Spring is popping out everywhere from the trees to tulips and irises. I even like spurge with it’s chartreuse yellow green color in spring. Photos by Elodie Holmes or Jannine Cabossel
Tag Archives: vegetable gardening
Growing Virginia Sweet Tomatoes
Virginia Sweet Tomato
A lot of people are looking for Virginia Sweet tomatoes. Last year, a friend of mine gave me an unbelievable tomato called Virginia Sweet. They have been hard to find around here in the nurseries but you can find seeds to start your own at Tomatogrowers.com. So when I saw that Aqua Fria Nursery is growing them this year as starts, I got excited. I went out and got a couple of them and can’t wait to grow and EAT them as they are one of the sweetest, tastiest heirloom tomatoes around. They are a rather large (around 1 lb) bi-color tomato with red-yellow streaking on both the outside and inside and one of the more beautiful tomatoes you can grow. They take awhile to grow and get to harvest (about 80 days) but are definitely worth the wait. Right now they are inside under the lights waiting to go outside. If you like large, beautiful, delicious, supersweet tomatoes, you might want to try growing one of these this year.
beautiful marbling inside a Virgina Sweet tomato
GIANT PUMPKIN/WINTER SQUASH-How to Tell Which Direction a Vining Squash Will Grow
Have you ever planted winter squash and it grew in a direction you didn’t want? Here is a good tip for how to tell which direction a vining winter squash (versus a bush variety) will grow. I will use my giant pumpkin as an example but any winter squash that is a vining squash will act the same.
Let’s say you plant some vining winter squash next to a wall or on the edge of a garden bed and you need it grow away from the wall not into it or into your squash bed not out of it (good luck on that one!) When the plant puts out the first two leaves as I have described in previous posts, these are called the cotyledon leaves (baby leaves) and don’t look like any of the other leaves it will grow afterward. All leaves after the cotyledon leaves are called true leaves.
put mark on side of pot opposite of first true leaf
Sooo pay attention to that FIRST TRUE LEAF. The plant will GROW IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM THE FIRST TRUE LEAF. If I’m growing them inside for a head start, it is easy to mark the container as you will not remember which one was the first leaf (trust me!) when the second one appears. I just take a marker and mark the opposite side of the pot so I know when I transplant it into the ground which direction I orientate it. If I grow directly into the soil, after the first true leaf appears, I gently dig up a big amount around it and gently lift it and the dirt so as not to disturb the new roots and rotate it in the direction I want it to grow. For those who are growing their winter or summer squash seed in the ground, it is too early. Wait till May 15th (our first frost free date) to plant directly into the ground when the soil and weather are hopefully warmer.
Transplanted Tomatoes Again to Bigger Pots
Ok, yesterday I made another mess in the kitchen. I transplanted more tomatoes up to bigger pots from 2 inch pots to 4 inch pots. I washed the empty pots in bleach water and after planting them, I fertilized them with a weak solution of fish emulsion and Thrive. I knew I needed to transplant them as their roots were growing out of the bottom and they were starting to look stressed. Stressed? How can they be stresssed when they are in a nice warm cozy house under gro lights in a controlled environment-just wait till they get out in the ground, then they’ll be stressed! I tell them they got it cushy now. I think they know their going out early!
I’m chomping to get the tomatoes out. Patience, I tell myself. I looked up when I planted the tomatoes last year and the year before. Last year I planted tomatoes on May 4th and the year before I planted on April 29th when we had a warmer spring. So I guess I’ll wait till around the first of May. It’s always a guessing game when to plant if you want to plant earlier than the first frost free date which is May 15th here in Santa Fe. I like to try to sneak in the tomatoes early because I grow so many mid-late varieties which can take all the way up to 100 days+ to harvest. We have such a short growing season here in Santa Fe that I use all kinds of season extenders to get them in early so they have more time to ripen before that first frost next fall. OMG! I can’t be talking already about fall, we just got into spring and the plants aren’t even in the ground!
Giant Pumpkins and Greenie are up!
Giant pumpkins and greenie are up! The giant marrow is the small one popping up
The giant pumpkins and greenie squash germinated and are looking GOOOD! I planted the seeds on April 7. The first one up was the greenie on April 12, then the pumpkins followed by April 14. The cotyledon leaves (very first leaves to appear or baby leaves) are huge. My all star lineup so far is:
Giant Pumpkins: 1046 Grande 10, and another 895 Grande 08 (which became my New Mexico State Record for giant pumpkin last year)
Giant greenie squash: 903 Noel 07
They are in 4 inch peat pots on a plant heating mat in a light box and I just see the beginning of the first true leaf on the pumpkins and greenie. Looking good so far! Grow naguas, grow!
Mycorrhizal products here in Santa Fe
Someone just wrote me if I knew a source for Mycorrhizal (also called Mycorrhizae) products here in Santa Fe. So I thought I’d respond in a post in more detail as well as reply to him in the comment sections.
Mycorrhizal is a fungi that help protects plants from many diseases and drought like conditions. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the roots, making water and soil mineral nutrients more available to the roots of a plant while the plant feeds the mycorrhizae sugars it produces. It is found in nature in most UNDISTURBED soils. Gardens do not have undisturbed soil- we work the soil to various degrees adding amendments and tilling soil.
There are two main types of Mycorrhizal.
ECTOMycorrhizal works on more woody crops like trees. I don’t use it myself on my trees.
ENDOmycorrhizal works for most (90%) but not all vegetable crops (some crops do not respond to any Mycorrhizal like Brassica crops, spinach and beet crops). I used myco products for both my giant pumpkins and tomatoes in previous years but will also try it on all my curcubit crops this year as well as they seem to get the most diseases and the prices seem to be coming down on mycorrhizal products as it starts to become mainstream.
I just saw that Santa Fe Greenhouse has some Mycorizzial products. I bought ‘BUSHDOCTOR MICROBE BREW’ (by Foxfarm products) from SFGH and will try it this year. It is a liquid. It says on the directions to use 2 tsp/gal of water every 2 weeks as a drench. I think a bottle would last the whole gardening season for most people. I can’t remember what it cost (I bought it a month ago), but didn’t seem like it was exorbitant. I use to have to order myco on the internet so I’m anxious to see how it works. The Microbe Brew also has a bunch of soil bacteria and microbes in it besides the Mycorrhizal that will be good for the soil and plants as well. All these things help the plants either protect or fight off diseases-all organically.
Problems Growing Carrots
Last years carrots-Danvers and Cosmic Purple (shown with beets)
Carrots I find can be easy or challenging and I’m not always sure why. Maybe because they know they are not one of my favorite crops to eat. I planted seeds last month outside and hardly any have germinated. I planted Danvers and Cosmic Purple varieties. So I am going to reseed some of them tomorrow. Some years I get great germination and other years hardly any.
So here’s what I may have done wrong and my excuses (all excuses done in whiny voice):
1. I think I planted too early. The soil was probably too cold and they are either just sitting there waiting for the soil to warm or they’ve rotted and I need to replant. I just read that carrots need the temperatue to be at LEAST 55°F to germinate and I didn’t take the temperature. I bet it was colder. (But I couldn’t find my compost thermometer…)
2. I think some of my seeds are too old. I have several new packets this year but some of my packets are older. I need to check the date stamped on the packet and throw out any that are over 2 years old. We should do this for any of our seeds. (But I need new reading glasses to see the tiny stamped date…)
3. Carrots are heavy feeders and need fresh amendments each year which I didn’t do when I planted the seeds. I’m not sure that matters since they didn’t germinate anyways. (But I’m not really into them. I’m self sabotaging…)
4. I may not have watered enough. I watered every other day but the soil did seem pretty dry whenever I rewatered it. Watering should be consistent to keep soil EVENLY moist. (But it was cold and windy outside…)
5. Maybe the rabbits ate some of the teeny sprouts. I didn’t have it covered with row cover and the rabbits seem particularly hungry this year, especially since my dog Sage is no longer with me to keep them away. (But I couldn’t be bothered to dig out the row cover from the garden shed and I need a new ranch dog or cat to patrol…)
As you can see, I didn’t do anything correct. Anyone can have trouble if we don’t pay attention to details. Sigh! I think I’ll plant some shallots (which I love) where some of the carrots didn’t come up and I will replant some of the carrots as well, just not as many. Which brings up a good point-don’t plant vegetables you don’t really like to eat that much or plant less. Lesson learned..What was I thinking?!
10 things to Do in April in the Garden
Here are 10 things we can do in our gardens this month. As the season commences, we will get busier and busier which means I’ll be posting at night when it is dark and I can’t be out in the garden! (oh yea-I work too).
1. It isn’t too late to get a soil test to see what amendments you will need for this year. I just sent mine out last week.
2. Time to add AGED horse manure (at least 4 months old) to your beds and dig it in. Don’t use hot manure-it is too late for that. Use hot in the fall so it has time to cool off and break down. Every year I add more and the soil gets richer and richer. Our soil is so crappy that we need to enrich it for veggies. If you can’t find any old, aged horse manure, then buy some compost in bags from your local nursery and dig it in.
3. Finish cleaning out your garden and trimming perennials if you haven’t already.
4. Make some LARGE TOMATO CAGES. I use concrete reinforcement wire because it has 6 inch square holes to get you hand through to pick tomatoes and it is 5 feet tall. Go in with someone to buy a roll if you don’t need too many cages.
5. Transplant your little tomatoes that some of you are growing into the next larger size and give them light.
6. Check your drip systems and timers to make sure they are in good working order BUT do not keep them attached yet because we still can get freezing nights. If you don’t have a drip system, look into doing one. I use the store, Firebird here in Santa Fe to get parts and their expertise on the subjects. It’s not hard to do and really saves on the water and your time.
7. Start adding to your compost pile again. Heat it up. Turn it over. Use HOT MANURE to heat it up or powdered blood meal which is high in nitrogen. I don’t compost in winter because it is too hard for me to keep hot but it is a good time to start one now..
8. Put CORN GLUTEN down in your veggie garden paths. It is a PRE-EMERGENT for controlling weed seeds and is ORGANIC. You can order it from The Feed Bin here in Santa Fe. BUT if your weeds are up already, it acts as a fertilizer. (It is very high in nitrogen and that is why it burns the seedlings but will also feed weeds that get established). Don’t put in veggie beds where you will be planting any seeds as it will burn any seeds
9. Now you can plant carrots, shallots, beets, lettuces, spinach, all greens, onions, and garlic OUTSIDE. I will still use some row cover to protect them at night.
10. Speaking of ROW COVER, now is the time to get some from our local nurseries. MOST of them carry it (but not Home Depot or Lowes-no big box stores). The nurseries usually sell out. I would get some heavy weight for now and a lighter weight for summer or get the lighter weight and double it up for now. You can also order it online. Just google: row cover.
That’s it-Get busy!
Growing Giant Pumpkins From Seed (Or What Did I Get Myself Into)
Article first published by me as Growing Giant Pumpkins From Seed (Or What Did I Get Myself Into) on Blogcritics.
growing giant pumpkins
Giant Pumpkin growing season is once again upon us. Why grow giant pumpkins? Why not? Hey if every veggie gardener grew a giant pumpkin, the world would not be hungry! World famine banished!
For all those nuts who grow giant pumpkins, now is the time to start your engines (I mean seedlings) indoors, that is unless you live in Hawaii in which case you probably already have a new one started several months ago!
To start seedlings you must first get your hands on some giant pumpkin seeds- the usual variety being Atlantic Giant Pumpkin. You can buy some from Amazon or you might get some from someone who grows these monsters. Many of us are willing to give away our seeds. Did I say us? Yes it’s true I am one of these nuts. When I first saw the film, “Lord of the Gourds”, there were giant pumpkin growers in the film who babied their giant pumpkins by playing them music, naming them, feeding them high octane food, hugging them, and even putting blankets on them when the weather turned cold. I saw this and I said, “What a bunch of nuts” and the next year I became one of them. Well almost. I don’t play them music.
So after you score some seeds, you need to dedicate the next 6 months to growing these monsters. They become your mistress. So if you have a family, better put them in therapy now for their abandonment issues they will develop and resentment issues over vacations they won’t be able to go on. Who wants to go on vacation anyways? Gas is too high this year. Still interested? Ok, then the next step is to plant them inside your house, pointy side down in seed starting soil in a four-inch peat pot. Then place them on a plant-heating mat (the one you need to buy) under that grow light box you just built and wait for them to germinate. What grow light box you say? The one you’re going to build for these monsters. Are you with me so far? Good. Welcome to giant pumpkin mania…
Growing Beets
Detroit Red Beet/ photo courtesy of seedsavers.org
Just like with Swiss chard, now is the time to plant beets. Beets (or sugarbeet) take around 60 days from seed to maturity and should be given a spot in the garden where it can have time to grow because it takes some time to mature. You should plant them now in the spring and if you replant them in fall you can let them overwinter. It is a biennial that we grow as an annual to harvest the root. For more flavorful beets, grow them in cool conditions.There are many different types and coloring of beets from Golden, Bulls Blood Red, Chiogga, Detroit Red, Early Wonder and Cylindra to name a few. Bulls Blood Red is grown mostly for it’s beautiful red leaves that many people use in their salad greens.
I have to confess. Until a few years ago, I wasn’t a big beet fan. Perhaps it was because my mom gave us pickled beets or tasteless cooked beets from a can while I was a child (sorry mom). In her defense, we lived in a desert and back then it was hard to get fresh anything. So I wasn’t very enthusiastic about growing them. Then two things happen to change my mind about beets.
THING #1: One day a friend had me over for lunch and put roasted beets in with a lettuce salad and I was hooked. Beets get really sweet when roasted in an oven on low heat. They sorta get caramelized and are little nuggets of sweet.
THING#2: Two friends from Australia who are vegetarians came over for dinner one night and grated a raw beet and carrot on top of a lettuce salad. It was so bright and colorful and the raw beet had a wonderful flavor. We sprinkled feta cheese and sunflower seeds on it and dressed it with a balsamic vinaigrette. I loved it.
Growing Instructions:
-Beets like alkaline soil-ph between 6.7 to 7 which is great around here. They like a lot of organic material added to the soil. They require consistent moisture levels but can tolerate soils that are low in fertility.
-Beets can be started inside if you like or direct seed in early spring.
-Plant seeds every 1 inch, thinning to about every 4 inches after they are 4-5 inches tall to give them room to grow. Snip off the cuttings instead of pulling them to not disturb the remaining roots.
-For best flavor, beets like direct light and cool growing conditions which is perfect for a spring crop and fall crop. Put straw around base of plant in summer to keep roots cooler if you still have them.
-When harvesting, cut off the tops to within one inch and keep in refrigerator.
Chard choices
Bright lights/photo courtesy of cooksgarden.com
Now is the time to plant Chard or (Swiss chard or Silverbeet as it is called). There are many types of chard and I would like to go over a few of them and my experience with them. Chard is a close relative of the beet and should be planted in the ground at the same time as beets which is now. It will sprout early and will not be harmed by spring frosts. Harvest the outer leaves first (usually in 4-6 weeks) and leave the center intact and it will keep growing and supply you with more throughout the summer season. It usually doesn’t flower until it’s second year-it is a biennial. For that reason, I replant it every year as it will put more effort into flowering in it’s second year and you won’t get as many big leaves. One planting will last the entire season and it will not ‘bolt’ in the heat of summer. I pull it up after the season as I rather it put all it’s energy into those big leaves. A great substitute for spinach which will be gone after spring.
Fordhook chard/photo courtesy of seedsavers.org
-The best chard I find to plant for fall/winter is Argentata which is very cold hardy even in our winter temperatures. It can withstand colder temperatures more than many other types of chard. You can get it at John Schweepers or Gourmetseed. It is a white variety with big juicy thick stems. Both the stems and leaves are delicious.
-Another great white variety is ‘Fordhook’ which is similar to Argentata and can be found at seedsaversexchange along with Rhubarb Red. You can plant this in the spring and enjoy it this summer.
I like 5-Color Silverbeet, and Bright Lights, for the multi-color varieties. The stems are not as thick and juicy as the white varieties but the color is to die for and I always plant some among the flowers to add additional color to the garden and they are good to eat as well.
Red Charlotte chard/photo courtesy of cooksgarden.com
I also like other red varieties in addition to Rhubarb Red mentioned above-Magic Red and Red Charlotte can be found at Cook’s Gardens
Try growing all these together and enjoy each one through the summer season!
I like to eat these chopped coarsely and steamed with a balsamic vinaigrette over them as a vegetable or sauteed in olive oil and put on pasta with butter along with some chicken and Parmesan cheese. Delicious!
Starting Giant Pumpkins, ‘Giant Greenie’ and Giant Marrow
I planted all the seeds for my ‘All Star Lineup’ of giant pumpkins, giant marrows and also new this year is a giant ‘greenie’ squash (think green pumpkin) and 2 long gourd on last Thursday, April 7.
Here is a picture of a Giant Green Squash-'Greenie'-not mine!
-For the pumpkin and greenie (giant green squash) seeds I filed the edges just a little so the seed can absorb water more readily to help it germinate. Then I planted them in a 4 inch peat pot about 2 inches deep pointed side down. For the Giant Marrow I just planted the seed point side down.
-I put all of them on the plant heating map to keep the soil warm for germination. They are in the light box and get watered every day. Hopefully they will all germinate.
RAIN! BLESSED RAIN!
A break in the storm-views from the house
Well, it rained a little last night and a little today and boy we sure need it. Ahhh! It smells so good. I opened the windows to breathe it in! We haven’t had rain for 60 days and it is dry, dry, dry. We are starved for moisture here in the Southwest while the Northwest has been getting soaked. That’s La Nina for you. The jet stream goes north and the storms miss us here in Santa Fe.
La Nina “continues to weaken,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said and neutral conditions for the U.S. are in sight by the end of June.
“As La Nina continues to wane, we can expect that rainfall over the drought regions of the southern U.S. will gradually return to normal levels by mid-summer,” said Jeff Masters, a meteorologist and co-founder of Weather Underground.
I sure hope these forecasts of La Nina breaking down are true so we can get more rain, otherwise we will have a tough summer gardenwise and waterwise…
Over 10,000 visitors to giantveggiegardener blog!
Over 10,000 visitors to Giantveggiegardener’s blog! Thank you for showing up and checking it out! We are all in this gardening thing together! Growing our own food really puts us in touch with how to care for mother earth in a gentle, organic way and makes me more conscious about our limited resources. When I first started this blog, there would be days where I’d have few if any visitors and I felt like I was talking to the wind. I’m not alone! Again thanks for visiting and I hope you’ll come back for more!
How to Make Feta Cheese
Bahhhhhh!!!!! (photo South Mountain Dairy)
I make feta to go with my tomatoes from the garden. So how do you make feta? First you need to get some milk! I went to our farmers market on Saturday and got an 1/2 gallon of goat milk from South Mountain Dairy, a local dairy farm. I wanted to make goat feta. (Actually I would love to make sheep feta but I don’t know of any sheep farmers in this area-this is Baaad!). Sheep or goat’s milk is used in traditional feta although cow’s milk is used now too. Sheep’s milk has the highest fat content, then goat’s milk and last cow’s milk. If you haven’t had sheep feta or any cheese made with sheep’s milk, do try some. It will be the smoothest, creamiest, most flavorful cheese you will ever taste.
Meanwhile here’s how to make goat feta. It was easy but it does take some time! It’s a perfect thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. I got the recipe from two books I have, ‘Home Cheesemaking’ by Ricki Carroll and the same recipe is in ‘Making Artisan Cheese’ by Tim Smith. There is also a great feta cheese recipe at Fias Co Farm online. This recipe is for a GALLON of milk. Here’s how I did it (remember I used a 1/2 gallon of milk):
FETA CHEESE FOR ONE GALLON OF MILK (cut it in half for a half gallon of milk)-you can use goat or cow milk
INGREDIENTS
1 gallon whole goat or cow milk
1/4 teaspoon lipase powder (diluted in 1/4 cup water and allowed to sit for 20 minutes) lipase is optional but adds more flavor
1 packet direct-set mesophilic starter
1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet (or 1/2 tablet rennet tablet diluted in 1/4 cup cool unchlorinated water )
2-4 teaspoon cheese salt (or non idonized salt)
1/3 cup water, for brine (optional)
1/8 teaspoon calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup water (optional-use if curds aren’t setting firmly for next time)
DIRECTIONS:
Milk in pot. Duh! (photo Fias Co Farm)
1. Put your milk in a pan and stir diluted lipase in it. Heat the milk to 86°F (It doesn’t take but a couple of minutes). Use a thermometer for cooking. Add the starter (1 packet of mesophilic starter) in it and stir. Cover it and keep it at 86° for one hour for the milk to ripen.
2. Put 1/8 teaspoon of rennet in about 1/8 of a cup of water. Put the diluted rennet into the milk, stirring for several minutes. cover and let set at 86°F for one hour.
Cutting curd in squares-now we're getting somewhere! (photo Fias Co Farm)
3. After the one hour, it should be set firm. Cut the curd into 1/2 inch squares while in pan. Cut across from the first cuts to make squares. Let sit 20 minutes. More whey liquid will be released.
stir curds-gently! (photo Fias Co Farm)
4. Keep at 86°F and gently stir the curds for 20 minutes. This releases more whey and firms up the curds.
Drain curds in muslin
5. Pour the curds into a colander lined with butter muslin (you can get it here) which is finer than regular muslin.
drain curds for 4 hours (photo Fias Co Farm)
6. Tie the corners diagonally into a knot and hang the bag over the sink to drain for 4 hours. (undo the knot after 2 hours and turn over in the cloth and retie and hang for another 2 hours)
Remove feta from muslin
7. Untie the bag and remove muslin.
slice feta
8. Cut the curds into 1 inch slices.
Salt feta
9. Sprinkle with kosher salt and put in a airtight container and age for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. More whey will be released and the slices will get firmer (so you can crumble it later).
7. Put it in a airtight container and put in refrigerator for 4-5 days. Store in the refrigerator. Rinse before use to remove excess salt.
For a stronger flavor, make a brine solution by combining 1/3 cup salt and 1/2 gal of water. Place rinsed cheese in the brine and store in refrigerator for 30 days. (Use the brine solution for farm bought milk only, store bought tends to disintegrate in brine).
Afterwards, I took the remaining whey and made ricotta from it. I took the whey and put it in a pot and reheated it to just below boiling so it released more protein. You can see the little particles separate from the liquid. I took that mixture and strained it in another muslin lined colander and let it drip for 15 minutes. Then I put it in a container and put it into the refrigerator. That’s it. You really don’t get much ricotta but you’re not wasting the whey either. The rest of the whey I will give to the chickens and later to some plants. Two cheeses in one day!
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