387 replies to this topic

[hummingbirdkiss]

I am extremely depressed and want to cry...my garlic has some kind of blight and it turning yellow and rotting ..I have two huge beds ..I pulled the yellowing ones this morning put them into regular trash to get whatever it is out of here ..

looked so good a week ago ..big strong ..healthy...and now about a 1/3 have been pulled

this was all certified seed garlic from Mason Co

I want to cry

[LaurieA-B]

Thanks for the cilantro encouragement. We've thinned the pots (into quesadillas) and will see how the rest does. We've got a couple of larger containers and are going to try planting arugula next.

[mamster]

I put some into cowboy beans last night, too. It's really doing great so far--no signs of bolting.

[Eden]

Oooh mamster's Cowboy Beans one of the only justifications for cilantro in my universe...

Arugula's a great choice for your next pot, it grows quickly & easily. Plus when it bolts the flowers are SOOO yummy. (ditto Mache)

hummingbird, I hope the rest of your garlic is doing OK! You have all my sympathy - something is eating the borage I planted

I dug up & gave away two of the uber celery plants. If the celeric I got at the tilth sale takes off I'll probably send away at least one of the remaining two as well. They're certainly thriving, but I only use celery a stalk or so at a time for making Stock & the like, so I really don't need much. we got a 4 pack initially in the theory that they wouldn't all make it - hah! They not only did well initially but they overwintered & came back even bigger & stronger this year.

[crouching tyler]

Oooh mamster's Cowboy Beans one of the only justifications for cilantro in my universe...

Arugula's a great choice for your next pot,  it grows quickly & easily.  Plus when it bolts the flowers are SOOO yummy.  (ditto Mache)

hummingbird, I hope the rest of your garlic is doing OK!  You have all my sympathy - something is eating the borage I planted

I dug up & gave away two of the uber celery plants.  If the celeric I got at the tilth sale takes off I'll probably send away at least one of the remaining two as well.  They're certainly thriving, but I only use celery a stalk or so at a time for making Stock & the like, so I really don't need much.  we got a 4 pack initially in the theory that they wouldn't all make it - hah! They not only did well initially but they overwintered & came back even bigger & stronger this year.

I read somewhere that celery was fantastically difficult to grow. Is this your first experience with growing celery?

[crouching tyler]

And a question, for all you Seattle area gardeners. My fava bean plants are still just in the flowering stage, even though summer begins to approach. This is my first time growing favas. Have I missed the boat, or are things just a little behind schedule due to our cooler than usual spring?

[Eden]

I read somewhere that celery was fantastically difficult to grow. Is this your first experience with growing celery?

I read the same thing just this morning, but it was by a gardener form somewhere back east in a much warmer climate, so I assume that's the difference. It is indeed my first experience with them, but so far I'd say the things are hardy & easy to grow.

My fava beans are still in floral mode too so I think it's just a long cool spring this year...

[tamiam]

I wish it would warm up and stay warm already. My basil is just sitting there, not looking happy at all. There are two different types of eggplant, one of which attracts bugs like crazy and one that doesnt get touched. The scientist in me finds that interesting. The beginning gardener finds it annoying.

On the bright side, the tomato plants have grown a lot over the past couple of weeks and I have lots of flowers and baby tomatos all over the plants. I was lucky to find starts in such great shape.

[Eden]

Not that weather forecasts are dependable, but the forecast for next weekend has it dropping down to about 38 at night and a high of 51 in the day for next Monday, so some kind of protection for the delicate plants like tomatoes may be in order.
I don't mind for me, but I do worry about what this could do to my plants!

[kiliki]

My understanding is that basil is unhappy at temps below 50 degrees. I don't usually plant basil until mid June for that reason.

Speaking of plants unhappy in cool weather, my special little "homemade pickles" pickling cuke starts I got at the Tilth sale, which were VERY small, were eaten while I was on vacation. If anyone sees any interesting varieties of pickling cuke starts, let me know.

[beauxbrie]

Not that weather forecasts are dependable, but the forecast for next weekend has it dropping down to about 38 at night and a high of 51 in the day for next Monday, so some kind of protection for the delicate plants like tomatoes may be in order. 
I don't mind for me, but I do worry about what this could do to my plants!

I do mind for me!, but I guess for the tomatoes it just means they stay in their wall-o-waters. They seem to be quite happy in them, and are starting to push out of the top. The peppers are also under cover in the (usually futile) hopes that they will make something of themselves.

I don't know what the mache looks like when it sprouts, but I don't see anything yet in that area--and I've put seeds in twice!

The favas are only about 8" tall--we are always way behind since we can't plant until mid-April, but we still usually get a good crop, so for those of you in the flower stage--in my book you're way ahead!

[kiliki]

Operating on the theory that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I planted more radishes, spinach and lettuce. *sigh* I didn't bother to replace the pickling cukes.

[Eden]

I hear radishes are super easy to grow, but we've had awful luck with root crops thus far so I'm still a little gun-shy...

There are beans on my fava bushes! yay fresh favas, coming soon to a dinner plate near you

[hummingbirdkiss]

I do not like the radishes I grow here in the garden ..they look good and my dog loves them ..but I think the soil is too acidic or something because I just think they are awful tasting! I have tried all types of seeds now local ..not local ..I just give up on the radishes all together now ..

my garden is just bursting!!! we eat three times a day from it now!!

[kiliki]

My radishes were all tops and no radish when I used organic veggie fertilizer on them. So I started just seeding and watering, no fertilizer, and they are great (French breakfast and cherry belle).

I have peas on my english peas finally (still too small to harvest though).

Edited by kiliki, 15 June 2008 - 05:28 PM.

[Eden]

My radishes were all tops and no radish when I used organic veggie fertilizer on them. So I started just seeding and watering, no fertilizer, and they are great (French breakfast and cherry belle).

I wonder if this is the problem with my carrots - we have crappy soil as a starting point (love that seattle glacial till!) so we've got a ton of steer manure over the top, but that might be encouraging the green fluffy bits up top while the roots just sit there...

We can't eat peas fast enough to keep up with the snap peas around here, and the lettuce is totally out of hand! I ate my first wild strawberry yesterday

[Eden]

I hope everyone's gardens are doing well in the heat. At least it's a change for them

The lettuce has started to bolt in mine. I'm going to plant the next round someplace shadier... lots of little strawberries are ready to be picked & the birds and I are fighting over the cherries...

[kiliki]

I got my first tomatoes, from "Glacier" that had a Wall O'Water on it until June.

[beauxbrie]

We've had about a dozen and a half sungold tomatoes, starting about a week and a half ago. They are sweet, but seem smaller so far than what I've had in the past.

The favas are finally ready to pick--but quite a few plants had to be pulled because they were completely covered with black aphids. We have never had aphids so bad!

Fennel is happy too--braised some last weekend and had it over pasta with some pancetta--yummy!

[Eden]

I'm jealous. My favas are no-where near ready, ditto the tomatos, but at least there's more than one tomato now - for a while I thought it was going to be an "only child"
I was reading that you're supposed to rotate your tomatoes to different beds every few years, but there's really no better place inside my yard to grow them except where they are now. Is this really necessary? My only other sunny option is the parking strip.

we've been eating Blackberries by the bucketful! We've gotten a nice handful or two of raspberries as well & expect that by next year we'll be harvesting these in notable quantities as well. The Wineberry has lots of clusters, so I'm hopeful that they'll open soon.
There are 4 count them four little berries on the black currant we just put in this year!

We also harvested our first round of carrots. We decided to grow the little thumbellinas this year because we'd had no luck with regular carrots in the past, but these little round guys are doing great. I'm thinking of tossing in some radish seed, now that I know shallow rooted root veggies will work for me.

What are other folks planning for their fall/winter crops? I'm not a big fan of the brassicas so I'm just not feeling inspried...

[beauxbrie]

Eden, I'm glad your tomato is not an only child! Have hope for the favas, if they are not getting eaten alive by aphids, then there's hope.

I plant my tomatoes in a different section of my p-patch every year, so that in general they are not in the same place as they were in the previous 2 years (does that make sense?). I don't know how much it matters, but crop rotation is always suggested for organic gardening, so I do it. Being in a p-patch, it's all sunny, so I'm lucky that it doesn't really matter where in the patch they are.

My carrots are poking along slowly--I always grow regular (purple and orange) and usually they grow really well, but this year they have been slow to germinate and somewhat sporadic in their germination as well. No idea why.

I have a seasonal p-patch, so don't do fall/winter crops.

[kiliki]

I've read that rotating tomatoes is necessary, too--garden experts seem pretty adamant about this--but so far I haven't done it. I'm like you, Eden, in that they always get my sunniest spot, and there really isn't any other good place for them. I suppose I could put them in containers one year to give the raised beds a break, and just supplement by buying at the farmer's market.

I've never done much fall/winter gardening--what have people had the most success with?

[duck833]

I think this is the summer of basil, just went out and cut all the seed head off the crop, hope it keeps growing.

Tomatoes loved the heat of July, we have lots and they are starting to get light color. Have picked a few from the early varieties.

[v. gautam]

Eden,

A. Alliums

Right about now, you could sow Japanese scallions, Ishikura and nebuka types, available from Kitazawa Seeds Oakland CA and elsewhere for overwintering. Elephant garlic are leeks that also overwinter well in some microclimates. Of course, there are the garlics, the hard-necks and the soft-necks. Other alliums like shallots for next year [get ready], multiplier onions, ramps.

B. Greens

B.1.Lettuces Buttercrunch, red lettuces are very cold tolerant,

B.2. mizuna though a brassica may surprise you, great for cutting in salads
B.3. choi sum likewise a great tasty cooking green different from run of the mill brassicas like kale or collards, good for salads in baby stages as well


B.4. around august 22 Spinach cv. Olympia for fall crop; cv. Monnopa for low-oxalic acid

B.5. Overwintering spinach cultivars; see Territorial Seed for availability or Univ. Extension services; John Navazio, spinach breeder etc.

B.6. Sow fenugreek if inclined to experiment with this delicious green avidy consumed by Indians: buy seed from Indian grocery or wherever fenugreek is sold as spice

B.7. Cilantro.

B.8. Beetroot, chard, black spanish radish, Parmex type carrot, small-seeded mache for succession sowing [Verte de Cambrai type], claytonia [miner's lettuce], dill for cutting.


C. Peas: for pods and shoots [especially from snowpeas]

Short and medium duration accordng to your microclimate

1. Dualis
2. Alderman [tall]
3. Frosty short, fast maturing

[kermie]

for slugs - try half a grapefruit (cleaned out more or less) turned over then at night or in the morning they all climb in there and you can just pick them up in one go and toss.

for earwigs (sp?) - get a stick with an overturned little pot stuffed with straw. they climb in there and again pick and toss.

am about to go check whats in the garden now.

[Eden]

<with much snipping>
A. Alliums
B. Greens
B.6. Sow fenugreek if inclined to experiment with this delicious green avidy consumed by Indians: buy seed from Indian grocery or wherever fenugreek is sold as spice
C. Peas: for pods and shoots [especially from snowpeas]

Thanks for the suggestions!
I enjoy using fenugreek in cooking occasionally, but have never come across it in plant form. I did find this re it's cultivation though: "Fenugreek likes warmth: its growth is slow and weak in cold temperatures or wet soils." which makes me wonder if it is well adapted for Pacific Northwest winters.

I'll look for some spinach seeds for sure, and put in another round of carrots. I already have a good snow pea that will grow so happily through the winter, people stop in amazement when they pass it by on the street (Ferry Morse: Melting Sugar snow peas)

[LaurieA-B]

The Edible Plant Sale at Seattle Tilth is today and tomorrow (May 2 and 3). Great selection.

[MT-Tarragon]

We put in our first garden this year; always lived in Seattle apartments previously with no room to grow anything. Now we're out in Prosser and have some room.

We put our tomato starts out too early this month and three days of cold and rain killed them all. Well, it also killed the peppers, broccoli and Brussel sprouts. It was very sad. Lesson learned. We've since bought some new tomato and pepper starts from a neighbor and planted some new seed just to say we grew some tomato plants of our own.

Our lettuce got off to a rocky start as it was being mysteriously eaten all the time down to little nubs. When we discovered that the culprit were quail, a bit of netting fixed the problem and we now have some really nice lettuce. Spinach is also doing well, though the chard is moving a bit slowly.

Beans and peas are growing rapidly, though we are having a devil of a time with ground squirrels eating the peas. They dig right under any fencing or netting we try.

The squash plants appear to be doing well, along with the cucumbers. Watermelon and charentais melon are coming along more slowly.

We planted a lot of herbs, too, and have tarragon, oregano and basil. We transplanted some mint, thyme and another oregano from indoors and they are struggling, but surviving. Cilantro, parsley, marjoram and more basil are just coming up. Dill, too, but it was recently victimized by the ground squirrels as well. Or birds. Hard to know sometimes.

The onions and beets are doing very well. I was given some shallot seed, but they haven't come up, yet.

We ate the first strawberry a few days ago -- the first food we have grown ourselves other than herbs.

We planted asparagus late and it is growing, so we hope that there will be a crop next year. Same with the rhubarb.

We also planted several types of flowers to aid in attracting insects and birds as well as some medicinal herbs.

We probably went a bit crazy with our first garden and planted way too much, but it's been a great learning experience so far and will continue to be, I'm sure.



More pics at imageGullet