So who are we to believe?
One group who I have been following for quite some time is the Rodale Institute (rodaleinstitute.org) in Kutztown Pa.  They have a sprawling property of over 333 acres (yes, 333!) of fields on which they conduct a massive list of research into the organic method which was pioneered by their founder J I Rodale.  I have been reading about their results for several years and I have to admit, they make a quite impressive argument in favor of organics.  I would love to see their results up close but being very busy myself, I haven't found the opportunity.
Now mind you, the Organic Trade Association has estimated that we spent in 2014 an estimated $30 billion dollars in sales of organic products.  Is this for a good cause?  Are organically grown foods better and less dangerous than traditionally raised foods?  One would think so but there is an argument to say - not so fast.
See, numerous studies have been conducted and the results do not bear out what proponents of the organic method are claiming.  That is a surprise for me to say the least.  There is one set of studies that are often championed for support of the traditional approach.  Stanford University had a long term study that encompassed a broad set of studies from many other colleges that came to the conclusions that organic foods are not safer or more nutritious than the traditionally grown foods.  I have to also point out that I am not at ease with using the organic pesticides that I have seen being sold.  We don't have a long history here so I have to wonder (ponder) at times as to whether products that say they are natural are also safe.  And have we tested them as much as we tested the traditional products?  Nope!  I know - DDT!  Right?  Yes, that was scary and I grew up eating food that was sprayed with that. Not cool.  I will point out one fact that I bring up to my wife.  She loves Chipotle.  And they are the cool organic company that fell victim to E- Coli.
So, each side has their arguments to support themselves.  I am kind of on the fence here.  My own experiences tell me that you have to find a common ground with regards to the food you are growing in your backyard.  Will I let an bug infestation destroy my crops - no.  I have tried BT based powders and they don't seem to work as effectively as other pesticides.  Do I use these all summer long? No, only when needed and in small courses.  As I have heard routinely, all things in moderation.
I have, as much as possible, strived to be as pesticide free as possible.  I have advised other gardeners on what I call a natural approach.  That's my approach for me and anyone I advise.

And then summer hits with a bang!

Well, between the evening of July 4th and the morning of July 5th, we received over 1.5" of rain.  It was one of those nice soaking even rains that are just so good for the plants.  Plus. it filled my rain barrels with over 125 gallons of free, clean water.  But now, that has been followed up with probably the hottest weather we have seen in quite some time.  This presents a very difficult challenge for your garden.  Today's high was in the 90's with what I would characterize as high humidity.  You just feel it as soon as you go outside.  It's not oppressive but just give it time and it will be.
The challenge is to make sure your soil isn't drying out even though just about a day ago, you just saw some really significant rains.  Heat of this magnitude can sap the moisture right out of the soil just as easily it put the rains down a day ago.  Easy come, easy go anyone?  And your plants will not generally show the effects of this whipsaw until they have transpired the saved moisture in their leaves.  You can go to work and come home and it's like night and day.
To guard against this, you need to give the plants - as illogical as it sounds - a good watering to ward off the weeping plant syndrome.  That's where I will be this evening.  I will use my sprinkler as I do not want to overexert myself in the heat.  I will use the rain water in the mornings when the sun is not so powerful.
On a side note about watering.  There is new proof that watering your garden in the noon hours (12-2PM) is very beneficial to vegetables.  They actually produce better and more veggies.  So, if you can do that without putting yourself at risk, the rewards are reportedly worth the extra efforts from what I have read.
So there you have it.  The never ending challenges facing a backyard gardener.  Go out and give it a try folks.  Gardening is both a reward and a challenge.  Until next time, happy gardening.