I had no idea I abandoned my blog for nearly 2 months! I typically have a lot of irons in the fire, and they caught up to me I guess!
Things are in full swing...I have peas in the ground, er, container, as well as scallions, onions for the fall, and the garlic. I have a strawberry ripening and I hope I get it before the pigeons do. My mints and herbs are now outdoor 24/7. I need to split the mints up actually since they are a year old now.
Lots of seedlings:
Rutgers tomato
Jersey Giant tomato
Sungold cherry tomato
Sweet 100 cherry tomato
The Lemondrop cherry tomatoes refused to sprout :(
I have sweet bell peppers, Chinese 5 color hot peppers, cucumbers, beets, head lettuce and mesculun, and the zuchinni are sprouting. I think my watermelons are as well. I'm set to start my last major plants this week. The other goal for this week are to get the cukes hardened off and into their permanent planter.
It finally began to behave like spring here in the past week (though today is cold and damp, but the spring flowers are all out now, and the grass is green so it LOOKS like spring) and this has considerably lightened my mood. I've been moving my planters about on the roof to get them into their final configuration. I am eager to put up my tiki lights and get my roof looking like a sanctuary. I think I want to get some lantern type things to put into the big planters and have a cookout as soon as it warms up.
The local farmers markets are not quite ready to open up yet, an I am starting to compile my list of the local ones. I think I have a little more legwork to do this year since a lot of the information on LocalHarvest.org is out of date. Hopefully I'll get to this in the next week and I'll post my findings here.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
And its started
Today I finally flipped out a load of compost--I set up my last tomato box (not counting the ones I have to, um, build) and some plant is going to be VERY happy in that box.
I took some photos of my garlic, so later I'll post those.
Today I started lettuce...head lettuces and cutting mix. Bell peppers, cucmbers, and tomatoes. Three are cherries: sweet 100 (red) lemondrop (yellow) and sungold (orange) The sungold took over the earth last summer. I also started 2 large varieties...Rutgers and Jersey Giant. The latter is a good paste tomato and was picked because I plan on making my own sauce this year. I also use a lot of canned diced tomatoes, and I am am going to try and put some of my own up (probably frozen) I picked the two large varieties from Baker Creek as they were both developed here in Jersey...it seemed appropriate.
I also started some barley and cat grass for my kitty, and moved some of the overwintered plants to my bedroom, where it is easy to pop them outside when its nice out.
Now to stand back and wait...
I took some photos of my garlic, so later I'll post those.
Today I started lettuce...head lettuces and cutting mix. Bell peppers, cucmbers, and tomatoes. Three are cherries: sweet 100 (red) lemondrop (yellow) and sungold (orange) The sungold took over the earth last summer. I also started 2 large varieties...Rutgers and Jersey Giant. The latter is a good paste tomato and was picked because I plan on making my own sauce this year. I also use a lot of canned diced tomatoes, and I am am going to try and put some of my own up (probably frozen) I picked the two large varieties from Baker Creek as they were both developed here in Jersey...it seemed appropriate.
I also started some barley and cat grass for my kitty, and moved some of the overwintered plants to my bedroom, where it is easy to pop them outside when its nice out.
Now to stand back and wait...
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Spring?
The Plan Tomorrow is to start seeds:
Lettuces
Tomatoes (5 varieties!)
Peppers
Peas
I have good news in the overwintered portion of my garden....I can count 8 sets of garlic greens poking out of the two boxes. I am pretty sure I only planted 8, so if I get all of them that will be awesome.
I have been fighting aphids with my mints all winter. I think we're stalemated at the moment--I've been spritzing these little buggers with soap spray, but I can't say the results are great. What I did 2 weeks ago was really cut back my chocolate and pepper mints since these were the worse affected--they both had new growth in the pots, so I figured they would come back OK. As I did this, I found there was a second plant growing in the peppermint pot...and it looked an AWFUL lot like my late lamented Kentucky Colonel Mint (which makes a screaming awesome mojito) I picked a leaf and crumpled it...and its Kentucky Colonel Mint. Hooray. I was wondering if I'd need to order another one, but apparently not--this looks very healthy and will just want its own pot in the spring.
My strawberry plant has been chugging along aphid free all winter. This morning it has a FLOWER onit and it is trying to grow a berry. It seems to be spring in my sunroom at least.
Lettuces
Tomatoes (5 varieties!)
Peppers
Peas
I have good news in the overwintered portion of my garden....I can count 8 sets of garlic greens poking out of the two boxes. I am pretty sure I only planted 8, so if I get all of them that will be awesome.
I have been fighting aphids with my mints all winter. I think we're stalemated at the moment--I've been spritzing these little buggers with soap spray, but I can't say the results are great. What I did 2 weeks ago was really cut back my chocolate and pepper mints since these were the worse affected--they both had new growth in the pots, so I figured they would come back OK. As I did this, I found there was a second plant growing in the peppermint pot...and it looked an AWFUL lot like my late lamented Kentucky Colonel Mint (which makes a screaming awesome mojito) I picked a leaf and crumpled it...and its Kentucky Colonel Mint. Hooray. I was wondering if I'd need to order another one, but apparently not--this looks very healthy and will just want its own pot in the spring.
My strawberry plant has been chugging along aphid free all winter. This morning it has a FLOWER onit and it is trying to grow a berry. It seems to be spring in my sunroom at least.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Nearly time!
Its been so cold and dreary, and I've been away...but this weekend the fun starts!
I'm starting seeds this weekend...baby tomatoes and peppers, watermelons, squashes, a few other things. I made a schedule weeks ago, I just need to go flip through it.
Still need to build boxes,and I need to start researching when my farmer's markets open for the year...
I'm starting seeds this weekend...baby tomatoes and peppers, watermelons, squashes, a few other things. I made a schedule weeks ago, I just need to go flip through it.
Still need to build boxes,and I need to start researching when my farmer's markets open for the year...
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Winter's here!
Well, there has just not been much to comment on lately--its all just waiting for things to start. I see I have picked up a few more subscribers and I seem to be getting a lot of hits lately, so I thought I needed to find something to write about.
I plan on starting seeds in about 3 weeks, so there will be something to fuss about soon. And I need to build some more planters. The indoor plants are all OK and waiting for warm days. The days are getting longer too....
Today, I got out of the shower late in the afternoon and noticed the light outside was odd--I thought fog had come in (HOW?) but really it was snow and blowing winds turning everything misty and weird. Its the first blip of snow here this year. I have not peeped in on my garlic lately since its been kinda warm and I felt it was probably fine. I did not go out and flip up the leaves today either because when I looked out the window I could see long green spears poking up from the garlic boxes.
SQUEE!
Here is hoping that the real snow comes and covers and insulates and I don't lose that garlic to a hard freeze without any cover!
I plan on starting seeds in about 3 weeks, so there will be something to fuss about soon. And I need to build some more planters. The indoor plants are all OK and waiting for warm days. The days are getting longer too....
Today, I got out of the shower late in the afternoon and noticed the light outside was odd--I thought fog had come in (HOW?) but really it was snow and blowing winds turning everything misty and weird. Its the first blip of snow here this year. I have not peeped in on my garlic lately since its been kinda warm and I felt it was probably fine. I did not go out and flip up the leaves today either because when I looked out the window I could see long green spears poking up from the garlic boxes.
SQUEE!
Here is hoping that the real snow comes and covers and insulates and I don't lose that garlic to a hard freeze without any cover!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
WHEE!
I got my Baker Creek order yesterday! I'm excited to get started for the season, but I have a month or so to go before I can realistically start planting. But now I have nearly all the crops I want to grow! Everything else I want will be plants and they won't be showing up until May (hot peppers and eggplants)
My overwintered plants are generally doing OK. Aphids are doing a number on my mints though. My mojito mint is dead, and I fear the anise, chocolate and spearmint are suffering. I am unsure on the status of the pineapple mint. The cat nip is the only thing thriving right now. It is FULL of new leaves. If these all die, I will probably order more, but I might order more than one of each type this time. My mint last year got bugs and died too...I wonder what the heck is going on with aphids in my house. They don't become an issue (or even apparent) until the plants come inside.)
Finally, Project Garlic is doing ok! I still have shoots that look alive, and it seems nothing has frozen solid out on the roof. I've been fortunate with the weather--no snow to speak of and its only flirted with below freezing temps, really. We could still get a few weeks of nasty weather, but so far I am optimistic. Only 8 more weeks of winter, and so far so good!
My overwintered plants are generally doing OK. Aphids are doing a number on my mints though. My mojito mint is dead, and I fear the anise, chocolate and spearmint are suffering. I am unsure on the status of the pineapple mint. The cat nip is the only thing thriving right now. It is FULL of new leaves. If these all die, I will probably order more, but I might order more than one of each type this time. My mint last year got bugs and died too...I wonder what the heck is going on with aphids in my house. They don't become an issue (or even apparent) until the plants come inside.)
Finally, Project Garlic is doing ok! I still have shoots that look alive, and it seems nothing has frozen solid out on the roof. I've been fortunate with the weather--no snow to speak of and its only flirted with below freezing temps, really. We could still get a few weeks of nasty weather, but so far I am optimistic. Only 8 more weeks of winter, and so far so good!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
My Local Story
As I mentioned the other day, I think I am finally crystallizing my thoughts on the Eat Local movement.
I heard about it for the first time this summer on the now defunct Pocket Farm blog announcing the "One Local Summer" challenge. I did not find out about it in time to actually join the blog's activities, but they did encourage people who did not sign up in time to go ahead and once a week eat an entire meal made from locally grown products. The idea intrigued me since I was at the start of last year's garden, so I researched local farmer's markets (and I plan to do so again in the next few months, and I'll tell you what ones are good and what ones are not what they seem) and went to a few. I embarked on the project because it sounded fun, and while I don't think I had a 100% local meal every week, I did quite a few--I'll blog about them this summer.
Eating locally in the summer is easy since everything is growing, and as summer wore on, I wondered how people kept this up when things were not growing and there were no farm markets open. One of the things I found out quickly on my Local Summer was that what I was growing and buying beat the crap out of Stop and Shop. I had no idea. I started looking into preserving what I had, and ended up teaching myself how to freeze stuff properly. This was made easier when I found the exhaustive (and fun!) how to can everything website. I toyed with the idea of canning, and I have the Ball Blue Book, but so far I am not quite ready to Go There yet.
So now I have a freezer full of food from the summer, and meat from local producers that I've mentioned before (Abma's Farm and Bobolink) and I have to say I feel happier with my food choices. One of the benefits touted for a local diet is that you are using less oil and gas transporting your food. I like this idea. I commute 45 miles one way, and I am not happy with that--I like my job, and I can't afford to live close to it due to the insane housing market. I don't know that I would enjoy living where I work either. So, eating local is a tiny tiny step, but it is a tiny tiny step that I can take, and if more people took tiny tiny steps, maybe those steps would be bigger.
I do pick and choose things that I still want but can't get locally...like chocolate and coffee. I have stopped buying bananas and pineapple constantly (but I did accept the two pineapples that arrived at work in holiday fruit baskets!) and I am really trying to adjust my diet to the seasons this year...which means apples and pears all winter, and no strawberries until spring and summer. It also means I keep onions and carrots and celery around since these seem to be the case of everything you can make. I've learned how to store squashes and apples without using my fridge since I have a cold but not freezing porch. I cook more, and use pre packed and processed things a lot less...and eventually I'll use none of those...and I feel better because my diet is better. I also think I am spending less overall on my food budget, but that is also a project I've set out for this year. I can go weeks without going to the supermarket, at least.
I doubt I'll ever be 100% locavore. For one thing, I can't guarentee my dairy comes from within 100 miles, but liquid milk tends to end up a local economy anyway. I also can't find anyone milling flour in NJ, so I bend that rule by using my bread machine more. And I still like to get unusual things from time to time (like I found a nice recipe for plantains the other day, and I want to try those out) but they are treats now, and not an every day thing.
So that is my ongoing story. I really don't want to make this a big political thing, and I am not going to go force people around me to join in--I have had enough unpleasant interactions with nearly militant vegetarians (I am an enthusiastic omnivore) that I don't want to become That Chick. But I am happy to share what I have learned and know with anyone else getting started on this road.
I heard about it for the first time this summer on the now defunct Pocket Farm blog announcing the "One Local Summer" challenge. I did not find out about it in time to actually join the blog's activities, but they did encourage people who did not sign up in time to go ahead and once a week eat an entire meal made from locally grown products. The idea intrigued me since I was at the start of last year's garden, so I researched local farmer's markets (and I plan to do so again in the next few months, and I'll tell you what ones are good and what ones are not what they seem) and went to a few. I embarked on the project because it sounded fun, and while I don't think I had a 100% local meal every week, I did quite a few--I'll blog about them this summer.
Eating locally in the summer is easy since everything is growing, and as summer wore on, I wondered how people kept this up when things were not growing and there were no farm markets open. One of the things I found out quickly on my Local Summer was that what I was growing and buying beat the crap out of Stop and Shop. I had no idea. I started looking into preserving what I had, and ended up teaching myself how to freeze stuff properly. This was made easier when I found the exhaustive (and fun!) how to can everything website. I toyed with the idea of canning, and I have the Ball Blue Book, but so far I am not quite ready to Go There yet.
So now I have a freezer full of food from the summer, and meat from local producers that I've mentioned before (Abma's Farm and Bobolink) and I have to say I feel happier with my food choices. One of the benefits touted for a local diet is that you are using less oil and gas transporting your food. I like this idea. I commute 45 miles one way, and I am not happy with that--I like my job, and I can't afford to live close to it due to the insane housing market. I don't know that I would enjoy living where I work either. So, eating local is a tiny tiny step, but it is a tiny tiny step that I can take, and if more people took tiny tiny steps, maybe those steps would be bigger.
I do pick and choose things that I still want but can't get locally...like chocolate and coffee. I have stopped buying bananas and pineapple constantly (but I did accept the two pineapples that arrived at work in holiday fruit baskets!) and I am really trying to adjust my diet to the seasons this year...which means apples and pears all winter, and no strawberries until spring and summer. It also means I keep onions and carrots and celery around since these seem to be the case of everything you can make. I've learned how to store squashes and apples without using my fridge since I have a cold but not freezing porch. I cook more, and use pre packed and processed things a lot less...and eventually I'll use none of those...and I feel better because my diet is better. I also think I am spending less overall on my food budget, but that is also a project I've set out for this year. I can go weeks without going to the supermarket, at least.
I doubt I'll ever be 100% locavore. For one thing, I can't guarentee my dairy comes from within 100 miles, but liquid milk tends to end up a local economy anyway. I also can't find anyone milling flour in NJ, so I bend that rule by using my bread machine more. And I still like to get unusual things from time to time (like I found a nice recipe for plantains the other day, and I want to try those out) but they are treats now, and not an every day thing.
So that is my ongoing story. I really don't want to make this a big political thing, and I am not going to go force people around me to join in--I have had enough unpleasant interactions with nearly militant vegetarians (I am an enthusiastic omnivore) that I don't want to become That Chick. But I am happy to share what I have learned and know with anyone else getting started on this road.
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