Gardening: 2002-2009 Seasons

[tejon]

Perfect! Thanks so much for the calendar link. Looks like warmer weather crops, plus I certainly have to try to get a tomato plant or three in.

[jayt90]

Does anyone have snail problems???

As in - you plant 30 lettuce plants and within 3 days they are all gone???

How have you handled this problem??

By the way - no question that it was the snails - I ended up putting snail poison around the borders of the garden (it is enclosed in  "lovely" cement) ... the next day my sidewalk had about 50 snails (on each side) - replanted some lettuce and it is still alive and growing.

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Small dixie cups of beer will attact them, and they'll drown, drunk!

[Mallet]

I thought I'd throw in a picture of our patio garden for this year.

This is our first time doing this (there's always been a vegetable garden at my parent's home but I mostly just reaped the benefits). We severely underestimated the amount of soil required, so I am unable to plant until we go get some more (we're also limited by whatever we can carry on the bus ). On the right I planted peas (Amish snap) and beans (Black-seeded Italian) and on the left I planted tomatoes (Mrs. Bot's Italian Giant) and pickling cucumbers (Parisian Cornichons). When we have the opportunity we'll put in some beets (Detroit Dark Red), carrots(Little Finger), as well as various herbs (chives, savory, basil, chervil, parsley) and salads (mache, salad mix, radishes) in the smaller pots. Hopefully this will be manageable and with luck I will get something edible...

[christine007]

Mallet, that is beautiful!

[petite tête de chou]

Well, my lettuce is coming along. Needless to say, my husband is *not* impressed with lettuce! But I am.

[Mallet]

How long did it take to get to that stage?

[Lori in PA]

What a lovely patio garden beginning!

[petite tête de chou]

How long did it take to get to that stage?

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About a month. A deer took a nibble two weeks ago. I really must remember to move the pot away from the edge of the deck. Unfortunately the roses cannot be moved so half of each bush is gone.

At least the venison-chops-on-legs don't like rosemary.

[petite tête de chou]

A picture of my largest thyme. It's the only one in bloom so far and it seems a bit early. Too bad the bee got in the way.

[petite tête de chou]

This my lovage plant. A fairly old-time herb that you might not find in most gardens these days. It has a celery flavor +five. Very intense. I've mostly used it in bean and lentil dishes. This plant is about eight years old. My mother and I have been trading plants for quite a few years. She gave me a comfrey plant that I remember from my childhood- oh, about 25 years ago!

Lovage

Comfrey

[mrbigjas]

This my lovage plant. A fairly old-time herb that you might not find in most gardens these days. It has a celery flavor +five. Very intense. I've mostly used it in bean and lentil dishes.

wow, nice one. every year around this time i buy a bunch of lovage and i use about half of it before i get too sick of it and toss the rest, which has wilted. it's a great addition to salads, as long as its used sparingly.

[petite tête de chou]

This my lovage plant. A fairly old-time herb that you might not find in most gardens these days. It has a celery flavor +five. Very intense. I've mostly used it in bean and lentil dishes.

wow, nice one. every year around this time i buy a bunch of lovage and i use about half of it before i get too sick of it and toss the rest, which has wilted. it's a great addition to salads, as long as its used sparingly.

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*Sparingly* is totally the key to this wonderful herb. I've had it in salads before I was married, liked it real well and don't know why I don't use it now. When I was a very poor (money-wise, that is) lady on her own in an apartment above a bar my mother would gift me with bags of dried herbs- lovage amongst them. They made my near poverty meals quite flavorful. Hm. Tonight it's fajitas but tomorrow will dawn with a lovage-laced salad in mind.

Edited to correct minor misspellings.

Edited May 10, 2006 by petite tête de chou (log)

[jgm]

Speaking of herbs, I have some harvesting questions.

Are there differences among the various plants, pertaining to how they should be harvested? Take the whole stalk of thyme, or tarragon, or just the top part? I'm also growing mint, marjoram, basil (genovese), and oregano. I've always just done whatever, but I saw a mention the other day about harvesting the entire stalk/branch. I'm betting someone here knows. . .

[jayt90]

Speaking of herbs, I have some harvesting questions.

Are there differences among the various plants, pertaining to how they should be harvested?  Take the whole stalk of thyme, or tarragon, or just the top part?  I'm also growing mint, marjoram, basil (genovese), and oregano.  I've always just done whatever, but I saw a mention the other day about harvesting the entire stalk/branch.  I'm betting someone here knows. . .

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If they are getting to have a mature, almost woody stem (say in August or September, you need only take the top parts (6-8") and strip off the leaves.

At this time of year it won't matter, as all the stems will be green and vigorous, and they will be replaced by new growth.

Basil needs to have the flowerets pinched early in the season, otherwise they will go to seed, and the plant will stop growing until frost. It is the only one that won't last the winter, on your list.

[Mallet]

Thanks for the compliments! That's what I like about eGullet; positive reinforcment (I can only dream of what will happen if something actually grows in said pots ).

Today I noticed that two of the pots looked like something had clawed through them. Could these be pigeons or squirrels? I could find some of the seeds (which had germinated), but I think I lost a few. I strung some aluminium foil near the pots, is there anything else I should be doing? I'd hate for my garden to be decimated because of something like this. Maybe I can fill a decoy pot with warfarin (just joking.... maybe ).

edited to add that I hope my garden turns out half as nice as Petite Tête de Chou's

Edited May 11, 2006 by Mallet (log)

[azureus]

Today I noticed that two of the pots looked like something had clawed through them. Could these be pigeons or squirrels? I could find some of the seeds (which had germinated), but I think I lost a few. I strung some aluminium foil near the pots, is there anything else I should be doing? I'd hate for my garden to be decimated because of something like this. Maybe I can fill a decoy pot with warfarin (just joking.... maybe  ).

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Cover your pots with pieces of chicken wire. That will keep most critters out until your seeds germinate. You can remove the wire once the tops of the seedlings touch the it, or you can leave the wire and allow the plants to grow through it.

Could the culprits be cats? Cats love to dig in soft soil.

April

[Mallet]

Our patio is isolated and none of our neighboors have cats so I don't think this is the cause. I will try to pick up some chickenwire asap, thanks for the suggestion. Once the plants are established, this should cease to be a problem?

[azureus]

Our patio is isolated and none of our neighboors have cats so I don't think this is the cause. I will try to pick up some chickenwire asap, thanks for the suggestion. Once the plants are established, this should cease to be a problem?

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Unfortunately, there's no guarantee. The digging will probably stop, but then the eating of the tasty plants might begin. It depends on the culprit. Did it return last night?

April

[petite tête de chou]

Thanks for the compliments! That's what I like about eGullet; positive reinforcment (I can only dream of what will happen if something actually grows in said pots    ).

Today I noticed that two of the pots looked like something had clawed through them. Could these be pigeons or squirrels? I could find some of the seeds (which had germinated), but I think I lost a few. I strung some aluminium foil near the pots, is there anything else I should be doing? I'd hate for my garden to be decimated because of something like this. Maybe I can fill a decoy pot with warfarin (just joking.... maybe  ).

edited to add that I hope my garden turns out half as nice as Petite Tête de Chou's

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Hey, thank *you* for the compliment.

It sounds like you have birds scratching through your soil. It's actually a pretty common problem, especially in urban areas, but the chicken wire is a good idea and should keep the critters away until germination. Since the birds could still scratch the tiny seedlings from the soil you might leave the wire on a bit past the germination stage to develop a bit of a root system.

On another note, you might consider buying deck protectors to put underneath your pots to avoid staining the wood. I learned this the hard way.

[mrbigjas]

Our patio is isolated and none of our neighboors have cats so I don't think this is the cause. I will try to pick up some chickenwire asap, thanks for the suggestion. Once the plants are established, this should cease to be a problem?

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Unfortunately, there's no guarantee. The digging will probably stop, but then the eating of the tasty plants might begin. It depends on the culprit. Did it return last night?

April

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i wish i still had pictures of the chickenwire domes i made one year to protect my plants from the marauding cats, chipmunks, squirrels, etc that make their home in the big city and like to either dig in soft dirt or eat young plants. but you can imagine them. just take a length of chickenwire equal to the circumference of your pot, wrap it around the pot and attach it to itself, and close up the top if need be. sure it looks kinda ghetto, but it works...

[Mallet]

There have been no further assaults on my garden, but I may still pick up some chickenwire today.. .

I had thought about deck protectors, but then promptly forgot , I'll cut up some small pieces of scrap wood to put under the pots (I'm amazed that you noticed!)

On a happy note:

[sparrowgrass]

I planted my lima beans today. The lettuce is ready to thin, and there are lots of green strawberries in the strawberry bed. The tomatoes and peppers went in last weekend, and were well watered all week--off to a great start.

When I mowed today, I noticed that I had loads of peaches on my 3 trees--what a surprise! We had a spell of really cold weather just when the peaches and apples were blooming, and most of the trees in this part of the state lost their flowers.

My trees are on the side of the hill. The cold air flows downhill, and pools in the valley, so my trees stayed just warm enough to allow the fruit to set.

About fifty years ago, this piece of property was an orchard--I guess those folks knew what they were doing.

[kiliki]

Help!

I've planted broccoli for the first time, from starts. 3 of the plants (which are now about 12"x12") have nice looking florets, but the other 3, which are the same size, have nothing. Are these duds I need to pull up? Why didn't the broccoli develop?

[petite tête de chou]

Very cool, Mallet. What is the li'l sprout? A pea, perhaps?

[C. sapidus]

Our chilies and tomatoes have arrived!

We ordered from Cross Country Nurseries, which carries an excellent selection of potted plants. While I spent the day with elder son at a track meet, Mrs. Crab and younger son cleared overgrown shrubs from an existing garden bed that runs all along the back of the house. Amazingly, the soil had already been de-rocked Last year, I dug two wheelbarrows full of rocks from a 6’ x 6’ bed

We will need to erect a dog-resistant barrier for the tomatoes. Otherwise, our tomato-eating canines will steal every last one. Even worse, they usually bring the tomatoes inside and eat them on the living room carpet

Here are the chilies and tomatoes that we will be growing this year. If we have room, we might pick up some more tomato plants locally. We will also grow lemongrass, cilantro, rosemary, strawberries, and a few kinds of basil.

Tomatoes:

San Marzano

Big Boy

Beefmaster VFN Hybrid

Box Car Willie

Chilies:

Barker’s Hot (Anaheim)

Big Jim (Anaheim)

Ancho Ranchero

Ancho L

Serrano del Sol

Thai Hot Dragon Hybrid

Cabai Burong (Cayenne)

Santa Fe Grande (Yellow Wax)