Houston.....We have lift off!!!!!!!

In the words of the great NASA astronauts, Houston we have lift off. The 2011 England garden is underway. Let’s just hope that we don’t have the same difficulties as Apollo 13!  I am not nearly as resourceful as those folks.

I spent my Easter Monday getting everything in the ground. The old rule of thumb is to only plant after Good Friday to avoid frost. Frost is like kryptonite to your vegetable garden. You can always put your plants in the ground prior to Good Friday but you run the risk of running into a frost, you just have to make sure you cover everything with a sheet or other cloth prior to the frost.  I purchased plants that had already been started from someone who is way better at growing than I am (hint..a local hardware store off of Lakeshore Drive).  I dug holes about 1-2 inches deep for each plant.  You need to keep the root ball for each plant intact when removing the plant.....if possible.  I also like to break up the bottom of the root ball if the roots are pact close together to encourage them to venture into the new soil.  I was also careful to give each plant plent of room to grow.  If you are unsure how large each plant will grow, check online or on the tag that comes with each tray.  With that said, the deed is done.

Prior to planting I had tested my soil PH and found that it was a little high. I tilled in some organic garden sulfur to lower the PH and added the material from my compost pile to increase the nitrogen content and, boom pow, it's perfect now. We should be good to go. 

The official roster consists of some old favorites and some new additions. I planted sweet potatoes (for my Mother-in-law), okra, green bell pepper (for my friend Lauren Taylor), cayenne peppers (for me), tomatoes, potatoes, yellow onion, cucumber (for A.J.), crook neck squash and zucchini. To say the least I have a full house this year. As you can see I have used my old truck tires to plant my potatoes in. All the research I did online said that this was a great way to do it but we will have to wait and see.

As I mentioned in my last post, I am planting all my squash and cucumbers in a separate section. I hope this will allow them to spread their wings and fly so to speak.

I will keep everyone up to date with any changes. Up next……you guessed it…..blankets and newspaper (if this has completely confused you check my post from last year). 

Happy Organic Gardening!!!!!!!!

Part Deux

Well ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I’m back. Please, please hold your applause.

 I know you have been waiting all year so here goes - I’m going to attempt my second year

 at organic gardening. 

Last year went well, we had productive plants and I learned a few things and yes, made some mistakes. Besides having a productive garden, my goal for this year is to find a more effective organic pesticide. I used a store bought organic type last year that just did not hold up to the mutant bugs in my backyard. I’m serious.  These bugs are ferocious! I am also looking to put an end to my mole problem once and for all. The mole in my garden is like the case of hiccups that you can’t get rid of. You try everything and just when you think you have it licked…….hiccup! This season, man vs. mole is to the death.

So let me get you acquainted with the 2011 version of the garden. This past weekend I tilled the garden and worked in the material from the compost pile we started last year (remember?????).

As I said last year, this stuff is pure gold. While in the process of tilling and working in the composted material I have widened the garden by about two feet. This will allow me to double the amount of plants I put in the ground. Between you and I, this way I can make some mistakes, kill some plants accidentally and still have enough for the girls to eat. I am also taking a different approach with the squash, zucchini and cucumbers. They love to spread and grow downhill. Last year they took up a lot of surface area. I have tilled a small area up the hill from the main garden to plant these gourd producing plants so they can run free.

For my next trick, I will grow potatoes in a tire. Yes, you heard me correctly. I got new tires on my Honda Ridgeline (also referred to as the soccer dad truck) and kept the old tires. I used a reciprocating saw to remove the sidewalls. When the new potato plants emerge from the ground, I will place the old tire around them and fill it with sand. The plant will continue to grow up through the sand and the tubers can develop potatoes in the soft sand. When I am ready to harvest, all I need to do is pick up the tire.

List for this year’s garden:

Okra

Peppers

Squash

Zucchini

Cucumber

Bell Pepper

Potatoes

Tomatoes

Green Onion

Maybe more! Any suggestions? 

Hopefully all plants will be in the ground mid April.

Him just a little fella....

It has been awesome to watch all my different plants produce the vegetables.  They all produce blooms first and the magic happens from there.  The squash were the first to show any signs of life.  They grew large beautiful blooms and within a few days the squash began growing at the base of the bloom.  When you look at it, it really is a mini squash.  The next to produce was the cucumbers, and they are producing from the base of the bloom which is very similar to the squash.  However, the blooms were much smaller and took a couple of weeks after the blooms showed up for them to start growing babies.  The other difference is that these don't really look like mini adults.  They look like part of the stem and if you are not careful then you may not see them.

The next were the tomatoes and peppers.  Both plants have small blossoms.  The tomatoes blooms are yellow and the peppers are white.  Also, rather than growing from the base of the bloom, the plants bloom, drop the flower and then produce the vegetable.