you can grow that
4 May 2013, by gj
Not long ago we looked at the espalier method of growing fruit trees. The photo on that post was of a huge garden at Kylemore Abbey in Ireland. The trees were grown against a wall as a way of increasing how much heat they received.
But the espalier method, a simple pruning and staking technique, also serves well to save space.
Here is a picture taken by my friend Jack Goldfil of allotment plots in Paris:
You can see how the trees have been pruned, allowing only the side branches to grow. These are further controlled by tying them to wires running across the whole area. Even in a garden plot this size there can be fresh fruit.
Now of course our garden areas are much larger. Still, we like to get the most from the areas we have growing. An additional concern is the squirrel population that took ever single piece of fruit from our trees last year.
Every. Single. Piece.
So we moved a few of the trees that were only put in last year and purchased a few more.
What we now have are 8 semi-dwarf fruit trees, one dwarf almond tree, and 3 bush variety cherries in a bed about 22′ by 4′. Since everything was just planted this spring, we won’t prune until after the harvest.
We are also going to build a structure above to drape netting over, in an effort to keep the squirrels out.
Remember to never prune more than 1/3 of the tree branches at one time. We will prune some in the fall, and a little more in the spring, containing the area they take up.
You can also plant crops below, as pruned trees don’t cast much shade. This year we planted potatoes and covered them with straw, additionally cutting down on the need to weed.
One other thing to keep in mind is that some trees, pears for example, need more than one variety to produce fruit. You can purchase “2 in one” of “all in one” trees that have been grafted with another variety. Just be careful when you prune to keep some of each variety growing on your tree.
Here’s Jack’s gardening page:Jardiniers du 4ème, where she shares more of her beautiful photos.
You Can Grow That! is a monthly collaborative effort by gardeners around the world to encourage and help others learn to grow.
You can find additional posts by clicking on the pic above. You can also follow us on Pinterest.
Categories: fruit trees, techniques, you can grow that
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4 April 2013, by gj
As a newbie gardener many years ago, I thought the growing season started after the last spring frost, and ended after the first one in fall. That’s only about 120 days here, not much time at all.
Then I remember reading on the back of a pack of pea seeds “Plant as soon as the ground can be worked in spring.”
Really?
Literally?
So I went to the library to learn more -that’s a building that use to house hard copies of most of what you can now find on the internet, but just the correct information. 
A whole new world.
It was true of course, and what’s even better, it’s not just peas.
Fava beans, mache, and arugula all love the cold weather. So do turnips.
Broccoli head forming.
Other plants can be started indoors, and still transplanted out long before the tomatoes and peppers. We have cabbages, mustard, kale, and collards out in a bed already. We did have an unseasonable cold snap, so the bed was covered in plastic, but that will be off this week as things return to normal. They probably would have been okay, but why chance it?
Just a little extra precaution.
Also in this bed are seeds for sorrel, turnips, beets, and of course, snow peas.
In other areas of the garden there are more peas planted, fava beans, carrots, mache, endive, arugula and mesclun. Onions and garlic were planted last fall and are now poking through what is left of the snow.
Asparagus at year two.
Soon we’ll see even more. All this with another 2 months to go until ‘planting time.’
Can it get any better?
Well, actually yes it can. Many of these plants can be grown again by planting mid to late summer for a fall harvest. Mache and kale will all but survive the winter entirely!
So if you thought like I did, that gardening was just for the warm weather months, now you know better. Unless you live in an area that never sees any frost, then Cold Weather Veggies? Yeah-
You Can Grow That! is a monthly collaborative effort by gardeners around the world to encourage and help others learn to grow.
You can find additional posts by clicking on the pic above. You can also follow us on Pinterest.
For more help with what to plant when for your growing area, visit Mother Earth News.
Categories: extending the season, gardening, you can grow that
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4 March 2013, by gj
Seasonings are so expensive to buy and often have ingredients added to them you wouldn’t want to consume.
They are probably rather old by the time they get to you, too.
You really can grow these.
Most gardeners know how easy it is to grow and dry or freeze a few herbs. You may be surprised to find there is a lot more you can do to make that spice shelf in your kitchen more closely connected to the garden.
Some easy herbs to grow include: Basil, Borage, Catnip aka Catmint, Chamomile flowers, Cilantro, Dill, Lavender flowers, Marjoram/Oregano, Mint, Parsley, Sage, Savory, Shiso and Tarragon.
There are also a few herbs to let bolt so you can collect the seeds for seasoning your food: Anise, Caraway, Coriander (Cilantro seeds), Cumin, Dill, Fennel, Mustard and even Sesame.
A long term project.
This is where it gets even more interesting.
Did you know you can grow celery, onions, garlic and ginger, dry them, then grind into a powder?
Yessiree!
This is how ground mustard is made, by simply grinding the seeds you collected.
Chipolte peppers are chile peppers you can grow yourself, then roast to dry and grind; for a fraction of the cost.
You can also make your own pepper mix by growing an assortment of peppers, hanging to dry then grinding into a powder.
Jalapeno, cherry and chile peppers.
Compare that to the list of ingredients on McCormick’s Fiery 5 Pepper seasoning, which also includes salt, some additional spices and ‘natural flavors’.
Do you know what ‘natural flavors’ means?
“The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”
Taken from Title 21, Section 101, part 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
A bug is natural, so is a fish head. Not to be gross, but do you really want to leave it up to food companies to decide what ‘natural’ additive they will use? At the very least you can be sure it is something they could not otherwise sell.
Homegrown, fresh, pure and powerful.
Here’s How to make Garlic Powder.
If your homegrown spices are subjected to a lot of humidity, you may want to pick up a few food grade desiccant packets. We learned that one the hard way.
So go ahead and take a good look at your spice shelf.
In many cases, You Can Grow That!
You Can Grow That! is a monthly collaborative effort by gardeners around the world to encourage and help others learn to grow.
You can find additional posts by clicking on the pic above. You can also follow us on Pinterest.
Categories: herbs, how to grow, you can grow that
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4 February 2013, by gj
The You Can Grow That! theme for February is love, an easy subject for a new grandmother.
From the very moment the upcoming birth announcement was made my life was forever changed, more than I could even imagine.
Stealing Grammie's heart.
“You are what you eat” is much more than just an expression, and I knew right away I wanted to help ‘Sprout’s’ food be as healthy as possible.
Organic baby food is incredibly expensive, yet so simple to make.
A jar of carrots should contain carrots, maybe a little water, and nothing else.
The only way to really know what is in a baby’s food is to make it yourself.
Here’s one Grammie’s tips for healthier baby food:
1. Grow or buy organic the vegetables most likely to have higher doses of pesticides. Here’s the list.
2. If space is limited, plan your garden based on what foods you expect the baby to be eating. Carrots, peas, beans and squash are much more likely to be in his diet than eggplant and peppers.
3. Learn to safely can foods and how to properly freeze, and which foods can be stored fresh the longest. Check some of the links to the right under ‘How to Store’ to learn more.
4. Follow your pediatrician’s recommendations for introducing new foods to the baby.
5. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Look at the grocery store shelves for fruit and veggie combo ideas. Trust me, a lot of research went into it already.
Sprout's pout.
Aww, look at that face… I just may have to give over more of the garden.
Here’s a great resource for recipes and tips.
Categories: grandkids and kids, saving money & time, you are what you eat, you can grow that
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4 January 2013, by gj
This post is part of a collaborative effort by a growing group of gardeners to help you learn to grow more.
One of my cousins is a teacher and recently commented on how to avoid catching colds from the kids.
To paraphrase her:
“Don’t touch your face, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, don’t touch your face, wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands…
and don’t touch your face.”
Of course prevention is best.
homegrown cold prevention
To get more vitamin C, eat lots of cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, kale and chard. Fresh sweet peppers are loaded with vitamin C, so add a little to your salad or slaw.
In case prevention is not sufficient, there are a few things you can grow in your garden to help you get better faster.
Onions and garlic, both alliums, are thought to have anti-bacterial properties. At the first sign of a cold heat up a little chicken or veggie broth, and add some fresh garlic cloves and raw onions.
At the very least, it will keep others far enough away.
Horehound is an easy to grow herb that has cough suppressant and expectorant properties. It’s quite bitter though, so if you make a tea or cough syrup from it, be sure to add a lot of sweetener.
homegrown horseradish
Horseradish is also high in Vitamin C, is a good anti-oxidant, and has long been thought to have antibiotic properties.
If you’re feeling congested, try a little freshly grated root to clear your sinuses and help break up mucous.
Be careful, a little goes a long way.
homegrown eucalyptus
Eucalyptus can also be grown in many home gardens. This herb is well known for helping to relieve congestion. Learn how here.
Since food really is medicine, there are many more edibles that could be added to this list.
Eating a variety of veggies is important to help keep your body strong and better prepared to fight off the nasties.
Eat right and stay healthy my friends!
Categories: gardening, you can grow that
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4 December 2012, by gj
This post is part of a collaboration among garden bloggers to promote information on their favorite subject.
For more posts like these, follow this link.
Whether or not you’re the crafty type you can still easily share gifts from your garden.
Here are a few ideas and some links to help:
keep it simple
- Fill a store bought or hand painted pot with some seeds you’ve saved.
- Got catnip? Make a kitty toy easily by placing dry catnip in a sock, washcloth, or any durable fabric. Then tie closed with a ribbon or string. Make it even more fun by putting jingle bells on the ribbon.
- Build a Fairy Garden
- Food gifts are always a big hit. Check out our recipe page to make jam, soup, or sauces. If you don’t process food, you can still make Hot Sauce or a raspberry or other flavored vinegar.
for the heat lovers in your life
- If you have some fresh lavender, you can make Lavender Bottles. Here’s a link on YouTube to learn how.
- More gift ideas here.
Okay GJ, I can plan on this for next year, but my garden is done for now.
Any other ideas?
a gardening gift anyone can make
How about helping someone else to ‘grow that’ with a simple organizer. Include a notebook, dividers, a calender, some seeds, and maybe a few of your own gardening tips.
It’s sure to be a hit.
Do you make gifts using what you grow?
Categories: gifts from the garden, you can grow that
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4 November 2012, by gj
This post is part of a wonderful collaboration called
For more good reads, be sure to visit the website.
You don’t have to live in the south to grow really great peanuts.
aww, look how cute
This legume, relative to the common green bean, grows a bit differently. The plant itself is a bush type, producing pretty little self-fertile yellow flowers that bend down to the soil and send in a shoot that the peanut will grow on.
a nut in the works
When you harvest them it looks like they are growing on the roots, like potatoes; but you can see the difference in these pictures.
pull them all out
and
a closer look
Peanuts do take a long time to grow, about 120-150 days until they can be harvested. You should look for hulls that are turning dark inside as these are more mature.
Plant about 1.5 inches deep, and about 8 inches apart. They like an acidic and loose soil. Keep them well watered if the weather is dry. Mulching will help hold moisture as well as control weeds.
When ready to harvest, pull out the whole plant and hang it in a place to dry for a week or so. You can then store the peanuts in an airy spot or in a mesh bag and just roast as needed.
Or, make your own peanut butter.
It’s very important that peanuts are harvested and dried correctly. Read more here.
FAQ: Can I use peanuts from the market for seeds?
Answer: Yes, if you can find unroasted nuts. You can, however, save some of the nuts you grow to replant the following year.
Botanical name: Arachis hypogaea
Days to Maturity: 120-150, at least
Yield: Multiple peanuts per seed planted. Most often 6-8.
Storage: In an airy spot, or make peanut butter.
Categories: peanuts, you can grow that
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4 September 2012, by gj
When we had the good fortune to visit Ireland years ago, we were impressed with their sense of reducing their collective impact on the environment.
Upon approaching a grocery store register we were informed that they do not provide packaging.
“You either bring your own bags, carry it out by hand, or go out back and find yourself a box.”
Nice.
So when we returned we were determined to step up our lifestyle to be even more Eco-conscious.
so many things can be composted
More recently we were invited on Facebook to ‘attend’ the fifth annual event Zero Waste Week 2012, again originating in the UK, specifically Gloucestershire, but really happening in everyone’s own home.
This year’s theme is “One More Thing” as they ask you to ask yourself, “What’s one more thing I can do to reduce my household waste?”
raspberry mango jam
Reduce – the less that comes into your home, the less that goes out.
Growing and preserving much of our own food is probably the biggest contribution we make to a better environment at home.
The only animal products we consume are eggs and we have our own chickens.
We make our own soap, laundry soap, dish and dishwasher soap, and toothpaste; greatly reducing the amount of packaging we need to deal with.
Our entire grocery store purchase this past week consisted of coffee, tea, olive oil, oranges, pectin for jam, and shaving cream.
We do bring our own bags to the market, but not always. When we get a plastic bag, at least we recycle it.
We all have reusable water bottles.
old scratched vinyl album turned planter
Re-purpose. Before you get rid of it, get the most from it.
We consider anything composted as reused, since it adds to the nutrients of our soil and consequently our food. Look for compostable containers in the produce area. Find more things to compost than you may have known about.
There are tons of ways to reuse things you already have. Here’s a few on one of our Pinterest Boards.
Donating what you no longer need is a wonderful way to re-purpose an item.
support your larger vertically grown produce
Recycle. Consider this your last choice.
Do your darnedest to keep things from ending up in a landfill, no matter where you live.
Always try to buy a product that at the very least is in a recyclable container, and remember to recycle it.
compostable produce packaging
What ‘one more thing’ we all can do?
To be more diligent and set a goal of zero waste for ourselves.
Wouldn’t you just love to wave at the garbage truck as it drove past your house?
Fifth Annual National Zero Waste Week
Recipes for homemade cleansers can be found here.
14 Things You Can Compost
This post is part of the monthly You Can Grow That! day. Read more here.
Categories: living green, saving money & time, you can grow that
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4 August 2012, by gj
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” – Audrey Hepburn
The front yard garden of Karl Tricamo.
In June we learned of the difficulties being faced by gardener Karl Tricamo.
With the help of those who contacted the local officials there, and those that sent info to the newspapers, the officials of the town voted to overturn the legislation that would have forbidden him from growing food for his family in the best spot on his property- his front yard.
Now we’re not talking about homeowners associations here, but rather every day people who simply want to do what we all should have the right to do- grow our own food.
There’s another case happening right now in Canada.
Just look at this garden:
The garden of Michel Beauchamp and wife Josee Landry
Isn’t that one of the most beautiful vegetable gardens you have ever seen?
Yet they are facing fines of up to $300 per day because more than 30% of the front yard is a garden.
I wonder who came up with that particular percentage?
To make it worse, the city of St-Charles-de-Drummond plans on banning all front yard vegetable gardens this fall.
Just vegetable gardens- so you can grow a zinnia but not a zucchini, a wisteria but not a watermelon?
Seriously.
But you can help- Read more about this garden here, then follow this link to sign a petition that so far has over 17,000 gardeners in support of vegetable gardens everywhere.
There seems to be a war on veggie gardens and living off the land in many towns all over the world.
This comes at a time when numerous countries are suffering economically, and the safety of our food supply is in doubt.
Think it can’t happen to you?
My friend Elizabeth posted this status update on Facebook recently:
“I am proud to live in a city that supports urban agriculture, from the keeping of chickens to the increase in community vegetable gardens in place of vacant lots. If you live within the city limits and hold the same beliefs, please contact your councilperson.”
Followed by this quote:
‘We have been tracking the buzz about the proposed agricultural zoning language, and just heard that some council members are not only against the proposed language, but are talking about taking the opportunity to propose a BAN on CHICKENS in the City of Binghamton.
In light of this new development, we can’t stress the importance of calling your councilperson enough. They need to hear that agricultural zoning in the City of Binghamton is not a crazy idea, and it’s actually one that has the support of people like you. They need to hear your voice.’
Wikipedia defines Solidarity as “the integration, and degree and type of integration, shown by a society or group with people and their neighbors. It refers to the ties in a society that bind people to one another.”
Our gardens and the freedom to grow them are the ties that bind us, no matter where we live.
Plant the seed of solidarity wherever and whenever the occasion arises by lending your voice-
Together we’ll watch our gardens grow.
This post is part of the monthly You Can Grow That! day. Read more here.
Categories: gardening people, places & things, you can grow that
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4 July 2012, by gj
If you’ve been coming here for at least the last few months, you probably have read that the fourth day is always:
day; where garden writers around the world post something along that theme.
In honor of America celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on this date way back when, I’d like to share my thoughts of how gardening can give you more independence.
sauce, soup, sauce, snack, snack
The most obvious thing you can do is to grow food- both fresh for eating and stored at home.
If you dehydrate, can, freeze and/or store fresh, you can enjoy homegrown all year round- and have some freedom from dependence on others for your food supply.
happy food
Of course, we do buy some things from the market, and that’s okay; because each year it is less.
There are other ways planting a garden can ‘grow’ some freedom for you.
sinus treatment
For example, did you know that fresh garlic dropped in a hot mug of clear broth (you can make your own) can help ward off a cold?
Likewise, homegrown eucalyptus and pine needles make a wonderful infusion that when gently steamed can aid clearing stuffy sinuses.
soothing lavender
Lavender is not only beautiful in the garden, and delicious in baked goods, it has a soothing effect that can reduce stress and help with sleep disorders.
And that’s not all, you can also grow your own adult beverages.
raspberry cordial anyone?
Whether you like wine, brandy or flavored liquors- fresh, homemade is always better.
Because you garden, you now have some independence from Doctor’s offices, grocery stores, pharmacy visits, assorted medications, psychiatrists, trips to the gas station and liquor stores; plus you can dump the gym membership.
All that from just a seed?
Our forefathers would be proud.
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