Children's Farm Garden: February 2013

Monday, February 4, 2013

October 26, 2012: Spinach, lettuce, broccoli, herbs

Most of the garden is put to sleep for the winter. But some herbs and some broccoli continue to grow, plus lettuce and spinach in the cold frame. (Note: was still harvesting broccoli flowerettes in December!)

Spinach in cold frame...planted in August, delicious.

(Note: harvested until Jan 1--thought it might make it through the whole winter! But since we've had below zero weather since then, I don't think so. But what a treat to eat fresh spinach at Christmastime!)

Cold frame....thanks to box from Erik and new window frames from Bill.

Calendula...I love adding the petals to salads for color.

Raspberries continue to grow. I have a few every time I garden. I so delighted with how long their season is!.

The asparagus beginning to die back for the winter. Will cut it to the ground in March, so we'll be ready for the new shoots.

October 15, 2012: Peanuts, carrots, more potatoes

3 peanuts...the entire crop. Actually I was delighted. I had assumed there would be none. I kept looking all summer for the stms I'd learned should grow down from the main stem and enter the ground where peanuts would grow from them. I was looking high on the plant. These little side stems were only about an inch from the ground, so I'd never noticed them. Next year: more peanuts!

Carrots! Not as many as I'd hoped for, although some were nice and long. (Note from Feb 2013, since that is when I'm actually writing this: Carrots did not keep well this year. Perhaps too wet when packed in bags in fridge.???)

More potatoes---drying on racks in my powder room in the dark.
I know I shouldn't scrub them clean before storage, but don't like to have the dirt in my kitchen.

All dry, and stored in crock for winter! Will cover to keep light from sunscalding them.

October 3, 2012: Cantaloupes!

My first ever experience with growing cantaloupe....so proud!

September 9, 2012: Totally wierd potatoes!

These are the totally wierdest potatoes! Seem like alien creatures. I did a little internet research and learned that this happens when the soil dried out badly, and then get really wet again--it's like new potatoes sprout right off the old ones. They taste fine...just look bizarre!

Aug 1, 2012: Zuchini

Beautiful sight!

First zuchini---

Ali and Tom planted the zuchini seeds during staff training

Corn as tall as me!

The cantaloupe vines are running rampant in the raspberry bed. Which is fine since not all of the raspberry plants are growing!

July 16, 2012: Fruits and Veggies!

The new fruit garden...strawberries, raspberries, grapes, blueberries, apples (and pumpkins)...This whole strip put in as an Eagle Scout project by Connor Johnson in autumn 2011. They dug the soil, moved the rr ties in place, created the new path between the fruit and veggie strips, laid newspaper in the beds and filled them with old manure, plus sand in the grape bed, transplanted some blueberries and raspberries, and put in posts for raspberries and blueberries--mostly in the rain! You did a great job---Thanks Connor!

The veggie half of the garden, greatly enlarged as I took out black plastic of the old paths and extended the garden all the way to the rr ties.

Tomatoes tied up to stakes with strips of cloth.

July 3, 2012: Prodigal Summer!

Thanks to Barbara Kingsolver for the title of this blog entry, and also for her inspiration about growing your own food! The garden is truly prodigious this month!

Raspberries!

Finally got the little watermelon plants int he ground---in place of a raspberry that didn't make it. I foolishly purposely planted some canes that were bearing raspberries last fall, not knowing that they only fruit one year.

Corn not quite knee high, also zuchini in foreground, brocoli behind.

The volunteer potatoes continue to grow, plus some extras that I added this spring.

The herb garden is beautiful

Lemon verbena....one of my favorite herbs!

Bergamot---smells like earl gray tea!

Basil...yum!

Cucumber vines growing up their willow stick trellises.

Garlic planted last October is ready for harvest

Laura's silver triticale wheat has spouted! She sent seeds to friends to grow flowers for her wedding reception!

Peas have died back, ready to be pulled to make room for pole beans. The lettuce is almost done too, but I'm still enjoying it!

Tomato plants grow taller.

Late planted pumpkin seeds just sprouting!

Grapes--these are the champagne grapes from Teds.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

June 16, 2012 More plantings/summer abundance!

June 16, 2012

Strawberries (foreground) and herbs and veggies!

Herbs seedlings planted in herb garden:

basil seedlings on left, nasturtiums (plus pepper plants) in front

Oregano and rosemary on right

Lemon verbena, dill, pineapple sage, and more in rear

Garlic (right) starting to brown, onions growing well (left).

Raspberry bushes

Tarragon!

Cucumber seeds in (Gurney Sweeter yet Hybrid Slicing Cukes), planted in holes cut in landscape fabric to control weeds. Black willow teepees to climbing vines.