Sorry, have to do a shameless plug for my friends CSA located in beautiful Bellefonte, PA.
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Healthy-Harvest-Farm/215516528533269
Internet:
http://www.healthyharvestfarmcsa.com/index.php
They really know their stuff, and I would trust the lives of the entire Giant family to them, please check them out!
Thanks!
The Giant
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Free at last aka Season 4 post-morterm
Finally. Done. The Higher Mind of New England has released me. Forever. Yay. :)
The garden basically went to pot after Irene since I had no time and it was really badly damaged. 2 Weeks later TS Lee dumped 11 inches of rain on me in 1 day. It was all a loss. Nothing really produced in great numbers except the Jalapenos (always a staple), Sweet Peppers, and the Bell Peppers. I think I finally figured out the Bell's, soil temp is really important. If its not like 72 degrees the seeds just don't germinate. We got 1 eggplant, the peanuts did very well (although I didn't soak them in saltwater so they are really bland), the melons (or 'watermellions' as The Littlest Giant calls them) did well except for the exploding properties, parsnips are still in the ground, tomatoes did OK, but still suffered from overcrowding despite my frequent culling. The lettuce and spinach did great in the little pots in front of the house, shaded but warm.
Things that did not do well:
4 sisters (sunflowers, sweet corn, beans, pumpkins) although the sunflower seeds kept getting taken by squirrel squadron so it wasn't their fault, same with the pumpkins.
Potatoes, rotted in the ground, again. I think I am over watering them (aside from Lee).
Amaranth did exceptionally well, until Lee soaked everything and the seeds started molding. As a consequence I did not harvest them. The tomatoes crowded the carrots, so I left them in the ground with the parsnips, Ill see how they do in the spring. The apple trees had cedar apple rot, so I sprayed. I wasn't expecting much though. The 1 apple I got was taken by Squirrel Squadron or the Bambi Brigade. Bluberries, all eaten by birds before they ripened. I need to cover them.
Take away from this season:
1) Different plants have different water needs
2) temp is important in starting out,
3) prune severely
For next season
1) Trying flint corn instead of sweet to see if they will hold up in the rain better.
2) Starting 'delectable seeds' (aka sunflower and pumpkin) in my newly acquired mini-greenhouse (generously provided by The Wife) early to avoid them being taken. Also starting the Bells and other warm soil plants here.
3) Making a scarecrow similar to the illustration in the Marvel Comics adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. Hopefully this keeps the Squirrel Squadron away (and will look cool). I have a solar panel (also provided by The Wife) to which I may attach a servo and a motion sensor to make the scarecrow move. We will see how much time I have.
4) Not a fan of the Southern Exposure seeds I purchased. I think I will try Johnny's Selected Seeds this season.
5) Seed potatoes from Whole Foods. Yes they worked the best and the cheapest.
6) Experimenting with Pumpkins in different pots in different places at different times this year. A neighbor planted his whole front law with pumpkins around May. Not one fruit as far as I saw. I'm thinking if I plant them in front of the Butterfly Garden, maybe they will get some extra pollinator attention.
OK more later, with pictures.
The garden basically went to pot after Irene since I had no time and it was really badly damaged. 2 Weeks later TS Lee dumped 11 inches of rain on me in 1 day. It was all a loss. Nothing really produced in great numbers except the Jalapenos (always a staple), Sweet Peppers, and the Bell Peppers. I think I finally figured out the Bell's, soil temp is really important. If its not like 72 degrees the seeds just don't germinate. We got 1 eggplant, the peanuts did very well (although I didn't soak them in saltwater so they are really bland), the melons (or 'watermellions' as The Littlest Giant calls them) did well except for the exploding properties, parsnips are still in the ground, tomatoes did OK, but still suffered from overcrowding despite my frequent culling. The lettuce and spinach did great in the little pots in front of the house, shaded but warm.
Things that did not do well:
4 sisters (sunflowers, sweet corn, beans, pumpkins) although the sunflower seeds kept getting taken by squirrel squadron so it wasn't their fault, same with the pumpkins.
Potatoes, rotted in the ground, again. I think I am over watering them (aside from Lee).
Amaranth did exceptionally well, until Lee soaked everything and the seeds started molding. As a consequence I did not harvest them. The tomatoes crowded the carrots, so I left them in the ground with the parsnips, Ill see how they do in the spring. The apple trees had cedar apple rot, so I sprayed. I wasn't expecting much though. The 1 apple I got was taken by Squirrel Squadron or the Bambi Brigade. Bluberries, all eaten by birds before they ripened. I need to cover them.
Take away from this season:
1) Different plants have different water needs
2) temp is important in starting out,
3) prune severely
For next season
1) Trying flint corn instead of sweet to see if they will hold up in the rain better.
2) Starting 'delectable seeds' (aka sunflower and pumpkin) in my newly acquired mini-greenhouse (generously provided by The Wife) early to avoid them being taken. Also starting the Bells and other warm soil plants here.
3) Making a scarecrow similar to the illustration in the Marvel Comics adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. Hopefully this keeps the Squirrel Squadron away (and will look cool). I have a solar panel (also provided by The Wife) to which I may attach a servo and a motion sensor to make the scarecrow move. We will see how much time I have.
4) Not a fan of the Southern Exposure seeds I purchased. I think I will try Johnny's Selected Seeds this season.
5) Seed potatoes from Whole Foods. Yes they worked the best and the cheapest.
6) Experimenting with Pumpkins in different pots in different places at different times this year. A neighbor planted his whole front law with pumpkins around May. Not one fruit as far as I saw. I'm thinking if I plant them in front of the Butterfly Garden, maybe they will get some extra pollinator attention.
OK more later, with pictures.
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