Category Archives: general

‘The Vegetable Gardener’s BIBLE’ by Ed Smith

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith

The name ‘The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible’ is really appropriate as this is truly the bible for vegetable gardeners. My edition is 11 years old being printed in 2000 and the information in it is as current as if it was written yesterday. It is one of those garden books I keep handy to go back to over and over again. In his methods, he advocates wide rows, organic methods, raised beds and deep soil which just about says it all.

Ed Smith has a 1500 ft garden that he tends with his wife, growing nearly 100 varieties of vegetables in Vermont. He states if you can grow in Vermont, you can grow everywhere. I guess he hasn’t tried growing in the high deserts of New Mexico! Having said that, I feel that no matter where you grow there are always challenges and his book addresses many that gardeners experience everywhere. He shares step by step instructions on how-to build raised beds, soil conditioning, crop rotation, greenhouse gardening, cold frame gardening and so much more. Everything is explained clearly for both the novice and experienced gardener. I love this book.

Growing Garlic

Hardneck garlic- photo courtesy of daytondailynews.com

Ahh, garlic. Fresh garlic. If you are a cook, you should definitely try growing some garlic. It tastes better than the store bought because it is much fresher and you can grow the hardneck varieties which you won’t find in the grocery store. Garlic originated in Central Asia and dates back over 6000 years. It is used for both medicinal and culinary purposes. It is a species in the onion family, closely related to onions, shallots, leeks and chives. Avoid growing the ones from the store as often they are sprayed to prevent sprouting. Here are the main types of garlic:

Softneck garlic: It’s the most common type you’ll find in the grocerey store. It is usually white with paperery skins. Softneck garlic has a long shelf life and is easier to grow which is why you see it in the grocery stores. It has a layer of cloves on the outside and smaller cloves inside that I find annoying to peel. It’s leafy stalk is pliable unlike the hardneck type. The two main types of softneck garlic are artichoke and silverskin.

Hardneck garlic: It has a central stiff stalk (also called a stem or scape) coming out of the middle which cloves grow around, It usually has fewer cloves but larger.  It has thinner skin and shorter shelf life. The three main types of hardneck garlic are Purple Stripe, Rocambole and Porcelain. Hardneck garlic is considered to be the most flavorful.

Purple Stripe garlic is distinguished by its purple markings. Two varieties are Chesnok Red and Metechi.

Rocambole garlic produces large tan cloves and have a fuller flavor than softneck varieties offered at the store. Two varieties are Spanish Roja and Killarney Red.

Porcelain garlic has satiny skins and fewer but much bigger cloves often as few as 4 cloves to a head. It is often mistaken for Elephant garlic but it’s flavor is fuller.

Their are many varieties to choose from in all three types-I read somewhere there are over 200 varieties of hardneck garlic alone.

Elephant garlic: It is not like regular garlic because it’s flavor is milder and less intense. Many people buy it because it is larger. It is used when a subtle hint of garlic is needed in dishes but is not a substitute for regular garlic. I’m not impressed with it.

Softneck garlic stalk- courtesy of finegardening.com

Hardneck garlic stalk- courtesy of finegardening.com

Growing garlic in the garden is easy. You can buy it through many of the seed catalogs or get  some at our local farmers market in the fall when it is abundant. I don’t know what variety I got last fall, but it is a purple striped type because of its color. Fall planted garlic that has been overwintered will be ready sometime in July. Spring planted garlic can usually be harvest sometime in late August-Sept. Garlic likes enriched soil so add compost to your bed or aged manure before planting. I also put in a little bonemeal  and yum yum mix into each hole at planting time. Separate your cloves leaving them unpeeled, and pick the biggest individual garlic cloves. Separation should be done immediately before planting. Plant pointed side up and about 2 inches deep. Planting 4-6 inches apart will produce more bulbs but smaller. Planting 8 inches apart will produce bigger bulbs.  I like to put a straw mulch around the garlic to help retain moisture and retard weeds. Garlic while it is in the growing state likes to be keep evenly moist to produce the biggest cloves. Hardneck garlic produces a tall stalk (scape) which is actually the flower stalk that will get curly. There are 4 ways to put more of the energy into the cloves just before harvest time.  One way is to  cut off the scape (hardneck type) after a couple of curls. A second way is leave the scape (Hardneck type) on and when the scape straightens out, you stop watering. The third way  is to just stop watering 2-3 weeks after cutting off all the scapes. Another way is to wait till about half the leaves (either type) have died before you stop watering. When this happens, check the tops of the garlic bulb to see if you can feel the cloves while still in the soil. Dig it out carefully after the bulb is good size being careful not to scrape it. Leave it out (but not in full sunlight) to dry out the skins before using. I like to bring it inside during this time as direct sunlight will ruin it. Brush off the dirt after they are dry. It’s relatively easy to grow and nothing taste better than fresh garlic right out of the garden! There are many sites that talk about garlic, but one I really like because of these pictures of the scapes is on their article, “Garlic Begets Garlic” at finegardening.com. They also give more info on this subject.

Red Orach-More info and pictures

A gardening buddy of mine is growing Red Orach and I thought it would be good to see pictures of it as it is coming up. Mine just reseeded itself so it grows everywhere. It will get quite tall  (3-5 feet) if left unattended and that is how it has reseeded it self everywhere at my place. I let a few go to seed 2 years ago. That’s ok with me. I can always pull it if it grows somewhere I don’t want it to be. But don’t wait till it gets tall to pick the leaves. Pick them while they are quite young and they will be tender.

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Wind broke my coldframe

Plexiglass broken/bubble wrap insulation shredded

Dang it! I left the lid to the coldframe up the other day and the wind came up while I was gone and broke the lid. I mean it must of really come up cause it broke one of the 1/4″ plexiglass panels in it. Plexi isn’t so easy to break.

Rabbits don't need to sneak in with an 8 inch gap!

Anyways it also torqued the frame as well because now there is an eight inch gap in the corner where the wood frame was forced apart. Great, now the rabbits can walk in. I have to rebuild the lid and somehow pull the wood together on the frame with the dirt inside and re-screw it back together. Way more work than I have time for. And the arugula is coming up inside. Bummer…

Whole left side of coldframe broke-ARRRGH!

On the good side, look at my view from the house in the bottom photo!

Higest and Lowest Pesticides in Produce You Buy

EWG Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides

As a gardener, I don’t grow every kind of vegetable that I eat and I want to know which vegetables have more pesticides in them when I shop.  Here’s a little guide, ‘EWG SHOPPER’S GUIDE TO PESTICIDES‘ a friend of mine found on the internet. The organization who put this out is Environmental Working Group whose site is about pesticides in your food. This comes from their site, www.foodnews.org – “The Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides is a key resource for consumers aiming for healthier diets. Since many shoppers can’t find or afford organic produce, they can use the Shopper’s Guide to avoid those conventional fruits and vegetables found to be highest in pesticides – the Dirty Dozen – and, instead, choose items from the Clean Fifteen list. You can lower your pesticide consumption by nearly four-fifths by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and instead eating the least contaminated produce, according to EWG calculations. When you eat the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables, you’ll be exposed to an average of 10 pesticides a day. When you choose fresh produce from the 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables, you’ll consume fewer than 2 pesticides per day.”

This a great idea in this day and age of food awareness. I’m going to carry one of these around too. You can get your own list and keep it in your wallet to have it handy when you shop. Go to their site, check it out. You might support them if you think their cause is good too.

Red Orach (mountain spinach) and Bright Lights Chard

I just picked some Bright Lights Chard that overwintered in the coldframe and with the chard were a few plants of Red Orach (also called mountain spinach) that have been reseeding itself.  The variety of orach I grew came from Baker Heirloom Rare Seed company and it makes a great red addition to salads or used as steamed greens. I steamed the chard and Red Orach on top of some pasta tonight yummy. It tastes like spinach and you should pick it when it’s young and tender to eat. Red Orach really is an incredible deep magenta red color. Look how beautiful they look together!

Chard and Red Orach for dinner tonight

Donut Seeds

While teaching the SF Master Gardener Vegetable class last week, one of the facilitators for the class, Helena Van Heiningen, came up at break to give me some new ‘seeds’. Donut seeds. They come from Ferry Morse and the package is really fun! Check out the front and back of the package below! Hmm! I’m gonna have to plant some of these! I wonder if they germinate in coffee?!

Donut seed-'Cakus Delectae'

Donut Seed-Back of package

The Bella Rosa and Hunwee Dance

I saw Bella and Wee playing the head butt game. One jumps up and then the other one jumps up and then they butt heads really gently. Not aggressive at all. When I first clicked the camera, they stopped. So I waited patiently and they started again. Here are some pics of the action.

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Sonny, Bella Rosa and Hunwee-my little barn buddies

"I'm Hunwee!"

I still have barn animals having rescued (3) one year old Dwarf Nigerian goats, Sonny, Bella Rosa, and Hunwee. A friend, Kate, who lives in the city, came to us telling us that someone had shot one of her goats and was wondering if we knew anyone who might want the rest of them as she feared for her little clan. So they live in the country now away from danger. They are young and healthy and they bring lots of energy to the barn with their antics. Sort of like monkeys running and jumping and butting each other. They play king of the mountain on their jungle gym I made them. Here are some pictures of them.

 

 

Bella Rosa sez, "What's up?"

Sonny-"Mr.Chow Hound to you!"

"This is our jungle gym!"

Sonny-"Hey where's my chow?!"

"We want to be on your side"

Fruit Tree Pruning

Unpruned apricot tree with lots of little branches everywhere

It’s just a little orchard I keep telling myself!  I know I’m a little late for pruning but need to prune my fruit trees before they leaf out (which luckily they haven’t yet).  Since I didn’t do them last year I feel compelled to do it this year. Trying to use my ‘how to prune a fruit tree’ skills.  I don’t want them to get out of control!

Pruned apricot tree

Here are pictures of an semi-dwarf apricot tree before and after I pruned it. It desperately needed pruning. Apricots are notorious for putting out lots of tiny branches everywhere so it is best to keep up on them.  Notice how many branches I cleaned out but still kept the basic shape. I also cut the suckers growing at the base of the tree. When pruning fruit trees, we need to consider what type of fruit tree we are pruning. Most fruit trees like apricots, peaches, pears and plums do better with an open vase shape where sunlight can enter into the center of the tree except for apple trees that do best with a central leader.

Prune at an outward growing branch

One thing for sure is don’t top off the tree limbs. That will encourage rampant growth on top. Instead look at where you are pruning the limb and clip the branch where a new branch will grow outward away from the center not into the center of the tree. It took me awhile to see where the proper place is to trim and I’ve not always done well in years past. Some mistakes I can’t rectify like one of my apple trees that I pruned years ago into the vase shape. Still it seems to produce well. Perhaps nature is more forgiving than we think..

Tomato seeds planted inside-March 21

Bleaching pots before use

drying on an OLD towel

Last evening I planted my tomato seeds-both heirloom and hybrid seeds. I brought out and set up the light boxes and heating mats last week. Before planting my seeds, I always clean the little pots with some bleach water that I use for starting tomato seedlings. It’s important to disinfect the pots because you don’t want your plants to pick up any soil borne diseases. I use about a 10%  bleach to water ratio.  I use the kitchen sink and try to not get dirt everywhere from the used pots. The trick is to convince your partner that it is ok! Just tell them you are disinfecting the sinks out (which is true)! I picked up the seed starting soil-Metro mix 300 from Agua Fria Nursery last week. It comes in a big bag but you will be planting up into larger containers in a few days after the second set of true leaves appear and besides if you have any left over, you can use it for next year. I’ve bought many seed starting soil mixes (usually at the big box stores) and hate the way the water rolls off of the soil when you first go to use it. With this soil mix (Metro Mix 300) I just plant the tomato seeds about 1/4 inch deep and water it all at once. It saves time and anything that saves time I like!

Metro Mix 300

After I water the seeds, I put them under my lights and on top of a heating mat which is great for warming the soil for the seeds to germinate. I’m starting the tomatoes later this year because last year I started the first week of March and they got too big-about 3-4 feet tall because I couldn’t put them out with the cold spring we had.  This year I’m hoping to get them transplanted into the garden around mid April (with protection) weather permitting. Why do I think I might be able to get them in early this year? We are in a La Nina which generally means warmer weather in spring but less rain. By planting them later if I have to, they shouldn’t be as big as last year.

seeds on heat mat

Lights for Growing Your Own Seeds

Use a daylight florscent bub

I use a full spectrum florescent light bulbs (called daylight) instead of a plant ‘gro’ light for the shop lights I use in my light boxes to start my seedlings.  Full spectrum lights were originally designed for people who get SAD (Seasonal affective disorder, also known as winter depression or winter blues and live and work under regular florescent lights. Full spectrum lights are a little more expensive than regular cool white florescent lights, but cheaper than the ‘gro lights’ marketed to the gardener and provide basically the same lighting as a ‘gro light’. You can get them at the hardware stores. One thing, be sure to buy a high lumen output bulb (6500k), not the energy saver bulbs that are more common now. They produce less “leggy” seedlings.

How to build a light box to start your vegetable seedlings inside

Finished opened light box-front is off

You can buy light boxes to start your seedlings in or you can make it. This is nothing fancy but works like a charm. Here is my simple light box I built myself with some scrap lumber I had around the house.  It will fit between 2-4 big trays under the lights. See pictures for details of construction. I had already built them (I have two) or I would have done a step by step but I think you’ll be able to follow.

Close up of corner of base-plywood screwed into 2" x 4"/Vertical piece attached to outside

1. BASE: I use plywood – 2′ x4′ by 1/2 inch thick piece for the base of the box that I attach with screws to 2″ x 4″x 2′ on the short sides (depth). The base is now done.

Close up of top corner connection

2. TALL VERTICAL SIDES: I  attached 1″ x 2″ x 45″ pieces to each corner with screws. I connect with screws on the short sides (depth) another piece of 1″ x 2″ x 2′ to hold them together.

Close up of cross beams

3. CROSSPIECES LENGTHWISE: To connect the top pieces for stability and to also hang the lights, I attach (2) 2″ x 2″ x 4′ across the width.

Close up of the top corner from the outside-inside crosspiece is attached 6" from corners

I screwed them in from the outside. They are set 6″ in from the front and back so the lights can hang and not touch each other.

I buy around 40" of light weight chain to hang lights from

4. CHAIN TO HANG SHOP LIGHTS: I buy around 40″ on light chain and get some hooks to go into the light slots to hang the lights. Each light will have 2 chains. The chains can be raised as the plants get taller.

I attach the insulation with clear packing tape to corners

4. FOIL INSULATION: I buy a roll of foil insulation (looks like foil bubble wrap) from Home Depot or Lowes to wrap the outside of the light box on three sides.  I attach it with wrapping tape to the corners. I left the front piece separate so I can take it on and off. Notice the screws in the front of the wood so I can hang the front piece of insulation off them.  I made some holes in the foil (I reinforced the area where the holes will be with more packing tape so the holes won’t stretch too much).

Here it is with the front section of foil insulation on

Here it is with the front piece on. I leave this on all the time as it makes it warmer except if I need to get to the plants for watering. I also like the reflection of light from the insulation when the lights are on providing more light to the plants.

Here the lid is resting on top of the lights at night (the lights should be OFF not on like in this picture)

I also have an extra piece to put on top of the lights at night. I keep my house pretty cool at night (64°F) and find having a top keeps some of the heat in. I don’t put the top piece of insulation on top of the lights until I turn off the lights at night and I take it off in the morning when the lights go back on.

Ready!

Here it is ready to start seeds inside.

Next: What kind of inside lights to use for starting seedlings

Spring Equinox-First day of Spring in Santa Fe-69°F Today!

Spring Equinox-equal length of day and night-courtesy of http://www.timeanddate.com

Spring Equinox-The word “equinox” derives from the Latin word meaning “equal night” and refers to the time when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are equal length everywhere in the world-12 hours of each. We are all experiencing the same thing on earth except in the northern hemisphere we are experiencing spring and in the southern hemisphere they are going in to fall-but still 12 hours of day and night for everyone. Yea for us here in the northern hemisphere-we’ve all been through it this year with our winters!

The last few days have been warm and breezy and everything is ready to just bust out garden wise! Wow, I think I’m going to relegate the inside firewood to the wood pile outside. Oh and take that bag of clay kitty litter sitting on the deck that I use to deice icy steps to the shed.  And put the snow shovel away. And put the snow boots and heavy winter jackets back in the hall closet. And put my awl back in the garden shed-no more splitting wood here! Of course as soon as I do this it will snow but who cares?! Time is on our side as gardeners now-literally from tomorrow on the days will be getting longer and longer until we hit the longest day on June 21 (Summer Solstice), then they get shorter again. So let’s enjoy these days and get outside in our gardens and get your hands in your soil. Dig it!

Juniper Pollen Count Highest in a Decade

Juniperus ashei pollencones

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper on March 16, “Monday, marked the highest pollen count in a decade in Albuquerque, according to pollen data records kept by the city. A pollen-data station on Albuquerque’s west side recorded a juniper pollen count of 3,349, more than a thousand above the last record.” They haven’t released the juniper pollen count for Santa Fe yet but I bet it’s also a record setter this year too.

How does this affect us gardeners? Well some gardeners can’t even get out of their houses (much less even open their windows) this time of year because of intense allergies to the juniper pollen. The culpert? Juniperus ashei. It is one of the predominant trees/bushes here in the surrounding areas outside of Santa Fe and causes allergies for many people living here. It’s the male juniper that causes all the problems releasing the orange waves of pollen from its many pollen cones this time of year. If you look around you can see the difference between the male and female junipers with the male junipers turning rusty orange right now just before they release their pollen in the wind. Good luck to all of you with this allergy this year in particular. And for those of us not bothered by the juniper now is a great time to start your spring garden.