Lessons learned thus far...

I've already learned a lot this year.  As of right now, it mostly has to do with starting the seedlings that we've transplanted.  We ended up losing quite a few of them, partly due to the two weeks of rain and partly due to being new to starting seedlings in this quantity.  There were two or three things that we should have done differently.  The first is that our grow lights were too far away from the top of the plants.  They should have been two inches above the tops and ours were in the neighborhood of 4+.  We think this is our biggest error and what caused a lot of the seedlings to get leggy.  Second, we should have turned off the heat source below the plants as soon as they sprouted and we didn't.  We just left it on way too long.  And the third thing that may or may not help in the future is to run a fan in the "seed room" to keep the air circulating.  Everything I read says that this helps keep spores (ie: mushrooms and other fungi) from growing on the top of the pots.  I'm thinking we probably should have done that because several of the seedlings had a nice crop of little bitty mushrooms growing with them in the cup.  Another thing we will do differently next year is to use a soil-less planting medium.  We went with organic potting soil to start, then added in organic soil-less mix to loosen it up but even that wasn't enough.  We found a deal on organic  potting soil and thought it would be ok, even though I know from my horticulture class last semester that virtually all commercial growers use a soil-less mix of some kind.  We were hoping to save some money.  It might have been ok if we hadn't had that two weeks of rain ~ that's when things really went downhill for the seedlings.  They had been looking really good up until then but some of them got really leggy (light source too far away, I think, as mentioned) and I also think they exhausted the nitrogen in their pots because their leaves started getting yellow-ish at the edges.  Ultimately, more of them than I am comfortable with losing laid down and gave up the ghost.  I know some losses are inevitable but I think we had more than we should have this year.   I am hoping that, if we apply what we've learned this year, next year will be better.

Planted...

After two and a half days of marathon planting in OMG!August-heat-but-it's-only-May weather, garden #1 is planted: 

It may not look like much from here but those radishes and beans under the teepees are growing like crazy, as are the potatoes right in front of them.  See?  Here are the radishes, with the beans right next to the poles

 and here is one of the potato plants:

 
It doesn't look like much from this angle, either:

but this end has eight rows of corn, zucchini squash, pumpkins, summer squash, and marigolds.  In the middle are onions, leeks, mustards, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbages, among other things.  Here's the corn with the baby squashes in the middle:

 This happens to be the row with the yellow crookneck squash, but you get the idea.  The hoped for result of planting them like this is that the squash vines will act as living mulch for the corn, keeping the soil moist and (hopefully) keeping weeds to a minimum.  Next week, we will be putting peas in on the outer edges of the rows with the idea that the pea vines will climb the corn and help feed it as they fix nitrogen into the soil ~ a variation on the Native American Three Sisters combination except we are using peas instead of beans because the beans seemed more suited to the teepees.  We'll see how well that all works.

If you start at the far end (where you can see the teepees) the exact order of things is:
Rosa Bianca eggplant, Diablo cosmos, St. Valery and Paris Market carrots with sage in the middle, 1 and 1/2 rows each of Kennebec and French fingerling potatoes, teepees with Kentucky Wonder (green) and Pencil Pod Wax beans with French Breakfast, Philadelphia White Box, and Cincinnati Market radishes; Early Snowball cauliflower with dill, Mammoth Red Rock cabbage with dill, Early Snowball cauliflower (seeds), Early Jersey Wakefield cabbage with hyssop, a wide row containing one row each of black, brown, and white mustards; Yellow of Parma onions and Prizetaker leeks, Red Wethersfield onions and Detroit Dark Red beets, DeCicco broccoli, a double wide row of Golden Bantam corn with Charentais melons in the middle, a double wide row of Golden Bantam and Reid's Yellow Dent corn with Long Island Cheese pumpkins in between, a double wide row Reid's Yellow Dent and Stowell's Evergreen corn with Early Yellow Crookneck squash in between, a double wide row of Stowell's Evergreen corn with Costa Romanesca zucchini in between, and marigolds on the very edge.  Not a bad couple of days' work.  The real trick is going to be to get everything to grow successfully.

It's a beautiful day...

in the neighborhood.  Forgive the cliche, but it really is.  After almost two weeks straight of rain the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the neighbor's rooster is crowing.  And the veggie plants are all outside enjoying the sunshine, too.  Here are some of the tomatoes:

and some of the broccoli, cucumbers, cabbage, and marigolds (in the white cups in back):

 I keep reading about how marigolds are great for keeping the "bad bugs" away, so we are starting a bunch of them and plan to plant them all through the garden.  You can't tell, but they are up.  Some of these indoor starts are beginning to look a little leggy and I was getting concerned about them.  Hopefully, getting them out into the natural sun will help them get stronger. 

The first potato plant has poked it's head out of the dirt, too:

it doesn't look like much yet but, trust me, those two little bunches of green leaves in the middle of the picture are potato plants.   Still no beans yet, but the radishes are looking awesome!

Now I'm off to do the grocery shopping and get milk.  Yup, two separate things.  We get our milk up the road from an organic dairy farm:  http://www.franklinfarmstore.com/index.html

The smaller building is the farm store (I borrowed the photo from their website with their kind permission) which is open 24/7.  They are such nice people.   From the consumer's side of things, I can say how much I appreciate knowing the person who grows my food.  Occasionally, when I go to get milk, one of the Franklins is in or near the store and we get a chance to chat a little.  We trust these people and that's why we get our milk there ~ we know they have integrity and that they make sure to provide us with the best products possible.  We are lucky, and grateful for all the hard work they do.  Check out their website ~ it's a diversified farm and they've got a lot going on.

Why organic *and* heritage?

In a word:  biodiversity.  In two words:  food security.  I know there are other farms out there that only grow heritage varieties, but those of us that do are far from the mainstream.  Most people nowadays "get" the arguments in favor of organic, even if they don't agree, so I'm not going to dig into that here.  I don't think as many people understand the "why" behind heritage varieties.  I'd like to share our reasons for choosing heritage (as well as organic).

The three words mentioned above are a big part, but not all, of the reason why we specialize in heritage varieties. They are, however, a good place to start.  First, biodiversity.  Dictionary.com defines it as:

bi·o·di·ver·si·ty

[bahy-oh-di-vur-si-tee]

–noun

diversity among and within plant and animal species in an environment.

 

So the next question to ask is, "why is this important", or at least, "why do we think this is important"?  In terms of the food supply, this is important because a lack of biodiversity leaves us dependent for our survival on a narrow range of crops that are vulnerable to destruction by weather, pests, and disease due to the fact of their limited genetic variety.  Our survival as a species depends primarily on three crops:  corn, rice, and wheat.  Imagine, for a moment, what happens when one of these staple crops is decimated by any of the previously mentioned threats (weather, pests, disease).  What impact does that have on our lives?  Not really that hard to imagine, if you think about it, because it's happening right now with the drought in the American Southwest.  Here's an article that sums it up well: 

 http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2011/05/23/drought-texas-oklahoma-kansas-wheat/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-eatdrinkbetter+%28Eat.+Drink.+Better.%29

 

The effects of this reach far beyond just the wheat crop.  It impacts finished goods (beyond bread) that contain wheat (read the ingredients list on your food packaging - it's in a LOT more than you would think), cattle, the price of beef, world food supply, and even foreign governments.   Think I'm exaggerating?  Not so much.  According to a recent article from Bloomberg: 

"Prices may climb to $10 or $12 by August if the dry conditions persist in the southern Great Plains and if other growing areas of the world endure adverse weather the way they did last year, said Kim Anderson, an agricultural economist at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater."  and,

"Prices reached a record $13.495 on the Chicago Board of Trade and $13.95 in Kansas City in February 2008, when food shortages sparked riots from Haiti to Egypt. Unrest this year toppled leaders in Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, and Tunisia. Chicago futures advanced to a 29-month high on Feb. 14 as countries in the Middle East and Africa boosted stockpiles." 

Read that again if you didn't get the full impact.  Food shortages topple long standing, well established government leaders.  There is no more basic human need than food and, when we don't have it, we do whatever we think we need to do to get it.  Enter the concept of food security.  The World Health Organization says this:  "Food Security:  The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”. Commonly, the concept of food security is defined as including both physical and economic access to food that meets people's dietary needs as well as their food preferences."   This goes hand-in-hand with the issues related to biodiversity (or the lack of) that are discussed above.

 

I don't mean to be a fear-monger, I just want to make my point - our dependence on a narrow range of food crops makes us extremely vulnerable.  Now that I've beaten you over the head with that I'm sure you are wondering what this has to do with heritage varieties.  Isn't that what I started out talking about?  Yeah.  The thing about heritage varieties is that they preserve the genetic diversity within a species.  This makes it stronger.  It also makes it more likely that some of the varieties will survive some of these adverse conditions that threaten to wipe out the hybridized varieties that we have come to depend on.  So, if this 'diversity' thing is so important, why did we end up letting so many older (ie: 'heritage') varieties fall by the wayside?  It's really a simple answer, when you boil it all down:  convenience.  We have selected for and focused on varieties that are the most convenient to produce on an industrial scale.  The varieties that didn't meet the requirements for mass production, for whatever reason, just didn't get grown.  Preservation of the diversity of our food supply and helping to ensure its security are two of the primary reasons that we have chosen heritage varieties.  A really wonderful resource for heritage varieties and information is Seed Savers Exchange:  http://www.seedsavers.org/ .  Check them out.  Buy some seeds ~ you can do it, too. 

Rain, rain....

It just won't quit.  It's been raining for the better part of a week and it's doing it again today.  I will admit that we did need some rain but, enough already!  Given all that, not much has been happening with the garden this week and I am worrying that the bean seeds and potatoes are rotting in the ground.  Too wet and not enough sun and heat for them to sprout.  At least, that's my fear and only time will tell on that.  The radishes are up:

you can see them near the bottom of the picture.  Here's a close-up:

There are tiny little pieces of grass scattered about because Country Boy mowed the lawn... yes, in the rain... so it wouldn't get out of hand.  And we had a bumper crop of dandelions, which he hates, so he had to make them go away before they went to seed and made more of themselves.  I keep telling him to remember that the huge taproot (relatively speaking) that they have pulls nutrients up from deep in the soil for the benefit of all the other things we have growing but it hasn't changed his opinion of them - he just hates them.   So, back to the radish close-up:  the dirt around them almost looks dry because it's cracked, right?  Not so!  That couldn't be farther from the truth.  The ground is so wet that I can't even step into the garden without sinking in farther than I am comfortable with so the photos are actually taken from the very edge of the garden, hence the grass clippings.  In fact, it was even raining lightly when I took the photo.  Beau dog was out there, too, and made the mistake of stepping into the garden - it looked like a horse had walked through it!  Huge, deep, false-horse/doggie footprints were left behind.  He didn't much enjoy the experience, so I don't think he'll do it again.  At least the lilacs are looking lovely......

Outside!

Ok, ok... I know I already apologized for the cheezy "!" type of comments, but I just can't help myself this time.  We finally got to plant things outside on Saturday (yesterday) - like, as in, in the actual ground.  Country Boy got part of the garden rototilled yesterday morning while I was working on part of the take home portion of my math final and after lunch we went out and (finally!) got to put some seeds in the dirt.  I just can't describe how happy and satisfied I am when working outside ~ in some ways it feels like being exactly where I belong.  Not that I "fit in", but that I really "belong" there, as an integral part of the picture.  So, enough with the pseudo-psycho-spiritual stuff,  and on with the planting!   Saturday was potatoes (2 kinds), pole beans (also two kinds), and radishes.

We started out with our freshly rototilled garden bed:

then we cut up the seed potatoes.  First, the Kennebecks:

 Fedco Seeds says this about their Kennebec Potatoes:  "This most popular Maine Potato has proven adaptable to a wide range of soils and growing conditions. One of the best french-frying potatoes around. Large uniform tubers store extremely well and resist late blight." [side note:  just found on Fedco's website that they have 50 lb. of Kennebeck organic seed potatoes on sale, so we may end up growing a ridiculous amount of potatoes this year.] 

Then we did the French Fingerling:

And this, from Seed Savers Exchange, on the French Fingerling potatoes:  "Rose-colored skin covers creamy yellow flesh. Very versatile–good for any type of preparation. Peeling is not necessary. Rumored to have been smuggled into America in a horse’s feedbag in the 1800s."  I LOVE that!  Smuggled potatoes, in a horse's feed bag... makes me feel like I'm getting away with something just by planting them!


There were two and a half pounds of each type but the Kennebecks didn't go as far as the French Fingerlings did and neither of them went as far as we thought they would.  Next year we should probably plant twice as much.  Here they are, ready to be covered over:

Once the potatoes were covered over, we cut poles for the pole beans from an ash tree that had come down in the field a year or so ago.  I've been to Monticello and seen beans and peas planted around tall poles in a teepee arrangement and have been dying to try that, so we thought we'd give it a try.  Here is an image from Monticello's website of the scarlet runner beans in the historic garden so you can see what I am talking about:

Not exactly Monticello quality, but here are ours:

Beans (both green and yellow) are planted around each of the poles - two teepees have green beans and two have yellow.   The green are Kentucky Wonder pole beans and High Mowing Organic Seeds (our source for these) says this:   "Organic Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean - HEIRLOOM Unbeatable productivity, consistency, and flavor. Introduced in Kentucky just prior to the Civil War, this classic variety has proven its excellence through the test of time. Pods are 7-9” long, stringless, solid, and meaty. Known to have a favorable bean-y flavor. Use fresh for snap beans, or dry on vines for an excellent soup bean."
The yellow beans are Pencil Pod Golden Wax beans from Seed Savers Exchange and this is what they have to say about them:  "Old-time favorite introduced in 1900. Excellent quality, stringless pods are 5-7" long with delicious wax bean flavor. Good for freezing or canning."

I am doing a lot of research on companion planting because I want to give us (well, our plants, really...) every advantage I can.  After months of looking at companion planting books (really, I did my semester project for my horticulture class on companion planting) I am primarily using three books.  Each of these books has their strengths and weaknesses, but I think they are all very helpful so I'm using information from all three.  Since the bean "teepees" will be providing shade, I decided to plant the lettuce and radishes underneath, since both would benefit from the protection of the shade and both are supposed to be good companions for beans.  Since lettuce will bolt if it's too hot it will be in the center, with the radishes in a ring around them, all inside of / under the beans and poles.  We'll see how it works out.  Can't wait till things are growing so I can show you pictures!

Reality. Or, the post wherein I dispense with smoke and mirrors and just tell it like it really is...

I was sitting here at the computer about 45 minutes ago, with Beau dog sleeping at my feet, listening to the sound of Canadian geese coming softly through the open window and thought... now THAT would be a great way to start a post.  But, I realized what time it was and that I had forgotten to do the dishes so got up and did them.  While working my way through mugs, plates, silverware, dog bowls, etc. I really thought about what I wanted to write.  I know some people will be distressed that I have decided to just lay it all out there but it's more like me to do that than not, and I have been thinking a lot about how lame these posts have been.  "OOh, the sprouts are up!", "wow, we planted a gazillion seeds".... jeez.   I am embarrassed.  If you are taking the time to read this blog then you deserve to hear about the nitty gritty of the situation.  So, here we go:
Beau dog was peacefully laying at my feet because Marcie and Jessica (the two puppies) got dropped off at the vet this evening to get fixed tomorrow.  He had lost his playmates and just didn't know what to do with himself.  He performed valiantly last night though, when someone tried to steal my car right out of the dooryard.  Yup, no kidding.  I bet they could've been identified by a distinctive brown stripe down the back of their pants and a tell-tale aroma because as soon as he barked (the raise-the-hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck kind of bark...) they took off.  They didn't even close the car door, which is how we figured out what had happened.  We looked out and saw the interior light of my car on and knew right away something wasn't right so we called the police.  I won't bore you with the rest of the mundane details but will tell you that we were up very late and got very little sleep before having to start our day today.  This is not the "royal we" but a reference to myself and the Country Boy.  There are two of us starting this farm.  The rest of the reality is that we are also building a house (log home, to be exact) while we are attempting to start this farm.  Oh, yeah, and he works full time and I go to school full time.  So, for the time being we live in a thirty foot RV.  Gettin' less romantic by the minute, isn't it folks?   And, after our nocturnal visitor last night I am stressing that someone is going to steal the pile of scrap metal where the old house was (we burned it down last December.... on purpose... that's a story for another time) or the pile of lumber that will become the first floor sub-flooring (and other things I'm not sure of yet) that is waiting for the excavator and concrete guys to get here and do their things.  Really, though, all in all we are pretty happy.  Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I had an allergic reaction to something I ate at a restaurant last night and broke out in hives worse than ever before.  It's been getting progressively worse when it does happen for the past year or so and last night was pretty bad ~ back, face, and neck area involved where before it had just been one spot on my back.  It's starting to look like I really shouldn't eat out any more...
So, Country Boy just got home from his twice-a-month meeting with the volunteer fire department and is now out in what I have started calling "the seed room" in the garage watering all our precious little sprouts.  He told me this morning that the Charentais melons had started to come up ~ I was very happy to hear that because it seemed to me like they should have already sprouted.  I am really looking forward to eating one of these.  Seed Savers Exchange, where we got our seed, says this on the website about them: 

"(Cucumis melo) A true French cantaloupe that originated in the Poitou-Charentes region circa 1920. Considered by many to be the most divine and flavorful melon in the world. Smooth round melons mature to a creamy gray with faint ribs. Sweet, juicy, orange flesh with a heavenly fragrance. Typically the size of a grapefruit and weighing 2 pounds—perfect for two people."

How can you NOT be intrigued by something that is supposed to be "the most divine and flavorful melon in the world"??!?!   This is some of ours, so far...

and, in case you were wondering, those are leeks just poking up in the pots behind the melons.  :)   There is a beautiful, bright half-moon out tonight ~ I just saw it when I went out to take that picture of our melons for you.  They say it's supposed to get down to the low 30's tonight and it's already pretty chilly out there.  Good thing we have a heater under the plants.   Good night, folks.... after last night I'm pretty tired.  I hope we all sleep well tonight.

Bustin' out all over!

The sprouts are, that is!  These are the zucchini:

I am finally convinced that Spring is here, too.  I'm so excited!  We planted 376 more seeds last night.  It took two of us about three and a quarter hours to do it, all together.  Last night's list includes:  Bull Nose Bell Peppers, Magnum Orange Habanero Peppers, Standard Mexican Jalapeno Peppers, Charentais Melons, Delice de la Table Melons, Petit Gris de Rennes Melons, Prizetaker Leeks, Rosa Bianca Eggplant, Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage, Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage, DeCicco Broccoli, Snowball Cauliflower, Antares Oakleaf Lettuce, Priat Butterhead Lettuce, Tennis Ball Lettuce, and Green Oakleaf Lettuce.  If the day goes according to plan, I'll be planting 18 more Genovese Basil tonight, too.  Believe it or not, there is still more to plant in pots, as well as the stuff that will be planted directly in the garden (like corn, radishes, carrots, and other things that can't be started in pots).

So, what else is up?  Well.... all the varieties of tomatoes,

both types of cucumbers, yellow squash, pumpkins,

basil, and oregano. 

The only things not up yet from the first batch planted are the butternut and acorn squashes.  Hopefully they will be along any time now.