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/
Showing posts with label Crucifers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crucifers. Show all posts
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
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/
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
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/
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/
Monday, October 4, 2010
Cool Dirt
Finally the temperatures are dropping to the point that spinach and lettuce seeds should germinate well. This weekend should be a great time to plant if the ground is not too wet. In raised beds that have been kept under mulch this should not be a problem. The weather should be suitable for direct seeding of cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower as well, but it may be too late in the season to get a crop before a hard freeze hits.
Next springs garden plan should be in place by now. Lettuce and spinach and the other crucifers will continue to produce until the very coldest weather comes and they may survive into spring. It would not be fun to pull up producing crops to plant the spring garden.
One big change that will be implemented in our summer garden is that we will not plant everything on Good Friday. The plants of peppers and tomatoes and egg plants will go into the ground at 2 or 3 week intervals so as to keep continuous production. The winter squash, except for spaghetti squash, will be planted in early June.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Next springs garden plan should be in place by now. Lettuce and spinach and the other crucifers will continue to produce until the very coldest weather comes and they may survive into spring. It would not be fun to pull up producing crops to plant the spring garden.
One big change that will be implemented in our summer garden is that we will not plant everything on Good Friday. The plants of peppers and tomatoes and egg plants will go into the ground at 2 or 3 week intervals so as to keep continuous production. The winter squash, except for spaghetti squash, will be planted in early June.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Is It Really September?
The ten day weather forecast calls for 95 degrees today (Sept. 1), 93 degrees tomorrow and 98 degrees on Friday. The weekend cools to the low 80’s and next week shoots back up to almost 90. There is no rain called for, despite the coming hurricane. This is going to bring problems for the garden. Pollen does not set well above 90 degrees and the soil will be too warm for most of the crucifers from the fall planting to germinate.
What should be done about the fall garden? The beds or rows are ready. The seeds have been bought. Everyone is excited. Maybe a mixed approach is best. Planting half of the seeds now and leaving the other half for another couple of weeks. It should be ok to put out the cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts plants. They will need lots of water though. Spinach and lettuce will be a waste of time, space and seeds. It will be better to wait a week or two before planting them.
My dreams have been haunted with fresh spinach ever since the spring crop bolted. The mesclun did not die. It just disappeared. The complete salad will not have cucumbers, because the battle with the spotted cucumber beetles was lost. There are new plants coming up; but they are ragged. Extensive research on the internet has yielded quite a few organic remedies for these little buggers, but none of them are better than about 60% effective.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
What should be done about the fall garden? The beds or rows are ready. The seeds have been bought. Everyone is excited. Maybe a mixed approach is best. Planting half of the seeds now and leaving the other half for another couple of weeks. It should be ok to put out the cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts plants. They will need lots of water though. Spinach and lettuce will be a waste of time, space and seeds. It will be better to wait a week or two before planting them.
My dreams have been haunted with fresh spinach ever since the spring crop bolted. The mesclun did not die. It just disappeared. The complete salad will not have cucumbers, because the battle with the spotted cucumber beetles was lost. There are new plants coming up; but they are ragged. Extensive research on the internet has yielded quite a few organic remedies for these little buggers, but none of them are better than about 60% effective.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Planning the Winter Garden
It is mid-July and the garden is getting blah. Good rain for the last two day has helped a little to raise the garden’s spirits. A trip to Renfrow’s to buy greenhouse seeds raised mine. There is space for another bed of squash. The yellow crookneck is looking sad, so the new crop will be planted today or tomorrow. The broccoli and cabbage plants will go in pots as soon as the greenhouse comes back together.
What is good for the winter garden? Maybe some radish and mesclun would be nice. There may still be tomatoes and cucumbers to go with them. Kale, Mustard and Turnips are a must of course. The cabbage and broccoli plants should be ready to transplant by labor day. Labor day is the time to plant a winter garden around here.
Space in the existing beds is at a premium right now. There is almost enough compost to fill another bed in addition to the one that was filled on the weekend of the 4th. There is enough lumber to build 2 more beds, but there is only space for one right now. There will not be enough compost for more than that anyway. The black gold from the city is ok when there is no compost, but it is a sad substitute.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
What is good for the winter garden? Maybe some radish and mesclun would be nice. There may still be tomatoes and cucumbers to go with them. Kale, Mustard and Turnips are a must of course. The cabbage and broccoli plants should be ready to transplant by labor day. Labor day is the time to plant a winter garden around here.
Space in the existing beds is at a premium right now. There is almost enough compost to fill another bed in addition to the one that was filled on the weekend of the 4th. There is enough lumber to build 2 more beds, but there is only space for one right now. There will not be enough compost for more than that anyway. The black gold from the city is ok when there is no compost, but it is a sad substitute.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 22, 2010
Hardening Plants before Planting
This weekend was a great time to plant the spring garden. Next week there will be some warmer weather that will allow the crucifers and sugar peas to germinate. Most of the crucifers will not germinate if the soil is too warm; so they should be gotten into the ground now; so that when the optimum temperature is reached they will grow.
The little plants like broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and bok choy need to be “hardened off” before they are planted in the ground. They have been living in a nice cozy greenhouse somewhere and they need to get used to the cold, cruel world. They can be set outside in the morning and exposed to the sun and the wind and then brought inside in the evening for about 3 days. Then they can be transplanted. If extremely cold nights are predicted they can be covered with a milk jug with the bottom cut out overnight.
The milk jug or whatever is used should be removed in the daytime. If rodents are a problem, these tender plants provide a rare treat this time of year. Make a little chicken wire cage for them. The cage could be covered with a plastic bag at night instead of using milk jugs.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The little plants like broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and bok choy need to be “hardened off” before they are planted in the ground. They have been living in a nice cozy greenhouse somewhere and they need to get used to the cold, cruel world. They can be set outside in the morning and exposed to the sun and the wind and then brought inside in the evening for about 3 days. Then they can be transplanted. If extremely cold nights are predicted they can be covered with a milk jug with the bottom cut out overnight.
The milk jug or whatever is used should be removed in the daytime. If rodents are a problem, these tender plants provide a rare treat this time of year. Make a little chicken wire cage for them. The cage could be covered with a plastic bag at night instead of using milk jugs.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Time for Crucifers
Time for Crucifers
This is the time to plant cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, turnips, kale, rape, mustard and other cold loving crops. Radish, carrots, beets, lettuce and other salad greens can also go in the ground. I planted the things that can be sowed directly 1 and one half weeks ago. Most of them have come up already. The sugar peas, onions, carrots, beets and potatoes are the only thing, planted then that hasn’t come up yet.
This weekend the cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts plants that were started in the greenhouse will go in the ground. Before planting outside tender plants need to be “hardened off”. Thursday and Friday, they will spend the day outside, learning to tolerate wind and temperature fluctuations. Saturday they will go in the ground. I know the rabbits and deer are anxious to see them. For that reason they will be hardened off on a table high enough that the rabbits can’t get them. They go back in the greenhouse at night. Deer don’t come around much during daylight.
When they are planted in the ground they will be protected by a chicken wire cage. This will be buried 4” in the ground to discourage digging. I will only put out about ½ of the plants. If they have problems there are backups in the greenhouse.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
This is the time to plant cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, turnips, kale, rape, mustard and other cold loving crops. Radish, carrots, beets, lettuce and other salad greens can also go in the ground. I planted the things that can be sowed directly 1 and one half weeks ago. Most of them have come up already. The sugar peas, onions, carrots, beets and potatoes are the only thing, planted then that hasn’t come up yet.
This weekend the cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts plants that were started in the greenhouse will go in the ground. Before planting outside tender plants need to be “hardened off”. Thursday and Friday, they will spend the day outside, learning to tolerate wind and temperature fluctuations. Saturday they will go in the ground. I know the rabbits and deer are anxious to see them. For that reason they will be hardened off on a table high enough that the rabbits can’t get them. They go back in the greenhouse at night. Deer don’t come around much during daylight.
When they are planted in the ground they will be protected by a chicken wire cage. This will be buried 4” in the ground to discourage digging. I will only put out about ½ of the plants. If they have problems there are backups in the greenhouse.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
