What a weekend!

First, it turned out to be an easy task to figure out which of the unmarked seed lots were Calendula (they are only this tall) from the Sunflower (they are THIS tall!).

Now see a couple of basil breaking through and so far only one Zucchini showing itself. What surprises me is that the bean seeds planted the same day as the ones in the house have yet to show themselves! The house temperature is a pretty constant 65-74F, while the greenhouse does vary from 45 to 100! But in general the beans like the warm temps and know the pot holds that heat from the day time through the evening hours.

Had cooked a couple of spaghetti squash in the solar oven, swapped them out for a Pork roast. The spaghetti squash got seeded and dried. The pork roast is being made into pulled pork for dinner today, the rest will be canned for another day! Did have a partial #10 can of freeze dried butternut squash. Did not like the texture of the squash when cooked, so it was sitting while I pondered what to do with it. Finally thought I’d just rehydrate and boil it down and put it in the dehydrator with the spaghetti squash. Then mix that with the other squash that is dehydrated. But it was just so little when it began to cook down that I switched gears and instead made what turned out to be 5 pints of butternut squash soup.

Decided at some point that my dehydrator was too small, but instead of replacing it, got another. In this case a 4 shelf Excalibur. This is a surprisingly different unit than my other. Decidedly smaller, lower power, different type door. If you don’t know Excaliburs, the door is a simple lift off. This one slides up and down in a channel. This size happens to be perfect for the space I’ve got, its very quiet – probably because the motor is enclosed, and it will allow me to keep dehydrating food while I’m making yogurt. Or be able to dry onions and strawberries at the same time.

Anyway, the weekend also included some garden work, getting the space ready where I’m going to put my containers for growing corn. Mixed up some soil – the last of the mix I’d made for the tomatoes – and used some for a mint plant picked up on Freecycle and to pot up a couple of Ivy Leaf Geraniums for hanging in the courtyard this summer. Have all the ingredients to mix up a whole lot more for the corn and other plants.

Have finally decided where I’m going to put my Meyer Lemon. Have a HUGE clay pot out there which will be its ultimate home, but for right now, will put something in there, and re-pot the lemon in something larger than its in, but will sit propped up in the big pot. This will help me know if its a good place for it. Once it ultimately goes into that pot it will be forever!

As I write this, it doesn’t seem like a lot got done, but of course there was the usual laundry, shopping, and cooking. Plus I don’t move as fast as I used to, and did spend the evenings in my chair either napping like an old lady or reading.

Oh well, its back to work while double timing the other stuff. Have to test floats for carburetors and can the rest of the pulled pork!

Well, damn!

For some reason, did not mark ALL my seedling trays from 5 days ago. Right now, the egyptian spinach has sprouted. as has the Sunflower and the Calendula. But which is which? That’s what I forgot to label. If it was a matter of the Calendula and the flax, no biggie. But no way I want the sunflowers in the front of the bed and the calendula in the back!

Hopefully, once we get to secondary leaves they will be obvious!

Beware the Ides of April

For the first time in 5 years, April 15th is once again tax day! Caesar may have been stabbed on March 15th, we are ALL stabbed on April 15th! Saw a table today that interest payment on the loans the U.S. has outstanding is the FOURTH largest allotment of our tax dollars, NOT the loan amount, just the damn interest!

Anyway, today FINALLY transplanted my tomatoes. TOOO long in the house under the lights. All weak and leggy. Hopefully they will accept the new environment and come back.

Planted some bush beans in the greenhouse. No picture, just self watering container full of dirt at this point!

and set up a whole other series of seeds in the house under grow lights: Calendula (again, let my first round of seedlings die BOO), flax, Egyptian Spinach – https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/molokhia/growing-egyptian-spinach.htm – seeds from a couple of women down in Phoenix. First year for this, looking forward to some tasty greens for the summer aside from Chard. Also Basil, sunflowers, Zucchini (summer squash) and Lakota Squash (winter squash). In a couple of weeks will get some corn started in the house for early transplant outside. Need better light set up so I can cover all 4 shelves.

Garlic – this is elephant garlic and notice that some leaves are already starting to turn brown on the first plants that came in back in January! Have weeded since this picture was taken . . .

Asparagus. While the plants on the right have been with me a couple of years, they were only planted in this bed last year. The ones on the left were new to me last summer altogether. So none is being harvested. They have been fed (and the bed weeded since this photo taken) and will get mulch down soon. Letting all grow to renew the roots.

Solar cooking time again

Actually, with this little cooker I could do more in the winter than I do. As we eat dinner at noon, the shorter day, ie shorter morning, doesn’t give much time for the cooker to heat up. But today found that these little bits of meat (we’re old, we eat less) cook in less than 2 hours. And Asparagus is WAY over cooked in an hour.

The little silicone bags are from Zip Lock. LOVE THEM. They freeze, they microwave, they cook in the solar oven. Thick enough to prevent freezer burn, easy secure seal; wash and re-use instead of throwing away aluminum foil.come in two different styles and several sizes so am using them also for things like dried squash, rice, refried beans, etc.

Experiment

Other than I’m behind on the garden work, nothing much is happening. We’re slowing down our business, but that means the shop has slowed down on what they are producing, I’m still rushing to catch up on the shipping and billing.

At the same time, am also pushing ahead on things like canning and dehydrating.

This morning decided to experiment with oven canning using the Solar Oven. Since I eat Oatmeal almost every day, buy my Rolled Oats in 10# bulk bins. While I didn’t need to do this with the Oats, figured it would be a good practice before I start unpacking my bulk rice! and as the business slows down want to get back to bread baking so there will be packing flours.

As you can see the oven got to 225 before I shut this down. Only 4 of the really big 1.5quart jars fit in there, as the slope on the oven top made the front too short. Of course, even with the glass open a bit, it would still get plenty warm, just take a little longer. Or I can get 6 to maybe 8 quart jars in there.

Anyway, the jars got hot, the lids got hot and right now, the lids are on the jars and they are sitting cooling down. have no doubt that they will seal as 225 is more than adequate for the seal material on the lids to soften.

almost April

Woke up to hard freeze today. After several weeks of mild weather, nectarine tree was in full bloom. now hard freeze. no nectarines for us this year! Unfortunately, this happens very often. Have to see what I can do to alter this, protect the tree more after the blooms, obviously, but how to really do that?!?!

Things have not been moving as fast as I would like in the garden and the tomato seedlings in the house are getting leggy. Got to pick up the pace in getting the pots ready for the plants.

almost equinox

got out today and started the clean up of the garden beds. The flower garden had old flower stalks pulled, marigold and echinacea seeds scattered, weeds pulled. Weeds pulled around the garlic and across from the garlic, some major weeds were forming. Took out old trellises and protective fencing, weeded, weeded, weeded. Cut down last years stalks in the asparagus bed.

Had to remove quite a few mullein plants. LOVE mullein, and it can grow outside the garden all it wants, but not in the beds themselves. But if it grows outside the beds, it scatters seeds everywhere. So some serious removal of plantlets had to be done.

in the flower beds, last year had put some small daffodil bulbs. The old established plants in the front yard are in full flower, but a few years ago had transferred some to a flower bed we were trying to establish by the greenhouse. That bed became the asparagus bed, so the bulbs went into the flower beds that surround the veggie garden. They have all come up with leaves. Doubt that we’ll get flowers, they were teeny almost lost bulbs, but in time, with water and care, they should take well.

In the green house cleaned out most of the original fall growth of lettuce. Just a few plants left there now, and am hoping to get some seeds of my favorites. Meanwhile, have made room to plant some chard seedlings in there.

The peas planted in the greenhouse, for some very unknown reason, only came up in half the container. Quite a straight demarcation line between those that have sprouted and those that did not. The ones that did are probably 3″ tall now, and am just seeing some sprouting in the other half of the container. Somehow must have planted those much deeper that the others. OR, because of the angle of the sun, the rest of the container wasn’t getting enough light. Very strange, but that’s gardening, a laugh a minute!

Oh yes, asparagus starting too. Some of the plants have been with me for years, but were just transferred into this bed, while others were just new to me planted last year. Will let all go to seed to make sure they are well established. Just feed and weed this year.

Almost lost the butterfly plant I’d bought last year, but see new growth there too. YEAH!!

too soon?

Expecting my tomato seeds to germinate much slower than they did, now have good 4″ tall seedlings and its not even mid-March. Much too soon to go out. But they will have to be planted by end month, will just have to be very careful of protecting them at night

Meanwhile, of the 30 garlic cloves planted last fall, 29 have broken through. A couple came up back in January, but see the tips of the slower ones breaking ground. These are all elephant garlic this year which I’m enjoying. A nice subtle flavor to our food; not overwhelming garlic, but really nice.

update on seedlings

Tomatoes did good – have just transplanted the Beefsteak and the Striped Roma into 4″ Coir pots. Peat pots never seem to break down for me – maybe because I use Ollas and the area around the pots does not get wet enough – so am trying coir. The Romas tend to get very ivy-ish unless supported and they were all leggy seedlings, so sort of coiled the long stems into the soil. When done, they all looked sad and wilted. Hopefully a good heavy does of water and sunshine will have them perk up. Beefsteaks took the transplanting better. They will all be grown this summer in containers near the house. This will allow an early planting as the house will mitigate temps, but also gives them some shade as there is a tree in the corner of the house that keeps them from getting too much sun. They did well last year, expect the same this year. and this year am prepared with my red Christmas ornaments to hang around the plants early to discourage birds at least.

Leaving the Calendula in their little coir pots and right now, the chard is being left as is. Just they will move to the greenhouse for their new homes. There were only 2 spinach seedlings so planted them right into the leafy greens grow bag that was happening.

ALso put the last of the Amaryllis bulbs into soil.

Sadly. none of the endive seeds sprouted, and they were fresh! will start them again this fall with the early lettuce. For some reason, always have the need for Escarole soup in the spring. Must be the Bitter Herb thing. Rarely find it at the farmers markets or in the Health Food Store and NEVER at the supermarket.

Now putting last year’s experiment with Mr. Stacky onto Freecycle as well as the old, found them to be more trouble than they were worth, Wall o Waters.Tomorrow afternoon will work with the kitchen garden bed for the chard, and some chinese cabbage and we’ll see what else.

Time to start cleaning out the old garden beds so I can plant some peas outside. march 17th was my old planting date. Will have to check the moon cycle. Since full moon is the end of this month, probably somewhere around the 5th will be the pea planting date.

signs of spring

Usually start seeds in the greenhouse somewhere mid-Feb to mid-March. To do so means keeping the greenhouse warm which brings aphids to the cool weather plants like lettuce. to start seeds this year, chose to build this triangle shelf with grow lights in the corner of my bathroom. two different types of grow lights. Do one work better than the other? Another experiment. Worked too well actually, and/or did not think out how to handle the seedlings of the tomatoes particularly. In the greenhouse they always took weeks to sprout. In the warmth of the bathroom they were up in less than a week! The calendula seeds were 5 years old and were always difficult to sprout and yet they too took less than a week to come up. So obviously some of these already need to into bigger pots already!

in the greenhouse, the lettuce planted last fall is about done. am letting certain plants go to seed. On the left is a pot planted with a mix mid-December. obviously waiting for the light! Next year, start them in the bathroom under lights!! have also just planted some snap pea seeds in another pot. next pic

back when I got this greenhouse, an option existed for shelves that were to hang from the cross bar. at the time couldn’t afford them and forgot all about the idea until this year. Need a place to bring seedlings from the bathroom (there is chard and spinach as well as the calendula and tomatoes) and its time to start Kale and Arugula – both of which will be grown strictly for bee flowers! So came up with this arrangement from a couple of extra shelves that were laying around. So far, looks like it will work. The pot farthest from the lettuce is where the peas are planted. The one left empty will get some beans in another month or so. yes, there is a Meyer lemon tree there which is sitting next to a 50gallon water barrel to help mitigate temps.

Out in the main garden about 4 of the garlic have sprouted. Figure if 4 came up, more should, hopefully, eventually. This is an experiment with Elephant garlic. Its a little milder than regular, also easier for my arthritic fingers to handle the bigger bulbs. Got the heads from a place in Georgia so hopefully will work well in our climate (zone 8a)