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blog has moved to http://pioneervalleyvegan.wordpress.com/

what some rain will do

The rain really helped the plants get large. Here are our peas and potatoes. Also, a pretty peony, blueberries and yummy garlic scapes.

We planted some of Hungry Ghost's wheat seeds. The plan is to have the Pedal People harvest the wheat and transport it to the bakery for what'll soon be the best bread in town.

Success

There's reason to be optimistic. Our greens are looking solid. We will be eating them soon. Our peas and beans are strong, too. And our potatoes have shown a lot of growth lately. We've planted mesclun, cantaloupe, lavender and more parsnips (our first planting didn't fare well). Our carrots, mizuna and pak choi will take some time, but they will bloom eventually. We're feeling good about the garden at this point in the summer.

first harvest

I should have posted this a week or two ago. We had our first harvest, radishes. They're amazing.

I was also happy to find out that you can cook and eat the greens too.
Other news: there are strawberries forming, and the blueberries look almost ready to eat. If I could only figure out how to better use the digital camera, the strawberry photo would look better. Wildlife netting is protecting the blueberries from the many robins that surround them throughout the day.

good night and good luck

We had to cover our plants tonight. It's going to be 29 degrees.

it's all in...for now

I think we're done planting. There was a bunch of space we couldn't use because of tree roots. As a result, the placement of stuff is pretty scattered. Whatever, it'll still grow. Here's a list of what's in there. Photos to come as soon as the sun comes out again.

Asian greens: mizuna and pak choi
asparagus
salsify
zucchini
acorn squash
delicata squash
carrots they say could grow in the middle of the road
cilantro
basil
dill
parsley
thyme
mint
rainbow chard
4 types of tomatoes
4 types of peppers
salsify
4 types of potatoes
12 kale plants
collards
3 lettuces
arugula
beets
radishes
onions
garlic
peas
wax beans
scallions
broccoli
cauliflower
cucumbers
celery

We also have rhubarb, 2 blueberry bushes, loads of strawberries and a pear tree

Almost done!

Today we planted 4 types of peppers (2 bells, jalapeno, cubanelle), 3 types of squash (zucchini, delicata, acorn), rainbow chard, more kale, cucumbers, yellow wax beans. Yesterday: 4 types of tomatoes (Oregon spring, big boy, San Marzano, sun gold) and basil. My beet transplants didn't work. They never do.
Here are some photos. The irises are beautiful.

Growth Spurts

Blueberry and strawberry blossoms are showing. Lilacs are at their peak. Asparagi have popped up. We're making progress. Most of our plants look healthy. Although it seems some seeds aren't going to work (parsnips), others that seemed doubtful might do OK (peas, salsify). Some of our troubles can be linked to a lack of rain and invasive weeds, but it will still be a bountiful summer.

We planted potatoes last weekend in part of a plot that we thought we might not be able to use. This weekend we're planning to get the remainder of our crops in the ground, including cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, beans, peppers, lemongrass, basils, cilantro and dill. We can't wait to have some homegrown lunches in our yard.

We should also give a shout to the plants that came before us. The previous property owners did some great landscaping. We've seen daffodils, tulips, azaleas, many unidentifiable flowers (gardenias?), and we're going to see some irises soon. And we can't forget the thyme, mint, oregano and sage that came back again. The mint just keeps coming.

Weeds, seeds and experimentation

There's some forceful and well-established grass monster in one of our plots. We're afraid it might overtake or interrupt some of our seeds, but we're trying to eradicate the weeds altogether. We'll see.

We've decided this will be a year of experimentation, though we have faith we'll have some crops to show for our efforts. As with any gardening (and in most areas of life), we're dealing with many variables, including soil, sunlight, rainfall, tree cover, root systems and animal encroachment. I'm sure I'm forgetting some other factors. Certainly, we can both say it hasn't been as simple as expected, and we've experienced some letdowns. But we shall overcome and try to have fun doing it. Full-time farming is not being romanticized in our house as once it was.

houseplants

I feel as if i need to give a shout out to the houseplants. Houseplants, we think you're really pretty and really cool even though we can't eat you.

radishes!

We are seeing our first signs of life in the form of little radish leaves popping up. We planted Easter egg radishes that will be multicolored and very pretty. I realized today that a good portion of one plot isn't going to be good for planting. It's super rocky, and I've just got a hunch that it'll be tough to grow on it. In our time off we got a lot done. We planted celery, parsley, lettuces, spinach, peas, garlic, onions, cabbage, the mysterious vegetable oyster plant-salsify (I can't wait to try it), turnips, parsnips, arugula and asparagus (finally). I've been lisening to a lot of You Bet Your Garden http://www.youbetyourgarden.org/and am learning a lot.

Some photos

Here are some photos of our plots and seeds. So far, we've planted onions, garlic, turnips, radishes and beets.

asparagus

The asparagus arrived today...10 plants short. This means we'll only be planting 10 plants because we shared the order with a friend. The woman screwed up my order and can't send any additional plants because most of hers were destroyed by rains. Anyway, this is what they looked like when they arrived. The other photo is of the trench they're going into.

asparagus scam

Over a month ago, I ordered 40 asparagus plants, 25 for us and 15 for a friend. They were due to ship Priority Mail on April 10. We still don't have them. "No big deal," I thought. "I'll just call the woman who I ordered them from." No big deal, but no one answers her phone, her website is gone, and she isn't returning my e-mails. It's possible we were scammed, but I'm thinking that asparagus is a pretty unlikely scam since no one really buys asparagus plants, right? Please say I'm right. The website (when it existed) was elaborate, ridiculously elaborate. Asparagus is frustrating enough on its own because you have to wait two to three years to harvest it. I'm hoping that they come today. We dug a 25-foot trench (about a foot-and-a-half deep), and I'd like to fill it soon.

beginnings

Here it is, April 13, and we have just started planning for this year's garden. We figure this is about 3-4 times the size of last year's apartment garden, and we're so excited! Our asparagus trench is dug and ready for 25 two-year-old plants that are on their way to us from Tennessee. Patrick tilled an estimated 40X40 foot space yesterday. We ordered some very nice seeds, have some potatoes sprouting, and can't wait to visit our friends at Ravenwold Farm for plants.
While we're focusing on vegetables, all of the new Spring growth has us very excited since this is our first Spring in the house. So far, I see daffodils, chives, walking onions and the beginnings of strawberries and rhubarb. What we've done up until this point is mostly prep...I've been very busy raking and mulching. We just got boy and girl blueberry bushes and are excited to see what they bring. Many photos to come as we track our progress.