Dry Beans

Several weeks ago I pulled the dry beans out and  put them in the garage to finish drying. Yesterday and today we shelled and then sorted them. I got seven pounds total as follows:

Cranberry Beans: 1 lb. 15 oz.

Cannellini Beans: 15 oz.

Navy Beans: 2 lb. 12 oz.

Yin and Yang Beans: 2 lb. 5 oz.

They were a lot of work to process, especially considering that, except for the Yin and Yangs, I could buy them in bulk pretty cheap. Next year I'll only plant a row of several kinds of heirloom beans. 

Hard Freeze

 Last night we had our first hard freeze of the year. The coleus, sweet potato vines, basil, and dahlias all got zapped. Also the Honey Bush butternut squash that still had three squash on it. I'm going to keep them to see if they'll mature off the vine.

We've put all the patio furniture and winterized the fountain. The birdbath is still going, but soon we'll have to put it away and get out the de-icer.

Notes for Next Year

I think the number of aubergines (two) and peppers (eight) worked out well. I tried a couple of pepper plants in large pots, but I don't think they did as well as those in the ground. 

The tomatoes were good, except for the Old German, which was very late and not all that flavorful. I think I'll stick with Cherokee Purple, Stupice, and Sun Gold. The four San Marzanos was a good number. On second thought, plant more San Marzanos to can and make sauce and maybe ketchup?

The Anton zucchini did nicely, with no mildew until the very end. But I'd also like to have a Cube of Butter. 

I thought by planting beets late in the summer I could foil the leaf miners, but that hasn't happened. Their leaves are still being destroyed. So NO MORE BEETS!

The melons were a great disappointment. We had a couple of early ones, but then the others just shrivelled and died, leaving tasteless fruit. So NO MORE MELONS!

I'd like to have more lettuce going into winter. I think planting them by the first of August might be about right. 

The cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower did well. The broccoli has held well, but the cauliflower got over ripe and got brown and soggy. I just didn't harvest them soon enough. So next year, keep checking them in the fall and harvest them when they're ready. Four cabbages would be enough. And I still haven't used any of the Chinese cabbage. Next year try some Brussels sprouts.

The cover on the fall spinach and chard worked pretty well. It kept most leaf miners out. But keep it covered over winter. This year the birds got into them and really destroyed them. 

Try carrots in wide rows next year to get a bigger harvest. 

First Frost

Two nights ago we had our first frost, although the temperature only got down to 36. But with the colder temperatures coming, I pulled out most of the summer vegetable garden. 

I sliced and froze all the bell peppers, except for four, which I'll stuff for a couple of dinners. The zucchini had a few small fruits on it, so we'll have those soon. I have several jars of shredded zucchini in the freezer for zucchini bread. I have several aubergines, which I'll probably make into more ratatouille. 

When a substantial rain storm was predicted a couple of weeks ago, I picked all the tomatoes, mostly San Marzanos, which had any color on them. I put them in the guest room to ripen. I now have enough tomato soup for nine lunches, plus two trays of roasted tomatoes, with garlic, basil, and olive oil. I'm planning to use them on pizza, or maybe as a pasta topping. I had also canned 26 pints of cut up tomatoes. 

We still have lots of things in the garden for winter. I have a row of kohlrabi, a row of beets, a row of chard, and two rows of spinach. One bed has cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, several plants of each. I have about twenty bok choy plants, plus a few short rows of mache, arugula, and Ethiopian kale. And I have a row of turnips and rutabagas. There is still some lettuce, but I don't expect that to last much longer. I planted a few snap peas at the end of the strawberry bed. They probably won't produce anything until next spring. And of course, there are still several rows of carrots.

I got just four delicata squash, which was a bit disappointing. Next year I'll grow a vining one instead of the bush variety. I also have three small 'Honey Nut' squash, which may or may not make it. They're still not ready to pick. Again, next year I'll do a full size butternut vine.

Status of Fall Garden

The fall brassicas have been moved into the potato bed, with a net cover over them. They're growing nicely now.

In the box with the leeks I've planted some rainbow chard and sowed some spinach. They're all small, but coming along. 

We've had some really hot weather (and now lots of wildfire smoke!) The tomatoes are happy. I picked 4 1/2 pounds yesterday and canned them today (3 jars plus a smaller one). The melons are getting close. They also love the heat. 

I pulled out all the cranberry beans that were planted among the tomatoes. The other dry beans aren't ready to pull yet. 

Same Potato, Same Problem

After the problem I had with the German Butterball potatoes a few years ago you'd think I'd learn. But no. This time I put lots of crushed eggshells in the bed, because the expert said they lacked sufficient calcium. So I dug them up and what do you know? Same problem. I did some research and found that the condition is called Internal Brown Spot and some potato varieties are more susceptible to it, including German Butterball. So now I know. The big baking size potatoes seem to have it worse, so I've tossed all of them. I'm also tossing the tiny ones. I'll keep the medium size ones because I can cut them in half to check them before cooking them. I've also kept all the potatoes from the last two plants on the end, because they were way behind the others for some reason. They're still very green. Maybe they haven't been affected. We'll see. 

Next year I'll go back to Yukon Gold, and only one row.

More Tomatoes

Today I picked the first Cherokee Purple tomatoes and the first bell pepper. We had one tomato for lunch. Yummy! I picked the second aubergine, with several more smaller ones to be ready soon. The Boothby's Blonde cucumbers have been producing nicely. Two more today.

I've started some pak choi, which is now up, as is the chard. The broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage that I started in the ground had not been doing well, so I moved them into small pots. I think the problem has been the roots of the arbor vitae hedge next door. The ground is almost solid tiny roots. 

I've cut all the growing tips off the melons and pulled off anything smaller than one inch. I'm not sure if the smallest ones will ripen, but we'll find out. 

More Fall Starts

It seemed like I could get one more row of carrots in, so I sowed more 'Yaya's. I also started a pot of 'Bright Lights' chard and a small pack of 'Yuushou' Pak Choi. I'm not sure where they'll go, but I'll find a spot.

I made a second batch of strawberry jam. The first one was very thick. This one is definitely thinner. Maybe it'll be syrup.

First Real Tomato

Finally! I picked the first Stupice today. There are several more coming soon. And there are two Cherokee Purples that look close. The plant is loaded with fruit. The Striped German looks a bit further away.

Already Planning for Next Year

I've decided that I want to reclaim the rose and lily bed for vegetables next year. Here's what it looks like now.

My plan is to remove two of the roses, leaving only Lillian Austin at the far end. I'll make two beds, maybe with boards, maybe not, with a path in between them for access. The lilies may go somewhere else, or not, and the herbs will go into the bed along the south wall of the house, where the melons are now.

Onions

Today I pulled all the onions. This was supposed to be a storage variety (New York Early), but it's obvious that many of them would not be appropriate for storage. They had very hard flower stalks going down into the onion. I saved the ones that didn't have the flower stalk, about half of them, and cut the roots and tops off. They are now drying in the bed. I don't have a lot of hope for them, but we'll see.

Next year I'll start my own plants from seeds, a variety I know will be good.

Two More Firsts

Yesterday I picked the first pole beans and the first aubergine.

The zucchinis are starting to get ahead of me. Right now I have nine in the refrigerator. I think I'll grate some and freeze them for zucchini bread later.

I decided it was time to braid the garlic. It wasn't hard, and I think it turned out OK.

Next I'll try the onions, but they aren't dry yet.

The squirrels have started in on the Orcas pears, so I picked them all. We got fourteen. They're much smaller than the Ubileens.

New Compost Bin

Yesterday I went to Fresh Start Market to buy two compost bins. I've noticed more and more plastic in the compost I've been getting and decided it's time to make my own again. Unfortunately, they have sold out of the bins. But they did have some small bags of compost on sale for $1.50 each, so I bought ten. Then today I set to work making a compost bin. I have a roll of 28" fencing, so I made a circle with that. But the holes are big enough to allow critters (rats!) to get in, so I lined it with 1/2 inch hardware cloth. I secured it with three 2 foot rebar stakes. I still don't have a top on it, but I'm working on that, mostly to keep raccoons out. I have lots more fence left, so if I need to I can add a second level.

Still More Fall Planting

I've sown rutabagas and turnips for fall and winter harvest. I'm not sure if we really like them, so I didn't put in too many. I still have to find a place for spinach.

Going on the advice of Craig Lehollier, the Tomato Guy, I dug up four of my pepper plants that weren't doing much and put them in five gallon plastic pots. We'll see how they do.

We're very close to having our first Stupice tomato. And I picked all the remaining Ubileen pears. They've been falling and have been eaten by squirrels. I assumed the squirrels caused them to fall, but I checked and they are ready to pick. There aren't may of them (twelve), but they're huge.

More Fall Planting

I sowed a patch of snap peas (bush type) in the squash bed. I also sowed a row of kohlrabi and a row of beets, one on each side of the asparagus bed. And I sowed the last two rows of carrots.

I've harvested the last of the cabbage. One head had split, but the rest are fine. I made three more jars of sauerkraut, plus I left some for cole slaw and stir fries.

The weather has become very summerlike, with highs mostly in the 80s. The cherry tomatoes are ripening, but so far no other tomatoes. There's one cucumber about three inches long and an aubergine about two inches long. And I found the first tiny green bean. I've had to extend the bean trellis with some string. I hope it's enough.

We're getting lots of zucchini now, and the Delicata squash is finally being pollinated.

Getting Ready for Fall

Today I set up a seedling bed under the peach tree. I added some potting soil and compost and sowed a row each of cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. I'm hoping that by the time they're ready to transplant I'll have some place to put them. Right now I'm not so sure.

After the first two cherry tomatoes disappeared(!) I put a ring of 24" hardware cloth around the plant. We now have another tomato almost ready. We'll see if the wire stops any further theft.

Things are still moving slowly with the lack of sun and heat, but it looks like we have a good week ahead of us.

Late June Garden Status

After a rather cool spring, things are finally warming up. There are small green tomatoes on all the plants. No peppers or aubergines yet. After the snap peas fell over in a strong wind, I removed them yesterday. There were lots that were huge and fat, so I shelled them and froze them. Next year I think I'll try short ones. And now the cucumbers will be happy because they've been living in the shadow of the peas.

The potatoes are blooming. We've had some strawberries, but now they're taking a break. We've been picking blueberries for about two weeks, but most of them are still coming. I guess they liked the fertilizer I gave them, because they're huge. Even the new one that I just planted this spring to replace the Chandler has a nice crop. After we found a couple of stink bugs on the raspberries, I've pulled them all out. We haven't seen any since. In their place I planted some melons. They should like the heat against the house.

Both pear trees have a modest crop. The peaches are a washout again. Maybe it's time to give up on it.

The broccoli and cauliflower were a disappointment, but the cabbage is nice. I've cut one head and will cut another soon for sauerkraut. I will try them all again in the fall.

I've been doing a lot of interplanting. I've planted lots of dry beans among the roses and tomatoes, and lettuce as well. I've also just sowed some bok choi in shady spots to see if they'll work in the summer.

I pulled most of the chard, since I was spending a lot of time patrolling them for leaf miners. I have one of each color, much more manageable.

Mulch

We just ordered two cubic yards of dark hemlock mulch from Highway Fuel. I spread it mostly in the front, but also some in the back under the fruit trees and around the dahlias.

Strawberries!

Today I picked our first Seascape strawberries. They sure are good. Tomorrow we'll have some on our oatmeal.Our first raspberry looked ripe yesterday and today it has disappeared. A bird perhaps? Let's hope they leave some for us. The blueberries are showing some color, so it won't be long before we'll be picking them. I've put netting on both the blueberries and strawberries.

In the last few days I've planted lots of dry beans - cranberry, cannellini and navy beans. I've pulled up the last of the bok choi, as it was bolting. The broccoli was disappointing. I think it didn't like the recent heat. But the cauliflower and cabbage are still looking good. We've started picking snap peas.

The tomatoes all have flower buds except the San Marzanos. And both the zucchini and delicata squash have female flower buds.

Most of the pears on the trees have fallen off, but there are still a few on each one. The mandarin is just finishing blooming. If a tenth of the flowers produce fruit, we'll be inundated.

Lots of Veggies In

We've had a few days in the mid-80s, so I was anxious to get things into the ground. I've planted eight tomato plants, eight pepper plants, and two aubergines, all in the rose bed. I've planted zucchini and delicata squash and cucumbers in a raised bed, all ones I had started. Two melon plants went into the bed along the back of the house, in front of the raspberries.

I sowed some pole beans along the trellis on the deck where I killed the clematis montana by pruning it too late. I hope the ground is warm enough for them to sprout. And I sowed another row of carrots. Something is eating the first row, but I put Sluggo Plus down, so I hope that stops whatever it is.

The blueberries have lots of fruit coming, as do the new strawberries and the raspberries. And both the asparagus and potato beds are looking good. The pear trees has lots of fruit, and even the peach tree, which looks totally butchered, has quite a bit of fruit. And the mandarin is loaded with flower buds.

State of the Garden

Here are some photos of the garden that I took in early May.

Big Garden Day

Today was the first really nice day in a while, so I was able to get a lot done.

I planted the six packs of cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli in the bed where I have had lettuce all winter. I had to move a few lettuce plants, but most of them are still there. I then covered the bed with a floating insect barrier. Just in time, too. A few hours later a white butterfly cruised by. I also sowed a row of chard in with the newly-planted spinach. That bed will also be covered with insect barrier as soon as the chard is up.

I pulled lots of weeds and did some general cleanup.

Uncertain Times

With the unfolding of the coronavirus pandemic, I've decided to plant more vegetables. I went to Wilco today and bought starts of chard, onions, kale, bok choi, cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage. I've planted the chard, bok choi and kale in the bed at the side of the house, in front of the dahlias. The onions went into the center of the onion bed. The brassicas will go into their own bed with an insect barrier over it.

On the positive side, the peach tree is blooming (I'm hand pollinating just in case the bees don't find it) and the pear trees are close. The early blueberries are starting to bloom. I've started more lettuce, bok choi, and kale, including Ethiopian kale. I also sowed a row of carrots. All my earlier starts are doing well under a fluorescent light, except the aubergines, which are not up yet. I think the heat mat was too much for them. I've put some insulation between the six pack and the mat, so it isn't quite so warm. We'll see.

We've had several days of sun and 60s temperatures. Tomorrow it cools off and we have a week of rain coming. I'm happy to have a rest, and the new plants will appreciate the rain.

Starting seeds

Today I started a bunch of things for the garden: Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, and chard.

The green onions and leeks that have been out in the greenhouse are doing well. They'll be ready to set out in the garden soon.

I also sowed pak choi and spinach in the garden.

Feels Like Spring

I know it isn't close to being Spring, but the last week or so has given us a taste of things to come. We had several days of highs close to 60 and sunny. We even had lunch on the deck a few days ago.

Update on overwintered vegetables:
My fall plantings of lettuce and spinach are still there, and we've eaten many meals of them. However, we've had a fairly mild winter, so I won't expect that to happen every year. I still have some carrots left, mostly big split ones, but they're still good. The bok choi was good for a while, but it has now bolted. I left the plant to flower, hoping to entice some early bees. And we have seen one.

After some major pruning, the pear and peach trees seem to be fine and are close to blooming. With them being short now, I'm hoping to be able to hand pollenate them.


I started green onions and leeks indoors, and now they are in my greenhouse. Three days ago I sowed snap peas, but they aren't up yet.