Getting the fall garden ready

So after a couple of days a good rain, today was a good day to get the beds ready and plant some seeds.  I removed what was left of the cantaloupe vines and tomatoes and planted some seeds. I also took some cuttings from the cherry tomato plants and transplanted those into different beds.  While transplanting some the cherry tomatoes I found this little green fella, first one I have ever seen.   

Hopefully he is taking care of these little things. 

For this year's fall garden I planted cantaloupe, carrots, watermelon, beets, broccoli, cilantro, brussels sprouts, and kale.  Plants that are continuing to grow from the summer are tomatoes, jalapenos, eggplant, sweet peppers, and celery that I took from the kitchen and planted.  The Swiss chard which was completely eaten by bugs, a couple of weeks ago, I just cut everything off and after the days of rain, new leaves have started to grow.

The herbs are doing pretty good still, after the rain the basil has sprouted back, the mint has come back and it looks like new basil has started popping up in A few new places.

Can't remember if I posted this in my last post but some onions that I planted four years ago in one of my old beds are still growing. I transplanted them to some new beds and they are still looking good. We cut off the tops and eat fresh scallions.

About a month ago I planted some tomatillos and forgot about it. Plants that were popping up where I planted them. I. thought they were weeds and so I ripped them out but it looks like that's what a tomatillo plant looks like.  So I'm gonna leave them in this time.

I decided to make some markers for my plants because I always forgot what I planted and the old markers I used had either faded or they broke so this time I took a paint pen and wrote on some rocks I had in the backyard. 

I am still thinking about transplanting my grapevines but my neighbor keeps telling me not to. He tells me I should make some cuttings and then plant those into my new spots. I just don't like how my trellis project looks and I want to build a new one. I want to take the the cross support beams that I used for my grapes and move them to the side of my bed and use it as a wall for my cucumbers and watermelons to climb up. The only problem would be that after a while the plants would block out the morning sun from the rest of the garden. 

Some other good news that happened to me this week, a friend of mine called me up because he got a garden plot at community garden in downtown Austin and wants me to help him out getting it started. It made me feel good to know that my gardening experience is getting recognized.  

Get dirty and keep on gardening!

Most useful garden/kitchen tool for this year's growing season

A cheap salad spinner. This handy tool is being used at least once a week to wash and spin my lettuce from the garden.  

A couple of changes for this years Summer garden are: 

Not worrying about companion planting. Using soaker hoses with a timer that waters every morning, early in the morning, 3 AM for 30 minutes for deep soaking and not mulching like last year.

So far this growing season is doing a lot better than last year.

So well in fact that I still have a lot of. Jalapeño peppers still in fridge to use.  

The first of many cucumbers has started to grow.  These are going to be some pretty big cucumbers. 

Here's a view of more cucumber vines, Bibb lettuce, and buckets of herbs (basil, mint, and cilantro). 

The grape vines actually started out great in May but are now beginning to turn their leaves yellow. Not sure what the cause is so will have to do a little research to find out.  On the left side is a tomato cage containing about four cucumber vines.  I have never had vines so long before, so I am looping them up in the cage to try to keep them off the ground away from slugs and other hungry critters.  This past weekend there was a squirrel convention in my backyard. I counted around 10 squirrels in and around my garden.  As son as I would chase some in one direction. Others would flank the garden from the other side.  Cassie was even trying to help me but there were to many for us.  Some of them even started charging us. These squirrels are getting pretty dangerous. I might have to break down and get an airsoft gun to protect my property and my life.  

Get dirty and keep on gardening. 

Beginning of June

Lots of salad greens ready to be harvested. I have Swiss chard up to my knees, Bibb lettuce, black seeded Simpson, and iceberg.

My tomato crop will be a surprise this year as I planted a variety of types and then forgot which was which. I have never found a labeling system that works.  The one problem is that one variety never turns red so. I might be eating a lot of fried green tomatoes. So far though I have been graced with a bowl of grape tomatoes.

Last week I harvested a zucchini squash that was about 8 inches long and roasted it in the oven. Pretty tasty.  

Jalapeño peppers are doing great as well as my spearmint and cilantro.

Get dirty and keep on gardening!

Late February - Fall Garden update

So my attempt of my first fall garden was successful in my opinion.  Very little watering and just a few days of covering the beds due to below freezing weather while the plants were still young, all in all, I am very pleased at the outcome.

The swiss chard continues to grow and grow throughout.  The cilantro took off quickly and even after freezing, continues to stay strong and grow.  The bib lettuce took awhile but is now ready to harvest.  We enjoyed a salad or two with the black seeded simpson lettuce.  And finally, the broccoli has begun to produce some edible florets.

In the past few weekends, when we had some unusually warm winter weather, I repurposed my self-watering gutter system into a hanging bucket system.  Last summer I grew more mosquitoes than plants, so I thought it was time to go back to the drawing board and see what I could come up with in using the materials that I already had.  The only new stuff I had to purchase was a few lag bolts, couple of bags of concrete, and a small box of screws.

So the plan is to use the buckets to plant tomatoes and peppers from the bottom of the buckets and water from the top.  It will require more frequent watering but at least there won't be standing water for the mosquitoes to produce in.  Underneath the buckets, I have 4 grapevines and some oregano growing.   The grapevines are really going to test my patience since I have been told that it can take up to four years before you will see any growth or produce.

I also started my seeds for the spring/summer garden in my garage.  Planted 3 types of tomatoes, tomatillos, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and two types of cucumbers.  The rest I will so directly in the beds in March.  Other ideas for plants are watermelons, onions, basil, lemon balm, and mint for now.  I always like to experiment with at least one new plant so I am still looking for what that may be.


Once I have some time, I want to put down some decomposed granite between the beds and around the perimeter to keep the weeds down, mud off of Cassie's feet, and my neighbor's cat out of it.  I don't want to, but if it comes down to it, I might even build a small fence around it.

Get dirty and keep on gardening!

My first Fall Garden

So this year was my first attempt of a fall garden.   Usually my summer garden does so well and last so long that by the time I harvest everything, its to late for fall planting.  Since this past summer was a bust, it allotted me the time and opportunity to give a fall garden a chance.   

I first built some new raised beds and moved some things around.  My old 4x4 beds that I have had for about 6 years were beginning to decompose.  I decided to build four 4x8 beds and lay them long ways facing the sun.  I left about 5 feet between the beds and the back fence where I transplanted my grape vines.  I then took some cuttings of oregano from the front yard and planted it between the grape vines. Since I had plenty of room, I left in two of my old 4x4 boxes on the far left side.

With my first attempt at a fall garden I started everything from seed.  I planted swiss chard, broccoli, spinach, bib lettuce, loose leaf lettuce, cilantro, radishes, and some black seeded simpson lettuce. 

swiss chard

cilantro

black seeded simpson

Everything is growing pretty well so far.  I have already harvested some of the simpson and swiss chard and enjoyed eating it in salads and pastas. 

left over spaghetti with swiss chard, onions, garlic, and goat cheese

swiss chard with the stem removed

                   

My bucket system I tried out this summer still has green plants but still not much produce from them.  I had to move them into the garage a few weeks ago when Austin got its first freeze for the winter.  I recently moved them back out to the side of the house for some sun.  I don't expect much from them but I just hate to let them die, so I will continue to water and hope for the best.  Not sure if I will do the self-watering bucket system again next year or not, but I do have a few ideas for the buckets if I don't.  

So what I have learned about fall gardening compared to summer gardening is that you use a lot less water in the fall.  You are limited on types of plants you can grow, and there is the hassle of covering and uncovering your beds due to Texas' weird temperatures.  The weather within a given week will  fluctuate from freezing to mid 80's.   Lettuces are easy to grow but it does take time and effort to wash it thoroughly before eating it.  One good thing is that I haven't seen any pests eating my plants in the fall, to cold for them I guess.  Even though there isn't much, I still love the smell of fresh herbs and vegetables picked straight from the earth.

Get dirty and keep on gardening!

First cucumber harvest of the season, zucchini almost ready, and regrowth of the bib lettuce

I checked the vines today and decided to cut two of the cucumbers off.  The other two I am going to give a couple more days on. Can't eat that many cucumbers at one time.

What's really surprising to me is how fast zucchini grows.  One day it was about the size of a baby carrot and then the next day its about a foot long.  This is my first time growing zucchini and so far, its doing quite well in the raised beds.

I guess we will be making lots of salad in the next few days because the bib lettuce is really growing.  The plant that I cut off about a month ago has already grown back to a nice size.   Need to start a crop rotation calendar to efficiently use all the produce this year.  Saw another decent size strawberry the other day too, but I guess a critter had a juicy snack because it was gone.

 

Get dirty and keep on gardening!

First harvest of the spring season

So far, we have got to enjoy a nice portion of some of the bib lettuce and one nickle size juicy strawberry.  The tomatoes have started to grow now thanks to the recent rain and I discovered a cucumber under the leaves a few days ago about 6 inches long.  I have a few herbs growing too (parsley, basil, dill, and cilantro) but for some reason have never had any luck with the herbs. 

yummy bib lettuce