Both boys helped me transplant a bundle of white onion slips today.
Onion Slips Planted 1/7/2019
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Category Archives: Gardening
Compost Pile
I dumped out the three big wire fence containers where I’ve been storing leaves and kitchen scraps, then mixed it all together along with more ‘greens’ and water into a large pile about 5 feet high.
Finished compost pile 
Fungi on leaf mold pile 
Fungi on leaf mould pile 
Beginning of new compost pil
Pear, Pawpaw, Cherry, Persimmon, Pluerry, Pomegranate Trees Planted
Over the past 2 days, I’ve planted 8 more fruit trees.
13) Asian Pear w/ grafts of: Hosui (12), 20th Century (3), Chojuro (6), Shenseiki (9)
14) Fuyu Japanese Persimmon
15) Sweet Treat Pluerry
16) Wonderful Pomegranate
17) Cherry w/ grafts of: Stella (2), Black Tartarian (4), Bing (7), Rainier (10) *
18) empty space
19) Pennsylvania Golden PawPaw (Grafted)
20) Sunflower Pawpaw (Grafted)
21) Mango Pawpaw (Grafted)
(graft positions given w/ North = 12 o’clock)
* = yes, I realize cherry trees won’t set fruit here because of our lack of cooling hours, but I wanted to try it anyway Continue reading
3rd Seeding of Broccoli and Brussels
Only 3 plants sprouted from the second seeding. I’m really bad at this apparently!
update 9/29/2018:
A few plants sprouted, but were quickly eaten by either rabbits or worms. I transplanted 6 broccoli and 6 brussels sprouts from Walmart today.
Hoop Shade Structure for Raised Beds
Trying to get seeds to sprout in the August heat can be difficult. The ground drys out faster because the protective mulch has to be moved out of the way exposing bare soil, and the sun is so oppressive that many plants won’t survive a day of full sun when they have just popped out of the ground. A way to help is to provide shade. If you are using wood-framed raised beds, this is pretty easy to do.
Use 3 pieces of 1/2″ PVC electrical conduit. PVC water pipe is also usable, but the electrical conduit has the benefit of UV protection, so it should last a good bit longer. Attach the ends of each pipe to an edge of your raised bed frame. I just drilled holes in the pipe and used exterior screws. Holes can also be drilled in a 2×4 to provide a hole for the pipe to sit in. Lay a fabric such as burlap, greenhouse shade cloth, or window screen over the pipes and secure with zip ties, rope, or specially made snap clamps.
This hoop structure provides a way to provide shade in the summer and can also be used along with clear plastic to create a greenhouse in the winter.
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- hoop structure with burlap fabric
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- attachment detail of hoop structure to wood frame
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- clips holding fabric to frame
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- front view of hoop structure with burlap fabric
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- hoop structure with window screen built in citizen gardener class
Snow Peas and Carrot Planted 8/26/2018
I pulled up a sick looking pepper plant and seeded some snow peas in one bed. In the bed with okra, I cut back some of the low leaves and put in another row of snow peas and some carrots. I notice the comfrey that is under the okra (shaded mostly) is growing much better than the comfrey that has full sun. I’m hoping the snow peas and carrot will benefit in the same way. I’m a little concerned that none of the seeds (broccoli, brussels sprouts, and spinach have sprouted yet. It may have just been too hot lately. If I don’t see anything by the end of the week, I’ll reseed it all.
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- Snow Peas From Baker Creek
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- Carrot From Baker Creek
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- 3 raised beds
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- 2 rows of snow peas
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- none of the seeds planted 11 days ago have sprouted yet
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- 1 more row of snow peas planted under okra plants
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- carrots planted under the okra plants
Planted Broccoli, Brussels, Spinach 8/15/2018
I planted from seed 8 broccoli, 4 brussels sprouts, and 16 spinach today.
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- bed with new seeds planted
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- Broccoli – Belstar Hybrid Organic
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- Spinach – Imperial Green Hybrid
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- Brussels Sprouts – Diablo Hybrid
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- okra
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- Comfrey
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- Tomatoes and Peppers
UPDATE 8/29/2018: none of these seeds sprouted. It was either too hot, or I let it get too dry. I re-seeded today, and will try to keep the bed covered from the sun for most of the day.
Comfrey Slips and Crowns Planted 8/6/2018
I ordered 12 slips and 3 crowns of Russian Comfrey – Bocking 14 from Marsh Creek Farmstead. They arrived today so I put them in the ground. I placed the crowns in my raised beds, and the slips in between my new fruit trees. The bocking 14 variety doesn’t go to seed so it doesn’t spread and take over like the normal variety does. This plant is known as a mineral miner: the roots go very deep in the soil and the leaves are packed with lots of nutrients. It is a good plant to use for composting material, as those valuable nutrients will be in the compost.
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- comfrey leaves
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- comfrey flower
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- comfrey planted in ground surrounded by mulch
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- comfrey crowns and slips
Harvest 8/1/2018
Aiden helped me pick tomatoes, peppers, and a few okra. The okra are just starting to produce. We found hornworms on the tomatoes, so we need to check those daily. I cut the tomato plants way back because they were so overgrown and intertwined. When planted as close as they are, you are supposed to keep the suckers cut, which I have failed to do. I had some carrots that should have been harvested months ago. They were not too tasty.
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- today’s harvest of tomatoes, peppers, and a few okra
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- okra plants
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- tomatoes and peppers
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- pile of trimmings from overgrown tomato plants
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- carrots
Garden Update 5/12/2018
Most everything I have planted is doing great. The snap peas are loaded and ready to harvest. Onions are getting big. I have some peppers and tomatoes on the vine.
The blackberry bushes I planted a few years ago are loaded with berries. All my new blackberry transplants are alive and doing well. Continue reading