Filed under: chickens, Companion Planting, Garden Planning, outdoor gardening | Tags: brussels sprouts, carrot fly, chicken poop, food, rabbit poop
Well I finally tilled two beds and fully planted it out last weekend. I have been composting chicken poop on top of my beds for over three months. I felt it was ready to be integrated in the soil. Unlike rabbit poop, chicken poop is considered hot and needs to be fully composted before you plant in it as it will burn seedlings otherwise.
Onions, Shallots and Leeks oh my!
So after it was spread evenly on the bed, I tilled the first bed. Last year this bed contained parsnips and arugula. This year it is going to be the onion bed. Leeks, shallots and onions are planted with a variety of carrots as the onions help to hide the smell and prevent the carrot fly. I have 56 leeks, 13 shallots and 59 onions planted. Hopefully this will be a start for us to use. I am in hopes of a great crop of shallots this year – they were extra-large.
Moving to the next bed I tilled it in and decided it was going to be the lettuce bed. Last year it was tomatoes so this will help keep the soil healthy by planting the greens. It is housing brussels sprouts, 1/2 bed of arugula and many mixed greens. I had so many mixed greens in packets that each row I planted was a different mix. It should be interesting to see how it progresses. The arugula was coming up after just three days. If you have been a long-term reader you will already know that we are crazy for the arugula. I usually plant out a complete bed, though this year I am trying to control myself a little more and plant only 1/2 a bed for right now. I keep reminding myself that I need moderation. I have to say, moderation is totally over rated so far. I am going to be creative in my bucket planting for out front this year and don’t be surprised if arugula is included!
Stay tuned in for the first of the tomato beds. I have a nice variety planted and will discuss them. But until then enjoy the picture!
Winter was mild. Well that is a understatment. It was bitter-sweet to find some of my plants that were not supposed to survive the winter growing back. The first I found was tarragon. This is true tarragon for all the skeptics out there. It has not only come back, but more than doubled in size. The picture shows one of three clumps I have growing. The funny part about this is that I have a 6 pack of tarragon that I planted thinking I would need more. So, this year I will not be short tarragon at all. Matter of fact, if you have any delicious recipes that use this herb, please be kind enough to share with me. I see a lot in my future. Deron is in charge of finding some recipes to use tarragon, chives and the next unexpected plant growing in my garden….
Lovage is growing wild in one of my beds. What started out as a cute little plant is now about 30-36″ high. Again, I have one Lovage plant that I started as this plant was not supposed to over winter. But it did with a vengeance! I can’t even give my plant away that I started. No one is interested as they have never heard of it. I share a leaf or two with them so that they can see it tastes like celery, but they are put off by the texture. Not sure why, it has the same texture as parsley and plenty of people eat that! Nonetheless, Deron and I will find many different ways to use it besides soups.
Lastly, I am just happy as pie to see that the lavender that I planted down at the street survived not only the winter, but the repaving of our roads and sidewalks. Really nice surprise! I can’t wait for it to flower and have lavender in the house!
I have been pacing, digging and throwing a fit for sometime now. I left some parsnips in the ground for the winter and have been dying to get at them. But today it happened. The ground thawed enough that I could get them out. I ran inside with an arm full of parsnips yelling at Deron to come quickly to see the find.
While I ran a few over to my neighbor, Deron lovingly washed them as he decided what we were going to do with them. I told him no matter what I was going to have my parsnip/nut/syrup breakfast tomorrow! Now, that is what I call as celebration. Fresh produce in March. Tomorrow I am having a heavy planting so I will take a lot of pictures to show you how I do it. But until then, enjoy the picture of the mouth watering parsnips fresh from the garden. I can’t wait for breakfast to come!
I hate this time of year sometimes. You spend glorious days outside digging up the garden and preparing it for winter. Say good-bye to the tomatoes, hello fall feast of leeks and parsnips. So much to do and so little time to do it in. But more importantly, you realize all the projects that you wanted to accomplish that you did not. Such things as dividing and transplanting the iris’ or building the window boxes. Time flies and before you know it there is snow on the ground (Sorry it happened so early for you mom!)
This weekend I am taking pictures of projects that I want to accomplish. I am going to create a sheet with each project. A picture of what it looks like now and a sketch of what I want it to look like, along with description and approximate timeframe to do it in. All the sheets are going into a binder, so I can grab a sheet and instruct Deron to help me on weekends creating the final sheets with a picture of the before and after on it.
I have decided to embrace the lack of employment and do stuff around the house. I am going to find someone to teach me the table saw and router. I am then going to do the pantry this winter. I am going to create more and learn more. I am so excited.
But most exciting is the fact that I am going to explore hydroponics this winter. I don’t want to have a lack of greens through the winter. It is important to keep on eating well. This will be interesting for me as I have never explored it before. I can’t wait to see it working. Once I get it up and running, rest assured, you will be learning with me!
This year was the best year for my leeks. I finally learned how to plant them properly. Funny it has taken me so long to learn how to get nice thick leeks and not the wimpy ones I settled for in years past. So, as I slowly harvest leeks to use in cooking, I thought I would let everyone know just how to plant them! (And remind me for next year)
I use leeks a lot in winter cooking and am always eager to plant a lot for us. Just one weekend, Deron and I used 3 parsnips and 8 leeks in cooking. I will take about parsnips on my next post hopefully.
To plant the leek sets, you first need to dig a small trench about 6″ deep. When you place the leek set in the trench it will have just a little sticking out. Most of the plant will be in the trench. You need to place the plants 1-2″ apart in the trench, then fill in the trench with the dirt, patting it down. When you start the next row, try to keep them at least 12″ apart due to the hearty green stocks that fill in as they grow. I planted about 100 leeks this year and all took. It is quite exciting. They are still growing in the dirt, but can be harvested as needed.
Because I live in the northeast where the winters are harsh, I will have to pick them before frost. I have two options for storing my leeks – I can keep them at 32 degrees F with high humidity or more likely I will end up burying the leeks in cold wet sand (32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit). They should stay fresh for at least 2-3 months, although I am hoping even longer. When I store the leeks in the refrigerator, I place them unwashed in a plastic back. They will only keep for about a week this way though.
So, happy stews and soups and roasted leek dreams while enjoying what is in season.
Just one of the bowls of hot peppers
I miss this guy I used to work with – Bond. He was my hot pepper tester. I also knew that when I had too many, he would be the guy to eat them. But atlas, I have no Bond this year and the peppers are not stopping. I can never figure out when a good year is versus a bad one. I have been forced to be creative with it. Besides watching my husband’s face when I encourage him to eat a hot pepper ( ”They are so small, how bad could it be??”), I have embraced the dehydrator.
I have made two batches (which is all I can use I think) of mixed hot peppers chopped. I then put them in the coffee grinder and then put back in the dehydrator. I now have a seasoning to add to soups during the winter to give it the kick it is often missing. I think this is going to be my secret weapon for chili this year! Now to figure out what to do with the two other bowls of hot peppers I have……
I can’t believe just how productive my garden has become. I took the dogs out with me to walk the garden. A t-shirt full of produce later, I am faced with having to can tomatoes again. I love this time of year and dread it all the same. I start to feel tied to the stove canning or drying or just organizing what needs to be done. But then in the middle of winter it is wonderful to be able to use my hard work!
A day of harvest
For not working, I am certainly have busy days. I am walking dogs and plotting what to sell in the spring. I also have been out in the garden a lot. The pollen is out of this world. I come back inside glowing yellow from head to toe.
The tomatoes have kicked in full force. We are unable to keep up with all the tomatoes harvested. So, I had to can 5 pints of tomatoes before they went bad. Now when I can them I have to take the peel off. This year, I am trying something new. I saved the skins, placing them in the dehydrator then ground them. I can then use this powder for tomato paste. Now I have to admit, it smells delicious. If it was not for my tomato tummy that I get everyday while outside doing my rounds, I would have tried it. But I have no control over cherry tomatoes! But I did smile ear to ear to realize that I now utilize all of the tomatoes with no waste!
I harvested the garlic and I am still harvesting the shallots and of course the tomatoes. I still have a bed of green ones. I think salsa is in my near future!
A slightly tart tomato, this is a favorite salad addition. It is on the smaller size at about 2-1/2″ in diameter. This year I have it growing in a container and it is loving it. I have been excited to see just how productive it can be.
This tomato is a cousin to the Green Zebra. The taste is very similar. It is a lovely fire engine red with carrot orange stripes.
Just to continue with the beautiful flowers my herbs are displaying, I thought I would show you soapwort to start this post off. The herb is so prolific, it has amazed me. See what it looked like last year and what I do with it here. I think it is safe to say it is four times the size in just one year!
Giving the deck a short break, let me take you to the side of the house, where I transplanted feverfew from the front to make room for the lavender. I wanted to start growing feverfew about three years ago, as I read it was good for magraines which my sister suffers from. I have yet to dry any for her, but enjoy the plant immensely. The small little daisy like flowers make me smile with rememberance of childhood. It is a happy plant, although not that happy as bees really don’t like it.
