Hallelujah!!

Well, April is always full of surprises when it comes to weather in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Last night was no exception to this.  We had a series of thunderstorms that were quite active with heavy downpours.  I was concerned as the night progressed that my shade structure and the attendant cabbage plants under it were goners.  So, when I went out at 6 this morning with my dog, to my surprise, it looked undamaged much to my delight.  Upon further review of it when I arrived home from work this evening, it did not have any damage I could detect.  And better yet, the plants were doing just fine.
We're certainly not out of the woods weather wise but it appears that the structure can stand up to storms.  I planted 3 Broccoli plants under it tonight.  Which brings to mind how I go about planting seedlings into my beds.  When I do this, I start by making a mixture of equal parts peat moss, composted manure and my fresh compost.  I generally use vermiculite in place of peat moss as the peat bogs are being farmed at alarming rates so I want to do my part to help with that issue.  But, I just happen to have some peat left over from a grass planting I did last fall soo I cannot let it go to waste.
Once I have the mixture made up, I water down the seedlings (soak them actually) and let them drain while I cut in the holes to plant the vegetables.  I cut the holes a little bigger than the size of the root ball and then take a little of my mixture and lay it in the bottom of the hole.  Then I pull the plants out of their containers and tease the roots if they are circled around the medium they are in.  Even if they aren't, I still pull them a little to ensure they're ready to plant.  I then put the plant into the hole and fill any voids around the plants with the mixture.  I lightly press in around the plants with my fingers, water them down and put more of the mixture around them to make sure the root ball is covered.  You should make a slight bowl shape around the seeding to hold the water near the plant to allow it to soak into soil and reach the roots.  It sounds difficult, but you will get the hang of it in no time.
Well, hope you are getting into your gardening full swing at this point.  Happy gardening!        

Its been hectic!

Well, it's has been a while and I certainly apologize for that.  My job has been hectic, work in the garden has ramped up immensely and best of all, my son is getting ready to graduate from college very soon. So, to say life is rolling along would be an understatement.  But still, I do have to apologize for going off the grid for this timeframe.  I will endeavor to be more consistent in the future.

So, garden-wise there have been some successes and alas, failures.  Failure, in one respect or another, is part of the vegetable gardening world.  This failure is really not that big in the whole scheme of things although it is disappointing.  As I have related to you, my goal with my gardening is to stay "organic" in all things.  Last fall I researched various fertilizers to use in the starting of my plants. I switched to an "organic" fertilizer from my preferred one which wasn't certified organic.  After having used this one this year, I would say it was a big let down in regards to my pepper plants.  I am not sure why it didn't feed them enough nutrients, but their growth seems very weak.  My tomatoes seem to be a little behind but not so far behind as the peppers.  Now, if these were the plants I was depending on for my food source this year, then that would be a huge issue.  As it is, my remedy for the situation is to run down to my go to plant supplier and buy theirs.  Of course, this means I will have to substitute their variety for mine, but that is the price to pay this year.  A minor price no doubt.

I finally finished the reconstruction of my beds that I started last fall yesterday.  I will get pictures up shortly once I have plants in them so you can get a sense of what my garden looks like.  Yesterday was one of those days you only get 4-5 times in spring or summer - maybe.  Beautiful sunlight, mild temperatures and a very gentle breeze.  To say I was in my element is an understatement.  I did my sniff test just to jog my brain out of it's doldrums.  What a sweet aroma it has.  All the winter rye has broken down and the beds are now ready for the year.  The soil is a nice dark brown, still cool to touch and friable.  Just the way you want it now.  

I built a structure over the area where I am planting my cool crops this year.  I will need to shade the plants from the sun towards the end of their growing cycle.  I had some left over weed fabric that I tested and it worked pretty well,  Light got through it and at the same time, it shaded the area.  I tested the soil this morning with my hand test and the soil under it was noticeably cooler than the surrounding uncovered areas.  I planted 3 cabbages and will be adding cauliflower and broccoli in the next couple of days.  I'll let you know how this works out in future posts.

Well, that's all I have at this time.  There is so much ground to cover when it comes to vegetables that it is nearly impossible for me to know what you may be interested in at this time.  Let me know and I'll be sure to address it in one of my upcoming posts.  Till the next post, keep on gardening! 

Continuing preparations

Well, we received another reminder this past Friday that winter is not yet through with us.  It was more of a nuisance than anything else but, nonetheless, it was a snow event.  Today, as I sit out in my back porch, the sun is shining very brightly and its in the mid 40's.  I have been able to get the garden moving in several respects this weekend due to two beautiful days.
In my last post, I mentioned that I planted winter rye and the reasons for doing so.  Last fall (September) I sowed the seed and then covered one of my beds with greenhouse plastic and the other I left to the elements to see if covering it would make a difference.  As shown, the answer is a definite yes as seen by the two photos below.  The top one is of the uncovered bed and the bottom one is of the bed that was under a plastic tunnel all winter.

It was worth the effort to cover them as there is certainly more volume of rye to work into the soil.  I cut the first bed by using my weed trimmer.  I cleaned the trimmer and used new line on the trimmer to prevent any weed transference to my beds from the trimmer.  The picture below shows the bed after this cutting.

I will let this lay for a couple of days as seen and then I work it into the ground through shallow cultivation.  This process allows for the break down of the rye and also leaves the roots system somewhat in tact below. This adds structure and concurrent moisture retention with the gradual breakdown of the roots into the soil.  One other advantage is that this is organic which is what I strive for in my garden.
I can't overemphasize that your soil is the single most important part of your gardening experience. My wife and I visited Monticello - the beautiful Virginia estate of Thomas Jefferson several years ago.  The mansion was gorgeous as expected.  Mr. Jefferson was perhaps the first vegetable gardener of the United States and introduced a multitude of plants to the fledgling US.  His garden is nicknamed the revolutionary garden.  He had a garden built of enormous proportions on the side of the mountain on the property.  It is over 1000 feet long and takes your breath away when you see it.  His whole focus of the garden was his unbending belief that a healthy soil grows healthy plants.   From my experience, I couldn't agree more.

Spring's promise.

What a beginning two weeks of March it has been.  In like a Lion, out like a Lamb is very true this year.  We've had over 9 inches of snow on one day and several days in the 50's and 60'S.  And, that volatility is not even over yet. As I write this, we are expecting several days where the lows are going to be below freezing with highs from the 40's to the 60's. Crazy weather - right?
Preparations should be the order of the day for this week.  Speaking of preparations, I now have 3 cabbage, 3 broccoli and 8 pepper plants under my lights.  I also have 6 various types of heirloom tomatoes under the lights.  So, the process is under way for another year of gardening.
There is still a lot of preparation to do before the gardening begins in earnest.  I definitely need to clean and sharpen my tools, perhaps oil them and make sure they are ready for use in the not so distant future.  I began pulling some of the winter stored items out of my shed but I believe doing too much would be a bit hasty at this time.  One thing I did get accomplished was I pulled out my plant boxes for my hydroponic system and cleaned them with a bleach/water mixture to kill off any unwanted problems.  I set up the pole they are held by this morning so it's almost go time for that.  I can't wait to start planting the lettuce and associated crops which I will wait to do until the end of this week.
Cleanup needs to be completed around the beds and probably, thanks to the harsh winter, in the beds themselves.  Last fall I planted winter rye as a cover crop so that really needs to be cut and worked into the beds.  I spotted my weed whacker this morning along with the sting for it.  I just cut the rye and leave it set for a couple days then turn it over once the ground dries a little bit.  I used rye last year and my plants seemed to do better during the dry summer we had. So, I figured I would use it again.  Besides, it keeps the squirrels out of them, adds green manure directly to the soil and it looks nicer than just having empty beds.
Gearing up for Spring can be a daunting task so I try and do a little here and there to take the pressure off once the weather finally turns about mid March.  It almost time but we are just starting to see the beginnings of Springs promise.  

The transitional month of March

As I sit down to write this today, we are having a snow and sleet event here in the Baltimore region. So while I look forward to the upcoming planting season, there is still a bit of winter to deal with. My beds are covered with about 3 inches of snow and any thoughts of working on them must wait for the time being.  But, there are things that need to be done if I am to have a successful growing season. Preparations abound around this time.
Yesterday I started, albeit late, my Cabbage and Broccoli plants.  Sometimes, life gets in the way of your garden and I had one of those life events.  I am trying newer varieties of Cabbage that I have never tried before.  They are Earliana and All Seasons.  The Broccoli are Waltham's which are supposed to be good for Zone 7.  I also started 8 plants of Peppers that are on schedule.  The Peppers are California Wonders which have always been good producers for me.
In the next couple days I will be starting my many varieties of Heirloom tomatoes.  I am going to experiment with Peppers by starting a new set of seedlings in two weeks to attempt to get two harvests before the end of the season.  I cannot start all my plants from seeds as I would need a large greenhouse for that.  So, I have two sources for plants that have proven reliable where I can get the varieties of vegetables that I like at a price that is reasonable.  I'll have more to say on that subject in later posts.
Outside preparations are at a minimum at this time naturally due to the uncertainty of the weather. From what I can see, we will be whipsawing this week as they are predicting just about every type of weather imaginable this week.  That's the nature of March in the Mid-Atlantic.  Given that, I am currently working on a checklist of the various things I need to do when the snow is gone.  I also have been getting my tools in good working order as its a great time to do this type of work.
March is a hard month to read early on.  Some gardeners try to force the beginning of the season with the many techniques that are available.  I too, tried some them over the years.  But, in my opinion, the effort to get an early start is a proposition fraught with peril.  Many times, the plants just didn't seem to produce as well as I would have expected.  I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't gardened before.  It took me quite a few years to venture out of the normal season.
So, at this point, I am waiting for Mother Nature to calm down.  Until that time, I will keep myself active preparing for when that time comes.  Happy Gardening everyone!