In the Fall, we had planted: garlic, carrots, beets, daikon, watermelon radishes, kale, chard, mustard, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuces, spinach, sorrel, italian parsley, favas and english peas. We had mixed success due to inexperience, the ongoing battle with rats and the eternal “short on time.”

Out of Hibernation
So far this Spring we have been enjoying lots of mustard, chard, lettuce and kale. A little bit of favas and english peas. Carrots are coming out in the next few days and sadly I waited too long before picking the beets and radishes so while the roots were a bit fiberous we had lots of the green tops.

We’ve been busy working in the garden most weekends and I’ve been lucky enough to have some time during the week (but not as much as I want!:( .)

The biggest chore is weeding. We started weeding about 6 weeks ago and managed to fill 5 – 90 gallon green bins. Some of the contents came from pruning and yanking up dead plants but most of it was the result of back breaking weed pulling. Phew! There are still some weeds lurking about but that part of preparing the garden is done.
We have a call into our local tree trimming company to drop off a load of free wood chips next time they are in the neighborhood. This will get spread between the raised beds to cut down on the weeds next year.

Next up, amending the beds and irrigating.
After pulling up the previous crop, we amend each bed with horse manure (which we had gotten from the stables in the Fall and let age under a tarp in the corner of the garden over the winter), compost from our kitchen scraps, bone meal, humate, azomite and a bit of potash. Don’t ask me how I came up with this – I read a bunch here and there and decided this is what I will do – it’s all an experiment. If anything, Compost is probably the most important.
There are still 3 more beds to clean up and amend but that can wait until next weekend.
This weekend I will work on setting up some beds in our front garden and laying out the drip irrigation. This is a big job and may extend into next weekend. Always so much to do!

Irrigation is simple soaker hoses and a mish mash of drip using odds and ends parts. Last year, I spent a lot of time hand watering everything – this year the garden is even bigger so having the drip will save a lot of time and make for hopefully a bigger crop due to a more consistent watering schedule.

Planting!
This weekend calls for warm weather so we will plant half of what we plan to grow. The other half will go in in a few weeks.

• Veggies from seedlings (transplants): tomato (early girl, cherokee purple, roma, yellow pear cherry and celebrity), cucumber, butternut squash, zuchinni, bell pepper, basil, japanese eggplant

• Veggies from seeds direct into the ground: beans (green and yellow romano, red noodle) went in last week, peas, dill, cilantro, basil, lettuces, dino kale, chard and radishes

In the next few weeks, as the weather (hopefully) continues to warm, the south facing front garden will get the heat loving veggies such as the melons (honeydew, watermelon and bitter melon) and we’re trying out corn this year. That should be a sight – corn stalks in the front yard! -Most of these will be seeds direct into the ground.

Now I just have to remember to record where I am planting everything so that we can rotate next year! Knowing how well things stick to my brain these days I have to resist the temptation to tell myself, “I’ll remember…”

That’s it for now,
What’s happening in your garden?

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A Piece of the Rainbow

After the rats ate all our chard, we began to go into withdrawal. We love chard!

Though it was the end of summer we went ahead and started some seeds in an undisclosed location to transplant when the invaders were gone. All the planting charts say to plant chard in the spring. We figured – we’re in zone 9b…we can do whatever we want. Actually, I just didn’t know any better.

In all, we have 12 chard seedlings that we put into the raised beds last weekend. To help them along we set up a frame and covered the beds with clear plastic – a mini greenhouse. We hope this will help them catch up a bit and become hearty enough to get through the winter. We’ve done this with most of our fall/winter beds since we ended up with such a late start due to the garden invaders. So far, all the plants are doing well. Plus we haven’t even gotten our Indian Summer yet. In our area, the best weather comes in early Fall.

Chard loves well composted soil with a pH from 7.0-7.5 and grows best in full sun but can do well in partial shade as well. Hot weather can trigger the plant to go to seed so if your area experiences hot weather, partial shade maybe preferable.

Sow seeds directly into your garden bed or in a pot at least 7 gallons in size from early Spring to late Summer. Chard is a member of the beet / spinach family so rotate accordingly.

The seeds are protected by a fairly hard shell so you can soak the seeds for a few hours before putting them into the ground to help germination. Each seed (as in the case of beets) is actually many seeds in one. When the seeds sprout, you will notice many plants growing in the same spot. When I first planted chard, I kept thinking I dropped too many seeds into the hole.

Thin the seedlings to about 6 to 8 inches apart. Most garden resources say that chard doesn’t like to be transplanted but I have had good luck moving the seedlings with 90% or more survival as long as the seedling has at least 6 leaves. Keep the seedlings well watered until they are establish.

There are a number of varieties: green leaves with white stalks – Fordhook and Lucullus; with red stalks – Ruby Red and Rhubarb; with five color rainbow stalks – Bright Lights. We like the added color of the rainbow in our garden so Bright Lights is our standby.

Leaf miners and aphids are typical pests. Use a dilute soap solution (about 2 teaspoons dish soap in a quart spray bottle) or use the vermin vinaigrette.

Plants usually mature in 50 to 60 days but you can start harvesting tender young leaves in half that time. These young leaves are great eaten raw mixed with your salad greens.
To harvest, cut the outer leaves at the stem an inch or two from the base. You can continue harvesting this way from the same plant for months and months. I’ve even had plants survive through the winter. With the Bright Lights variety, the cold weather makes the colors much more intense.

To prepare – I simply cut the leaves, stalk and all, into 3 or 4 inch cross wise strips and saute in extra virgin olive oil with a smashed garlic clove. I’ll cover the pot for about 5 minutes or until the stalks are tender but still have a bit of crisp bite to them. Generally, chard can be used in any recipe that calls for spinach.

Another idea is to lightly steam large leaves and use them to wrap fish before cooking or in place of grape leaves for swiss chard dolmas

One of my all time favorites is to make a ‘white’ pizza with sauteed chard, sliced cooked yukon gold potatoes and fontina cheese – or these toppings as a filling in a grilled cheese sandwich.

Chard…plant it, grow it, eat it!

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Nonetheless, I’d like to grow year round.
With fewer sunlight hours and cooler temps things are most definitely slowing down.

Cooler weather growing options

Greenhouses of course provide the highest level of temperature control. I’m looking for something less expensive… and I don’t have the space for a greenhouse anyway.

There are more flexible, lower cost options.

You can cover individual plants with “clotches”. A clotch is a clear, rigid object you put over the plant. It can be glass – generally reserved for indoor plants. Or it can be plastic. Soda bottles make great clotches.

Clotches keep the heat in, let the light in but are not breathable. You can cut the top off for breathability, or take them off during the day.

Cold frames are built by taking glass or rigid clear plastic and putting it over a frame. People often use old windows. The frame can be wood or even bales of hay. It creates a mini greenhouse.

Garden Fabric (also known as “row cover”) is a finely woven mesh material made of polypropylene. A bit like a sweater, it’s breathable, lets the light through and lets the rain through. It also keeps most insects out. Once it’s on you can leave it be.

I’m opting for plastic sheeting. It keeps the warmth in, lets the light through, but isn’t breathable, nor does it let the rain in. I’ll leave it open at the ends for breathability tho, I’ll need to lift it up during sunny/warm days. I’ll also need to lift it up when it rains to capture the water.

Over the weekend I put up a quicky teepee for the plastic. (Not as quick as I planned… always the way, eh?). It works ok, but not as well as I like.

The plan for this weekend is to visit the scrap pile and pull out some wire fencing. We have chicken wire and heavier wire fencing. I’ll create a “hoop” over the beds by attaching the wire to one side and stretching it up and over to the other side. I’m choosing the wiring because it will hold the oval shape.

The inside height will need to accommodate the plants at full growth… 2-3′ will be ample. I’ll attach clear plastic sheeting to the outside of it with clothes pins. On days I need to lift it, I can roll it up to the top.

A popular way to construct a hoop – particularly if you want it to be standing height – is with PVC. It’s stronger. Here’s a very good how to article.

Over the past three weeks we’ve put in quite a few seeds and seedlings. They’re all doing well. Giving them some extra heat should help them quite a bit.

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Garden beds on vacation

We’ve been spending a good bit of time getting the garden beds ready for…
Vacation. Not our vacation, but their vacation.

We moved a couple boxes and added a couple more.
Boxes #1 and #4 were moved. Boxes #2 and #3 were added.

We set up #4 as a no-dig box. (Right now we have some seedlings sitting on top). Boxes #1, #2 and #3 have been filled with soil and horse manure. They’re covered with plastic keeping the heat in to kill off any weeds.
They’ll be on vacation until spring while the manure composts.

Box #5 (and another box behind it) had been rehabbed and setup with fall/winter veggies – a variety of greens. All that was “sacrificed” to our rodent guests… who apparently don’t like celery – the bushy green there at the left end.

We believe we’re no longer supporting rodents so we planted box #5 over the weekend… chard, kale, mustard, broccoli. We’ll get the rest of the seedlings in this week
We also put a sheet of clear plastic over the box that comes down at night to keep the heat in. This second round of fall plantings is seasonally late. Hopefully we’ll still get some veggies

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I suspect some us feel less financially secure than a week ago. And if you take that feeling to the grocery store, well you’ll be matching your shrunken assets against higher prices. The math sure isn’t in your favor.

Here’s some math you should consider as you try to get more value in exchange for your money.

I’ve read a few sources about small space/intensive gardening productivity such as would be typical in an urban setting.
What I’ve seen is you can expect 1-3 pounds of produce per growing square foot. We plan to measure our productivity next year. For now, I’ll use those numbers.

It’s fall. Greens are seasonal. So let’s do some math…

We’ll choose four crops: Dino Kale, Chard, Mustard Greens, Broccoli.

Today’s price for organic versions of these crops at our local grocery store (Berkeley Bowl) are:

• Kale – $2.52/lb
• Swiss Chard – $2.52/lb
• Mustard Greens – $2.52/lb
• Broccoli – $3.19

  A pound of each: $10.75.

  I’m using organic prices – which are higher – because we strongly
  advocate growing without chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

  The Cost to Grow

  Let’s start with the trusty banana box. We’ll use four of them. Each box is 2.2 square feet. These are no cost.

  We’ll start from seed. We really like Botanical Interests seeds. They’re non-GMO and have a very high germination rate. They always deliver a great product and have a huge variety.

  • Dino/Lacinato Kale: $1.89
  • Swiss Chard: $1.79
  • Mustard Greens – $1.59
  • Broccoli – $1.79
  • Shipping (in the U.S.) – $3.95

  Total: $11.01

  Soil – 1/2 bag per box. Two bags @$6.00/bag – $12.00

  Ok, we’ve racked up $23.01 in costs.
  At 1 pound of production per square foot, we’d be growing 2.2 pounds of each of the four veggies. On the upper side at 3 pounds/square foot – 6.6 pounds of each.

  The Numbers:

  Retail	1 lb	3 lbs	You Grow
  Kale	$5.54	$16.63
  Chard	$5.54	$16.63
  Mustard	$5.54	$16.63
  Broccoli	$7.02	$21.05
  Total	$23.64	$70.94	$23.01

  When it comes to Kale, Chard and Mustard, you’re eating leaves… that continue to sprout from the plant. Getting 2 – 3 lbs/sf should be easily achievable. I think broccoli can yield at least 1 lb/sf.

  Trimming your expenses while investing in your health… that’s real value investing.

   

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  ]]> http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/main-street-investing/feed/ 0 http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/potato-patch/ http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/potato-patch/#comments Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:52:37 +0000 Patti http://planetveggiegarden.com/?p=296 Have you ever planted potatoes?

  The argument against growing potatoes is:
  they’re cheap to buy, not worth growing (unless you have somewhat unlimited growing space).
  The argument for growing spuds is:
  Ahh, they taste so good fresh out of the garden. And a secondary argument is you can choose many different varieties that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to buy.

  Being that we’re in a bit of a transition with our garden, I figured I’d use some otherwise non-productive space and grow some potatoes.

  I’m not very timely or completely prepared, but I don’t have much downside here so what the heck.

  We’re in zone 9 in the San Francisco area. It get’s a bit chilly during the winter, but it doesn’t get cold (relatively speaking).

  Potatoes don’t fair well in the cold. The typical growing season is get them in the ground early-late spring (after the last frost) and harvest them early-late fall (before the first frost).

  Depending on the variety, you have a grow time of 70-140 days. I’ll be using mid-season varieties which means my harvest time on these will be in the January – March time frame. (Which may just remind and inspire me to get another crop back in the ground right away.)

  Optimal potato growing conditions

  – Potatoes like sun, but not directly and not intensely. The potato root itself – which forms the tuber – doesn’t want any direct sun exposure. Potato plants prefer low 50’s (degrees Fahrenheit) at night and under the mid-80’s during the day.

  – Whereas most plants grow and “fruit” above ground, spuds fruit underground. So they like loose, loamy soil over hard, clay soil.

  – Spuds prefer slightly alkaline soil – pH: 5.0 – 6.5.

  – Potatoes like Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K), but aren’t very Nitrogen (N) loving. So if you’re fertilizing you want a low N and high P & K. Potash, fish emulsion and seaweed make good fertilizers. If you’re using manures, they should be well rotted.

  Potato seeding process

  You can buy certified seed potatoes. This will ensure they’re insect and disease free.

  Or, you can live on the wild side and seed your own. I’d start with organic potatoes. You won’t need many.
  Potato roots grow from the “eyes” or buds of a potato.
  For seeds, you’re going to cut up the potato into pieces. Optimally, you want 2-3 eyes per piece. Each piece is your potato “seed”.

  

  Potato seeds ready to go

  My tray of potato seeds are a bunch of mostly quite small potatoes we found in one of our boxes that we rehabbed. While digging out all the soil we found a few left overs hiding in there from the spring. They’ve been sitting in a closet for a month or so and – as you can see – some of them have sprouted.

  You want to sit your cut potatoes out, cut side up, for 1-3 days in room temperature to give them a chance to dry out a little. Otherwise they may get mouldy when planted. I cut these this morning and plan to plant them this weekend.

  It takes 2-3 weeks for potatoes to germinate.

  Planting potatoes

  There are actually quite a few methods of growing potatoes. First I’ll cover the more typical followed by the less typical.

  The two typical ways are in hills and in trenched rows.

  The hill method: Create short mounds spaced 12″-24″ apart. In each mound bury 3 potato seeds 3-4″ deep. The potato seed should be cut side down/root side up. As the plant grows continue to mound dirt up around the stem, leaving only the leaves exposed.

  The trenched row method: Trench down about 6″, plant one seed every 12″. Cover the seeds with 3-4″ of dirt. As with the hill method, continue to add dirt as the plant grows. Rows should be spaced 2-3′ apart.

  Keep the potatoes fairly well watered until the plants blossom. Then cut back on the water.

  Potato crops should be rotated every year to prevent disease.

  Trash cans and tires

  There are other ways to grow potatoes…
  Scandanavians typically grow potatoes in stacks of straw. Simple. Lay down potato seeds on a bed of straw, cover with a couple inches of straw and continue to cover with straw as it grows.

  A modification to that is to put the seed in soil and cover with straw.

  Grab a trash can or similar container. Cut a few holes in the bottom for drainage. Put in a base of soil, 8-12″ deep and bury the seeds 3″ into it. Again, as it grows, cover with soil or straw.

  Have some old tires sitting around? Lay a tire down, fill with soil, bury seeds 3″ down. As the plants grow, add tires and soil.

  How about a simple garbage bag? Sure. Same as above… bury seeds 3″ down in 8-12″ of soil, add more soil as the plants grow. Make sure you cut a few holes near the bottom for drainage.

  It’s pretty much the same process regardless of your container… bury the seeds 3″ under and continue to cover the stalk as it grows.

  Potato harvesting

  When the plant flowers have browned and died down, your spuds are ready. You can harvest “new potatoes” ahead of this. And you can leave potatoes in the ground longer than this. But you should get them out of the ground before a frost.

  Harvesting depends a bit on how you grew them. If you grew them in a container, you can simply dump out the container. If you grew them in the ground, you can use a garden fork and gently “comb” the soil.

  Insects and disease

  Rotating crops will help with disease. Potatoes are also susceptible to aphids, nematodes and potato beetles. If you have moles or mice, they tend to burrow down and eat the spuds.

  I’ll be planting my spuds over the weekend. I’m thinking about adapting the trash can method…
  We have a tall, unused compost bin. I think it may be perfect. I’m also going to put a few in one of the no-dig beds.

   

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  ]]> http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/potato-patch/feed/ 0 http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/do-the-lacinato/ http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/do-the-lacinato/#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:01:51 +0000 Sandy http://planetveggiegarden.com/?p=293 kale…

  From yesterday’s post we know Kale is one of the most nutritious vegetables you can grow.

  Kale is considered a Fall to Spring vegetable since cool temperatures and light frost improves the flavor. Heat creates a more intense flavor which I myself enjoy. Heat also tends to make kale bolt – or go to seed. One variety of kale that tolerates heat well and doesn’t seem to bolt during hot weather is my favorite – an Italian heirloom variety – Lacinato; also known as Calavo, Dino, Dinosaur, Black or Palm Tree Kale.

  

  Plant your Kale

  Kale grows best in nitrogen rich soil at a pH of 6 to 7 but can tolerate most average garden soils. Kale can also tolerate partial shade – which can be beneficial during the summer months to shield the plant from heat.

  We generally plant about six to eight plants of Lacinato Kale year round with some Red Winter Kale and Red Russian Kale during the cooler months. These generally grow in our raised beds but after our rodent problems I decided to grow this nutritious must-have vegetable in some 7 gallon nursery  pots.

  Sow seeds 1/2 inch deep in little pots to transplant or directly in the garden. Seeds will germinate at temperatures at or above 68F and will take any where from 5 to 10 days depending on how warm the soil is. Keep the soil moist until the seedlings are well established. Then thin to 10 to 12 inches apart.

  You can start harvesting the outer leaves when the plant has at least 6 leaves. Leave the center leaves and the plant will keep growing eventually getting 2 to 3 feet tall looking like a palm tree. If your plant does bolt and develop a seed stalk – harvest the bud before the flowers open and prepare like broccoli.

  Kale can attract aphids – I find a very dilute solution of dish soap (1 teaspoon per quart) sprayed on the infested plant knocks them out though I recently discovered my own “vermin vinaigrette” works really well too.

  Possible companions: beets, celery, dill, lavender, onions, rosemary, sage, thyme and nasturtiums.

  Easy to prepare – you can cook kale as you would spinach but for a few minutes longer to soften the thicker leaves. I like to saute with a smashed garlic clove in extra virgin olive oil and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice right before serving. If you have tender young leaves you can eat them raw with your favorite salad dressing.

  Kale…plant it, grow it, eat it!  

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  ]]> http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/do-the-lacinato/feed/ 0 http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/dirt-cheap-or-pay-dirt/ http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/dirt-cheap-or-pay-dirt/#comments Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:37:34 +0000 Patti http://planetveggiegarden.com/?p=290 For the most part we take dirt for granted. We even speak of it disparagingly… dumb as dirt, old as dirt.
  And if you’re not a farmer, you generally take water for granted. We’ll leave that discussion for another day.

  Today let’s talk dirt.
  Not celebrity dirt. But that amazing substance that’s simultaneously composed of rotting decaying material and vibrantly alive and active micro-organisms. We more properly refer to said dirt as SOIL.

  I was recently reading an economic report on topsoil. It startled me quite a bit.

  We’ve been witnessing more significant global food constraints over the past couple of years. Public discussion has largely been focused on transferring food resources to fuel use, i.e., ethanol. Which in turn decreased food supply and concurrently led to escalating prices.

  Throw in some weather challenges such as droughts here and there and some natural disasters such as floods and it “seemed obvious” to conclude the situation was somewhat temporary.
  Not the conclusion I more recently came to.

  In addition to all those “challenges”, globally we’re running out of soil. Yep. Seems unfathomable.
  So says Lennart Bage, president of a U.N. fund for agriculture development: “Now fertile land with access to water has become a strategic asset.”

  The planet has three feet of topsoil. Not dirt, but nutrient rich, fertile soil. What you need to grow food. And we’re losing it faster than we’re replacing it. In fact, according to the National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. is loosing fertile topsoil 10 times faster than replacing it. And according to the U.N. the oss rate is 10-100 times faster on a global basis.
  As I said, I was quite startled.

  Prior to the 1980’s cultivated land had been increasing. Since then it’s been on the decline… tho globally, the population is still increasing. So more people to feed, less acres to farm.

  Iran bought 1 million tons of wheat from the U.S. this summer. Last time that happened was 27 years ago when we were on ummmm, “friendlier” terms. Drought decreased their harvest by a third and the U.S. was the only country that could supply them.

  Prior to the 1940’s only Europe imported grain. North America, South America and the former USSR were exporters. Africa was self-sufficient. The only significant exporters now are North America (Canada, U.S., Mexico), Australia and New Zealand.

  Countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Libya, South Korea and China are looking to lease or buy farmland in other countries.

  Many other countries have instituted export restrictions keeping their harvest within the country.

  Is fertile land destined to replace oil as the top global strategic asset?

  Go Vertical

  I came upon this site some time ago. It takes a real mental shift… at least it does for me.
  Vertical farming takes features of greenhouse and hydroponic gardening matched with skyscraper architecture… small footprint, tall structure.

  

    picture from VerticalFarm.com

  Essentially they classify it as “indoor farming”. Indoor = controlled environment. No longer does weather matter. No longer do seasons matter.

  Vertical farming is positioned as an extremely environmentally friendly solution:
  Vertical farms can be built in urban centers decreasing the distance from “farm” to plate. Less procesesing, packaging, transportation. Greater freshness.
  Food is grown organically… no pesticides (no pests), herbicides or chemical fertilizers.
  Very water efficient… “runoff” and evaporation are recycled back into potable water.
  Superior productivity: 1 indoor acre can produce the equivalent of 4-6 outdoor acres.
  Methane is regenerated into energy.

  Meanwhile some land currently used for traditional horizontal farming can be re-forested. This stops the decline of rain forests and animal habitats.

  Very good arguments for vertical farms. We’ve seen agriculture go through two major “efficiency” evolutions. The first evolution when machinery replaced human labor. The second evolution when chemical fertilizer were used to “overcome” soil deficiencies.

  One can look at vertical farming as the next efficiency evolution. It’s more space efficient. It’s more closely located to buyers of the food. It neutralizes weather, season and pest influences. It more efficiently uses water and energy

  What do you think?

   

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  ]]> http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/dirt-cheap-or-pay-dirt/feed/ 0 http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/garden-siteing/ http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/garden-siteing/#comments Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:58:51 +0000 Patti http://planetveggiegarden.com/?p=283
  

  Garden Section A
  

  Garden Section B
  

  Garden Section C

  We spent last weekend pulling out the tomato and cucumber plants – just about the last of plants.

  We then moved a couple boxes and set up a couple new boxes.

  The garden is now divided into three section (A, B, C).
  Looking back at Guide to Rotating and As the Garden Turns we’ve divided it this way to accommodate different crop families.
  We’ve further sub-divided it to accommodate rotation within the families.

  So here’s how it will work:

  Section A: is for legumes (beans, peas), lilies (onion, garlic, leeks, chives) and carrots.
  Crops planted in boxes 1, 2 and 3 will be rotated so what was in box 1 will be planted in box 2 the following year, then box 3 the next year. Box 4 and the bins along the fence are for “overflow/anywhere” plants.

  Section B: This section gets the most sun and was the section we redid over the weekend.
  Beds 1 and 2 are actually concrete pavers held up with stakes. (I’m going to tidy that up this weekend.) Hard to see in the picture but each of those beds is divided in half with pavers.

  We filled them with soil and horse manure. Then covered them with plastic. This is to get the soil very hot to kill off any weed seeds that may be in there.

  Bed #3 we set up as a no-dig bed.

  Section B is for tomato, melon/cuke/squash and cruciferous – broccoli, kale, collards, mustard. In addition to the boxes, there’s a wide ailse between Section B and C. We plan to park banana boxes at the end of the beds.

  We’ll be rotating the four sections of beds #1 & #2. As for the no-dig – we’ll see how that one goes.

  Section C: gets the least sun, therefore, we’re putting lettuce, spinach, kale, chard, mustard and beets over there. We had rehabbed those two boxes and had quite a lot planted in them. Unfortunately the only thing unpalatable to our rodent guests was the celery.

  One of the beds that was moved over the weekend was parked at the end of those two beds. It’s a narrow bed. We’re planting various herbs in that one.
  And there’s a no-dig in the far corner we set up a couple months back. We had some very nice kale going in that one. Apparently a rodent fav. I’m thinking about putting sweet potatoes in there. Now being the time to do that.

  We still have a bit more work to do to the soil in a few of the beds.
  We also have some seed starts going, tho we’re still not completely clear of the rodent issue. Once that’s clear, we’ll plant them.

  Here’s the breakdown of our growing area:
  Section A: 86.5 sf
  Section B: 95 sf
  Section C: 100.5 sf
  Out of view…
  Lettuce bed: 6.5 sf
  Berries: 32 sf
  Banana boxes and containers: 9 sf
  Total planting space: 330 sf
  Fruit trees: Lemon, Apricot, Persimmon, Pineapple Guava, Blood Orange, Fremont Tangerine, Satsuma Tangerine

   

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  ]]> http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/garden-siteing/feed/ 1 http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/planting-by-the-light-of-the-moon/ http://planetveggiegarden.com/posts/garden/planting-by-the-light-of-the-moon/#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:03:01 +0000 Sandy http://planetveggiegarden.com/?p=282 well, not exactly as in literally gardening at midnight.

  I’ve been thinking of the moon lately – especially since it was just one of my favorite Chinese holidays the Autumn Moon Festival. The 15th day of the 8th lunar month – September 14th this year – gives us the most incredible Harvest moon – rising on the horizon big and bright.

  What about planting using the moon phases as a guide? It’s thought that the moon affects plant growth depending on the phase of the moon. The theory is that there are then optimal times to sow seeds, plant particular types of vegetables, fertilize, prune, etc.

  Sound far-fetched? Maybe when it comes to werewolves but not so much when you consider the well-known effect of the moon’s gravitational pull on the ocean tides or the earth’s crust or coral or perhaps your loony cousin…or is it?

  While true that the moon’s gravitational pull effects the ocean tides – the distance of the moon to the earth is not always in sync with the phase of the moon. In other words, the moon can be at it’s closest point (biggest gravitation force) to the earth while being in any phase – full, new or any phase in between. However, since the sun, earth and moon are lined up during the full and new moon phases – together there is a strong pull resulting in higher tides. Ehh, details, details…

  Much research has been done and I suppose one could find studies that both support and refute the practice of gardening based on the phases of the moon. I mean, the Farmer’s Almanac and  Rudolph Steiner both place importance on the practice.

  So, if you’re so inclined this is what you might consider doing during this waning Harvest moon when the gravitational pull is high allowing for more moisture in the soil

  • plant your root veggies: carrots, beets, onions, potatoes, yams, turnips, rutabagas, radishes
  • do your transplanting
  • plant bulbs

  Refer to the Farmer’s Almanac for more specifics. There are specific dates listed for broccoli and kale

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