Some Seeds are in the Ground

Today I planted mammoth sunflower, sweet corn, snap beans and edamame.    Two experiments for me and the corn this year.  The first is that I am using seed that was packaged to be sold by11/11.  Supposedly seed is good for out to three years, so I am curious about germination rates.  I have a second set of seeds for this year, which I will sow toward the end of the school year as a second crop and to see which germinates better.  The second experiment is with the sweet corn.  We had great luck with popcorn and indian corn three years ago, so I am curious to see how this turns out.

I am also new to snap beans and edamame.  The corn and edamame are in the 90 day range and the snap beans are 55 to 60 days.  I plan on doing a second planting of snap beans in late July.

I always love the mammoth sunflowers.  The are always very tall with big heads and lots of seeds. Yum.  I hope to have a forest of them this year.

Tomorrow I hope to plant more of the ornamental sunflowers and some nasturtiums.

Time to Plant Cucumbers

and here is a link to the Organic Gardening's June check list of things to do.  Remember we are like zone 6-7.  It is fun though to see what they are doing where it is still relatively cool.  Enjoy!

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/gardeners-to-do-list-june?cm_mmc=OGNews-_-925872-_-05302012-_-gardeners_to_do_list_for_june_readmore

Woodlice

Who knew!?  So potato bugs, or roly-poly, or sow bug, or pill bug, or tiggy hog, or... are woodlice.  Woodlice are land crustaceans (look out crabs). Turns out that the woodlice (woodlouse the plural) are a garden beneficial.  They take care of all that dead and rotting matter, help create soil, and aerate soil.

Where they take a hard hit from gardeners, especially organic gardeners, is that they like young, tender veggie flesh; young plants, young fruit, etc..  That is why I am complaining as they munch on my strawberries!

But, they also eat a lot of fungi and fungus problems.  So, I guess they stay and I put up with munched on fruits and veggies from time to time.

Check out http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/garden_pest_wood_lice.html  as a place to start answering your woodlouse questions.

Peas on the Wane

Peas hate it hot.  Sugar-snap, shelling, snow and all their friends and they all hate it hot.  We'll have a big harvest for the 5th grade sale and then it is officially official, we are into pure hot weather crops for a while.

I am sweating bullets as I write this, but all of this week-end's transplants are so happy in their new homes.  Warm soil, plenty to eat, plenty of room to spread out, and all the water they can drink.

I have a lot of potato bugs (rolly polly(s)?).  I'm afraid they have got to go.  Going to look up what I might be able to do organically as soon as I post this.  I'll let you know!

City Grind

I often wish that the grind of the city, especially now when it gets hot, didn't exist.  A tired record of redundancy in ignorance and anger and just plain being mean; all overlapping, all without need - but I always hope that maybe, just maybe, one day the pain will end for us all.

Power to the peaceful!

Hot Weather for Hot Weather Crops

It's just past 10 a.m. and it is already 80 degrees on the way to 90 something today.  We planted more tomatoes, as well as marigolds, peppers and eggplants yesterday.  Everything received a layer of mulch and a good watering.

This morning we watered again and transplanted a hydrangea out of a shady spot into a sunnier spot in front of the school new to the fig and lilac.  Should be happier and grow more now.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Strawberries, Love, and Memorial Day Week-end!

The 5th graders had harvested about 10 quarts of strawberries today, the last time I saw them.  Yum, bring on the shortcake and whipped cream!!!!  All of the onions are also pulled, prepped and for sale as I write this!

In addition to the many joyful years I spent in my Dad's, Dad's strawberry patch, Kate and I also got engaged in a strawberry patch around this time of year many moons ago.  So, I have a fond place in my heart for strawberries and strawberry patches.

Memorial Day week-end is usually the height of my spring grass allergies and, of course, lots and lots of strawberries picked and eaten.The smell of fresh cut grass and/or the smell of fresh sliced strawberries sometimes makes me feel like I should be sneezing.  Maybe old age has tempered those allergies, I don't seem to be as affected as I once was.  Who knows!?

Take a moment to remember all those who serve and have served, their sacrifice should be acknowledged and appreciated.  Cheers to you active duty and to my fellow vets.  Thank you.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun long week-end off.

Onion Harvest

Today 5th grade students are going to harvest onions to add to their farm stand.  They are also going to pick strawberries and harvest rosemary for sale.

The onions look great and we are still going to leave the onions mixed in amongst the horseradish to see how large we can grow the bulbs.  Harvesting the onions is also going to create room for us to start planting our warm weather crops.

Bush Beans

I love snap beans.  I've just ordered seeds for bush snap beans that are an assortment of green, yellow, and purple.  We are also going to try edamame and acorn squash.  Many of the kids love edamame, so I hope this works.  This year we are also going to plant sweet corn, edible seed sunflowers and ornamental sunflowers!  Can't wait.  We are also going to do some peppers, squash, and a couple different varieties of tomatoes.

We are starting a bit earlier than previous years, but a little later than we need to.  I do this so, in theory, more harvest happens after the kids are back in school in the fall.  The cool thing with the beans, an maybe even corn, we can do a second planting for a later-into-fall harvest.

5 ways to feel like a farmer...

http://www.organicgardening.com/living/5-ways-to-farm-if-youre-not-a-farmer?cm_mmc=LivingLightlyNL-_-916946-_-05212012-_-5_ways_to_farm_if_youre_not_a_farmer_readmore

By now you may know that I read Organic Gardening magazine and often link their articles here on this blog.  And this article is a great reason why.  In my humble opinion, if you grow herbs on your kitchen counter or have 10,000 acres in California, or wherever and whatever size, then you are a farmer.

And those of you who are conventional farmers can't be upset 'cause farming and farmers are a short to last breed unless we change our thinking and practices.  If farming is going to survive, if American Farm Land is going to survive, then everyone needs to be a farmer.

You grow food?  You're a farmer.
Gotta couple of egg laying hens? You're a farmer.
Got goats that mow your lawn and then you make cheese (or a great curry)?  You're a farmer.
Keep bees?  You're a farmer.
Grow hops for beer? You're a farmer.
Have a strawberry patch?  You're a farmer.
Have a blackberry or raspberry thicket?  You're a farmer.

Now go grow it and buy your favorite tractor company gear and wear it proudly - as you farm!

Occupy Wall Street?  How about occupy farm land, or even better vacant land that needs to be farmed!!??

Plot Plants for 50 Front Porch Farms Delivered

On Friday, as part of our Green Fair,  students from the Belair-Edison community that attend GSB and have Front porch farms delivered plants to farmers.  A total of 150 plants; tomatoes, peppers, basil, and marigolds are now finding homes in their new farm containers.

I am sad to see those beautiful blue skies go, but this rain is fantastic.  GSB students also transplanted cut and come again zinnias around the main GSB garden.  We will harvest the onions tomorrow and 5th graders will sell them at their farm stand.  One the onions are harvested we will start to plant the rest of our warm rather crops and start seeds for corn and sunflowers.

Dense, sweet strawberries and tasty peas!

A couple days of dry weather and the strawberries are really showing off.  The berries are dense and sweet!  Takes me back to childhood days in late spring in my grandfather's strawberry patch.  My sister and I would pick strawberries and then eat them until the hives set in!

The peas are starting to produce nicely.  I enjoy going from eating a few peas, kind of sweet and kind of bitter, to a mouthful of sweet, sweet strawberry - YUM!

A letter to Belair-Edison Front Porch Farmers

Hello Belair-Edison Front Porch Farmers,

Planting time is here.  You will find with the attached packet of information your boxes planted, or plants to plant in your box(es).  Some of you have planted in your boxes already, so you can find a home for these veggies and flowers anywhere that gets 6 or more hours of sunlight per day.

These plants are from Valley View Farms and might include: tomatoes, peppers, basil, and marigolds.  I tried to pick plants that have been bred for containers.

Watering

Last season, most of our crop failure was do to a lack of watering. Water:

The limited volume of growing medium available to container vegetable plants makes it critical to keep the root system moist at all times. See the attachment, Water, Water, Water, Happy roots and plants by Grow it, Eat it at UMD Extension services.  Please be mindful of watering.  A plant not watered regularly is at least not going to produce, if not die.  

Fertilizing

I have included some organic fertilizer with instructions.  For a non-organic fertilizer I have also included Osmocote and Miracle-Gro with instructions.  Feel free to pick which you would like to use, or use both.  Think about this, “University of Maryland researchers were able to double pepper production when 5-gallon buckets containing 100% compost were fertilized, at planting, with a slow-release fertilizer. This occurred because nitrogen is usually the limiting nutrient.  This highly soluble nutrient is required in large quantities by vegetable crops and is easily lost in the water that drains from the bottom of your containers”. From Grow it, Eat it.

Attached are planting and watering guidelines.  Feel free to contact me with any questions at 410-488-5312.  Come by the Green School’s gardens at anytime and see what is growing throughout the season.

Happy growing!  Did I say to remember to water...

Peas in a pod and soggy strawberries

Finally, peas are in bloom and pods have begun to form, so exciting.  We need every drop of this rain we are getting, but the strawberries are suffering for it.  A lot of berries rotting and a soggy mess AND the birds are still getting their pecks in, what to do?

The onions are looking fantastic and as much as I would like the whole crop to go to full maturity we are going to have to harvest some earlier than later to make room for our warm weather plants.  Not that that is a bad thing because they will still be quite tasty, but I would love to see a big, no huge, onion come from our "farm".  I think I might let the onions that are mixed in amongst the horseradish scratch that itch.

The transplanted tomatoes and zinnias have taken well.  Crazy, but I have zinnias still in their flat that are going to bloom!!!! Going to have to get those in the ground REAL soon.

Planting time for Front Porch Farmers

This week we hope to get our Belair-Edison Front Porch Farmers planted and growing.  I'll be taking a trip to Behnke's or Valley View Farms to buy my plants.  I will get the usual suspects: tomatoes, peppers, squash - a surprise or three.  I'll have to see what jumps in the cart!

Get out their and plant!!

Tomatoes and Zinnias

Tomatoes and zinnias are going to be planted in the garden today!  The students started both plants in the grow room during testing week. We are also going to plant a lilac by the fig tree!

Whooo Hoooo!

Belair-Edison Front Porch Farmer Visits

Today  took a couple of 4th grade students around Belair-Edison to visit Front Porch Farmer boxes and deliver letters of things to come this growing season.

We were pleased to see so many boxes with onions and spinach, pansies and even new flowers folks had planted.

We are looking forward to a fantastic growing season!

Ah, rain! Drat starlings!!

Finally, some much needed rain.  The garden is doing well, but we've been dipping into the rain barrels a lot to water.  So it is nice that mother nature has lent a hand by watering the garden and replenished the rain barrels.

The strawberries are so happy and the yield is high, but!  It seems that starling like strawberries and know when they are at the peak of perfection.  Now, I don't mind sharing, but the problem is they just take a peck or two then move onto the next berry, take a peck or two and repeat.

I could net, but I really don't want to.  So we'll just monitor and decide if any action will be taken.

The peas are coming up, the onions are plumbing up, the horseradish is going crazy, lettuce is ready to be harvested, and the spinach has gone to seed.  Wow.  We will plant tomatoes and cut and come again zinnias on E3 Friday!