Growth Spurt: An Update

I know, its been a while but I guess that's the thing about gardens; they take time and patience. It's been two weeks of watching and waiting. I had some sort of garden cabin fever and I managed to knock a tomato off the plant :-(    [murder, I know].

Our poor zucchini continue to be ignored by the bees. Noooo cross pollination here. Flowers keep falling off and I haven't seen any sign of a zucchini growing. On the other hand, the zucchini plant is huge and it's a good thing we transplanted them to the big garden.



 
The broccoli was randomly attacked/something is eating it/now has failure to thrive. One side lost all of its leaves and it just looks so sad. The other broccoli plant is pretty big but I don't see the central head yet.  

Half Dead Broccoli

Bigger, Better Broccoli

The carrots basically feel like a shot in the dark. I have yet to space them out and am becoming increasingly worried that their growth will be stunted. The sprouts are about 10 inches tall and I was supposed to spread them out at 6 inches. At this point I'm wondering if its even worth it.

Our tomato plants are where we've had the most success. The first tomatoes are quite large now and will hopefully be ripening soon. Several other baby tomatoes have popped out on the other plants too! Plus, all 4 plants have made to up to/over the top of our wire trellaces. Bonus, the one cherry tomato plant that survived is looking healthy and promising, much like all of our plants did at the beginning.

FirstPicture of Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry Tomato Now, Our Sole Survivor



All 4 tomato plants. Plums are closest, burgers to the back

Close up of burger tomato, bigger and many more now

Close up of plum tomatoes, they're even bigger now







Growing Pains

This is our official birth announcement! Our health kick plum tomato plant has 6 small babies growing. We also finally have one small baby burger tomato! So far that's 2 out of 4 plants and each has at least 8 flowers, which will produce tomotoes. I can't wait to cook my homemade pasta sauce with fresh ingredients from my very own garden! Aren't ya proud Ma?



Burger tomato



Health Kick Tomatoes

Our zucchini plants had 2-3 flowers each (pictured left) but since the picture was taken, we have lost about 2 flowers each :( Soooo, I did some more research and found out that zucchini has both male and female flowers which will be cross pollinated by the bees (which means I probably shouldnt have tried to drown the bee I saw in there this morning..woops/duhh)

Also, the broccoli plants are getting bigger and I noticed that the stalk is starting to get thicker. Next, I need to figure out when these guys will start producing. As you may also notice, the leaves are still holey but the top leaves are not. I would say that means our Basil Herb Tea Spray has been working :) We have been applying it as necessary.

The carrots have also been sprouting up, we have some tall stalks which I am going to guess are around 6 inches. That means it's time to thin them out again. I'm hoping to create garden "furrows," which is basically what most people picture when thinking of a garden; rows of vegetables. Not sure why but my mind always goes to a cartoon farmer/garden?!

Goooodbye black thumb, Helloooo green!

Basil Herb Tea Spray: Here Goes Nothing!

As mentioned in previous blog posts we are trying to maintain an organic garden. This means that when bugs attack instead of using store bought solutions with pesticides and chemicals, we are going to use natural remedies. I mean, we are going to eat these veggies and the idea of all those harmful chemicals just skeeves me out.

It's a good thing I thought ahead because I checked on the broccoli the other day and this is what I found-ugh!

After waiting 10 days my basil herb tea was finally ready for use.

Ingredients: basil clippings, natural dish soap, water and plastic spray bottle.  

Ingredients

Basil Herb Tea Spray Prep

Directions: Fill container with basil clippings and add water. Place in sun and allow to brew for about 7 days. Strain out basil clippings and transfer solution to spray bottle. Add dish soap

*Recipe adjusted from: Natural Insect (Pest) Control Ideas*

Day 1 of brew



Day 10 day of brew

 

Each plants foliage was sprayed, covering both the top and underside of the leaves.  

So here goes nothing! We will be sure to update on how effective our organic spray turns out!

**Note: The recipe called for 1 gallon water and 2 tbsp dish soap. My container was 1 qt and the plastic container 1/2 quart. So we used 1+1/2 tsp soap, sprayed the plants and refilled the spray bottle (I wasn't about to waste half of my brew) adding an additional squirt of soap.

Moving Day: It's Time to Transplant!

Our veggies have grown big enough to move out and gain some independence! It's time to venture down to the bigger garden with the hopes that they will flourish and survive. Just to further explain "big enough," in my research I found that the tomatoes can be transplanted once 10" tall, (Ours were a little more than 1ft). The carrots, well they just looked like they needed more room. As for the zucchini, they were about to over flow their container and my research said they needed about 3ft spacing. The broccoli was also transplanted just for the sake of utilizing the bigger garden to maximum capacity. Our herbs will remain close to home.

First, the garden soil needed to be prepared. It was weeded and tilled by Kurt and our "friendlord," Kaveh. (It just so happened that I was conveniently working that weekend-what a bummer- heh).

The black plastic will prevent and weeds from re-surfacing.

Each veggie was planted and spaced according the the research from our blog post, Kneen St ASA: Background Check. As you can see, all like veggies were not kept together. This was a strategy given to us by Guy, from Guy's Eco Garden. The theory is that by inter spacing the veggies, if bugs or disease attack a plant it will hopefully prevent spread to the others, saving a portion of our crop.

The final product includes wire cages to help support the tomato plants. Now, the only obstacle we have  is how to water the plants. Our hose is located at the very front of the house. So, for now I will be lugging watering cans back and forth to keep these veggies hydrated.

**Update: My Basil Herb Tea Spray is coming along. It has been sun brewing for 5 days now and the directions call for 7 days. Soon it will be ready to use! Stay Tuned...

Problem: Potential Pests



Good thing I decided to do my background check, I've turned up some more information. I have a new lead on potential pests that could harm our garden. Here's the scoop:

 ** I have featured pictures of some of the many pests I plan to control/prevent with organic remedies**



Harlequin bugs


 Broccoli: aphids, cutworms, harlequin bugs, larvae of: cabbage maggots, cabbage mothers, cabbage loopers and white butterflies, slugs, & mites.



Flea beetle

 Carrots: larvae of carrot rust flies, parsley worms**(see Note)**, nematodes, rabbits, deer, gophers & woodchucks.

   Tomatoes: aphids, flea beetles, fruit flies, mites, nematodes and tomato caterpillars.

   Zucchini: aphids, pumpkin beetles, squash bugs & vine borers.

Aphid

**Note**: DO NOT KILL, this "pest" will become a black swallowtail butterfly. Parsley worms are green caterpillars with black stripes, white or yellow dots and little orange horns that feed on carrot foliage. Move these caterpillars to carrot family weeds, such as Queen Anne's Lace and wait for their cocoons to hatch.



The Plan: Create organic remedies to prevent and treat this arsenal of potential pests. I have gathered information and will begin preparation ASAP (which really means on my next day off from work). These are the concoctions I am going to attempt to create:

Stay tuned for....

• Basil Herb Tea Spray
• Essential Oil Spray
• Sugar Spray
• Pepper Spray

All recipes were taken from How to Garden Advice/Challenges/Organic Insect Control





Featured Farm: Stone Gardens

Cucumbers, zucchini & squash

Stone Gardens is a family operated farm nestled in the White Hills (or the White Hills/Huntington border) of Shelton. Started in 1998, Stone Gardens provides fresh vegetables, flowers and fruit. I visit them weekly to sort throught their fresh assortment, currently of veggies and herbs. Stone Gardens also features a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), which we are thinking about joining because our garden is going to need some more time to grow.



The Farm Stand @ Stone Gardens Farm





Fresh vegetables picked daily



Although Stone Gardens is not organic, it practices Integrated Pest Management which entails strict monitoring of pests and intervention when the documented threshold is noted, preventing or minimizing damage to the crops. *Note: That's about all I understood, so please visit their website for detailed information ;-)


 

Another perk, Stone Gardens Farm offers fresh poultry, pork and beef: all are pre-order. The chicken is farm raised, antibiotic and growth hormone free and are available all year. Pork, Turkey and Beef are by pre order only. Please visit Stone Gardens Farm for more information.  

Check out what I picked up today!

Romaine lettuce, cucumber, snap peas & a basil bunch.

Farmers Market Finds

Last saturday's farmers market was a bust for me (Unfortunately, the life of a nurse & working every other weekend). Thank goodness for my boyfriend (he's a scenic design draftsman) and his weekends off. So, with his assistance I bring you the inside scoop on last weeks farmers market.

 Visit Shelton's Farmers Market Webpage Here

Who can resist the beauty of farm fresh produce and farm made baked goods?! This was Kurt's first visit and it turns out he is as much in love with the farmer's market as I am! His farmer's market finds included:

Cherry Tomato Seedlings

Farm Fresh Eggs

Strawberries

Squash & Zucchini

Garlic

Fresh Clams

Guy, the organic farmer

 He also claims that the Guy, the organic farmer we bought most of our plants from, is his "boy" now. They talked about how to control pests and diseases that could hinder our crop. Kurt even got a personal invite to Guy's Eco Garden, which may include a private tour of the garden!

Background Check

Seeing as this is our first vegetable garden,  we obviously rushed into it. After the fact, I thought I better do a background check if we plan on keeping these plants alive. Turns out, we are going to have to make some changes. Here we go:

Carrots: Grows in partial shade but prefers full sun. Carrots prefer cooler garden zones and do not grow well next to dill plants. Seedlings should be thinned out when 2" high and again when 6" high. Loose soil with good drainge is also important. Only small amounts of water are needed, as too much water will cause the roots to crack. Harvesting is based on size preference. So, these veggies are going to be relocated.

Zucchini: Grows best in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade. Leave 3ft of space between mounds: 3 plants per mound. Watering should be up to the plant but NOT directly on the stems or foliage: avoid handling when wet (this will help prevent  powdery mildew and bacterial wilt). Harvesting begins when the Zucc is 4" long and when the skin is still tender. Again, these veggies will be relocated.

Broccoli: Grows in full sun and prefers beds that are well drained. Plant in beds 20" apart. Water constantly to keep soil moist because plants grow quickly. Harvest when buds are large and firm but not yet flowering. Cut the large central bud leaving 6" of stalk attached and any small branches alone. Smaller branches will produce smaller harvests throught the season. We did okay, Broc can stay close to home.

Tomatoes: A warm weather crop that grows in full sun. When plants are 10" tall they can be transplants to an open garden, but also grow well in containers. Water regularly to keep the soil moist and avoid un evenwatering that can cause blossom-end rot. Pick when ripe on the vine but tomatoes will also ripen indoors. These veggies are staying put for now, atleast until they get a little bigger.

The plan is to transplant some of the vegetables into the larger garden in the backyard (see below). I was nervous about this to begin with. Out of sight, out of mind-ya know? Well, here goes nothing- you gotta do what ya gotta do.

But first, there is a farmer's market tomorrow and I'm excited to see what this saturday will offer.



The Start of Something New

Well, here goes nothing! I am starting this blog in hopes that it will encourage me to continue to care for my new garden...instead of getting all fired up for about two weeks and then fizzling out, as usual. We are starting to eat organic and being that its summer, I thought why the heck not start our own garden?

Maybe that fact that I constantly joke I have a BLACK thumb?! Despite my track record with plants, I started to visit local farms and discovered Community Supported Agrictulture (CSA) groups as well as our town's own  farmer's market. This small idea exploded into a garden that will most likely feed more than two. And, so the Kneen St Apartment Supported Agriculture (ASA) was born; putting our own twist on a CSA!

Our garden consists of: Basil, Oregano, Chives, Parsely, Broccoli, Carrots, Zucchini, Plum & Burger Tomotoes-so far. Seeing as we will probably have more than we can handle I plan to disperse the extra among my apartment-mates, friends and family. Wish us luck and lets hope this black thumb turns green!