Garden Planner

I just found this link: http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Page-KitchenGardenDesigner - if you haven't started your garden yet, or want help planning next year's, try this on for size. It's loosely based on Square Foot Gardening, which I kinda use myself.

We Re-Planted Our Destroyed Raised Bed

If you've been keeping up with our blog, you know that a certain neighbor vandalized our raised garden beds on Mother's Day. I had it all strung up with yarn, delineating the square feet, to help me keep to my plan. The neighbor tore at the yarn and must have moved the dirt around with his hand or a utensil because it was a mess. On the other raised bed, all of the asparagus roots I had just planted had been dug up, the holes refilled, and the roots carefully placed on top, by the markers. Unbelievable.


The asparagus roots went back into place right away but everything else waited while we figured out a way to booby-trap our backyard gate.


Anyway, I finally got around to replanting everything else. We have three tomatoes: "Mr. Stripey"(a yellow heirloom), "Fourth of July" (the big one in the middle - an early-bearing which already has little green globes on it!), and "Lemon Boy". I planted orange marigolds, parsley and basil around the tomatoes (companion plants - helps keep away bad bugs).


The picture shows some of the bed covered in newspaper. While the radishes are popping up, I wanted to help keep in moisture in the other parts because it's been so very hot recently. I'll take them off when the seeds have taken root, and it will be easier for me to see vandalism. Should be any day now!

Note: It appears that we are still being vandalized but now it's alternating between human and critter. We've set traps and woe to anyone who ignores them!

How to Grow Turnips

I don't care much for turnips but here's a bit of information for your to grow and harvest your own turnip roots and greens:

Description:

The turnip is a biennial which means it grows in one summer, hides a little during the winter, and flowers the next season. It's usually considered an annual, though.

The leafy stems may get 1-2 feet tall and the root (the actual turnip) could get up to a foot in diameter. (We're using the term "root" lightly as it's not an actual root but a swollen part of the stem).

Americans prefer to grow 'Purple Top White Globe' for the roots and 'Seven Top' for the turnip greens, but there are a plethora of varieties to choose from - it depends on what color and taste you prefer.

History:
The turnip has been "gardened" by humans for a long time - some say more than 4,000 years! North America discovered them in the late 1500's.

How to Grow:

In a square foot raised bed, you can plant 9 turnip seeds per square foot - spaced 4 inches apart. Turnips can grow in almost any soil, if it isn't too hard or too wet, but should be near-neutral PH. They need full sun, and a deep watering once a week (otherwise they could bolt prematurely). Very cold tolerant, and can tolerate frost and moderate freezes (down to around 15 degrees F). These are a cool-weather crop, so plant in very early Spring (now is a good time) or in late Summer to mature in the cool Autumn.

Sow turnip seeds thickly. Cover with about 1/4 inch of soil; water well. Germination may happen in less than a week.

IF growing for roots, thin seedlings to 6 inches apart when they are 3-6 inches tall. Eat the seedlings (wash first!) in salads or steam.

Hardiness:

USDA Zones 3-10.

Grow fast and pick young because as the weather warms, the greens (tops) will get bitter and the roots (turnip) will become stringy and woody. Frost improves the flavor.

Harvest:

Greens are ready to harvest in 5-7 weeks - just take a few leaves from each plant so that it will continue to produce more leaves, and will continue to grow the turnip. Harvest roots in another 2-3 weeks. Note: if growing in the Autumn, can leave the turnip in the ground if it doesn't freeze solid.

Usage:

Eat the little seedlings raw in salads or steam like spinach with onions and served with ham.

Spacing in Square Foot Raised Bed Gardens

I experimented with square foot gardening in raised beds last year, and really like it! What follows is a summary from Mel Bartholomew's "All New Square Foot Gardening" for when you're planning your garden, plus some input from me:

• Asparagus - plant 1 or 4 in one square foot - depends on the type.
• Beans (bush) - plant 9 per square foot. Stagger plantings since they are usually all ready to harvest at once.
• Beans (pole) - plant 8 per square foot but against support (trellis, fence, etc.) is recommended
• Broccoli - plant 1 per square foot because they really need the room. Stagger plantings so that you won't have 4 all ready at once!
• Cabbage - plant 1 per square foot. See Broccoli.
• Carrot - plant 16 per square foot - sometimes I can get 22+ per square foot, and eat the thinnings - yum!
• Cauliflower - plant 1 per square foot. See Broccoli.
• Corn - plant 4 per square foot if you aren't doing a Three Sisters. Be sure to plant in blocks to get good wind fertilization.
• Cucumber (bush) - plant 2 per square foot.
• Cucumber (pole) - plant 4 per square foot, up against something to climb against, like a trellis or fence.
• Eggplant - plant 1 per square foot (unless you buy a "container" eggplant which takes up less room - you can do 2 per square foot then).
• Greens/Lettuce - 4 per square foot, unless you prefer micro-greens (very young greens shoots), then you can go 16 per square foot.
• Melon - 1 per 2 square foot but I prefer to plant them on the edge of a bed and let them roam all over. These can be very long vines, and need lots of space. Never plant in the middle of your raised bed - you'll never find your other plants!
• Okra - plant 1 per square foot (unless it's a plant bred for containers, then 2 per square foot will work).
• Onion (bunching/scallions) - plant 16 per square foot (never near beans!)
• Parsley - plant 4 per square foot.
• Pea (sugar snap) - plant 8 per square foot.
• Pepper (bell or hot) - plant 1 per square foot.
• Potato (white/baking) - plant 4 per square foot (we'll deal with these later!).
• Radish - plant 16 per square foot.
• Spinach - plant 9 per square foot.
• Squash (summer/bush) - plant 1 per square foot (my zucchini last year took up a bit more than a square foot, as did my yellow crookneck).
• Squash (winter/vining) - includes pumpkin, butternut, etc. - plant 1 per 2 square feet - see Melon.
• Strawberry - plant 4 per square foot.
• Swiss Chard - plant 4 per square foot.
• Tomato - 1 per square foot - all tomatoes should be caged and supported which will maximize your space

Hope this gets you started!

How to Grow Broccoli

Broccoli is VERY nutritious and great for you, but can only be grown in the cooler temperatures of Spring and Fall. It does need full sun during those times, though.

Spring Planting-Summer Harvest: Start indoors Mar/Apr or direct-seed in late Apr/May. Harvest in 2-3 months.

Summer Planting-Fall Harvest: Start indoors or direct-seed late May-early June. Harvest in Sept/Oct.

Start seeds 12 weeks before the last Spring frost for your area. Will sprout in approximately 10 days if kept somewhat warm. Move to full sunlight after the sprouts appear. Transplant outdoors about 5 weeks before the last Spring frost.

These fit well in a square food raised garden - plant 1 per square foot, or 12 inches apart. A 2 foot by 2 foot raised bed/box is recommended. Line the inside with a thick stack of black-and-white newspapers, fill with soil and compost, and mark off the four square feet, you can fit four broccoli plants, one per square. As noted above, plant seedlings about 5 weeks before the last Spring frost. Water regularly. Weed weekly and keep mulched, especially in warm weather.

Don't let the head go too long - one day you've got tight buds and the next day they've opened and you can't eat it. It's actually fine to harvest a little early - still very delicious and quite tender!

Cut the main head off at the base near the soil using sharp shears or a serrated knife. Leave as many leaves and foliage as possible. You can also harvest the side-shoots, which are very tender.

Problems: We had a major problem with earwigs the first year we grew this. Also watch out for cutworms, cabbage worms, green worms and root maggots. It is also susceptible to club root.

Rotation: It is best not to plant cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts) in the same spot year after year, since diseases and insect pests will build up. Rotate crops within your garden.

Note: Since you can't grow these in the Summer (too hot), try this: after harvesting a square, pull out the plant, and sow a 9 bush-beans in the square foot. Harvest the next broccoli, and sow another 9 bush-beans in the square foot. Same with the other two. By the time you're ready to harvest the bush beans, it will be time to transplant into the bed the Fall crop for broccoli.

Although this is a very nutritiou vegetable, we don't grow this very often, as it takes up a lot of space for not much produce. If this is an absolute must for your family, be prepared to allocate the space for them.

How to Grow Beans

Beans are an excellent source of protein, and should be included in every Backyard Grocery Garden! They are very easy to grow, hard to mess up, and a great learning experience for children. Easy to harvest too... just pull off the pod and munch it down! Be sure to harvest when the pods are small so that the beans will be tender.

There are two kinds of beans: pole (vines) and bush. We grow both. All need full sun, and regular waterings (keep the soil moist). Sow seeds directly into the ground immediately after the last Spring frost. They sprout very quickly (5-10 days). Don't start indoors ahead of time because they don't really transplant very well.

Pic of pole string beans to the right.


Pole beans need support, like corn stalks or along a fence. Most will climb it up but some might need help from you by tying the stalk. These are the beans to grow if you want a steady harvest all Summer long. From seed to first harvest, is 9 weeks. Look for unusual places to plant your bean vines - at the bottom of your porch to climb up the porch railings, with your corn plants, along a tree (how wonderful to pick green beans "off of your tree"!).

Bush beans work well in a square foot raised bed garden - try a 4 foot by 8 foot bed, planting 9 per square foot. This will give you 288 bushes in that bed, providing plenty of beans for your 4-person family. From seed to harvest, is 8 weeks. It will look a little crowded, but if it looks too messy for you, tie up the bush to contain it.... will do just fine.

Soybeans are bush beans (see pic to the right). Watch for the foliage to start turning yellow which means it's almost time to harvest! You have only a few day window to harvest before the beans get a little too tough. Check daily. When most of the foliage is yellow, harvest. We pull up the plant, carefully strip off the pods, and throw the bush into the compost pile.

Black turtle beans (also bush beans) are fun! You can eat the pod and bean when they are still green. But watch for the pods to turn purple and then dried, which indicates that the actual bean inside is turning black. Wait for the pod to completely dry out (but not too long!), bring inside and place in a collander with a cover on it. As the rest of the moisture escapes, the pods will burst open, like popcorn! We learned this the hard way, awaking one morning to little black bean pods all over the dining room table and floor!

For preserving or cooking with beans, check out http://www.survival-cooking.com/.

How to Grow Asparagus

To the right is a picture of the asparagus we started in 2008 from 2 year roots. We used the small trash cans, 2 plants per container, because we weren't sure where to plant them, and weren't sure if we'd be staying in this house. Good thing we did! These asparagus plants are already (April 2009) showing new growth, after spending the Winter indoors.

Asparagus is a great food plant to grow. It's a perennial (will grow back year after year), and provides great nutrition:

This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc and Selenium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. However, a large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars.

In a square foot raised bed garden, you can grow 2 plants per square foot, with a little room to spare. Space about 6 inches apart. It fits well in a permanent bed laid out against a fence (to avoid it getting mowed down or trampled on throughout the years). Place it where it will get full sun. A raised bed, 2 feet by 8 feet would work well, and will provide room for 32 asparagus plants - more than enough asparagus for a family of 4.

We think it's best to grab some 2-year-old roots to plant from a nursery so you won't have to wait a full three years before your first big harvest.

How to plant:

• Start your seeds approximately 12 weeks before the last Spring frost. Soak seeds through the night before. The next day, start seeds in jiffy pellets or peat pots about 1/2 inch deep.
• About 6 weeks before the last Spring frost, prepare your planting bed. (1) Prepare the soil by tilling soil 1 1/2 feet down and adding compost ... (and take a chance that the lawn mower will not hurt the asparagus in the long run!). OR (2) Buy wood to make a raised bed (preferred). Lay a half-inch-thick layer of black-and-white newspaper along the bottom. Fill with good soil and compost.
• Water the newly prepared soil to moisten. Mark off each square foot (I use a brightly colored yarn and nails).
• Three weeks before the last Spring frost, transplant your seedlings - remember, 2 per square, but be sure to space them out to give each one room to breathe and grow. OR transplant the 2-year-old-roots. For roots: move the soil around so that in the spot where you plan to plant each asparagus root, you'll have a mound. Place the asparagus root on top of the mounded soil in the trench (see the picture). Place the long tentacles part in first and spread them out as much as possible. The pointed part of the asparagus root should be facing upward. Place 6 inches of good soil on top (not fresh compost - it may burn the root).
• Gently tamp down the soil, well enough to get the air pockets out but not so much to crush the roots/plants.
• Water the asparagus patch well. They need a good drink. Be sure to water once a week, and maybe a little more often during the hot days of Summer.
• When the foliage turns yellow in the Fall, cut it all down (before the asparagus berries ripen - which will prevent self-seeding with results that aren't great). They will come back in the early Spring, ready for harvesting in the late Spring.
• In the first year after planting, you may be tempted to snip your asparagus spears but don't. You need to let it go until at least the 2nd year (some places recommend the 3rd).
• In the second year after planting, harvest only a few asparagus spears. Choose the largest, and using a serrated knife or very sharp shears, cut just above the soil.
• Harvest when spears are 4-6 inches long. Any longer than that and they will be woody and a little tough.

Enjoy!

How to Make a Seed Tape

This picture is one of a seed tape I made last year. Onions - white bunching.

It's time to make more seed tapes because we have a lot of carrots to plant!

Why make your own? First, finding exactly the seed you want in a pre-made seed tape is almost impossible. Second, pre-made seed tapes are expensive! And third, it's easier to space the seeds by placing them on a seed tape than doing it in the garden with wind blowing those tiny carrot and herb seeds.

Here's how: Take a somewhat thin square of toilet paper... I usually use 3 squares as they are about 4" per square, so 3 squares x 4" each = 12". This works well when planning a square-foot garden. The pic above has 3 squares for the grouping of onions above. We use Angel Soft, or another really cheap brand. Always use white - you don't want dyes possibly affecting your seeds.

I put an ink-mark where I plan to place the seed. Remember to space them out according to your package unless you plan to transplant. Using washable elmer's glue or a paste made with flour and water, dot it where you want the seed, place the seed, place another sheet of toilet paper on top, and let it dry.

Be sure to write on the seed tape (in ink!) what you've made. Red bunching onion seeds look pretty much like white bunching onion seeds. And if you're planting 5 different carrots like we are this year, you'll need it.

After they are very dried, I store them flat in an oversized baggie.

When you're ready to plant (it's about time for lettuce, radishes and carrots), smooth the surface of the upturned soil where you want the plants to grow, and place the seed tapes on the surface. Cover with enough soil per instructions for the seed (a little more for the bigger seeds, and just barely any for the smaller like carrots). Gently water. Actually, I recommend you use a mister until the seeds have sprouted and have firm roots. It's not very pretty to have water (or rain!) displace the soil to leave the white toilet paper just hanging out there!

Easy!