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Jumat, 16 Agustus 2013

The Polished Pebble Garden Gazette: August Issue

Summer is finally taking a bit of a nap...things slow down and it gives us more time to

enjoy the long days

and the beauty of all of our hard work in the garden

For me,

it means lots of vegetables and fruit

and

the excitement of beginning to plan for fall

We have had a very mild summer,with below normal temperatures,

which has made the lettuce crop amazing...the tomato plants however,

are not so happy

I direct sow my lettuce either in large 2 ft x 4 ft sections

or long rows

It's nice to mix up the plantings to create patterns

and fun color variety in every bed

This summer I planted little micro greens which are meant to be harvested when they are very tiny...well not quite this tiny, but wow are they tasty in a salad

Salad greens are picked in the morning and washed a few times in the salad spinner. I only pick what we will be eating in a day or so because the taste of fresh lettuce is unlike anything you can purchased in a supermarket. It tastes like lettuce...!

little spaces in between the lettuce beds are the perfect spot

to sneek in a few radish,

which take up a very small amount garden real estate
and grow really quickly

My favorite radish right now is a beauty called

de Avignon

easy to grow, tasty

and very pretty

These sort of look like a potato because they got a bit big

but the flavor is mild, sweet and tangy

All of the apples are harvested and we had a bumper crop...

the squirrels and raccoons really enjoyed the apples too

I recently purchased a juicer and have been juicing apples every morning...so delicious

and finally after waiting three long years

we have our first really nice crop of grapes

In addition to being wonderful to eat

they are just beautiful in these long cascading bunches

This variety is called Niagra and has seeds

but is wonderful for juicing

When I walk to the grape arbors you can smell the grapes...heavenly

One of the raised beds is full of herbs and edible flowers like nasturtium,

which you can add to your salad greens for color.

Nasturtium blossoms are really spicy!

They look pretty trailing over the sides of the stone beds and

are very easy to grow from seed

Remember the crazy new tomatoes I ordered called "Super Sauce"

well this is what they look like...they are huge!

I have only picked about 4 tomatoes off the plants this summer, so I'm not so sure about these guys

but the tomatoes are so big that the plants can barely support the weight of the fruit

We also have chives popping up and some really scary hot peppers...

I'm not sure what to do with the peppers yet?

any ideas?

In preparation for fall I have two old wine barrels, which have been planted

with butternut squash and Yukon gold potatoes

These are young spanish onion and I started some garlic too

which will be ready to harvest next spring

And if you need a sweet little taste of summer try this recipe

for strawberry ice cream

printable version

you can make this ice cream with fresh peaches too and it is so seriously good!

Hope you enjoyed this issue

the polished pebble

garden gazette

in case you missed the first issue you can read it

here

happy harvesting

Rabu, 20 Juni 2012

Ten Things to a Better Garden: Part Two

Hey there fellow gardeners...thank you for the great comments on the last post!

Did any one notice that I left out #4?

Obviously my head was in the compost bin while I was writing ....

So here is # 4

Biodiversity and Sustainability

Essentially what that means is, when you create your garden you should give some thought as to how you can offer support to the Eco system by means of the variety of plants that you choose and creating more diverse habitats for plants, insects, birds and other species.

The sustainability part is to choose plants that will grow for a very long time with out using tons of water, fertilizers and require a huge amount of effort.

I can't tell you how different my yard is now from three years ago...just by counting the number of different bird species that nest in my garden....so it's working!

Now on to #6

Match the style of your garden to your house

I know this sounds really simplistic but we have all seen it right?...the house down the street that is a colonial style house but has a garden with

a pagoda

and a Buddha statue

You get the point!

#7 Break it down

Create distinct areas or zones that you can manage and work on them until they are looking really great.

It helps when you are shopping for plants'

to know exactly where the plants will go

and how they will be arranged,

if you are thinking about just a specific area of the garden

and not the whole yard.

#8. Create a garden that fits your lifestyle

Not everybody has the time,

space or energy to have a big huge veggie garden or an orchard.

I have gotten more joy from a tiny patch of front yard on a 30 foot lot...just planting and clipping and enjoying a sunny day.

I never felt bad when I didn't have a big grassy back yard or a chicken coop....just garden with what you've got, even if its an apartment balcony!

#9 What you don't see matters

Drainage, soil prep and proper irrigation....

really boring stuff but it really is the key to a great garden.

We are constantly tweaking or irrigation system...I mean like every week, as the weather changes!

Take the time to get your beds in good working order before you plant.

Don't forget to use lots of organic amendments too!

If you have a vegetable garden,

each time you start a new bed you will need to add soil boosters and compost to replenish the soil for really healthy vegetables.

#10 Plan for the future

Even if you don't know how long you will be in your current home it's nice to know that you did your best and that the things you did will be there years from now and enjoyed by others.

When I am long gone I know this garden will still be here...that's really nice to know!