Week 6

I had big plans for Week 6, plans that were foiled by Mother Nature and her evil accomplice, Snow.

Weird March Snowfall

So, we're all ready to put seeds and plants into the garden, and on Friday, I get home early and take a good look at the weather, and the forecast is calling for "wintry mix" and an overnight weekend low of 28 degrees!  There's no way we're moving plants out of the greenhouse in that kind of weather.  Saturday is chilly, and Sunday morning we woke up to sleet.  Snow flurries came later.

Garden Gnome

There was one addition to the garden this week...Angel picked up a sweet orange garden gnome at Target.  I'm definitely not into yard statuary, but this little guy just seems right in the corner of the garden. 

Strawberry plants with snowcover

I did cover some hyacinths that were blooming, but everything else should withstand a little cold snap just fine.  The forecast for the upcoming weekend looks dreary, but it shouldn't dip below freezing.  Seeds will go in the ground, but maybe not greenhouse plants quite yet.

Givler Composting System

Composting

Yeah, we compost.  We hear your snickers, your sneer that rates us home composters one step from midwestern militiamen building bomb shelters in their backyard.  Whatever.

Ok, so last year I built the ugliest compost pile known to man.  4 wood stakes and chicken wire.  I figured that if we dumped garden waste, leaves, and kitchen scraps into a pile, we'd magically have rich compost to use. 
Well, it didn't work out that way.  Over the winter I did some research and learned that compost is a little more complicated than that.  No much more, but a little.  Compost piles should have about 50% brown stuff like leaves and 50% green stuff like grass clippings, kitchen scraps, etc.  These things should be layered, watered, and stirred up weekly.  It also needs something to kick-start the process like manure.  Once you start getting days where it gets above 55 degrees, microbes start going to town on your compost.  In fact, they eventually can raise the internal temperature of the compost to 150 degrees!  They decompose all that organic matter and turn it into this rich, crumbly, nice-smelling stuff that you can use as potting soil, or add to the garden like fertilizer.
There's also 2 ways to compost...The way we were doing it is called the "add as you go method."  Basically, it's the lazy man's way.  As you get organic matter, you put it on the pile and hope for the best.  The other way is the "batch method."  It's where you layer your greens and browns, add some poop as accellerant, and let that batch cook, turning it and watering weekly.
Well, my parents had purchased a commercially made compost bin last year but had never set it up.  It sat in pieces in their backyard.  I asked them about it and Dad said that Mom wanted it and Mom said that Dad wanted it.  They eventually got into the same room and realized they'd miscommunicated.  Neither wanted it and their solution was to offer it to us.  So we set it up next to our existing compost pile, read up about how compost works, and mixed up a batch.  We're still doing add-as-you-go in the old pile, and the batch method in the new commercial bin, sort of...we put kitchen scraps into that bin.  I figure that in about 3 weeks my first batch will be ready to use.  The warmer it gets, the faster the composting.
Last year's compost pile did produce some compost.  It's nice, rich stuff, but it still has undecomposed plant roots in it.  Besides producing this rich organic soil, composting has one other benefit for us.  It reduces our outgoing amount of trash.  When you have a garden, you have waste...rotten vegetables, plants to uproot and toss, weeds, etc.  We also actually cook a good bit, and there's plenty of vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and other waste from the kitchen.  Composting allows us to reduce the amount of trips we have to take to the dump.  The only real negative is the unattractive plastic milk jug on the counter with stinky scraps in it.  Angel doesn't complain about it, but I need to find a better container for inside the house.

Week 5

Seeds a-poppin'

The week ending with March 19 & 20 was all about growth.  There were a bunch of sunny days and the greenhouse stayed warm.  Everything has popped out of the soil except for some of last potted seeds, cayenne peppers and spearmint. 

Park Early Hybrid 'Maters

Lettuces and some of these tomatoes are really ready to go in the ground, but the almanac says that April 6 is the last possible frost date.  We're not going to wait until then, but it's still a bit too early to move these guys out of the greenhouse.  We do plan to put some of the seeds that can stand a little cold direct into the ground this week...broccolli, radishes, lettuce, turnips, green onion, and more.

Romaine above, leaf lettuce below.

It was a busy weekend.  I took the tiller on a road trip to Aunt Sharon's and tilled her a garden plot about 3 times the size of her old garden.  She gave us moonflower seeds, which Angel potted today.  They are huge seeds, the size of a kernel of corn but more rounded.  Sharon's instructions were to soak them in water overnight and then keep them moist in potting soil.  The flowers bloom in the moonlight, close during the day.  Pretty cool.

Angel and I went to Wal-Mart on Sunday and picked out flowering plants, Blue Lithodora to be a ground cover in the bed next to the greenhouse, and Hyacinths to go in another bed.  That afternoon, while I tilled, Angel and Jacob planted and weeded in those flowerbeds.

After second tilling, ready to rock and roll

I took the wheels off the tiller and did a second, final, and very deep till.  And I mean deep.  Afterwards, I raked and evened it out, and everywhere I stepped my feet sank in 2 or 3 inches.  It rained that night and the next morning.  Soil prep is over.  It's time to get seed in the ground.

Week 4

Week 4 view of the garden...gotta stop taking these pics early in the morning.

The weekend ending with March 12/13 was pretty productive.  With the new tiller, and good weather, a whole bunch of stuff got done.  It rained a lot leading up to the weekend, but the garden soil dried out enough that we could till on Sunday.  Saturday the strawberry patch was cleaned and weeded.  Dad gave me a couple weird plants over the weekend, two "Dollar" plants that I planted in a shady spot under our dogwoods.  The other plants are very odd...maybe I'll put up a post about greenhouse additions later.

The Heart

Angel has been working for a while on this heart-shaped flowerbed in the middle of the backyard.  Mr. C, the previous owner, built it, and put 2 swan-shaped concrete planters in it.  He also planted 3 crepe myrtles in the heart.  Mr. C and his wife raised 3 daughters in this home.  The symbolism of this flowerbed is heart-warming.  (that was not intended as a pun)  Angel planted Lily of the Valley in the flowerbed, Tiny Tot Gladiolas, and Freesia in there over the past 2 weeks.  It's gonna be beautiful.

Kick-Ass Soil, with manure, composted leaves, and lime tilled in.

Angel also potted sunflower seeds over the weekend.  There are a lot of things happening with the seeds in the greenhouse.  Reclaimed Kung Pao Hybrid Pepper seeds germinated, along with Cherokee Purple, Big Beef, and Super Sweet 'maters.  Small and Large Thai Peppers, the ones I got from Dee and Scott in South Carlina, have also started to pop.  Eggplant and Cilantro are up as well.  More to come!

Tiller!

The new tiller

The Givler Family are now proud owners of a tiller.  I'd been leaning towards renting a tiller, but Angel encouraged me to purchase one.  The State Tax refund check arrived this week, so it was on!  After a little internet searching, and a visit to Home Depot, the "Huskee" Brand Garden Tiller with a Briggs & Stratton engine from Tractor Supply was brought home in the Pathfinder.  After putting in 10W30 and fresh gas, our new family member started up right away and tilled like a champ.

Angelia getting her till on

I tilled some, and then Angel kicked off her shoes and grabbed the plow handles.  I love this picture of her in a dress, fully accessorized with hoop earrings and silver rings, rototilling our garden barefoot.  I think this violates nearly every safety rule in the manufacturer's operating manual, but she had fun, and that's all that matters. 

List of stuff growning in our greenhouse

Ok, here is a complete list of the plant life currently growing or germinating in the Givler Family Greenhouse:

Herbs

• Chives
• Cilantro
• Spearmint
• Oregano
• Sweet Basil
• Genovese Basil
• Rosemary
• Peppermint

Peppers

• Jalepeno
• Cayenne
• Kung Pao Hybrid
• Altris
• Carribean Red
• Large Thai Red
• Small Thai Red




Park Early Hybrid 'Maters

Tomatoes

• Jelly Bean
• Big Beef
• Super Sweet
• Cherokee Purple
• Park Early Hybrid

Cucumbers pushing up out of the soil

Other Veggies

• Eggplant
• Cabbage
• Cucumber
• Radishes
• Leaf Lettuce
• Romaine Lettuce
• two unknown large seeds, I think squash (?)

Other Plants

• Zinnias that Angel started in pots from seed.  When you buy from Park Seed, they throw in a random free packet of seeds with your order.  This year it was Zinnias.
• Morning Glory.  These grew wild in the garden at the end of the season last year.  We loved them, and I saved the seeds they produced.  I'm unsure if they will germinate, but they are in dirt.
• Japanese Red Maple Tree...it's a little over a year old, Angel got it from her mom's yard.  She has a red maple and the seeds often germinate.  Angel has been tending it in the greenhouse all winter.
• Wandering Jew, a plant we've had for many years.  I can't remember where it came from, but I know that it was given to Angel. It has survived 3 or 4 moves.  It dies back in winter but grows fast and constantly once it gets warm.
• Finally, I have two plants that I have no clue about.  If you know what they are, please tell me.  Pictures below...



This one was in a gift basket I got last summer during my hospital stay.

We received this plant as first time visitors to Mechanicsvill UMC

Week 3

Week 3 - nothing but a little shovelling

Ok, the week ending with March 5 & 6, really didn't have much of anything happening is the actual garden.  Some dirt got turned with the shovel, but not really that much.  I had to work in the morning on Saturday, and then we all went to my sister's "Soul Food" Birthday Celebration in the afternoon & evening.  It rained most of the day on Sunday, so that was primarily a greenhouse day.

Seeds starting in pots

Things may have gotten a little crazy in the greenhouse in the seed germination department.  There is a ton of seed starting in pots.  I've added more basil, chives, and spearmint to the herb collection.  Cayenne peppers, morning glories, and jelly bean tomatoes are now in pots, too.  I need to make a list of everything that's been started in the greenhouse.  Maybe a later post.  Oh, and the greenhouse has leaks now.  All the snow and ice this season must have broken up some of the caulking on the roof.  There are three or four places where the roof is now leaking.  Not a huge deal, but something that needs fixing.  Fun, fun.

Week 3 additions

Herb

No, We're not growing marijuana.  We are growing peppermint, rosemary, oregano, sweet basil, and cilantro in pots.  Well, the first three are in one big pot right now.

Pot of herbs

Last year this huge planter had lemon basil, sweet basil, peppermint, oregano, and rosemary.  The mint came from a "Master Gardener" plant sale organized by the county.  The rest of the herbs came from Angel's friend Nikita.  Angel and Jacob moved it into the greenhouse in early winter, but I did not heat the greenhouse until February, so the basils died, and the mint died back.  The oregano and rosemary survived the cold just fine.  However, since things have warmed up, the mint has perked up.  It has totally taken over the planter.  Two weeks ago I hit it with a MiracleGro solution, and have been watering every other day.  Each day you can literally see the mint growth.  I'm probably going to have to transplant the rosemary and oregano into other pots so they can survive the mint explosion.

I started sweet basil in pots a while back.  They germinated, but really haven't done much so far.  I kinda think it's just not warm enough yet for them.  The seed that was a year old, and purchased for a dollar at Target.  Much of it didn't germinate.

Sweet basil...ain't doing much

I started some cilantro, but that was recent.  No germination yet.  I also saved some basil and cilantro seeds to direct sow into the garden when it gets warm enough.

2011 Garden - Week 2

Week 2, ending the weekend of Feb 26 & 27, was pretty similar to Week 1... more soil prep, more planting in the greenhouse.  Got the wood border around the garden two-thirds finished, and started shovel-turning the soil.  Shovelling is a slow process, but in my opinion it gets deeper than tilling.  It is also an amazing stress reliever.  The boys helped, too, which made me happy.

The seed that needed to be started in the greenhouse is now almost all in pots.  Peppers, 4 varieties of tomatoes, cukes, and eggplant.  I also bought a 4-pack of cabbage plants for $1.75.  It's still too early to put stuff in the ground...we had frost last night!  The lettuces in pots have really thin stems...I'm a little worried about that, and I wonder if I'm over watering them.

That weekend, my wife cleaned out a flower bed right next to our greenhouse, also in preparation for planting.  She's going to put flowers in there.


Week 2




starting seeds, week 2




plants in greenhouse, week 2



Starting the 2011 Garden - Week 1

In January, I planned out what I wanted to grow.  I had some seed left over from 2010.  I looked through catalogs to fill in the gaps in what I wanted to grow but didn't have.  My father ordered the seeds.  He wants to take care of that, and I have no problems letting him do so.  I view him as the Godfather of the garden.

When the seed arrived in mid-February, I kicked it into gear.  In last fall, we'd raked leaves over the empty garden, and I wanted to chip them, store them, and add them to the compost.  Dad has a chipper, so on Feb. 19, I borrowed that and chipped leaves plus some dry vegetable stalks that were not composted. 

That same weekend, We started a bunch of seed in the greenhouse.  Some varieties of tomatoes, lettuce, and lettuce.  My wife started some zinnias.  Since then, I have also started my hot peppers...5 different varieties.  I like hot stuff, and hot peppers grow very well in my soil, and they make great gifts - dried on thread as a garland, pickled in vinegar, and cooked as a hot sauce and canned.  I also started some cilantro, and a dozen radishes.  Yes, radishes...it's silly, but I love the flavor of the radish roots and the leaves in salads, and I want to see how they do in the greenhouse.  Angel loves radish leaves in her salad, too.

We also started soil prep.  Last year there was no border on the garden of any sort.  Grass and weeds encrouched heavily, and it was a real chore beating them back.  So, we got our boys out there with shovels and the three of us dug a trench around the outside edge of the garden.  I started setting in old landscape timbers that my parent's had laying around, and some old scrap boards I had behind the Batcave.  Yes, I call my workshop the Batcave.  Shut your mouth.

My wife and I also scored some manure from one of my mother's friends who keeps horses.  We drove my Pathfinder out in the pasture, and shovelled 7 boxes full of horse crap.  About half of it I spread directly on the garden.  The garden is 20 feet by 50 feet, so it's not really a lot of manure on 1000 square feet, but we think it will add good stuff to the soil when we till it in.  I put the rest of the manure in the compost.  I also spread 20 pounds of pelleted limestone in the garden.  I consider Feb. 19 & 20 to be the official start of the 2011 garden...Week 1.

Feb. 20, 2011.  Starting the border, soil prep.

Feb. 20, seeds in the greenhouse