It is times like these that make you want to have that garden. A couple of peaches to start the day right off of the tree, a fresh cucumber with lunch, and perhaps some barbequed zuchinni for dinner. All within easy reach!!
What do I have in the garden right now?
Eight beds:
Full Sun
1) Cucumbers
2) Tomatoes
Almost Full Sun
3) Zuchinni
4) Tomatoes
Partial Shade (wish I had more sun)
5) Green Beans
6) Green Beans
Quite Shady
7) Chard
8) Potatoes (this is an experiment...I had some potatoes that were sprouting, so I planted them)
I will update the blog as the content of the beds changes.
Harvested
Day 29
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) Two zuchinni ($1.50)
3) Four peaches ($2.00)
Day 30
1) Four cucumbers ($2.50)
2) Eight peaches ($4.00)
3) Basket of Cherry Tomatoes ($2.00)
4) One Lemon Boy Tomato ($0.50)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $146.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Day 27, 28 - Here come the cukes!!
The cucumbers are coming. Now some people think that you can get too many cucumbers out of a garden...not our family. Our kids devour them as fast as I can harvest them and they have the cooling properties that a hot summer needs (not that this summer has been hot).
I plant standard sized cucumbers and pickling cucumbers. We will eat the standard sized fresh and I have an easy recipe for the pickling cukes. I am not one for a lot of work and you will love this pickle recipe for its ease.
It came from my grandma and I remember the crock-pot pickles that she and my grandpa used to make. Well, these are just as good or better.
Here it is:
7 cups water
1 cup vinegar
1/3 cup salt
dill and garlic as desired
1) Boil the water, vinegar, and salt so that the salt becomes part of the solution. Do not boil the cucumbers.
2) Pack the pickling cucumbers into a large jar with the dill and garlic on the bottom.
3) Pour the liquid from step 1 into the jar.
4) Cover and put in the fridge for 3 days.
5) Eat and enjoy. These are not for long-term shelf life...but they will be so good it will not matter!! They will not last that long.
Day 27
1) Six pickling cucumbers ($1.00)
2) Basket of cherry tomatoes ($2.00)
Day 28
1) 15 peaches ($7.50)
2) 7 pears ($5.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $128.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
I plant standard sized cucumbers and pickling cucumbers. We will eat the standard sized fresh and I have an easy recipe for the pickling cukes. I am not one for a lot of work and you will love this pickle recipe for its ease.
It came from my grandma and I remember the crock-pot pickles that she and my grandpa used to make. Well, these are just as good or better.
Here it is:
7 cups water
1 cup vinegar
1/3 cup salt
dill and garlic as desired
1) Boil the water, vinegar, and salt so that the salt becomes part of the solution. Do not boil the cucumbers.
2) Pack the pickling cucumbers into a large jar with the dill and garlic on the bottom.
3) Pour the liquid from step 1 into the jar.
4) Cover and put in the fridge for 3 days.
5) Eat and enjoy. These are not for long-term shelf life...but they will be so good it will not matter!! They will not last that long.
Day 27
1) Six pickling cucumbers ($1.00)
2) Basket of cherry tomatoes ($2.00)
Day 28
1) 15 peaches ($7.50)
2) 7 pears ($5.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $128.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Monday, July 26, 2010
Days 24, 25, 26 - Garden as a Time-Saver
Sorry about not posting for awhile. Wife was out on a business trip and was busy with the kiddos.
We were talking the other day and something that I have noticed about having a garden so readily available is how it really can be a time-saver. We are pretty much living off our garden now as far as produce goes, a friend my wife delivers fresh eggs each week from her own chickens, and we are part of a local meat-buying club for our meat. What does this leave to shop for? Milk, bread, and coffee!! At least for the weekly shopping trip. That means that shopping is made simple!!
It also means that everything is fresh. What do we want for dinner? Go out to the garden. Lunch? Garden. Fruit to snack on? It is out there. Not hard store-bought peaches but ripe one right off the tree. Not ragged zuchinni...freshly cut so that the juices are still seeping out as you cut them up. And all it takes is a walk out to the garden.
Harvests
Day 24
1) Three peaches ($1.50)
2) Three pears ($2.00)
3) Three zuchinni ($4.00)
4) One Lemon-Boy Tomato ($0.50)
Day 25
1) Ten peaches ($5.00)
2) Five pears ($3.50)
Day 26
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) One zuchinni ($0.50)
3) Six peaches ($3.00)
4) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $112.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
We were talking the other day and something that I have noticed about having a garden so readily available is how it really can be a time-saver. We are pretty much living off our garden now as far as produce goes, a friend my wife delivers fresh eggs each week from her own chickens, and we are part of a local meat-buying club for our meat. What does this leave to shop for? Milk, bread, and coffee!! At least for the weekly shopping trip. That means that shopping is made simple!!
It also means that everything is fresh. What do we want for dinner? Go out to the garden. Lunch? Garden. Fruit to snack on? It is out there. Not hard store-bought peaches but ripe one right off the tree. Not ragged zuchinni...freshly cut so that the juices are still seeping out as you cut them up. And all it takes is a walk out to the garden.
Harvests
Day 24
1) Three peaches ($1.50)
2) Three pears ($2.00)
3) Three zuchinni ($4.00)
4) One Lemon-Boy Tomato ($0.50)
Day 25
1) Ten peaches ($5.00)
2) Five pears ($3.50)
Day 26
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) One zuchinni ($0.50)
3) Six peaches ($3.00)
4) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $112.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Friday, July 23, 2010
Days 22, 23 - Summer feels like it is here!!
Summer in the garden means Peaches and Tomatoes. Well, the time has come, albiet a bit late, and sure later than I am used to when I lived in Santa Barbara. I remember ripe tomatoes in late June or early July. Did not have the pleasure of fruit trees back then...so I cannot comment on Peaches.
People ask what fruit trees I might plant if I had only a limited space...like space for only two trees. If I had to pick two trees, they would have to be Peach for the summer and a Navel Orange for the winter. Both are prolific and if you follow Dave Wilson Nursery's tips on Peach trees, you can plant four successively ripening trees in one "hole" and have peaches for two months. A good Orange tree will also give you fruit for two months. That gives you four months of backyard fruit, including winter fruit which is essential in my opinion!!
Harvested the past couple of days:
Day 22:
1) One bunch of chard ($3.00)
2) One Lemon Boy Tomato ($1.00)
Day 23:
1) Six Peaches ($3.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $84.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
People ask what fruit trees I might plant if I had only a limited space...like space for only two trees. If I had to pick two trees, they would have to be Peach for the summer and a Navel Orange for the winter. Both are prolific and if you follow Dave Wilson Nursery's tips on Peach trees, you can plant four successively ripening trees in one "hole" and have peaches for two months. A good Orange tree will also give you fruit for two months. That gives you four months of backyard fruit, including winter fruit which is essential in my opinion!!
Harvested the past couple of days:
Day 22:
1) One bunch of chard ($3.00)
2) One Lemon Boy Tomato ($1.00)
Day 23:
1) Six Peaches ($3.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $84.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Day 21 - The Pear
Harvested the first of the Bartlett Pears today. Speaking with my Old Italian Guy (OIG) neighbor who benefits from my Pear tree by having the tree hang over his fence, he commented how Pears do not get the respect that they used to get. I have to agree!! When we moved into this house, the Pear tree was looking like it was on its last legs. With some careful pruning and learning about what can kill these trees, I have managed to bring this old mama back to a full fruiting glory!! My wife and I believe that it is one of the best fruits we get every year (and so do my neighbors who benefit from large harvests). This tree also gives our property some history. Its trunk is old and gnarled. Do not know how old it is exactly, but it must be at least 30 years old.
The question I get is, "How do you know when the pears are ready to be harvested?" You cannot let the fruit "ripen" on the tree because if you do that they will be rotten in the core. So, I know that this is about the time of the year that I begin to "test" the fruit. I pick a few to let them ripen on the countertop. If they ripen nicely, I harvest a few every day so I have successive ripening...and the kids devour these luscious beauties, usually before I get any. If they do not ripen well, I will wait another week or so before trying again.
Good day in the garden...things ramping up!!
1) Four peaches ($2.00)
2) Two zuchinni ($2.50)
3) Four Pears ($2.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $77.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
The question I get is, "How do you know when the pears are ready to be harvested?" You cannot let the fruit "ripen" on the tree because if you do that they will be rotten in the core. So, I know that this is about the time of the year that I begin to "test" the fruit. I pick a few to let them ripen on the countertop. If they ripen nicely, I harvest a few every day so I have successive ripening...and the kids devour these luscious beauties, usually before I get any. If they do not ripen well, I will wait another week or so before trying again.
Good day in the garden...things ramping up!!
1) Four peaches ($2.00)
2) Two zuchinni ($2.50)
3) Four Pears ($2.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $77.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Day 20 - Waiting, waiting, waiting....
What a year! Rain until early June has caused everything to ripen a bit late. Just now harvested my first full-sized tomato and my peach tree that is usually ripe a week ago has still a boatful of hard (albiet beautiful) fruit. The rain also brought havoc to one of my apple trees with less pollination than normal. Add to that, the typical heat that comes this time of the year has yet to arrive. I do enjoy the foggy mornings and 90 degree afternoons...don't get me wrong, but it sure does not ripen tomatoes very quickly!!
For this reason, it has been difficult to harvest much since the beginning of the month. Lucky for us, the Chard and Zukes are doing well. Once the fruit starts, we are free and clear for months!! The Citrus are looking fabulous this year. Sure am looking forward to fresh mandarins each morning in November/December/January. The trees are loaded.
Good harvest yesterday though showing the diversity of what we can grow in Northern California.
1) Basket of cherry tomatoes ($2.00)
2) One Lemon Boy tomato ($0.50)
3) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
4) Small container of blueberries ($0.50)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $71.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
For this reason, it has been difficult to harvest much since the beginning of the month. Lucky for us, the Chard and Zukes are doing well. Once the fruit starts, we are free and clear for months!! The Citrus are looking fabulous this year. Sure am looking forward to fresh mandarins each morning in November/December/January. The trees are loaded.
Good harvest yesterday though showing the diversity of what we can grow in Northern California.
1) Basket of cherry tomatoes ($2.00)
2) One Lemon Boy tomato ($0.50)
3) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
4) Small container of blueberries ($0.50)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $71.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Monday, July 19, 2010
Day 19 - Inspiring NPR Story
I am a daily listener to NPR but one of the most inspiring shows I ever heard was about Five Family Farms aired about a year ago. I was completely caught up with this story...so much that I would leave my Ultimate game early so I could listen to it each week.
I later found it online and listened to the entire show. Here is a link to the show. I hope that you are also inspired and touched by this story.
Small world story that goes along with this. I went to play Ultimate the next weekend and as I was telling the players about the radio show one of the players said, "my family is one of the families interviewed on the show!"
Check it out!!
Harvested today:
1) Two Zuchini ($2.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $66.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
I later found it online and listened to the entire show. Here is a link to the show. I hope that you are also inspired and touched by this story.
Small world story that goes along with this. I went to play Ultimate the next weekend and as I was telling the players about the radio show one of the players said, "my family is one of the families interviewed on the show!"
Check it out!!
Harvested today:
1) Two Zuchini ($2.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $66.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Days 17, 18 - Backyard beekeeping making the news
My summer morning ritual of listening to NPR (KRCB) had a nice story to include in Garden366 today. Backyard beekeeping is on the rise and the story is all about the increase of interest in this hobby. And what a great hobby it is!! You have to have a little nerve, but the payoff of great pollination and the treat of the annual harvest of honey just cannot be beat. To top it off, when you go on vacation, you do not have to have anybody come by to take care of your "pets".
The beauty of having a hive is that you do not need much space. We have two hives in your relatively small city lot and they are both thriving. I lifted the top "honey super" the other day to insert some more space and I could barely handle the weight. This means to me that we will have at least 5 gallons of honey from our two hives...still leaving plenty of honey for the bees to make it through the winter. There is good support in our area for supplies but if you live somewhere that there is not, you can always order supplies online.
So, how do you go about getting bees to get started? I was given my first hive by a fellow beekeeper/friend so I have started others in the same way. Every new beekeeper I get into the hobby I feel like I am doing my part in spreading the genetics of very successfull bee colonies. If you are interested, let me know...for I pick up swarms on an informal basis. People call me when they see them and I come by to pick them up and deliver them to your house. I picked up three swarms this spring.
Link to the NPR story
Harvested the past couple of days:
Day 17
1) Two Zuchinnis ($2.00)
2) Handfull of Strawberries and Cherry Tomatoes
Day 18
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) Handfull of Cherry Tomatoes
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $64.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
The beauty of having a hive is that you do not need much space. We have two hives in your relatively small city lot and they are both thriving. I lifted the top "honey super" the other day to insert some more space and I could barely handle the weight. This means to me that we will have at least 5 gallons of honey from our two hives...still leaving plenty of honey for the bees to make it through the winter. There is good support in our area for supplies but if you live somewhere that there is not, you can always order supplies online.
So, how do you go about getting bees to get started? I was given my first hive by a fellow beekeeper/friend so I have started others in the same way. Every new beekeeper I get into the hobby I feel like I am doing my part in spreading the genetics of very successfull bee colonies. If you are interested, let me know...for I pick up swarms on an informal basis. People call me when they see them and I come by to pick them up and deliver them to your house. I picked up three swarms this spring.
Link to the NPR story
Harvested the past couple of days:
Day 17
1) Two Zuchinnis ($2.00)
2) Handfull of Strawberries and Cherry Tomatoes
Day 18
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) Handfull of Cherry Tomatoes
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $64.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Friday, July 16, 2010
Day 16 - Setbacks and Pitfalls - Chapter 2
The veggie garden is thriving. I will post some photos soon as to where the whole garden is right now...just have not had the time the past few mornings (the best time for photos).
Today's pitfall is "the bitter cucumber". I have fallen prey to this dreaded malody. A friend asked how I avoid this and I have figured it out...water!! Very simple fix to a problem of getting beautiful looking, awful tasting cukes. These are heat-loving plants...but they also do not like to be deprived of their live-giving water. If you try to be a water scrooge in the cucumber plot, you might as well not even plant them. Other plants can handle a drought and some might even thrive on it...but don't save your water with the cukes.
Harvested today:
1) one lone beet ($0.50)
2) our first peach ($1.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $56.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Today's pitfall is "the bitter cucumber". I have fallen prey to this dreaded malody. A friend asked how I avoid this and I have figured it out...water!! Very simple fix to a problem of getting beautiful looking, awful tasting cukes. These are heat-loving plants...but they also do not like to be deprived of their live-giving water. If you try to be a water scrooge in the cucumber plot, you might as well not even plant them. Other plants can handle a drought and some might even thrive on it...but don't save your water with the cukes.
Harvested today:
1) one lone beet ($0.50)
2) our first peach ($1.00)
Total Harvested (Year-to-Date): $56.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Day 15 - Expenses
It does cost money to do a garden. I have been including the benefits of what we harvest each day and some of you, the critical ones, are saying "you have to pay for all that you do". Yes, the garden does have some expense that goes along with it. I will be including recurring expenses and not one-time expenses. For example, I will not include the cost of each fruit tree in the yard, but if I buy some starts or seeds I will include them. I will also include the cost of water...about $10 per month.
So, up to now we have had one expense. I bought a bag of potting soil to start my seedlings for $6.00. I want to talk about how I start my seedings in a future post.
Day 15:
1) Three zuchinni ($3.00)
2) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
Total (Year-to-Date): $54.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
So, up to now we have had one expense. I bought a bag of potting soil to start my seedlings for $6.00. I want to talk about how I start my seedings in a future post.
Day 15:
1) Three zuchinni ($3.00)
2) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
Total (Year-to-Date): $54.50
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $6.00
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Days 12, 13, 14 - How much do you want?
Some of you might be saying, "You sure do not harvest very much each day." How much do you want each day? I have found that there is a real limit to how much a family can use daily. At times we do harvest an excess, but if we did this too much, the garden would become a chore as opposed to a joy.
As I had indicated in a previous post, I tried to plant fruit trees so that we have fruit much of the year. The veggie garden is a little easier, for ground plants grow much quicker and are easier to stagger each year. You surely do not want everything to get ripe all at once. Here is a good story to show what can hapen if not well planned out!!
I was a little behind in my postings:
Day 12: 1 basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
Day 13: Two Zuchinnis ($2.50)
Handfull of Cherry Tomatoes
Day 14: Bunch of Chard ($3.00)
Total (Year-to-Date): $49.50
As I had indicated in a previous post, I tried to plant fruit trees so that we have fruit much of the year. The veggie garden is a little easier, for ground plants grow much quicker and are easier to stagger each year. You surely do not want everything to get ripe all at once. Here is a good story to show what can hapen if not well planned out!!
I was a little behind in my postings:
Day 12: 1 basket of Strawberries ($2.00)
Day 13: Two Zuchinnis ($2.50)
Handfull of Cherry Tomatoes
Day 14: Bunch of Chard ($3.00)
Total (Year-to-Date): $49.50
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Day 11 - The Soil
We feel very fortunate that the soil in our neighborhood is deep and rich. Although there have been many people living in our property over the years, the story about the old Italian lady that grew HUGE onions sticks in my mind...that coming from my "Old Italian Guy" who lives directly behind me and grows an Italian garden each year.
Soils will deplete over time and I have tried to do some things to reverse that. I believe that the soil here in my garden plots have actually gotten better over the years. I do the following:
1) The first thing I did was a double dig from the John Jeavons book, "How to Grow More Vegetables: Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine". He is a Northern Californian and has a website.
2) I plant a cover crop in the winter. I have been using this Soil Builder Mix and have found to have improved the next years crops.
3) I have two worm bins that I started with the help of Rick of The Compost Club. I add compost from these into my garden on a regular basis as the bins fill up.
4) I do a little spot fertilizing with an organic mix that I buy at a local nursery.
This is what I do with my veggie boxes. I will discuss the fruit trees in a future post.
Harvested today:
1) Three Zuchinni ($1.50)
Totals (Year-to-Date): $42.00
Soils will deplete over time and I have tried to do some things to reverse that. I believe that the soil here in my garden plots have actually gotten better over the years. I do the following:
1) The first thing I did was a double dig from the John Jeavons book, "How to Grow More Vegetables: Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine". He is a Northern Californian and has a website.
2) I plant a cover crop in the winter. I have been using this Soil Builder Mix and have found to have improved the next years crops.
3) I have two worm bins that I started with the help of Rick of The Compost Club. I add compost from these into my garden on a regular basis as the bins fill up.
4) I do a little spot fertilizing with an organic mix that I buy at a local nursery.
This is what I do with my veggie boxes. I will discuss the fruit trees in a future post.
Harvested today:
1) Three Zuchinni ($1.50)
Totals (Year-to-Date): $42.00
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Day 10 - Kids and the Garden
So, I had said that it was the end of the Chard a few posts ago, but I decided to let the Chard march on, trimming back the old leaves to try to bring life back to the plants. All it took was a few days and we had another harvest for dinner. Chard is a kind of green that is easy to grow and does not bolt due to heat...at least not easily.
Why is the title, "Kids and the Garden"? Well, our kids would have never eaten Chard if it was not for the garden. I find that they go outside and pick Chard leaves and eat them raw!! When we prepare it with garlic and olive oil I have heard them call it their favorite veggie!! Chard no less... This goes for much of what we grow. The kids eat what is out there from the plants the first time and continue at the table. Our boy has at times gotten so "spoiled" with homegrown produce that he refuses to eat it if it was from the store. Hey, his dad will never eat another Orange from the store after growing with a tree in the back yard and now having an orange, Grapefruit, and two mandarin trees...so how can I blame him.
Harvested today:
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) Handfull of Strawberries
Total (Year-to-Date): $40.50
Why is the title, "Kids and the Garden"? Well, our kids would have never eaten Chard if it was not for the garden. I find that they go outside and pick Chard leaves and eat them raw!! When we prepare it with garlic and olive oil I have heard them call it their favorite veggie!! Chard no less... This goes for much of what we grow. The kids eat what is out there from the plants the first time and continue at the table. Our boy has at times gotten so "spoiled" with homegrown produce that he refuses to eat it if it was from the store. Hey, his dad will never eat another Orange from the store after growing with a tree in the back yard and now having an orange, Grapefruit, and two mandarin trees...so how can I blame him.
Harvested today:
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) Handfull of Strawberries
Total (Year-to-Date): $40.50
Friday, July 9, 2010
Day 9 - Setbacks and Pitfalls, Chapter 1
One of my readers suggested that I should talk about setbacks and pitfalls and how I deal with them. Humans remember that perfect peach but do not like to remember the wormy apple. I am guilty of that!! Well, everything does not always work out as planned and I have learned quite a bit over the years.
For this posting, I would like to talk about the "wormy apple". I have had problems with this issue, especially with my Sierra Beauty apple tree...and unfortunately it looks like I will have the same problem this year. Why do I get wormy apples some years and not others? Well, I do not use any sprays on my trees. I asked a local apple grower and his solution to worms was sprays. I do not want to spray anything on fruit that I am going to consume...much less my kids. So, the worms come from the Codling Moth. These buggers are a real problem in my yard and the only real solution that I have is to thin fruit when they are about dime sized. I did this last year and had the most incredible apples around. This year I was a bit of a slacker...and I will not have great apples. What I mean by thinning is cut away any apples that might touch each other. Apple blossoms will produce 3 - 5 flowers and with the bees providing great polination, they all turn into apples. If I do not thin to one apple, they will all have the moth larvae. I was just a bit late this year....
Harvested today:
1) Three zuchini ($2.50)
Year-to-Date ($34.50)
For this posting, I would like to talk about the "wormy apple". I have had problems with this issue, especially with my Sierra Beauty apple tree...and unfortunately it looks like I will have the same problem this year. Why do I get wormy apples some years and not others? Well, I do not use any sprays on my trees. I asked a local apple grower and his solution to worms was sprays. I do not want to spray anything on fruit that I am going to consume...much less my kids. So, the worms come from the Codling Moth. These buggers are a real problem in my yard and the only real solution that I have is to thin fruit when they are about dime sized. I did this last year and had the most incredible apples around. This year I was a bit of a slacker...and I will not have great apples. What I mean by thinning is cut away any apples that might touch each other. Apple blossoms will produce 3 - 5 flowers and with the bees providing great polination, they all turn into apples. If I do not thin to one apple, they will all have the moth larvae. I was just a bit late this year....
Harvested today:
1) Three zuchini ($2.50)
Year-to-Date ($34.50)
Days 6, 7, 8 - Vacation and the Garden
I was meaning to talk about the garden when you go on vacation for a longer period of time, but we were really only gone for one day of harvest because I had an accident that required me to come home early (I slipped on a creek crossing and fell on a rock, breaking my Scapula (shoulder blade) on the second day). Bummer for the camping vacation...bummer for the rest of the summer...
Anyhow, what do you do with the garden when you are on vacation?
First of all you have to water your ground crops so you really want an automated irrigation system in place. This is a bit of work to set up, but saves time throughout the year. Fruit trees are a bit more flexible and can go weeks without watering.
The second problem you will have is coming back to 10 pound zuchinni which then shut the plants down for the season.
The biggest problem I see is that you tend your garden and trees all year and if you are gone for two weeks you may just find that you missed the entire peach season!! This has happened for one of our trees a couple of years ago...left the house with rock hard peaches, came back to them all rotting on the ground. We learned from that and now tell our neighbors that we will be gone and to harvest peaches. Who in their right mind would not spend the few minutes to come over to harvest perectly ripe peaches! After a few years of harvests you can pretty much predict what will be ripe to the week and inform your very lucky neighbors.
So, you will not be able to harvest when you are gone...nor could I on the day that we were gone.
Harvests:
Day 6: 4 Apriums ($2.00)
Day 7: gone
Day 8: Handfull of cherry tomatos (priceless!!)
Handfull of Strawberries
Total (Year-to-Date): $32.00
Anyhow, what do you do with the garden when you are on vacation?
First of all you have to water your ground crops so you really want an automated irrigation system in place. This is a bit of work to set up, but saves time throughout the year. Fruit trees are a bit more flexible and can go weeks without watering.
The second problem you will have is coming back to 10 pound zuchinni which then shut the plants down for the season.
The biggest problem I see is that you tend your garden and trees all year and if you are gone for two weeks you may just find that you missed the entire peach season!! This has happened for one of our trees a couple of years ago...left the house with rock hard peaches, came back to them all rotting on the ground. We learned from that and now tell our neighbors that we will be gone and to harvest peaches. Who in their right mind would not spend the few minutes to come over to harvest perectly ripe peaches! After a few years of harvests you can pretty much predict what will be ripe to the week and inform your very lucky neighbors.
So, you will not be able to harvest when you are gone...nor could I on the day that we were gone.
Harvests:
Day 6: 4 Apriums ($2.00)
Day 7: gone
Day 8: Handfull of cherry tomatos (priceless!!)
Handfull of Strawberries
Total (Year-to-Date): $32.00
Monday, July 5, 2010
Day 5 - Beekeeping
I was introduced to beekeeping about 7 years ago and we have only bought honey once since then...and with our honey-eating family, we go through a bunch. Beekeeping is catching on like raising chickens. I have four other friends locally that are now with a hive in their yard and unlike chickens (or other pets) bees can pretty much take care of themselves even when you are taking a vacation!!
My bees have been really busy lately and I figured that I needed to add some space. Boy was I right!! In one hive I could barely lift the top super...that means that there is a whole heck of a lot of honey in there. Typically one can expect about 2 gallons a year (8 quarts @ $20 per quart for local honey = $160) from a hive. Last year I may have taken too much, but we extracted 7 gallons. Some is given away to neighbors and as gifts that are always well received, but we do eat a lot ourselves.
So, I added a super to each of my two hives and expect to harvest sometime in July, leaving whatever they can make the remaining part of the season for surviving the winter. I will have to say though that there seems like a flower for all seasons in our town for the bees to forage.
The harvest for today:
1) One aprium ($0.50)
2) Kale ($3.00)
3) Pint of blueberries ($4.00)
Total (Year-to-Date): $30.00
My bees have been really busy lately and I figured that I needed to add some space. Boy was I right!! In one hive I could barely lift the top super...that means that there is a whole heck of a lot of honey in there. Typically one can expect about 2 gallons a year (8 quarts @ $20 per quart for local honey = $160) from a hive. Last year I may have taken too much, but we extracted 7 gallons. Some is given away to neighbors and as gifts that are always well received, but we do eat a lot ourselves.
So, I added a super to each of my two hives and expect to harvest sometime in July, leaving whatever they can make the remaining part of the season for surviving the winter. I will have to say though that there seems like a flower for all seasons in our town for the bees to forage.
The harvest for today:
1) One aprium ($0.50)
2) Kale ($3.00)
3) Pint of blueberries ($4.00)
Total (Year-to-Date): $30.00
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Day 4 - Berries
June and early July is a time of the year when there is very little fruit ripe in the garden. The exception is the berry.
Generally, we start harvesting Raspberries on June 1st and have a bowl of Raspberries each morning for about the entire month. Last Fall we had to cut the Rasperries to ground for some workers to put in a fence and because of this we have not had any yet. How do we get Rasberries in June you might ask? Well, first of all we planted the Heritage variety which has very strong self-supportive canes. At the end of the fruiting in the Fall, I cut the canes to be about 6 ft high and only keep the strongest of the canes. These mature canes will then sprout and have fruit by June 1st. Meanwhile the new canes will sprout and give us a second crop in August and September. Even though the second crop is larger, the first crop is what we all remember since we have not eaten a Raspberry for 10 months!!
This year we have been blessed with our first real nice crop of Blueberries though and I tell you, without the Raspberry stealing the show, these berries are becoming the star!! The kids eat them evey time they go in the yard and the grown-ups hardly get a chance to partake. Well, I took it upon myself today to do my own picking and was rewarded with a cup of some of the best berries you could imagine.
The other reward this year was our Strawberry patch. Really not officially in our yard, but a shared planting in a little strip of land between us and our neighbor. Kind of an island, it stays pretty snail and slug free...and if you are growing Strawberries you know what a slug can do to a nice juicy berry.
...and for the 4th of July, we harvested:
1) Two zuchini ($1.00)
2) Two apriums ($1.00)
3) One white nectarine ($1.00)
4) One cup of bluberries ($2.00)
Total (Year-to-Date): $22.50
Generally, we start harvesting Raspberries on June 1st and have a bowl of Raspberries each morning for about the entire month. Last Fall we had to cut the Rasperries to ground for some workers to put in a fence and because of this we have not had any yet. How do we get Rasberries in June you might ask? Well, first of all we planted the Heritage variety which has very strong self-supportive canes. At the end of the fruiting in the Fall, I cut the canes to be about 6 ft high and only keep the strongest of the canes. These mature canes will then sprout and have fruit by June 1st. Meanwhile the new canes will sprout and give us a second crop in August and September. Even though the second crop is larger, the first crop is what we all remember since we have not eaten a Raspberry for 10 months!!
This year we have been blessed with our first real nice crop of Blueberries though and I tell you, without the Raspberry stealing the show, these berries are becoming the star!! The kids eat them evey time they go in the yard and the grown-ups hardly get a chance to partake. Well, I took it upon myself today to do my own picking and was rewarded with a cup of some of the best berries you could imagine.
The other reward this year was our Strawberry patch. Really not officially in our yard, but a shared planting in a little strip of land between us and our neighbor. Kind of an island, it stays pretty snail and slug free...and if you are growing Strawberries you know what a slug can do to a nice juicy berry.
...and for the 4th of July, we harvested:
1) Two zuchini ($1.00)
2) Two apriums ($1.00)
3) One white nectarine ($1.00)
4) One cup of bluberries ($2.00)
Total (Year-to-Date): $22.50
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Day 3 - End of the Chard
Spring veggies have come to an end. It is now the time to replant some summer/fall produce to take that space.
Simple post today. I am tired and going to bed.
Harvested today:
1) Two Bunches of Chard ($6.00)
Total (Year-to-Date): $17.50
Simple post today. I am tired and going to bed.
Harvested today:
1) Two Bunches of Chard ($6.00)
Total (Year-to-Date): $17.50
Friday, July 2, 2010
Day 2 - End of the Beets
You ever have a fresh beet from your own garden? I have to believe that it is the least appreciated veggie out there. Tomatoes are king of summer, snap peas in the spring and the winter squash in the fall. I remember growing beets for the first time in Santa Barbara and serving them to a friend for dinner. She said that she did not like beets but I somehow convinced her to partake. After that day it was one of her favorites!! Try it in your own garden.
This is perhaps the most difficult time to harvest from the garden. The summer veggies and fruit are not quite ready yet (cherry tomatoes are trying!!) and the spring greens are bolting due to the heat. Lucky for us we have some transitional plants and some early veggies.
Being gone most of the day, it was a light harvest:
1) Two zuchinni ($1.00)
2) The last of the beets ($3.00)
3) One aprium ($0.50)
Total (Year-to-Date): $11.50
This is perhaps the most difficult time to harvest from the garden. The summer veggies and fruit are not quite ready yet (cherry tomatoes are trying!!) and the spring greens are bolting due to the heat. Lucky for us we have some transitional plants and some early veggies.
Being gone most of the day, it was a light harvest:
1) Two zuchinni ($1.00)
2) The last of the beets ($3.00)
3) One aprium ($0.50)
Total (Year-to-Date): $11.50
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Day 1 - Here we go!!
Day one of the year-long adventure. I have been meaning to post once more before today, talking about the veggie plots...since I have already described the fruit trees.
We have eight small veggie plots. Four of them are "full-sun", two of them are partial sun, and the remaining two get some sun...but are shaded by our large Live Oak tree much of the day. In the four sunny plots I have the "hot crops". Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers. The next two are mixed use (bush beans do all right), the shady two are devoted to "cooler crops" like greens and peas. I do something in the plots thoughout the year...with winter growing a years worth of garlic in one plot.
All right. What did we get our first day?
1) a bunch of Chard ($3.00) (sauteed in our own garlic)
2) basket of stawberries ($2.00)
3) small basket of blueberries ($1.00)
4) one Aprium ($0.50)
5) one white nectarine ($0.50)
I need to get my scale...I misplaced it and will try to weigh things soon. Right now it is an approximation.. Aproximately $7.00 worth of produce in one day is a pretty good deal though...and oh you shoud have tasted the strawberries!! As my friend Scott said the other day, "Can't transport these!". Real garden strawberries ripened on the plant are just too soft and juicy.
Totals (year-to-date): $7.00
We have eight small veggie plots. Four of them are "full-sun", two of them are partial sun, and the remaining two get some sun...but are shaded by our large Live Oak tree much of the day. In the four sunny plots I have the "hot crops". Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers. The next two are mixed use (bush beans do all right), the shady two are devoted to "cooler crops" like greens and peas. I do something in the plots thoughout the year...with winter growing a years worth of garlic in one plot.
All right. What did we get our first day?
1) a bunch of Chard ($3.00) (sauteed in our own garlic)
2) basket of stawberries ($2.00)
3) small basket of blueberries ($1.00)
4) one Aprium ($0.50)
5) one white nectarine ($0.50)
I need to get my scale...I misplaced it and will try to weigh things soon. Right now it is an approximation.. Aproximately $7.00 worth of produce in one day is a pretty good deal though...and oh you shoud have tasted the strawberries!! As my friend Scott said the other day, "Can't transport these!". Real garden strawberries ripened on the plant are just too soft and juicy.
Totals (year-to-date): $7.00
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