Artichoke Plants

I have nine artichoke plants this year and they all seem to be doing well. No signs of aphids this year thank goodness. Most of these will end up at the community garden plot. They've had plenty of cold weather treatment this spring so hopefully they will all produce buds this year. I've yet to have an artichoke plant not produce in the first year and am keeping my fingers crossed that this streak will continue here in Vermont.

I've become an artichoke addict during the past couple of years.  While the medium-sized buds I get from my plants can never compete with the enormous globes that are shipped in from California, they are indeed fresher. That being said, I will admit that I will never be a strict locavore.  When they are good, those California artichokes are just too tempting to pass up. 

Spring Cleaning

A few weeks ago, we began the task of cleaning up the raised beds behind our townhouse.  The beds had been left unattended to for at least the past year so much of the work involved lots of weeding.  Here, Marc is clearing out the crowded strawberry bed.  This is where I'll be growing much of my tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and string beans.  

I haven't done too much planting up until now.  The snow peas, shell peas and fava beans have sprouted but are growing rather slowly.  I also transplanted some spinach, lettuce and Asian greens not too long ago.  The rest will have to wait until May as temperatures are expected to reach down into the low 30's later on this week.


A while back, I also began work on cleaning up the overgrown soft fruit bed beside our unit.  I pruned back many of the shrubs, removed lots of dead branches and cleared out most of the weeds. Now all it needs is a top dressing of some good compost.

I wouldn't say that I know all that much about pruning fruit trees and shrubs.  Mostly, I pruned each shrub to a manageable size and shape and removed dead and crossing limbs.  I'm looking forward to seeing this elderberry bush in fool bloom.

As you can see from this picture, the raspberries have taken over much of this bed. I suspect that it's an everbearing variety because I remember seeing some fruit on the canes when we visited last December. In any case, I pruned back the tops and will wait to see if they produce an early summer crop as well. It's hard to see in this picture but there are also two black currant bushes behind the raspberry canes.

In addition to the black currants, there are also white and red varieties in the bed. The "Red Lake" currant bush in particular is loaded with buds. Hopefully it will produce well this year.


In addition to two dwarf cherry trees beside our unit, there's also a shrub that's described as a "bush cherry" in this bed.   I'm not quite sure what this is but it's flowering profusely right now.  I'll have to do some googling.

 

Finally, the four sorely neglected blueberry bushes don't look like they've done much growing thus far. Hopefully that will change as I would love to take some green wood cuttings this summer.

Favorite Thing - Soil Blocks

I'm glad to say that my love/hate relationship with soil blocks has now grown into being one of just love.  (Exciting, I know.)  I think the "hate" part of it was the result of having to source and combine the ingredients to create the soil block mix each year.  One benefit of living in Vermont is that many of local garden centers carry Vermont Compost Company's Fort Vee potting mix, which is designed for soil blocks.  Having used it now for the past couple of months, I have to say that I'm a HUGE fan.  Hopefully I'll never have to go back to making my own mix ever again.


This year, I decided to buy a 1 1/2 inch soil blocker to accompany my 2 inch and 3/4 inch mini blockers.  I start most of my melons, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peppers and larger brassicas like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower each year using the 2 inch blocker.  However, this size block is a generally too large for greens like spinach and lettuce and most Asian greens like bok choy, tatsoi, mizuna, choy sum, etc.  The 1 1/2 inch blocks are good for onions and beets as well.  If you're on a tight gardening budget, I'd recommend getting the 2 inch blocker to start, but now that I have both, I couldn't imagine doing without either.  Admittedly, I haven't found much use for the 3/4 inch mini blocker and doubt that I ever will.


I generally sow 2 to 3 seeds per block and then thin the seedlings down to 1 (with the exception of scallions, which I don't thin, and large seeds, which I sow 1 or 2 per block).  Most of the time, I get pretty good germination rates this way. 


For tomatoes and peppers, I generally pot-up to a 3 or 4 inch pot once they've outgrown their blocks and bury as much of the stem as I can.  I'd consider buying a 4 inch blocker but don't think it's really worth it.

Anyway, if you've never tried soil blocks, I hope you give them a try.  The blockers run about 25 to 30 dollars each but are well worth the investment in my opinion.

I'm Baaaack!

 
 I have to apologize for being MIA for so long.  I don't think I've ever gone this long without posting something.  But now that things are starting to warm up here in Vermont (this week being an exception) and I've gotten our community garden plot squared away, I'm sure I'll have more to talk about. 


These are just two random pictures I took of Lake Champlain a while back.  They're nothing to write home about and don't highlight some of the spectacular mountain views you can see from the shore, but on this day, we came across some bird watchers and even spotted a few Bald Eagles circling in the sky.  (I was sorely disappointed that I'd neglected to bring along my telephoto lens.) We're really looking forward to exploring the nearby forests and mountains this summer.

We're finally getting some much needed rain this week, though it might end up being a bit too much.  I don't remember the last time we've had a spring this dry.  The soil in the raised beds behind our townhouse had begun to take on that grey sandy dust bowl-ish look.  Hopefully this is not the start of another wacky year of weather.  This past winter was wacky enough.

Flowering Mandarinquat Tree

 
A few weeks ago, my mandarinquat tree started flowering like crazy.  I'd never had a citrus tree that did so as much.  The blooms ran all along the stems and filled the room with the most pleasant scent.


Hopefully this means that I'll get a semi-decent crop this year, and by that I mean a number greater than four, which is what I got last year.


Speaking of mandarinquat trees - I have two, though I'm a bit concerned about one.  I'd purchased them from an online nursery a couple of years ago and had expected that their growing habit would mirror one another.  In this picture, you can see that my 'good' tree has small narrow leaves and has flowered consistently during the past year.


My 'bad' tree produces wider larger leaves and has shown no indication that it will ever want to flower.  (They are lighter in color in this picture because they are new leaves.) It's also more vigorous in its growth than my good tree.  I've given my trees the same potting soil, same fertilizer and same growing conditions so I'm at a loss as to why my bad tree is not flowering at all.  All of the growth on my bad tree is happening above the graft line but I'm wondering whether it's still possible for a root stock to assert its characteristics here somehow.  It might be time to consult a professional.

Moving and Propagating Cranberry Plants

Before we moved out of our Massachusetts home earlier this year, I'd attempted to dig up my two cranberry shrubs (vines) to take with us. I'd purchased them when we'd first moved in and they'd grown tremendously over the past two years. Cranberries are definitely worth growing in the home garden in my opinion because even if they don't fruit well, the foliage alone is quite attractive, particularly in late summer when the leaves turn several stunning shades of red and burgundy. To my dismay, despite the fact that the ground was completely frost free due to the unusually warm winter we'd had this year, the soil was nonetheless so compact that I could not dig them up with my trusty garden fork without destroying the fine roots. I could have used a spade but because I was moving them into pots, I didn't want a huge block of soil to contend with. As a result, I was resigned to leaving them behind.

Over the past two months, the ground did in fact freeze solid. Now that it has thawed completely, I was curious to try this again. When I stuck the fork into the ground this time around, I relieved to find that the soil was not nearly as compact as it was before. Why the change? My guess is that when the ground froze, the water expanded, lifting and aerating the soil in the process. In the end, I was able to shake off much of the dirt from the roots and haul these two monsters back to Vermont.


I have to say, dividing cranberry shrubs is not an easy task. The low lying branches root easily when in contact with the ground so the plant grows like a carpet. You can sever the rooted stems from the mother plant and propagate your cranberries that way. Cranberry shrubs also send out runners, which root readily as well. The downside is that they also weave their way through the branches so what you are dealt with is a tangled mess when you attempt to divide your plants.

It took a lot of time and effort but in the end, I ended up with enough cranberry plants of varying sizes to fill a small patch, which I won't be doing any time soon unfortunately. My only other piece of advice is to handle the mother plant with great care as the older stems are extremely fragile at the base and easily break off. I lost a ton of branches in the process.

I'm glad I won't have to buy new cranberry plants.  It amazes me how expensive young fruit trees and shrubs can be these days.  In this case, another plant saved is another dollar earned.

Growing Citrus Collection - Bearss Seedless Lime

A couple of weeks ago, I was walking through the greenhouse house at Lake Street Garden Center in  Salem, New Hampshire when I spotted this little guy.  I wasn't expecting to see citrus plants for sale, especially in New England this time of year, but of course when I saw this Bearss lime, I had to get it.    It'll be another 2 years at least before this rooted cutting starts bearing fruit but having grown citrus trees now for past 4 years, I've learned to be patient when it comes to these things. 

Be warned - once you buy your first citrus tree, chances are you'll want more.  In addition to this Bearss lime, I have 2 Meyer lemon trees, 2 mandarinquats, a Seville orange, and a Kieffer lime.  Later this year, I'd like to get a couple different varieties of mandarin, like Owari Satsuma and Kishu.  Hopefully I'll always have a green room to accommodate my growing collection.  Otherwise, I'll be in BIG trouble.

Fig Trees Update - Moldy Cuttings

Last weekend, I was able to source the ingredients to fertilize my fig trees, which consists of  1 part super phosphate, 1 part 5-10-5, 1 part bone meal and 1 part garden lime, and applied it according to Joe Morle's instructions.  I'll also apply a liquid feed of 20-20-20 fertilizer every 20 days.  I'm anxious to see how my trees will fair this year.


After a week of being indoors, my fig trees began to wake up. 


Now they look like this.

Propagation Update - I'm not having much luck with the cuttings I took a couple of weeks ago.  I can't seem to keep blue mold from developing on them.  After a week of being in the peat moss, they were covered in it.  I then tried storing them in a moist paper towel and that didn't work either.  Dipping them in a bleach/water solution seems to help but the mold still comes back after a few days.  Now I just the cuttings covered in some barely damp perlite.  I'm at a loss at point.   Any suggestions?

My Gardening Helper

(Are my pajama pants really that red???)

City Farmers

I love this video! I find it amazing that this film was produced in 1996. While you can argue that the urban agriculture/gardening/greening movement has now become mainstream, gentrified and chic even, this film is a great reminder that the seeds for this movement were originally sown by ordinary people in the community who wanted nothing more than to rid their neighborhoods of junk filled abandoned lots and have a place to grow food.

When you listen to these gardeners tell their stories, it's interesting to hear how many of them love their gardens because it reminds them of simpler times - perhaps of their childhood and their parents or grandparents who also farmed or had gardens. I think that in large part explains why I personally love gardening so much.