Looking Forward, Looking Back

I expect this to be the last post for 2010. It has been a good year for the garden. 2011 should be even better. Looking forward…Looking back. There were lessons learned that should improve the garden next year. Fortunately some of them were learned from successes. A few were learned from disappointments.

The greenhouse did very poorly last year. I think it was mostly my fault and changes have been made to this year’s procedures. The tomatoes were delicious, but there were not enough of them. Everyone whom I spoke with seemed to have disappointing results in the tomato department. The things I did this past year have worked well in the past, so the only thing to really change is the location within the garden, which changes every year anyway. The problem seems to have been the extreme heat, which is not normal. The summer squash and cucumbers got wiped out by the spotted cucumber beetle. A lot of control methods were discovered on the internet. Most of them project a marginal success at best.

I have been accepted into the NC Agricultural Extension offices “Master Gardener Program”. It is hoped that I will learn enough to avoid some mistakes and improve results. By learning to help other people with their gardens and yards, I should learn to help myself.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Pepper Seeds

The name won’t be shared yet until the seeds are tried, but an internet search this morning found a new source of pepper seeds. They even had the seeds for the “ghost pepper”. The seeds were extremely reasonably priced. The “ghost peppers” were the most expensive thing I saw and they were only $4. Shipping is free on orders over $7.50.

My order included California Wonder Bell peppers, ghost peppers, cayenne peppers, jalapeños and cherry peppers. Other vegetables were available, but those were purchased before the planting season ended, because they have not been available when the greenhouse needs planting.

The snow has kept me out of the garden and the yard. My laziness has kept me out of the greenhouse. Today the weather is really beautiful, but the snow is still thick upon the ground. There is no excuse for the greenhouse, so maybe I will spend some time there this afternoon.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Santa Claus Visits Charlotte Gardeners

He was actually a day late, but he brought a gift of Snow. It was about 6”deep and it has not melted yet. Snow is wonderful for gardens for several reasons. It makes a wonderful blanket of insulation for any plants that have not already succumbed to the heavy frost. It also fixes nitrogen in the soil. Rain does this too, but the rain runs off fast and takes a lot of the nitrogen with it. It may actually take more than it gives. Snow melts slowly and the nitrogen seeps into the soil.

The snow of course forced me to take refuge in the greenhouse. 6 flats got planted this weekend. Three of the thyme plants have come up from the 5 flats that were planted last Sunday. The bottom heat from the heating pads is the only heat being used this year as a buffer to the weather. There is a small electric heater in the greenhouse, but that is to keep me warm.

The woodstove has made two fairly generous contributions to the compost bins so far this year. That means that the PH of the compost will need to be tested as it is used. If the PH is too high, some sulfur can be added.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Finally a Break in the Weather

47 degrees may not be “balmy”, but it is better than days that barely go above freezing. Tuesday provided a chance to work in the yard a little. The woodstove was cleaned out and the ashes added to the compost. A small patch of yard was cleaned with the bagging lawnmower and the mulched leaves were added to the compost as well. A little bit of compost even got turned.

The crucifers that were damaged by the frost have not recovered yet. Who knows if they will do so? The leaves that were tied over the cauliflower heads wilted. The cauliflower is a kind of brownish color. The broccoli leaves and cabbage leaves are drooping too. The turnips and mustard seem to be totally wiped out. Last year they did that and then came back so they will be left alone for a while.

The oregano is the thing that really surprises me. The cold does not seem to bother it at all. The onions collapse but they are still good and they come back when the weather warms up. Our meals may not feature items from the garden for a while, but at least we can make the store-bought food taste good.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

2011 Garden Plan (Cont.)

As the assessment continues for the garden plan, the next step is a list of what will be planted and approximately how much we need. There are never enough tomatoes and egg plants, so they get 1st consideration. If all of the G-beds are planted to tomatoes on 2’ centers, there will be 3 12’ beds with 7 tomato plants each or 21 plants. E-2 is 8’ and can accommodate 5 plants for a total of 26. That should be enough.

E-1 is 16’ long. That will accommodate 9 egg plants, which is 1 ½ times as many as we had this year. Basil, parsley and cilantro will be planted between the tomatoes and eggplants. That will be a total of 30 plants or 10 of each. We don’t really need that much of any of them, but they keep the bugs down. The excess can be given away or dried. A row of onion sets will be planted down the middle of each row. E-1 will also have 9 cabbage plants. G-1 will have 7 broccoli plants.

The 4 foot rows will have different varieties of squash. Like most of the crucifers they will be direct seeded. The un-bedded rows will be dedicated to okra and peppers. These rows are about 40’ long. The okra will be direct seeded, but 21 pepper plants of differing varieties will be needed. The okra will be planted by itself. There will be some odd herb varieties inter-planted with the peppers. That will require 20 plants of various herbs and flowers. A few of the herbs inter-planted with the tomatoes and eggplants will be substituted by nasturtiums and marigolds, so the extras can be used with the peppers. This gives an idea of what will be planted in the greenhouse.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Garden Plan 2011

It is time to plant the greenhouse. The first step in that is to plan the garden. The garden has 7 rows of 3 raised beds and two rows with no beds. The no bed rows are 3’ wide and 4’ wide plus of course the paths. When planning last year’s garden, the beds seemed to reduce the number of plants that could be planted. When actual planting began this was not the case.

This years garden will have a lot of changes from last years. There will be no potatoes or corn. There will be more tomatoes, eggplants and squash. There will be a lot more beans. The beds will all have corner posts for attaching trellises or other types of support. The okra is the only plant that will use soaker hoses and it will be planted in a no-bed row. There will several new varieties of tomatoes and some cherry peppers. Mick McNeely made some stuffed cherry peppers. Just thinking about them is making my mouth water.

A few beds are planted with fall crops and they will not be available for the early spring planting. They will be used for succession planting of squash and cucumbers. There will also be a few beds used for early planting of sugar peas and various greens. Onions will be inter-planted with almost everything. There will be more specifics about the garden plan in the next post.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Hardy Herbs

Rosemary, oregano, thyme and sage seem to be holding up well in the icy weather. Rosemary and Thyme are evergreens, so I am not too surprised at them. The oregano and sage are holding up just as well. The broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, cauliflower and cabbage are not. The normal staples of winter, turnips and mustard are totally wilted. They will probably come back as will the other crucifers.

The rain on Sunday seemed to be reviving things. It was followed by two nights (and more to come) of low temperatures in the teens. The whole garden is a pretty sad looking affair. This weekend is to be dedicated to cleaning out the dead beds from summer and reworking them and mulching them so they can sleep through the winter.

If time remains after that, the soil will be tested and the garden plan for next spring will be made. This is necessary before the greenhouse can be planted.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Outside of the Garden

It has been way too cold to work in the garden for the last few days. The temperature has been in the low teens. Even the broccoli is drooping. The rain gauge had a little water in it from Saturday a week ago. It froze and broke. There is some other stuff going on though…

The Thomas St. Cookbook has been published and is available from Lulu.com. I hope there will be a button on this page soon to buy the book. All of the profits from this book are donated to several charities. More information on them is available at: http://www.StuffTheStockingsWithART.com

The pictures in “The Incomplete Garden Book” were printed in black and white to keep the book affordable. The color versions have been posted on the http://davidsegrest.com webpage for anyone who would like a little more detail. A new book has been started called: “A Year in the Garden”. This book is being posted on the above website in serial form.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Winter Color

Fall still has some blooms and the trees upstage the flowers with their great show. Now the leaves are falling and the fall flowers have frozen. Time for something colorful to cheer up the dull, gray days. How about Camellias and pansies? The name “pansy” seems to be something of an oxymoron. That was the name applied to anyone who was just a little bit wimpy when I was a kid.

Pansies are not “pansies”. Their blooms shine out in the snow. They are one of the few bright colors all winter. They don’t die until summer.

There is still plenty of green stuff in the garden too. Collards, turnips, arugula, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, mesclun, spinach, radishes and onions are not just green; they are producing food.

This weekend saw camellias and pansies go in the ground and leaves come off of the ground. Today will see the publication of “The Thomas St. Cookbook”. More about that in the next post.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Pruning Figs

This weekend the fig trees had lost all of their leaves, so they were cut back to eye level. The center branches were also cut out to let more light in and any branches that crossed were cut off. Last year only one tree was pruned. This was a major mistake as that tree required a saw for much of the pruning. It is amazing how fast fig trees grow.

The broccoli has heads about 3” in diameter now. It should be ready to pick. One of the cauliflowers has a head about 2” in diameter. This weekend it will have the leaves tied over to keep the head white. It is also time to make another planting of radishes and onions too. Like the other crucifers they will produce practically all winter.

The rest of the green tomatoes were pulled off yesterday. This was done about 3 weeks ago, but the tomatoes kept growing so there are more now. The plants are really frost bitten this time and the temperature is supposed to go to 25 degrees in the morning. This weekend the eggplant and tomato plants will head for the garbage and the beds will be put to bed for winter.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Dividing Iris Bulbs

The bearded iris which is the most common variety actually has rhizomes instead of bulbs. Some varieties such as the Dutch iris have bulbs. Division is simple and can be done at almost any time. Fall or very early spring is the best time. The first step is to carefully dig the bulbs. Some of them will break, but this doesn’t really matter.

Next the bulbs(rhizomes) need to be cut into pieces about 2 inches long. Use a knife dipped in bleach or wiped with a bleach soaked sponge to make the cuts. There are very few pests that affect iris, but good garden sanitation will prevent spreading disease. Discard any pieces that have rot or insect damage. Put them in the trash or burn them. They are not suitable for compost. Each piece of rhizome should have some root-hairs attached.

The bulbs or rhizomes should be planted very shallowly. A “W” shaped trench is good to let the bulb sit on the center and let the roots go into the depressions. The bulbs should barely be covered with soil. It is better not to mulch irises as this just buries them deeper.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/