Get In The Garden

more Homebrewfest pictures

2009-08-26T16:29:00.001-07:00

IBU HOMEBREWFEST

2009-08-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

The Iowa Brewers Union held the first ever Homebrewfest on 8/22/2009. Here are some pictures...

Pictures of the hops

2009-08-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Garden Update

2009-08-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted in a while:

Tomatoes - look like crap but are producing very well.
Peppers - a bust! Looks like the cool weather has caused some problems
Pac Choi, cauliflower - both did pretty well, although they both tend to bolt pretty quickly

Others - not so good this year. I need to be better with upkeep.

Plants in the dirt!

2009-05-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

I always feel better once I get my plants in the ground. Last night Shannon and I planted our tomatoes; and a few other things. After the loss of our dog we have been spending more time in the garden. It has helped us to keep our minds off our loss as well as allowed us to talk about it - kind of strange we can do both things at the same time. I think the best thing we can do is spend time together and planting things helps. Shannon usually doesn't spend much time with the vegetables but I know it's very hard for her to be alone in the house right now. Any time we spend together right now just helps us work through our grief.

We planted:
Pineapple, Beam's Yellow Pear, Brandywine (Sudduth's), Hillbilly Potato Leaf, German Pink, Gold Medal, Federle, Old German, & Big Mama Hybrid tomatoes.

We also planted:
Tomatillos, Pac Choi, Cauliflower - Cheddar, Cauliflower - Graffiti Hybrid, Cauliflower - Rosalind.

Sunday we planted onions and some seeds:
Onions - Red Hamburger, and a white and yellow variety we picked up as plants from our local Earl May garden center. I like to plant the starts that are skinny and maybe 4-6 inches long and wrapped together in bundles of maybe 50 or 75 plants. They work great in the square foot garden.

As for seeds we went with:
Radishes - French Breakfast - Burpees
Lima Beans - Fordhook No. 242 and Henderson Bush - Burpees and American Seed
Spinach - Avon Hybrid and Baby's Leaf hybrid - both from Burpee
Arugula - Rocket - Burpee
Popcorn - Japanese White Hull-Less - Gurney's

I also planted some cucumbers - Straight 8 from an old packet I had, and Diva from Park Seeds. I also want to plant one more variety, Fanfare from NK seeds. They were in my pocket but I forgot to plant them...oops.

Whew! My back is sore just typing this!

Next up - the Peppers! The plan is to put them in the dirt this weekend. I also have a couple of Okra plants that I have not yet figured where to plant.

Next up...flowers!

Hey Porter

2009-05-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today was a very sad day. We had to put down our dog, companion, little guy and all around best friend, Porter. He had become sick over the last month or so. It started with the occasional loss of bladder control and some weakness in his back legs. We thought he had a bladder infection and he just finished treatment for that earlier in the week. This morning started out fine but almost immediately he went downhill. He could not move his hind legs well at all. We took him to the vet hospital and they thought he might have some sort of immune system problem that was making him anemic and it was made worse by the bladder infection. We left him there so they could observe and treat. A few hours later we got a phone call stating that they found a large tumor that had pretty much destroyed his bladder. At that point it was clear there was not much that could be done for him and that he wasn't going to get any better. We decided that we couldn't bear the thought of him suffering or having any long drawn out struggle with the inevitable so we made the decision to put him down. Heartbroken doesn't even begin to describe how my wife and I feel. Less than 24 hours ago he was playing and cuddling with us and now he's gone. We always knew this day would come but it's so difficult.

His AKC name was 'Hey Porter!' from the Johnny Cash song of the same title. In addition, I am a homebrewer and on of my favorite styles of beer is Porter. It seemed to fit. He was a Boston Terrier that was bigger that just about any other Boston I have ever seen. He was around 35 pounds and strong as a bull. We knew we were in trouble the day we brought him home. He whined and cried all they way home unless we held him up so he could see us. That first night we tried to have him sleep in a box. He whined and cried until my wife finally said, "why don't we just put here in bed with us until he stops crying". He never slept anywhere but the bed again.

We had him for maybe 10 months when, while playing with me, his cornea was scratched. We were frantic. We ended up at Iowa State University's vet hospital at midnight, in the rain, and left him there to have surgery on hie eye. We picked him up a few days later and, while we were still in the parking lot, he ripped the stitches open and we had the have the surgery done again. That was a really sad day when we had to leave him the second time. When we picked him up we were told that the students had celebrated "Porter Day" by decorating his cage. Every one we saw said they were so happy he was able to go home and that they would miss him.

A few years later, while my dad was terminally ill with cancer we brought Porter over to visit. Dad was nearing the end and was going in and out of consciousness. When Porter came in the room he went over and jumped up on the bed. Dad sort of came through and was 'there' with us. He was petting the dog and we were all able to have a conversation with him. It lasted for about 5 minutes or so. That was the last time he was able to speak with any of us and he passed a few days later. It was incredible to see.

Those are just a few of the memories I have and I feel a little better sharing them today. If you have a dog give him an extra hug and a kiss for Shannon and me. Also, rub his belly and scratch his ears; Porter really liked that.

Hops planted

2009-05-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

I planted the hops in their final location. From East to West they are:
Nugget
Centennial
Mt Hood
Zeus
East Kent Golding
Fuggles

More Seeds Started

2009-04-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

I've just finished planting more seeds for the garden. First, I ran into a friend of mine at work yesterday and he asked if I could start some tomatoes for him. There is still some time left so I said sure.
Here's what I planted:
Gold Medal, Lemon Boy, Mortgage Lifter, Super Marmande, Yellow Pear, Orange Jubilee, Striped Stuffer. I've grown all of these in the past and my thinking is I want them to have a variety of sizes, colors and flavors. Some of the seed packets were kind of old so I planted many seeds in one cell hoping to overcome any germination issues that may come from their age. Th seed packet for the Orange Jubilee are from 1996. It's surprising how things have changed. There are probably 500 seeds in the packet while today most only contain 20-50 seeds.

Here's what else I planted for my garden:
Tomatillos
Pac Choi - Territorial Seed - First time with these
Cauliflower - Cheddar - Stokes Seeds - This is an orange variety
Cauliflower - Graffiti Hybrid - Vibrant purple head
Cauliflower - Rosalind - Early maturing purple variety
I can see this colored vegetable trend building

Also started some herbs:
3 Italian Flat Leafed Parsley
3 Extra Curled Dwarf Parsley
2 Broadleaf Sage
2 Common Sage

I started the herbs, pac choi, tomatillos & cauliflower in the little peat pellets. I stopped using these a few years ago as I prefer the cells. I still have a sack full of them so I decided I need to use them up.

Harvesting and starting hop rhizomes

2009-03-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I harvested a few rhizomes from my hop plants as well as started a few others I ordered. Here's a step by step for you.

If you take a look at the end of my trowel you may be able to see what looks like a bit of dead bine. You may also see some small whitish buds where the bine hits the ground. That's the new growth. What you do is grab hold of the dead bine and gently pull up.

Here's what you get when you pull it up - a nice 8 inch rhizome! The base is attached to the main crown of the plant. Since I'm harvesting with the intent of keeping the plant from spreading too much as well as getting a few rhizomes to give away I'll just cut this at the ground.
Here's what you get - a nice chunk of Fuggle's ready to plant. But not so fast my friend! First I'll trim of the dead stuff. Also, I dont want to trim the fine hairy roots. They'll get the plants off to a good start.

Here you see it in it's next resting place, a pot. This is not the permanent home, just something temporary until I find a new owner. You'll notice it's planted horizontaly. I figure this is how it was growing on the original plant so why change it. Some folks will plant vertically with the new growth pointing up. I suppose it doesn't matter.

On to the next plant - My East Kent Goldings. I am attempting to remove the entire plant as I already have 2 and need the room for others. Here's one of the rhizomes I pulled up - it's about 18 inches long, I should get a few out of this one.

Here's a close up of the rhizome. Look at all the new shoots ready to grow. Also take note of the fine roots. Getting these into the soil before they dry out is key to getting a good start.

Here's some more of the Goldings. Look how big those are! I planted these last year when I moved the plant. The rhizome was the size of the one above. Not bad for one year of growth.

Here's a look at that sucker while it was still in the ground.

And after a little trimming. BTW - those blocks are 6 inches wide so that should give you an idea of how big they are. To think, the original rhizome I ordered about 7 years ago was the size of a golf pencil. I think I gave away 20 rhizomes this size last year.

Lastly, here are my new plants. Zues, Mt Hood & Centennial. I am temporarily strating them in pots and will plant them after they get a good growth goingt. This way if we get a cold wet patch like last year I can move them into the garage for a day or two if needed.

PEPPER SEEDS STARTED

2009-03-21T05:13:00.000-07:00

I got up this morning ans started the peppers. Maybe i should have done this last week but it's noting to worry about - I'll still have plenty at the end of the season. I planted 2 each of the sweet peppers. I'll give half to my mom for her garden. I followed the same process as usual. Here's what I planted:

Sweet Peppers:
Marconi Hybrid - Park's
Super Heavyweight Hybrid - Gurneys
Golden Star Hybrid - Territorial
Hybrid Colossal - Gurney's
They're all supposed to be big blocky bells. We'll see. I usually do a fair job with peppers. They don't have a lot of problems to deal with like tomatoes. You just want to watch that you don't over fertilize.

Hot Peppers:
Early Jalapeno - Earl May - Basic Jalapeno
Fish - Seed Savers - African American Heirloom with variegated foliage and striped fruits.
Ancho Gigantea - Seed Savers - Grown for the last few years
Senorita Hybrid - Territorial - Jalapeno
Holy Mole Hybrid - Territorial - When ripe they are brown
Cubanelle - Not really a hot pepper but I wanted this type for cooking
Red & Orange Habanero - Lake Valley Seed - Small plants with super hot fruits
Red & Orange Jamaican Hot - Lake Valley Seed - Same as the Hab's. These last two were from a seed pack I dug from the archives. I haven't grown either for a few years. They are small plants but the fruits are reall neat looking and hotter than the surface of the sun!

I'm one of those gardeners that grows just one plant of each variety. I don't have the space and I don't need that many vegetables. We like to eat the stuff fresh from the garden. You just cant beat that.

TOMATO SEEDS STARTED

2009-03-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

I started the seeds this evening. The only real difference between previous years is that I used black plastic 4 cell planters. I just had them and decided to use them up. This year I did not go and buy many new seeds. Trying to be economical and use what I have. For the most part, it's the same as last year:

Pineapple - Territorial
Beam's Yellow Pear - Seed Savers - Old Standby
Brandywine (Sudduth's) - Seed Savers
Hillbilly Potato Leaf - Seed Savers
German Pink - Seed Savers
Gold Medal - Not Sure where I got this
Federle - Seed Savers - did great last year - large fruit
Old German - Terrotorial -
Big Mama Hybrid - Burpee - A hybrid paste type. Just decided to try something different.

Last year was not a great year for the tomatoes. A long cold wet spring caused all kinds of problems. The Verticillium Wilt got into most of them before I could get good strong development. The Federle and German Pink did well. This year I will do a better job of mulching.

Seed Starting Time

2009-03-18T06:57:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again - time to start some seeds!

I usually wait until St Patricks Day before I begin anything. That is 8 weeks before my last frost date and there is no reason to start anything prior to that. I don't want my plants to be too leggy.

This year will be similar to past years. Tomatos & peppers will be my primary starts. I'll grow some for my mom and a couple of her friends as well as my own. I'm also starting a permanent herb garden this year. I usually have some growing in pots but now I have a space devoted to them (at the suggestion of my wife - who usually sees the obvious things that seem to pass me by).

This year I did not purcase many seeds. Trying to keep expenses down, plus I have so many I really need to use up or throw away. I'll be growing many of the same varieties I posted about previously.

DIY CIP - cheap and easy

2009-02-18T05:29:00.000-08:00

One of the other things I spend my time and money on is homebrewing beer. You may have guessed this by the hops I grow. After my last brew day I had a bunch of stuff to clean, as always, and I wanted to just wait and do it later. I had seen pictures of Clean In Place devices and thought that would be pretty neat to have, but with budgets being tight, I figured that would be something I can do without. After cleaning a keg the other day I realized I had nearly everything I needed to cobble together a cheap and easy CIP. The only thing I purchased was a riser for a sprinkler - for $1.50 on a clearance rack.

Here are the basic parts: Pond Pump with riser attached, large tub, milk crate. I use the pond pump for a recirculating chiller. I had the large tub that I used for soaking bottles and general cleaning or storage. The milk crate? Who doesn't have a few of these around the house.

Here's how I use it: I fill the tub with 5-6 gallons of hot water and my favorite cleaner (Oxyclean, PBW, One Step or whatever I have on hand). I place the pond pump in the middle of the of the tub. I place the crate over the pump, sliding the riser through the bottom. I then place the item being cleaned - be it a bucket, carboy, or keg - over the riser. Plug in the pump and let it go for 10-20 minutes. It's clean as a whistle.

It's that time...

2008-12-28T13:32:00.001-08:00

Here it is - ice cold and snow covered and all the garden catalogs are starting to come in. I'm ready to start planting - but I'll have to plan first.

Gooseberries

2008-06-24T18:35:00.001-07:00

I just like the pictures...I think the variety is Pixwell.

Tomato progress

2008-06-24T18:09:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted much about my tomatoes this year. They are doing great this year. We've had a ton of rain and that may have helped some. This year I planted several new and a few trusted varieties.

Here's what I went with this year:
Pineapple - had great success with them last year. Great flavor and BIG. Territorial Seed Co.
Beam's Yellow Pear - For my wife cause she loves them - Seed Savers Exchange
Brandywine (Sudduths's) - I haven't grown Brandywine's for a few years. I can't remember why cause they are great - SSE
Hillbilly Potato Loaf - New for me - Big - yellow red - right up my alley - SSE
Green Sausage - Green cylindrical shaped - Determinate - I haven't grown anything like them for a while - MTF - SSE
German Pink - Big, German, Pink - Describes me after I've been in the sun - SSE
Gold Medal - New for me - gold with red streaks - I sense a pattern - SSE
Federle - Big long paste tomatoes. New for me - SSE
Old German - Red and Gold streaked big meaty flesh - Territorial Seed Co.

Here is the first fruit of the year. It is the Green Sausage. Truthfully I pinched off a few fruits a couple of weeks ago or I may have had a couple of nearly ripe fruits in JUNE! This is one odd looking plant. It just sprawls all over the place. The leave are sparse and long with several clusters of fruit spread all over the plant. They seem to be resisting my efforts to stake them. I may let them win.

Here are all the tomatoes. They are in the north bed this year. I also made a better effort to put more space between them as I felt they were a little cramped last year. They are all 2 feet apart in all directions. So far so good.

This is the Hillbilly Potato Loaf. Nice healthy looking plant.

I believe this is a flower from the German Pink.

Hops Update

2008-06-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well I did it...I killed some hops...I'm so ashamed...I think it was inconsistent watering...too little followed by too much...not to mention the rain mother nature blessed us with in the first half of June. So my Cascades and Magnum are gone. I'll be looking to replace them next spring.

Here is a hop cone, at least it will be. Right now it's a burr. This is a blooming flower from the hop plant. Plants used for cone production are all female. I don't know the technical parts of the flower but I'm pretty sure you can see almost all of them. This is a Kent Golding that came up along the east side of my deck. I thought I dug it all up but...

Here's the burr just starting to emerge. This is a Fuggles I transplanted.

Here is another burr from a Nuggett plant I moved this year.

Here is the Nuggett. the bottom of the eve is about 8 feet tall. I snipped the growing tip at that point. The bines on the left are up to about 10 feet. I snip the growing tips to encourage side shoots. These shoots are where the hop cones actually grow. This plant looks good this year.

The one on the left is the Fuggles. A windy thunderstorm did a number on it and snapped some of the bines at about 3 feet, I looks like the survivors are coming back and I expect them to do fine this year. The one in the middle is a transplanted Kent Golding. It's growing like crazy, about 14-15 feet tall. The one on the right is another Kent Golding. I planted it just to fill in a blank spot and it has taken off. I think next year it will be a winner. Look at the far left at the lattice under my deck...there are some 'volunteer' Fuggles. They really like that corner.

Tomatoes & Peppers planted

2008-05-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

Just a quick entry - I planted my tomatoes and peppers this evening. They were started using the same method as last year. I'm giving them a little more space this year. That's probably more for harvesting than anything else. I'll get some pictures up next week.

I'm heading out with some friends for a weekend of camping and disc golf, so there will be no hops update until early next week. They are doing fine and I am seeing the Fuggles, Goldings and Nugget going strong. The new ones are slowly coming along. Scroll down and see some pictures from last week. They look just like that, only bigger!

Weekly Hop Update

2008-05-10T06:53:00.001-07:00

Here it is a week later and there is a lot of growth to report. Overall, the plants I moved are all doing great, while the rhizomes I planted are all struggling. I'm not worried about them because I know they will pull through. You'll see what I mean later. The first picture shows the overall view of the hop yard. The Fuggles is at the bottom of the picture followed by Cascade, Goldings, Goldings, Cascade, Magnum, Nugget.

Here is the Fuggles. It's growing like crazy. I expect it will grow a good foot or so a week.

Next is the Goldings. I had to help the shoots get over to the trellis but once I did they took over from there.

The Return Of The Cascade! Last week the frost got the only growing shoot. I gently dug it up and found it was getting ready to push up another one, so I replanted it. Yesterday it popped through the soil. Now that it has a leaf out it will do just fine.Next is another Goldings. I had so many extra Rhizomes that I felt I should plant one more. This one sprouted in a week and is now doing fine.

Here is the Magnum. I really think the frost last week put a dent in this one. There was a third shoot that has died back. The small one on the left has stopped and the big one on the right has slowed to a crawl compared to the rest of the plants. A little warm weather should get this one going again.

Here is the Nuggett. It seems to be enjoying it's new home. I came home one evening and all the bines had started wrapping around the string. No help from me. It's already bigger around than it ever was in it's old spot. I've got another cascade that just seem to be taking it's own sweet time. I dug it up earlier in the week and there are shoots ready to pop up. We'll see if this is the week it decides to join the others.

Container Garden

2008-05-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

This year I'm going to grow more vegetables in containers. I've got 4 large pots with potatoes, 3 with a lettuce mix, and a couple others I haven't yet decided upon. This first picture shows what I've got going as of this morning. We had a rain shower so everything is green and wet.
The next picture shows a mesclun mix. I probably planted a little too much here. I sprinkled the seeds along the top and set the pot out. It's a 12 inch self watering pot and I think it's working fine. The self watering part is a mesh piece that runs along the bottom of the pot. There is a large water reservoir built into the pot that the mesh runs into. The water reservoir holds at least a gallon and probably more. The mesh makes the water available to the pot without having it sit in water. As the water in the pot is used by the plants or evaporates, it is pulled through the mesh into the soil mixture. I noticed that the self watering pots had seedling up and growing well before the standard pot. In the picture above the standard pot is the square one. It was planted the same date as the two self watering pots just to the right of it.

Below are two of the four pots with potatoes. They were planted in late March and left outdoors. I've only watered once or twice as we have had a lot of rain this spring. The variety is La Ratte, an heirloom fingerling variety from Seed Savers Exchange. I'm also planting some in the garden just to compare

Garden Started

2008-05-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

After the long cold spring I finally got around to planting some of the garden. I always feel better when that happens. Onions, shallots, spinach and carrots are planted. Tomatoes and peppers will be in the ground in a couple of weeks. More info to follow...

More Hop Progress (plus they're hard to kill!)

2008-05-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

Things have progressed and here it is a week later. We had a heavy frost and that caused a set back for one of the plants.

Here are the Fuggles. They've done well this week with no apparent damage from the frost. I am starting to wind them around the strings. Once they get started they will twist around the strings themselves.

Below are the Kent Goldings. They are coming up all over the place. I did some digging and it looks like they grew laterally before they broke the ground surface. I'll have to come up with something to get the growing towards the trellis.

This is the Nugget. Notice how the tips of the shoots are pointing towards the sun. I'll probably start winding them around the strings this week. They needs a few more inches of growth first.

Unfortunately the Cascade got taken out by the frost. You can see the wilted brown shoot between the bricks. I dug this one up and found a new shoot so I'm pretty sure it will come around.

The Magnum is coming along fine. I didn't get a good picture so I decided to skip it this week. I also have another Cascade that I'm not sure about. I dug around it and it looks like it might be sending something up this week.

Here's what I mean about hops being hard to kill...This picture is some of the Fuggles. I dug this plant on April 6th (see my previous blog post). This little shoot is growing about 6 feet from where the original plant was.

Below is some of the Kent Goldings. It's coming up all over underneath the deck, despit my efforts to pull it all up and move it. I'll let both of these grow and cover part of the deck.

Four Days later

2008-04-27T09:38:00.001-07:00

Look at the picture below and see 4 days of growth. I moved the brick that anchors the trellis so the bines can start climbing.

Hop Progress

2008-04-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

I snapped a few pictures this morning. It's amazing what heavy rain and sunshine can do!

Here is the Fuggle. This was a very large crown that I replanted (see the previous post). Looks like it's off to a great start!

Here's the Kent Goldings. This was a smaller rhizome, I'm expecting it to take of here with the warmer weather. At least I HOPE it does.

Here's a new one for me, a Cascade. This is one I ordered from Norther Brewer and was distributed by Freshops. It was the size of a golf pencil when I planted.

This is a Magnum from Northern Brewer/Freshops. I just planted it this year. It was a little bigger and nicer looking than the Cascade and I think you can tell by the early growth.

This is a Nugget that I transplanted about a month ago. It was growing on the fence the last few years. It's never done real well for me, but I'm giving it a prime spot so I think/hope it will do better.

I also have another Cascade that I got in a trade. It was soaking wet when I got it so I'm not sure how it will do. It still hasn't come up yet but I'm not concerned at this point.

Hops

2008-04-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

I've grown hops for home brewing for a couple of years. Today I finished moving 2 of my plants to their new home. Here's how it happened...

Below is the first plant I moved. The variety is Fuggles used for ales. I moved this here 3 years ago. I have done very little to it. Pour some fertilizer on the crown each spring and thats about it. It's grown very well and produced very well until a wind storm came along and stripped most of the cones off it.

This is the second plant I moved. East Kent Goldings. More about that below.

Here is a rhizome. These grow off to the side form the main crown. If you picture the main crown off to the right, you can see how the plant expands. These are right at and just below the soil surface. Notice the new growth and the roots. Last year, this was a bine. If you look at the dried brown end on the left going to the top of the picture, imagine this as the growing shoot last year. The bine itself was in contact with the soil and it sent out roots over the winter and new growth this spring. Drop this in the soil and you've got everything you need for a new hop plant.

This should give you an idea of two things, the size of the crown and the size of the roots. Look how big around the root is next to the shovel. There were at least 6 roots of this size on this crown and they grew on average 5 feet long (Probably longer, but they would break off when I pulled them up). Some of them I had to cut with a saw.

After a good 45 minutes of digging I finally got this monster out of the earth. Here it is next to a 5 gallon bucket to compare.

Here is the bottom. It looks like there was no one main taproot and instead it sent roots out in all directions. The roots are easy to distinguish from the rhizomes.

Here's a closer view of the crown. Look at all of the shoots. I divided this thing up and replanted it. I would guess I trimmed about 75 percent of it off. I planted one large section of the crown and will use the rest to trade or give away.

Here are the rhizomes I harvested . I didn't bother to count but as you can see, there's a lot. Place one in the ground and 4 years later you can start the process all over again.

Here's a closer view of the rhizomes. Look at the new growth on each piece. These things are ready to be replanted.

For the time being, I planted them in this container. I will leave them here until I can find a new home for them. I'm going to take them to my next homebrew club meeting.
Here is the next plant, the East Kent Goldings. Another good one for ales. This one grew completely different from the Fuggles. I attribute that to the location. This one grew on the east side of my deck. It only got morning sun and hardly grew at all for the first 2 years. One other thing; the bines tended to grow under the deck and the come out the side. I found rhizomes 6 feet away from the main stem on this one. Also, I was able to pull most of it out with my hands. No hard digging required.

A short time spent trimming and here's another batch of rhizomes ready to plant. Each of these are around 12 inches long and as thick as your little finger. To compare, I started with something about 3 inches long and maybe as think as a pencil.

Here is the new home. The south side of my garage . They will get a full day of sun. Notice the twine and string I will use as a trellis. Hops need support. You'll see a picture below of how these 2 plants did last year. First year hops don't grow or produce as well as established plants. Second year plants do better but still are lacking when it come to hop cone production. When they get to their third year, they really take off.

Just a picture to show the twine string trellis. I have always let them grow up my deck and have never had to trellis them before. Oh well. Something new to learn about.
Here they are last year in September. Pay no attention to the steps on the ground. We had a small tornado blow through and my steps fell down. From the ground to the top rail of the deck is about 12 to 14 feet. I routinely trimmed the hops when they got to the top of the rail.

What's new?

2008-02-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

I know - it's been forever since I posted anything. Chalk that up to many different things. In the end, I'll say it's time to get back to the important thing, and that's talking about starting seeds...

I've placed a few orders and will make my final choices when it comes to tomatoes this year. The only thing I know for certain is that I will grow fewer plants in 2008. I say that every year but this year I MEAN IT!

I'm also going to plant some other things. Squash, beans, cucumbers and potatoes. Maybe a watermelon. Also, I'll be planting a lot of flowers around the garage in the beds created by the retaining wall I built last year. Plus, I plan on moving my hops and trying to get them established next to the garage. I should be pretty busy this spring - I can't wait!

What do you think?

2007-08-14T18:18:00.001-07:00

Here's today's harvest. Most of the tomatoes were chopped up and frozen for future use...with the exception of that BIG Pineapple. That will become the main attraction of some BLT sandwiches...I haven't decided what to do with the peppers yet. I know I'll be making some salsa soon, but I have a LOT of HOT peppers coming on...

mmmmm...tomatoes

2007-08-04T07:26:00.001-07:00

Eastern Tailed Blue

2007-08-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the Eastern Tailed Blue butterfly. There have been several of these floating around my backyard in the last few days. They seem to like the mud left over from my watering the newly planted seeds. I apologize for the picture quality. I had to zoom in quite a bit. This specimen is maybe a half inch long. The top of the wing is a deep blue.

Butterfly Garden Progress

2007-08-01T09:52:00.001-07:00

This is the south side that will be the bulk of the garden. I spent the last week filling in with soil my neighbor gave me. I can't believe how nice this dirt is. Thirty feet long by seven feet wide. I planted some seeds yesterday. Coreopsis, coneflower, salvia, and a few others. I will be planting butterfly weed and other things in the spring.
This is the east side. In addition to the seeds on the south side, there are a lot of daisies and some nasturtiums.
Another view of the east side. These daisies were planted last week and are coming up now.
North side - this will be filled in with more shade tolerant plants. Hostas, ferns, coral bells and bleeding hearts to start with.

Starting to get some tomatoes...

2007-07-27T07:19:00.001-07:00

The tomatoes are starting to come in. This is my first big one. It's a Pineapple. It was quite tasty.
From top to bottom...Grape, two Big Rainbow's, a beefsteak, and a roma. The Big Rainbows are kind of disappointing this year. The size is easily half of what they have been in past years. They still taste great.
Here's my dog Porter. He loves to sleep in the sun.

The Smokey Mountains

2007-07-21T07:25:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture from my recent vacation.

Eggplant

2007-07-17T09:40:00.001-07:00

Twinkle Hybrid from Territorial Seed Company (Or maybe Rosa Bianca from Park). I only grow eggplant once every few years since it's not something we eat a lot of. I do like the look of it though and just for that reason I plan on growing more in the future.

FIRST TOMATOES!

2007-07-16T06:35:00.001-07:00

Here they are! The Beam's Yellow Pear from Seed Savers Exchange is the first to produce ripe tomatoes in my garden this year. This plant is the most vigorous of the 10 I am growing this year so I'm not surprised that it has the first fruit. I can't report on the taste as my wife took these to work with her lunch today. They come 65 days after setting out and 108 days after starting the seeds. I'll compare with the packages later

The Black from Tula and the Pineapple look like they will have ripe fruit shortly. The grape has a few that will ripen this week. I expect to have a lot a tomatoes next week and then it will be a deluge!

Bug ID

2007-07-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

Another creature from my vacation. On Tuesday morning around 10am we started to notice these bugs flying around the backyard. We didn't see any on Monday. by noon there were several hundred, maybe a thousand of them flying all over the place. It took a while to catch one even though they were not fast. They very rarely landed. This one is average and is just one inch long. The bottom was the most reflective I've ever seen. Sort of like looking at a green mirror. They reminded me of June bugs. On Wednesday there were maybe half of what we saw on Tuesday. On Thursday there was maybe 50 . On Friday I saw 2. Very strange. ID?

Moth ID

2007-07-15T19:39:00.001-07:00

Last week I was in Tennessee on vacation. While walking down a sidewalk at the Bass Pro Hhop in Sevierville I almost stepped on this moth. My wife pointed it out to me. This thing was very large...maybe 3 inches across. What is it?

Jumping Worms update

2007-07-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

I watered my flower beds this morning and after 5 minutes I started to look around, expecting to see the thousands of 'jumping worms'. While I did see several there was no where near as many as last week. Maybe whatever it is in the mulch that they like is just about gone. I'm liking that...

Here are previous posts regarding the beasties...
http://gardener-matt.blogspot.com/2007/07/more-with-jumping-worms.html
This one has the tentative identification as a type of maggot

here is the original...
http://gardener-matt.blogspot.com/2007/06/jumping-worms.html

Site of new butterfly garden

2007-07-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here is the site of my next project...a butterfly garden. I'm just finishing the wall by filling in with topsoil. I'm not going to start planting until the end of July. Have to finish a few other things before then.

The plan all along was to fill in this area with flowers. Making those flowers butterfly friendly just gives me some extra focus as to what plants I want. The picture doesn't give any idea as to the size of the area. The wall is 6 feet from the garage. the total length of this bed is about 100 feet, but the butterfly garden will be only 50-70 feet, depending on how ambitious I get. More to follow.

Beam's Yellow Pear

2007-07-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

Beams' Yellow Pear from Seed Savers Exchange. This is, without a doubt, the most vigorous plant of my 10 tomatoes. It's pushing 6 feet tall and has hundreds of fruit throughout the plant. For some reason I have 2 of them. One was intended for my mom but something got mixed up. There are at least a dozen fruit clusters just like this one on each plant. I don't know what I'll do with all the fruit, but that is a good problem to have!

I have two other plants I cannot ID. I believe one is a Big Rainbow, or maybe a Brandywine...or maybe an Amana Orange...or maybe. I'll have to keep better records next year. What happened was I started a few extras with the intention of giving them to my mom. She informed me she only wanted a couple of plants so I ended up with a couple extra. I didn't write down what varieties I planted and ended up with a couple of unknowns...Oh well...they are doing fine. It looks like I am on my way to a great tomato crop this year.

Happy Fourth of July!

Big Rainbow

2007-07-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

Big Rainbow is one of my favorites. This year they seem to be a little on the small size. The one on the left is a bit bigger than a baseball. I know this plant will produce some big ones throughout the year. I seem to think the plant is just starting to take off now.

Pink Accordion

2007-07-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

Pink Accordion is an heirloom from Territorial Seed. This plant has the least amount of fruit. I don't know if I had blossom drop or they just didn't set. It seems to be coming around just now with a few small fruits popping out. Here is the biggest one.

Grape

2007-07-03T16:11:00.001-07:00

Grape. This plant has always been on the smaller side. It is a wide open plant and by that I mean...it's wide open with a lot of space between the branches and leaves. Some plants you have to dig deep to find the fruit, with this it's very spread out. This plant has gone on a growth spurt the last 2 weeks ans has set dozens of small fruit. I think it may be a winner...

Pineapple

2007-07-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

Pineapple heirloom from Territorial Seed. This plant is tall, over 4 feet, but not a lot of fruit. The ones that are there are BIG! Look at that big ugly one on top! I just love 'em when they get all scarred and deformed! How cool is that! I think when all is said and done these two fruits will go over a pound each. At first I thought this was the same as Big Rainbow, but now I'm starting to see a difference. We'll see when it comes to taste!

Ananas Noire

2007-07-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

This is an heirloom that i am growing for the first time. So far so good. The branch here has 5 nice sized fruit, each about the size of a baseball. there a few other single fruits scattered throughout the plant. I think it's going to set another batch of fruit now as it was covered in blossoms earlier this week. It is about 4 feet tall. The description on the packet said 'Skin is green, purple, orange and yellow. Flesh is bright green streaked in red'. Sounds cool. Hope it tastes cool...

Roma

2007-07-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

Here are the Roma's. They are looking fine. This is probably the shortest of the 10 tomato plants I'm growing, but after the yellow pear it has the most fruit. There are maybe 5 other branches that look just like this. Roma is always a good producer in my garden. These will become sauce in a few weeks. I can't wait until I open a jar this winter. That's when I'll really enjoy them

Black From Tula

2007-07-02T10:04:00.001-07:00

Here's a mid season update on the progress of the tomatoes. Here is my Black from Tula plant grown from seed I purchased from Seed Savers Exchange. This plant, while not the most vigorous in the garden probably has the best looking green fruit of all my plants. The three shown in the first picture are all looking great. The one in the middle is the size of a baseball. You can see the darkness on the shoulders. I haven't grown them before but so far they are looking great. I can't wait to taste them!
These are some smaller ones growing another foot up the plant. There are several more small fruits on this plant. It looks like it will give me several nice tomatoes throughout the summer!

More with the jumping worms

2007-07-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Another video of the Jumping Worms...

Here's a close up of the creature. I can't seem to get a real good close up picture of these things (they jump right when I get everything lined up). Also, I think this fly may be part of the equation. I noticed it crawling around. When I got close to it , the thing just crawled. It didn't fly away. When looking at it I noticed the end of it (abdomen?) Is colored the same as the jumping worms. I think it was just like a fly that has just emerged and it's wings weren't ready to fly.

Another picture of the jumping worms

2007-06-29T11:14:00.001-07:00

Maybe springtails? I don't know. I'm leaving them be for now since I haven't noticed any damage to the plants or an abundance of other insects. Again, they fold themselves in half and fling themselves open causing them to be propelled some distance. They seem to be living in the cocoa bean mulch. I just watered some zinnia's I have growing there and thats when I noticed them.

Jumping Worms?

2007-06-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

I don't have a clue as to what these things are. They're about 3/8 of an inch long and they...jump. They fold themselves in half and then unfold quickly hurling themselves 6 to 12 inches. They are in a flower bed mulched with cocoa bean hulls and I didn't see them until I watered today.

Flea Beetles

2007-06-28T14:33:00.001-07:00

These little bugs are just having a grand time munching on my eggplants. I only have 4 plants and while they are doing pretty good, every leaf has some damage. I have a feeling the Big-B-Gone is going to come out pretty soon!

Green Tomatoes

2007-06-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

Here's how things are looking today. Just another week or two and these beauties will be on the plate.

TORNADO!

2007-06-23T11:18:00.001-07:00

What an evening! Yesterday at 4:45 a tornado hit the town I live in. Fortunately it was a small one and nobody was injured. It looks like it went to the north of me. The street I live on had the least amount of damage in the town so I am thankful for that. Just 2 blocks away trees are snapped in half and some homes sustained damage. The trees on my street are fine. I was looking out the window during the storm waiting to see some debris and during that time the trees across the street were bent to near a 90 degree angle. I thought they were going over. Strangely, about the only damage at my house was the popcorn in my garden. It was flattened. I tried to trellis it up today so we'll see what happens there. Here are some pictures of my garden as well as some of the storm damage in the park behind my house.

The Tomatoes are taking off...

2007-06-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

Here is how the tomatoes are looking just 8 days after the previous post. I am always amazed by how quickly plants grow. The weather conditions have changed a bit in the last week. The rain has stopped and it has turned HOT! The temperature has averaged 88 degrees (F) each day. Yesterday and today have both been well over 90 (f). The heat can really stress the plants if they are not ready for it. In addition to that, now is the time when the fruits can develop blossom end rot. The best way to help plants is to make sure they get plenty of water. 3 days ago I watered them heavily. I gave them 1.6 inches of water. I usually go with just the soaker hose to get the water to the roots. This time I went with a sprinkler since I wanted to water my other bed as well. The concern when using a sprinkler is that you leave water on the leaves and the high temperatures can cause fungus and diseases to grow. I watered in the morning and the leaves were dry in just an hour. No worries there.
These are some of the Big Rainbow. They are my favorites year in and year out due to the size and flavor. Right now they are just a bit bigger than a golf ball.

Here are a few Roma's. They should all ripen at about the same time. I'll turn them into sauce.

A close up of the Yellow Pear's. These are my wife's favorites. Open this up and look at the details.

Roses...

2007-06-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

Growing like crazy!

2007-06-07T12:20:00.001-07:00

Here is how things look 10 days later...Everything is about twice as big as it was 10 days ago. We've had at least 3 inches of rain since the last post and I think that has made all the difference. Here is a close up of some tomato flowers. All of the plants but the Grape have blooms. I'm not worried about that at all. That plant seems to be smaller and a bit behind all the others. I suspect it is due to the small size of the fruit; it is probably just a smaller plant.

Progress...

2007-05-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here is what things are looking like today. Just a lot of growth. We've had some good rain so far this spring. At this point the main thing is watching for pests and weeds. I've noticed some damage on my eggplants, but other than that things are fine. Here's the picture...

Planting tomatoes

2007-05-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

I planted the tomato's on May 11th. This is how I do it. It works well for me. Here's how they looked after sitting outside for most of the week.

First I lay out the stakes. I use strong fence posts. I feel the plants get loaded with fruit and the cages you see at the store are just too weak to hold them in the wind. I pound them in with a sledge hammer. As the plants grow I tie them with twine. I drive the posts before I plant because I don't want to damage any roots. Here is a picture of the garden bed ready for planting.

Here's everything needed to plant...tomatoes, trowel, fertilizer, and rake. Here you can see how the plants did in the fiber grow pots. Overall I would say they did fine. I am planting them with the pots on. I think the roots will grow fine.I'll save my final opinion for when I dig the plants up in the fall. I'll examine the roots then and see if they had good growth and were not restricted by the fiber grow. I've seen that happen with jiffy pellets and peat pots.

Here is the plant ready to go.

First I dig a hole about a foot deep. I use a trowel because I can. My soil isn't too heavy even though there is a lot of clay in it.

I drop about a tablespoon or so of fertilizer in the bottom of the hole. I use standard 10-10-10. If you are an organic gardener you can use organic fertilizer. I wouldn't skip this since tomatoes are heavy feeders.

I then mix the fertilizer with the soil.

Now it's time to prepare the plant. What? You thought we would just drop it in the hole? Silly rabbit! Take a look at all those nice leaves. Now pinch all but the top two or three off.

Here's what it should look like. This wont hurt the plant and actually has some benefit. First, most of those leaves would have been buried anyway. Second, fewer leaves means the plant will need slightly less water when it gets started. Pruning will also force the plant to put it's growing energy into producing new leaves.

Next place the plant in the hole. Nestle it down in the bottom and fill in around the plant. Be gentle. You want to slowly go around from all directions. This keeps the plant upright.

Here you go! All ready for the water! Give it a good drink. Then water it everyday for about 3-4 days depending on the weather. The plants can dry out easily until the roots get growing.

Here are all of them planted.

I also planted my peppers and eggplants. The last thing I did was add a soaker hose. I've been using this for the last couple of years. It allows me to water the roots without getting water on the leaves. Remember, it's the roots that soak up the water and deliver it to the leaves, not the other way around. It's easier to add the hose now than when the plants are larger. You have to be very careful with the small plants cause you could accidentally damage them. Take some time, do it right, and then don't worry about it.
All this took me about 3 hours to do. Now the hard labor of the garden is mostly done. From here on through the summer it's a matter of waiting and watching. Keep an eye out for damage and insects. Make sure the plants get plenty of water, about an inch a week, maybe a little more.

How To Start Tomato Seeds - part 6

2007-05-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

Here's how the plants look today. They are easily 3 times as large as they were just a couple of weeks ago. I think they are coming along nicely. Up to this point it's been nothing but water and light. Starting today the plants get diluted fertilizer. Schultz or Miracle -Gro work fine. I just make it more dilute than the instructions. There is no need to give them a ton of fertilizer. Just enough to give a slight feed until they get into the ground in another week or so. If you want to be organic you can skip the fertilizer...the choice is yours and I doubt if it makes a huge difference. I fertilize so the plants are as healty as possible when they are planted.

Here's a close up of some of the leaves...

two weeks to planting

2007-04-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

Last frost date is around May 15th, although new maps were issued this year and now they say last frost date is May 10th. Just to be safe I have some floating row cover I will use for a couple of weeks after I plant.

Now is the time to resist temptation. With all the warm weather I really want to get my plants in the ground but that would be a bad thing for two reasons - cold and sunshine. I already touched on the cold part. A frost could settle in and kill young plants. I lost several last year in just such a manner. But the other thing to worry about is sunshine. Setting out plants that have been started and growing under lights will cause a plant to die, just like frost. Think of it as a very bad case of sunburn.

You have to slowly acclimate your plants to the sun. This will take several days. First, you have to realize that all but the most brilliant and specialized lights are very dull compared to sunlight. Even shaded areas are brighter than your grow lights.

At my house my deck gets morning sun and afternoon shade. What I do is set the plants in the afternoon shade for about an hour, less if it's windy (the plants aren't used to wind either so you need to limit the time spent outdoors until they get stronger). I do the same thing for 3 straight days, increasing their time spent outdoors each time and always bringing the plants back indoors when done. Next, I set the plants in an area that gets mostly shade with maybe some morning sun. My deck works perfectly for this. The spindles in the railing partially shade the plants until the sun is shaded by the house. I leave them there all the time unless it's too cold at night or if the wind really kicks up. It's VERY important to watch their water and the condition of the leaves. You can't let them dry out. You may have to water them every day. Also, you'll be able to spot the signs of sunburn, the leaves will start to turn yellow and papery. Once this happens you can't save the leaves, but you may save the plant. Bring it back indoors and see what kind of growth you get if you get new leaves, set the plant outdoors. The new leaves will be adjusted to the brighter light conditions. If not, toss the plant and make a mental note for next year. Once the plants are acclimated, I keep them outdoors until planting time; unless it's going to get cold overnight or for a few days then they come back indoors.

I'll start this process for the tomatoes and peppers this weekend. The peppers can probably wait a week but with the floating row cover I am going to plant them right along with my tomatoes. Peppers like it a little warmer than tomatoes.

Final rain tally

2007-04-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

From Monday Night through Thursday afternoon I got 2.4 inches at my house. I also got .6 on Sunday so that is right at 3 inches in the last week. Places to the northwest and southeast all got a lot more than me, some as much a 6 inches in the last 3 days. There's quite a bit of localized flooding, but nothing major where I live.

Rain - Rain - Rain

2007-04-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

And even more rain...In the last day and a half I have exactly 2 inches of rain...and it's still coming down..a good soaking was needed so I'm happy with it. The rain keeps me inside and that's not a lot of fun. The rain will help those seeds I just planted to germinate.

On Sunday I planted my onions. I usually start mine from seed but didn't do that this year. I bought some sets at Earl May and am planting them. I have 3 varieties; Walla Walla, Texas Sweet 1015, and Candy. I've grown them all before and have good luck with them...

Seeds planted...

2007-04-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

I always feel so much better once I get seeds in the ground.

Yesterday I finally planted some seeds...

Broccoli Raab - Spring. An heirloom variety from Burpee. This is my first time with broccoli raab.

Spinach - Harmony Hybrid. A variety from Burpee. I usually have good luck with spinach, but this is my first go with this particular variety. Early, upright plants and slow to bolt. Sounds good to me.

Swiss Chard - Rhubarb. The variety is named 'rhubarb' and it comes from Seed Savers Exchange. I think it's because the stalks are very red and the plants look like rhubarb. This is my first time growing it. Like spinach, I grow chard just about every year and do well with it.

Radish - French Breakfast. An heirloom from Burpee. Everybody has grown radishes at one point or another. I don't recall if I've grown these or not, but the package was not opened so I will guess I haven't.

Snap Peas - Sugar Snap. From Gurney's. I usually grow some peas every year. I can usually harvest for about a week, but that's okay. fresh from the garden ALWAYS beats from a can or frozen...ALWAYS!

Turning soil

2007-04-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Today I turned the soil on my garden beds. I didn't do this last fall so I had to clear up some plant debris. When you turn your soil in the fall the freezing and thawing break it down so that all you need to do is rake it and plant. That may be oversimplified but that's pretty darned close to the truth. Turning in the spring has no real negative problems other than the soil has had a few months to compact a bit. That's not a huge issue. My two garden beds are, 16 foot by 4 foot raised beds. You'll see pictures later. It takes me about 30-45 minutes to turn the both by hand with a garden fork. That's about the hardest physical work involved in the garden. I have built up the soil quality and height by adding organic matter, soil, sand; just about anything I can get my hands on. I have a large compost bin next to the beds and I get one good batch a year. I think I would get more if i spent some time and broke up the items before i put them in but I'm in no hurry. Since I wont be planting tomatoes or peppers for a good month or so i am not going to smooth one of the beds. I'll let nature do that. the other bed will get planted with spinach, chard, onions and other things in another day or so. I'll rake it then. Now is a dangerous time. The weather seems nice but our last frost date wont pass until May 15th or so. Last year we had a frost on the 13th. I had planted my tomatoes a few days before and left for vacation. I lost all but 3 plants. this year I will remember to cover them...

How To Start Tomato Seeds - part 5

2007-04-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

Time to cull the herd

For some people this is very difficult. They can't bring themselves to eliminate one single plant. If you do this you'll end up with too many plants and TONS of tomatoes. That may be exactly what you want but I recommend having one plant per cell. The plants root better and aren't competing with each other for limited nutrients. Here is the flat before we thin the plants. Notice there are as many as 4 plants per cell.

Here is a close up of the young plants. As I stated in post 4 you should wait until you have true leaves before you do any of this. In this picture you can really see the difference between the true leaves and the cotyledons. Also notice that one of the plants is considerably larger than the other (it's just to the right). When deciding which plant to keep I almost always go for the larger more robust looking plant.
Here is the actual process. ALWAYS cut the unwanted plants out. DO NOT pull them. The roots are larger than you know and when you pull them you will probably damage the plant you want to keep. Get yourself some scissors or small shears and CAREFULLY select the plant you want to remove. If you check the picture below you see I am removing a plant. I cut only with the very tip of the scissors since I don't want to inadvertently take out a wanted plant. I've done this in the past and it is very frustrating.

Here are the results. The plants can now freely grow without any competition. They now have room to grow. One other cool thing is the smell of the cut plants - they smell just like tomato leaves (cause that's what they are!) - it just reminds me of whats to come this summer when I reach into one of these plants and pick a ripe fruit. I can't wait!

For the next few weeks it's all about making sure they don't dry out while also preventing them from being over watered. It's a fine line but after a while you can tell just by looking at them. Keeping the plants as close to the lights as possible will help them grow without getting too thin. We'll talk more about that in the future.

How To Start Tomato Seeds - part 4

2007-04-12T05:25:00.000-07:00

Seed progress: All the seeds have germinated and are about 1-2 inches tall. This is the easiest and hardest time when it comes to raising tomatoes. Easiest? Because if you have everything set up correctly you don't really have to do anything for a while. Just make sure they don't dry out and are getting the correct amount of light. My lights have are plugged into a timer that comes on at 5am and turns off at 10pm. That's 16 hours of light a day. They need a good 12 to 16 hours a day to gather the light needed to grow. They also need the 8 hours of dark to grow. It's during the dark that they actually grow. Gather the light during the day - turn it into growth during the night.

I know you are wondering why this would also be considered the hardest time as well? Simple - You have to resist the urge to do anything to the plants. That means no fertilizer, over watering, touching, moving, playing with and fawning over these little things. LEAVE THEM ALONE UNTIL THEY HAVE THEIR FIRST TRUE LEAVES. I'll show you what I mean:If you look at the leaves on these plants you'll notice the shapes. Two of them are long and plain, while others are small and have a strange shape with scallops and lobes...in short...they look like tomato leaves. The larger ones in the picture are not true leaves - they are cotyledons - it's part of the seed and give the plant the ability to photosynthesize light until the first true leaves are formed. They eventually shrivel up as the plant gets larger. My general rule of thumb is to do nothing but make sure the plants have water and light until the true leaves are larger than the cotyledons.

Disc Golf Course pictures

2007-04-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the Disc Golf course in Windflower Park that I am helping install. I post these pictures so we can do a 'before and after' comparison. Click on the pictures to see larger versions. This is the first hole. The basket will be just past the big tree in the middle.
Here is the second hole. The basket will be placed past the tree in the middle. It is also tucked up close to the creek.

Here is the 3rd hole. The basket, again, will be on the other side of the large tree. The first 3 holes each have a tree between the tee and the basket. You'll have to decide how you get around them.

The fourth hole runs along the creek past the trees, then you shoot at a basket on the other side of the creek (to the right). You've got a lot of space to the left. This hole will be trickier when the wind kicks up, which is often. They don't call it Windflower Park for nothing.
Five six and seven - Amen Corner? We'll have to see how they play. Below is five long. The basket will be among the trees at the top of the creek. You'll be able to wail off the tee but the second shot will be a bear...
Here is 5 short. If you enlarge the photo you should see the white marker where the basket will be. It is tucked in among the trees and the photo gives you the impression the basket is closer than it is.

Six long. This requires a right-to-left shot off the tee. If you see the disc land it will be a bad shot.

Six short. When you enlarge the photo you can see the marker for the basket. You'll have the tree to deal with, then the basket which in nestled up tight to the pine trees.

Seven Long. The basket is on the other side of the pine trees in the middle. This will require an accurate tee shot. I think this is the longest hole on the course.
Seven short. You may be able to blast through the trees or come around the sides. Depends what happens off the tee.

Starting with the eighth hole you have several holes the require you deal with the creek. The good thing is, it's shallow and there is no poison ivy. The bad thing is if you go long it's a bogey. The basket on 8 is beyond the tall tree in the middle.

The ninth hole is pretty straight, again with the creek right next to the basket. I don't think the picture gives you the correct idea of the length,

Ten - one of the shorter holes. obviously you'll have to work your way around the tree. You'll want to avoid trowing into the backyard. They have dogs...

Eleven - more trees to deal with. The fenced off portion wont really come into play. You'll have to work your disc to the basket, which is beyond the trees a stretch. When they leaf out this hole will become quite difficult.

The twelfth hole...yep...you want to go straight between these trees and over the creek to the little white flag up by the parking lot. FUN!

There it is. Most all the holes have several ways to play them off the tee. You'll have to work your shots so the better your hyzer (or anhyzer) the better your score. The guys that designed the course really put a lot of thought into each shot. I think you will enjoy it.

Seeds are sprouting!

2007-04-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

Disc Golf Course

2007-04-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is the first tee for a disc golf course i am helping to install in a local park. A couple of other guys have done all of the planning and layout, etc. I am helping with some labor. In the end I am happy to contribute to something that I think will make the park a little nicer and give people a reason to visit. Click on the Pictures to see larger versions...

How To Start Tomato Seeds - part 4

2007-04-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Let's get down to it...

Here's what I am planting...

First thing - make your labels. It's much easier to do this now rather than after you plant the seeds. This way you can keep track of where you planted what. Trust me on this one...
Next, place the seeds in the trays. I put 3 in each pod just to help me track germination and viability. I have skipped the part about placing the seed starting mix into the seed trays. The picture below shows some details. It can be hard to see the seeds. One more reason to place the markers in as you go. This year one variety has pelletized seeds. These seeds are coated in clay. It makes the seeds easier to handle as they are quite small. Here's a close up. Try to find the Roma's...The Grape's are obvious.

Here is one tray completed.
Next, each tray gets a very thorough watering. I suppose I fill it half-way. Since the soil-less mixture has plenty of peat it soaks up an awful lot of water. Next, I cover the tray with a clear dome. This is just to help keep the moisture in. After the seedlings emerge I will remove it. Each tray get placed on the center shelf of my light rack. This rack has heating cables and foil to raise the temperature and increase the light intensity. Once the seedling emerge I will unplug the heating cables. Now, cross you fingers and hope for the best!

TOMATOES PLANTED!

2007-03-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

Details to follow...

Spring

2007-03-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

Just a week ago we got an inch of snow...Yesterday it was 80 degrees...Today I have all kinds of these around my yard...Thats' spring in the midwest

How To Start Tomato Seeds - part 3

2007-03-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here's my lighting rig. This is where I've started all my plants for the last 10 or 12 years. I made it out of 2x4's and 1/2 in plywood. In it I have 5 - 48" neon shop lights. The intent was to have 6 but I think I was running low on funds at the time and never got around to adding the sixth light. They are just your cheap shop lights you can pick up at the local home center. The bulbs I use are also the basic home use bulbs you find with the fixtures. I have one warm and one cool bulb in each light. I don't use grow lights because I don't think they are worth the extra money.
The entire unit is wrapped in plastic. There is a sheet that rolls up the front. The top shelf has a single light and is where I place small narrow flats shortly after they emerge.
the middle shelf is where I start most of the seeds. You can see the lights are fairly low and I have foil on the bottom, back and top of the shelf. The intent is to increase the amount of reflected light the small plants get. I can't say for certain it makes any difference but at least its brighter than it used to be so i can only assume it works. The bottom shelf has the lights about 14"-18" from the shelf. This is where the plants go as they get bigger.
Here is a close up of the bottom shelf. There are two things I want to point out. The first is obvious while the second isn't. You can see it is lined with 8"x8" floor tiles. The second thing is that underneath the tiles is an electric heating cable. The cable is used only when i start seeds. The tiles help disperse the heat evenly. The middle shelf has the same set up. This has helped my seeds germinate and also helps fight the cool temperature of my basement.

How To Start Tomato Seeds - part 2

2007-03-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

So now we know what seeds to start, lets look at what we are starting them in. There are so many options, you can go with whatever works best for you. Here are some of what I am using this year:

Clockwise:
Peat Pellets: Compressed peat formed into a pellet and surrounded by mesh. When you get it wet it expands and when you are ready you can just put the whole thing in the soil. Pros - These are simple to use and you can find them in most garden/home centers. Cons - they are made of peat and that is a dwindling resource; despite the claims, you needs to remove the plastic mesh surrounding the pellets when you plant it; I've pulled up plants where the roots barely extended beyond the pellet. This year I am using these for my peppers and a few other plants

Peat pots: Peat is compressed into the shape of a pot which can be planted directly into the ground. Pro - can be planted into the ground I guess. Cons - In reality, you have to break the pot up before you plant it. When it dries out it becomes very hard and almost impossible to completely saturate again. The plant roots have a hard time breaking through the pot. I got a deal on a bunch of these many years ago - I still have some and use them occasionally.

Coir: This is a fiber from the husk of the coconut. It is formed into pots and pellets just like peat. Pros- can be planted into the soil. It is a renewable resource unlike peat. Cons - You may not be able to find it. This is my first year using these products so I'm sure I'll discover some. This is what my tomatoes will be planted in this year.

Plastic pots: These are generally what you get when you purchase seed starting kits and supplies. It's also what most garden centers use. Pros - simple and easy to use. Just fill with mix and drop your seeds in and go. Most sizes are standardized. Come in a variety of sizes. Cons - these are made from plastic so and that is always a pain to deal with. Plants can become root bound before you plant them. Roots can become damaged when you remove them from the pots. I use a lot of these for flowers.

Lastly, you need to start you seeds in some sort of mixture. I don't use straight soil nor do I recommend it. Too many risks- disease, drainage, drying, etc. I use commercially available mixtures. I have no brand loyalty at all, whatever seed starting mixture happens to be on sale at the moment. I try to stay away from the ones with fertilizer because I try to be organic as possible, but have used them in the past. You can also make your own soil-less mixture. Peat, pearlite, vermiculite, sand etc. Play around with the proportions and you can discover what works best for you. I've done this in the past and it seems to work fine. I've gone to commercial mixtures out of convenience. Maybe I'm just getting lazy as I get older, or maybe it was all the sneezing after mixing the stuff up.

How To Start Tomato Seeds - part 1

2007-03-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

The next several posts will be all about starting one specific plant from seed. The tomato. The tomato is probably the most desired home vegetable garden plant. Who doesn't want to eat that fresh picked beauty. Just look at the picture below and you'll see a sample of something I grew last year. They tasted even better than they looked

In this post I'll talk about the varieties I'm going to plant this year. I change things up each year just to see whats what. I also have a couple of standards that I grow each and every year. Here's what on the list for 2007.

Big Rainbow - An heirloom variety from Burpee's. This is what's in the picture below. The first few fruits each year are huge. In the middle of the season they are smaller, followed by a couple of giants at the end of the season, if they can hold out before the frost gets them. I grow these every year. The flavor is fantastic and what is more impressive that a giant, red and yellow tomato?

Yellow Pear - My wife won't let me have a garden if I don't grow one of these plants every year. One is all you need cause you'll get hundreds of perfect bite-sized fruits from each plant. Plus they produce all season long. This year I am planting Beam's Yellow Pear from Seed Savers Exchange. It's my first time with this variety but I'm sure they will be great.

Black From Tila - This is a first timer for me. I haven't grown a black for many years, and this variety intrigues me. The package description says, "the ugliest, most delicious tomato I've grown". Ugly and delicious? I'm in. Again, from Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa.

Pineapple - An heirloom from Territorial Seed Company. This is the first time for this one. It sounds like it will be very similar to Big Rainbow, but I wanted to check it and compare the flavor.

Ananas Noire - Another heirloom from Territorial and another first timer. Skin is green, purple, orange and yellow and the flesh is bright green streaked with red. Sounds like a circus. I'm a sucker for big ugly tomatoes. What can I say.

Pink Accordion - Another heirloom from Territorial and another first timer. Deeply Scalloped like an accordion sounds great to me.

San Marzano - A Roma type Italian paste tomato. Something I seem to grow every year, but I don't know why. I love Roma's, but I just haven't found a variety that knocks my socks off. I keep looking.

I have a ton of other seed packets and I'm sure I'll come up with a few others at the last minute.

Last Years Results

2007-03-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Starting From Seed

2007-03-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome. As a gardener we all know it starts from seed. That little thing sometimes no larger that a speck of dust. Provide it with water, warmth, light and nourishment and watch it transform into beauty, food, shelter; almost limitless opportunity. Every year I am amazed at what comes from seed. I am even more amazed at what starting from seed teaches me. The fact that there is a beginning, a middle and an end. A lifetime in a year. The parallels and metaphors are fantastic. Lets focus on the beginning. We put that seed in the dirt and wait...and just when it seems we can't wait any longer...life sprouts. There it is. A tiny little plant. Its amazing how simialar planst are when they sprout. Two little leafs on top of a skinny stem. The next thing you know they are recognizable as the plant they will become. Look at a picture of yourself as a child. You can see what you will become, or at least look like. Too bad when your young you cant imagine it.

Enough of my ramblings, this is a gardening blog. Since the title of this post is 'Starting From Seed' I will actually talk about starting plants from seed. Not everything in one post, but at least a start. I have been starting seeds for over 20 years so I have some experience in the area. I always think about the many things obsess about when it comes to my plants, but one thing they have taught me over the years is that the seeds can take care of themselves, sort of. When you think about it, the seeds and plants have been taking care of themselves for milinea. Thats a lot more than 20. So Lets look at just one thing when it comes to starting seeds. Why start seeds?

You can go just about anywhere these days and buy perfectly good plants, take them home and plant them. They are fine and will work wonderfully. But...when you do that you mss out on the beginning of the cycle. As I said before, the beginning, middle and end. The appreciation of starting at the beginning. When Dorothy started her trip through Oz she started at the beginning of the yellow brick road. I suppose it would have been faster to jump ahead, but then she probably wouldn't have met the scarecrow, and what fun would that be? So I say start your own plants from seed. Learn to appreciate the beginning of the process, learn what they need to get started so you can understand what they need as they progress to the middle. I'll share specifics on starting tomatoes and peppers in my next post.