2013 Plot Layout

Since I've inputted the plot box layout, I also included where things were planted for the 2013 growing seasons.  This will help me implement crop rotation.

Planning for 2014 - a blank slate

I have a bug.  I tried to fight it, but it's there.  It's given me an itch and I have to scratch it.

It's the need to plan for this year's garden. (Truth be told, I tried to write this in the way of the infamous SNL skit regarding "A fevah" but couldn't figure out how to pull it off.)

To start, I was inspired by something that Kathy from Skippy's Vegetable Garden does; she has her garden layouts on Powerpoint. I was going to use AutoCAD, but think that using Powerpoint is probably easier and certainly more attractive.  Thankfully, I'd already plotted out where all my boxes are at the plot on graph paper when planning the layout two years ago so it was simply a matter of inputting the info into the computer.

I was sure to record are the cardinal directions.  Ordinarily, I wouldn't care overmuch about it, however, this year I'm planning on planting the cucumbers to grow in the shade provided by the watermelon trellis.  I've read (and will post details later) that cucumbers won't grow female flowers when temps are consistently over 95 degrees.  My hope is that shade will help avoid the issues of past years.  By orienting the trellis properly (as much as I can, anyway), I hope to maximize the shade I can give the cucumber plants.

Anyway, here's what the "blank" plot currently looks like.  Some boxes are either populated by stuff that's overwintered and some can't readily be moved (like the runner beans).

Once I've finalized a layout for this year, I'll post it separately so I can better track for future years.

A Cold Frame for the Raised Planter Box

I made an elevated planter box back in March 2013 (hard to believe that's almost a year ago!) to go on our front porch.  We planted some spinach back in early October to see if it'd produce anything and while we haven't gotten any spinach out of them, those things are still hanging on even through some pretty nasty cold weather.  An idea came to mind about a month ago to try to make a cold frame cover for the box.

I wasn't sure what to do for a while.  I considered making row cover tubing out of PVC, but didn't like that the elevation would be constrained around the sides of the hoops.  I also had done some reading about creating shade for cooler weather plants to try to grow them in warmer weather. I needed a means of providing that shade even though that box gets filtered sun from a large maple tree next to the house.  In the end, I decided to make a frame out of 2x2's purchased from Community Forklift that is designed to be tall enough to accommodate lettuce greens.  I will, of course, remove the cold frame plastic once the weather warms up.

Because this was my first of two raised planters I made, I made some mistakes. Most notably, I didn't allow enough room in the leg slots for the box-side wood to swell.  That led to the one-by side pieces raising ~1/2" above the top surface of the legs as well as swelling and width-wise creating cracks in the legs.  You can see some of the results of the swelling in the picture above.  I used my circular saw to cut those side pieces flush with the leg tops.

All in all, it was a good Saturday project and will, hopefully, allow us to have a productive spring crop.  I'm anticipating lettuce and radishes.

Shhhhhh! We're sleeping!

It's the quiet time in between growing seasons yet I'm feeling stirrings for spring.  Maybe it's because it's 50 degrees and a little rainy, but it has Wifey and I looking forward to this year.

The seed catalogs have come and we've looked through a number of things to see what we'd like to experiment with.  I'll post a "final" plant list later on, but right now we know we're doing:

• Basil
• The same two kinds of tomatoes
• The same two kinds of peppers (although less of the cayenne)
• Radishes
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• The same two kinds of beans

Speaking of cucumbers, I'm working on a blog post to try to learn (and share) a bit about growing them.  Particularly useful since I've had no success with them to this point.  I think it's because of elevated temperatures after doing some reading.

This year, we're trying to branch out and do some more cool weather crops.  Things like lettuce and greens are on the agenda for this year.  To that end, I'm working on designing and building a frame to go on top of the elevated garden box I built last year for our front porch.  We have spinach that's still managing to survive through the winter.  The idea is for this frame to mount to the top of the box to provide structure for plastic to create a bit of a cold frame and also which can be sturdy enough to support some plywood for shade in the summer.  I'm hoping that by providing some shade for that box, we can grow some cooler weather crops (lettuce, namely) even when it's hotter.

I have a rough idea of what I want to build and even bought some 2x2's from Community Forklift for the project.

Continuing the theme of planning for this year, I'm going to try a computerized layout for the plot.  Kathy, from the Skippy's Vegetable Garden blog, does a PowerPoint layout every year for her plot.  In the last few years, I've just done one on quadrille graph paper but the engineer in me really sees the appeal of having a layout that can be uploaded to this blog that I can look at from numerous locations and changed on the fly.

Learning about crops - Watermelons

I've grown watermelons for two years now.  In the first year (2011), we did the old tried and true method of letting the runners splay out wherever they please.  This past year, however, we trellised the watermelons.  I built an angled trellis out of 2x4's, 2x3's, conduit, and wire fence material.  Watermelon starters were planted at the base of the trellis with the vines trained upward.  I deliberately chose a smaller variety of watermelon that wouldn't put as much strain on the tendrils from the weight of fruit.  Once the fruit became sizable, I made a melon sling out of women's panty hose to help support the weight until it was time to pick.

Companion Plants
Companion plants for watermelons are the marigold (deters beetles), nasturtium (deters bugs and beetles), and oregano (general pest protection).

Growing Watermelons
Melons like nutrient-rich soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5.  General fertilizers work just fine.  They like an air temperature at least 65 degrees, warmer is preferable.  As you'd imagine by the plant name, they need a lot of water.  The plants double in size in the month of July. 

Insect Pests
Cucumber beetles typically prefer cucumbers and muskmelons, but they will occasionally feast on watermelons, too. Insecticidal soap is a safe, effective treatment for most cucumber beetle infestations. If you've endured major cucumber beetle attacks in the past, keep them from getting to your vines with row covers—just be sure to remove the covers when the vines begin to flower so that bees can pollinate them, which is necessary for the plant to set fruit. Spraying young plants with kaolin clay may deter beetles from feeding.

Squash vine borer larvae tunnel into watermelon vines, chewing inner tissue near the base and filling the stem with moist, slimy castings. The attacked vines wilt suddenly and girdled vines rot and die.

From organicgardening.com

Squash vine borers, which are most damaging to winter squash, look like 1-inch-long white caterpillars. They tunnel into stems and can go undetected until a vine wilts. Keep a constant lookout for entry holes at the base of the plants, surrounded by yellow, sawdustlike droppings. Cut a slit along afflicted stems and remove and destroy the larvae inside, or inject the stems with Btk (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki). Hill up soil over the stem wounds to encourage the plant to sprout new roots there.

To prevent borer damage, keep an eye out for the adult borer, a wasplike orange-and-black moth; it lays eggs at the base of the stem in late June or early July in the North, or in April to early summer in the South. During these times, check the base of the stems and just below the surface of the soil regularly for very tiny red-and-orange eggs. Rub the eggs with your finger to destroy them.

How to Tell When a Watermelon is Ripe
Here are a few ways to tell when a watermelon is ripe.

• The little tendril at the point of attachment turns brown and dries up. In some melon types, the tendril dries up a week before the melon is actually ripe.
• Rinds of unripe watermelons have a shiny gloss.  Ripe melons don't have the shine so the rinds have a dull appearance.
• The fruit produces a dull, muffled "thud" sound when thumped, rather than a sharp or metallic one.

Nutritional Information on Watermelons

Watermelons are a "good source" (10-19% of RDA) of Vitamin A.  There are also notable quantities of Lysine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper, Manganese, Vitamin B6, Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid.

Thinking about 2014

It's almost January 2014 so it's getting closer to time to start seeds for planting.  Last year, I started the first batch on February 10th.  I think I'll start them sooner this year.  I also want to expand my gardening into the spring beyond simply sowing snow peas (or sugar snap peas) so I may really need to start soon.

I got my first nudge toward seed starting this year when both the Baker Creek and Southern Exposure seed catalogs arrived a few weeks ago.  I glanced through each of them and, unfortunately, wasn't inspired to try anything new this year.  I imagine something will pique my interest, though.

I ordered too many tomato and pepper seeds last year so I plan to grow the same varieties of those this year.  I'll plant fewer cayenne peppers and more bell peppers, though.

Fixing the gate, a December harvest

I made a quick trip to the plot today.  The gate needed to be repaired.  When we got the plot, the gate was donated to us.  Unfortunately, whomever made it didn't anticipate the nails they used coming out over time as the gate swung and flexed.  No pictures, but I made a temporary fix (deck screws to the rescue!) to last until the spring.  I'll likely build a whole new gate in the spring, anyway.

While I was there, I wandered inside to see if much had changed since our last trip out.  It was nice to see that some of the garlic has come up through the leaf bed covering I put down.  I also saw some rye grass coming up here and there.

I also took a look at the daikon to see if any was finally large enough to harvest.  Sure enough, there was!  I pulled somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of the total in the box.  As I started removing the tops to put into the compost bin, it occurred to me that the greenery might be of use, too.  I reasoned that since some people eat radish greens, since daikon is a type of radish, their greens should be edible, too.  As a result, I kept the greenery that wasn't rotting or looking too frost burnt.

I ended up making some soup today using one of the daikons and two or three of the tops.  It turned out well.

Not including the one that I had for lunch, the daikons (minus tops) weighed 16.2 oz.