It is time for the annual “How Does Our Garden Grow” report for 2016

First of all, we are trying to “define” the garden area. One of the things we did this year was to move the boys columnar apple trees to either side of the entrance to the garden. We’ve had these trees for almost 10 years. In our previous home, they were our first fruit trees.

We also decided to plant two artichoke plants. Since they are a perennial we tried to put them somewhere we could keep them. As you can see, we already have a wee little artichoke forming.

Always the one to come up with brilliant ideas, Michael decided to make a trellis out of cattle panels for our pole beans and cucumbers. Most of the pickling cucumbers I started didn’t survive. I’m actually ok with that because I still have a bunch of pickles from last year. However, the Suyo Long cucumbers that we love to eat seem to be growing nicely. Eventually they will grow up the whole thing and I will be picking beans in the shade.

Last two years we’ve used tomato cages for our tomatoes. Typically, they get so big that the cages can’t hold them up and they fall over. This year we decided to go back to the string method. On the ends of each row, we have t-posts in the ground for support. Between each plant, we have fiberglass poles. We use two strands of the bailing twine from the hay bales and wind it between the poles. Every couple of weeks we add more twine and position the tomato plants between them for support.

Last year we planted all of our tomatoes in the small garden (auxiliary garden). If you’ve been following along you know that it was not successful. They seem to be very happy where they are this year. On one end of each tomato row I planted my tomatillos. The opposite ends are big slicing tomatoes.

We planted more cabbage this year. I love cabbage. I mix it in with a tossed salad for some crunch, I put it in my stir-fried rice, I add it to stew. I just love the stuff.

We had three broccoli plants but so far, two have gone to seed. I have only one left. “Help me broccoli plant, you’re my only hope.” We are also attempting cauliflower this year. When we lived in the city we tried to grow it and it was covered in aphids. I have grown much more used to bugs since the move and so I think we can just rinse them off when we need to….if they grow. So far I just have a bunch of plants with really big leaves.

We are also attempting cauliflower this year. When we lived in the city we tried to grow it and it was covered in aphids. I have grown much more used to bugs since the move and so I think we can just rinse them off when we need to….if they grow. So far I just have a bunch of plants with really big leaves.

I’m so excited to have a salad garden this year. We planted some Kale, and green leaf lettuce, as well as some beets. I love beet greens for a salad. It is getting a little late in the season for the salad garden but we will keep it going as long as possible.

Last but not least is our reliable basil. I’ll tell you my secret to such great basil plants. I buy two or three plants from Trader Joes. They are huge and only about $3.00 each. I always grow it so I can make my basil cubes. My best way to have fresh basil all year long.

We are still not happy with the production of the auxiliary garden. We decided to send in a soil sample for testing.

Here are the results:

Our nitrogen levels are four times what they should be. Our Potassium is double what it should be and our Phospherous is high too. We ran the tests in the hopes of being able to plant a bunch of blueberries there some day. The blueberries will have to wait. They recommended we either plant a cover crop or cool weather crops there over the next year. Plants that will basically consume some of that nitrogen.

We were so impressed by the information we decided to test the main garden. I’ll stick that in the mail tomorrow.

A funny story. Joshua helped me collect the ten samples of dirt. You have to be careful that your shovel doesn’t have rust on it or anything you use have anything that could contaminate the sample. I used a paper grocery sack.  As Joshua is digging up samples to put in the paper bag, he calls back to me, “Mom, don’t forget the dirt-bag.” I started laughing and then had to explain that the term “dirt-bag” is an unkind thing to call someone.

Happy growing,
Karen