Michele asked what soil amendments we were planning on using in our beds. Primarily I use Tagro. I have a well documented past with the stuff. I did an experiment last season with the tomatoes. I planted 4 in a bed that was only amended with Tagro and 6 in beds that were 100% Tagro mix (not potting soil). The plants in the 100% mix performed better than any tomato I’ve ever grown. It could have something to do with the bed location, but I’m hedging my bets on the Tagro. This a far cry from the girl right out of college who though bio-solid fertilizers were not safe.
This season I plan to use Tagro once again. The expansion of the garden will require us to purchase the mix instead of the bucket method of last year (if you go to the Tagro facility you can shovel as much as you like for free). We are estimating 10 yards to complete the garden. Since our soil is very hard from years of compaction we are taking the lazy man’s way out with building the garden. I’ve been hoarding newspaper and cardboard and I’ll rake all of the Photinia leaves once we are ready. I will lay down many layers of paper and cardboard and then the Tagro on top. We are not removing the grass underneath. This will either work out well or be a very bad thing. I hoping for the former.
We are also putting in a meandering gravel path, but we will put landscape fabric under that. We would eventually like to till the garden beds, but not the path.
As for the raised beds in the back we will amend those with Tagro too. In addition I add Soundgro to those and I’ll sprinkle in a little bid of worm castings.
Next year we should be able to rent a full sized rototiller for the main garden and add more Tagro and various manures.
Now the straight Tagro method may not work for the full vegetable garden since Tagro is a little more acidic than I would like, but again gardening is trial and error.
Last year I gave an account of how I went about planning the Sprouting Off vegetable garden. This year was similar to last, only more involved. Last year we quickly realized that 150 square feet was not nearly large enough to feed our family of 3. We ate and preserved more than our fair share of tomatoes, but things like peas, beans and broccoli were not abundant enough. We also didn’t have room for any squash or other large brassicas like cauliflower or cabbage. In addition, we dislike mowing our lawn weed field. Our vegetable gardening area is growing from 150+ sq. ft to over 3600 sq. ft. We are covering the East lawn with a vegetable garden.
My plan for the garden is what factored in to the very ambitious list of seeds that I purchased last fall. I also went out and purchased a few seeds that weren’t available from Heirloom Seeds. I will likely need to fill in with a few others, but for now I think I’m set.
This year I am not going with the square foot gardening method. I didn’t find that it worked for me. It was too constraining. Think me crazy, but I’m a sucker for rows of vegetables. I also like a flowy garden. Contradictory? Probably, but go with me. The new garden is a meandering path with intermittent raised beds. It will (hopefully) allow for both sides of the equation.
I stared (as usual) with my trusty Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades book. It helped me determine which vegetables I could grow or attempt to grow and which to leave to the farmers (I don’t think I could do Celery). I then employed a new program that I found on the internet. I made a list of the veg I wanted to grow and then pulled out my trusty calendar and garden plan. I translated the hand drawn plan into the GrowVeg program and then started laying in the plants. I’ll get to a review of the program in another post, but for now I’ll just say it is worth the money (that I haven’t paid yet because I’m still in the free trial period). I also stuck a few things into spots that won’t actually exist just to get planting dates. Those plants will go into the 150 sq. ft. raised bed garden in the West yard.
GrowVeg will give you a chart that shows when to start seeds indoors, when to start outside and when to expect a harvest. I followed the chart for each month and cross checked it with Growing Vegetables West to get a more accurate indication of when things should be started. GrowVeg is also handy because it tells me how many of each thing to plant so I’m not grossly over planting pumpkins like I did last year.
Now I have my plan, my list and when to plant. I am keeping track of when to plant and when I actually get around to planting. I also don’t start my seeds indoors in a light box or other lighted room 1) because I don’t have either of those and 2) because I have a cold frame outside.
My calendar indicates that I should have started broccoli and cauliflower inside on February 5th. I did not do that. I wasn’t ready. My cold frame needed repair. The beautiful weekend weather allowed me to make the repairs and broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage were all started on Sunday. Peas should have been put in on President’s Day weekend, but I’ve found I have better germination if I wait just a few weeks. Theoretically, I could start trying lettuce right now, but I’ll wait on that one too. First lettuce will go into the raised beds and they have been tilled, but need the addition of more organic material to bring them back up to the proper level.
Hopefully we will be able to start building the new garden in a few weeks and this season can really get going.
I am not the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day. It could be the years of working for one of the companies that made it up. It could be that I despise all commercialism. Or it could be that I don’t need an excuse to tell my sweetie I love him. Whatever it is, we don’t do Valentine’s in this house.
So when some good friends asked us to join them for dinner on Valentine’s Day (at one of Tacoma’s most expensive restaurants) it wasn’t just the price that made me say no. Instead we elected to invite their whole family to our house for a nice dinner (and a just a little kitsch).
For the meal I served:
Avocado Seafood Cocktail with Chipotle Adobo Dressing
Cabbage Slaw with Orange and Pumpkin Seed Dressing
Black Pepper Honey Steak
Melting Greens
All of the recipes were out of the Splendid Table cookbook and I settled on them because of their (somewhat) seasonal nature. Granted, the seafood cocktail did include grape tomatoes and bibb lettuce (avocados are never in season here) and Cabbage isn’t 100% in season, but close enough.
Just the thought of spending a nice evening with good friends and sharing a meal is what makes the day special.
Wow, I promised a drawing of the garden didn’t I. I believe I got distracted by something shiny. Yes, shiny. At the moment I don’t know where it is so you don’t get that. Sorry.
Instead, I’m happy to say that my wonderful husband installed a gate on the arbor in our back yard thus containing now giant puppy to the non-working area of our yard. Working as in this is where we store things and use for edibles and the cultivation thereof. Non-working as in the was pretty at one point and will likely become a destroyed dog run.
This means I can now seriously begin thinking about my edibles garden and prepare the early stuff. I’m going to refurbish my greenhouse (that the dog destroyed) and use it to grow an early crop of spinach and lettuce. I’m desperate for a good salad and my little cold-frame greenhouse should offer enough protection from the elements.
I am also looking into seed starting options for some of the early crops. My lighting situation is a little questionable so I’ll do my best.
January is over and the gardening season can now begin.
Welcome to a new planting season. Wait? What? Isn’t it January? I’m wondering if you have your seeds ordered yet? I ordered mine last August for fear of my previous encounter with late arriving seeds.
With any luck the 2010 Sprouting Off garden will be bigger and better than ever. Trick is, we have little money to build the garden with. In addition, a portion of our garden space might be unusable this year with the addition of a new member of our family. In December we were gifted (a wanted) 8 week old Boxer-Mastiff puppy. She is now 3 months old and thinks the raised beds in the back are her personal play area. We have plans to add a gate to our back arbor, but that may not happen in time for the first planting.
In any case the garden must go in and we must do it on the tightest budget possible. Instead of putting in the whole garden all at once we are doing it piece by piece. Hopefully at the beginning of March we can add all of the gravel paths and then just fill in around them as the season gets started. Next week I’ll share the drawing of what the side garden will look like. In the mean time, I’ll share my list of seeds for 2010. Some are the same as last year and some are new to us this year.
Lettuce:
Buttercrunch
Flame
Salad Bowl
Tango
Yugoslavian Red Buttercrunch
Giant Thick Leafed Spinach
Winter Squash:
Sweet Potato
Cheyenne Bush Pumpkin
Rouge Vif d’ Etampes Pumpkin
Amish Pie Pumpkin
Summer Squash:
Straita de Italia
Yellow Crookneck
Giant Musselburg Leek
Early Snowball Cauliflower
Arugula
Yellow Sweet Spanish Onion
Melitopolski Watermelon
Golden Acre Cabbage
American Purple Top Rutabaga
Hollow Crown Parsnip
Cucumbers:
Lemon
Mexican Sour Gherkin
Boston Pickling
Beets:
Ruby Queen
Bull’s Blood
Cilantro
These are just the seeds I’ve ordered. This does not include the lettuce, broccoli, pumpkins, squash, peas, beans, corn or carrots I already have. Nor does it include the few plants I will buy like tomatoes and peppers. In addition, we will be adding a few perennial items to the mix. We have a few, but some need replacing. We will add horseradish, artichokes, raspberries and asparagus and replace strawberries and blueberries. Next year we may add a few fruit trees if the budget will allow. Those will hopefully take the place of the raised beds in the back.
In a nutshell it is an ambitious goal for the season. I know it will keep us busy and full of good food.
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. At the current moment we have reached our $3000 (gross sales) goal. With about $650 more in sales we could be close to having $3000 in profit! That would men we could almost double what was sent to Baby Home #2 last year (that was $1700).
There are only 2 more days to order truffles and caramels. We will take orders until midnight on November 27th. If you haven’t placed your order yet do so quickly. If you have placed your order thank you very much. The Baby Home is very excited to make the childrens’ Christmas a little extra special.
If you have tried to order and the system won’t complete the payment portion please contact us. We are aware of some problems with being able to complete some credit card transactions. The system is secure it is just an issue with Paypal (we always have at least 1 glitch with them every year). We will make sure you can arrange payment so you can get your order. We don’t want anyone to miss out on the deliciousness.
As always, if your waistline won’t allow candy please consider making a donation to Sweet Hope. There is a donate button on the ordering page of our website. Donations are welcome all year long.
Thank you to everyone for doing your part to spread the word. We can’t do this without you.
In the hustle and bustle of life I completely forgot to let you in on a little side gig that I do. Not that Sprouting Off isn’t yet another side gig, but this one is important.
In 2006 my husband and I sold and made chocolate truffles and caramels to raise money to bring our son home from Russia. After our son was home we were repeatedly asked to make the candy again and we did… and did and did. That one little fundraiser turned into a very large production that consumes the better part of 3 months for me. Which would also explain my significant lack of posting about gardens and garden related topics.
Every year we sell chocolate truffles and caramels and we give the money away. We’ve given it to other families adopting children and last year we gave it away to our son’s former orphanage. This year we are doing the same thing. Only this year, we are making more varieties of truffles and caramels in the hopes of sending even more money.
Check out the website for Sweet Hope. It explains the whole story much better than I can throw together in one blog post. If you go to the ordering page (since you are going to order, right?) and click on the photos of the candy, they get bigger. I hold no responsibility for any drool that may end up on your computer screen, desk or keyboard.
100% of the profits from the sale of Sweet Hope candy goes directly to Baby Home #2 in Khabarovsk, Russia. The candy comes gift boxed and makes great Christmas gifts. All orders ship on December 16th, just in time for Christmas. You (or your loved ones) get candy, and a child gets a Christmas.
When I became a parent I was very excited to enter the world of mommyhood. Children mean built-in friendships don’t they? I was dismayed to find the world of moms often catty and unappealing. I am a very shy person by nature. However, my family would argue that point to the death. The truth, is I’m resistant to change and meeting new people qualifies as change. Every time we are asked over for a play date I fret. Will I open my mouth and make a fool of myself? What if my child behaves badly or has one of his signature meltdowns. Small stuff, but fret nonetheless. You would think that with over 2 years of preschool under my belt that I would fret less. Not so much.
This afternoon we attended a playdate at a preschool classmate’s home. We’ve been trying to set this up for weeks, but well… I get distracted by shiny objects and it just hasn’t worked, until today.
I must say I had a lovely time and got to know what I hope will become a new friend. Someone quirky like me (in a good way) and easy to talk to. My son had a wonderful time and behaved himself nicely (despite the one near catastrophe).
Oh wait… this isn’t the mommy blog is it? Darn it. Bet you thought I got confused there for a minute. I’m getting to the point. Keep your pants on.
I mentioned to the other mom about my chocolate “business.” I went to pull out a business card (which I totally left at home) and while I was rummaging in my bag she handed me a business card. It just so happens that this mother owns Trails of Crumbs Bakery. Even better, she writes a blog too. Honestly, what mom doesn’t write a blog these days. I assure you, this is not a mommy blog. It is a blog loaded with recipes and photos of delicious baked goods. Check it out. You can have a little piece of Tacoma delivered right to your door.
What does this have to do with gardening? Nothing. I just like cookies.
The first time I was offered fish tacos I thought my Grandfather was joking. I had just finished my junior year in highschool and my grandparents took one of my brothers, my oldest cousin and me on a trip to their winter home in San Felipe, Mexico. My cousin and I spent our days sitting by the pool and seeing how much baby oil we could slather on ourselves before we burned to a crisp. At the pool there was a little cantina that served drinks and the occasional taco. Growing up I didn’t have much of an adventurous palette when it came to food. To us tacos were served in hard, often stale, shells with shredded iceberg lettuce and orange cheese. Based on the restaurants in the US, Mexican food is not my favorite. So when my grandfather asked if we wanted to try the fish tacos I thought he had lost his mind. Lynn and I didn’t want to be rude so we gave them a try.
The tacos were like none I’d ever had before. They were small fillets of whitefish, lightly breaded, and served on a soft corn tortilla with a little bit of fresh salsa. It was heaven. I came home from that trip in love with Mexican food only to find out that real Mexican food was nowhere to be found.
Years later I took a group of high school students to Tijuana to build a house. As part of the trip the organization took us to a roadside taco stand for lunch. It was our “authentic Mexican meal.” A week in Mexico and we only ate cafeteria food. That one afternoon at the taco stand brought back the memories of my previous experience sitting by the pool with my cousin and I remembered how much I loved true Mexican cuisine. Back in the US I was left with greasy cheese laden enchiladas and stale taco shells.
Recently my husband and I had happy hour at a local Mexican restaurant. Then again at another. Both of these establishments seeks to put an end to congealed cheese and cheesy mariachi music. Masa and Matador serve up Mexican food as it is supposed to be cooked. With my re-found love of Mexican food I set off to create a dinner for my family that was worthy of eating.
Fish Tacos with corn salsa and avocado cream
2 tilapia fillets (or other flaky white fish)
Salt, pepper, cumin to taste
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a baking pan. Season the fish with the salt, pepper and cumin. I like more cumin so I put more on. Bake the fish about 15 – 20 minutes or until cooked through. (we had to bake the fish because our grill is currently out of commission)
Corn Salsa
1 cob of corn (cut the kernels off)
1 can black beans
1 medium tomato diced
1/2 sweet onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
Handful chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
salt, pepper and cumin to taste
oil
Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Saute onions and garlic until fragrant. Add corn and black beans. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add Cilantro and lime juice. Cook 2-3 minutes more. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. You can add chili powder or peppers if you like it a little spicy. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes.
Avocado Cream
I make this and put it in a squeeze bottle in the fridge and serve it on everything
2 avocados
2 cloves garlic
handful chopped cilantro
1/2 c. cream
2 T. butter (I never said the cream was healthy)
Salt to taste
Puree the avocados, garlic and cilantro in a food processor. Heat butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add avocado puree and heat through. Add cream and combine. Season.
To assemble the final dish: heat soft corn tortillas in the oven (wrap a stack of them in foil and throw them in the oven while the fish is cooking). Flake fish apart and put on tortilla. Top with salsa and cream. You may want to double the tortillas since the salsa can get a little messy.
It’s that time of year again. Fruit fly time. Produce from the garden and the market is in abundance on kitchen counters and those pesky little bugs are well… bugging everyone. The presence of fruit flies seems to be popping up all over the internet.
We aren’t without our fair share of them here. We just don’t have the multitudes that others do. Sure, every bowl in our house is filled with some kind of fruit or veg. Heck, I even had buckets of berries on the kitchen floor. Oh they loved those.
There is no sure fire way to rid your home of fruit flies, other than get rid of all of the food sitting out, but there are some things you can do to lessen the population.
1) make sure your counters and sinks are clean. This even goes so far as to say keep the drains clean too. If you don’t have a disposal don’t try to shove food bits down your drain. If you do have a disposal run it frequently to get rid of all of the food bits.
2) inspect the produce you have sitting out daily. Any soft spots or mold is like throwing out the welcome mat for fruit flies. I go through the tomato basket and bowls every day to pick out the bad ones.
3) set out vinegar traps. Pour a small amount of apple cider vinegar (or beer or red wine) into a glass and cover it with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the wrap with a toothpick and set the traps near any produce you may have sitting out. The flies will fly in, but can’t get out. Just make sure to put out new traps every few days.
4) you could get a little gett-o and hang yellow sticky traps around the house, but they are unsightly and who wants to watch a twitching fruit fly on a sticky trap.
5) if all of that doesn’t cure your fruit fly infestation you may have a different matter on your hands. Fungus gnats. Fungus gnats are totally different than fruit flies. They feed on the organic matter of moist potting soil. Odds are if you have little flies flitting about your houseplants you have fungus gnats. The best way to cure those is to let your houseplants dry a little between waterings.
The good news is that once the soft produce clears from your kitchen the flies should go too.
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