is a chance

for you to do your best.

~Duke Ellington

The vegetable garden in July is “payday” for all of our hard work. The temperatures are hot, the soil is warm and the plants are lush with abundant fruit. In my garden crops [...]]]>

A problem

is a chance

for you to do your best.

~Duke Ellington

The vegetable garden in July is “payday” for all of our hard work. The temperatures are hot, the soil is warm and the plants are lush with abundant fruit. In my garden crops of carrots, potatoes, beans and beets have been producing for a bit and are beginning to wind down. Others like tomatoes and peppers are just starting to ripen. In between the harvests of those vegetables there are a few others that have not performed well for various reasons; weather, insects, disease and critters. If your garden (like mine) has suffered a few setbacks, July is a good time to adjust!

Of course you won’t start tomatoes in July and see a harvest if you live in my zone 5/6 area, but there are several seeds you can sow that will delight you with harvest in fall and perhaps make up for the disappointment of any crop failures. Why leave valuable growing space empty when you can harvest from it again in September?! Lettuce bolted? Summer squash mildewed? Beans through producing? Remove those spent crops and compost. (Never compost diseased plants.) Prepare the beds with new additions of compost and rake smooth. Seeds for beets, fennel, carrots, cauliflower (yes!), beans, kale, turnips, lettuces, summer squash, radishes and greens can all be direct-sowed into the garden this month with successful harvests in September and beyond. A few, like the summer squash may not produce as prolifically in the shorter daylight and cooler evening temperatures of late summer, but after the daily harvests of other crops in July and August slower is kind of nice.

Go ahead… pull up the veggies that are finished or failing and renew your growing space. Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean the season is ending! A few things to remember when sowing fall seeds:

• Seeds need moisture to germinate. Sowing the seeds a bit deeper than normal keeps them from drying out in the hot topsoil layer.
• A light mulch of grass over the entire seedbed allows the soil to remain cooler and moist for germination.
• A row cover will prevent hungry birds and critters from snatching your seeds and seedlings as they forage in the garden.

Happy gardening!

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There’s nothing like listening to a shower

and thinking how it is soaking in around your green beans.

~Marcelene Cox

Do you remember the first seed you ever planted? Mine was a bean seed. I grew [...]]]>

Weather means more when you have a garden.

There’s nothing like listening to a shower

and thinking how it is soaking in around your green beans.

~Marcelene Cox

Do you remember the first seed you ever planted? Mine was a bean seed. I grew it as an experimental part of a school unit on plants in the fourth grade. We dampened a paper towel, wadded it up gently and placed it in a clear plastic cup. I was handed a single bean seed to place between the side of the cup and the paper towel. I observed and made notes as the seed germinated. I clearly remember being fascinated by the first slender root that emerged followed by tiny hairs that fanned out and burrowed through the paper towel. Beans remain my favorite garden plant.

Beans are relatively easy to grow and there are several varieties for the home gardener to choose from. If you are new to growing vegetables try beans! The following may help you to decide which variety (or varieties) to try.

First choose the growth habit you would prefer:

• Bush beans are the most commonly grown form of garden bean. The plants grow to be from 14″-18″ tall (with heirloom varieties being on the taller end) and produce a single crop over a two week period.Seeds may be sown every week up until 60 days before the first fall frost to ensure a harvest throughout the summer.

• Pole beans require a tall support (or poles) for the 8′ (or more) vines to grow on. The vines will grow up the support by twining around it (not by tendrils). Young vines may need your assistance getting started.Pole beans will take longer to produce than bush beans, but they produce heavily and may be harvested throughout the season until frost. Heirloom varieties include: “Lazy Wife”, “Gold of Bacau”, “Scarlett Runner” and “Rattlesnake”.

Next choose the type of bean:

• Green beans (snap beans)/wax beans are slender, round and average 6″ in length. They are excellent fresh as well as for canning and freezing for winter use. Heirloom varieties widely available include “Tendergreen”, “Provider”, “Dragon Tongue”, “Landreth’s Stringless”, “Pencil Pod” and “Beurre De Rocquencourt”.
• Romano beans are an Italian variety that are available as a bush or pole beans. They have broad, flat, meaty pods that average about 5″ in length. They can be used the same way as snap beans. Heirloom varieties include “Romanette Bush”, “Roma”, and “Greencrop”.
• French filet beans are unlike other beans, their flavor is exceptional! The beans are very thin and straight, measuring a mere 3/8″ around and 5″-7″ in length. The color is a very deep green and may be streaked with purple. They bear heavily and should be picked very frequently before growing large and tough. Use as you would snap beans. Heirloom varieties include “Maxibel”, “Fin de Bagnol”, “Climbing French”, “Jade” and “Masai”.
• Lima beans are available as pole or bush types. The 4″-5″ long pods bear 3-5 flat beans per pod for fresh eating or drying. Heirloom varieties include “Christmas Lima”, “Fordhook Bush”, “Jackson Wonder” and “Henderson Bush”.
• Dry (or soup) beans are grown as other snap beans, but are allowed to fully ripen and dry in the pods for use in soups and baked dishes. The plants range from 18″-24″ tall depending on the variety. (Pole types are available as well.) The plants are very productive and each pod will contain an average of 3-5 beans. Heirloom varieties include “Black turtle”, “Hutterite”, “Jacob’s Cattle”, “Marfax”, “True Red Cranberry”, “Soldier” and “Wren’s Egg”.

There are hundreds of varieties of beans to choose from, I’ve mentioned only a few. Choose one or choose several… delicious, fresh, easy to grow beans deserve a place in every garden! Happy gardening!

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The stevia cuttings have small roots now.

The radicchio has red-tinged leaves.

The onion seedlings are ready to transplant.

The okra is developing a second set of leaves, the peppers their first.

Sage seedlings show their characteristic [...]]]>

A lot has changed in the indoor garden this past week. I see something new everyday.

The stevia cuttings have small roots now.

The radicchio has red-tinged leaves.

The onion seedlings are ready to transplant.

The okra is developing a second set of leaves, the peppers their first.

Sage seedlings show their characteristic crinkled leaves.

The "Silver Fir Tree" tomato looks yellow, it isn't, it's the lights.

The basil will be potted into a larger container soon.

The shelves are filling in quickly!

There are three out of six shelves in use right now. Two have two double-bulb fixtures over them. The lower shelf is home to the stevia cuttings and plants as well as the lettuces and mesclun. (They require less intense light so a fixture isn’t needed.) As the plants quickly grow I’ll be busy with daily watering, rotating and pinching back herbs. A few things I miss… the birds gleaning and keeping me company, the bees humming in nearby blossoms, the cool breeze that blows across my neck on a hot day. I’m enjoying this indoor growing, but it will never replace the real thing!

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~Walt Streightiff

I’ve gained an “apprentice” in the indoor garden. Our 12 year-old son is fascinated with the vegetable and herb seedlings growing under lights. His interests lean towards science and technology so he’s assigned [...]]]>

There are not seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child.  There are seven million.

~Walt Streightiff

I’ve gained an “apprentice” in the indoor garden. Our 12 year-old son is fascinated with the vegetable and herb seedlings growing under lights. His interests lean towards science and technology so he’s assigned himself as “data collector”. Also, “light adjuster” and “heating pad monitor”. Also, I think he may be my “boss” now…HAHA! Training up a next-generation organic grower right in our spare bedroom! COOL.

Sign courtesy of Andrew Gustavson

Who wouldn’t be fascinated by the dark green and fuzzy okra seedlings? They’re beautiful! They’re also quickly outgrowing the newsplug and will need to be re-potted tomorrow. Time to get the rest of the lights up! The mesclun and radicchio are also ready for transplanting. It doesn’t take long, does it?

Outside today it was time to insulate the compost pile. A thick layer of leaves and pond debris on and around the pile keep it insulated from winter’s cold and deter rodents from digging. A tarp serves the same purpose, as long as air can circulate to keep things “cooking”. It also keeps the nutrients from washing away when the spring rains arrive.

With the outside garden finishing up I’m looking ahead to what the indoor garden will bring. I’m hoping there’s space enough to add more herbs to use for tea and cooking this winter. I’d like fresh chives, savory, marjoram, lavender and chamomile. The gardener’s eternal quest to squeeze in just a few more plants…

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To all veterans, today and everyday, a very sincere thank you.

It’s another beautiful day here in Rochester, I spent it gardening indoors and out. Another trip to the herb garden brought sage and [...]]]>

“Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace.”

Amelia Earhart

To all veterans, today and everyday, a very sincere thank you.

It’s another beautiful day here in Rochester, I spent it gardening indoors and out. Another trip to the herb garden brought sage and parsley and thyme as well as some Lunaria (“money plant”). The herbs will be slipped under chicken skin with a little olive oil and lemon slices and grilled for dinner. The dried flowers will be pretty tucked into napkin rings with sprigs of rosemary at the Thanksgiving table.

The mums are still vibrant and I’m hoping they’ll last until Thanksgiving, what a blessing to have fresh flowers at the table! I could pick and dry them or pot them up, but it’s just not the same. I’ll wait and hope. The Rouge Vif D’Etampes pumpkins are holding on in the warmer-than-usual Rochester weather,too. I really must get the seeds before any signs of rotting appear.

This morning after a bit of cleaning I went to check on the seedlings and the Tat Soi has sprouted. I can also see the sprouts of onions and peppers starting as well as the mache. The eggplant seeds are taking their time, but eggplant is like that. Each in it’s own time. I think this weekend I’ll be potting the lettuces and mesclun into “true” pots, they are quickly filling in the newspaper plugs (right).

Today is Wednesday and that means new recipes are listed on the November recipes page.  Take a look and give one (or all) a try! Paired with a salad of mixed winter greens they’re fast and healthy. Let me know how you like them! Next week’s recipes will be all about Thanksgiving…

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