July Garden Update

A couple of days ago I received a comment on June Garden Update that made me smile.  Within this comment, the author professed to a "black thumb" and indicated that, given my container garden, I would now "have someone to gloat over".  Beyond that fact that it's not really my style, it's very easy to resist any temptation to gloat.  This is why:

June Garden Update

It’s been 10 days since I took the photos of my container garden for Almost a Garden.  Every day when I walk out onto our deck I am amazed at what can happen in 24 hours, let alone 10 days.  See for yourself:

Almost a Garden

After an unsuccessful attempt at starting age-old seeds back in January, my second attempt with new seeds was a little too successful.  I ended up giving about half of my seedlings to our former neighbor for his garden.  The remaining seedlings have been transplanted to pots, and this what I have now:

Grow Baby, Grow!

Back in January, I started two flats of seeds consisting of chiles, tomatoes and some flowers.  In total, I planted 144 seeds.  While my expectations were low (because of the age of the seeds), I was hoping that more than four would germinate.  Of the 144 seeds, only one chile, two tomatoes and one canna sprouted.  I waited for quite some time to make sure I wasn't rushing them before conceding failure.  Initially, I thought we'd just purchase some seedlings once the farmers' market opened in April.  But then the familial stubborn streak kicked in and I was determined to have seedlings from seeds I started.

We love  us some green beans!

Tug and I went on a seed-shopping spree and came home with seeds for three varieties of tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, mixed winter squash, cucumbers, fennel, sweet bell peppers and black-eyed peas and I still had some chile, tomatillo, cippolini onion and green bean seeds that weren't quite so old.  Within days, I could see small green shoots coming up.  I get so excited to see seeds sprout!  The growth that can occur in just a 12-hour period is amazing.  While a large portion of the seedlings will end up growing in containers on our deck, Tug is also planning a raised bed garden for me - surrounded by six-foot deer fencing, of course.  Call me selfish, but I don't want to share my hard work with the deer.

Black bean vines cohabitating with the avocado tree.

In addition to all of those seeds, I also decided to utilize some space in the large pot my avocado tree is in.  (I'll try to grow anything and once in awhile I'm successful.)  Circling the pot are little shoots of black beans  They're trellised on kitchen twine that's hanging from the tree's branches.  This isn't the first time I've tossed seeds in to share space with the avocado.  Last year I found an ancient packet of lavender seeds that I couldn't bring myself to throw away - despite the fact that lavender is incredibly difficult to start from seed even when fresh.  Oddly enough, I managed to get one little lavender plant out of the packet of stale seeds.  I felt like a proud parent!



My lavender baby.

I still have seeds left to plant, but they will wait until later in the spring to be sown directly into the soil.  There will probably be some spring lettuces and perhaps some peas.  We frequently use parsley and cilantro and I want to have lots and lots of basil to make pesto.

What else am I going to do/make with what we grow?  That will have to unfold as we go, but I may end up learning to use that pressure canner after all.

Sowing the Seeds of Summer

It's a cold, grey day in Southern Illinois.  It's one of those days that no matter what sweater I put on, how close I am to the space heater, how long the furnace runs, I cannot get warm.  And getting motivated to do anything is monumental. 

On a sunny day earlier in the week when my motivation was much higher, I decided it was time to get some seeds started for the summer.  The seed trays came out of their dusty hiding place and fortunately I still had seed starting mix so I wasn't derailed from my project by having to run out and get supplies.  It was a warm day for January and a great day to be outside, which was perfect since filling the trays can be a messy job.

You can see that there are two different soil mixes in the tray on the left.  I could tell you that I am conducting an experiment on which soil mix is the best, but the truth is that I ran out of one and finished with another.  When starting seeds, it is really important to use a soil mix specifically for that purpose:  it's lighter and doesn't contain fertilizers that can be too much for seedlings.  The lightness of the soil mix also makes it challenging to water when it's dry.  Often the water will just pool on top.  After I filled these trays, I took them inside to where I'll be keeping them and filled the bottom section with water to allow it to wick up from the bottom.  After that, I'll use a spray bottle with a fine mist to water.  The soil should be moist, but definitely not soggy.  Soggy soil leads to rotting seeds. 

I have to insert a note here:  you can also purchase soil "plugs" to fit into the seed starting trays that you just drop the seeds into and water.  They are extremely convenient and less messy than the soil mixes, but based on my previous experience I don't recommend them.  One year I did do an experiment comparing the plugs to regular seed starting mix.  The seeds started in the plugs produced seedlings that were weak and spindly and had significantly less root development.  They are also much more expensive than a bag of seed starting mix.

chile peppers and flowers

Lacking motivation to do anything else today, it seemed a good time to focus on finishing the seed project that reminds me there will be sunny days ahead.  Since I will once again be container gardening on the deck to avoid deer damage, the variety of seeds I started is somewhat more limited than it would be if I had a traditional ground plot.  I started a couple of varieties of tomatoes and more varieties of chile peppers than most would think sane, plus some flower seeds that I've collected over the years. 

Ordinarily I'd spend hours pouring over various seed catalogs, reading all of the descriptions, comparing one variety to another, one catalog to another, all in an attempt to choose the perfect seeds.  This year my choices were much less discerning.  This year, my choices were based on "which seeds have I had the longest?"

chiles, chiles and more chiles

In years past, I would also carefully read each seed packet, taking note of the days to germination and stagger my planting so that most of the seeds would germinate at the same time.  (Yes, I realize I have OCD tendencies.)  Because some of the seeds I started today were originally packaged for the years 2003 - 2006, I'm keeping my expectations for germination in general limited.  This is also the reason for planting the quantity of seeds that I did.  If the seeds happen to germinate better than I expect, I'll have a lot of seedlings in need of adoptive homes. 

grow, baby, grow

So what exactly did I plant?  Here's the run down:

Chiles:  Ancho Poblano, Big Chile, Hidalgo Serrano, Brazilian Pumpkin, Aji Amarillo, Purira, Manzano Amarillo, Ancho Mulato, Pasilla, Royal Black, Czech Black, Habanero Red Savina, Largo Purple, Fresno and NuMex Joe Parker

Tomatoes:  Beefsteak and Rutger's Select

Flowers:  pink cleome, butterfly milk weed, black hollyhocks, red hibiscus, red cannas, and borage (which is an herb, but I'm growing it for its flowers)

Based on the germination rates, seeds that don't do well will be discarded this year.  I need to get the stockpile down so I can justify ordering more.  I am a sucker for those gorgeous, colorful seed catalogs!

How Does My Garden Grow?

It's growing quite well.  The plants seem to be flowering quite nicely.  How it's fruiting is another story.

The two tomato plants (both Brandywine - one red, one pink) flowered like crazy.  I was quite excited at the thought of having beau coup tomatoes at my disposal in the future.  Apparently, it's not to be.  The pink Brandywine continues to have blossoms set, only to wither and drop before the fruit can be formed.  The red one started out a bit better and has two small fruits on it, but now appears to be suffering the same affliction.  I believe a call to Dad is in order, though I'm not sure if they can be salvaged at this point or not.  Dad will know.

Most of the peppers - sweet and hot - are doing better, with the exception of the red bell.  It seems to be content with its lone fruit.  While it's disappointing, I honestly can't be too surprised given that I have no idea how long this soil has been in these planter boxes and it may be long past its usefulness.  I need to run by the Neighborhood Co-op and see if I can find some organic fertilizer.  What I've seen so far isn't really organic when you read the label. 


Speaking of reading labels, this is something I need to start doing a bit more.  Last week I attempted to make something called latik, which is basically coconut milk cooked down until it separates into solids and coconut oil.  The "coconut milk" I attempted this with was anything but coconut milk.  I had picked up a brand I don't ordinarily buy without reading the label.  When I noticed the latik didn't seem to be working the way it should, I fished the label out of the recycle and proceeded to be disappointed:  coconut extract, water, guar gum, polysorbate something and a couple of other things I couldn't pronounce.  Obviously, it didn't work correctly.

My second lack of attentive label reading was in regard to oatmeal.  I like to keep a box of instant oatmeal around for mornings when I'm in a hurry, but need something rather substantial for breakfast (or occasionally a snack on a chilly evening).  My favorite is maple and brown sugar, which is what I thought I was buying.  While I actually looked at the box of maple and brown sugar, I grabbed the box of cinnamon swirl.  Not my favorite.  So now what do I do with the rest of the box?  Make instant oatmeal cookies.  A lot of them.  My daddy will be getting some more cookies this week.  And they were even good enough that the hubs ate a some.

Instant Oatmeal Cookies

This makes a lot of cookies.  If you don’t have a six quart mixer, I recommend cutting the recipe in half.

1 cup dried currants (or raisins)

2 cups (6 packets) instant oatmeal

2 cups all purpose flour

1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat.  (I tried using my tried and true parchment paper, but these cookies stuck to the parchment even after cooling.)  Use multiple baking sheets/silicon mats if you have them.

Place the currants in a small bowl and cover with hot water.  Cover the bowl and allow to steep 10 – 15 minutes, then drain.

Combine the instant oatmeal, flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.

Cream the butter and sugar on medium high for 3 – 5 minutes, scraping the bowl and paddle occasionally.  Lower the speed to medium and gradually drizzle in the beaten egg, no more than a tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to become fully incorporated.  Stop and scrape the bowl and paddle about halfway through.  Add the vanilla and the drained currants. 

On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients.  Mix only until combined.  Make sure to scrape down to the bottom of the bowl to make sure all dry ingredients are fully incorporated. 

Scoop the dough on to the prepared baking sheet with a cookie scoop or two tablespoons, spacing about two inches apart.  Bake 10 – 11 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.  Allow to cool 1 – 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  If necessary, let the baking sheet cool slightly before reusing.  Store baked cookies in an airtight container with a piece of parchment between layers of cookies. 

Gardening by the Deck

It's been several years since I've done any gardening.  First it was because the hubs was graduating with his Ph.D. and we didn't know where the job search would be found.  Then after he got a job it was because we had made the decision to look for a new home.  Then it was because we were moving to a new home.  I've been missing it.

A previous year's partial harvest

The hubs had built this awesome little raised bed garden for me.  I grew mostly chiles (for the hubs), but also attempted some green beans and tomatoes.  My tomatoes never had an ideal location and we harvested enough beans for one meal before they were eaten practically to the ground by unseen invaders.  I gave up and just grew chiles.  Lots and lots of chiles.  One year we had over 75 plants of at least 40 different varieties.

I was really excited that our new place had two acres of potential for gardening.  (Well, not really two.  The acre on the south side of the creek is wooded and wild and we're probably not going to attempt to tame it.)  I spent a great deal of time evaluating hours of daily sunlight and shade and how well different areas of the yard drained.  What I wasn't considering in the least was the deer that came with the two acres.

We routinely see anywhere from one to nine deer roaming around, often right outside of our windows.  It drives the dogs absolutely insane.  And I know if I were to put a garden in the ground without a six foot fence, they would drive me insane as well.   So instead of digging in the dirt and having the cute little garden of my imagination, I have planters on the deck.






Two large cedar planter boxes were left here by the previous owners.  This one is actually in quite a state of disrepair, as the bottom has fallen out of it.  We'll have to take care of that in the fall when the plants are finished.  This box has Anaheim, jalapeno and habanero chiles, tarragon, thyme and a lot of involuntary cilantro.  Since I absolutely adore cilantro, it was allowed to stay. 




The other box is in a bit better shape, although it will be overhauled this fall as well.  It contains two sweet peppers, basil, rosemary and two varieties of Brandywine tomatoes.  

In the past I've always seemed to end up with indeterminate (vining) tomatoes that I didn't have adequate support for.  When these get going, I'm going to sort of trellis them along the airline cable on the deck.  I figure this has the potential to be a win-win:  the tomatoes have something to hang on to and it will be easier for me to harvest them.

In addition to the two large planter boxes, I also have a couple of containers of mint (lemon mint and orange mint) and started a couple of buckets of radishes (French Breakfast and Black Spanish).  Unless we're in need of a ground cover somewhere, the extremely invasive mint will stay in containers.  This is the first time I've ever attempted to grow radishes so I'm anxious to see how they turn out.  I noticed yesterday that the seeds had sprouted, which is always a source of excitement for me.  

I wish I had started everything from seed back in December, but indecisiveness overcame me and I ended up doing nothing at all. But I'm already making plans for next year's "garden".  

Lovely little tomato blossoms