Oh and my potatoes came from Irish Eyes Garden Seed. I have some cutting to do as I got a bunch of lunkers...no big deal. Not surprising since Purple vikings are notorious for their prodigious proportions.
Showing posts with label experiments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label experiments. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Go Time!
This morning was frost free. The first one in our backyard. I'm sure there will be more, but intermittent is ok, I've been fine with the occasional frost, peas broccoli, lettuce, spinach, radishes can take it. This afternoon they're going in. I also noticed I have pea shoots peaking out of the soil where I planted them on st. patty's day. I will be interested to see if the month early planting helped or if the cold temps kept them back. Time will tell.
Oh and my potatoes came from Irish Eyes Garden Seed. I have some cutting to do as I got a bunch of lunkers...no big deal. Not surprising since Purple vikings are notorious for their prodigious proportions.
Oh and my potatoes came from Irish Eyes Garden Seed. I have some cutting to do as I got a bunch of lunkers...no big deal. Not surprising since Purple vikings are notorious for their prodigious proportions.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tempting frost
According to Cornell's map (which is great if you live in NY like me) Our final expected frost date is somewhere between april 10 and 30th (we live on the boarder between two areas). Last year the spring crops went in the ground on the 21st. Though I had a bit of a frost scare, everything pulled through. One of the problems I found with the time table I used last year was that some seedlings were a bit small, and some which I know are cold tolerant tended to take a long time to mature and were holding up the succession plan.
Since I have a new bed I will be working with I am going to try an experiment. I am still determined to grow corn, but I know I have to get it in the ground long before july 7th which is when it went in last year. I figure between 70-80 days should be enough to get a decent yeild from a pea variety rated at 65 days. Cornell rates mid may as optimum planting time in accordance with IPM. This means the peas would have to go in mid march. On more than one occasion I have heard people suggest planting peas on st. patrick's day, which is of course mid march. The problem is, I don't remember a st. patty's day in syracuse where I have not sputtered some inappropriate metaphor about the cold. What the heck! lets do it! Its so crazy it might work, and I have seen fall planted pea vines shrug of frost and even a dusting of snow. My concern is germination. I'm thinking a floating row cover or makeshift cold frame to protect the seedlings, but will they germinate without outside help? do I put some peas in flats for a week, and then pop them in the ground once they sprout?
I'd like to do a similar think with the potatoes though not as radical. Last season I followed the potatoes with bush beans and I'd like to do so again, but the beans had just started producing when they were frost killed. A week or two sooner (say Aug 1) to get the potatoes out and the beans in would probably give me a full crop. Since last year I dug the first new potatoes on the 29th of July and the last full sized Aug 13, it seems feasible if memory serves that so long as they get to me in time, It should be warm enough and safe to plant by April 15th or so, roughly two weeks earlier.
Since I have a new bed I will be working with I am going to try an experiment. I am still determined to grow corn, but I know I have to get it in the ground long before july 7th which is when it went in last year. I figure between 70-80 days should be enough to get a decent yeild from a pea variety rated at 65 days. Cornell rates mid may as optimum planting time in accordance with IPM. This means the peas would have to go in mid march. On more than one occasion I have heard people suggest planting peas on st. patrick's day, which is of course mid march. The problem is, I don't remember a st. patty's day in syracuse where I have not sputtered some inappropriate metaphor about the cold. What the heck! lets do it! Its so crazy it might work, and I have seen fall planted pea vines shrug of frost and even a dusting of snow. My concern is germination. I'm thinking a floating row cover or makeshift cold frame to protect the seedlings, but will they germinate without outside help? do I put some peas in flats for a week, and then pop them in the ground once they sprout?
I'd like to do a similar think with the potatoes though not as radical. Last season I followed the potatoes with bush beans and I'd like to do so again, but the beans had just started producing when they were frost killed. A week or two sooner (say Aug 1) to get the potatoes out and the beans in would probably give me a full crop. Since last year I dug the first new potatoes on the 29th of July and the last full sized Aug 13, it seems feasible if memory serves that so long as they get to me in time, It should be warm enough and safe to plant by April 15th or so, roughly two weeks earlier.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Everything I know about: staggered planting
I got a question about planting to ensure continuous supplies of veggies, here is the lowdown on that topic.
First, to really be able to live off of your garden requires either lots of land (like the pioneers), lots of skill and sunshine (like PTF) or both. But for the rest of us I think a well planned garden might be able to produce good weekly yields from as little as about 100 square feet (what I'm working with).
There are two kinds of things that produce edibles and for the sake of clarity I'm going to use tomato terminology. Fruit and vegetable plants are either determinate or non-determinate.
Determinate plants give you all they've got at once, or you take all the plant has at once as in the case of head lettuce, cabbage etc. If you are going to be canning or doing any kind of preserving, these are your friend because most canning recipes call for using large quantities of fresh produce. Determinate varieties ensure that if you plant a large amount at one time you will harvest a very large amount at one time.
Non-determinate plants will stagger production, or allow you to harvest a few leaves, fruit or one plant at a time without worrying too much about the rest of the crop going bad, as I do with potatoes, onions, or leaf lettuce.
Then there is another type which doesn't quite fit what I would consider either, and the only one I can think of like that is broccoli, cut the main head and it will regrow more "side shoots" but they will not be as large as the initial offering.
The first thing that should be very evident is the planning required, a level of planning that keeps me awake at night. If you wanted to be absolutely scientific about it I'm sure there would be ways to ensure that even with small plots, you are taking in produce daily, but I have yet to achieve that. The other thing to consider is the days to maturity variable. I might be a cynic but I don't put much stock in those numbers except as a rough guideline to tell me roughly when they will be ready. Unless you have perfect soil, perfect sun exposure, and perfect weather I wouldn't bet the microfarm on those numbers.
What the numbers can help with is to provide a way to minimize wasted space in the garden, and by that I mean if you are trying to get a somewhat continuous harvest of green beans you could plant an early bush variety like "provider" at the same time as a slightly longer maturing bush variety. The alternative is to plant a second "provider" crop a week or two later. The disadvantage there is if you are planting closely, the later crop might not get the same sun access from the other group getting a head start, and second (perhaps the most irritating to me) there is a bare spot in the garden in the interim. Bare soil gets easily compacted by rainwater (a big problem for me lately) and it also is an invitation for weeds.
Non-determinate varieties deliver over a wider range of time and usually once they reach the days to maturity number they will produce until they die or have a serious disagreement with the weather. I've noticed non-determinate fruits and veggies usually grow on vines, which is nice because it means you can grow them upwards and save valuable horizontal space. The disadvantage of this is that with non-determinate varieties you usually only get a few fruits at a time, so if its something like green beans or peas, where you will be eating more than 2 or three per serving, plant a lot of vines.
There are of course charts and recommendations for time between plantings
of determinate varieties like corn, lettuce etc. but again, (and please don't think this is a cop out) I think its just better to pull out a calendar and a seed catalog, and mark your estimated planting times and harvest times based on the dtm#, take copious notes of when you planted and harvested, and then try again next year. And if you mark the estimated first frost date of the year on the calendar and count backwards to your harvest times, you might find you can squeeze in another crop of something else? Our ancestors did this their whole lives, they grew up doing it, so it came naturally. We just need to remember what is actually possible.
I referenced green beans a lot because so far I have had the most success with getting a large and somewhat steady supply of it. At least until now when 3 weeks of cold and wet has interrupted my plans. Live and learn.
First, to really be able to live off of your garden requires either lots of land (like the pioneers), lots of skill and sunshine (like PTF) or both. But for the rest of us I think a well planned garden might be able to produce good weekly yields from as little as about 100 square feet (what I'm working with).
There are two kinds of things that produce edibles and for the sake of clarity I'm going to use tomato terminology. Fruit and vegetable plants are either determinate or non-determinate.
Determinate plants give you all they've got at once, or you take all the plant has at once as in the case of head lettuce, cabbage etc. If you are going to be canning or doing any kind of preserving, these are your friend because most canning recipes call for using large quantities of fresh produce. Determinate varieties ensure that if you plant a large amount at one time you will harvest a very large amount at one time.
Non-determinate plants will stagger production, or allow you to harvest a few leaves, fruit or one plant at a time without worrying too much about the rest of the crop going bad, as I do with potatoes, onions, or leaf lettuce.
Then there is another type which doesn't quite fit what I would consider either, and the only one I can think of like that is broccoli, cut the main head and it will regrow more "side shoots" but they will not be as large as the initial offering.
The first thing that should be very evident is the planning required, a level of planning that keeps me awake at night. If you wanted to be absolutely scientific about it I'm sure there would be ways to ensure that even with small plots, you are taking in produce daily, but I have yet to achieve that. The other thing to consider is the days to maturity variable. I might be a cynic but I don't put much stock in those numbers except as a rough guideline to tell me roughly when they will be ready. Unless you have perfect soil, perfect sun exposure, and perfect weather I wouldn't bet the microfarm on those numbers.
What the numbers can help with is to provide a way to minimize wasted space in the garden, and by that I mean if you are trying to get a somewhat continuous harvest of green beans you could plant an early bush variety like "provider" at the same time as a slightly longer maturing bush variety. The alternative is to plant a second "provider" crop a week or two later. The disadvantage there is if you are planting closely, the later crop might not get the same sun access from the other group getting a head start, and second (perhaps the most irritating to me) there is a bare spot in the garden in the interim. Bare soil gets easily compacted by rainwater (a big problem for me lately) and it also is an invitation for weeds.
Non-determinate varieties deliver over a wider range of time and usually once they reach the days to maturity number they will produce until they die or have a serious disagreement with the weather. I've noticed non-determinate fruits and veggies usually grow on vines, which is nice because it means you can grow them upwards and save valuable horizontal space. The disadvantage of this is that with non-determinate varieties you usually only get a few fruits at a time, so if its something like green beans or peas, where you will be eating more than 2 or three per serving, plant a lot of vines.
There are of course charts and recommendations for time between plantings
of determinate varieties like corn, lettuce etc. but again, (and please don't think this is a cop out) I think its just better to pull out a calendar and a seed catalog, and mark your estimated planting times and harvest times based on the dtm#, take copious notes of when you planted and harvested, and then try again next year. And if you mark the estimated first frost date of the year on the calendar and count backwards to your harvest times, you might find you can squeeze in another crop of something else? Our ancestors did this their whole lives, they grew up doing it, so it came naturally. We just need to remember what is actually possible.
I referenced green beans a lot because so far I have had the most success with getting a large and somewhat steady supply of it. At least until now when 3 weeks of cold and wet has interrupted my plans. Live and learn.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Golden Opportunities
I guess I never put two and two together before. Nature does not create waste. All organism find ways to use the byproducts of the others. Manure is an obvious one, but not something my family would find palatable were I to start using my own poo in the compost heap, nor would they be particularly welcoming of a sawdust bucket sitting next to our standard issue water waster.
Then I came across a few drops of info that made me think...
But what about pee? Diluted 10:1 it has been proven an effective fertilizer. In africa it is finding widespread use. Do I dare keep a jar in the shed to fill for times when fertilizer application is called for? And in between on the compost heap to replenish nitrogen. (we usually end up with a lot of browns from the sunflowers, vines, leaves, etc, but very few greens from the smallish lawn. Might a quick shot of recycled refreshment every morn keep an otherwise slow pile moving?
I'm mischevious by nature, and normally I would giggle at the thought of people dining on my peepee powered vegetables, not because it is unsanitary, but their initial shock. Being a family man though, I do feel a certain need to warn them. After all, isn't part of this whole change in the way we get our food a matter of taking control of exactly what goes into our bodies as much as possible? Who am I to deny them that choice.
Then I came across a few drops of info that made me think...
But what about pee? Diluted 10:1 it has been proven an effective fertilizer. In africa it is finding widespread use. Do I dare keep a jar in the shed to fill for times when fertilizer application is called for? And in between on the compost heap to replenish nitrogen. (we usually end up with a lot of browns from the sunflowers, vines, leaves, etc, but very few greens from the smallish lawn. Might a quick shot of recycled refreshment every morn keep an otherwise slow pile moving?
I'm mischevious by nature, and normally I would giggle at the thought of people dining on my peepee powered vegetables, not because it is unsanitary, but their initial shock. Being a family man though, I do feel a certain need to warn them. After all, isn't part of this whole change in the way we get our food a matter of taking control of exactly what goes into our bodies as much as possible? Who am I to deny them that choice.
A possible solution
we have a smallish 10x10 gazebo in our backyard. There are shelves on each of the legs for potted plants and each year we attempt in vain to put some kind of potted flower on each. The problem is that as soon as the season gets hotter we can't keep up with the watering, either by virtue of forgetfulness on our part to include it in the morning routine, or the heat, or the plants using it fast. Bigger pots are out of the question, the thin metal supports and shelves of the gazebo wont bear the weight. My possible solution below may remedy it.
capillary watering is nothing new, the wick medium (probably braided felt) will travel up a pvc pipe to prevent drying the wick out. The question then becomes, can I run that long of a wick and still have it be effective?
If this is proven reliable, what is next? Well since I plan to put some manner of water storage under the deck anyway, why not mount planter boxes on the edges of the deck and wick water from the rainwater tanks below? Given enough tank capacity and rain to fill it, could deck planters become completely automated without complicated and expensive drip soaker hoses? Seems to simple and easy to be true. I wonder.
capillary watering is nothing new, the wick medium (probably braided felt) will travel up a pvc pipe to prevent drying the wick out. The question then becomes, can I run that long of a wick and still have it be effective?
If this is proven reliable, what is next? Well since I plan to put some manner of water storage under the deck anyway, why not mount planter boxes on the edges of the deck and wick water from the rainwater tanks below? Given enough tank capacity and rain to fill it, could deck planters become completely automated without complicated and expensive drip soaker hoses? Seems to simple and easy to be true. I wonder.
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