Outside

Bush Beans - Half bed planted

I planted a half bed of bush beans today - Blue Lake 274. This year I'm going to see how many green beans I can freeze for the upcoming winter. The taste of "fresh" grocery store beans is so woody and bleh - I'm hoping I can stock enough for garden beans once per week during the winter. We'll see.

First Harvest

I harvested the first vegetables of the season on
Wednesday (6/18). I made a salad with the baby lettuce greens, snap peas and chives. I used the tarragon to make a sauce for pan grilled chicken breast. It was a wonderful dinner.

I'm wondering, though, why the lettuce is growing so slowly this year? I planted in early spring, and until this week we've had cooler than average weather - low 70's, mostly. I thought we'd be swimming in lettuce, but instead I just thinned it for the first time this week. Hmmmm, strange.

Vegetable Garden

It's been three weeks since I first got out in the vegetable garden. Since then, it's been very cool and damp, so the greens and peas are not very big, yet. One thing I've done, though, is to put up rabbit fencing, as seen below.

I am not thrilled about how this looks or how it works, but after having rabbits decimate the garden over the past two years, I knew I needed to take some serious action. If I could only convince Spouse to do the fencing the way I want* I would be much happier, but Spouse is convinced it would be "too hard" and that "it won't work." Harumph.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to do the majority of the planting. We've had such a cool spring so far that it is hard to imagine it being warm enough to plant tomatoes, beans, basil, squash, etc. Even though our average last frost is May 15, I think I'll wait until at least until the weekend of the 24th to plant. I'm not so much worried about another frost as I am about the growth-stunting mid-50s to lower 60s weather we've been having. It's perfect for the peas and greens, but not for the warm-weather crops.

We'll see. I hope to have my garbage can potatoes planted sometime this week, and I'll have pictures.

*What I want is to attach hardware cloth or rabbit fencing to the bottom of the wood fencing around the edge of the garden rather than fencing in each individual bed. We would dig a trench around the perimeter and bury it about 6-12". However, a major portion of the wood fence (and deer fence beyond that) is in the woods, under our huge arborvitae trees that have lots of shallow roots. We also have a very irregularly shaped area that would be somewhat resistant to fencing, but I think it could be done. Yes, it would be difficult to do it, but it would not be too hard, as Spouse seems to think. And then I wouldn't have to have ugly fences around each individual bed.

Garden Cleanup - A Memoir

Because I was on a blog hiatus due to my shoulder surgery, I didn't write about cleaning up the garden back on October 27th. Writing about it now seems a little strange - I have to really scour my memory for what happened that day - but I wanted to note it because there were so many vegetables still in bloom.

Here are the tomatoes on 10/27, the day before a killing frost. I guarantee that this is the latest I've ever had flowers on tomato plants.

And here are the zucchini, still plugging away. That day I harvested three baseball bats and two nice-sized fruits. The baseball bats were used in zucchini bread, the two others were used in pasta with zucchini, walnuts, anchovy paste, chopped mint and grated Pecorino Romano cheese. (I know - it sounds like these ingredients don't go together, but it's a great-tasting and easy dish.)

There were other things still going, most notably the herbs, but I only took pictures of the most surprising.

Cleaning out the garden was a bit different this year - I was a little under 6 weeks from surgery and I wasn't supposed to be using my left arm at all. So, for the first time, Spouse gave me a hand. I was able to pull most plants myself using one arm, but there were several things that I needed help with. Actually, it was a lot of fun having a partner in the garden. Then I hit the 2 hour mark, at which point I realized that I was using my bad shoulder more than I thought and had to stop.

Even though he took over gardening duties for the fall, Spouse still has a little more to learn about vegetable gardening. Here he was back at the end of September (just 11 days after my surgery), trying to convince me that if we cut away the rotten parts, this would be a perfectly acceptable tomato. I let him have that one all to himself. :)

 

Garlic Harvest

When I was young, I never dreamed I would garden, and I certainly never thought I would be as enamored of something as I am of having harvested my very own garlic. What a wondrous thing, growing your own garlic. I always thought of it as an exotic, something that would never grow in my zone 4a garden.

But here it is, in all its glory.

Pictured are three of the four varieties I grew this year. I have practiced an enormous amount of restraint in not using the rest. My plan is to save it all until October, when it's time to plant again. Once I've planted what I need, I'll use whatever is left.

I planted twelve cloves of each variety: German Extra Hardy, Chrysalis Purple, Music and Siberian. I harvested twelve cloves of Siberian, eleven each of Chrysalis Purple and Music, and four of German Extra Hardy (all of which has been used, which is why it's not pictured).

I was surprised by the poor yield of the German. Part of the problem was overactive squirrels last autumn - about four cloves were dug up before I put on the straw mulch. However, I still should have gotten at least 6-8 cloves. But at least my decision about what to plant this fall is a bit easier.

In general, I was disappointed in the size of the cloves. I have a feeling it was because of our very hot and dry summer. Although I kept up with the watering, it seemed to me that the foliage of all the garlic plants turned brown very fast - much faster than I read about. I also harvested earlier than many other bloggers, but I felt I had to do it because the leaves had turned mostly brown.  In any case, we'll try again next year and see what happens.

Overall, Music and Chrysalis each had larger cloves, while Siberian yielded one extra clove. I think I'll probably plant all three varieties this fall and see how they do next year.

I Can Still Pick Tomatoes . . . .

My formerly dislocated shoulder has only been re-located for 6 days now, so I still can't do much. I'll find out more when I go to the orthopedist on Monday, but I can't imagine I'll be doing any weeding for a few more weeks, and digging and hauling may be even more weeks. This means anything but harvesting is on hold for the garden until I hear more from the doctor. This wouldn't be such a bad thing, but I had plans - big plans - for some fall planting.

But in the meantime, I can pick tomatoes, and last night there were lots waiting for me. Sitting on the counter are three Pruden's Purple, two Gregori Altai, two Cuomo de Toro, two Carmello, two Green Zebra and lots of Yellow Pear and Be My Baby red cherries.

As I start to thing of what I'll plant next year (Already? August is moving along fast!), I'm paying more attention to how each tomato variety tastes so I can make some decisions for next spring.

Cherry & Drying Tomatoes

This year I have Yellow Pear, Be My Baby red cherry, and Principe Borghese drying tomatoes. I love Yellow Pears - they have a "big tomato" taste and are very prolific - so those will be back next year. I also love the Principe Borghese when they're oven dried. I haven't dried any yet (they're waiting in the freezer, gaining critical mass), but last year I did, and they were heavenly.

As for the Be My Baby red cherries . . . they weren't as good as I had hoped, nor are they as prolific. Last year I planted Sweet Baby Girls, which were absolutely delicious and exceedingly prolific until they died in the Self-Watering Container Disaster of 2006. However, Fedco is not carrying the seeds any longer because the producer was bought out by Monsanto. (Monsanto produces genetically modified - GMO - seeds, which are controversial for a lot of people, including me.) So, Be My Baby was a recommended replacement. I think next year I'll try something else.

Oh, and I also have had a few Sungolds. When I was planting this spring, I managed to break off the top of the one Sungold plant I had. I left the stalk in the ground, and I now have a 1 foot tall plant that has produced two very small tomatoes. I'm sure this poor plant has not exactly enjoyed optimal growing conditions, so I'll reserve judgment and try again next year.

Main Crop Tomatoes

As for the main crop tomatoes, I've had at least one of each, and here's my ranking:

1. Gregori's Altai: This tomato has been a delightful surprise. For some reason, I thought it was going to be an early tomato, and hence a bit tasteless and tough-skinned. Instead, it's a wonderful main cropper, with pretty pink flesh and a delightfully tangy taste. The tomatoes are big - up to 1 pound - and fairly round. It's perfect for fresh eating. It's been moderately prolific - not a lot, but very steady. I really love this tomato and will grow it again next year.

2. Pruden's Purple: This is an extremely close second, almost tied for first. The only reason for the second place ranking is because it cracks very easily. Since it's the only tomato in the garden that's cracking, I can assume it's not a water problem. But, except for that, this is an excellent tomato. It has that perfect "heirloom" taste - balanced, with a bit of acid. It's extremely meaty without a lot of seeds. It's not the most prolific tomato, but it's much better than many of the classic heirlooms I've grown in the past. I've had seven very large tomatoes from two plants in the last two weeks, with lots of green ones waiting to ripen. Although Brandywine is the touchstone for heirloom tomatoes, our Minnesota climate doesn't allow me a long enough growing season to really enjoy them. I think Pruden's Purple is an excellent alternative.

3. Cuoro de Toro: This is a very nice tomato. It was the first to ripen for me this year. It has a nice tomato taste, and the fruits look supermarket perfect. No cracks, no catfacing, perfectly round. It's one drawback is that it's fairly seedy. Will I grow it next year? I don't know yet. It's definitely above average - a solid B+ - but I'm not sure that's enough to make it back in 2008.

4. Green Zebra: Many people are familiar with this one - a tomato that, when ripe, is green-yellow with green stripes. The fruits are small - about the size of a plum - and very seedy. The taste is unique - quite tangy. It's definitely a salad or fresh-eating tomato. I'm think they taste okay, but I'd rather eat a Gregori Altai. However, Spouse loves them. We had two last night, just sliced, and he commented twice during dinner that he thought they were great. So, I may have to grow them again next year just for Spouse.

5. Carmello: A nice tomato, but it doesn't stand out. The fruit is mostly round, with a few that are misshapen. The meat to seed ratio is about average. The taste is good, but nothing to write home about. Although better than many I've grown in the past, I probably won't grow this again.

6. St. Pierre: Unimpressive. Big, misshapen fruit lead one to hope that the taste will match it's "heirloom look." However, they're only average. Average meat-to-seed ratio, average taste. Also, I've only harvested two off of two plants so far. I won't grow this again.

Things Have Gotten Out of Hand

I've been pretty busy, so have been ignoring the upper garden for about a week. Last night I decided to see what was going on up there before I turned on the sprinkler, and for the first time in my gardening life, I found . . . .

Baseball-bat zucchinis.

I've never let something go to this extent before. I remember looking late last week and seeing little tiny zucchinis, but I guess our 90 degree weather has encouraged them to grow, and grow, and grow.

The upside is that now I get to make some zucchini bread and try this recipe for Zucchini Fritters that I found on Christa's Calendula & Concrete blog. (Original recipe from The Skinny Chef.)

More Tomatoes

Finally, we're starting to get some tomatoes!

The cast of characters includes Be My Baby red cherry, yellow pear, Gregori's Altai (the biggest tomato), and Carmello (the two 2nd biggest tomatoes). In the freezer bag are the first of the Principe Borghese. These are for drying, so I'll freeze what I harvest until I have a reasonable number for drying. Last year I used the oven - this year I might just splurge on a dehydrator. We'll see . . . .

Last night for dinner I just sliced up the Gregori Altai and the two Carmellos and served them with Minnesota chicken and corn on the cob from the Farmer's Market. All local, all delicious.

First Tomato of 2007

Here it is, the first tomato of the 2007 growing year . . . . drum roll, please!

Yes, it's that tiny, ping-pong ball sized red thing on the left. The apple - included to give a bit of perspective - is a standard sized Granny Smith.

Ah, but I shouldn't tease. It's the first tomato, and even though it's small, and had a bit of blossom end rot, it was immediately cut into 4 tiny pieces and shared between Spouse and me. It was delicious.

Surprisingly, this first tomato was not a cherry and not a Gregori Altai, which I had planted as my potential earliest tomato. No, this was Cuoro de Toro, an Italian main-crop variety I got from tomatobob.com (which is also where I got the Gregori Altai seed). Ironically, the description says it produces "oxheart shaped fruits [that] weigh up to 2 lbs!!!" (The three exclamation points are courtesy of Tomato Bob.) As the season progresses, then, I should be seeing some big tomatoes, but not yet.

Mid-Summer Disappointment

Here it is, the end of July, and I should be reveling in the summer produce that should be bursting out of the garden. Well, that just ain't so. Since harvesting my garlic last week, I've been seriously disappointed - if not downright p.o.'ed - with my garden.

Last year I was pretty smug about my homemade rabbit fences. I used window screening and wooden posts, and didn't have rabbit problems at all in 2006. Well, this year is another story. Below are my bush beans, almost completely denuded of leaves. Since this photo was taken (on the 15th), the rabbits have finished off any remaining leaves and there are no longer any flowers. I didn't even take a picture of the pole beans on my trellis - the rabbits have nipped almost every vine - I believe I have about 5 (maybe) on the 5' trellis.

As I mentioned, there is also no produce coming from the garden. Last year, I had a lovely first harvest of tomatoes, beans and potatoes on the 18th of July. Well, here it is a day later, and I can definitely say there are zero beans and only green tomatoes.

But, I'm a gardener, so I need to find some postives here. Last night I noticed the first small zucchini, which should be ready to pick in a few days. Considering that last year I harvested exactly one squash - in October - I should be happy about that. Although the Diva cucumber vines are looking anemic, the lemon cucumber vines are flowering profusely and threatening to take over their bed. I have basil seedlings coming up, and my herbs are doing extremely well. And, even though all the tomatoes are green, the plants are lush and healthy, with lots of fruits and flowers.

I think this weekend I'll get out there and plant some fall crops. It might be a little hot, but if I wait too much longer they won't have time to mature. Plus, while I'm doing that I can plan for the new - and permanent - rabbit fencing for the upper garden. Spouse doesn't know it yet, but this fall he'll be helping me dig trenches and nail up fencing in the space between the ground and the wooden fence.

If nothing else, spending some time planting for the future will help turn my garden attitude around.