Garden coaching – watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden!

25 Apr 2010 2 Comments

Broccoli has gone to flower

 

Oh, boy.   Mandie missed the boat on the broccoli.   It bolted to flower. – a definite problem with the heat of Florida.   Broccoli prefers cooler weather — cooler soil, actually – and does not do well in extended warm temperatures.   When it starts to flower, you don’t want to eat it.  It’s basically bitter and tough.  Eck.

The same thing happened to my spinach.  It was moving along quite well until we had a week of warm weather in early April and then — BAM – shoots sprung straight up from the center.  The leaves changed shape and I had to remove the plants from the garden and place them in the compost pile.  At least they’re contributing to future growth if not my dinner plate.

But I guess that’s what they mean when they say “there’s a season for everything.”  You eat strawberries in the spring and spinach in the winter — in Florida.  Some crops like potatoes and onions, etc. can be grown spring and fall, but others like broccoli and spinach simply can’t hack the heat.  Not that I blame them.  Summer is vacation time in my book – vacation time away from the heat! 

But there is good news.  (No, she didn’t get her dirt, yet.)  The carrots are filling in nicely and the tomatoes are growing bushier by the day.  They need trimming and pinching, respectively, but both are doing quite well.

Remember:  when your carrots get to this stage, you want to “trim” them to thin them out.  Basically, the goal is to cut down on overcrowding, allowing each sprout the room to fill out mature into a nice sized carrot. 

If you don’t thin them, your carrots won’t have room to grow and you’ll end up with a bunch of tiny carrots.  Cute, maybe, but not great for eating.

Meanwhile, you should be pinching those tomatoes.  Any shoots that form between the main stems should be ”pinched” off so that nutrients can be directed toward the larger stems. 

An overgrown tomato plant may look full and lush, but I’ve found the tomatoes tend to be weaker and more susceptible to disease than when they have strong branches and good air flow.

The healthier your plants, the less likely they are to fall prey to nature’s pests!   It’s one of the hallmarks of organic gardening.   Keep them healthy and strong and you’ll have less need for pesticides.   

In my garden, I noticed a sweet little ladybug had come to feed.  Perfect.   She’s welcome anytime.   Along with her friend the dragonfly.   Both are “natural pesticides” in the garden.   So are spiders, but I find myself stepping on those bad boys.   A habit I’m working to break!

So keep up the good work, Mandie!   Things are looking good!

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , , , ,

13 Apr 2010 No Comments

Mandie’s in a bind and on a roll!

Okay.   Things are good, sort of.  Still no dirt and the weeds are sprouting.  Maybe not sprouting, more like shooting for the stars.  I mean, look at these things!  They’re taking over!  Aaaaaaaagh!

Of course they are.   They’re weeds.   That’s what they do.  But have no fear.  Mandie assures me she’s on dirt patrol.  It will be delivered any day now…

Well, I’m not holding my breath on that one but I am looking toward the positive – the other box!   Good news — these babies are growing with awesome results. 

The lettuce is fanning open, begging to be plucked for a beautiful salad, the tomatoes are blossoming, the broccoli is blooming and the potatoes are growing larger, safe and sound, tucked away in their underground incubator after being properly hilled. 

Carrots are sparse.   More fertilizer, more water and they’ll be fine.  Just give them some time.

Conch peas?  They’ve been touch and go and Mandie is concerned for their welfare, certain they won’t make it. 

Me, I think they’ll pull through, so long as she keeps an eye on the aphids.  Ladybugs, anyone?  They’re one cure, but so are insecticidal soap and finger smudging.  Either way, keep up the maintenance, Mandie!  Once they gain a little more stature and strength they’ll be fine.

More good news?  No Chihuahua tracks in the dirt.  Very good.  They can be lethal to the delicate greens struggling through the sprout stage, not to mention pure terror for those meant for human consumption!  Who wants to eat salad stepped on my the pup who’s been who knows where…???

Not me and if Mandie knows what’s good for her — not her, either.   But she assures me it won’t be a problem.  The boy is on a leash when outdoors.  Hmmm.  I have kids and I have a dog.  I know how habits slip and slide until the next thing you know, the dog is sitting smack square in the middle of the kitchen floor which is off-limits to him!  (But he’s so cute, Mom.  How can you be mad?)

Hmph.  As one who has lost this battle, time will tell if she proves any tougher.   Good luck with that girlfriend!  Where no dog seems to have made tracks, one of the boys apparently has.  Left this Easter bunny plant creation next to the lettuce (in case he gets hungry, I presume). 

They’re so smart and creative at this age, aren’t they?  And green.  Chalk up one more for Mama’s column!

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , , , , ,

30 Mar 2010 No Comments

Time for Action

Here we see our first casualty of a busy woman’s schedule.  No dirt.  But don’t dismay – with the kids out of school this week, she’ll be filling this baby in no time!

Okay.  Empty planter aside, everything is blooming, sprouts are bursting and the bugs are feasting.   

Not good.    No insecticidal soap at the hardware store and as a dedicated localavore on both food and material levels, Mandie doesn’t want to hit the big warehouse stores, but at this point — she may have to if she’s going to save her peas!  

Either that, or coax some ladybugs into her garden.   These little beasts are doing her babies NO favors.   This conch pea sprout is too young to tolerate this kind of devastation.  Once mature, I wouldn’t worry too much.  A few aphids can be wiped off the leaves and stem with ease — a very organic system of bug removal! — but not from this delicate creature. 

Number two on the action list are the potatoes.   Aren’t they grand?   Growing beautifully full and robust, they now need “hilling.”  

Hilling is the process by which you mound dirt around the plant as it grows, fostering healthy and continued production.   Once they reach about 12 inches, hill the soil around them so that only a few inches of the plant remains above the soil.   

This growth habit is the reason they do well in “box production” for the smaller square foot gardens.   (I believe Yukon Golds, however, set fruit only once and are not conducive to this method of growing.)

Number three.   The tomatoes look much better but need some pinching.  

This tiny sprout  (more commonly known as a sucker) growing at the base of the two larger stems must be ”pinched” off, directing nutrients to the main stem of the plant.   Once the entire plant reaches the top of its support apparatus, Mandie will need to prune it back even further, ensuring all the plant’s energy goes toward the developing fruits.   

But we have time for that discussion, later.   Right now, she’s got to get snipping!

P.S.  Mandie has added a new member to the family.   A friendly Chihuahua in need of a good home has found one.   (Did I mention she’s not only an earth lover, but an animal lover, too?) 

Running the edge of insanity, she’s fired up and ready to take on the challenge.  Atta girl!   Just don’t let him near the garden.  

Dogs are cute, but not when trampling through the garden.  Soft dirt, delicate sprouts, weeks of backache — bad, bad, BAD combination!

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , ,

24 Mar 2010 2 Comments

Panic

“Hey,” came the insistent voice over the phone line.   “We’ve got bugs.”

Recognizing her voice and the panic within I replied, “What kind of bugs?” 

This is, after all, is my job.   Mandie has a problem in the garden, it’s my job to respond.   Remember:  Master is a term to which I want to become accustomed.   (Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?  Besides, no one else is calling me master.  Might as well be the master of the garden, right?)

“It’s a black bug with six white legs.”

“Number one, you’re too close to the thing.   Step away from the bug.”   I mean, really.   Who can see eight tiny legs well enough to know they’re white, if you’re not nose deep in the beast?   When I looked, they didn’t look that bad to me.

What is it?” she persisted.   “It’s destroying my conch peas.”  

“It’s a bug.   Doesn’t matter what kind.”   Logic; from one who doesn’t deal in species specific pest invasion.   “Use your insecticidal soap.”

She muttered intelligibly.

“You got the insecticidal soap I told you about, right?”

“Gary,” she turned from the mouthpiece.   “Did you buy the insecticidal soap?”

A blither of replies goes back and forth before it becomes apparent he did not.   “Okay,” she said back to me.   “We’ll get the soap.   But what do I do in the meantime?   The bugs are devouring my peas!”

“Use the soap,” I replied calmly.   “If the bugs persist, you may want to spray them again and then cover your peas with cheese cloth.   Do you know what that is?”

“Cheese cloth?   Sure.   I have some.”

“Okay, watch for bugs.   If it looks like you have a major infestation, spray again and cover your peas – over your trellis cage – with cheese cloth.”   Common screen material will do.   Anything with very small openings to prevent the bugs from flying through, yet still allowing sunlight to permeate.

Next crisis.   “And I wanted to mention, your tomatoes look weak.   Have you been fertilizing them?”

“Sure, but it’s the cold.”

“True, the cold will stress them.   Did you get the fish emulsion?”

A flurry of doubt flitted through her tone as she replied, “Yeah, we fertilized them.   You think they need more?”

“Yes.   And water.”   Now that our steady rain had ceased, I wanted to be sure she was doing the job.   “Have you been watering?”

“Oh, yes.   Gary’s been watering.”   She called out over her shoulder again, “Right, babe?   You’ve been watering the plants?”

Apparently playing with the boys in the background, all of them boisterous and romping about, he replied, “Watering?   Yes.   I watered the plants.”

“Deeply?” I interjected.   They’d rather be watered deeply every other day than a light splatter with the hose each and every day.

Mandie repeated my concern, to which Gary seemed hesitant.   Frustration welled.   “Babe, you have to water them deeply, every other day.” 

Boy, she sounded like an expert.   Atta girl!

“And we have ants,” she informed me.   “What do we do about the ants?”

Panic again.   “No problem.   Go to your local hardware and look for the garden safe ant killer.   It’s a white powder you sprinkle around the trouble spots.”

“Is that the diatomaceous earth?”

Kudos, again.   “Well, yes, that is a garden safe material, I don’t know if it’s the same material as I didn’t check the label ingredients.   I have used diatomaceous earth before, but I don’t think my results was that great.”

“Okay.”   Relieved, she sounded ready to tackle any obstacle coming her way.

Good, I thought privately.   Because there will be more to come.   But in the meantime, let’s celebrate our progress.   I mean, c’mon.  Look at these gorgeous potatoes! 

 

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , ,

15 Mar 2010 No Comments

Progress

Number two!   (Way to hide the eyesore — ten points for design brilliance!)

Gary and Mandie have built box number two, a BIG accomplishment.   And once the dirt is delivered, they will be in big business – the melon kind.   And if you know anything about melons, you KNOW they need space and lots of it.   But if you’re short on space, what do you do?

You improvise.   You get creative.  You think outside the box! 

In Mandie’s case, we plan to grow the plant in the box while allowing the melon to grow outside of the box.   Crazy?

Crazy  ingenuity!   Besides, with her limited space, it’s the only way it will work.   These fruits need room to stretch out and with a suggested row spacing of nearly five feet — which she doesn’t have — there’d be no watermelon for the boys this summer. 

Frown.  Who’s willing to deliver that bad news? 

Not me.  Not Mandie.  And need I remind you who built the planter box?   There’ll be no bad news in this back yard, no sir!

But in the meantime, we see the potatoes are coming along nicely.

As well as the lovely conch peas in their trellis ”cage.”

Not the MOST exciting time in the garden with progress confined to sprouts and growth spurts and building boxes in preparation for more exciting times, but look on the bright side — not enough time has passed for the weed invasion, right? 

Remember:  there’s always a bright side.

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , ,

08 Mar 2010 2 Comments

We have sprouts!!!

It’s working!  Yahoo!  And what a thrill.

Discovering your first sprouts is a great day – especially for the boys. 

“Look mom!  There’s a potato!  And there’s another one! “

Wow.  They really are growing.  While it was exciting last week with the addition of transplants, the added greenery a major boost to morale during the throes of winter (oh, waah – as if Floridians actually knew anything about winter) but now we have proof positive Mandie has a green thumb!

Could be a simple example of Mother Nature doing her thing, but I’m willing to go with the green thumb imagery. 

Not only the potatoes are rearing up, but the carrots are sprouting and so are the conch peas!  Cute little things, they look more like “bird” peas, don’t they?

Either way, we’ve got action – and lots of it.  Why, look at these sprouts – they’re everywhere!   These baby carrots may seem more like baby hair, but they are THRILLING nonetheless.   Like having your first baby.   Sure, it’s red and screaming and covered in awful slime but to you, it’s the most beautiful creature in the world.

You see it now, don’t you?  Yes.  I see your smile.  You see it, too.

But of course, as the earth spins, with every upward tick comes a downward tick.   We have daylight, we have night.  

Yes, you guessed it.   Blemishes.   Bugs.   While admiring all the new sproutlings, eagle eye Mandie spotted a tiny black bug.  Her eyes are better than mine.  

Argh!  Infestation.  Panic.   She turned to me, whom she has affectionately dubbed master, and asked, “What do we do now, Master?”

I smiled.  (Not only because I like being called master, but because this is where the reality of organic gardening hits.)  You get him. 

She balked.  “What do you mean?” 

“I mean, you grab him, get him, pinch him – whatever you need to do to remove the dastardly invader from your garden — without using any awful pesticides.”

She promptly obliged.  

You have to hand it to her, the girl’s a quick study! 

I then mentioned the use of insecticidal soap, an environmentally friendly spray for her plants, touting it was a somewhat easier method of beast removal.   She whipped her head around to her husband.  “Gary, while you’re at the store, grab some of this stuff, will ya?”

Wonderful husband that he is, he agreed without protest.  (Boy, do I love husbands.  They really do make gardening easier.)

After a final inspection, we decided everything was good, perfect, save for the tomatoes.  These pups proved a bit peaked after the close call with the mercury last week, but I think they’ll make it.  Fish emulsion will do wonders for them, along with a well planned fertilizer program.

 

Mandie paled.   Fish emulsion.   “I forgot to pick up the fish emulsion!”  (You remember, this is the busy gal — a lot on her plate?  We weren’t kidding!)   “Gary, will you grab some fish emulsion why you’re out?”

He smiled.   “Sure.”   Then to me, asked, “Can you buy that at the hardware store?”

Probably.   If not, the seed and feed will have it.   Fish emulsion is a wonderful organic fertilizer.   While it won’t address all the needs of your garden, it does provide a solid foundation.

Satisfied all was in hand, he nodded.  “No problem.”

I like a calm, cool and collected guy.   Tends to mellow out my more hyper-tendencies.   Uh, make that energetic.   I’m energetic, not hyper.   I have focus.   Determination.   Why, just this weekend I relocated a rose garden to make way for my new herb garden, and planted a blueberry patch to boot! 

It is blueberry patch, right?   I asked my daughter and she assured me it was patch, not orchard.   But then again, she’s barely ten.   Help?

More on that tomorrow.  Until then, rejoice in Mandie’s success!

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , , , ,

01 Mar 2010 No Comments

So far so good

Mandie survived her first week!  Okay, not a major feat at this point but it is encouraging.  Cold temps, good rain, it’s been easy.  See?  I told you there was nothing to it.  Literally. 

Though she did install this nice trellis.  When her conch peas shoot from the ground, they’re going to need something to grab  a hold of and this is an easy, portable and reusable way to go.

Unfortunately, there’s not much excitement in an empty garden box.  But it’s only the first week.  Most plants don’t sprout until at 7 – 10 days.  So what do you do for a little pick me up thrill? 

Buy sprouts!  Mandie picked up a few tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce and transplanted them this weekend.  If nothing else, it does wonders for the overall appeal.  Now, when she looks out her back window, there’s life out there!

Watering them in, she will maintain moisture by checking her soil with a dip of her finger.  For a busy woman like her, she needs to make her time count.  Watering deeply once a week as opposed to a spray every day will satisfy her plants needs and accommodate her schedule. 

Then there’s the cold.  We’re forecast for another spell of near freezing temps which is enough to send shivers of fear right up the stems of her tomatoes.  Broccoli likes it cold and with most of her other kids still beneath the surface — and protected — she’ll only have to concern herself with the few  in danger above ground and cover them the night before. 

Covering your plants is simple.  Using frost blankets made specifically for the garden or creating your own plant “castle” of your own, the goal is to keep them insulated from the cold, keep the frost off the plant.  Otherwise, you’ll be headed back to the seed and feed, pronto.  The peppers she bought will hold.  These boys like it warm and won’t do well in these conditions.

Last freeze I lost a bundle of potatoes due to the persistent cold temps.  My efforts worked for a few days, but hours spent near twenty degrees killed my gals, but good.   However, didn’t your mother teach you there is always a silver lining?  

She was RIGHT!  Tilling the same bed this weekend to prepare for a new crop of onions, I discovered potato babies in the soil!  Combined with the carrots I pulled it makes for great motivation.  Nothing like giving her a taste of things to come to keep her working, right?  And while nothing is growing wild and crazy today, she knows this is what she has to look forward.  Fresh from the garden produce!

Stay tuned!

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , , , ,

22 Feb 2010 No Comments

Organic gardening made easy.

 

Meet Mandie.   Here’s a gal who wants to garden, but never thought she had the time.   (She’s right!)   Married with two young boys and a full-time career, time is the last thing on her plate.  (Not to mention sanity)   Ah…but what she lacks in agenda, she makes up for with attitude.   This woman has DECIDED she is going to have a garden.  Organic, of course.   A project in which I enthusiastically signed on to help.   Spread the joy, right?

Absolutely.   And you can, too!

Your head drops, you kick at the dirt.   You glance sideways.   While you appreciate our enthusiasm and fabulous outlook, you really do, it’s just not in the cards for you.   Your schedule is jammed packed.   Add the commitments you’ve made outside work and home and there simply isn’t the time to devote to a garden.   Mandie’s image pops into your mind.   Ability, you correct.   You’re simply unable to start a garden for reasons…  For reasons…

Well, yes, I get the picture.  It’s hard.  I understand.  It takes more than time, more than desire.  I mean, positive attitude exudes from your pores, I can see that.  I know that if you could, you’d start a garden today—yesterday–this very minute! 

But you can’t.   There’s just no way. 

Maybe next year.   Season.   Maybe next season.   Check back with you in fall?   Yes.   Fall.   Absolutely.   You stand a little taller.   You bet.   Come fall, you’ll be ready to go!

I smile.   Yes.   I’ll check back with you in fall.   But for the rest of you neophytes who haven’t the good sense to know any better, grab your hat and pack your bag – we’re going gardening!    Together — by tracking Mandie’s process on a weekly basis via her post link. 

Now, to begin, we need to set the right mood.   Music.  Of course!   What a great way to start your afternoon outdoors.  Mandie thought Jimmy Buffet would be nice (though his penchant for gardening is highly speculative), I mean, from what I can tell, the man is no landlubber – BUT – he does epitomize a laid back mindset and hankering for a good time – both of which we’re after in this new adventure of ours.  Remember:  your garden should be a place you want to spend time, because daily visits will be essential to your success. 

Next up – site selection.  Full sun is vital as well as a reliable water source – two things in which Mandie excels!  With no trees to speak of in her “compact” yard space, sun is not a problem.  She can put her garden anywhere – save for the area claimed by the boy’s playground set.  And swing bench.  And bicycle, toys…a couple of shrubs.  Well, you get the picture.  Creativity using space is a must.  As to water, she and her clever husband have devised a homemade cistern.  Did I tell you, this girl is green – from the inside out?  She means to waste nothing in this endeavor of hers and I applaud the ingenuity.  In fact, I’ve suggested as much to my husband.  Quite the industrious sort, I imagine he will construct a cistern with a garden sprinkler system attached!  He is amazing…

Perfect.  Then, solving two problems at once, Mandie chose the back corner of her lot where old abandoned cement blocks proved a horrible eyesore.  Meet Gary.  Undaunted by the challenge, her husband went to task and built her a planter box.  Now, not only do they have a beautiful garden “section,” they’ve eliminated a huge “blemish!”  Aren’t husbands wonderful?

Time for the dirt.  Let’s say your yard isn’t naturally graced with luscious, black organic soil.  Okay.  We can deal with it.  By contacting a local supplier, Mandie was able to fill her 15 ft by 5 ft space (1 ft deep) with good composted dirt for about $80.  Mind you, this is a one time investment.  Once her personal compost pile gets going, she’ll have her own compost to use for the fall planting season!  And there will be a fall planting season.  (If she misses the compost mark, again, no problem.  Using crop rotation, her dirt will be primed and ready for next season!)

On to seeds.  Purchase them from your handy-dandy trustworthy and knowledgeable local seed and feed — “flavor specific” to your taste buds — and then you’re ready for action!  Mandie is planting potatoes, broccoli, carrots, conch peas, tomatoes, peppers and lettuce. 

This is BIG fun, so if you have kids, holler for them now cause they’re gonna love this part – until the novelty wears off, anyway.  Older kids might appreciate the endeavor more, if the delivery is fine tuned.  Parents:  get crafty.

As to design, consult your local expert (in this case, that’s me!) or your Vegetable Gardener’s Bible (the source for my expertise – in addition to that age old instructor called experience).  You’ll learn plants have preferences of their own and if you place them next to their friends, they’ll serve you with splendor.  If not, you’ll likely miss your fall planting season, uninterested in trying after your lackadaisical results from spring. 

Trust me on this one.  It’s like a marriage.  What you put in, you get back, tenfold.

Okay kids, it’s time to get dirty!  Space your seeds accordingly, dig your holes, mark their spots (helps to remember where to water) and wait for first sign of sprouts!  I use an excel program on my computer to mark what and where I planted, but a garden journal works just as well and is “pretty” to boot.  Mulch will help conserve moisture, if it’s a pressing issue for you.  I prefer hay, but you can use straw, paper liners, etc.

Then, water in your seeds and there you have it!  Heart pound. Gasp.  Mouth agape in disbelief.  It’s the beginning of YOUR OWN GARDEN!  The one you thought impossible, but will be amazed by easy it is to manage!  Yes!

With daily visits to check soil moisture, bug invasions, fertilizer insufficiencies, etc., your very own produce will begin to hit the table in two months time.   Whoa.  How awesome is that?

It’s totally awesome and totally organic.  You’ll not only eat healthier, you’ll know exactly what went into your food — and your family’s.  Like watching your children grow, you’ll be excited by each and every change in your garden as you watch its progress, amazed this beautiful bounty is the result of YOUR hand!  And Mother Nature’s.  (Don’t insult this woman.  You do not want to be on her bad side.)

Exciting isn’t it?  How about joining us?  Track Mandie’s progress, ask questions, offer suggestions and next thing you know, you’ll have friends signing on for a community wide effort!  You grow that, I’ll grow this, so and so will grow those… 

Why, the possibilities are endless.  C’mon.  Share the joy and begin your adventure today! 

(This weekend will do.)

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , , , ,

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