Tornados, tomatos, and fear, oh my!

old green house

didn't stand up to the wind

deflated... filled with water... almost collapsed...

tomatoes waiting for warm.  They weathered the wind pretty well.

Finally, some help in the Greenhouse



braconid wasps to the rescue

I was tempted to dust all my plants with bt to reduce the caterpillar damage on my greenhouse tomatoes, but I didn't.  We have been hand picking and waiting for help.  It finally arrived, and seems to be solving the problem.  Maybe we can find balance in the greenhouse now.  Still have more tomatoes than I know what to do with.  One bed left that I should be pulling so I can plant winter greens, but the plants are loaded.  Maybe I'll wait and do more tomato sauce, or roasted tomatoes. 



Tomatoes

Tomatoes have been problematic for us this year.

The tomatoes in the potager have been great, but they are late ripening and there aren't a lot of them due to space.  We wanted more, so we filled the greenhouse with tomatoes this year.  Everything was looking brilliant until I messed up.  Seems like I killed about 1/3 of them. 

We grow our tomatoes pretty close together, about 18 inches apart in the row with 2 rows in a 4 foot bed.  We prune them to a single stem and train them up a string.  It works great, especially where space is at a premium (like in the greenhouse or the potager.)  Pruning and training is an ongoing thing.  I usually do it twice a week.  I snip off the suckers before they get too big, cut away any leaves that look aged or are hanging near the ground, and train the leader up the string a couple more turns.  The kids usually come at least once a week to weed while I am pruning.  Some time around the middle of July we were doing our greenhouse work, and one of the kids hit a weed they couldn't pull (we still have a weed problem... a couple more years should fix most of that.)  I reached down with my pruners and snipped the weed just below the bed surface.  We finished the work and went on with the day.  When I came in the next day to check the water this is what I found...

Within a few days these plants were either dead or wilted and weeping black gunk.  I pulled out about 1/3 of the plants, starting with the plant I'd been pruning when I clipped the weed.  I know better than to prune with dirty clippers, but that didn't stop me.  Bacterial Pith Necrosis.  Seems the bacteria was already in my soil, but only invaded the plant when I introduced it with my dirty clippers.  None of the other plants have shown any symptoms.  Lesson learned I hope.

Then we got invaded.  We leave the ends of the greenhouse open for the summer.  Keeps things cooler and lets in pollinators we want for good fruiting on tomatoes, peppers, etc.  Well it also lets in the yellow striped army worm moth, who layed her eggs all over my tomatoes and peppers.  Now I am picking buckets of the darn worms everyday, trying to save some of my tomatoes.  It isn't a pleasant battle.

You think you are getting this,

but, you end up with this.

How are  your  tomatoes doing?

I am just finishing my garden planning for the spring (I shouldn't say finishing, the details change as the plan gets implemented, but without a plan to work from it's just CHAOS.) I'm also finishing Eliot Colman's The Winter Harvest Handbook. (I like it a lot better than his earlier book The Four Season Harvest. ) It has made me think a lot about what I can do here to ensure we have fresh food year round. I have plans, BIG PLANS.




Starting this week our existing green house goes into production mode. Today will be spent cleaning and prepping. Tomorrow we plant. As you can see from the photos below, we have a bit to do.

In the greenhouse today

Outside the greenhouse

It has warmed up to 36 degrees today. The days are getting longer. We should be eating well rather than just dreaming. I know it can be done, not just from Mr. Coleman's book (he does the impossible all the time, it's a bit intimidating) but because my friends, the Adelsbergers, who live just over the hill from our farm, are doing it. Check out their cold house produce.

The Potager Phaze II - The Greenhouse

The Potager has been a total success. We love it. We have already gotten so much more out of it than we were out of our regular garden. Having an out door living space dedicated to food and beauty has been perfect for us. With the arrival of Fall we have been cleaning up, planting, and starting to plan next years bounty. We have also had some sharp reminders that we are not finished. The plan for this project included a small greenhouse to finish enclosing the north side and to provide a winter home for the plants we have added that can't take the winter temps here. We have a collection of citrus, olive, avocado, banana, and bay trees as well as some potted herbs that we love and need to protect. We will be building a small greenhouse on the southeast end on the shop. We have a space that is 14' x 14'. The northwest wall joins the shop building, so it is solid. We need to provide enough heat and light to keep the citrus trees going all winter and hope to add in some peppers and tomatoes for our own use. I've been playing around with design ideas, but would like to throw the project out there for suggestions. The limits are 14' x 14' and an fairly small budget. We'd like it as self-sustaining as possible, and need it to stay warm enough to keep our tropicals alive and thriving through the winter. We would prefer site generated power and heat as much as possible. I'll be posting some of my initial ideas next Tuesday along with any suggestions made by readers. If there are people who would like to take this on in a serious way I'm sure we could have a design contest. Let me know.

Almost Salad

I've been distracted by political stupidity for the last few days. Important, but...life in the garden goes on.

Today was supposed to be my day to get the last of the bed prep work done in the garden. Instead it is cold and rainy. Life of a farmer. You need the rain, but it never comes at the right time.

Things are progressing despite my distraction and the weather.

In the greenhouse the salad is almost ready to be harvested. I can't wait much longer.

Lettuce Mix 4 weeks

Greens Mix 4 weeks

Peas 4 weeks

baby radicchio

Baby tomatoes second leaves

The first baby tomato

Happy First Day of Spring!

The tomatoes have finally started to emerge in the propagator. I thought that the herbs would take longer, but they are mostly up. Today I'm pulling some of them off the heat mat and putting in another flat of lettuce for the grow pipes. I'm not sure why the tomatoes have been so slow. The temp setting is well with in their optimal range (maybe a little on the cool side of optimal, but not much.) Maybe I should try Heather's (Grow It. Eat It) planting method. She got things popping right up. Of course, I'd have to find a "lovely pink vintage nightie", which probably wouldn't inspire anything to grow. Could make some money selling tickets to the neighbors though.

Second leaves

It's been a busy weekend. The weather was decidedly OK for a change (at this time of year we don't wish for great, but OK is pretty good). Nice enough to get some things done out in the garden, mostly clearing and prepping beds. It was fun to be out in the air, working the ground, seeing the future laid out and waiting.

In the house things have progressed to touching up the crown molding and spots on the walls, finishing the trim, and final cleaning. All the water damage is fixed with the exception of one spot in the upstairs bedroom (a patch waiting for paint) and the down stairs bathroom (waiting on a few small patches and paint). It will be nice to get it finally done. Back to the beginning is good at this point.

In the greenhouse the first succession plants are getting their second leaves. Soon they will be salad.

successions

First planting, time to thin and weed

Spinach has it's second leaves!

Second planting is filling out

Peas are really starting to grow

The thyme, radicchio, and lettuce are all sprouting in the propagator. The camera kept steaming up so there are no pictures.

My spare time has been spent on reading several bills working their way through congress (I'll be posting on those soon!!!), writing notes for a beginning gardening class I'm teaching tomorrow (a joint effort between the community garden group, Head Start, and a few hippy farmers like me), and writing my post for Not Dabbling In Normal (out tomorrow, you'll have to go there to see what it is.)

We are ordering pavers for the potager paths. Hope to be starting the hard-scape soon.

Waiting on baby goats to be born, rabbits to arrive, and winning the lotto so I can hire some help.

Greenhouse update

Planted the final succession of salad greens in the greenhouse. Everything is doing very well. Can't wait to have fresh greens again.

The peas are starting to stretch. I don't know how long I will let them stay, planted them mostly as green manure, but is sure is fun to watch them grow. I'm sure some of them will make it to harvest.

In the propagator I have five flats germinating. Mostly herbs for the potager, and lettuce for the grow pipes. I also am starting a few tomatoes and peppers to plant in the greenhouse for the summer. They will go in the ground at least a month earlier than the outside ones and will produce earlier and longer due to the extra heat.

Succession Planting

Most of the greenhouse is currently devoted to waiting. There are a few things on the propagation mat, but I don't want to get too far ahead of my self. Last frost is mid May, and that is a ways away. The greenhouse bed is currently home to some spring greens for our personal use. I only plant enough for a week (about 16 feet of lettuce mix, 16 feet of spicy greens, a few radishes, and some spinach). The next week I do it again. On Thursday, the 12th, I'll plant the last succession in the greenhouse. Those three blocks will hold us until the temps outside are conducive for greens production. Here's what it looks like.

The greenhouse bed

First Succession Planted Feb 26th

Second Succession Planted March 5th

Planting three blocks like this gives each block about 2 weeks to regrow before we harvest from it again. That should keep us in young fresh salad and cooking greens until the first week in May. At that time the big blocks outside will be in full production. Next week I am hanging my grow pipes to put in more greens that we will let grow to full size. Some of these will go to the market, and we will use some. More green house posts to come as the bench fills up, the herbs fill in, and I try to get a jump on the warm weather crops.

There Alive!

Got back into the greenhouse.

Green are all up
Greens

Spinach survived!!!

Peas are up

Feels a bit like spring.

Babies Emerge

Things are starting to grow in the greenhouse bed. Makes me feel like this long winter may be nearing it's end. It was a balmy 18 degrees and calm this morning, up a bit from the 9 degrees of the last few days. When I went to the green house it was above freezing inside (no wind makes a big difference). Under the mini-hoops I found these.

Radish babies


Spicy Mustard Greens mix

Death of Rats comes to call

I was working in the green house this morning. Once again replanting the spinach and fitting wire mesh over the bed to try to protect them from the mice. The wire I needed was in a corner of the greenhouse under a board I've been meaning to move but haven't gotten to yet. I bent over to pick up the board and this little fellow tapped me on the shoulder. I glanced back, a bit startled to see him sitting there grinning, then flipped the board. Out scampered the biggest, fattest field mouse I've ever seen. (7.75 inches from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.)

Thanks to Terry Pratchett for creating such a helpful demigod

Without even thinking, my size 9 boot stomped down. End of mouse. Death of Rats scooped the suprised little fellow up, squeaked that there "IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH" and faded into the multiverse from whence he came.

That should slow down the spinach seed eating for a day or two. By then the Cunning Artificers may have produced their better mouse trap and I will be set.

Mouse Wars - The invasion of the greenhouse

A long time ago

in a galaxy far, far away...



Oops, wrong movie.


Not so long ago

in a corn field next door

the evil mouse sith were preparing

to invade the last

out post of the human

rebel alliance.

Mouse Wars

The Evil Mouse Sith have led the forces of the empire in an invasion of the new rebel outpost on the edge of the Corn Field Galaxy. The Jedi Cats patrol the area but are not allowed into the outpost by Governor Grumpy Farmer. Jedi battle techniques cause disruption of the poly shield that protects the community from the hostilities of space. At his wits end, after suffering massive losses in the fledgling community, Governor Grumpy Farmer left the outpost in search of a Cunning Artificer who could build him a better mouse trap. He has not returned...


The mice are eating my spinach seed as fast as I can plant it. I can't let the cat's in, they shred the poly cover which doesn't make me happy. I'm looking for some high volume, industrial mouse trap, but so far haven't found anything that really works.

The Lion's of March

This year the lion welcoming March is an ice lion. Better that than an ice dragon (they stay much longer, and tend to eat everything), but not pleasant anyway. This morning it was 12.7 deg F at my house. 30 deg in the greenhouse and 34 in the mini-hoop house. Not very nice for starting new plants. The sun is coming out intermittently (when it finds a gap in the flurries), so it should warm up a bit in there. If it stays out too long I'll have to open up the mini hoops. Otherwise everything will cook. At least we are not getting the snow that the coast is getting. Had that last year. Don't want another early spring with snow on the ground.

I must apologize to Susan at Wild Yeast for forgetting the link to her recipe for Taralli. We really enjoyed making and eating them.

Another interesting development at the Roost. I've been asked to be a contributing writer for the collaborative blog Not Dabbling In Normal (formerly Women Not Dabbling In Normal). I'm really excited, and a bit nervous about this. I know what we are doing fits the description, Not Dabbling (glacial sometimes, but never in a dabbling way) and certainly Not Normal, but these are good writers, so I have a high standard to meet. Check it out. I'll be posting on Tuesdays in rotation with another writer.

Franny update. She is doing very well. Took a blood sample in this morning. Waiting on the all clear. She acts like she is better, so that is a good sign.

Franny is feeling better

Bed Warmer

We have only had about a week of temps above freezing this month with many days in the 20 and nights near or below 0. It has also been rather cloudy. The result of all this is that the planting bed in my greenhouse hasn't warmed up as much as I needed it to so I could get some things started. My greenhouse is a bit drafty, still missing a few bits to get it sealed up nicely. It is also completely unheated. I'm working on fixing those problems, but it's not getting done fast enough. So, I installed a bed warmer today. It should help capture any heat and hold it through the night. We have a couple of warm days predicted so I'm hoping to get the frost out of the soil today (sunny!!!) and get some things planted tomorrow.

Mini-hoop house

The mini-hoop bed warmer should give me an extra 10 degrees at night which will speed germination. I'll open it up during the day so things don't cook. I make my mini-hoops out of 9 gauge wire and cover it with a piece of greenhouse plastic I trimmed off when we put the cover on the big house.

9 gauge wire hoops

For my 4 foot beds I use 8 feet of wire. That allows me to poke enough of each end into the dirt that they stand up quite well. I like them much better than pvc hoops. They last longer and cost less. In a few weeks I will be using it out in the production garden to warm a section of bed so I can get my salad greens planted in time for the open of the Farmers Market.

Dirt Therapy

Finally, a few hours with my fingers in the dirt. It's amazing how much I've missed that connection over the long dark of winter. Today the greenhouse bed finally got some much needed attention. This weekend I'll be planting the first of the early greens and lettuce, as well as some peas as a cover crop in the end of the bed that had tomatoes last year. It makes me smile just thinking about getting some seeds in the ground.

My favorite things - good digging forks, a rake, and dirt

Greenhouse Tomatoes and Beef Wellington

Hiding in the grass.
(I don't really want a name or to have my picture taken!)

First, I've decided to call our new Beef calf Wellington. Classy, subtle, but to the point. I'm sure that he will mostly be called Sir Loin as that was the most popular name in the family, and "Hey, Stupid!!" by me (other things too as time goes on. My dad, who never swore, told me it was OK to swear at cows and tractors. I wouldn't want to let him down.)

Wellington, trying out his new name.

THANK YOU for participating in our very informal, "Name the Calf" challenge. There were no prizes to be awarded, but I got a good laugh out of all the submissions. (If I was a serious blogger, interested in attracting people to my blog and making money (I'm still not sure how that works), I would have had a formal contest and given the winner something, like a beef calf. Maybe next time.)

Now, back to the rest of life.

Before the calf, we were finishing up the apple sauce. We put up 28 quarts of apple sauce. We like apple sauce, but not every day, so that is enough for a year. We still had apples left, so we offered them to our friend M, who took them to make pie and sauce. Saturday we are going swimming in her pond, and maybe, if we are really lucky, there will be pie. I'll bring a pint of cream from May, Wellington's mom, (we will have milk from her by then and it's to die for) to whip for a topping just in case.

Apple sauce to see us through the year

I've also been battling with leaf curl on my greenhouse tomatoes. I've tried everything. Nothing has worked. Since I don't see any sign of leaf curl in the cherry tomatoes, growing two feet away in the same dirt, I have to assume that it isn't a nutritional or water deficiency, and that it is something more sinister. Next year I will opt for a different kind of tomato. The leaf curl is causing other problems. In combination with my trellising and pruning techniques, it is exposing the fruit to a lot of sun and heat. The result, GREEN SHOULDERS. Not too bad to look at, but it really compromises the shelf life. If I shade it, the basil and everything else will suffer. Again, the cherry tomatoes, without the leaf curl, are doing just fine. So are all the other things in the nightshade family(peppers, and egg plant in my case). Well, there is always next year (or this fall in the case of the green house.)

Green Shoulders

Happy Peppers
and Egg Plant thriving in the green house.

The Jury is still out

I tried Epsom salts on my tomatoes two different ways. On half I put it into the soil and on the other half I sprayed it on as a foiler feed. The leaves on the upper part of the plants seem to be opening a bit, but I haven't seen any dramatic improvement from either method.







Still, the plants are quite productive so I won't give up yet. The other things in the bed seem to be doing quite well.


The chard loves life in the greenhouse.

The peppers are thriving (as long as I can keep them from being over come by the biodiversity in the greenhouse.) The eggplant is also doing well but I seem to have misplaced the picture.

This past week, during farm camp, we got the garlic harvested. It looks pretty good. It was nice to have the extra hands, and the kids seemed to enjoy it.