tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19331459369213955132024-02-07T10:32:21.740-08:00Today's Kitchen GardenJonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-46448447096786215442011-07-11T11:31:00.000-07:002011-07-11T11:59:32.088-07:00Gone...but not forgotten!I can't believe that it has been 2 months since my last post! A lot has happened in my non-gardening life and it has taken up much of my time. I am going to try to restart my regular posting. I plan to review what has been happening in the garden over the past 2 months as well as talk about thoughts for fall and winter harvests. To start, though, I thought I'd toss up a post about or friends in California. They never cease to amaze and here are their latest accomplishments:<br /><br /><a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqdlY6ObMTManpVmqXNVYtdf9cxq1wdbvqWuAw-Uf3goGYIEBe797C_cymmWK_x9QdMPadAG8tXBHku_jy77_BY-QzMeFMR-XthZP3yU97MrdhgDmzVa1LbRBseUienwHzmN2mN9e-Hjy/s1600/summerharvest.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqdlY6ObMTManpVmqXNVYtdf9cxq1wdbvqWuAw-Uf3goGYIEBe797C_cymmWK_x9QdMPadAG8tXBHku_jy77_BY-QzMeFMR-XthZP3yU97MrdhgDmzVa1LbRBseUienwHzmN2mN9e-Hjy/s400/summerharvest.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628170761208293218" /></a><br /><strong>June 2011</strong>610 lbs produce (vegetables, fruits and herbs)</a><br />Eggs <br /><br />112 (duck)<br />48 (chicken)<br /><br /><strong>2011 Year to Date</strong>2,076 lbs produce (vegetables, fruits and herbs)<br /><br />Eggs <br /><br />722 (duck)<br />314 (chicken)<br /><br />How’s your garden growing?<br /><br /><em>By the process of directly working in harmony with nature, we do the one thing most essential to change the world–we change ourselves. ~ Jules Dervaes ~</em>Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-34868636279303647232011-05-10T11:01:00.000-07:002011-05-10T11:12:44.058-07:00Have you harvested anything yet?My role models, the <a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/">Dervaes</a> family, just posted their April and year-to-date harvest tallies. While I know that they have the great fortune of living in a year-round gardening climate, I can still be jealous! Here are the numbers:<br /><br /><a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2011/05/09/april-harvest-tally-3/"><strong>APRIL HARVEST</strong></a>276 lb produce<br /><br />Eggs 141 (Duck) 73 (Chicken)<br /><br /><strong>2011 YEAR TO DATE</strong>939 lb produce<br /><br />Eggs 486 (Duck) 190 (Chicken)<br /><br /><br />Living here in the tundra, I haven't been so lucky. I, so far, have only gotten a few heads of lettuce :(Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-56469701487220532092011-05-04T08:05:00.000-07:002011-05-04T08:51:46.893-07:00Square Foot GardeningSome time ago, one of my wife's friends mentioned to her that she wanted to try 'quadrant gardening' this year. Not having spoken to her, I am guessing that she meant some version of Square Foot Gardening (though she could have meant that she was planning to purchase <a href="http://www.kifandkatast.com.au/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=garden&x=7&y=11">these</a>.)<br /><br />Either way, this will be a post on Square Foot Gardening...a method developed by Mel Bartholomew. Think of this as an exploration of a gardening method as well as a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-New-Square-Foot-Gardening/dp/1591862027/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304521470&sr=8-1">book review</a>.<br /><br />Mel Bartholomew's method is not a new concept. The idea of using close spacing and of growing vertically was used by the Myans, the 18th century French, and the 19th century English. What Mel Bartholomew has done, though, is make it easy!<br /><br />Here's the basic idea.<br /><br />After building a square frame (i.e. no bottom) that is 4ft long on each side, lay out dividers in each direction spaced 1 foot apart. You should end up with a checkerboard-style grid. Now, after adding dirt of course, place one plant in each square (some plants, like lettuce and carrots can have more than one per square). The result should look something like this:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwwZaVJZf24LvXAsHfLGPGjPfrG0yq1aDONUy1xLgwxmaEsxM7Ck7CmGoPygD7QH-qyxj_FtmSM90veZqv5yyOZ7lJv8Ohj4VXdLDe9RYirlUAUinIqp9fDwygnBwxt2GvVSPxMYWzP2p/s1600/garden.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 395px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwwZaVJZf24LvXAsHfLGPGjPfrG0yq1aDONUy1xLgwxmaEsxM7Ck7CmGoPygD7QH-qyxj_FtmSM90veZqv5yyOZ7lJv8Ohj4VXdLDe9RYirlUAUinIqp9fDwygnBwxt2GvVSPxMYWzP2p/s400/garden.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602881426657725410" /></a><br /><br />Notice the trellis in the back. Here's another look at a trellised SFG:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vuqUMhzzhRJDVERppckTdNN_TmxSt3kP0y191_FHHhjdIJ7H7rjXFSxVJAajr4Fb0XOCrhvv4Wc9rHsC28bVBYfyhpxtKTcqEFY4l9YOK_TMbQQBfSKj0AOHgNTjuTz2_naby-cFmxVk/s1600/square-foot-gardening-system-urbangardencasual.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 283px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vuqUMhzzhRJDVERppckTdNN_TmxSt3kP0y191_FHHhjdIJ7H7rjXFSxVJAajr4Fb0XOCrhvv4Wc9rHsC28bVBYfyhpxtKTcqEFY4l9YOK_TMbQQBfSKj0AOHgNTjuTz2_naby-cFmxVk/s400/square-foot-gardening-system-urbangardencasual.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602881873481840418" /></a><br /><br />The trellis allows climbing veggies like peas and beans to really stretch themselves and grow to their full potential.<br /><br />The beauty of this ststem, too, is that it can be scaled up as a person wants to grow more, like this<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83USyIN4d6RVa-_fI_VxS8v-wTanPSsm-WvQ-R4eNmf2DdEqobBc9JK2zEgJa43W99A7ujRXe1nhnWiTdHpTLV14BRYyQMCTBVE9wV8uuXRDVa4mO8WQ2spUuK8CgHOOeD0opgWpj3DhM/s1600/65c2e893e7a041b8330ff010_L.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83USyIN4d6RVa-_fI_VxS8v-wTanPSsm-WvQ-R4eNmf2DdEqobBc9JK2zEgJa43W99A7ujRXe1nhnWiTdHpTLV14BRYyQMCTBVE9wV8uuXRDVa4mO8WQ2spUuK8CgHOOeD0opgWpj3DhM/s400/65c2e893e7a041b8330ff010_L.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602882453649009890" /></a><br /><br />So...how do you know how many plants to put in each square or how to arrange them? You could but Mel's <a href="http://www.squarefootgardening.com/products/ALL-NEW-Square-Foot-Gardening-Book.html">book </a>or you could consult planning software like <a href="http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Page-KGPPreplanned">this</a>. The planning software will show you that you could, in 3x6 foot space, create a high yield garden<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrFe_9Rm7vaUwwF3RC0YvhHoqBHTQk8CDyT02NST4qZcd3ke8j1WD7NT4Qt4iuCns6AEmv2KAztWFMeU9MmXuiKYFTNQ6cx0QtxRpFq4dYMVJgtFdqT805h1jSpd9KPoXdCLUqFxO6vto/s1600/high-yield_bed_lg.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 293px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrFe_9Rm7vaUwwF3RC0YvhHoqBHTQk8CDyT02NST4qZcd3ke8j1WD7NT4Qt4iuCns6AEmv2KAztWFMeU9MmXuiKYFTNQ6cx0QtxRpFq4dYMVJgtFdqT805h1jSpd9KPoXdCLUqFxO6vto/s400/high-yield_bed_lg.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602884236015473570" /></a><br />an All American Garden<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMENLevgqK5GwvNIWetbjozvzRcabwiCYI2AuyiWaIqnU9RtnaY_qeVWcZanhF2UNo5834u11ynS9ccNGN45uQyzLfQ5bdwCcJRrBtf36BPT70rEnyydk7_7trbSLi5mDwSIej4txbP1l/s1600/american_bed_lg.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMENLevgqK5GwvNIWetbjozvzRcabwiCYI2AuyiWaIqnU9RtnaY_qeVWcZanhF2UNo5834u11ynS9ccNGN45uQyzLfQ5bdwCcJRrBtf36BPT70rEnyydk7_7trbSLi5mDwSIej4txbP1l/s400/american_bed_lg.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602884456189051538" /></a><br />or about a dozen others.<br /><br />The planning software that I have linked to goes on to show a grid of the layout for the garden as well as outline how many of each plant to place into each square. I structure my garden similar to some of these plans and to Mel's methods and I get HUGE results from a small space!<br /><br />Mel Bartholomew has done something else besides make small space gardening techniques easy - he has built himself a business! What started as a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Square-Foot-Gardening-Garden-Space/dp/1579548563/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304523518&sr=1-2">single book </a>has become a full blown <a href="http://www.squarefootgardening.com/">website</a> with a brand <a href="http://www.squarefootgardening.com/products/ALL-NEW-Square-Foot-Gardening-Book.html">new edition </a>to the book as well as a store selling <a href="http://www.squarefootgardening.com/products/Garden-of-Eden%252dLOCAL-PICK-UP-ONLY%21.html">everything</a> that you need to get started and be successful at gardening.<br /><br />While I applaud Mel for taking a lot of the guesswork out of the process, I don't know if gardening is quite as easy as he makes it seem. I think that his method of dividing the space into visible squares makes the garden seem more organized and managable in the mind rather than actually making it foolproof.<br /><br />I do plan to test one of his claims this year. His book states that '16 square feet are needed to provide one person a daily salad throughout the growing season.' He then claims that 'an additional 16 square feet will provide all of the dinner table vegetables for that one person.' A final '16 square feet will provide all of the veggies needed for preserving.' This adds up to 48 square feet or just three of the 4ft by 4ft boxes that are Mel's standard!<br /><br />While I don't plan to preserve too much of this year's harvest, I do want to see if my 110 square foot garden can provide all of the salads and veggies that my family needs this growing season. Based on 32sq ft per adult and half that per child, I should only need 96 sq ft for my fresh veggies. We shall see!Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-55924475413769261952011-05-03T14:03:00.000-07:002011-05-03T14:37:55.640-07:00Seed Pack infoA couple of <a href="http://todayskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2011/03/sorry.html">posts ago</a>, promised a primer on the information found on the back of seed packets. Here goes:<br /><br />Veggie seed packs are typically all the same - they offer a pic of the plant on the front...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjfniKsJ1H42qRWamGDxQYqBPzMbD_dQ90fe5lp_Gic0OlbcF1Vsikaftu0mJb-b0VfuhvZZLtNxuEXvF-f85MWrz-QqByGZf6ycIpDARSokcOix-nv9fNhk6RZLnijgZslC_Pc7hsATW/s1600/IMG_5911_1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjfniKsJ1H42qRWamGDxQYqBPzMbD_dQ90fe5lp_Gic0OlbcF1Vsikaftu0mJb-b0VfuhvZZLtNxuEXvF-f85MWrz-QqByGZf6ycIpDARSokcOix-nv9fNhk6RZLnijgZslC_Pc7hsATW/s400/IMG_5911_1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602600112607802402" /></a><br />...and info about the plant on the back<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9uC3wqoEdRSbZcu7mp2rl9Vgg-7_qRNpNjDuew8H0AdA9JHavBEOqQ2Jwyw_fI_2ONZ8fi635Y2PRyyip26UZWBo3ajbVFhojlpfsDrBDp_oCV2ZOOBG7cSp0p1B6qjRr01A3UrdUox9/s1600/IMG_5913.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9uC3wqoEdRSbZcu7mp2rl9Vgg-7_qRNpNjDuew8H0AdA9JHavBEOqQ2Jwyw_fI_2ONZ8fi635Y2PRyyip26UZWBo3ajbVFhojlpfsDrBDp_oCV2ZOOBG7cSp0p1B6qjRr01A3UrdUox9/s400/IMG_5913.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602600610210903186" /></a><br /><br />Here's another example of the front of a pack...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FXyhFjNXzEs0wbn58B6Q2psDR0toLhKN5BWvs_G-xnQC5MeRtQVWuQq42OzdNTwYSCkzxOCKbhwtUHu7n8nx37nC_BP6nUI-516-UfA54t91f5f_IemI9ArDDPtxnhBPglIR85tehDLY/s1600/IMG_5914.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FXyhFjNXzEs0wbn58B6Q2psDR0toLhKN5BWvs_G-xnQC5MeRtQVWuQq42OzdNTwYSCkzxOCKbhwtUHu7n8nx37nC_BP6nUI-516-UfA54t91f5f_IemI9ArDDPtxnhBPglIR85tehDLY/s400/IMG_5914.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602600881990685538" /></a><br />...and the back<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RUfVZ5qA_l6sgdR24sV0kKeZ-PjoVmcQGzEVJ499KkkRpHkYTy7ez6sxBYpngOUmUfzQwOTm1x04pjsNsM9yJvvaPdBukMx0P3u35uoi1UyHzsbm1WDPsDc-YJW1zOGb8eN-DC-n-Omv/s1600/IMG_5915.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RUfVZ5qA_l6sgdR24sV0kKeZ-PjoVmcQGzEVJ499KkkRpHkYTy7ez6sxBYpngOUmUfzQwOTm1x04pjsNsM9yJvvaPdBukMx0P3u35uoi1UyHzsbm1WDPsDc-YJW1zOGb8eN-DC-n-Omv/s400/IMG_5915.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602601045386994194" /></a>(Notice that the first seed pack states 'hybrid' and that the second does not. Take a look at our discussion of <a href="http://todayskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2011/04/heirloom-vs-organicvs-hybrid.html">hybrids</a> for more info!)<br /><br />So...what are these seed packs telling us?<br /><br />First of all, notice that the backs of the packs start with a short description of the plant. This is nice info but the really good stuff comes next.<br /><br />The next item (which is toward the end of the description) is the word 'indeterminate.' This is critical because it tells you how long the plant will produce its veggie. An indeterminant variety will produce fruit all season long. This differs from a 'determinant' variety which will only produce for a short time - perhaps only a few weeks.<br /><br />It's not that one is better than another - you just have to know what you have so that you can work with it. If you want to grow determinant varieties, you'll have to plan and stagger your plantings so that you end up with a season full of veggies...and not just a few weeks with veggies comming out of your ears!<br /><br />One other thing to think about (and this is more for advanced gardeners) is that determinant varieties tend to 'bush' whereas indeterminant varieties tend to 'vine.' This means that if you want to have your...let's say tomatoes...climb up a very tall cage or a chainlink fence, go with the indeterminant type. The reason that I say that this is for advanced gardeners is because if you understand how plants climb, you can squeese more into a small space. To do that, though, you have to plan very precisely!<br /><br />Ok - now that we know how long the plant will give us veggies, we have to know the first point when we will be able to pick.<br /><br />Here's where the 'Harvest in __ days' comes in. The first plant that I have here is a 70 day (or 10 weeks) while the second is an 80 day (or 11.5 weeks), so you'll have to wait a little longer.<br /><br />The second packet offers a little more insight into this. It states '80 days <em>from transplant</em>.' This is critical and leads me to the next piece of info on the packet.<br /><br />Both packets state 'start indoors' and '6-8 weeks before transplant.'<br /><br />Remember the 70 or 80 days till harvest? This means <em><strong>after planting outside</strong></em>!!! You've actually got to plan in the x-tra 42-56 days for the seedling to grow indoors.<br /><br />How do you know how to plan for those x-tra days and when to plant your seedlings outside? Review the tools that we talked about in January <a href="http://todayskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2011/01/let-planning-begin.html">here</a>, <a href="http://todayskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2011/01/planning-tool-number-2.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://todayskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2011/01/start-those-seeds.html">here</a>. <br /><br />According to all of this info, I can figure out that I need to start my tomatoes between March 15th and April 1st and that I won't have my first 'Super 100s' until about the 24th opf July and I won't have my first Wisconsin 55s until about August 1st!<br /><br />The last bit of info that the packet tells me is how far apart I should space my plants. This is for the type of gardening that most of us are aware of (i.e. stick a plant in the ground here and there and water).<br /><br />The more advanced gardening that I spoke of earlier shrinks the space between plants drastically but coaxes them to grow vertically.<br /><br />More ont hat tomorrow...Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-49392933963282782382011-05-02T08:29:00.000-07:002011-05-02T09:04:45.504-07:00May Day, Walpurgisnacht, and BeltaneYEAH!!!!<br /><br />I'm back to blogging regularily now that I've completed my master's degree!!<br /><br />That personal celebration lines up with a much more widely-known celebration known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day">May Day </a>or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night">Walpurgisnacht</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltane">Beltane</a>, depending on what part of the world you might be in.<br /><br />By any name, the celebration which occurs on the evening of April 30th as it transitions into May 1st marks a particularily significant change gardeners. This day is the transition from the non-growing season to the growing season in northern climates.<br /><br />I've talked before about <a href="http://www.vegetablegardener.com/assets/uploads/posts/2504/kg04-cold-frame-gardening-10_lg.jpg">coldframes</a>, <a href="http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/page.aspx?p=10531&cat=2,2030,33142,10531">row covers</a>, and <a href="http://www.arcadiaglasshouse.com/Gallery/Photos/Large/Arcadia-12x24-Reverse-Gable-GlassHouse-2.jpg">greenhouses</a> and without some type of protection like these, gardening is quite difficult to nearly impossible in northern climates before about May 1st.<br /><br />Southern climate dwellers know that May first as a starting date is quite late. I did a post 3 months ago which had a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEm03hrh9aMupu9cfQlHVV7x97KinCvR6xq8R_-lgisyQRekQNC8Z2ZMCfkdlCBiNyLXBEQFAHSvf3Srk_S47YH45BQn_C_Ah6sgkXFvwJMp1U-kL25c3wAp8A7GnPp73QV6oQ8XIeAXGr/s1600/garden1.jpg">picture</a> from <a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/">California</a> first showing signs of spring.<br /><br />Well...three months later, here are my first signs of spring:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIukkMgkGwG4ksn3Kjgbe8J4sWcN2kjOCCluXa6jAehqd_siXl5RdeW4flCqM9p2qoQekOyrfLJjWJTCHOIjAIPA7RRM0k2VpKCmB6rr7WEM8xdAQ8QR1W7Zb0lcPUq6G_47fOREZwkyO6/s1600/IMG_6013.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIukkMgkGwG4ksn3Kjgbe8J4sWcN2kjOCCluXa6jAehqd_siXl5RdeW4flCqM9p2qoQekOyrfLJjWJTCHOIjAIPA7RRM0k2VpKCmB6rr7WEM8xdAQ8QR1W7Zb0lcPUq6G_47fOREZwkyO6/s400/IMG_6013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602148471427797474" /></a>The first buds on a tree<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkssqg7SL0BISrhN9O5YQIQ1xcHcKwlnZu44b56UqUnLHRdrMSNI9OeKOYt3gtCaO7UCRUBcqed3oW9KsPeN2rFUQSCPvqWsyjxkAJexlx3ythRd3JnLuvnEQa8i4kWI_5up2p38YlsfNU/s1600/IMG_6011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkssqg7SL0BISrhN9O5YQIQ1xcHcKwlnZu44b56UqUnLHRdrMSNI9OeKOYt3gtCaO7UCRUBcqed3oW9KsPeN2rFUQSCPvqWsyjxkAJexlx3ythRd3JnLuvnEQa8i4kWI_5up2p38YlsfNU/s400/IMG_6011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602148768699904850" /></a>Lettuce first leaving the protection of the coldframe<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQun7xAKP19d_a3WzoTdNzl6zqQDXWWufrlMipPCnJmcSvY9wnynsx8DPX7bv1ctqBC55cjJFGxXXzmt0o7nmJjSZtI298RlyA3-jLdsQr7nd1J5StUSjOlvg4U4pXx-otCjZ7tzpRXm5/s1600/IMG_6012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQun7xAKP19d_a3WzoTdNzl6zqQDXWWufrlMipPCnJmcSvY9wnynsx8DPX7bv1ctqBC55cjJFGxXXzmt0o7nmJjSZtI298RlyA3-jLdsQr7nd1J5StUSjOlvg4U4pXx-otCjZ7tzpRXm5/s400/IMG_6012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602149134083839122" /></a>Peas loving the still-cool temps<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4_RshRJTprMhvO-uP06NjUeFU1r6v0XU2mDkP1FzDREFANkBtkh7UKp_JdoUrQhD40cqyTZGuBqjPymTIhHSz1RZYr-jWl667aVYbWn9ir7MJFSAACErUlytUMfpn18PfCqcIYDt2crn/s1600/IMG_6008.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4_RshRJTprMhvO-uP06NjUeFU1r6v0XU2mDkP1FzDREFANkBtkh7UKp_JdoUrQhD40cqyTZGuBqjPymTIhHSz1RZYr-jWl667aVYbWn9ir7MJFSAACErUlytUMfpn18PfCqcIYDt2crn/s400/IMG_6008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602149479252752978" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfZoFde9qcKzIoeRnDSYx1fRW07qCSXWeMvdSzkEUezn99dwwKvLMuhcVf_ag1h1Olk2UceyveBu4wndAuSCquzi0UAcJAcRcuOeAvulC4Co1AK_1FDzI2kX4t2obWeS8HobE5hPGDEaH/s1600/IMG_6009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfZoFde9qcKzIoeRnDSYx1fRW07qCSXWeMvdSzkEUezn99dwwKvLMuhcVf_ag1h1Olk2UceyveBu4wndAuSCquzi0UAcJAcRcuOeAvulC4Co1AK_1FDzI2kX4t2obWeS8HobE5hPGDEaH/s400/IMG_6009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602150002998952178" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0FzCwMfWrTMryTqUtIZCxT_rXGxaVvYhld0oGLp5wcIq-1esmyhvnSeP79rKKCzFkcycbR96S2T5ASIl1EUbEINg_ljqWkTF9sPs21q6h7YcR6RoKTlAlc2EWIgwM0kCE9hzh3vYnZgw/s1600/IMG_6010.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0FzCwMfWrTMryTqUtIZCxT_rXGxaVvYhld0oGLp5wcIq-1esmyhvnSeP79rKKCzFkcycbR96S2T5ASIl1EUbEINg_ljqWkTF9sPs21q6h7YcR6RoKTlAlc2EWIgwM0kCE9hzh3vYnZgw/s400/IMG_6010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602150164559357362" /></a>Tomatoes, peppers, and zucchinni ready for planting out in a few weeks!Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-34688668668100079642011-04-13T08:53:00.000-07:002011-04-13T09:50:43.983-07:00Heirloom vs Organic...vs HybridOk readers...this is going to be a 'must read.'<br /><br />I've had several conversations and questions in the past few weeks about the differences between heirloom and organic plants. I'm going to offer a quick summary here that should clarify things.<br /><br />Let me, though, say this: Organic and Heirloom <strong>ARE NOT</strong>the same thing.<br /><br />To start with, let's talk about genetics!<br /><br />If you happen to find yourself with 2 Labrador Retrievers and you allow them to...er...make babies, you will get...<br /><br />You guessed it - Labrador Retrievers!<br /><br />If you have 2 poodles and you do the same thing, you will get...poodles!<br /><br />If, though, you have one Lab and one Poodle, and you breed them, you would get a...<br /><br />LABRADOODLE!<br /><br />How does this work with plants?<br /><br />If you have one particular tomato plant that you keep breeding, say...a Brandywine, you will continuously have Brandywines. If you carefully protect the genetics and don't allow them to mix for somewhere between 50 and 100 years (the jury is still out on this one), you will have an <strong>HEIRLOOM</strong> variety.<br /><br />If you mix two different kinds of tomatoes, though, you get a HYBRID.<br /><br />Why is hybridization done? Usually it's to isolate a desired trait, like early production (Early Girl Tomato), plant reliability (Better Boy Tomato), flavor (Beefsteak tomato), or harvest time consistency (Roma tomato...used in Heinz Catsup).<br /><br />Is there a problem, then, with hybrids?<br /><br />If you want to buy plants every year, stick them in the ground, and know that you'll have a fairly successful harvest...no...there is nothing wrong with hybrids!<br /><br />If, though, you'd like to cut one or two of those Early Girl tomatoes open at the end of the year, pull the seeds out, and dry&save them to plant next year...yes...there would be HUGE proble with hybrids!!!<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />Most hybrid veggies that we can get are known as F1 or Filial Generation One. This means that the seed or plant is the result of just one Lab/Poodle mix.<br /><br />The thing with genetics, though, is that they are <strong>SLOW</strong> to change. Once the hybrid plant grows and produces seeds, the seeds don't really want to be hybrid any more.<br /><br />So... if you plant the seeds that you saved from your Early Girl, some of the plants that grow will look like one parent, some will look likethe other parent, some will be quite deformed, and just a small few <strong>MIGHT</strong> look like Early Girls.<br /><br />There are also F2 and F3 hybrids. F2s result from breeding two F1 Early Girls. F3s result from breeding 2 F2 Early Girls. This is where the genetics get tricky. If 2 parents are chosen for flavor, an F1 is created. If 2 different parents are chosen for reliability, a second F1 is created. If these two F1s are bread to make an F2, the F2 would have 4 genetic lines. If this process is repeated a second time, another F2 would be created. When both of those F2s are bred, the resulting F3 might be an overall superior plant but would have 8 genetic lines within it and, as the consumers, we could never replicate this if we tried to save the seeds for the following year. This means that our plants that we grew from saved seeds could look REALLY wierd and might not produce all that well.<br /><br />Some thing important to remember this that ALL plants on Earth are hybrids. Unless you grow a plant in a sealed box, mixing if genetic material WILL happen through pollination. When I said, though, that genetic change happens slow, what I meant was that the genetics of hybrids will eventually stabilize so that seed that is saved will grow well the next year. The only way to stabilize the hybrid, though, is time...lots of time!<br /><br />The Early Girl has been on the market since about 1975, or for 36 years (generations). Each year, the plant is re-hybridized in order to force its genetics to remain identical.<br /><br />The Brandywine tomato has been on the market since about 1885, or 126 years (generations). During that time, it has been allowed to adapt to changing conditions and has been allowed to evolve naturally as it aquires additional genetic traits through natural cross-pollination.<br /><br />Notice that I haven't talked about organic at all.<br /><br />This is because organic refers to <strong>HOW</strong> something is grown (as opposed to heirloom and hybrid which refer to <strong>WHAT</strong> is grown). Either heirloom or hybrid plants can be grown organically...that is - without chemical fertilizers and pesticides.<br /><br />The question that you need to ask yourself when buying seed/plants is what <em>you</em> are ok with growing.<br /><br />Hybrids have more uniform flavor and shape and are typically easier to grow. You don't know, though, what plants have been mixed in order to get the hybrid and you won't be able to make a 1-time seed investment - you'll have to buy new seed/plants each year.<br /><br />Heirlooms can vary in their flavor and shape (I personally like the fact that they are 'more interesting') and are more difficult to grow (read: they need to be loved). For that, though, you can know that the varieties have a long history and you'll be able to save seed and use it again the next year.<br /><br />Either way, try to make the move to growing organically - the reason that we garden in the first place is to put fewer chemicals into our bodies!Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-57542297777495909382011-04-12T10:14:00.000-07:002011-04-12T10:54:39.196-07:00Garlic Survived!!Last August I <a href="http://todayskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2010/09/yeah-garlic.html">planted garlic</a>. Over the weekend, I uncovered it after the long winter...and it survived!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsi6npcvApt5NGHUcUmF_yWCX46hR-ehjLaY0cVlMk5R2kCijlTvAx7tKdalsUxfpiazBfguaGYxkGknghli4ppOd3mriUej-gwuZapgVvuuhcaL0q_OIeGUr4PF0YCJUCJm2DNMAf3w6/s1600/IMAG0200.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsi6npcvApt5NGHUcUmF_yWCX46hR-ehjLaY0cVlMk5R2kCijlTvAx7tKdalsUxfpiazBfguaGYxkGknghli4ppOd3mriUej-gwuZapgVvuuhcaL0q_OIeGUr4PF0YCJUCJm2DNMAf3w6/s400/IMAG0200.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594756764461728466" /></a><br />It looks a little weak but some sun and warmth ought to brighten it right up.Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-20953794462701083422011-04-11T07:50:00.000-07:002011-04-11T10:59:03.113-07:00Excited!!!Late last week I came home to this<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7PAy8M3X26wyUzvrdP4P4Y3777I-6AEirknN87WvKdj8iRv4hTQLmo2xN_jRwSKrZCQH6tjkcWnxrOSIZCAzDkyxlGJWMxg7VOKd-HwjRqrYCA-0hFAvbD5brBeWnxF8GZSjQR4v9yTm/s1600/IMAG0188.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7PAy8M3X26wyUzvrdP4P4Y3777I-6AEirknN87WvKdj8iRv4hTQLmo2xN_jRwSKrZCQH6tjkcWnxrOSIZCAzDkyxlGJWMxg7VOKd-HwjRqrYCA-0hFAvbD5brBeWnxF8GZSjQR4v9yTm/s400/IMAG0188.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594340072946300162" /></a>and I was super excited!<br /><br />I ripped open the box and found these 4 sleeves<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56CuKsNOPlRmJWLMVqNB4cnyiPha7kQ5o3SYOb6dl-4qaW0gNBuBA37KQ1p-e-DhQBy5GWCeVWb0rT9XI3Snm5CC-mndh_PJ2MQvUWldALqEjFL32mZ0S76eHzRAOiqka2M_ZueQQjl3m/s1600/IMAG0189.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56CuKsNOPlRmJWLMVqNB4cnyiPha7kQ5o3SYOb6dl-4qaW0gNBuBA37KQ1p-e-DhQBy5GWCeVWb0rT9XI3Snm5CC-mndh_PJ2MQvUWldALqEjFL32mZ0S76eHzRAOiqka2M_ZueQQjl3m/s400/IMAG0189.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594340318570720562" /></a><br /><br />What was in them?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4A9soYW5-n2wYb-u3t1W5NW8Uw9nUrOxm0ho9CZc7mUBWTZjDZmF2JUk0rNee3kpKhveHQMyfPGGK9v73m23LlxJpsJFE4JnNZbMCAoxDT9UQGuCyxF82atppjtN2HphhG-ldOkMX-fgQ/s1600/IMAG0190.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4A9soYW5-n2wYb-u3t1W5NW8Uw9nUrOxm0ho9CZc7mUBWTZjDZmF2JUk0rNee3kpKhveHQMyfPGGK9v73m23LlxJpsJFE4JnNZbMCAoxDT9UQGuCyxF82atppjtN2HphhG-ldOkMX-fgQ/s400/IMAG0190.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594340542877010402" /></a><br /><br />TopHat Blueberries<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JuSF3hoThoywihCwZ0NqAi_7kDNcv6spYu_0dXdgGLZ6FXgQX73_Zqz0VjN4H-Gex31CSpFFGZM2Gqy-bhjMCRRPLE7ZfMNVQ1ffTYvO7iRd2t5g38f8zqHlAXKBWX4tevo_WpwS2t8B/s1600/product_55.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JuSF3hoThoywihCwZ0NqAi_7kDNcv6spYu_0dXdgGLZ6FXgQX73_Zqz0VjN4H-Gex31CSpFFGZM2Gqy-bhjMCRRPLE7ZfMNVQ1ffTYvO7iRd2t5g38f8zqHlAXKBWX4tevo_WpwS2t8B/s400/product_55.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594377987952616850" /></a>are a dwarf variety (everybody knows how much I like tiny things!) that can be grown in pots on a deck or porch.<br /><br />When I found out about them (they are relatively new), I had to have some.<br /><br />Here are the little guys out of the protective sleeves<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5QWuDYR4fze6QfYnbECwqcQUlcVoQlWoMsjrz5sqhtWNBSDqUWLJqX070Mu9T5MYf2QZn6TGiYMU9X89gN61mynyx9iy_w_gjMaO7KFvZ3EJRsw6b-4qfxTGvwSzrgXsiHR8M_9Ve1Rb/s1600/IMAG0191.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5QWuDYR4fze6QfYnbECwqcQUlcVoQlWoMsjrz5sqhtWNBSDqUWLJqX070Mu9T5MYf2QZn6TGiYMU9X89gN61mynyx9iy_w_gjMaO7KFvZ3EJRsw6b-4qfxTGvwSzrgXsiHR8M_9Ve1Rb/s400/IMAG0191.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594378686663897906" /></a><br /><br />Now...here's the thing with blueberries - they need something special for their soil.<br /><br />Back in August last year, we talked about <a href="http://todayskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2010/08/growing-dirt-5.html">growing dirt</a>. One of the things that we didn't get too in-depth about was soil ph. Ph refers to the amount of acid (or lack thereof) in the soil. Most veggies and flowers like a rather neutral soil (i.e an average amount of acid) of 7.0 on the ph scale. Blueberries, on the other hand, like LOTS of acid. They like ph levels of 4.5-5 (yes...the lower the number, the higher the acidity). If this high acidity is not maintained, the plant will not look very healthy and may even die.<br /><br />So...how do we know what the acidity level is and how do we correct it (i.e. lover the ph)? Test and amend!<br /><br />First, always start with high quality soil.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWtkVkclcCEnSGQZw34rCBCau4T59Iz69AgX0wafshmNTwGYhCwv0F7hBL71WXDl-zMw86yGtDRpvBd0zdaGCdfmtTW5mkmhISVzLbm14y70i65w60uy4wnmPTcKIj1guC4gwLL-7Uvj2/s1600/IMAG0183.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWtkVkclcCEnSGQZw34rCBCau4T59Iz69AgX0wafshmNTwGYhCwv0F7hBL71WXDl-zMw86yGtDRpvBd0zdaGCdfmtTW5mkmhISVzLbm14y70i65w60uy4wnmPTcKIj1guC4gwLL-7Uvj2/s400/IMAG0183.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594381804486898434" /></a><br /><br />Look at how full of organic material that is!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJrnh3JOhnmtIu6v09y-WfFNp1MUk7xuEu4H6LpmwrI8GUAkO18e6wiABpvNGDNOKzH1K8N2r_5xsH6QNuungSHIJ1fskhMdhlmOuhBR7rff32Q86WCoBbQevhzmWDBS7MXifkVd69fIi/s1600/IMAG0187.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJrnh3JOhnmtIu6v09y-WfFNp1MUk7xuEu4H6LpmwrI8GUAkO18e6wiABpvNGDNOKzH1K8N2r_5xsH6QNuungSHIJ1fskhMdhlmOuhBR7rff32Q86WCoBbQevhzmWDBS7MXifkVd69fIi/s400/IMAG0187.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594382113295755714" /></a><br /><br />This is actually a mix of organic compost and a heavier soil. I wanted the heaviness to the soil because this is a bush and will move around a lot in the wind. The roots need something heavy to grip into.<br /><br />So, with this soil ready to go, I needed to test it. At most garden centers, you can pick up a soil test kit for just a couple bucks.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACEyWMXkHBaO3gsLgs9i_iIxmEguvbIafPKnpXyp3OPnAsVZYHdKfhZu5FNBPaECEISWac1qFvy4bAdcJ7-pmE9C5j7nK_ba6kc_RnNx11c8AKytAiuU-0HjM8UuCixJTR7T47SxQSWQM/s1600/IMAG0194.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACEyWMXkHBaO3gsLgs9i_iIxmEguvbIafPKnpXyp3OPnAsVZYHdKfhZu5FNBPaECEISWac1qFvy4bAdcJ7-pmE9C5j7nK_ba6kc_RnNx11c8AKytAiuU-0HjM8UuCixJTR7T47SxQSWQM/s400/IMAG0194.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594382766220137458" /></a><br /><br />I really only needed the ph test but the nitrogen and phosphorous and soforth were included as well. Follow the directions on the kit and you'll get the ph of your soil in just a few seconds. Mine, as predicted, was a neutral 7.0.<br /><br />Knowing that blueberries like a ph level 2-2.5 points below this, I needed to lower the ph level by raising the acidity.<br /><br />I didn't have a peat bog handy to plant my blueberries in (peat is quite acidic) so I used an age-old trick - sulfur!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyjm7UJ3r7n_FJ3NDFs8W49wvj0dfPosfNSZATBzXlLZWjZq4T-BAsdM82A1svUbYOZClgkTvIxIr2i-npGk6f1BF3QuRh8JMkxnuR4PgRAYhyphenhyphenGtzz_Vpo0ANuIZqkf25dU6RmWd2tiM2/s1600/IMAG0185.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyjm7UJ3r7n_FJ3NDFs8W49wvj0dfPosfNSZATBzXlLZWjZq4T-BAsdM82A1svUbYOZClgkTvIxIr2i-npGk6f1BF3QuRh8JMkxnuR4PgRAYhyphenhyphenGtzz_Vpo0ANuIZqkf25dU6RmWd2tiM2/s400/IMAG0185.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594383725888744194" /></a><br />This stuff is an elemental sulfur<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVTkweYv7a7iX5ldgsrAeEfEpWJ17CPHznmuglOdto9pl4gPlFA53BQ0OLgGItHnc097GN07-mvuQDkrM3SiPEu38H2JMXf1UW9NMmVQEMX7AtQdCM5WmY1ygX2uGfre5XZNZlJg8OTPb/s1600/IMAG0186.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVTkweYv7a7iX5ldgsrAeEfEpWJ17CPHznmuglOdto9pl4gPlFA53BQ0OLgGItHnc097GN07-mvuQDkrM3SiPEu38H2JMXf1UW9NMmVQEMX7AtQdCM5WmY1ygX2uGfre5XZNZlJg8OTPb/s400/IMAG0186.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594383969019186530" /></a>which means that it is very pure. Other options are ammonium sulfate and aluminum sulfate. They work faster (3-4 months as opposed to almost a year for elemental sulfur) but are harsher on the plants. I'd rather take the long term option and use a temporary fix for the remainder of this year (like Miracle Grow for Acid-Loving Plants).<br /><br />After following the math on the bag, I knew that I needed about 1.5 lbs to lower the amount of soil that I had by 2 ph points.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LJ_wyPzajvTcdz-b-x4dnSh6rG2OStDlXkqT6MZlpjmr5y8fqrExaI8bRS3uuiygRRiYqTD3IPLHOokarFH6GtXHztzEDlKsL4eEO5T23ttam6LbiEoWW_Cu9FRrR7U2HwEPdE-N3jKQ/s1600/IMAG0184.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LJ_wyPzajvTcdz-b-x4dnSh6rG2OStDlXkqT6MZlpjmr5y8fqrExaI8bRS3uuiygRRiYqTD3IPLHOokarFH6GtXHztzEDlKsL4eEO5T23ttam6LbiEoWW_Cu9FRrR7U2HwEPdE-N3jKQ/s400/IMAG0184.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594385061500950594" /></a><br /><br />There was no doubt that I was working with sulfur - the smell of rotten eggs was everywhere!<br /><br />Once mixed, though, I was ready top plant. When you pull plants out of the pots that you buy them in, make sure to massage the roots apart just a little if they are root bound like these<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_62yfUFj2QhsDbung7y6FnbLc5FA9ABCyhF1EUJp6USLyKUCYAFbxebxGbC_Nl9uxEiIsOI3_FRqt-wnNknhmJzywESw8JjURD_2PSs9KTV-INTbI5IalzAnzv9kDeT_hcmU9-IXbYtL/s1600/IMAG0192.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_62yfUFj2QhsDbung7y6FnbLc5FA9ABCyhF1EUJp6USLyKUCYAFbxebxGbC_Nl9uxEiIsOI3_FRqt-wnNknhmJzywESw8JjURD_2PSs9KTV-INTbI5IalzAnzv9kDeT_hcmU9-IXbYtL/s400/IMAG0192.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594385756352240658" /></a> It helps the plant to grow better.<br /><br />So... here they are all potted up!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJoUlkLvn80aV2N1LS6LOizY3q6COZ_QOpv54XWjrn-il7Iy_jgtm0iYUW5eTHbcHu-Cr0Ubtj8NsklTTxbHf36NWKikf_TbHWLAM07TJ_U32OMrurA8KvK1nM8suAGNkb4H4XfnUTEYP/s1600/IMAG0193.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJoUlkLvn80aV2N1LS6LOizY3q6COZ_QOpv54XWjrn-il7Iy_jgtm0iYUW5eTHbcHu-Cr0Ubtj8NsklTTxbHf36NWKikf_TbHWLAM07TJ_U32OMrurA8KvK1nM8suAGNkb4H4XfnUTEYP/s400/IMAG0193.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594386132421578770" /></a><br /><br />Now, I just have to cross my fingers that they'll grow well!Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-11832807894020312232011-04-07T08:29:00.000-07:002011-04-07T10:16:55.133-07:00Rising Food Costs...and what to do about itI don't think that I've ever done a propaganda post before. I don't think that this is the place for things like <a href="http://www.stansberryresearch.com/pro/1103PSIEOAVD/6PSIM400/PR">this</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nubVJMy_qag&feature=related">this</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYVL7OKnviY&feature=related">this</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj_XDQV9KVc&feature=related">this</a>, or many more. This is a gardening blog, after all. Why, then, am I about to talk about some of the propaganda that is floating around? <br /><br />Because I think that this time, it's real.<br /><br />A personal interest of mine is the history of societal evolution (I know...I'm weird). By that, I mean that I find the expansion and collapse of societies throughout history fascinating. Specifically, I am interested in the patterns that show <em>why</em> these expansions and collapses happen as well as the patterns of <em>what happens </em>to people living in those societies as the society moves through its lifecycle.<br /><br />One of the first known societies of humans was Sumeria. Founded in about 5300 bc (or about 7300 years ago) in the modern day Middle East, it grew to encompass vast lands, amassed large amounts of knowledge, and offered its citizens a pretty good life. Then, it collapsed. <br /><br />Following the Sumerians were (in approximate order) the Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Hittites and Akkadians, the Phonecians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Chineese Han and Tang Dynasties, the Myans, the Spaniards, the Dutch, the French, and the English.<br /><br />This list, remember, includes the largest civilizations on the planet at the particular time in history and spans approximately 7000 years. Numerous smaller societies existed during this time all over the world and, interesting, also followed the same patterns of expansion and collapse and all had the same milestones.<br /><br />What are those patterns, you might ask? Think of the expansion as a 10-step program...<br /><br /><strong>First</strong>, the society is founded because people want something different than what they are used to. <em>Morale is good</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Second</strong>, the society is threatened by those who surround it. Those can be the people whom were broken away from, the people on whose territory the group settled, or both. <em>Morale is low</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Third</strong>, the emerging society battles against the threat. If the society wins, the first step has been taken toward being 'the big dog on the block.' <em>Morale is high</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Fourth</strong>, the society, in its newfound glory, sees much learning, innovation, economic growth, and standard of living increase. (The negative side of this is a decreased concern for the area's resource inputs (natural resources as well as human capital) which are necessary for growth.) <em>Morale is high</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Fifth</strong>, the learning and innovation cause rifts to form within the group as some view themselves as better than others. <em>Morale is low</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Sixth</strong>, an internal battle occurs between the different groups. If the differences are settled, the society basically guarantees itself 'the big dog on the block' status. <em>Morale soars</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Seventh</strong>, the society, in its newfound comraderie, sees much learning, innovation, economic growth, and standard of living increase. (The negative side of this is a decreased concern for the area's resource inputs (natural resources as well as human capital) which are necessary for growth.) <em>Morale skyrockets</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Eighth</strong>, other groups begin to look to the successful society for leadership, protection, economic gain, etc. (Decreased concern for the area's resource inputs (natural resources as well as human capital) remain.) <em>Morale is to the moon</em>!<br /><br /><strong>Ninth</strong>, the society begins to help those who ask for it under the guise that economic and peace-keeping advantages are to be had. (Decreased concern for the area's resource inputs (natural resources as well as human capital)grow) <em>Morale is astronomical</em>!<br /><br /><strong>Tenth</strong>, the society stretches itself thin in order to maintain that it began in step nine. (Concern for the area's resource inputs (natural resources as well as human capital)grow) is essentially non-existent) <em>Morale begins to decrease slightly</em>.<br /><br />It is really at step three that that the problems begin. Basically, winning goes to the heads of all of the members in the society and they begin to think, without realizing it, that they are essentially invincible.<br /><br />The problem is that no one can see that the problems are festering until step ten. At that point, it's too late.<br /><br />What happens?<br /><br /><strong>First</strong>, the cycle begins again for the nations that 'the big dog on the block' has partnered with/is protecting. Basically, others want a piece of 'the good life.' <em>Morale drops more</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Second</strong>, this unrest causes hardship for the citizens of 'the big dog on the block' as government tries (understandably) to maintain the status quo. This is marked by rising costs and decreased supply within the economy, a notable separation of the 'haves' and have-nots,' and the feeling that technological and educational advances are reversing. <em>Morale is fades quickly</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Third</strong>, 'the big dog on the block' society breaks down. This breakdown causes extreme hardship for the citizens. Life reverts back to a much earlier and lower standard unless other societies offer assistance. If assistance is offered, life still reverts and the standard is lowered but life does not 'crash and burn.' <em>Morale is basically non-existant</em>.<br /><br />Now...if you track these steps for any of the previously mentioned societies, you would be able to see them quite clearly.<br /><br />If you track them for the United States, you'd be scared.<br /><br />1st Plymouth Rock Settlers<br />2nd Revolutionary War<br />3rd Revolutionary War<br />4th Period between Revolutionary and Civil wars<br />5th Period between Revolutionary and Civil wars<br />6th Civil War<br />7th Industrial Revolution, Women's Rights, Civil Rights, etc<br />8th WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Panama Conflict<br />9th WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Panama Conflict<br />10th 1st Gulf War, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lybia, etc<br /><br />1st China's Expansion, India's Expansion, Tunisia, Lybia, etc<br /><br />2nd Current US economy - Housing costs up, Fuel costs up, Food Costs up, value of college education in question, widespread political protesting, shrinking middle class/expanding lower class, etc<br /><br />3rd ??? When Rome fell, the Dark Ages lasted 1000 years! When Spain fell, its<br />crash-and-burn lasted 200. Brittain was nice enough to be bailed out by the<br />U.S...but only because we wanted to park a few ships off its coast during WWII.<br /><br />Countries don't usually receive aid after they collapse. Why?? The new 'big dog on the block' has its own issues to deal with! <br /><br />See why I'm a little worried!<br /><br />So...what does this all have to do with a gardening blog?<br /><br />Growing a little of our own food can help all of us to weather this storm!!<br /><br />In a time when we hear things like this:<br /><br /><em>The food supply in the average city in the United States, if it’s not daily renewed, would run out in about 3 days — Lester Brown “The Planet’s Scarcest Resource is Time,” March 22, 2011.</em><br /><br />and this:<br /><br /><em><strong><a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/16/business/la-fi-cheap-food-20110317">Cheap food may be a thing of the past in U.S</a>.</strong><br />Americans spend only about 10% of their annual incomes on food, compared with as much as 70% in other countries, but with prices climbing, some economists wonder whether the nation's abundance of affordable food is history.<br /><br />The U.S. Labor Department reported that wholesale food prices jumped 3.9% in February over January, the highest monthly increase in 37 years.<br /><br />Some ingredients [are] up 40%, 50%, 60% over last year," said Ephraim Leibtag, a U.S. Department of Agriculture economist. "When you see wheat prices close to 80% up, that's going to ripple out to the public."</em><br /><br />What can you do?<br /><br />Plant a garden.<br /><br />Maybe you won't go as far as the Dervaes Family in California, but at least you'll take a step in the right direction and start to help yourself, your family, and the situation at hand.<br /><br />Speaking of the Dervaes Family, here's their <a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2011/04/04/march-harvest-tally-garden-report/">latest progress</a>:<br /><br /><strong>March Harvest Tally</strong>252 lbs Produce<br /><br />Eggs Chicken 91 Duck 160<br /><br /><strong>2011 Tally to Date</strong>663 lbs Produce<br /><br />Eggs Chicken 117 Duck 345Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-79872474086732137942011-03-29T06:55:00.001-07:002011-03-29T12:31:16.482-07:00SorryI've been hearing that you readers want me to post more often. Sorry Sorry Sorry!!! I'm in the throes of writing a master's thesis and have <strong>NO TIME </strong>for anything else. Ok...that's not entirely true. I have managed to keep the garden going and I've got a bit of an update for you:<br /><br />Here is the coldfrema that has been going the longest. There are 15 <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=1177">dwarf peas </a>and 2 <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=391(OG)">dwarf lettuces </a>that are looking pretty good. These were started in January and went out into this frams at the beginning of Febrary<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYNl_cbI_KK1JklaJIvukbxsy85wYKr1L3alUyal7dp9LeMQ4I-yvcGTemndZjRUmXXIj8-I0trbvN2WlOs8XPnf1OXK5hr-inXHRKCvm-mBLdrQ746d-B7oKBgwWOvVVxb0ivnH7VtKZ/s1600/IMG_5869.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYNl_cbI_KK1JklaJIvukbxsy85wYKr1L3alUyal7dp9LeMQ4I-yvcGTemndZjRUmXXIj8-I0trbvN2WlOs8XPnf1OXK5hr-inXHRKCvm-mBLdrQ746d-B7oKBgwWOvVVxb0ivnH7VtKZ/s400/IMG_5869.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589583456933866626" /></a><br /><br />Here's another shot to give you an idea of the size of the lettuce. It should be ready for eating this coming weekend!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8yYVWEKHUlmwydQC-47Nr21cuRP014hI0QCJF0bTOnTZBwBtaUBfcgb7UBPg3WBNCMhGslRLKwSt8J2_0KE3neM9vq4ASi56VOkPZeUlMbptmMu3z5z_1EgxPiJBHdfU2sU1xAa43K-6/s1600/IMG_5870.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8yYVWEKHUlmwydQC-47Nr21cuRP014hI0QCJF0bTOnTZBwBtaUBfcgb7UBPg3WBNCMhGslRLKwSt8J2_0KE3neM9vq4ASi56VOkPZeUlMbptmMu3z5z_1EgxPiJBHdfU2sU1xAa43K-6/s400/IMG_5870.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589583725995992066" /></a><br /><br />Take a look at the thermometer - warm in those frames!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVN6rxE3QN6skZVS_rEEQznK4XR0jqqVMr-sw1QH6JH-i1voiijS4yzx6pcrEJ7XC98qRsgTMdmxVtypyLDaaLepufAYe2T1rMsbn8P4uzElxhk9_6jgWayjRfFGk4rYeE4K7ea04WekY/s1600/IMG_5868.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVN6rxE3QN6skZVS_rEEQznK4XR0jqqVMr-sw1QH6JH-i1voiijS4yzx6pcrEJ7XC98qRsgTMdmxVtypyLDaaLepufAYe2T1rMsbn8P4uzElxhk9_6jgWayjRfFGk4rYeE4K7ea04WekY/s400/IMG_5868.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589583919615607522" /></a><br /><br />Here are some more lettuces that are growing nicely and that were seeded at 2-week intervals so that we wouldn't get all of our harvest at the same time!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxOLKbKq5J6H5bVZhwpKfDaXxj4revJlDDskH4GjjzAhpLDNip3usgZaeHL_GGlIIAlrwN9t5NNCjkMQsMgR9ua1R7TMSDASHKOounMSPZpmoGpE6tlOj2m6gydJjG8XXBdx7qp6Bm1Iq/s1600/IMG_5872.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxOLKbKq5J6H5bVZhwpKfDaXxj4revJlDDskH4GjjzAhpLDNip3usgZaeHL_GGlIIAlrwN9t5NNCjkMQsMgR9ua1R7TMSDASHKOounMSPZpmoGpE6tlOj2m6gydJjG8XXBdx7qp6Bm1Iq/s400/IMG_5872.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589584236792575650" /></a><br /><br />Here are the last lettuces that I started indoors and that will be transplanted outside. After these, all of my lettuce for the rest of the year will be directly seeded outside.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5g4iYn6DdbhiwMQ1BSJ9RrOMbtY8eCPm8oJCTUBvZHLwRadrfubkaFbbY7-_ytJRJVv0oVdzjiAJ9OuJdciYn_TwZG84r8tIEwgsonumRrxdur5FVXRJi3soKuaTefxbnDkFg2gnlUpX/s1600/IMG_5874.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5g4iYn6DdbhiwMQ1BSJ9RrOMbtY8eCPm8oJCTUBvZHLwRadrfubkaFbbY7-_ytJRJVv0oVdzjiAJ9OuJdciYn_TwZG84r8tIEwgsonumRrxdur5FVXRJi3soKuaTefxbnDkFg2gnlUpX/s400/IMG_5874.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589584609039450274" /></a><br /><br />5 more dwarf peas to go outside. The next round of peas will be started directly outside.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSppw-f_bgjV0ru_x7C-JHji3Qw4Nikbi4a2A9xaBLRkU9_b2vaG1EGnFV92uKlosA-6RSQJMPzaYSRF1JV1Ivl4LRyxRU-3RZFmp_V95lTmm_nFpy6XNB9icHd0TORh_pq3_JVu2eBCXI/s1600/IMG_5875.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSppw-f_bgjV0ru_x7C-JHji3Qw4Nikbi4a2A9xaBLRkU9_b2vaG1EGnFV92uKlosA-6RSQJMPzaYSRF1JV1Ivl4LRyxRU-3RZFmp_V95lTmm_nFpy6XNB9icHd0TORh_pq3_JVu2eBCXI/s400/IMG_5875.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589584890144249922" /></a><br /><br />Although I started a little late, here are pots of broccoli that will be transplanted in a couple of weeks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RAaN7p4xC-Qn46Ox9zIwuPbMea7j8eApof8YfPMphnqJUalR4vUkaKd0boKkIPZKh8Kh5-xyqxKu0sILnLfQbQsHg4gMjzRPFXrVOFs1u2gVds3V0J2GtGTlWDj8ai7xcR1NurkzZ-lI/s1600/IMG_5876.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RAaN7p4xC-Qn46Ox9zIwuPbMea7j8eApof8YfPMphnqJUalR4vUkaKd0boKkIPZKh8Kh5-xyqxKu0sILnLfQbQsHg4gMjzRPFXrVOFs1u2gVds3V0J2GtGTlWDj8ai7xcR1NurkzZ-lI/s400/IMG_5876.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589585375095332434" /></a><br /><br />I decided to go with this variety just because<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKgevj2ae-dZmv90tCyZnrzroS-jYDHemetU6v5m65Yshwkqwvrjucof_rx9RNvIXjELHqOCr3we7B7eFizekjkqVuv-GjRLzjPeKpyFH0myP2vCkpsvbXX-8hQYRuT3yZw7o2QhYP2J6/s1600/IMG_5877.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKgevj2ae-dZmv90tCyZnrzroS-jYDHemetU6v5m65Yshwkqwvrjucof_rx9RNvIXjELHqOCr3we7B7eFizekjkqVuv-GjRLzjPeKpyFH0myP2vCkpsvbXX-8hQYRuT3yZw7o2QhYP2J6/s400/IMG_5877.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589585224179531522" /></a><br /><br />Here's a shot of the back of the seed pack. It's a teaser for the next posting which will talk about what this info on seed packs means...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEqdMT__qyXQey7Um3OcsKdGZyncJ2hIgsFTUXoascREg9kl6gSykmXi5ecJo1G-l0GFQe_2MQpspiPo9Vy4O2dcaMlCwddsrOBjoWXXCoHD-LAzSjsA1EV_luCxorAh9Mgr8na0MCU94/s1600/IMG_5879.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEqdMT__qyXQey7Um3OcsKdGZyncJ2hIgsFTUXoascREg9kl6gSykmXi5ecJo1G-l0GFQe_2MQpspiPo9Vy4O2dcaMlCwddsrOBjoWXXCoHD-LAzSjsA1EV_luCxorAh9Mgr8na0MCU94/s400/IMG_5879.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589585887367269282" /></a>Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-67965178732029062282011-03-07T06:02:00.000-08:002011-03-07T06:27:01.871-08:00Sparse Posts but Lots of Garden ActivityEvent though it's been a week since the last post, activity in the garden has not slowed in the least. I've been busy starting just a few seeds each week and then, after a couple of weeks indoors, planting them into the coldframes.<br /><br />One of the casulties of starting very small seeds (like lettuce) is that, due to germination rates, more seeds have to be started than what one actually needs. Often, 2 or three seeds are started in the same pot knowing all the while that only one will actually take.<br /><br />Sometimes, though, more than one seed makes it!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABRDKc_ZWe2vFAtqTgoYSHWxiWxqi-ZSjHyXvvBxTbnxrgKMaaYdUMgfmHwUuHHOlS5E_8ogkJ3ldHpTpK9noo9Uwvlop3wt4ueeYG1FSVcNKVuU7y5812DcXq7D_jBiSknZpkxG8xBzz/s1600/IMG_5779.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABRDKc_ZWe2vFAtqTgoYSHWxiWxqi-ZSjHyXvvBxTbnxrgKMaaYdUMgfmHwUuHHOlS5E_8ogkJ3ldHpTpK9noo9Uwvlop3wt4ueeYG1FSVcNKVuU7y5812DcXq7D_jBiSknZpkxG8xBzz/s400/IMG_5779.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581340112427346450" /></a><br /><br />Typically, the the strongest seedling is saved and the other, weaker plants are pulled out and discarded (known as pricking out).<br /><br />There is, however, another way...<br /><br />Enter the <a href="http://www.bountifulgardens.org/prodinfo.asp?number=SWI%2D9010">widger</a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQ6mRGU4eaGuFo4AG5LkeKgLLcKRtWVdnglglM9oUGwAUubDXgW4QX6nE8dxsB-mSqUdAdnrmrfmUTSnmq-i57sleLcHjsre209FkXuryVNwxqiPA40AUmiHrZOHPYgOhdZ0H7Qd455rl/s1600/IMG_5780.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQ6mRGU4eaGuFo4AG5LkeKgLLcKRtWVdnglglM9oUGwAUubDXgW4QX6nE8dxsB-mSqUdAdnrmrfmUTSnmq-i57sleLcHjsre209FkXuryVNwxqiPA40AUmiHrZOHPYgOhdZ0H7Qd455rl/s400/IMG_5780.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581340293742070754" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xOWMAtREkzgiBJazjNKU4rXPIrzRydM6VLbVEef4JCjuOe5aaofs3I3H1GxhJsjrJQhIG93zxij7uZmD8IEKPYVli6zQU3ujfm9eUVI0PKjgpDnWtLbZ3_kMk7SfQjN6ahY7kFaAmCpO/s1600/IMG_5781.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xOWMAtREkzgiBJazjNKU4rXPIrzRydM6VLbVEef4JCjuOe5aaofs3I3H1GxhJsjrJQhIG93zxij7uZmD8IEKPYVli6zQU3ujfm9eUVI0PKjgpDnWtLbZ3_kMk7SfQjN6ahY7kFaAmCpO/s400/IMG_5781.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581340458021152930" /></a><br /><br />This is an age-old and brilliantly simple tool that allows a grower to carefully transfer tiny seedlings from one pot to another. Here's how it works:<br /><br />Use the tool to open a small hole in a transplant pot<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRFaAi_ygnlEyc1MHYe-PyWMy9aY0Gw-fax_l3PqXMoJB3cGWQmwyHQqAn9caM0Kbp5LuAVdzNKD3dw70dvt9IW4oR1BIDlmsrK55DKJiWWiC8ttdu83Z9f8-fTQ4lNpHYeZzY4Ou0L_0/s1600/IMG_5786.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRFaAi_ygnlEyc1MHYe-PyWMy9aY0Gw-fax_l3PqXMoJB3cGWQmwyHQqAn9caM0Kbp5LuAVdzNKD3dw70dvt9IW4oR1BIDlmsrK55DKJiWWiC8ttdu83Z9f8-fTQ4lNpHYeZzY4Ou0L_0/s400/IMG_5786.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581340945220322562" /></a><br /><br />Carefully work the tool around the seedling being sure to leave a little dirt around the roots<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNb5iLgu7gTUZEZq44XmRJqxdhw8JkLQiZJkfLWc5iKKUlGCIbCknXoLq_fWKgl2dvMIuXtSmc3wOGXZn2QndKj6Dp-CLBY4orl-lFtQ_OmJ29scZMp_nldozed0KhdbaA7IVNc1Na-OZ/s1600/IMG_5782.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNb5iLgu7gTUZEZq44XmRJqxdhw8JkLQiZJkfLWc5iKKUlGCIbCknXoLq_fWKgl2dvMIuXtSmc3wOGXZn2QndKj6Dp-CLBY4orl-lFtQ_OmJ29scZMp_nldozed0KhdbaA7IVNc1Na-OZ/s400/IMG_5782.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581341260204422850" /></a><br /><br />While applying light pressure with the tool and a finger, lift the seedling with a little dirt out of the first pot...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXEukGqRMe8CZKjPIAHw2x8mHIKD-0Oe9Cp1SZziZUtlbU2Jn6n-QkYkVkSkMKiD9HBpONN-IXN1iAvfSKLw1ucejD_GfQDV22KP9qIS4lWMfG8yQDbaZXZDJ6oiyPT6AySOEvfaQ-80G/s1600/IMG_5787.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXEukGqRMe8CZKjPIAHw2x8mHIKD-0Oe9Cp1SZziZUtlbU2Jn6n-QkYkVkSkMKiD9HBpONN-IXN1iAvfSKLw1ucejD_GfQDV22KP9qIS4lWMfG8yQDbaZXZDJ6oiyPT6AySOEvfaQ-80G/s400/IMG_5787.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581342727451588850" /></a><br /><br />...and place it into the hole in the transplant pot<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNybvoRuLTUcpYh_y1tBoliulX1W6aONrHxaa2fIBlzsiKXSXazkVzAyjyf5I8UenoVgmWFLE7cNNbGOkFJ3FD7vUEUCn50XGGa5xVmPtGzWz3lZJz5_89QhAehRhrTwUP9Ej9zziOfblr/s1600/IMG_5788.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNybvoRuLTUcpYh_y1tBoliulX1W6aONrHxaa2fIBlzsiKXSXazkVzAyjyf5I8UenoVgmWFLE7cNNbGOkFJ3FD7vUEUCn50XGGa5xVmPtGzWz3lZJz5_89QhAehRhrTwUP9Ej9zziOfblr/s400/IMG_5788.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581342910430591362" /></a><br /><br />And then there were two!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3YayHM9VWdArKHAAScLSrjy4R_c9KjsGr7K4vW-O7bIAVzKY0QTiYJqzxIV6T-VkyXlZZSEySBm2G_glx1f3q__6HHwJh_-yrtgm9pH-O0ZBbFOYAiHj9jQTrR-GQ_OtG_rv-T6qqidP/s1600/IMG_5789.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3YayHM9VWdArKHAAScLSrjy4R_c9KjsGr7K4vW-O7bIAVzKY0QTiYJqzxIV6T-VkyXlZZSEySBm2G_glx1f3q__6HHwJh_-yrtgm9pH-O0ZBbFOYAiHj9jQTrR-GQ_OtG_rv-T6qqidP/s400/IMG_5789.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581342266419959394" /></a><br /><br />Be sure to sprinkle a little dirt around the newly transplanted seedling as well as in the hole that it left in the original pot.<br /><br />Know that movina seedling in this way, if done carefully, will not hurt it. It will feel some shock for a bit, though, so water it carefully and give it a little adjustment time before planting it outside.<br /><br />This process, while not terribly time consuming for the home gardener, would not be practical for a commercial grower (hence resorting to pulling extra seedlings out). When the home grower is only seeding a few plants at a time, however, this can be a wonderful way to save seeds!Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-82662607469052135282011-02-28T06:25:00.001-08:002011-02-28T06:40:17.360-08:002 weeks past...I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I last put something up. I have really been noticing the changes as spring approaches:<br /><br />A few days ago, a weather reporter mentioned that the average temperature was now 35 degrees!<br /><br />I can really tell that the days are getting longer. All of the pics in this post were taken at 5:30pm. 6 weeks ago, it was completely dark out at 5:30!<br /><br />As far as new is concerned, the past two weeks have been filled with both hope and let-down. During a warm spell (almost 50), almost all of the snow melted and I <a href="http://todayskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2011/02/risky-business.html">planted</a> one of the coldframes. Then...winter returned :( Here it is outside<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55BF75aC7ESb-SXpIaQdpp0ZcAhggV6IgrrRLX_nHG5Oh1E47O2m3PnIK6rYh7tm-WtPZy9yjjkCPryT0XQvNQEi1bxRQa5H31Kmj7nGBy6I3IUW20WpHsauccBC_Lbx2bYLlTxhLGN0I/s1600/IMG_5738.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55BF75aC7ESb-SXpIaQdpp0ZcAhggV6IgrrRLX_nHG5Oh1E47O2m3PnIK6rYh7tm-WtPZy9yjjkCPryT0XQvNQEi1bxRQa5H31Kmj7nGBy6I3IUW20WpHsauccBC_Lbx2bYLlTxhLGN0I/s400/IMG_5738.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578747868087408994" /></a><br /><br />but here it is through the coldframe glass<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOqh0RN8FzHNJK7c_TRWkSVFsAAd5m_6nNt3VAucTaFTSlT-7c3cnMaAUTz5ORewefryjujL5hOEmzvk_Pu2QGfRuiPHR9OjMAc56mNvyhTliI1FA3v6XObujF3WmoidhKceI_g8LlDbn/s1600/IMG_5735.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOqh0RN8FzHNJK7c_TRWkSVFsAAd5m_6nNt3VAucTaFTSlT-7c3cnMaAUTz5ORewefryjujL5hOEmzvk_Pu2QGfRuiPHR9OjMAc56mNvyhTliI1FA3v6XObujF3WmoidhKceI_g8LlDbn/s400/IMG_5735.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578748072142840098" /></a><br /><br />It's hard to see but here are the plants that have been in there for just 2 weeks. They're doing pretty good!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXL5OZ6WYbN7TZZCDBNpJvc35648kuOjCe4s94YCsLZpK2vP6VKO3aPqqGlo1Muqui6Z9enPafpdOkUMKtYE6qrc3noGxVmr8KS2vRWI2-mDgoM3ftTw2Zuh_89NN7ajqb0DXllhaiAlb/s1600/IMG_5734.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXL5OZ6WYbN7TZZCDBNpJvc35648kuOjCe4s94YCsLZpK2vP6VKO3aPqqGlo1Muqui6Z9enPafpdOkUMKtYE6qrc3noGxVmr8KS2vRWI2-mDgoM3ftTw2Zuh_89NN7ajqb0DXllhaiAlb/s400/IMG_5734.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578748345648864658" /></a><br /><br />And here are the salad greens that were over-wintered. These were planted last September!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTHGd0iSsateVdmfd7MYHrzkVjR1bDVcfQIwLAxiJrRrvSgJH07PghaYDRQhweLIrcVH5jpsmkGsg1CKNITAwXaP4nuACucT6Dzx-R4cOHseFfTuD0jkJU80rZdCBEjJi6NhInrs_Ef-C/s1600/IMG_5737.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTHGd0iSsateVdmfd7MYHrzkVjR1bDVcfQIwLAxiJrRrvSgJH07PghaYDRQhweLIrcVH5jpsmkGsg1CKNITAwXaP4nuACucT6Dzx-R4cOHseFfTuD0jkJU80rZdCBEjJi6NhInrs_Ef-C/s400/IMG_5737.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578748650267726322" /></a><br /><br />I've been seeding a few plants each week so that I can be sure that the harvest is staggered. Here is three weeks worth<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GG72DvFyYB24k68KoGFh3U7DGwGz9BST3Wc0lKuUP5SsNSc1fklN1ZunkfXD3WHdO_a1L3e6z6GZbRSESoCsn2kuSMCX_f7RUBWOG2X3mXFXNBvJ6PCdHHiXLM9SZOv5cUmuqDSDi9ql/s1600/IMG_5739.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GG72DvFyYB24k68KoGFh3U7DGwGz9BST3Wc0lKuUP5SsNSc1fklN1ZunkfXD3WHdO_a1L3e6z6GZbRSESoCsn2kuSMCX_f7RUBWOG2X3mXFXNBvJ6PCdHHiXLM9SZOv5cUmuqDSDi9ql/s400/IMG_5739.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578749021721597106" /></a><br /><br />These have been growing for 2 weeks...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvdCo-RiJ8iOL0SovzJdD5PHnxiNSlSzW6R7z5EO0S1lFK4R07-w_mWCga-RRfYrgj2nUsUdEp1TSp9zx9rNk1MLnjyStMZfoDNcXL7m7Zt4N86cqdQG1XigHZ8d2e7Zwv8FlFEt89GqS/s1600/IMG_5740.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvdCo-RiJ8iOL0SovzJdD5PHnxiNSlSzW6R7z5EO0S1lFK4R07-w_mWCga-RRfYrgj2nUsUdEp1TSp9zx9rNk1MLnjyStMZfoDNcXL7m7Zt4N86cqdQG1XigHZ8d2e7Zwv8FlFEt89GqS/s400/IMG_5740.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578749258277276866" /></a><br /><br />They'll go out in a second coldframe next weekend<br /><br />These have been in for just 1 week and have 2 more weeks to go<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Xkt7dqgJazcgGsEg8qsnx41T6QLP3TV9X_KjpTknmxSXaUFPuwv5oX5um3JyA648IRm9Mhrt5vkNuuWYs6ml2j_KhkaoKSwWLfaCJ49-SMom1z3phMx4UUgu2hdH8q6hH4EOjsjraquv/s1600/IMG_5741.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Xkt7dqgJazcgGsEg8qsnx41T6QLP3TV9X_KjpTknmxSXaUFPuwv5oX5um3JyA648IRm9Mhrt5vkNuuWYs6ml2j_KhkaoKSwWLfaCJ49-SMom1z3phMx4UUgu2hdH8q6hH4EOjsjraquv/s400/IMG_5741.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578749627604977122" /></a><br /><br />It's amazing how little time gardening this way actually uses. Just a few plants at a time really spreads out the work!Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-5891810426312638652011-02-14T06:39:00.000-08:002011-02-14T06:53:16.917-08:00Risky BusinessWell...I can actually say it (as crazy as it sounds)... <br /><br />I, on February 12th, here in the northern tundra, have started planting my garden!!!!!!!!<br /><br />How can it be?<br /><br />3 weeks ago I started seeds for pea and lettuce plants. Now, I've moved them into the coldframes. That's right - they're outside. In February. In Wisconsin.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjm-j7ll6O3rUjWxfc3IKJftqNN_1vtKbl2kKmi8gKn497zGojA_HYQOXpZg-L2CzQEUvtMdAfPb6hY3Y7h04wPaOAPtbg9KGBdD9-aAw7kXGvBhBRE4o4ubxaDok2ucI6vmFGAddGe-om/s1600/IMAG0153.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjm-j7ll6O3rUjWxfc3IKJftqNN_1vtKbl2kKmi8gKn497zGojA_HYQOXpZg-L2CzQEUvtMdAfPb6hY3Y7h04wPaOAPtbg9KGBdD9-aAw7kXGvBhBRE4o4ubxaDok2ucI6vmFGAddGe-om/s400/IMAG0153.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573555999929579090" /></a><br /><br />THANK YOU <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Harvest-Handbook-Production-Greenhouses/dp/1603580816/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297695079&sr=1-1">ELIOT COLEMAN</a>!!!<br /><br />First I had to clean out the last of the lettuces out of the frame<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglStMtvM_NKnGOy8jN1ZlxJMtzTCMbtI_k8N7th_bAbbxT6urNkbfcnqfma7GxdbSyavKrM53cvc0AYyFbwGkeYflQUmhRz_G_-PtD0YT1HICYBnNUEe3AYqVS_fnqvLXYC3Ai3x3a2tos/s1600/IMAG0157.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglStMtvM_NKnGOy8jN1ZlxJMtzTCMbtI_k8N7th_bAbbxT6urNkbfcnqfma7GxdbSyavKrM53cvc0AYyFbwGkeYflQUmhRz_G_-PtD0YT1HICYBnNUEe3AYqVS_fnqvLXYC3Ai3x3a2tos/s400/IMAG0157.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573556195102715714" /></a><br /><br />Pretty warm in there <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfGZnirR-B2rnvIYxayvWwNJSybLqEgpvU0eZieRSFxY6aTEH_hc3183IdwUxAvdTY968oJkzLlHTz6OwiMAfS3UT3OZYemLRAdDDkaTNFPRIYzooF5WaXNtwCxD8I2q5MNm9DqcrXwXf/s1600/IMAG0154.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfGZnirR-B2rnvIYxayvWwNJSybLqEgpvU0eZieRSFxY6aTEH_hc3183IdwUxAvdTY968oJkzLlHTz6OwiMAfS3UT3OZYemLRAdDDkaTNFPRIYzooF5WaXNtwCxD8I2q5MNm9DqcrXwXf/s400/IMAG0154.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573556585358128674" /></a><br /><br />Here is the layout. Notice the little white dots at the bottom of the picture - they're more peas<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9ZvYCYiU0XO0U-b27w4nUVyzrhiWCJX-oVs7cwKj4hbqG_WhyWZxp5tPRWMPNeGLcLQGoRkfVLVlH4IHcdb0Nvrg-Tfwp1SFlGdOZuYDX8vEixF-SK8nhGaRhA0PY9C41bmp9vo0kHIv/s1600/IMAG0155.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9ZvYCYiU0XO0U-b27w4nUVyzrhiWCJX-oVs7cwKj4hbqG_WhyWZxp5tPRWMPNeGLcLQGoRkfVLVlH4IHcdb0Nvrg-Tfwp1SFlGdOZuYDX8vEixF-SK8nhGaRhA0PY9C41bmp9vo0kHIv/s400/IMAG0155.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573556863497253346" /></a><br /><br />And here are all of the little plantlings on the ground ready to start getting big!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRBGJlxrEiDGeDuKzqVk5Fg6RXawOJUMRrp4Gx0R3TyNz8GCnVwZ5p1BTxs3TQBOnIY9taRU7jM7tm8yeKT_hfcnt8j8p7xc-f-4wKvRUFLDvB2vayYpgAHqYTclyhrqewv0bnc3HYm2c/s1600/IMAG0156.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRBGJlxrEiDGeDuKzqVk5Fg6RXawOJUMRrp4Gx0R3TyNz8GCnVwZ5p1BTxs3TQBOnIY9taRU7jM7tm8yeKT_hfcnt8j8p7xc-f-4wKvRUFLDvB2vayYpgAHqYTclyhrqewv0bnc3HYm2c/s400/IMAG0156.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573557100061113138" /></a><br /><br />The reason that I call this risky business is because the thought of planting in February in Wisconsin is just ludicrous.<br /><br />The weather has warmed up though (yesterday was 49 degrees) and as long as it doesn't drop below about 18 degrees at night, the coldframes will keep the plants safe.<br /><br />Keep your fingers crossed - this planting is 2 weeks earlier than last year!Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-31797560242548668702011-02-04T05:58:00.000-08:002011-02-04T06:01:52.004-08:00And They're UpAs promised, some pics of the peas and lettuce that I started 12 days ago:<br /><br />Frame Peas<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5c7cI8pQCiBIAptHqGqv-LbIjd8lHMmd6csiY0SHoAkyTD7gYU8AgmhcsPPu-qm2I3ITN_EgEIC2duZvo4gqhT-CubZojJ596cA-7MJ6n69FwOv06vuDqDWLwd26LK4s5fiP6FjHzJK6S/s1600/IMG_5674.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5c7cI8pQCiBIAptHqGqv-LbIjd8lHMmd6csiY0SHoAkyTD7gYU8AgmhcsPPu-qm2I3ITN_EgEIC2duZvo4gqhT-CubZojJ596cA-7MJ6n69FwOv06vuDqDWLwd26LK4s5fiP6FjHzJK6S/s400/IMG_5674.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569833862833561330" /></a><br /><br />Romaine Lettuce<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmz5I6ske7PWFRsoJ_k8OEDk8S2aec71qDlaSkfVFJhkfVRBwQxJod8UIoeptyEeUOC8EmQgy8_I_XKF_osA2TewmlZGPv9antkHf3IxFQ3Kz1WgnI0_b7HzNszBZuJMzgZTpLQC5Heix0/s1600/IMG_5676.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmz5I6ske7PWFRsoJ_k8OEDk8S2aec71qDlaSkfVFJhkfVRBwQxJod8UIoeptyEeUOC8EmQgy8_I_XKF_osA2TewmlZGPv9antkHf3IxFQ3Kz1WgnI0_b7HzNszBZuJMzgZTpLQC5Heix0/s400/IMG_5676.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569834050544760706" /></a><br /><br />Second Round of Peas<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierCwNRjxR3IKvNnOzKrB6b5H8qh5hXrCZgR6ZMazQ_BgZxRIjLMKbUu54zERJTBtgAvxcKCjzJ_gwVS0Fdd3kx4Wxlmn17YUiJNDH2SPP6XfN0Z0K3S1_UPciBGnmPwlFns2svYPDHPBb/s1600/IMG_5675.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierCwNRjxR3IKvNnOzKrB6b5H8qh5hXrCZgR6ZMazQ_BgZxRIjLMKbUu54zERJTBtgAvxcKCjzJ_gwVS0Fdd3kx4Wxlmn17YUiJNDH2SPP6XfN0Z0K3S1_UPciBGnmPwlFns2svYPDHPBb/s400/IMG_5675.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569834223726634050" /></a>Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-70850173382372745162011-02-03T06:50:00.000-08:002011-02-03T07:10:31.287-08:00Still Winter :( But thinking of Spring!!!We had a snowstorm.<br /><br />A big one.<br /><br />Here's the pile that I had at the end of the driveway<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRy5ah65NiFUalZsL_JTIQFArfrKXJVyS_xl6XWCrn9Z83p76vo93EBwHwkk5whK9f7bFlwsFplOHkxmUfqNY8k6cl6MCBtsJl8qsMPWt49M33rOeOXhtx8j0CsVkYFeuvlEQZa8qOEfxJ/s1600/IMG_5671.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRy5ah65NiFUalZsL_JTIQFArfrKXJVyS_xl6XWCrn9Z83p76vo93EBwHwkk5whK9f7bFlwsFplOHkxmUfqNY8k6cl6MCBtsJl8qsMPWt49M33rOeOXhtx8j0CsVkYFeuvlEQZa8qOEfxJ/s400/IMG_5671.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569477648181002386" /></a><br />That is the 4-foot mark that you're seeing on the tape measure!!<br /><br />Like I said - big storm :)<br /><br />After I dug out, though, I had to snap a picture of the wonderbox (i.e.the coldframe). It's a bit blurry 'cuz I didn't want to open it and let the heat out but It does indeed say 60 degrees!!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJehwaULpBr2dLutcgugUU1y6S2qwwqkBnFTC9eZu49dbl1gWIF8OmHgw0jc4HmlGaXZe19hhhRwtLjXFBlxu4AOelSdZ4hrJbkRq6rCnP3pK0nbySPEUkinFeHQVJLeeeFXveHszzj1H/s1600/IMG_5673.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJehwaULpBr2dLutcgugUU1y6S2qwwqkBnFTC9eZu49dbl1gWIF8OmHgw0jc4HmlGaXZe19hhhRwtLjXFBlxu4AOelSdZ4hrJbkRq6rCnP3pK0nbySPEUkinFeHQVJLeeeFXveHszzj1H/s400/IMG_5673.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569478169533696562" /></a><br />This warm 'weather' in the frame helps me to think of spring. So does the latest post by the Dervaes family. They have a small photo shoot of their urban homestead <a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2011/02/02/spring-2/">here</a>. Here's a teaser<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEm03hrh9aMupu9cfQlHVV7x97KinCvR6xq8R_-lgisyQRekQNC8Z2ZMCfkdlCBiNyLXBEQFAHSvf3Srk_S47YH45BQn_C_Ah6sgkXFvwJMp1U-kL25c3wAp8A7GnPp73QV6oQ8XIeAXGr/s1600/garden1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEm03hrh9aMupu9cfQlHVV7x97KinCvR6xq8R_-lgisyQRekQNC8Z2ZMCfkdlCBiNyLXBEQFAHSvf3Srk_S47YH45BQn_C_Ah6sgkXFvwJMp1U-kL25c3wAp8A7GnPp73QV6oQ8XIeAXGr/s400/garden1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569480655368155506" /></a><br />To be lucky enough to have spring in February...I'm so jealous!!<br /><br />I've got some pics of the peas and lettuce that I started 11 days ago. More on that tomorrow...Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-60735906968112840302011-01-28T06:59:00.001-08:002011-01-28T07:06:11.467-08:00Seedlings Popping Up!!!Well...it hasn't even been a week and the seelings are already popping up. Here are some pics:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhey_H3XjtGt77qQbsy_NIidsRf8GVes5uToL6O4GYt2jZ7HK9EUzs5QLzewVtJW9THr6o9NSq1iBN25cIx1vAuw-yzCd_Ur6r2IMz4wI_RB32YrAC1pLDvZ9thhnfjNVaPrQJG0Beq8Y89/s1600/IMG_5654.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhey_H3XjtGt77qQbsy_NIidsRf8GVes5uToL6O4GYt2jZ7HK9EUzs5QLzewVtJW9THr6o9NSq1iBN25cIx1vAuw-yzCd_Ur6r2IMz4wI_RB32YrAC1pLDvZ9thhnfjNVaPrQJG0Beq8Y89/s400/IMG_5654.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567252188077910434" /></a>One of three lettuces<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1R8Msy92MLkru-9DaIo0NX04R9c0IlsjvIuDbFSMMAyOqaqrDjvEb_f84RGRbmQkhPmk2RyImA3tLIuqTbGIw6Yrlos49ALLINHdZ0xV6dYNjb3A0qgEb1pmOui2hclIjHbWhL9Sps8ES/s1600/IMG_5655.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1R8Msy92MLkru-9DaIo0NX04R9c0IlsjvIuDbFSMMAyOqaqrDjvEb_f84RGRbmQkhPmk2RyImA3tLIuqTbGIw6Yrlos49ALLINHdZ0xV6dYNjb3A0qgEb1pmOui2hclIjHbWhL9Sps8ES/s400/IMG_5655.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567252434510005170" /></a>and one of 15 peas<br /><br />In a few weeks, these will be ready to move into the cold frames and then I'll start the next round!Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-20435452006334429922011-01-25T06:12:00.000-08:002011-01-25T06:17:02.133-08:00Winter PicsHere are some pics of the recent winter weather (first 6 inches of snow...then -8 for a low) and the still-flourishing coldframes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAXcQu538-pNz4-6tQY05PCjBdo7qc0oDQc1v4gCpHBssbOmYfWsQHfzg9SdaaQigoUNrNEfd1PQcjcecRpo-kej4DYvV1nLKppJpyOXnASiTFWTzwa2TXJCWYRsJCya-xIF8ZonWxWh7/s1600/IMG_5643.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAXcQu538-pNz4-6tQY05PCjBdo7qc0oDQc1v4gCpHBssbOmYfWsQHfzg9SdaaQigoUNrNEfd1PQcjcecRpo-kej4DYvV1nLKppJpyOXnASiTFWTzwa2TXJCWYRsJCya-xIF8ZonWxWh7/s400/IMG_5643.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566126714995732834" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSfOisPTiPakcPiSt55qMlYczWZgmVaNCs0k6JSbwicwVAzEIR0B6jn1X3nkFX4dT7amh1St1qFj5EkGLpPZo5uTooX2irWdB-MihQs8US5L1GG9wUGYJwCRTqltmlrGkPrYMebHYnuCW/s1600/IMG_5644.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSfOisPTiPakcPiSt55qMlYczWZgmVaNCs0k6JSbwicwVAzEIR0B6jn1X3nkFX4dT7amh1St1qFj5EkGLpPZo5uTooX2irWdB-MihQs8US5L1GG9wUGYJwCRTqltmlrGkPrYMebHYnuCW/s400/IMG_5644.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566126845822611106" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKK24TO0omVlaqOCWMQ_5zH8PLNiAKncNNZ68LNENumVdWxQDVRWsgn69zvdPIOmBGsb6ReQJkk4RdC3hGND8cQwIuHxe8hE-eCH9i6mtnF7_l752ddDJk88pRUqGVBVE6rOoD-1d61Vtn/s1600/IMG_5645.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKK24TO0omVlaqOCWMQ_5zH8PLNiAKncNNZ68LNENumVdWxQDVRWsgn69zvdPIOmBGsb6ReQJkk4RdC3hGND8cQwIuHxe8hE-eCH9i6mtnF7_l752ddDJk88pRUqGVBVE6rOoD-1d61Vtn/s400/IMG_5645.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566126976814838274" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVjhPtBO3xOoEdOEnoP6NSYXTs7fgiaW0cuhwd2wnG5Wx1KJ0G9zrjf-gSbCJG5grdfVI1SkRWdNh9Z4LI1LZ8B1A_eQEplKA7ktoPWmdxtIQf62XJQ9G1DDkm6o89SkLBxI5BpTt56hT/s1600/IMG_5646.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVjhPtBO3xOoEdOEnoP6NSYXTs7fgiaW0cuhwd2wnG5Wx1KJ0G9zrjf-gSbCJG5grdfVI1SkRWdNh9Z4LI1LZ8B1A_eQEplKA7ktoPWmdxtIQf62XJQ9G1DDkm6o89SkLBxI5BpTt56hT/s400/IMG_5646.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566127102795172418" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQmcahkrUyE-YBoAOVYgSpzVKQ5bavD1P7rSUgqWf1sDVrgNSA8zMi6v6MLaGZaPYjvFpB0b73uWbM5qfQhZmexDrt6fgFUBV8xHQCp35CqNBTbThqDeNiuD_4tnsUIgnT9BBua12Ayt1/s1600/IMG_5647.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQmcahkrUyE-YBoAOVYgSpzVKQ5bavD1P7rSUgqWf1sDVrgNSA8zMi6v6MLaGZaPYjvFpB0b73uWbM5qfQhZmexDrt6fgFUBV8xHQCp35CqNBTbThqDeNiuD_4tnsUIgnT9BBua12Ayt1/s400/IMG_5647.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566127240922706962" /></a>Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-2587827655196758242011-01-24T06:47:00.000-08:002011-01-24T07:44:54.227-08:00Seeds are startedI was planning on starting seeds about a week ago but I got it done this weekend!!<br /><br />You might remember this thing from a past post...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKUThz7zoUGCOZWqRBRh_c0OE9N60tpX9vN-7exiqCODBpVx1mBFcDIneV9AVAtTt9J3MDo3gcX0SQhIEukfLwn3PiUsOuFMRvjNiw6vxenBbp44N6xiBrOCH9mWaqhkHJW5eStJL_pB-/s1600/IMG_5371.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKUThz7zoUGCOZWqRBRh_c0OE9N60tpX9vN-7exiqCODBpVx1mBFcDIneV9AVAtTt9J3MDo3gcX0SQhIEukfLwn3PiUsOuFMRvjNiw6vxenBbp44N6xiBrOCH9mWaqhkHJW5eStJL_pB-/s400/IMG_5371.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565767154758910450" /></a><br />It's a hydroponic micro-garden that grew some GREAT lettuce. I could have reseeded it but I decided instead to use its growlight to start my seeds. While I don't like using electricity to grow my garden, growlights are almost a neccessity in the northern lattitudes.<br /><br />I found a neat little toy that helped out with the seed starting.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHIx4Z68RY12a2HZCSdBSSzziI3rU4YUXagYOYr-YBCbE7rFhDv7zm4OD0IbwChDwX2LYdn3YCr50JpDjsmlEj2hDelHAWdPzcNikSY1k4AVKoP_fal7LznHel38L17d4yhKycRu-1dgt/s1600/IMG_5637.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHIx4Z68RY12a2HZCSdBSSzziI3rU4YUXagYOYr-YBCbE7rFhDv7zm4OD0IbwChDwX2LYdn3YCr50JpDjsmlEj2hDelHAWdPzcNikSY1k4AVKoP_fal7LznHel38L17d4yhKycRu-1dgt/s400/IMG_5637.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565771005901857458" /></a><br />I got mine from <a href="http://www.bountifulgardens.org/">Bountiful Gardens</a> but the device can be found all over the internet. Here's how it works:<br /><br />- Rip newspaper into long strips, but only about 3 inches wide<br />- Wrap a strip around the shaft of the device<br />- Fold the extra paper under (yes...you <em>want</em> to have extra)<br />- Press the newspaper-wrapped shaft into the base as hard as you can<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRnu5X1-pI1vrJ-SqTCLPpVsFMnDf9G59tbUCxpXpKYiXH_emzYTATbAx5FsnQUMSv0ZwlaZ6B_vUAlv1zmVPBP3fO_qrtAQlsjkptv_Ddg8EidhcmGU-NuR1v957TgZa-Id7HjFTood6/s1600/IMG_5639.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRnu5X1-pI1vrJ-SqTCLPpVsFMnDf9G59tbUCxpXpKYiXH_emzYTATbAx5FsnQUMSv0ZwlaZ6B_vUAlv1zmVPBP3fO_qrtAQlsjkptv_Ddg8EidhcmGU-NuR1v957TgZa-Id7HjFTood6/s400/IMG_5639.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565772369668587026" /></a><br />Once those steps are complete and you've removed the pot drom the tool, it'll look like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB89AsVntJIim1cc78XsTwQw38my8Sgz7j1i3vHLwDGo4m5JmFWTePgCw632apxOr5GtEt9iC9faZei_8iFMcpAU0qZoWzVf8ylKb0dujeZHlslxFjX0MrLlZHZTTvob5NLBSBMjWJzcn0/s1600/IMG_5640.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB89AsVntJIim1cc78XsTwQw38my8Sgz7j1i3vHLwDGo4m5JmFWTePgCw632apxOr5GtEt9iC9faZei_8iFMcpAU0qZoWzVf8ylKb0dujeZHlslxFjX0MrLlZHZTTvob5NLBSBMjWJzcn0/s400/IMG_5640.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565772722930865698" /></a><br />And from the top<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJWxUSQ4Cz_6_wCNLGKqdcZPB19JQ3mwC6TgO6yxMU-MbhsovRWrzqBNq1Ny6NVE-PfoMwiJ38GMRmaEatJtSnCK6fmHxHQ3isOs1HnUKJ1X_rGzxTmhG_dyqmysG58fsHZiylWeWcENI/s1600/IMG_5641.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJWxUSQ4Cz_6_wCNLGKqdcZPB19JQ3mwC6TgO6yxMU-MbhsovRWrzqBNq1Ny6NVE-PfoMwiJ38GMRmaEatJtSnCK6fmHxHQ3isOs1HnUKJ1X_rGzxTmhG_dyqmysG58fsHZiylWeWcENI/s400/IMG_5641.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565773233521823346" /></a><br />Once done (I made 18), I filled the pots with potting soil<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIQLZsdxv6bUyNlCV-0aS_KAQp9tT6d4rpjh1czZ5ULggyg54J_IroHl3Lt20YXXxxkzkaRFbjl2_K97n5zQ3ksDQ5jODNxbWQy0FL7qSNe2YXF68UV1Hrn_Uamwoxz6ssBQtzob33ZA1/s1600/IMG_5642.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIQLZsdxv6bUyNlCV-0aS_KAQp9tT6d4rpjh1czZ5ULggyg54J_IroHl3Lt20YXXxxkzkaRFbjl2_K97n5zQ3ksDQ5jODNxbWQy0FL7qSNe2YXF68UV1Hrn_Uamwoxz6ssBQtzob33ZA1/s400/IMG_5642.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565773542919258002" /></a><br />Planted seeds (you can see a pea right in the middle)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnGGeSp6oYMy8JbthmO6SKbcf06P6mlWaQUleniFL6hc5OLPFajw8vHU8Uz_Raty_khDTiVW-IrfuMvC1R0RqOyk7G7z6aYhAP5N7OL_-iLh-tPiXZnO8LYOXwxZ2-RUfWx9W_nBqUoJw/s1600/IMG_5633.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnGGeSp6oYMy8JbthmO6SKbcf06P6mlWaQUleniFL6hc5OLPFajw8vHU8Uz_Raty_khDTiVW-IrfuMvC1R0RqOyk7G7z6aYhAP5N7OL_-iLh-tPiXZnO8LYOXwxZ2-RUfWx9W_nBqUoJw/s400/IMG_5633.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565773797582485186" /></a><br />and lined up all 18 pots under the growlight.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdwI5gC0vSTDxl8uMOiUHGfPqPduqqY1ck1NdfKtScB82hT8TC7bAlNUnVrWJZMoN5daTo6mqN-izUPr-4JudeCCn-1H5GEF75C_ML_71o89_X1QurZzIa2_NtRmWtOReZdAkTKwxyHDk/s1600/IMG_5632.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdwI5gC0vSTDxl8uMOiUHGfPqPduqqY1ck1NdfKtScB82hT8TC7bAlNUnVrWJZMoN5daTo6mqN-izUPr-4JudeCCn-1H5GEF75C_ML_71o89_X1QurZzIa2_NtRmWtOReZdAkTKwxyHDk/s400/IMG_5632.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565774034894200610" /></a><br />With this tool, you'll never need throw-away plastic pots again!<br /><br />Based on some of my recent posts, it might seem a little early for me to be starting seeds. I pushed up the recommended date by two weeks because of the coldframe protection that I use. The earliest plants that can be started are peas. The 15 that I have in the pots are dwarf peas called <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=1177">Tom Thumb </a>here in America and are based on an English pea called Early English Frame (because they were cultivated to be small enough to start very early in coldframes). <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XcJrh3nmDvaOo3zIAKqGZZyq8I1RHC4fmq9ymfFF95RlQKI7FwwOa3Q01wFSvIa7lRyv0gOwhqDYNjWDnsFHTSvKzD_pE5CQlrps775IoBwgwk5_pCEUzqn6ntjHm3-_YD-ajY2B_uS1/s1600/Tom_Thumb_Sweet_Peas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XcJrh3nmDvaOo3zIAKqGZZyq8I1RHC4fmq9ymfFF95RlQKI7FwwOa3Q01wFSvIa7lRyv0gOwhqDYNjWDnsFHTSvKzD_pE5CQlrps775IoBwgwk5_pCEUzqn6ntjHm3-_YD-ajY2B_uS1/s400/Tom_Thumb_Sweet_Peas.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565778429469468658" /></a><br />Basically, they are simply <em>very</em> small plants - last year, mine got 14 inches tall, which is actually quite large for these plants. Also last year, the peas weren't ready 'til the middle of June. My hope is that if I start them earlier and keep them covered with the frame longer, I'll have some peas at least in May, if not earlier!Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-72002692505038888182011-01-19T06:47:00.000-08:002011-01-19T06:59:04.947-08:00Really cool planning software #1As I've been scouring countless resources, I've come across a really neat garden planning tool. It's offered through <a href="http://www.gardeners.com/">Gardener's Supply</a>. They call it the Online Kitchen Garden Planner (hoe pwefect, right) and the site offers 12 <a href="http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Page-KGPPreplanned">pre-planned gardens </a>as well as a small program that enables the user to <a href="http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Page-KGPJS">custom plan </a>a garden by choosing from over 45 plant varieties as well as a number of garden sizes. It took a bit of cutting and pasting but here is a sample layout of one portion of my kitchen garden:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbmj1yIUQx9Ot6HyZ8FVLHYTReSiFf6vqZ_OBDtKgAJvzAqttNAnoCnlWalOWF-er93C8XqVtALS4iRTMu-6CibcU7CUA7ex35RgJb66IAvb-xqnrLyjEJFVJgmNQqNSoZAwu36eT6sIm/s1600/Garden+Plan+11.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 168px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbmj1yIUQx9Ot6HyZ8FVLHYTReSiFf6vqZ_OBDtKgAJvzAqttNAnoCnlWalOWF-er93C8XqVtALS4iRTMu-6CibcU7CUA7ex35RgJb66IAvb-xqnrLyjEJFVJgmNQqNSoZAwu36eT6sIm/s400/Garden+Plan+11.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563910875424204178" /></a><br />This plan is actually so promising that I might just go with it!<br /><br />One drawback of this planning software is that it doesn't allow for (or offer suggestions for) succession planting (planting a different crop later in the season after an earlier crop is done producing - i.e radishes in early spring followwed by tomatoes in summer followed by spinach in fall). You'd have to know what plants could be planted in succession and make several grid plans. Not impossible but a little more work.<br /><br />Have fun planning and look for more soon...Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-47418900377186148172011-01-14T07:10:00.000-08:002011-01-14T07:44:53.318-08:00Did you order your seeds yet?Winter is the perfect time to plan for this year's garden because...really...what is going on in the garden when it's covered in snow and ice?<br /><br />Over the past few days we've looked at the coldest and warmest that a location will be. We've looked at frost dates. We explored seed starting techniques and, when rolling all of those together, we can see that in come parts of the country, starting some seeds as early as the end of January/beginning of February is a good idea.<br /><br />So...did you buy your seeds yet?<br /><br />I recommend <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/">Seed Saver's Exchange</a>, <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/">Johnny's Seeds</a>, <a href="http://www.territorialseed.com/">Territorial Seeds</a>, and <a href="http://www.burpee.com/">Burpees</a>.<br /><br />I bought everything that I'll need earlier this week and I'll have all of the veggies I can eat for most of the year for under $100!! What a savings the garden can be!Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-40333717968483569552011-01-12T07:22:00.000-08:002011-01-12T08:35:44.602-08:00Start those Seeds!!!You've figured out <strong>what</strong> will grow in your area. You've calculated <strong>when</strong> to plant and when to start seeds. Now, <strong>how</strong> do you actually go about starting them?<br /><br />I subscribe to several e-mail lists and I get two very timely articles the other day. Both deal with seed starting - let's take a look.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/">Johnny's Seeds </a>starts out its <a href="http://growingideas.johnnyseeds.com/search/label/JSS%20Advantage#germination">article</a> by stating that "seeds don't care where they are started, as long as three conditions are provided: appropriate temperature, light or darkness, and moisture." They go on to say that "or most vegetables, the optimum temperature is quite warm, 75-90˚F. This is the temperature of the growing medium, not the air temperature."<br /><br />So...if you make sure that the temp of the soil is correct, you'll be off to a good start. Next, as the experts at Johnny's Seeds pointed out, it's important to think about light. "As soon as the seeds germinate, they should be exposed to light. If growing them under lights, keep the lights just an inch or two above the seedlings and raise them as the plants grow. Leave the lights turned on 16 hours a day. Seedlings get leggy and if they are grown without enough light."<br /><br />If you've ever tried to grow a seedling on a window sill in winter, you know what 'leggy' means - the plant gets very tall very quickly but remains very thin. It will fall over under its own weight and no matter how hard you try, it will never stand up straight and will most likely die. <a href="http://www.gardeners.com/Light-Gardens/LightGardens_Dept,default,sc.html">Grow lights </a>help combat this. They're not too expensive to run and can really give you a leg up on the season.<br /><br />Finally, Johnny's talks about moisture. They say that "moisture is essential to all germination. The seed-starting medium must be thoroughly wetted before you plant, and you should cover the germinating flat with a plastic dome or piece of row cover to maintain humidity at the soil surface. However, the germinating medium needs to be well-drained, and the flats should be vented daily to prevent excessive moisture. If mold starts to develop on the soil surface, remove the cover."<br /><br />Take care of those three things and you should be well on your way to seed starting!<br /><br />The other <a href="http://www.gardeners.com/The-Right-Pot/7496,default,pg.html?SC=WNA7001E&utm_source=direct&utm_campaign=control&utm_medium=email&utm_content=jan11news&email=edictus@gmail.com&nlid=13224.1258813.0.1.0.5085887&eid=edictus@gmail.com">article</a> that I received was from <a href="http://www.gardeners.com/">Gardener's Supply</a>. This one talks about some other aspects of seed starting. "For some kinds of plants, success in the garden requires a head start indoors. Though beans, carrots, corn, and sunflowers can (and should) be planted as seeds directly into the garden, the seeds of lots of other plants like parsley, tomatoes, peppers, and broccoli are usually sown in pots indoors and the young plants get set out into the garden several weeks later."<br /><br />Also, pot size was talked about. "Slow-growing seedlings such as onions, peppers, snapdragons and perennial herbs may be happy for many weeks, growing in a small pot. Fast-growing seedlings, such as melons, tomatoes and zinnias, will outgrow a pot much more quickly."<br /><br />So much to think about when gardening, no?<br /><br />The thing is, just take it slow and one step at a time. Don't run out and buy a <a href="http://www.gardeners.com/T-5-Jumpstart-3Tier/IndoorGardening_LightGardens,39-356,default,cp.html">full-blown grow light system</a>. Rather, try starting just one type of plant this year and buy the rest ready to go from your local garden center. As with all things, there is a learning curve here. <br /><br />Simply making the transition to growing your own food is a huge step. <br /><br />Like the article said, beans and carrots grow great by just planting some seed in the garden. To that, why not try to add perhaps some herbs started from seed. They are usually pretty forgiving :)Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-28994244036489527252011-01-11T06:34:00.000-08:002011-01-11T08:02:07.840-08:00Planning Tool Number 2Yesterday we explored USDA Hardiness Zones, American Horticultural Society Heat Zones, and Freeze/Frost dates. Picking up where those tools leave off, today we'll take a look at another important tool - the Seed Starting Calculator.<br /><br />After we all found our freeze/frost dates yesterday, we'll actualy be able to put them to use today. Know that for this post, I'm going to use my own area's info to keep things consistent.<br /><br />In my area, my <a href="http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/climatenormals/climatenormals.pl?directive=prod_select2&prodtype=CLIM2001&subrnum%20to%20Freeze/Frost%20Data%20from%20the%20U.S.%20Climate%20Normals">last frost date </a>is April 27th. This is the 50% probability for 32 degrees. Because the 10% probability for 32 degrees and the 50 probability for 36 degrees are on May 10th and 11th and because I use cold frames, I'm going to simply even out the date to May 1st. This is pretty consistent with what I've seen personally anyway.<br /><br />Now that I know the date, I can begin to count backwards for all of my plants to know when to set them out into the garden and, even further back, when to start the seeds indoors (either in the house or in a greenhouse).<br /><br />Every seed packet has some similar info printed on it. Typically, instructions are given for how far apart to space rows, how much room to leave between plants and how long it takes the plant to mature. Also, though, and quite important for today, a guideline is given specifying how long before or after the last spring frost plants should be set out into the garden. Some plants are quite cold tolerant and can be planted outisde even if another frost or two will hit them (like peas). Other plants need all danger of frost to be long gone or else they will will die (like tomatoes).<br /><br />Knowing how long before or after the last pring frost plants can be set out tells us something else important - when seeds should be started. Depending on the plant, seeds need 3 to 8 weeks of start time (unless you are planting the seed straight into the garden) before they are set out into the garden.<br /><br />Now...all of this sounds like a lot of math, a lot of figuring, a lot of counting, and a lot of charting.<br /><br />It used to be...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/e-PDGSeedStart.aspx??source=HomeSeedCalc0111">Check this out</a>!!!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/default.aspx">Johnny's Seeds </a>is one of several seed saving and propogating firms in the U.S. It focuses on heirloom seeds and plants and, like the others (<a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/">Seed Savers Exchange</a>, <a href="http://www.territorialseed.com/">Territorial Seeds</a>, etc), provides many useful tools for gardeners. The one that is linked above is a seed starting calculator - it does the figuring and charting for you!!!<br /><br />All you need to know is your all-important last frost date!! (This is why the date is so important - everything revolves around it)<br /><br />So...using my personal example of May 1st, I get this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCfawGWesYkGKz3ObmxkpWu0jYHmFsrwFyAjDd3LqBqBfYf3w4C3wDhyphenhypheni_tMU3B55U-T4o85H8eYJu3EDp6qizilgqJDQvT_78ZNa7EXzHQiIidxIVStPVyGPFYZy5oRHPkov6fGLrXRl/s1600/Seed+Starting.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 387px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCfawGWesYkGKz3ObmxkpWu0jYHmFsrwFyAjDd3LqBqBfYf3w4C3wDhyphenhypheni_tMU3B55U-T4o85H8eYJu3EDp6qizilgqJDQvT_78ZNa7EXzHQiIidxIVStPVyGPFYZy5oRHPkov6fGLrXRl/s400/Seed+Starting.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560957123882930450" /></a><br /><br />It's not the easiest to read but what it outlines is, for example, that peas, while normally started directly in the garden (indicated by the asterisk), they can be started indoors 3-4 weeks before setting outside and they should be set outside 6-8 weeks before the last frost. More importnantly, <em>actual dates </em>are supplied!!! Peas, according to the chart, then, should be started in my area between February 6th and February 27th and should be set out between March 6th and March 27th. <br /><br />Knowing these dates makes the seed starting process soooooo much easier.<br /><br />Take a look at Johnny's Seed's <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/e-PDGSeedStart.aspx??source=HomeSeedCalc0111">Seed Starting Calculator </a>for yourself so that you too can get started soon!<br /><br />Tomorrow, we'll start to look at other planning software for the garden itself.Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-38557837666758206822011-01-10T10:17:00.000-08:002011-01-10T11:34:02.548-08:00Let the planning begin...(but don't order your seed just yet - wait for the other categories to be discussed first)<br />So...last week we took a quick look at companion planting so that we could get an idea of how to begin to think about garden layout. With that floating in the back of our heads, let's dive into something else crucial - when to plant!<br /><br />For some of us, it's getting to be about the time to buy seeds so that we'll be ready to start them. How do I know this?<br /><br />Every area in the U.S. falls into several categories whaich are important for growing. All of them revolve around climate and they are:<br /><br /><strong>USDA Hardiness Zone<br />American Horticultureal Society Heat Zone<br />Freeze/Frost Dates</strong><br /><br />The three work in tandem to determine what will grow where and when optimum growing times are. <br /><br />The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone">Hardiness Zones </a>refer to the coldest temperature that an area will experience in winter. The zones range from 0a (-65 degrees) to 12b (55 degrees). The zone map <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkwj5isrUAkiC50ufXTVMI-3cXoXnYOMbTptZf-js5qLOKgSLopNel1upBx-SgHfEBHKoffX4qvyOreKC_R8WGuAy7a0YWLFJqMvRtr-RVb92aOiIiPLWLuT_IEKNkQV106vKHWz4RNK1/s1600/USDA_Hardiness_zone_map.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkwj5isrUAkiC50ufXTVMI-3cXoXnYOMbTptZf-js5qLOKgSLopNel1upBx-SgHfEBHKoffX4qvyOreKC_R8WGuAy7a0YWLFJqMvRtr-RVb92aOiIiPLWLuT_IEKNkQV106vKHWz4RNK1/s400/USDA_Hardiness_zone_map.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560626524624172242" /></a><br />was released in 1990 and was based on 12 years of data ranging from 1974 to 1986. It represented a vast improvement over the original 1960 map because it was based on about twice as much data and divided each zone in half (i.e. a + b) for a more accurate representation.<br /><br />In 2003, the American Horticultural Society, after collecting data for another 16 years, relaesed an update to the USDA map. This map relects increases or decreases in the zone assignments (and might show a bit of global warming...)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQj4vLy793ywzhh5Iq0_80y-j9CnYhyOJnxhCq-9JVI_I1JHbed566cuHxPhuJQIvgvwbszgvRB2NgqtNgDBkrjsfd0eUwStBpaAusLI0PxniXmZwW1nDt1Oh6jIlG80KtQLIaqH-83XzB/s1600/NADF_2006_changes_map_cropped.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQj4vLy793ywzhh5Iq0_80y-j9CnYhyOJnxhCq-9JVI_I1JHbed566cuHxPhuJQIvgvwbszgvRB2NgqtNgDBkrjsfd0eUwStBpaAusLI0PxniXmZwW1nDt1Oh6jIlG80KtQLIaqH-83XzB/s400/NADF_2006_changes_map_cropped.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560628504404107442" /></a><br />So...why not take a look <a href="http://www.garden.org/zipzone/">here</a> and find your zone! (Mine happens to be Zone 6 after the AHS adjustment is calculated in)<br /><br />Ok - on to the next category - the <a href="http://www.ahs.org/pdfs/05_heat_map.pdf">Heat Zone</a>. The Heat Zone map indicates just the opposite of the USDA Hardiness Zone. It tells the number of days in a year that are above 86 degrees (the temp at which most plants start to cook). This scale ranges from Zone 1 (1 day or less) to Zone 12 (more than 210 days) Where do you fall?? (I'm between 3 and 4) <br /><br />Now that we have the extremes covered, what can we do with this info? Knowing how cold and hot it can get in your area will determine what types of plants you will be able to grow. For instance, if you love peas but you live in southern Florida, you'll have to really work your window of opportunity because peas like it cold. Just the same, if you love hot peppers and you live in northern Minnesota, you might need a greenhouse to heat things up.<br /><br />To restate, the Hardiness and Heat Zones tell <strong>what</strong> we can grow.<br /><br />There is another crucial component, however...<strong>when</strong> we can grow.<br /><br />This is where the freeze/frost dates come into play. Since most of the U.S. gets cold to some extent, knowing when that cold happens is critical so that freshly set-out seedlings won't freeze. This is where the Freeze/Frost data comes in handy.<br /><br />If you take a look <a href="http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/climatenormals/climatenormals.pl?directive=prod_select2&prodtype=CLIM2001&subrnum%20to%20Freeze/Frost%20Data%20from%20the%20U.S.%20Climate%20Normals">here</a>, you'll you'll be able to simply enter your state and retrieve a chart compiled with several years of data. Scroll to find your city/town and you'll see both the Spring and Fall dates (i.e. last frost of the winter and first of the fall) as well as the probabilities of occurance. <br /><br />The reason that three temps are given (36, 32, and 28 degrees) is to reflect frosts, freezes, and hard freezes because some plants can tolerate frosts but not freezes, etc.<br /><br />Take a look at your state and town and see where you fall (my date is about May 1st for 50% probability of 32 degrees). The probabilities are important when looking at the sensitivity of plants. Eggplant <strong>LOVES</strong> heat. One would want to be absolutely sure that any threat of late spring frost is over befor setting these plants out, so following the 10% probability would be a good idea. Lettuce is a little tougher so one could risk the 50% date outside or even the 90% date under a coldframe or <a href="http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/page.aspx?p=10531&cat=2,2030,33142&ap=1">row cover</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAn74cCJOP19dYcSJ4U7iFHtfXNOApDuaOTlZUdRAqYWvXpTPXNa3Q7A-BzDzQu57GhUb25uYymWlpaQ1Wp-TtLAILbGpI2U0A8s7PDZcYNpDw94Yy-AtHOK9p-sUdvYA_ELOrxuXy-gbW/s1600/xl803s2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAn74cCJOP19dYcSJ4U7iFHtfXNOApDuaOTlZUdRAqYWvXpTPXNa3Q7A-BzDzQu57GhUb25uYymWlpaQ1Wp-TtLAILbGpI2U0A8s7PDZcYNpDw94Yy-AtHOK9p-sUdvYA_ELOrxuXy-gbW/s400/xl803s2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560641081139954562" /></a><br /><br />So...now you've got some info to help you get started. Here's how to think about your planning - <br /><br /><strong>Step 1.</strong> What do you like to eat? <br /><br /><strong>Step 2.</strong> How cold/warm does it get in your area? Check the Hardiness and Heat Zones.<br /><br />Choose plants that you like to eat and that are listed as suitable for your zones.<br /><br /><strong>Step 3. </strong> When is your last frost? Check the Freeze/Frost dates.<br /><br />Tomorrow, we'll take the freeze/frost dates and figure out when to start seeds to make sure that they are good and strong when you set them out into the garden.Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-71456355618681170112011-01-07T11:42:00.000-08:002011-01-07T13:10:12.155-08:00Unbelievable...So... I think that my gardening heros in California have completely figured out the companion planting and intensive gardening methods that I talked about for the past few days.<br /><br />Get ready for this:<br /><br />From 1/10 of an acre (4350 sqft), the <a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/blog/">Dervaes</a> family was able to, in 2010, harvest<br /><br /><strong>7,030 lbs </strong>of produce (fruits, vegetables and herbs)!!!<br /><br />Like I've said before, I can only dream...Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1933145936921395513.post-35154450416379133842011-01-06T06:09:00.000-08:002011-01-06T06:34:49.229-08:00Thoughts on the Intensive GardenYesterday we looked at intensive vs extensive growing. After that comparison, diving deeper into intensive gardening would seem like the next step.<br /><br />Basically, intensive gardening seeks to create as close to a closed-loop system as possible. In other words, add as little outside material to the garden as possible. Some would prefer to do this with a 'set it-and-forget it' approach, like this one:<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-5ZgzwoQ-ao" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Food Forests, by the way, work like <a href="http://www.thetinylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/forest_garden1.gif">this</a>.<br /><br />While this approach has its merits (like very little work once established), it can also have drawbacks (time to establish, to some, a messy look, lack of control over harvests). <br /><br />For those who would like a more 'traditional' looking garden, more management is going to be neccessary and may involve thinking like a plant...<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uDqfNcrxLG4" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />While this gentleman might seem a bit, er, 'liberal,' what he is saying is extremely relevant - to effectively plan gardens for small spaces (i.e. kitchen gardens), growers have to think about which plants benefit each other and which harm each other. Harmful and beneficial insects need to be considered as well.<br /><br />One place to start is here:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carrots-Love-Tomatoes-Companion-Successful/dp/1580170277/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294324169&sr=1-1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXL2bSXt7SPwTcyRewhZsioFCx9HHkmQCMkC64fzarLxJ8W-NLMHFTjTGOpzKqrInivbhpelWve4c1-0Kif03dFi319A2Un2spQ532Ry52H_3RQ65e1_0ddV886u2pO-BUOTVqja35v7k/s1600/24-5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 255px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXL2bSXt7SPwTcyRewhZsioFCx9HHkmQCMkC64fzarLxJ8W-NLMHFTjTGOpzKqrInivbhpelWve4c1-0Kif03dFi319A2Un2spQ532Ry52H_3RQ65e1_0ddV886u2pO-BUOTVqja35v7k/s400/24-5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559080411681913346" /></a></a><br />This book has been a gardener's staple for years. It outlines more helpful and harmful combinations than many would care to try to remember. By understanding these techniques (or at least being able to look them up), we can better plan for highly productive small spaces.Jonathan Feldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472285848767962837noreply@blogger.com0