Planting, Planting...

I haven't been very on top of the blogging lately. I've been a bit busy planting. So this post is going to be a lot of catching up.

Nearly three weeks ago I set out lettuce, celery, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. About a week and a half after that I planted out some of the tomatoes and all of the ground cherries. In case you aren't savvy to ground cherries they are a type of tomatillo that supposedly has a citrus or pineapple taste (depends who you ask or maybe on cultivar, not sure). Anyhow they are suppose to be great for fresh eating and pies so I figured I would give them a shot. The variety I planted is called Aunt Mollie's. At some point during all this I seeded a second planting of carrots, spinach, and lettuce.

The more present activity started with beans and sweet corn going out last week. For beans I planted “Provider” which is a old standby heavy producing bush bean. I also planted “Dragon Langerie” which is a bush type that makes flat long romano type purple streaked pods that are supposed to be great cooked or eaten fresh. The variety of corn is “True Gold”. I didn’t pick the corn for any particular reason other than that it is an open pollinated variety so I could potentially save seed from it if I wanted to.

This past Monday I planted cucumbers, melons, and asparagus. The cucumbers are planted north of the celery and I will fence them to provide the celery some shade. The variety is a heavy reliable producer called “Marketmore 76”. The melons include watermelon “Sugar Baby”, Cantaloupe “Hearts of Gold”, and Honey Dew “Green Flesh”. The asparagus is “Mary Washington” which is the old standard. I started it from seed back in February. From a pack of 100 seeds I wound up with 110 seedlings. I am thinking I need more asparagus though for market and I have been eye balling a French heirloom variety called “Precoce d'Argenteuil ”. It is a purple variety that is often blanched white. It has a few advantages in that it will produce a harvestable crop the second year from seed and it comes on earlier than most varieties.

On Tuesday I planted the “Evergreen Hardy Bunching” onions that I started from seed back in January. They are supposed to multiple, never make a bulb, and be perennial. It should be a never ending supply of green onions considering I planted around 200. I also tilled a spot in the lower swampy area where the natural spring originates. I tilled it for my cranberry plants that are supposed to be in the mail on April 26th.

Finally today I planted the last of the tomatoes, all the peppers, more carrots, and more beets. The varieties of peppers include “California Wonder”, “King of the North”, some saved seeds from an unknown huge bell type, “Orange Sun” and “Shishito”. All are standard bell types except “Orange Sun” which is a orange bell and “Shishito” which is a small slightly spicy bell that is popular in Japan.

So there it is in all its really lengthy glory. I am sure I have left things out but that is most of whats going on. The market starts May 8th for me so maybe between now and then I can get a few more posts up while I still kind of have the time.

Only 10 Days Later...an update on the terrarium

It didn't take long for the tiny seeds to emerge from the damp soil...only 10 days. The planting took place on November 19th (see blog posting "A Moment of Sunlight") and so far this project has been completely maintenance free requiring no additional watering (notice the condensation on the walls of the clear container). The reused pretzel container has proven to be quite cozy for this variety of plant life and surprisingly the elderly seed has seemed to flourish in the enclosed habitat.

Although the mixed flower seed was more of a convenience (the only seed readily available on hand) and not the ideal, I can hardly wait for the fantastic blooms to add a touch of color to our kitchen during the white of winter! It is always so exciting to watch in anticipation the growth of the gardens in the spring, now the rewards have been brought indoors.
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A Moment of Sunlight

After several (nearly 5) days of rain the sunshine finally broke though the clouds just long enough for us to get outside and soak-up a little dose of vitamin D. So after school my daughter and I decided to take this brief opportunity to create an enclosed terrarium. A terrarium is a self-contained and controlled atmosphere that is created within an enclosed glass or plastic container filled with small plant life. The idea is that once the plants become established they will nearly become self-sufficient (some lasting without watering for months) and create a climate and watering cycle of their own.

During a visit this past weekend with my grandmother, Momadee, we had been given a giant plastic container which she suspected would serve some kind of purpose (she is also the source of the solar blanket used in the tiny-greenhouses). Over the years we have learned to take anything she passes our way, she is perhaps the most resourceful person I have ever known and despite the collection of items sitting in our garage for months even years, we always find a good use! So upon her suggestion, we put the old pretzel container to use and converted it into a terrarium.

Being that this endeavor was quite spontaneous and last minute we used what little resources were readily available, some recycled potting soil and a very old packet of mixed seed. If the project were a little more thought out I would have put some sand or gravel in the bottom for drainage. In addition, I have a feeling that if the seed even survives (it must be 2-3 years old) the flowers will quickly burst towards the top, begging to escape. Ideally, I would have preferred to plant some herbs or smaller greenery.

We shall soon see how this little experiment turns out, but until then... what a great project for a perfect afternoon, in a moment of sunlight!

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Finally Planted The Garlic

It has been raining nonstop here in Illinois for the past few weeks. I managed to get an additional garden tilled under before it all came but never got a chance to get in my garlic which arrived about two weeks ago.

Finally this past weekend I got it out. I planted five pounds of Music garlic and I can't wait to harvest it. According to the information sent by my supplier I can expect ten pounds for every pound planted. That is quite a return.

I have been desperately trying to write an eHow article on planting garlic but e-how is having all kinds of issues. For now here are some pictures I will be using for the how to.

Update 10/22/09:  My eHow article on planting garlic is up. You can find it here: How to Plant Garlic.