I'm Back!

Boy do I have a story to tell, really when don't I?  Four days after my last post I taught a gardening class.  It was a beautiful Saturday morning and the class went really well.  But by the time I got home, about noon, I wasn't feeling well.  I curled up on the couch with my daughter and rented a movie on Pay Per View.  Come early Monday morning I was in some serious pain. I get kidney stones and I was sure I was passing one. Whether or not I actually had a stone is actually now up for debate.  The doctor doesn't think so, but she wasn't there on that Monday morning so what does she know.  What is for certain is that I stayed on pain meds for a week before going to see the doctor and by then I had a raging kidney infection!  Two rounds of antibiotics and almost six weeks later and I was just beginning to feel better.  I honestly don't think I have ever been that sick in my life.  My poor garden was absolutely neglected, and I think it survived by simple divine intervention.
Somewhere in the middle of May I managed to get back in there.  With the help of our full time missionaries I caught up on my weeds and I was back in business.  By the way, full time Mormon missionaries put in lots of service hours (yes these are the boys in white shirts and ties that usually ride around on bikes).  If you ever need help with just about anything around your house,yard or community, these are the boys to call.  They are wonderful and they don't charge a thing, and you don't have to be Mormon.
 Since my last post I have harvested all of my green beans and carrots and planted more. I have planted patty pan, butternut and zucchini squash.  I actually planted all the squash several times as a couple of snotty crows have been giving me a really hard time. They eat my seeds and tear up my little seedlings. I have begun to harvest my cucumbers and we are really enjoying them.  I also planted three tomato plants, only to have the gophers eat the roots of one and part of another.  They get to the last one and I'm gonna go Caddy Shack on them!  The green onions have been really tasty and last night I just picked my first bell pepper but I'm still waiting on the jalapenos.
Naturally I have already been using my herbs in just about everything I cook.
My life has had some ups and downs of complete chaos lately.  The newest course added to my already full plate is a new full time job.  Unfortunately my garden is showing some signs of neglect again.  But I find that is the beauty of gardening, it can be very forgiving.  We will get back on track together soon.
I'm looking forward to getting back to blogging too.  I'm going to be helping my mom get a small garden started.  It's NEVER too late in So Cal to start a garden, we can do it here all year round.  So I will be sharing some pictures of that.  I will also be sharing my adventures with the gophers, crows and some pesky white flies that have seriously worn out their welcome at my house.
Happy Gardening!

Water, water, water

As I feared when I started this blog, I have come to a dry spell in wit and humor.  As of this moment I have started three different articles on three different topics, and while okay, they just seem to be falling flat.  I think there is a technical term for this, writers block. 

Since I am feeling rather dried up I thought it would be a great time to talk about watering.  Of course the pun was intended but I am seriously not feeling funny.  Watering doesn’t need to be funny.  I know you won’t be laughing once you get your first, post planting, water bill.  I’m serious, you think gas is expensive, just wait.  At least when you buy gas you can watch the meter run.  Not so for the water bill.  Word to the wise, sit before you open it. 

Since I can think of nothing witty to say let’s get to it.  Conserve water when you garden! Sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t?  I just love a good oxymoron – open secret, clearly confused, living dead, definite maybe (a mother’s favorite), freezer burn (I tried to explain that one to my daughter the other day, now that was funny),  and something I may use in this post - constant variable.

I don’t really know if there are watering rules for a vegetable garden.  I guess I never bothered to look into that.  It doesn’t matter though, because as is the case with most everything else, I will do my own thing.  I am going to break my watering tips down into a bulleted list for ease of reading:

•  Make troughs out of your rows.  A picture is worth a thousand words so take a look at the picture below.  This one is of my newly planted carrots. By building these irrigation type troughs the water stays where I put it and doesn’t run all over the place.  Note I planted the seeds in the "valley" not on the hill. 

•  Build "wells" around your plants.  Once your seeds mature into larger plants create a “well” around the plant.  See the picture below of my basil.  Do this for single plants like herbs, cucumbers, tomatoes and squash.  This way you contain the water to just the plant roots and nothing else.

•  Water early in the morning before the sun gets too hot.  Watering early allows the plants to absorb more, with less water being lost to evaporation.  In the summer this usually means watering before 8 am. 
•  Mulch, mulch, mulch.  Keeping the base of your plants covered with good mulch helps retain moisture and also prevents loss of water to evaporation.  I can’t stress how great mulch is.  It also helps prevent weed growth.
•  In some instances you can water infrequently  by soaking plants really well every three or four days.  This encourages them to become deeply rooted as they seek moisture.  But watch for drooping leaves as this is a good indication of when you have made plants go too long without water.  And be careful with infrequent watering because some varieties, like cucumbers, really need lots of water to produce well.  Tomatoes on the other hand don’t really like a lot of water. Take time to learn what your veggies like.  Weather also plays an important role, the hotter the temperatures the more often you will need to hydrate your garden.
• Water the roots, not the plant.  You should never use sprinklers in your vegetable garden.   The leaves aren’t the parts that are absorbing the watering.  Besides losing a lot of water to evaporation, keeping the top part of the plant wet can promote mold and other fungi.  I use soaker hoses in my rows of vegetables for drip irrigation.  A soaker hose is simply a hose with lots of really tiny holes in it that “leaks” water into the ground slowly. 

I find that creating a watering schedule is helpful but be prepared to be flexible based on the weather.  Hotter days require more water, where as cooler temperatures allow you to get away with skipping a day or two.  Remember the oxymoron – constant variable- and you will be fine. I am very busy and have been known to forget to water the garden.  By creating a basic schedule and keeping a simple journal I don’t have to remember when or what plant I watered last, I just look at the schedule and make quick notes when I’ve made an adjustment.  I can hear some of you groaning already, “now she wants us to write things down and make a schedule, how is that simple?”  Well first of all I said make quick notes not write a four page essay, so quit whining.  Second of all I do mean to keep things simple but simple doesn’t mean effortless, so quit whining!  We aren’t done talking about a garden journal either.  We are done talking about watering, for now. 

HOT TIP: seed planting depth

In the spirit of keeping things simple I would like to first say, don't over think how deep you plant your seeds.  A general rule of thumb is to plant seeds to a depth that is twice their diameter. For many tiny seeds like carrots and tomatoes that means you are going to barely cover them with soil.  Larger seeds like beans and squash may go as deep as an inch.  Measure one of your fingers from the tip to your first joint crease and then from the tip to your second joint crease.  That way if you want to be exact to the specifications on your seed packet you will always have a reliable measuring guide with you.  Remember that deeper is not better, you don't want these little guys having to work too hard to push to the surface.  Seeds initially feed themselves with everything they need, if they don't get to the surface within a few days they will peter out and die.  So err on the side of shallow planting.

DECIDING WHAT TO PLANT (seeds continued)

Southern California is a great place to live.  Yes our educational system is to deteriorating to the level of that of a third world country. And true the state is almost bankrupt with enough unemployed people to equal the entire population of the state of Nevada.  Of course there are also enough liberals here to melt a large glacier with one big exhale of their collective hot air. BUT we look good! We have got beaches, mountains and deserts all within a couple of hours of each other.  There aren’t many places you can wake up in the morning and surf for a couple of hours before heading to the dunes for dirt bike riding, only to end the day with an evening session of night boarding in the mountains. It can be done in Southern California if you are 19 and your parents pay your bills. Just ask my son.  However I think the best part of being a So Cal resident is the gentle climate. With the average temperature about 75 degrees at any time of the year, the conditions are perfect for year round vegetable gardening.

Of course that doesn’t mean that you can plant whatever you want, whenever you want. Some things just don’t grow as well in summer as they do in winter and vice versa.  Because it is time for spring planting let’s first talk about what NOT to plant right now.   

Beets, Turnips, Rutabagas-basically most root veggies, Cabbage, Peas-all types, Lettuces-all types, Spinach, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and most Greens-mustard, collard etc. are cool weather crops and they won’t do well in the spring/summer season.  You will want to plant them in LATE summer for early winter harvest.   They can also be planted in February for spring harvest, but it is too late for that now, so if you have them put them away.  Don’t just toss them in the garden shed either. Store them away in a cool place. The refrigerator is best but a cool place in the garage will work. The garden shed is NOT the best option.  Think about how hot it gets in there in the summer. Would you want to be stuck in there for three or four months under those conditions? Your seeds don’t either so find a better place.  Go now before you forget and ruin them.  Oh and remember if you aren’t sure how old your seeds are, or they have been imprisoned in the sweat shed, throw ‘em out and get new ones.  (See my post Seeds are created equal.....)

Below I have listed a few of my favorite things to plant for Spring:

Radishes grow REALLY fast and do well all year long (great for winter) and are really fun for planting with kids because they do produce so quickly.  The only problem with kids is radishes are spicy and not always so fun to eat.

Squash/Zucchini is perfect for the gardening newbie.  These plants are adaptable and hardy but do need some room.  There are summer and winter varieties but both can be planted at the same time. The winter varieties just take a bit longer to grow for Fall harvest (think pumpkins). Squash leaves do tend to be prone to mold so make sure you check out my "HOT TIP" on how to prevent and eradicate garden mold.  Here is another hot tip....ONE to TWO squash plants are sufficient unless you are feeding the whole neighborhood.  If you are going to over plant, make friends now so your neighbors don't think you are creepy later when you try to pawn food off on them.  And it goes both ways, I think people who don't know me well and take food from me are a little creepy themselves.  Sometimes I offer veggies to strangers just to see who the creepers are.  No! not really, I'm just kidding, but test the waters. You may not want to have that kind of relationship with all of your neighbors. First you share your zucchini and the next thing you know the Joneses want to borrow money or your car.  All I'm saying is be careful! Oh and one more thing.  If you are going to share squash, please pick them when they are small to medium size.  Three foot long 20 pound zucchinis are really hard to wash and slice. Not to mention that the larger they get the more bitter they can become. 

Bush Beans are the only green beans I plant. They grow fairly quick, are easy to grow, don’t take up a lot of room and don’t need to climb up a trellis or pole contraption. They taste great.

Carrots are another easy to grow crop that does well all year long. Root veggies are just great for winter so save some seeds for planting in late summer too.  I plant my carrots in a raised bed because the soil is softer and it keeps my carrots from becoming deformed.

Tomatoes are a garden staple. And I am going to completely ruin my credibility here by saying that tomatoes hate me.  Until last year I really didn't have good luck with them.  I think that is because I really didn't like to eat them until recently.  Which proves my point, if you don't eat it, don't plant it.  You won't be inspired to take care of it.  Despite my problems tomatoes are fairly easy to grow and there are tons of varieties, in all sizes, shapes and colors.

Cucumbers can be a pain but they are so worth the effort.  They need lots of water, and are climbers so you will need a trellis to keep them off the ground. They are also prone to mold.  Keep them away from brick wall corners.  The heat from this type of placement just sucks the life out of your cucumber plants. There is nothing like a fresh from the garden cucumber in your salad or homemade pickles for the more ambitious.  With so many varieties to choose from there is something for everyone.  Japanese and English are my favorites because you don't have to peel them.  However, even cucs that are labeled as "pickling" taste great fresh. In fact my Dad likes these in his salad better than any of the others. The flavor is incredible. You will just have to peel the pickling types because their skin can be very tough.  Also remember that the larger they get the bigger the seeds inside get. 

Cantaloupe/Melons/Pumpkins take up a LOT of room. They need to spread out, far. Before you plant these guys make sure you can commit to the space they need. These aren’t the best choice for a novice either. Pumpkins need help with the mating process (see below under corn). And most of you will pick your melons before they are ripe.  


Things I don't always plant, I find to be difficult or not worth the effort:

Onions  really work well year round. But they take FOREVER to grow into an onion.  Two options with onions.  I plant seeds and use the green stalks as fresh chives or scallions (see picture at left). For actual onions I use onion bulbs from the garden store, you can get a bunch in a net bag and these take less time to grow. But considering the money you will spend in water, and especially if you are tight on space, you may not want to plant onions. 

Bell (Green) Peppers are a good choice but can be temperamental and also grow very slowly.  If they don’t like where you plant them the blossoms will fall off or the peppers will be really small.  You may have to play with location and yes a few feet can make a difference. Because they grow slow you may want to buy a couple of plants from your local nursery instead of starting these from seed. Bonus! if you want Red Bells just leave them on the vine a little longer.  The longer you leave them the sweeter they get.  

Corn needs to mate, pumpkins aren't the only ones having sex (I mentioned this in my very first post A Blog is Born.  Professionals would say they need to be hand pollinated but that sounds kind of kinky. Besides "pollinate" didn't get your attention the way “sex” did and that’s why you are reading my blog and not a professional’s. Geez I can’t seem to stay on task. ANYWAY with Corn you will need to plant a lot of it for it to pollinate properly or you will have to do it by hand. If it doesn’t pollinate, then you will have some really neat stalks to use for Halloween decorations but no corn to eat. 
Potatoes are a LOT of work! And they too need a fair amount of space. Taters aren't for the novice gardener.  There is lots to say about potatoes so I will cover them later. 


I will eventually be covering most of the plants in individual posts but for now I wanted to give you an overview of the things I am most likely to plant.  Coming next: 

• getting your seeds in the ground, how low can they go
• planting seeds versus adopting plants
• should you start your seeds in pots and transplant to the garden? I can answer that now. You can, but I don't. Its too much work and unnecessary in our climate 
• how I plant to maximize my water usage 
• and whatever else I think of that might fit this theme

Also next week I will share pictures of my own little plot of land.  

.  

SEEDS ARE CREATED EQUAL THEN MAN MESSED WITH THEM

 I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I’m a Mormon.  We like to call ourselves Latter Day Saints or LDS for short.  Unlike my rant on hormones, being LDS has a lot to do with gardening.  Mormons tend to be very big in the arena of food storage and emergency preparedness, with gardening being a huge part of that arena.   Our women’s organization, called the Relief Society, has a  person who handles emergency preparedness for us.  Our EP specialist is Linda.  Linda is awesome. She makes sure we get the best deals on water barrels, dehydrated foods, portable toilets and even a handy emergency “washer” for laundry.  It was really a stick with an odd looking plunger thingy on the end. We all laughed at it and then bought it.  The latest and greatest from Linda was this huge bag filled a bunch of smaller bags of non-hybrid seeds.   One interesting thing about LDS women is we set our own trends.  Back in the ‘70's no self respecting Mormon mom was without her glass grapes and wheat grinder. Enter the‘80's and most LDS women had a quilting frame (that didn't mean they were quilters).  In the ‘90s scrapbooking started, resurrecting much needed kindergarten skills.  Although food storage/emergency preparation has always been a hot topic in the LDS community there are "sub" trends.  Not to be left out of the latest "sub" trend, quite a few people bought these bags of seeds. It really was a great deal and I’m sure there is real support for being prepared and for gardening.  But! if I were a gambler (Mormons don’t gamble) I would bet some serious cash on the fact that half of the people who bought these seeds did so because they thought they should. Many of my friends won't even use them. Others will plant only a fraction of what they bought. Most won’t store the seeds properly and they won’t keep.  Still others will plant but will eventually neglect their gardens.  Proving that blind obedience won’t get you fresh veggies or save your butt in an emergency; only planning and hard work will do that.  Gardening can be simple but it will always be hard work.

Hey you non-Mormon readers don’t get off the hook. I bet (not really, I don't gamble) that you have your share of seeds that you bought and ended up never using.  And should we take a poll to see how many of you are plant killers?  If you aren’t careful you are going to end up just like the Forever Gardeners above.  

 What is a Forever Garden? The Lord created non-hybrid seeds. In that context they are perfect. Then man got scientific and created hybrids. Man never does anything as well as the Lord. Non-hybrid seeds reproduce.  See after you harvest your vegetables, fruits etc. a plant can be left to continue to grow until it “goes to seed”. Seeds that you can harvest, dry out if necessary and use to plant for next season. (click here to learn more). Hence the name Forever Garden. And you thought it had to do with eternity.  Nope. Eternity has more to do with life after mortal life. Sorry but I’m pretty sure the garden falls into the “can’t take it with you” category.  We have no time to cover eternity here but if you want to know more  http://mormon.org/ may help.

Hybrid seeds are not bad they are just one hit wonders. You won't get as much bang for your buck but there are really cool varieties of hybrid plants that I would encourage to try.  Think about what your needs are, what you have time for and choose accordingly. 

If you already have seeds then check the dates on them, they do expire. If you aren't sure how long you have had them and/or you didn't store them properly, throw them out and get new ones. Old seeds, improperly stored seeds won't grow well, if at all. The worst part is, you may end up thinking you did something wrong and it has nothing to do with you. Your seeds are just bad.  Good garden seeds are worth investing in. I did get the Forever Garden bag this year but I usually buy my seeds from a catalog or online.  I think you get a better quality from online companies than you do from the local stores. Also most of the store bought seeds are hybrids and therefore don't reproduce. There are many web sites to choose from and I don't really have a favorite.  

The next post will be coming soon because I know many of you are ready to plant.  I will be discussing what to plant and what not to plant for the summer season.  You may want to wait for the next post before you go seed shopping. 

MOLD

Occasionally when the mood strikes I am going to offer a random hot tip. My husband will be the first to tell you I am terribly moody so I could be posting hot tips rather often.
Here is the first one!  I have been doing some intense research on mold in the garden.  I have a problem with mold. My backyard is on the north side of our house and it always seems to be damp.  There are chemical options to eradicate fungi, but I'm not sure any of them are safe for veggie plants. Besides I have dogs and kids, I don't want chemicals in my yard at all. My research tells me that mixing CORNMEAL into the soil will help keep the mold out of your garden.
PREVENT MOLD -- Now I have to confess I have never tried this, but even if it doesn't work it won't hurt anything.  Cornmeal from the store will work just fine, as does horticultural grade cornmeal.  The meal from the grocery store runs about  $2.00 per pound or $4.50 for a 40oz box.  I have no idea where in Orange County you can purchase the horticultural grade but it is cheaper.  You can buy it in bulk over the internet, however the shipping cost more than doubles the price. Most of you should be able to make due with one or two boxes from the store.
IN THE SOIL
The recommended ratio is 2 pounds of cornmeal for every 100 square feet (or 10' x 10') area.  Spread it out, mix it into the soil and water it well.  The water activates the fungus killing properties so you gotta water it.
Or if you already have plants that are prone to mold:

CORN MEAL JUICE

Mix one cup of cornmeal with a gallon of water and let it soak overnight.  Strain the liquid and place in a spray bottle to spray susceptible plants.

TO GET RID OF EXISTING MOLD --  Use this recipe to get rid of powdery mold. (See photo)
Baking Soda Recipe
First, water the infected plants WELL a couple of days before applying 
then mix together
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon liquid soap
1 gallon of water
Mix well and spray on affected plants.
The liquid soap helps the soda water to stick to the plants


DO NOT STORE THE UNUSED MIXTURE -use it right away then toss any leftovers
CAUTION!! This mixture can burn the leaves of some plants so test it out in a small area first AND DO NOT APPLY IN FULL SUN. I recommend applying at the end of the day.

And one more tip. If you decide to remove any foliage that is infected with the mold, be careful! Wear a mask of some kind, gloves and some sort of eye wear. The powdery mold is just that, powdery, and when disturbed it will fly everywhere.  If you have asthma or allergies this can even be dangerous.  You don't want your garden making you sick.

Dirt Is Not Soil, Soil Is Not Dirt

One thing I have noticed recently is that every time I get together with girl friends we have a rousing chat about our hormones.  We can be talking about my garden blog or one of our kids and the conversation can flip in an instant to the state of our hormones.  Just last week I was at lunch with a group of girls and it took less than 30 minutes for us to spin ourselves right into talking about night sweats, the ebb and flow of our menstrual cycle, how many periods we have had in the last year, and most importantly what drugs we are taking to make/keep ourselves feeling sane. This was over LUNCH but it felt more like a 12 step group meeting where I could have stood up and said, "Hi my name is Mary and I am a pre-menopausal freak."   Thank goodness for my girl friends because I find out in those therapy sessions disguised as lunch that I am not alone, yes it CAN get worse, no it won't kill me, and I should probably jot down notes during my next hormonal moment so I can have a good story to tell at the next "lunch"!
What does all this have to do with gardening?  Absolutely nothing. But now that I am heading into menopause I have found that I can talk about it whenever I want. No one will stop me because it seems that most people, especially men, are scared to death of a woman when she says she is "hormonal". Perception is power, don't ever forget that.

Rant over, on to gardening.  Last week we talked about dirt.  This week we are going to talk about soil.  Dirt should not be confused with soil.  Soil is amended dirt. Here this might help. Dirt is like the B cup that the Lord gave you, soil is like the push up bra you bought at Victoria's secret to give yourself a C cup.  You just did a little amendment and you got something better.  Some people are okay with a little amendment others want complicated implants.  But implants require testing, invasive procedures and you really need an expert to make sure things don't get screwed up.  Why go and get implants when a push up bra will do?  Seriously though amending your soil can be tricky if you aren't careful. Too much nitrogen can produce beautiful green plants that don't bear fruit. Too much phosphorus hinders a plants ability to take up nutrients from the soil.  There is also much debate about the accuracy of home soil test kits.  I just try to keep it simple. It is really all I have time for and simple hasn't failed me yet.
In my area of Orange County the dirt, when dry, is like baby powder. You get it wet and some of the dirt floats up; it also takes forever for the water to soak in and become really well moistened. Once wet, the dirt becomes thick and clay like and can end up drying into hard clumps.  I found a quick and easy push up bra (solution) in the picture above.  This Kellogg garden soil comes in a huge bag that will cover 3 cubic feet.  In English -  it will cover about the length and width of your average picnic table if you make it about as deep as your middle finger.  See there are other good  (I mean better) uses for that finger.  If you want to make the soil deeper obviously you will need a smaller picnic table.  Spread the contents of the bag out on dirt that you have moistened pretty well.  I said moist not muddy, if you can plaster a house with it you got it too wet. Then use a large pitch fork or hoe to mix it in with the dirt. What it will do is add nutrients to your dirt, making it soil that will not only be healthier but will keep the moisture content more consistent.  Actually that is the gauge that I use to judge how deep/thick to make the amendment, is by how well the new soil hangs onto the water. If it still has that silty, baby powder texture that turns into clay I will add more.  The Kellogg garden soil can be found at Home Depot. I haven't check the prices recently but at one time it was the cheaper choice when figuring in cost per foot.
Having soil that retains moisture well is important. Whether you amend your soil with something like the Kellogg mix or you just top the area with a mulch after planting, you want to hang onto as much water as possible.  In fact when I amended my soil I was more concerned about keeping the water in than I was  about nutrients.  Water in So Cal is expense. We are in a perpetual drought. If you don't do something to maximize your water use it is going to cost you a fortune.
I just got my non-hybrid seeds today so I will be planting soon.  If you are going to amend your soil then do that this week so we can all plant together next week.