Green Thumb

You want me to do what? It’s 95 degrees Fahrenheit today and you want me to think about what I’m going to plant in September?

No, I want you to think about what you will plant in the next few weeks for harvest in September and the fall months.

Fall Gardening is a wonderful way to extend your growing season and yields its own rewards. Coming into the kitchen with chilled fingers after harvesting a fresh salad at Thanksgiving reminds us how much we depend on Mother Nature for our survival.

This article is the first in a series of three. Tomorrow I will write about Fall Gardening and extending the growing season in northern climates and on Tuesday I will address the same topic for gardeners in the South who face their own set of challenges.

Today I want to look at the basic idea of a Fall Garden.

Simply put a Fall Garden is a garden whose harvest is designed specifically for Fall harvest. It usually planted in Mid July and contains both those plants that will be harvested up to and through the first frosts and those (like garlic) that will be overwintered in the garden and harvested the following spring.

Fall garden plants often include the following:

Root Crops: Carrots, Turnips, Beets, Rutabega’s and similar crops are very popular for the fall garden. In most southern states (Zones 7 and south) they can be left in the ground and covered with straw throughout the winter. Gardeners in zones 6 and points north will find it better to dig these plants around the first frost and store them in a root cellar or basement.

Greens: Head Lettuce, Leaf Lettuce (Romaine, Paris Cos), Spinach etc. These greens cannot be grown in hot climates in the summer so this second harvest can be very welcome. In fact many gardeners grow these plants through all but the coldest weather, sheltering them from frost with tunnnels or plastic.

Beans and Squash: Pumpkins should be started in July for harvest at All Hallows and the long storage varieties of squash are also good to grow in the fall. Additionally beans and English peas should be planted (preferably in the space where you grew your corn) as they will replenish the soil as well as give you a second harvest.

Cover Crops: Cover crops are actually a whole topic to themselves, but should mentioned here as they should be planted wherever you will not be planting fall crops in order to replenish the soil and prevent perniceous weeds such as crabgrass and dock from taking over fallow ground.

As you can see Fall Gardening is much more than chrysanthemums and asters and can yield a continuing bounty from the earth!

A vegetable garden can yield all kinds of benefits in better tasting, healthier
food, but taking the first steps can be daunting. If you’ve always wanted
to plant a garden but don’t know where to start here are a few things
to consider:

Where is the best spot in your yard for a vegetable or herb garden?

The answer to this question really depends on what you want to grow, but here are
a few things to keep in mind.

How big should the garden be?

A vegetable garden can be as small as a few plants or big enough to feed a family
of seven year round. The important thing to remember is that the size of your
garden will determine the amount of work involved in keeping it weed free and
healthy. For beginning gardeners a 6′x6′& or 6′x8′ garden
is probably plenty of space. You’ll be able to have a good variety of
plants without being overwhelmed by the upkeep or by the produce.

What plants should you grow?

A small garden can easily contain the following plants. These are all fairly
easy to grow and resistant to pests and drought.

Tomatoes: 1 cherry tomato, 2 Italian tomatoes and 2 beefsteak tomatoes

Squash: 2 zucchini and 3 summer squash plants will be plenty

Peppers: 4 Sweet peppers and 2 hot peppers

Lettuce: 20 Lettuce plants

Broccoli: 12 broccoli plants

Green beans: 6 plants on a trellis to save space

Cucumber: 4 plants on a trellis

Around the edges of the garden you can plant:

Basil – 6 plants

Sage- 2 plants

Parsley- 2 plants

These should all bear well and compliment each other nicely in recipes.

Should you start plants from seed or buy seedlings?

Starting plants from seed can be difficult and time consuming. Except in the case
of beans, which don’t transplant well all of the plants for the beginner
vegetable garden mentioned above can be purchased as seedlings.Just remember
to water them well when transplanting and they should do fine in their
new home.

Organic vs. Pesticide Gardening?

This is really a matter of personal choice. In many cases pesticides and chemical fertilizers
are unnecessary if you have prepared the garden space properly.If you do find
that particular pests or diseases are a problem look at your choices for treatment,
and look at who will be exposed to them.As a general rule I don’t use
pesticides in a garden where children may accidentally eat something that has
been sprayed or treated. Little ones may not always remember to wash produce
before eating it.

How much should you expect to water?

At the peak of the growing season watering should be done once or twice a week for
30-40 minutes in each section of the garden. The soil should be moist under the surface
but should not stay muddy.Too much water can kill a plant as quickly as too
little so take the time to look at your plants and get to know their individual
watering needs.

Sprinklers are best avoided as they do not provide enough moisture to penetrate the ground and the effects of
watering will quickly be lost.

One of my favorite watering methods is to bury the top half of a plastic milk
jug next to each of the larger plants and put two or three of them among the
lettuce and other greens. Simply cut the top 4 inches off of the jug; remove
the cap and place cap down in a hole next to your plants.Fill the empty jug
with gravel. Water by running a hose to each jug and filling to overflowing
with water. The water will filter through the gravel to the roots of the plant,
providing a very efficient drink.

Most of all enjoy your garden! You are starting this whole project to enjoy
the outdoors. Don’t stress too much if some of your plants don’t do too well.
Take some notes for next year and sit back with a glass of iced tea. Breathe
the warm summer air and relax in the beauty of your own back yard.

This book has been one of my herb growing standards for about ten years. It is geared towards both beginning and experienced growers with chapters on basic gardening practice, and additional steps necessary to grow herbs commercially.

I have used Ms. Jacobs’ book as a guide when growing herbs and plants to sell and also for preserving and cooking with herbs.

There are only a few gardening books that I use every year. This is one that comes out several times a season to remind me of facts specific to certain plants or of the best ways for commercializing a small herb garden. I heartily recommend it for first time and experienced gardeners and will often include it in gifts baskets or as a house-warming present.

What exactly is organic gardening? How does one garden organically? And why
bother?These are all questions that many gardeners have asked themselves.
Some say that organic gardening is an imperative. They claim that the excessive
use of chemicals is killing us and our environment. Others say that chemicals
are part of our future and that without them we could not sustain enough
agriculture to feed ourselves. What is the answer?

The answer is really that there is no answer. the choice to use
chemicals or to eat genetically modified foods is a personal one. I don’t
generally use chemicals because I find I don’t need to. True my fruits
and vegetables are not as “perfect” as the ones in the grocery
store, but then I don’t think that “perfect” is something
that I need to worry about.

I am more interested in knowing that the food I eat is healthy for
me. I wonder if we really know all of the side effects of giving our cattle
hormones or treating our vegetables so that they will transport for miles
before sitting on grocery store shelves. I look for a balance I can live
with between growing foods myself and buying what I cannot grow.

I buy organic produce and eggs when I can, but they are often more
expensive than conventional products and I can’t always afford them.
In future articles I will try to explain the various viewpoints on organic
gardening, the methods used to garden organically, and some of the reasons
behind the movement.

A quick visit to the garden yesterday showed that the “eating creature” had been hard at work. He (or she) has a particular fondness for bean plants when they have just reached the stage of having a couple of true leaves. Squash plants too appear to be a delicacy.

We applied blood and bone meal everywhere and sprayed the plants with a mixture of biodegradeable dish soap and ginger in hopes that the smell of the bloodmeal would frighten an herbivore and the taste of soap and ginger would further serve as a deterent.

The next step is for me to get the mower running so that we can reduce the groundhog’s “cover” around the garden.

Backyard composting is the most economical way to reduce organic materials
going into the landfill while preserving natural resources. Anything growing
in your yard is potential compost material.

Compost is nature’s way of recycling by returning vital nutrients
to the soil. Compost is the end product of decomposed organic material like
food scraps, grass clippings, leaves, and wood and brush chips. The key to
a healthy compost pile is to keep it simple.

Landscape trimmings can be reduced through simple changes in maintenance
procedures. Use a mulching blade on your mower and leave grass clippings on
the lawn after mowing. This helps fertilize your lawn and reduces waste.Major
changes, like choosing native or well-adapted plants, can also reduce waste.

Yard trimmings and food scraps can be composted at home for reuse
in landscapes and gardens. Many yard trimmings can be used as mulch to protect
the soil, suppress weeds and conserve water.

Benefits of Composting

What Can I Compost?

Landscape trimmings and other organic materials are popular for composting.

Use the following table as a guide for your compost pile:

How Does Composting Work?
Composting provides soil organisms with food, water and air.

Biodegraders - These organisms – bacteria, fungi, molds,earthworms,
insects, and other soil organisms – eat the organic materialyou place inyour
compost pile.

Organic Material - Organic material high in nitrogen (green)
and carbon (brown) materials – feed the organisms living in your compostpile.

Air - The organisms in your pile need air in order to break
down the organic material. By turning your pile with a fork or hoe, you build
air passages for your pile to breathe.

Moisture – The pile should be damp like a wrung out sponge
- not wet. As the pile heats up, the moisture will evaporate, so let rain
replace it, or add water during dry spells. Covering your pile helps retain
moisture during hot weather.

Time and Temperature – The hotter the pile, the faster the
composting. A properly composted pile reaches a temperature of 130 to 160
degrees and will kill weed seeds at that heat level.

Slow and Easy Compost
Ingredients: Mixed yard trimmings and  water.
Directions:Put mixed yard trimmings in bin or pile.
Add water as needed. Mix in food scraps and other materials as generated.
Let sit for 12-16 months.
Prepare forUse: After alloted time, most of the material at the bottom of
the pile willbe dark, rich sweet smelling soil. Sift or sort out large undecomposed
materials for use in your next pile.The rich soil is ready to serve toyour
yard and garden.

Faster Compost
With a bit more effort, turn the pile at least once a month, alternating
brownand green material. Shred materials when possible. The pile should reach
a temperature of 130 to 160 degrees.

For more about how to compost read Let it Rot! : The Gardener\’s Guide to Composting (Third Edition) (Storey\’s Down-to-Earth Guides) or contact us for information on our gardening and sustainable living classes!

OK I confess – I love to cook. When I moved into the house that
I share with a couple of other girls, they were amazed by the number and variety
of pots and pans that I brought. They were pleased too because like
most people who love to cook I love to watch family and friends enjoy what
I’ve prepared.

Weekends are the best time to be around my kitchen. I revel in the time available
for preparing satisfying and well-balanced meals. Weekdays can be a problem
though – I don’t get home until after six and my housemate’s schedules
are pretty erratic. Add one housemate’s vegetarianism and a tight grocery
budget to the mix and easy to prepare healthy meals can be quite a challenge!

With a bit of thought I’ve developed a repertoire that we all can enjoy
and that only takes a few minutes to prepare.

Here are three of those recipes for you to try next time you have a late
nightand don’t want to eat frozen pizza!

Vegetable and Rice Stovetop Casserole
Approximate Cost: $5.00
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2-
Serve with: Green Salad

1 package Cheddar Broccoli Rice Mix
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 12-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 cups of frozen corn
pepper, oregano, and paprika to taste

Prepare Rice according to package directions. Ten minutes before it is finished
cooking, add remaining ingredients to pot. When ten minutes are up, remove
lid and stir contents of pot, continue to cook on medium-low heat until nearly
all of the liquid from the tomatoes has been absorbed. Season to taste
and serve immediately.

This recipe can also be prepared using leftover rice. Simply combine
the ingredients and bake in a 350 F oven for 20 – 30 minutes. Meat eaters
can add strips ofchicken breast or frozen or fresh scallops to the dish as
well.

Cream of Potato Soup
Approximate Cost: $4.50
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Serve With: Bread or Muffins

3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
2 T of olive oil
3 T butter
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of flour
pepper, salt, oregano, thyme to taste

Lightly saute onions and potatoes in olive oil in a large pot until onions
are slightly browned. Add enough water to cover them and boil for about 15
minutes or until potatoes are nearly soft. In a small saucepan over low heat,
melt the butter and whisk in the flour until all of the butter is absorbed.
Then whisk in milk by the quarter cupful until you have a thick paste. Pour
this paste into the soup pot and stir. Add seasonings to taste. Let
the soup simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve.

I sometimes add grated cheese to this just before serving. You could also
sprinkle with bacon bits, chopped chives, or whatever suits your tastes!

Spinach Broccoli Pasta
Approximate Cost: $4.00
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2-3
Serve With: canned or fresh fruit.

1 8-ounce bag of egg noodles
1 cup of frozen chopped spinach
1 cup of frozen chopped broccoli
Grated cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. When it is half cooked add the
spinach and broccoli to the pot. When pasta has reached the desired softness,
drain into a colander. Place pasta vegetable mixture in a bowl and toss with
the grated cheese of your choice. You could also add – pieces of leftover
chicken, pre-cooked shrimp or additional vegetables.

Maybe its a bit extreme for two people but this garden just keeps growing and growing! It all started with a casual conversation with a friend of mine at the Richmond Farmer’s Market.

Mary sells goat milk soap which she makes by hand. She has a little piece of Wild Heaven about twenty minutes from the city and raises goats there. We got talking this spring and I mentioned that since my yard in the city was too shady for anything by way of a vegetable garden that I was looking for a little piece of land to rent.

“How big?” she asked.

“Oh 20′x50′ would be about right.”

“I have this goat paddock I’m not using, you should take a look.”

Long story short I did look and discovered that this paddock was nearly knee deep in very well rotted manure and straw. It was much larger than I needed but I can always put in some more plants. We came to an agreement and a good friend and I started planting.

Its an interesting and challenging garden spot. The soil is wonderful, in addition to it being a goat pasture for several years it also used to be a creek bed. For the first time in my gardening career I have topsoil!

Of course the property also used to belong to some real old-timers… You know the kind who basically open a window and toss their trash into the yard! We’ve found all kinds of things while tilling and digging- lots of odd bits of metal and glass, a couple of bathroom scales, bumpers for vintage trucks etc. We just keep hauling it out a little at a time.

Then too its a bit hard to predict what will go well where as there are a number of trees in a semi-living state (goats will do that!). I had planned for this nice neat garden with clearly marked beds, but have had to settle for putting things in where they will have the best possible conditions.

Still after several weeks of hard digging and tilling, and several more of mulching between beds with newspaper and spoiled hay, we are not doing so badly. In addition to the manure naturally occuring in the space there is also a large pile which has been forked onto the beds and tilled in.

The corn is as high as my shoulder and should be in tassel in a couple of weeks, the potatoes have bloomed, and the tomatoes (about thirty plants mostly heirlooms) and squashes (also about thirty plants (I must be crazy)) have really taken hold.

The only serious problem I’m having at the moment is with a very hungry groundhog, but I’m hoping that an application of bloodmeal and the addition of some tin pie plates and old cd’s will help to discourage him.
All in all this has been one of my most pleasant gardening experiences. The space is pretty to look at and even on hot days there is usually a breeze.

Although the garden is probably much too big for two people I expect to be eating the produce all winter long.

Stu Campbell has written a comprehensive book on compost. He gives the scientific reasons behind good and bad compost piles without “piling” on details that are confusing to the lay reader. His guidelines for making compost are easy to follow and (speaking from experience) provide a surperior product.

Composting is the best way for the home gardener or organic farmer to augment his or her soil and it is easy using this book. Common myths to the contrary (compost piles don’t have to stink and in fact a bad smell is a bad sign…) composting is easy and even fun!

The Gardening Girl compost pile recycles vegetable scraps from her own kitchen and those of several friends, providing economical nutrition to the garden.

Whether you are an experienced conventional gardener making the switch to organic gardening or someone whose pile just isn’t right Let It Rot! will prove to be a handy guide for years to come.

Yesterday I was delighted to share a meal of new potatoes, little onions and cabbage fresh from the garden! After only having a few plants in pots last year this was the first time in a long time I felt like I was eating truly fresh vegetables.

The potatoes were red and white, as were the onions. Boiled until just cooked with a bit of cabbage (bright green) the dish was lovely to look at as well as tasty!

I probably should have waited another week before digging the potatoes as they were quite small ( the diameter of a quarter in most cases) but was overcome with excitement and couldn’t wait!

I hope you too are enjoying the bounty of your gardens!

Happy Gardening!

The Gardening Girl

Although it is possible to garden with an old spoon and a measuring cup, gardening is much more pleasant when you have the right tools!

Here are five garden tools that I consider essential. These gardening tools are useful for anyone with a good sized yard or even a small farm.

Shovel

On the top of the list is a good shovel. A shovel has a slightly rounded blade and can be bought with a long or short handle. I find that the long handle gives me more leverage when dealing with compacted soil and is also less wearing on my back since I don’t have to bend to dig.

A good shovel should be slightly bent along the top edge. This bend provides you with a place to put your foot when you need to shove the shovel blade deep into the ground.

Digging is often the first step to a beautiful garden so make sure you include a shovel that you like in your gardening tools.

Hoe

There are many different styles of hoe, but they all have the same essential function. A hoe is used to break up clumps of dirt to make a smooth seed bed and to pull weeds out of the ground. My personal favorite is a hoe with a triangular blade.

The point of the blade can be used to dig out weeds. The corners are useful for smoothing beds or for pulling away dirt to make a row for planting.

Rake

You should probably include two rakes in your gardening tool collection.

One should be a standard leak rake which can be used to collect grass clippings and leaves as well as smoothing garden beds with light soil.

The second rake should be a heavy duty landscaping or “iron” rake. This rake is square and has short thick teeth. It can be used to smooth beds with heavy soil or to spread gravel or other landscaping materials.

Fork

A pitchfork or potato fork is very important to the organic gardener or anyone who composts. The difference between the two is found in the length of the handle and the shape and length of the tines.

The pitchfork has a long handle and the tines are slightly curved and thinner than those of the potato fork. The pitchfork is best used for turning a compost pile that is mostly composed of grass clippings and leaves.

The potato fork has a short handle and thick straight tines. It can be used to dig and is very useful for turning compost piles that contain large amounts of dirt or manure.

Wheelbarrow

The final useful tool for a gardener is a wheelbarrow. These may be purchased in several sizes and are usually made of plastic or metal. I personally prefer a plastic wheelbarrow as it will not rust. Metal barrows will need to be painted on a regular basis to protect them from the corrosive effects of water and manure (if used by an organic gardener).

As you can see a good gardening tool collection makes it much easier to develop a beautiful yard and bountiful garden. Take the time to choose your gardening tools with care and you will always enjoy…