Monthly Archives: June 2010

While the Pacific NorthWest is a beautiful place to live, it has its drawbacks. One in particular is the extreme unknown on our growing season. While it can be mild in temperature and even quite warm, in the spring, it can also be wet and to an extreme. This particular season has been one of those extremely wet springs that we have grown to semi-tolerate. So what does this mean for the garden? It means that anything that is planted into the ground is in jeopardy of developing disease of multiple types.

In talking to a number of our local gardeners, many have had to replant several times as their gardens have just perishing in the extreme wet weather. While we expect April showers, we also expect a warm Memorial Day. Unfortunately, nature has a way of doing things without concern of our gardens.

After talking to several people in our local area, I found that I am one of the few, who actually has a flourishing garden. So I asked myself, what is the difference between my garden and theirs? In addition, I believe I mentioned previously, we live in a valley, where three hills surround us to the South, East and West, so when it rains, all of the water drains down into our yard. We are only dry for about 3 months out of the year. The only answer I can come up with is that my plants are above the ground and the water doesn’t stand in the containers. The plants get watered, but not drowned and aren’t developing diseases caused by being too wet.

From this year on, I may keep gardening in containers, at least those plants that need a longer season and need to be placed out in early to mid Spring.

Jungle Container Garden

While we’ve been away for a couple of days, our garden has flourished (including the weeds) and we’re finally getting the yard ready in our new home. As you can see above, it’s time to get some space between those lush green tomatoes. I’ll post pictures after our move and give you some great ideas on how to keep the weeds down.

Thinking back, I was quite skeptical about growing vegetables in containers, but what choice did I have. After watching the growth and vigor of each variety, I have to say, growing in containers is a wonderful method for any of you that lack space or simply don’t have the ability to prepare a large garden space.

Not only can you amend the soil differently for each variety you plant, but they can be quickly moved when the plants outgrow the original space you placed them. That is always a problem for me when I plant my tomatoes and other vegetables. I usually space them 3 feet apart, but they always grow together. Now I can simply move the pot a bit so there is a nice walkway between.

The All Blue Potatoes are growing almost as fast as weeds. Last update was May 30th and they are beautiful. I’m truly hoping for a bumper crop of those beautiful blue gems. If you’ve never had blue potatoes, you really need to give them a try. You’ll never go back to Russets or Whites again.

All Blue Potatoes

Tomatoes are just increasing in size, every single day.

Bisignano #2 Tomato

Vining peas are everywhere and I only planted about 8 varieties, so we’ll be into peas for quite some time.

Blue Podded Garden Peas

Scarlet Runner Beans are growing nicely, though they are not the only beans that are planted, they are really coming along beautifully.

Scarlet Runner Beans

Cape Gooseberry plant is looking very healthy and vigorous. It has a number of pods that are starting to bloom, so it should be fun to try them out soon.

Cape Gooseberry

Happy Gardening

If you chose to use tomato cages to support your tomatoes, then there are a few things that you need to do on a regular basis. While they are a simple fix for the support issues, they will quickly become unstable and unable to hold the weight of your large indeterminate tomato plants without being in danger of toppling over.

To begin with, due to the fact that tomatoes grow at such a quick pace, during the warm summer months, they need to be checked daily as they grow. What I mean by this is that they need to be trained to follow the cages upward as they grow. If branches are not pulled up over the rings, they can grow and actually split off from the main branch as they are forced up against the rings.

The pictures shown below give examples of branches that if left to grow as they are, the lower section will grow below the ring and the upper section will grow above the ring, thus splitting the two branches from one another. In order to prevent this, as the branches grow, they need to be carefully pulled above the ring and left to rest on the ring. They will then be supported by the nearest ring.

Tomato Branches

Tomato Branches

Another necessity is to support those beautiful big indeterminate tomatoes and their continued increasing weight. I find that the easiest method to do this is to use wooden slat material or even rebar. It only takes one stake to stabilize the cages. Simply weave it through the rings and down into the soil. Others can be added if needed, when some of these extra tall indeterminate tomatoes get up there in size. You can also tie the branches, that are heavy with those big beautiful tomatoes, to the stakes used for supporting the tomato cage.

Happy Gardening!

The task of watering a large garden, whether it be a vegetable or flower garden, becomes a daunting task. With busy schedules and trying to work daily tasks in, it becomes a difficult chore to remember and complete every day.

Last season, with so many plants to water and so little time to spare, I finally broke down and purchased a supposed “high end” water timer. I programmed it and reprogrammed it, changed batteries and programmed it again. It was such a disappointment and quite costly. It never did turn on with the timer and the only thing that actually worked was the override, which ran for two hours. So watering was two hours if we needed to go anywhere, whether we needed to water for that length of time or not. Not to mention, the company (which I will leave unnamed) would not back it up in any way.

After last season’s experience, I was a bit reluctant to purchase, when I spotted a 4 station water timer by Orbit. It came with the brass 4 way splice unit, which alone is over $14.00, so when the total of the whole timer (including 2 stations and ability to add 2 more stations) was less than half of what I paid for the unit I purchased last year, I decided to give it a try.

Though it takes a bit of programming, it’s pretty simple to figure out. You just need to follow the instructions, step-by-step. It’s WONDERFUL! I can’t even begin to express how much time and worry it has saved. It starts on time and runs it’s program perfectly! It takes 2 AA batteries and it’s simple to unplug the station in case you don’t need to water. It can be set to water daily, every other day, any specific day and so on. I really cannot boast enough about what an amazing system it is.

The nice thing is, you can water different sections of your yard at different intervals, even different days. One station can be set up for 1 hour, then the next station can start when that one stops, and so on. It’s a very powerful system for the price! What an incredible investment and time saver!

After awaiting our move date and holding off planting my squash seeds, it just became too late to wait. So out came the peat pots and I potted up a portion of the vast number of varieties of heirloom squash I have collected over the past year.

These seeds have just gone crazy and germinated in very little time. Over the beautiful sunny weekend, I transplanted 8 varieties into containers. This should be interesting as some are bush types and some are huge vine types. I’m sure it will be much better after they get to their semi permanent location, but I sure hope the move happens in the next couple of weeks or we will be moving huge vines in buckets. This sure doesn’t sound like a fun time to me.

The transplants are very happy so far and have grown almost while watching them. Each day they are reaching for the stars and looking very healthy.

Of the different types of squash I’ve planted, here are a few of the varieties….

Kamo Kamo – This variety is new to me, but one that is becoming rare even in New Zealand where it originated with the Maori People. It is supposed to be a delicious squash with a nutty flavor and can be used as both a Winter as well as a Summer squash. So I’ll be saving hand pollinated seed this season.

Round Of Nice – These adorable little round zucchinis are great for baking, stuffing, frying as well as eating fresh. They are quite prolific as most zucchini plants are.

Odessa – This is also a new variety to me this year, but this is what is said about it. The vining plants produce delicious white zucchini-type fruit and they are very tasty fried. They come from the fertile valleys near Odessa in the Ukraine and are rare. This will be another variety I will hand pollinate and save seed from.

Musquee de Provence – This is also known as the Fairy Tail Pumpkin. Last year’s pumpkins were the absolute best flavored pumpkin I’ve ever tasted. I used this in my “Best Pumpkin Pie” recipe and it was so rich and delicious, everyone who tasted it wanted the recipe and seeds from the pumpkin. These pumpkins are ribbed and more of a flattened globe shape. They are not the traditional orange, in fact they look almost antique in their beauty. A bit of a golden brown to dark green with an orange undertone. In my opinion, they look more like the Cinderella Pumpkin than the Cinderella Pumpkin (Rouge Vif D'Estampes) does.

There are many more varieties sprouting up and ready for transplant, but it will have to be a work in progress.

Happy Planting

After a very mild 2009-10 winter, we have had one of the wettest spring seasons that I can recall. Due to the fact that we live in a small valley, between 3 slopes that drain all water into our yard, we’ve not dried out yet. The yard is 2-12 inches deep in water. So the thought crossed my mind, “Was the fact that I had to plant in containers, a blessing in disguise?” Quite honestly, after viewing how well my tomatoes are growing, I would have to say, ABSOLUTELY YES!

Bisignano #2 Tomato

If I had planted all of those tomatoes in the ground, where our garden has been previously, they would have been saturated and sitting in water during this entire last couple of months. It would have either caused them to rot or become blight stricken. However, with the tomatoes in buckets, all of that moisture drains out and they only end up with the water they absolutely need. Yes, maybe a slight too much, but not what it would have been, had they been in the ground.

Typically, our planting date for tomatoes is Memorial Day. This is usually when the ground is dry enough to put plants and seeds in the ground without being drowned. I’ve had plants out since April, so they are way ahead of schedule.

Black Star Tomato

Not only has there been the benefit of earlier planting with the containers, but there is also the added benefit of being able to winter over my tomatoes. This will enable me to continue planting all of those later starts that have yet to be planted out and I will be able to have tomatoes continue to produce or ripen through the early frosts and into the winter.

Myona Tomato

I can absolutely see the added benefit of planting in containers. The only drawback that I can see, so far, is that some of the larger plants don’t have enough room to become as larger, unless you have larger containers. It’s still a bit early to know for sure on this issue, but the tomato plants that I wintered over last season, have outgrown their containers. Seedlings planted in them, may be a different outcome and I’ll keep track of this as the season continues on.

Wuhib Tomato

This AM, I took a picture of my Cherokee Chocolate tomato and it appears to be changing color. We’re supposed to have some nice weather over the next week, so it may begin to ripen.

Cherokee Chocolate Tomato

Also an update on the Cherokee Chocolate cuttings…I still have to get them in larger containers, but they are doing beautifully.

Rooted Cuttings

Happy Gardening

While I know these creatures are not insects, they are one of my favorite beneficial creatures in the garden. Over the winter months, I end up missing the crooning of these little guys. But quickly, as spring wakes the sleeping plants, animals and insects, we are back to our froggy musicians once again.

I’ve found that with the greenhouse, we have a few little green friends that don’t get tired during the winter months. In fact, it has been a pleasure to hear them vocalize their presence, when we are usually yearning to hear their voices. They have kept the bad creatures at bay…and have enjoyed awaiting the offspring of the Praying Mantids from their egg casing. It’s almost as if they know what will happen if the Mantids are allowed to mature. There really is a lot to be said about instinct and how it plays a roll in creature’s every day behavior.

This past week, I was outside transplanting tomatoes, when I noticed a couple of trays had filled with water, from our downpours of rain. I began dumping the water out to put the trays up for next season’s planting, when I noticed batches of spotted jelly that were stuck to the bottoms. That’s right, I now have tad poles in my trays, so I’ll need to keep them full of water and hope that they will eat the mosquito larva that inhabit the same trays.

As for the greenhouse, it is crawling with frogs. They are in every corner, crack, crevice and tray left on my shelves. But I will give them this, I can safely place my hand under the shelves without fear of finding some vicious biting bug. They are a bit behind on the aphids, but other pests are under control. Frogs are only one variety of amphibians that really should be taken seriously. Newts and Salamanders are also beneficial for your yard and garden, though they are usually in more moist areas.

Some folks don’t like frogs, but I have to say, I welcome them with an open greenhouse. You may notice a dwindling affect on the frogs in your area. This is due to the fact that they are an indicator species, which means they are the first to show signs of decline due to contamination, disease or any other form of environmental change including, but not limited to, loss of ponds and wetlands. Being their skin is permeable, changes in the environment affect them at a staggeringly high rate of speed. It’s really time to go GREEN and I mean environmentally as well as Frogly. Welcome those little guys in your yard and stop using petro-chemical fertilizers and toxic weed killers and bug sprays. I would seriously suggest that note be taken on trying to protect your little green friends. It could be you that dwindles next.

The below pictures were taken today (all but the Dahlia) in my greenhouse, in about 10 minutes.

As I’m sure many of you know, there are plants that can be planted together for a benefit to both varieties. There are also plants that should never be planted together for the very reason some plants do well together others do not. Due to the fact that I have one tomato plant in particular, that is in a split 55 gallon drum, I have plenty of space to test this out, even in containers. My first choice is being made due to the fact that I have recently come across some heirloom seeds that are nearly extinct and I plan on sharing them in years to come.

More information can be viewed about companion planting in Loise Riotte’s book, Carrots Love Tomatoes.

As the title explains, “Carrots and Tomatoes are great companions, so with my passion for heirloom seeds, I will try one of my heirloom carrot varieties. A variety that is nearly extinct, Red Elephant, was sold in Australia until the early 1900’s when it was discontinued by seed companies for unknown reasons. It is a very large rooted variety with deep red flesh. Fortunately, I was able to locate some seed and I plan on wintering over the roots in order to save seed next season.

Other plants that can be grown along side tomatoes are basil, chives, onion, parsley, marigold and nasturtium. While these grow well together, there are actual different benefits from each variety. On another note, while these plants grow well as companions, there are also varieties that should never be grown close to one another. Of these varieties, the Brassica or Cabbage family as well as Potatoes and Fennel should never be planted near the tomatoes in your garden.

After a week and a half of rain, I was finally able to get some updated pictures of the tomato plants. They have really been going to town with their growth and tomato production. Most of the varieties have blossoms and are just about to spring out with baby tomatoes.

My Chinese tomato plants, which are supposed to produce huge yields of 4 to 6 oz. red fruits, have many nice, green, new leaves and blossomes coming out of the tops. They are some of many victims of our wind storm last month, so their lower leaves ended up pretty bruised. But here is a picture of them and how they're coming along….

Chinese June 4th

In the below picture, you’ll see my Vorlon. As you can see by its lower leaves, this plant was also a victim to our wind storm last month. However it is growing quite nicely since it was bruised to the point I didn’t know if it would live or die. This variety is a cross between Cherokee Purple and Pruden's Purple. It's a Potato Leaf Purple/Black and I’m so looking forward to a tasty tomato from this one.

Vorlon June 4th

Now on to my wintered over tomatoes….

Here are some hiding babies in my Buckbee’s New 50 Day…..

Buckbees New 50 Day June 4th

And a nice spray of baby tomatoes on my Super Sioux….

Super Sioux June 4th

As long as I’m updating, I figured I’d show a picture of my blight stricken Brandywine. As you can see, NO BLIGHT and it’s growing amazingly well!

Brandywine June 4th

Happy Planting