Garden Catch Up

Even with absence and neglect, encouraged by days and days of rain with a few of sunshine here and there, the garden leapt ahead taking care of herself. Weeds have leapt as well, but that's another story ;-) So to tell you about a lovely little lettuce we grew this year, new to me. It's an English heirloom butterhead, uniquely small for single servings (for foodies, this would make a great presentation). Why I bought the seeds...well the packet from Burpees said these would form medium tight central heads, even in hot weather and would ignore the heat when fully mature and resist bolting. So far, this little lettuce has been a star. It isn't just the bright lime greeny color, the taste is perfect, your usual butterhead with a creamy but crisp texture. The seeds were planted out mid March under hoops and plastic row cover, with great germination results.

One precious lettuce makes a single serving but why stop at one when you can fill a basket?

I am sure you will agree, this lettuce looks great in a garden, and so, I hope you give this a try or if you grow another variety that is a star in your garden, would love to hear about it.

Other greens have been shining as well. The Mizuna in the foreground was going to flower on one of my foraging days but it still tastes fine. Sutton Seeds Rubi Pak Choi was also a star this year, and we have finished the lot of it, so have seeded more. Guess it depends on the season whether it will thrive this late  but the package says it will. We might have a cold summer yet! Bulls Blood Beet leaves are also thriving and the Scarlet Kale is doing particularly well.

However, not to let you think neglect is always a good thing. My peas were all stolen; some rotted no doubt. Oh yes, they sprouted, but then, snip. The sprout left to wilt, the pea gone from the ground. Then there were the beans. The only ones to grow well have been Fava's (Windor/Broad). I tried Garbanzo this year, so hopefully the second planting will survive. The pole beans have not done especially well either, but will write further on those. Have tried red noodle again, and they seem to be hardy so far, but it's earwig time and the slugs, I don't even want to talk about them!!!

But, am grateful for what is growing and we aren't tired of salads yet. Here is a link to take you to the simplest and most lovely dressing ever made especially perfect because of the Maple Syrup. Early greens are seasonal to the tapping of maple trees here in Canada.

Enjoy the crunch. Happy Gardening.

"His Garden Oh So Beautiful"

Dad left, me in the center and Uncle Bob on right.

Dad slipped away in the early morning hours of June 3, 2013. When I would visit him in hospital, and near the end, knowing he was not going back to his earthly home again, the garden gave us both solace. I tried to paint the images for him to hold close, describing spring's beauty outside...the masses of pink and white apple blossoms adorning the highways on my journey, making it not so long and sad a time to be travelling home to Cape Breton. The orange ballerina tulips smell of oranges in the garden and dad, "the grass is so amazingly green it sparkles". What do you talk about when your parent's language is limited ... memories and happy times.  "Remember when Florence and Sammy discovered that song "Bread and Fishes" and taught us the words at Willie's house?" Dad always played guitar, and had a fantastic singing voice. So, I sat there quietly, so as not to disturb the other patients..."We have Bread and Fishes and a Jug of Red Wine, to share on our Journey with all of Mankind". Softly I sang...his smile blossoming sweetly like a flower; the gift of pleasure for me to treasure.

Dad's bright blue eyes shone clearly when I last saw him. "You know who I am?" He replied, "Yes of course". He knew. So we said goodbye for the last time.

The garden calls me daily to heal...home now, here in our oasis, and somehow, although this Father's Day was the saddest ever in my life, it was uplifting too. Dad loved nature, loved to read and loved to write poetry even though his was a very limited education. So, in his memory, I would like to share his words with you.

"The moonlight and the sunshine so beautiful to see,
The twinkling stars, the planets, all this God made for me.
To adore the earth in beauty, for all the things that he placed here,
His garden Oh so beautiful, for all of us to Share."

Dad

Visiting Wonderland

Tick Tock Tick Tock...Wonderland..New York...Central Park..oh what a great visit! A week away, 'time out' from the garden to explore a city I barely know and a park that covers over 800 acres. Kwanzan and Yashino Cherry, Callery Pear and Eastern Red Bud (Cercis Canadensis with it's amazing bloom along the tree trunk) were outstanding. A tapestry of pink and white froth covered the landscape; Magnolia petals fluttered to the ground; emerging lime green buds shone from the overhead branches of maple, oak and American Elm. It wasn't just the canopy of trees that thrilled, but also the faces of the many people who passed by, smiles lighting up, reflecting a perfect day. We are each a gift I thought, celebrating our uniqueness, but also, celebrating what we hold in common, the pure pleasure of a beautiful spring day in a most magnificent garden.

And there was Alice, waiting to be discovered, near the Conservatory Water. A bronze child with the likeness of the sculptor's daughter, cast perfectly. I can't imagine her any other way but as she is, sitting with her long arms, high forehead, and well rubbed nose. Don't you agree she is perfect!

I felt like Alice that first day in New York...pulled on one hand by coach time tour constraints, my heart longing to cover every part of Central Park right there and then. The Mad Hatter whispered.... "back on the bus"!   Two afternoons found me back there, each visit as wonderful as the first introduction.

May I make a shameless plug for Showcase Productions. It was truly a pleasure, being part of their Spring in NYC Theatre Tour. (Don't miss "Kinky Boots" if you go!) Showcase Productions is a Not for Profit Society who raise funds through tours and productions, which help students pursue their goals through sponsorship and scholarship.

But back to the tick tock tick tock..like White Rabbit racing through the woods, time did not stand still for the garden back home. The electrical conduit hoops over the second raised bed have worked quite well as you might recall this was the first year I tried to extend the season there. It worked equally as well as the first raised bed covered with the Lexan and cost less... plus, I put it together myself..ahem..ahem.

The photo shows dwarf Kale..last year's. Looks kinda sad but I am getting early greens from them and this will continue for awhile until they want to make this year's seeds. Kale are biennial...that means..first year greens, second year the plants will still have greens but will want to make seeds. But they won't do that for a month yet I hope. Scarlet Kale has already germinated inside the picket fence garden..more say about that in another post. Behind the Kale sticks are spinach seeded late last year and this year. There's also some Asian Choy and Cabbage gone to flower, carrots, arugula, garlic and some mizuna here and there and new sprouts which you can't see. So, ripped out the old stuff from last year after the above photo was taken...and this is the bed tidied up below, seeded with Albino Beets, and Red Red Oak Leaf Lettuce (Thanks N for the seeds).

So much has germinated in a short time. I am rather thrilled with the Red Pak Choi which enjoys cool weather, as well as beets and Purple Mizuna. The chard has also germinated and Lolla Rossa Lettuce should be ready to pick and thin in about two weeks. All of these are under the hoops in the fenced garden, seeds in the soil mid March. As I have greens germinating too close together, they will be thinned and potted up or replanted elsewhere. (click on highlighted words to follow links) Cold frames are a great place to start your seeds to transplant early as they are pretty well 'hardened off' when you move them out of their environment.

purple mizuna

It's truly a glorious time of year....so I do hope you have had a few minutes to throw some seeds on your soil...push those peas in the ground (soak first in the house to awake them). Remember Mr. Radish..he loves the cold, and Ms. Spinach..oh she does as well. Alice says..."it's all a wonder!"

What Were the Skies Like?

Pretty rough day. Spent the last three on Cape Breton Island..Boston marathon dreadful news..  our neighbours just over the border. "The Boston States" our people called it and some of the old folks still do.

Then Margaret Thatcher boos and hiss across the pond...and then... heart wrenching news..Rita Mac Neil died. She sang my brother's song.

"Buck up GB" I think.... driving, tears wet on my face listening to Rita's classic "Working Man".

"Home I'll Be" is another one of my favourites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJHuPo8VFpw

The sky held promise...."The Circle Continues" ...

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIbm2shaieE

Rise high Rita... angel clouds await. The band's gonna rock!

http://thechronicleherald.ca/editorial-cartoon/2013-04-18-editorial-cartoon

Seed Starting

Well, they're in. May 15th is considered our last frost date here in our USDA zone 5/6 garden. Six to eight weeks ahead of that is about right for starting Tomato seeds inside. The ten varieties include a number of new ones for me. If you recall, we had a pretty bad wipe out last year from late blight. I swore to give tomatoes a rest but, here it is, the grief of last year a sad memory; hope rising in my heart no disasters claim this crop. My choices include shorter season plants with stronger disease resistance, some determinate (won't grow so big) and a patio variety. The seed houses are linked to location by clicking on their names.

1.  Tangello from Sunshine Farm of Kelowna, organic seed, deep orange color, determinate. Found at a roadside vendor in Mexico, sweet citrus flavour, firm, prolific. Bonus..50 seeds in the package.

2.  Black Zebra Cherry, again from Sunshine Farms. The "very rare" is always enticing don't you think! Determinate, heirloom but being very rare, only 25 seeds.

3.  Amish Paste, Annapolis Seeds here in Nova Scotia. Reliable, high yields of large plum shaped tomatoes, very dependable in Maritime gardens.

4.  Costoluto Genovese, also from Annapolis Seeds, one of my favourite tomatoes. It is an Italian heirloom, and just awesome in flavour.

5.  Incas Hybrid from William Dam Seeds, determinate, 65 days, organic, mature all at one time. I am hoping if late blight comes, these will give me early tomatoes. These are like a smaller paste tomato.

6.  Granadero, Johnny's Selected Seeds, organic, determinate, have been a good cropper for me previously. A really good paste tomato with strong disease resistance.

7.  Mountain Princess, friend supplied, Available at Annapolis Seeds whose catalogue states this is a large and early cropping tomato, perfectly round, red 4 inch fruits produced on 3' plants, an heirloom from West Virginia. Early to beat the blight I hope.

8.  Tomato Sub Arctic, Plenty, friend supplied but available at Reimers Seeds and Sustainable Seeds. This is one of the world's earliest tomatoes (beat the blight early or not?) Determinant and disease resistant.

9.  Andrina, patio tomato, friend supplied but now I wonder if it is Andryna which isn't patio at all. Stand by! The latter is a big'un.

10. German Gold, my seeds from our tomatoes, indeterminate, delicious, yellow beefstake. I've written about these before here.

So that's the line up. Seeds were planted two days ago; will be watching closely. As soon as they germinate, they go under grow lights inside.

As for outside in the cold frame covered raised bed, photo below. We have first leaves of spinach virflay (one of Niki's Pick's from her book Year Round Vegetable Gardener), and also Lolla Rosa lettuce and a few radish. The mache and tatsoi from last fall have to be harvested as they have leapt ahead, and the tatsoi wants to go to seed.  Soon new greens will go in there and I have a few exciting varieties to try. Can't wait.

In the raised bed with the hoop covers, the mizuna (purple and green) have germinated as has the arugula. If you aren't familiar with these greens, they are winter hardy in a cold frame and mildly spicy.

Remember, there is still snow on the ground, and below freezing at night. Today's daytime is about eight degrees Celsius.  It's warm under the hoops though. Must put the thermometer in there. Here is a trick I use when starting seeds at anytime outdoors but especially now in the coldframe.  I broadcast or plant the seeds in rows, making sure the soil is damp and then cover with a light piece of white fleece. It helps protect the seeds, keeps them a little warmer and also helps keep the soil dampish until germination takes place. Once I see the green leaves, depending on weather, I will remove the fleece. This time of year, this is all taking place under the plastic hoops or cold frame. You would be surprised how much the late winter and early spring sun dries out the top layer of the soil.

If you are considering building a cold frame, do it. Even though ours are plunked like coffins in the garden, I don't know how we did without them. Anyway, great directions for constructing one in The Year Round Vegetable Gardener and also Eliot Coleman's book Four Season Harvest. Mine is a little different, being a raised bed, the cold frame cover came later, and for my age, this is a better option. I wouldn't want to be on my knees, wiping off snow in the winter digging for plants but I expect carrots and root vegetables would do better with that type of cold frame than mine. It's all in what you want to eat through the winter or overwinter I guess. For us, it's greens.