garden planning
25 July 2010, by gj
The hot temperatures continue, though we were fortunate to get a little rain this week. Not much was done outside because of the weather, though I did plant some carrot seeds.
For this post I’ll let the pictures lead:
a friend in the garden
can you see the baby eggplants?
this radish will be part of todays lunch
I see canning jars in my future
cabbages under attack - GJ to the rescue
cantaloupe fresh, with vanilla yougurt, or as spiced melon balls
heirloom squash Delicata should be a nice sub for my failed sweet potatoes
the onions are falling down faster than I can pull them up
careful where you step! the vines are in the pathways
colorful summer squash
won't be long until baby corn and beans
strawberry runners filling in the gaps, should be a good crop next year
saute swiss chard with onion and garlic for a delightful main or side dish
the basil is growing as fast as the weeds
lunch waiting to happen
Categories: garden planning, jonesen', summer
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17 July 2010, by gj
You’ll know your onions are ready to pick when, like garlic, they lie down. There are a few different ways to store them.
For keeping indoors (in your fridge or any cool, dry place) let cure outside in the sun for a day or so. Just trim the tops and wash off any dirt, you are good to go.
2 wooden horses and an old screen is all you need
mmm...onions
I freeze some of the onions that I know will just be used in soups or to can later in the fall in salsa (just chop, spread out on a foil lined sheet, freeze and store).
a sink full of onions waiting patiently
I like to dehydrate some of the fresh cut green tops. You can use a commercial dehydrator or your own skillet. Chop as evenly as possible and just place in the warm skillet (on lowest burner setting). It will take a few hours until your onions are crisp to the touch. Store in any food grade container on your shelf.
Dried this way they add a mild and toasty flavor to your food, and a little color to boot.
dehydrating green onion tops
When I look at all the onions, and the leeks as well, growing in the garden, it makes me think of a fall day not too long from now and homemade Three Onion Soup.
still plenty of onions and leeks left
No hurry though, I can wait
Categories: garden planning, ok - so now what?
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10 July 2010, by gj
Tomatoes are a vine crop and can be left to grow that way. However, you are more likely to get rot in your fruit and to have them attacked by numerous creepy crawlers. Pretty much everybody stakes their tomatoes nowadays.
You do have a number of choices on the How-To end. You can buy Tomato Cages that are easy to use. Unfortunately in our area they don’t work very well because our soil is so rocky. It really is hard to find a spot to get even those thin wire legs into the ground deep enough to offer support.
tomato cages abandoned in my garden
Staking tomatoes is another easy way to grow. Put the stake into the ground a few inches from your tomatoes when you first plant them. Don’t wait, after the plants are established putting a stake in can damage their roots. Use lightweight string, or better yet, strips of pantyhose, to tie your tomato as it grows. You may also want to consider pruning your staked tomatoes, more on that later.
staked potted tomato plant
staked but not yet pruned
staked and neatly pruned
My favorite way to support tomatoes is to tie them to a main overhead support. I moved my tomatoes this year, due to last year’s Late Blight, so cannot show you them on the main support we had in another area. Instead, here is an example using PVC pipe.
You tie the string to the bottom stem, then to the overhead support. As the tomato grows, simply twirl the string around it for support.
tie the string to the tomato at the bottom, the PVC pipe above
just twirl that string as they grow
And what if I don’t stake?
unruly tomato plant
Related links
Late Blight
Staking Tomatoes
Staking Tomatoes and a Little on Pruning
Categories: garden planning, gardening
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7 July 2010, by gj
garlic, strawberries, corn, dry beans
from the gate, look to the left
peppers, tomato, celery, onions & leeks
now look straight ahead
potted tomatoes, pear tree, raspberries, dry beans
look to the right
the onions are maturing too fast due to the heat
see how some are starting to fall over?
some of the dry beans I mentioned in another blog
mmm beans
another dry bean bed
killing weeds naturally
but it is too hot to finish throwing mulch on the cardboard
cabbages and cantalopes
look close and you will see a canning jar with blue liquid in it, that is Biota-Max that I am testing on the potatoes-that trashcan got the first flowers!
fennel on left, trash can potatoes right
tomato bed handles heat well
tomato and basil -happy together
I used pots of hot peppers as a wall for the new asparagus bed
hot peppers do well in pots
these little guys don’t seem to mind!
happy hots
the hub and I; if we were little plastic garden frog statues that is
aww factor - a gift from Mandolin
sweet peppers are a'comin
baby corn with green beans around the perimeter
beans to the right, squashes to the left
6 weeks ago this was brown, 12 weeks ago it was white
the view from the southwest corner
I love experiments! (more on this later)
the garden bed experiment
heat wave continues! 
desperate times call for desperate measures
some veggies never give up
some of the broccoli still hanging on
Well, there you have it. Hope you enjoyed the tour!
Related posts:
The Beans
Killing Weeds
The List
BiotaMax
Categories: garden planning, gardening
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4 July 2010, by gj
I mentioned in an earlier blog that I haven’t had much success growing spinach in the past. Not willing to accept defeat however, I decided to try planting some in the newly assembled (purchased for almost nothing) strawberry bed. The strawberries weren’t really using it yet, and the two do well together.
Well it worked, it really worked. As much as I would like to take credit, I think the combination of the mushroom soil and beautiful weather was the real reason why the spinach thrived.
spinach gone wild
I have been harvesting the lower leaves and keeping the bolting at bay, until the most recent heat wave proved too much for the tender plants. Time to bring them all in and prep them for winter storage.
spinach ready to bolt
spinach spinach everywhere
It also was time for the strawberry plants to start sending out their tendrils on which the next generation will grow-they needed the room.
its a girl! strawberry plants sending out runners to grow new plants
Here’s how to deal with your harvest:
wash, trim, drop in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain well, cool
this packed large colander will = this much blanched
the haul - some fresh held back for eating
freezer ready portions
So the strawberries are happy, the spinach is in the freezer. So who’s got separation anxiety?
Well, that would be me. You see, I won’t be able to plant the next crop of spinach in the same bed later this summer, and I know it isn’t going to want to be far from those strawberries.
I’m just not sure I can grow it well again, twice in a row?
-Now wait – hold the phone – another challenge?
Hmm, corn to the north, garlic to the west, tomatoes and peppers to the east- aha! the south has it…that broccoli won’t be there much longer, and the swiss chard may prove beneficial. Whew!
Okay, okay…not to worry… the spinach and I…yeah, we’ll be just fine
we’ll be just fine indeed.
Categories: garden planning, gardening, ok - so now what?
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27 June 2010, by gj
a tiny berry with great versatility
Raspberries are expensive to buy not because they are difficult to grow, in fact they grow with little help; but because they are so delicate it makes them difficult to transport.
If you like raspberries it’s well worth growing your own.
mmm...raspberries
Here’s one way to use them:
Fresh Raspberry Vinegar
Select a clean food safe jar to make your vinegar in. You can place you berries in a muslin bag to help with straining later, but this is not required.
Fill the jar 1/2-1/3 way with fresh washed berries. You’ll need enough apple cider vinegar to fill the jar. Heat just till its warm, pour over berries.
When cooled, cover the jar and refrigerate for about 2 weeks.
You can easily strain through a coffee filter.
If you are giving as a gift, be sure to use a food safe jar. Pretty jars from yard sales have questionable pasts.
You can use this same method to make many different kinds of herb and fruit vinegars. A general rule: If your base won’t change the color of white vinegar much, such as with many herbs- use white vinegar. If it will change the color dramatically, as is the case with raspberries-use apple cider vinegar.
A good example I think is Chive Blossom Vinegar-I use white vinegar that turns a delicate pink.
Experiment and have fun!
Homemade Raspberry Vinaigraette
Five Reasons to Eat Raspberries
Categories: berries, garden planning
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6 June 2010, by gj
I’ve planted about 2 ½ pounds of assorted dry bean seeds (pinto, kidney, navy and black) this year on the cheap.
I bought dry beans like those pictured below from my local grocery. The price was about $2 per pound, about what you would pay for a packet (1/8 pound) of seeds at your local nursery (or more through the mail with shipping charges added).
I planted in beds that total about 20 ft. x 4 ft. I expect this will provide the three of us (bean lovers) with enough beans for homemade hummus, baked beans, three bean salad and bean soup for the entire year.
“What?” you may be thinking. Yes it’s true…and it gets even better:
Since the beans are seeds, I expect to also have enough seed left from my harvest to plant next year. So for approximately $5 we could theoretically have enough beans for the rest of our lives.
“What???” You may be shocked and amazed but it’s true.
These beans will never become soup, but their kids will.
(no soup for you!)
Dry beans are easy enough to plant. Just drag your trowel through the soil to make a small trench. Throw in beans. You can take the time to carefully set them in but I don’t. They seem to handle overplanting very well. Cover the trench and water. I try to plant mine before a rain.
see those little seeds? they'll be keeping us fed!
just a few days after planting
only a week later, they grow up so fast
Beans are a very healthy source of protein (much better for you than meat) and are high in fiber. A diet high in fiber is good for a lot of what ails you.
We really love them too, most especially as hummus. You can use a variety of beans to make it.
Pick the beans as the pods become plump for fresh eating, or let them dry on the plant.
Beans produce more the more you pick, so have at ‘em. Dry or fresh you just open the pod to get the beans.
As for the downside of beans – since they are high in fiber they will produce gas. When my youngest was little and Mandolin Jones would pass wind, he would look to the sky and say “Ducks, did I hear ducks?”
Poor girl went to kindergarten a little confused, thinking that’s what a duck was.
More on growing Dry Beans
Homemade Hummus
Other seeds from the market
Categories: garden planning, gardening, vegetarian
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5 June 2010, by gj
I must say that I am glad that my two older kids (and their spouses) have taken to gardening. My daughter just moved into her house last fall, so planting flowers this year is her and her husband’s (Mr. & Mrs. Jones-Ninja) first gardening experience as a couple.
My son has had a vegetable garden a few years now. He even took a successful stab at cooking and canning Salsa.
While visiting MR. & MRS. JONES recently I was quite impressed with the system he built for growing and protecting strawberries. It is 12 feet by 3.25 feet; and has four hinged lids with hooks and handles. The lids have hardware cloth to let the pollinators in and still keep the birds and squirrels out. He has reported getting the first berries over the Memorial Holiday weekend, a little early this year. Check out the pictures he sent for more details.
handles make the picking easier
each section has its own hinged lid
nice berries
easy access to num-num-ness
hooks and eyes insure the lids stay in place
bugs get in, bunnies stay out
Twelve feet will grow a lot of Strawberries!
How-to Grow Strawberries
Strawberry-Spinach Salad
Triple Berry Cheesecake
Strawberry Brandy
More of our Recipes
Categories: fruit, garden planning, keeping up with the joneses
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31 May 2010, by gj
Gardening Jones Grows Her Own
I am a gardening addict (I have admited that much) and therefore I have a big garden. I have expanded it each year and have gotten to the point that if I make it any larger I will have to hire someone to help me – or retire. This year I am giving the garden my best shot (which included getting a truckload of garden soil/mushroom soil). I hope to grow a high percentage of what we eat for this coming year. Blogging about gardening helps me do a better job, because now I feel like you are watching, and I don’t want to let you down.
Traditionally Memorial Weekend is the time to plant most of our veggies. As I write this my nails are dirty and I must smell pretty bad. I’ve just come in the house after the third day of planting and wheel barrowing and watering and weeding and numerous trips to the nursery. So with a cold one in hand (with dirty fingerprints on the glass) I answer the question: What
do you plant in that big garden?
Last Fall
Garlic, 3 dozen
Early Spring
Asparagus 25-2nd. year plants
Broccoli, 12
Brussel Sprouts, 6
Cauliflower, 6
Lettuce, 2 rows mixed (rows are about 4 ft.)
Potatoes, Red & Gold 3 trash cans
Radishes, 1 row each 3 types
Snow Peas, ½ large barrel container
Spinach, 2 rows + more in strawberry bed
Swiss Chard, 2 rows
Spring
Beans, Roman, Dry 10 rows
Beans, Kidney, Dry 18 rows
Beans, Pinto, Dry 8 rows
Beans, Green, Bush 18
Cabbage, Red, 6
Cabbage, Green, 6
Cantaloupe, 1 hill (about 3)
Carrots, Orange 4 rows
Carrots, Yellow 4 rows
Celery, 18
Corn, Baby, aprox. 60
Cucumbers, 6
Eggplant, 2
Fennel, 2
Horseradish, 3 roots
Leeks, 10 dozen
Onions, 30 dozen
Peppers, Hot 36 assorted
Peppers, Sweet 32
Pumpkins, 1hill
Squash, summer, 2 hills
Squash, winter, 3 hills
Tomatoes, 47 assorted
Tomatoes, Cherry 3 pots
Watermelon, 1 hill
Fruit
4 Blueberry Bushes, 2-2nd year and 2 first year
2 dwarf Peach trees (1 young and 1 almost destroyed by caterpillars)
1 dwarf Pear, grafted w/ 3 pear types
Red Raspberry bed, aprox 4 ft. x 6 ft.
75 Strawberry plants, 1st. year
Herbs
Basil, sweet (a LOT!)
Catnip
Chamomile (wild)
Coriander/Cilantro
Dill
Eucalyptus (not sure where to list this)
Lavender
Mint
Marjoram
Parsley, Italian
Sage
Still To Come
Kale
Kohlrabi
Parsnips
More of some (greens, radishes etc.)
The only problem is that as soon as I have everything in, I look for more things and more places to plant.
Help me with this gardening addiction – I would be really interested to hear what you plant in your garden, large or small!
Maybe if I read about other gardens, I might be able to refrain from planting anything else. Maybe.
Categories: addiction, garden planning, gardening
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26 May 2010, by gj
so happy together...companion planting peas and cucumbers
I’ve talked before about companion planting and container gardening and here is a good example of both.
As much as I like Snow Peas, we don’t really use a lot. Nor do we eat a lot of Cucumbers (a few jars of refrigerator pickles and a little relish is about it). So this is how I plant these two:
I added a trellis to a large wooden container, the barrel type. I had bought the trellis (on sale, of course) for this purpose.
On one side of the planter I put in snow pea seeds in mid-March. They began to grow and attach themselves to the trellis. Late in May I planted some cucumber plants on the other side. These will begin to grow up the trellis as well, and about the time the peas are done the cucumbers will be taking over the planter.
What is also good is they have good synergy. I love when my plants get along like that. We should all get along like peas and cukes.
Oh, and the title? Well, perhaps referencing the old expression ‘mind your p’s and q’s’ is showing my age; but I couldn’t resist.
Companion planting
Container gardening
Squar Foot Gardening
The Expression ‘Mind Your P’s and Q’s’
Categories: garden planning, gardening
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