Wildmint Garden

May 15, 2010 Update

2010-05-14T18:11:00.001-07:00

Arugula

The arugula is growing at an incredible rate. We've had one meal already, and there is another meal's worth in the fridge. We've taken to eating it in lieu of lettuce on our hamburgers as it gives a nice little kick. The boys call them mustard greens because they taste a lot like the groniger mustard that we have. We have also stir fried them in a pan with a bit of oil and vinegar which is delicious. We must have at least two varieties as we have both green and purple leaves.

Spinach

The spinach took a bit of a beating from the two inches of snow we got late April, but most of them grew quite well and are approaching being big enough to feed us while sending out more shoots. We're looking forward to eating this stir-fried with a bit of garlic.

Onions

I planted sets this year. About 5 of them were from N's aunt's heirloom onions and the rest were white onions planted from a bag that I got at half price at Canadian Tire because some of them had gone bad. The ones I got from N's aunt I simply picked off the flower of the onion. I never knew that sets came from the flower! Most have come up just fine, though I've had to throw out a lot as well. I'd say I did better than 50% though, which means the deal was worth it. :) This is really my first time growing onions, and I planted quite a bit of them. At first, something (a small mammal, I think, maybe a squirrel in search of bulbs) dug them up and left them strewn about the bed, but I covered it with a bit of chicken wire and they now seem to be doing well. The largest is about 3" tall.

Currants

My black currant bush did very well over the winter and is bearing a good load of fruit already. I also propogated a bunch and they all did well. I stupidly pulled up the plants which weren't opening their buds, only to find them quite alive below the soil. Note to self: don't consider something dead because its leaves aren't out in mid-May. I was able to grow one and give it to a friend, though, so nothing lost.

I bought a red currant bush from Canadian Tire this year too. It was $7.00 which was 50% off of the regular price. I asked for half-off because it looked in very rough shape with at least one broken branch and the manager was very obliging. However, I knew the plant would do well with a bit of compost and a good watering and it is now looking very healthy in my garden. I also put the broken branch into a cup of water and it is now sprouting roots. Here's to two red currant bushes for the price of 1/2!

Peas

I planted about 18 peas this year and 14 have come up, which is a decent germination rate. They're now all about 2" high and doing well. I've been lucky that the slugs have yet to devour them. I did see a small slug (a baby) tonight on my arugula greens which doesn't bode well. We need to get some sharp sand, which we will likely do tomorrow.

Basil, Cilantro

Planted it about 2 weeks ago and it is coming up nicely. It's about 3 cm tall at this point. Very small.

Chives, Oregano,

Coming nicely.

Greens in April!

2010-04-06T07:40:00.001-07:00

Evidence of spinach in April! My spinach and arugula, which were planted in March have sprouted and are currently about 2" tall. If this trend continues, we will have fresh greens ready to eat before Victoria day. Un.believe.able. I'm going to start beans this week under glass. On the negative side, it appears that my currant scions are no longer living. They still exhibit a bit of green in the bud, but they have not sprouted, unlike the mother plant which is nearby. We'll see about this as the days go on.

Here's to an early start!

March Miscellany

2010-03-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

It's March, and we've had a superb stretch of weather. The snow is completely off of our garden and the earth is bare. The loss of the snow has revealed that the little black currant scions that I cut off and planted last October have made it through the winter with buds intact. Here's a picture of one of them:

It doesn't look like much beyond a dead branch, but if you look closely you can see the buds with hints of green in there. We'll see how they progress. One other thing that I'm trying this year is a cold frame. Here's how it looks:

The idea behind the cold frame is that you use the sun's heat to warm up the ground enough to plant some colder weather vegetables and extend your growing season. I'm going to try to start some spinach next week.

Garden 2010

Food fotos from Wildmint Garden

2009-08-17T17:33:00.001-07:00

Maroon on the outside...

Cosmic on the inside! (that one's about 4")

See what I mean about the whole bullseye on LSD thing?

One red tomato, one green, two zucchinis

Disease and pest

2009-08-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

I've got some septoria leaf spot on a few of my tomato plants. One Manitoba has been decimated, and the other is on its way. I'm going to have to take them up, and I suppose I'll just have to do fried green tomatoes. The reason, I'm certain is a combination of cool, wet weather with fairly intense tomato planting. This is one of the downsides of square foot gardening. Like a packed city, disease spreads quickly.

Also, while the dry weather has meant the slugs have slowed down (not ceased), there are still earwig issues in the beans and stinkbugs (which come in many shapes and colours) are in many places. I'd like to import a few toads but squishing works for now.

More goodies

2009-08-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

It's been hot and dry here the past 4 days or so, and the garden is finally enjoying a reprieve from the cool, damp, weather we've been having. The tomatoes are turning red, zucchinis are growing well, and the cucumbers are starting to hit their stride.

Tonight for dinner we had zucchini (the first full sized from our plant, four more on the way), four small Manitoba tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette (they are very, very tangy; they would probably be improved with a bit of sweetness in the vinaigrette, or perhaps no vinegar and merely olive oil alone) , our first cucumber picked off the trellis (note: cucumbers should not taste like water; they have a distinct taste which reminds me of the smell of freshly weed-whacked wildflowers after a rain; same for zucchini's just different flowers), a whack of yellow rocdor bush and also jeminez pole beans (which are very, very good. Better even than the rocdor yellows. It is like eating fresh, buttery green silk. I kid you not.), a couple of cosmic purple carrots (which are really only cosmic in the Woodstock era sense; the longest was six inches, the other about four inches. They remind me of a psychedelic bulls eye when cut cross-wise); I would grow them just for the visual aesthetic alone.

Judging from the look of things, we're soon to be up to our eyeballs in tomatoes and zucchinis. Suits me just fine. I'm keeping track of yields on our house calendar and will post yield information at the end of the month.

Informal tally

2009-08-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'll get actual weights and worths in the future, but here's a rough estimation of what we've pulled from the garden thus far:

Yellow beans: 8 crops and counting
Pole Beans: 1 crop and counting
Snap peas (snow peas): 3 crops and counting, despite heavy losses from the damn slugs
Swiss Chard: 6 crops and counting (and delicious)
Beets: 1 crop + greens
Tomatoes: 1 tomato. Had it last night. Was watery and not all that good, actually. Too much rain. Zucchinis: 1. Again, too much rain, not enough heat.
Cucumbers: None yet, though the vines are producing flowers and some small fruit.
Carrots: none.

Pictures of deliciousness

2009-08-11T04:40:00.001-07:00

These are a few pics of some of the produce our little patch has produced this year. From the top, you'll see:

a. Beet greens (the beets themselves were about the same size as plums and, as Nicole says: "succulent." They didn't make the pic because they were being cooked already. We ate them with a touch of white vinegar and butter. And yes, they were succulent). I steam the beet greens which are also very tasty. Similar to swiss chard, actually, which makes sense as the two plants are related.

b. The first, and slightly smaller than average picking of our yellow rocdor bush beans. We've had eight crops of these and counting. They're delicious as well; slightly buttery and not a tad bit stringy or tough, they are very tender. Our neighbours, friends and colleagues are benefiting from our surplus and so are our paletes. Suffice it to say that 3 square feet of beans planted in 3'' squares produces ample reward for the amount of work. I haven't had to weed them since the second or third week; their crowns shade out the weeds.

c. the lovely shape of a rocdor yellow bush bean. It's a very attractive bean. Slender, and gently curved.

Kuyperian Gardening...

2009-07-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

A fairly accurate moniker for my gardening methods. "Every square inch" is, or will be covered with plants of some sort.

The garden is growing very well. Still major problems with slugs this year, but the germination and growth of all my plants is pretty incredible and I should get very good yields. If there were no slugs, yields would be even higher. Next year, I will have to invest in some some sharp sand to keep them out. For now I use beer traps (what a waste) and ammonia/water mix.

Pics of garden below.

Snow peas. The slugs destroyed a lot, and they had to be replanted, but they're doing just fine now. Harvested one meal's worth already.

A blurry shot of the veggie patch

Yellow bush beans plus one of the boys' shovels.

Beets. I went a bit overboard with planting, but Nicole really likes them, so why not, right? Swiss Chard just behind which has provided two meal's worth; and more to come. The SC is surprisingly tender and tasty; not at all bitter.

Cucumbers with home made trellis. Next year, I will plant cukes directly instead of transplanting. They germinate very quickly and are quick to grow.

Tomatoes, with carrots in front. Skeptical friends: note the height of the tomatoes. I rest my case.

A close up for my skeptical friends. It's a 6' fence, and those plants are about 5' up.

Zucchini plant with boot, a bit blurry.

A view of our garden

2009-06-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

This was taken two weeks ago. There wasn't a whole lot peeking through. We'll post more soon to show what it looks like now.

Spring Veggie Garden Update

2009-05-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes:

All of the tomatoes have been repotted in 3'' plastic pots and are enjoying the sun. They're not too thick yet, but their root systems are well developed, which should do them well this summer.

Cucumbers:

Cukes were planted on the date suggested below. Germination rate was 9/9 0r 100% in about 4 days. Next year, I will not plant so far ahead as they got very leggy, very quickly. A May 14 planting date would probably suffice for cucumbers. Or, alternatively, plant in compostable pots so as to plant directly in soil. I worry about their being able to handle the transplant from the styrofoam. Also, don't leave greenhouse lid on too long, as I think this is the cause of the legginess.

Zucchinis:

Planted on date suggested below. Slightly slower germination than cukes, but still within 5-6 days, and at a rate of 8/9 or 88%. Looking strong, and no real concerns. Same as cukes with regard to greenhouse lid.

Hot peppers:

Still very very small and weak. Not sure what the issue is, but I'm guessing not enough heat. Will transplant once it gets warmer into larger pots. Very slow growers.

April Expenditures:

279 kg of compost from the city: $20.00
Total Expenditures for April: 20.00
Total Gains: $0.00, much joy.

Planting Schedule Update

2009-04-05T12:09:00.001-07:00

Planted today:

Thai hot peppers - April 5
Black Cherry Tomato - April 5
Manitoba Tomato - April 5
Orange Strawberry Tomato - April 5

In the zone

2009-03-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

Apparently, we're in Zone 5a. Good to know. See here for more.

Les Oignons

2009-03-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

(click for big)

These are my Red Globe Onions from Greta. If you look closely you'll see that there are about 50 little onion plants there out of a approximately 70 seeds planted. There are more popping up every day, so I'd say the germination rate is very good. I planted them on March 2, and they have been up for about 4 days. I simply stuck them in some potting soil that I had crumbled finely and moistened and placed in a danish package from the grocery store. Not a bad little greenhouse when stuck on the fridge. The key now is to strengthen them up. I'm not sure how to do this, but this blog (seems to be a Canadian from Brantford!) says that you can trim them back to 4-5'' to prevent them from getting too leggy. As you'll note from the pic, that's a concern. I'll wait a few days before taking the snips to them. G&E take note, we sent some of these your way! Get them started ASAP.

Red Globe Onions

Planted March 2, 2009

Germination rate: approx. 67%

Time to germinate: approx. 4-7 days

Concerns: leggy plants

Update (March 15, 2009): There are 48 viable seedlings. They are very thin and fragile after two weeks. Research suggests that I should keep them trimmed to 3'' to thicken the stems.

Update (April 5, 2009): Nicole accidentally killed all my onions by placing the germination tray on the top of the stove while the oven was on. Needless to say, the tender little shoots wilted beyond recognition. I replanted and now they are back at the same stage as the picture above. We might not get good bulbs this year what with being a month behind schedule. But, we'll see. Germination for second round of seeds was over 80% though.

2009 Indoor Planting Schedule

2009-03-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

March

Red Globe Onion - March 2

April

Thai hot peppers - April 1
Black Cherry Tomato - April 1
Manitoba Tomato - April 1
Orange Strawberry Tomato - April 1
Mid-east Prolific Cucumbers - April 28
Black Zucchini - April 28

Garden Budget - 2009

2009-03-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

Following J.D. Roth over at Get Rich Slowly, Nicole and I are keeping track of our expenses/gains for our garden this year. We're not too concerned about spending a bit more money than we would otherwise for fruit and veg, as we do it mainly for the taste and enjoyment, but it's a good practice in any case. Budgeting: always good, never bad.

So, thus far, we've bought all of our seeds for this year's garden, courtesy of Greta's organic seeds. (There really is a Greta, by the way, and she's just as you imagine her: long grey pony tail, plaid shirt and with a hint of an accent. I think she's Danish) Last year we used old seeds and the germination was terrible. We think they got a bit moist in the move. Thus, we decided to spend a bit more up front and invest in some heirlooms, from which we can save the seeds and use them again and again. We could even barter them, I suppose, if we get good at it.

So, we bought all of the seeds listed in the previous post and a few others for our friends who wanted some. We're splitting the cost three ways, so that saves a bit of money. We also bought a bag of potting soil for starting the seeds.

February
Seeds: -$25.00
Starting soil: -$3.19
Total Expenditures for February: -$28.19
Total Gains: $0.00

I'll be starting my onions today. I've never planted onions from seed before, so we'll see how that goes. We've been saving plastic containers with lids as mini-greenhouse starters; I just need to do a bit of research on how to do it properly.

Longing for Spring

2009-02-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

The backyard is still covered in snow, but it's time to order some seeds from Greta. This is what we're going to plant this spring. Look good? As you can see, we'll have way too many seeds for our backyard garden, even accounting for seeds that don't germinate. We'll be splitting our order with friends, but even then we'll have a whole lot left. If you're interested in getting in on some seeds, let us know in the comment section. It will be cheap and a good investment; these are heirlooms so you can take the seeds from the fruit and replant next year! Yes?

Buck buck

2009-01-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

The question:

I'm hoping to start a small flock and I have a number of questions which I hope you might be able to answer for me before I place my order:

1. How does a chantecler compare to a Rhode Island Red or Leghorn in terms of laying? I'm interested in the breed for its ability to withstand the cold and its heritage, but want to gauge its efficiency in laying vs. feed.
2. How do bantams compare to their standard counterparts in terms of efficiency of feed vs. laying? I understand that their eggs are slightly smaller, but do they consume the same amount of feed as would a standard bird to do so?

Any help on these questions would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

The answer:

Hello Brian, The Chantecler is a good dual purpose breed which lays quite well. The Rhode Island Red would win out in most cases against the Chantecler in laying ability.The Leghorn would come out on top as the most efficient and highest number of eggs layed. Housing, feeding and environmental conditions will also dictate ultimate laying abilities amongst the different breeds. Bantams do not consume the same amount of feed as standards; however, they lay a smaller egg.
Performance Poultry

Seed catalog time!

2009-01-12T18:04:00.001-08:00

This year, we're going to go with heirlooms, as there is a place that sells seeds, just down the road.

For most things: Greta. Here's the catalog.

For tomatoes: Upper Canada Seeds

And, an organic seedfest in Ottawa!

Seedy Saturday

Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre

Saturday March 7, 2009

10:00-3:00

How to transplant a rose

2008-12-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

Nicole and I will be redesigning our garden this spring. One thing we're planning on doing is moving one of our tall climbing rose bushes between our two composters (thanks to Graham for the second one, courtesy of someone in Hamilton!). The idea is to use a climbing rose to go over the two composters and a smaller white rose to hide the one side of the composter from view out of our back window. In addition to hiding the black composters, the roses' proximity to the compost will likely mean healthy plants. I'm slightly concerned about airflow on the one between the composters, but we'll have to see. Instructions on moving roses can be found here. The synopsis?

DO one rose bush at a time only.
DO Be Organized
DO have the new bed or location ready before digging the plant
DO have all tools and equipment ready.
DO have water at hand.
DO work quickly.
DO ask for help if you have many bushes to be moved.
DO prune the plants by 1/3 to 2/3; remember, the bush will be shocked when dug up and will be unable to sustain its original amount of leaves.
DO cover or hill up all transplanted roses for several days.
DO NOT try to transplant more than one bush at a time.
DO NOT transplant on a cold, windy, or hot day.
DO NOT expose the roots for a long time to air, sun, wind or cold and certainly not to freezing rain.
DO NOT leave newly transplanted bushes uncovered.
DO NOT fertilize during transplanting (except bone meal).

And, a breakdown of rose terms.

2008-12-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Best looking garden centre website I've come across to date: Knippels. Very helpful, very knowledgeable. I emailed them last night seeking advice on what type of fruit tree to get to replace our snowball flower tree that died this summer (not sure why), and they recommended a five-in-one apple tree (in less than 12 hours: excellent service!). Apparently five different types of apples are grafted onto the stem.

We were looking for a small fruit tree, and were originally leaning towards a small cherry or prune tree. Those are still preferable, but if we can't find one, we'll go with the apple.

Okay, so...I've decided

2008-12-06T17:38:00.000-08:00

The bird: Chantecler,

Will be housed in a miniature version of this: Dutch Barn

Must. Build. Something like this.

2008-10-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

But with more beauty and less width.

Referring to berry production, but true overall

2008-10-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

"The best management and cultural practices cannot compensate for soil problems that should have been corrected before planting."

-Here-

I spent a good part of Saturday preparing our east edge back beds for the winter. I removed the tomato plant, took the last zucchinis off the plant, removed the lily stems and dry foliage and composted them. I also worked in a garbage can full of leaves from our front yard locust tree into the back beds with the idea that if the leaves get worked into the soil, it would increase the organic matter, aerate the soil a bit, and encourage the bugs and microbials to start snacking so they could stay healthy in the fall. A couple of items to research though:

1. What type of material should not be composted, or, what type of diseases/parasites which might be present on dead plant material (particularly tomatoes and zucchinis) will survive the heat and chemical reactions of the composting process.

2. Whether or not locust leaves will adversely affect the soil for a mixed flower/vegetable garden.

I also discovered what slug eggs look like. They are remarkably less disgusting than that from which they come. They look very much like silica gel, actually. Still, I found the slugs and slaughtered them and left their progeny exposed for the birds to eat. Some sparrows came to finish the job a few minutes after I'd left. Sparrows are friends, slugs are enemies.

My plans for the garden in the spring

2008-09-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

1. Add a fruit tree, probably a small plum of some sort, to replace the tree that perished this summer.
2. Significantly scale back and move our large rose bush at the back of the yard.
3. Get a chicken or two (and make a coop).
4. Get another 2x2 composter to create a one rotting, one using compost system.
5. Split all of our perrenials and a. give some away b. transplant the others
6. Create a 4x6 vegetable patch.
7. Learn all the proper names of the plants in our garden and post them on this blog with pictures.

Propogating Black Currants

2008-09-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

The time to propagate the bushes is when the foliage has stopped growing and is beginning to turn brown or falling off. A good time is mid-October although a couple of weeks later is almost as good. Take cuttings from healthy bushes only - ignore bushes with any signs of disease.

Select a healthy looking stem of ripened (brown not green wood) and cut a 25cm (10in) length.
The cut should be made just below a bud. Pull off all the leaves from the stem being careful not to remove the stem. The result should look like the picture below.

Dig a trench about 15cm (6in) deep and incorporate a handful of bonemeal into the removed soil. Place the cuttings into the trench making sure that at least two buds will remain above the soil surface and that there are four or more buds below the surface. Space the cuttings 20cm (8in) apart.
Fill in around the cuttings with the removed soil, being careful not to damage the buds below or above the soil. Gently firm the soil down around the cutting with your foot. Water the soil well. It is a good idea to mulch around the cuttings with well-rotted compost to conserve water.Leave the cuttings in the ground until October next year then dig them up with as much of their root ball intact as possible. Transplant them to their final positions as if they were bought from a nursery

Source: Garden Action UK

Fruit in our garden

2008-09-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Black Currant.

Flowers in our garden

2008-09-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

Loosestrife of some sort. Not the same invasive loosestrife found in ditches. Small clump.

Pink Echinacea. Dark leaf, blooms late summer.

Lily of some sort. Blooms fairly early

Lily of some sort. Blooms early summer

Yellow echinacea - late summer bloom

Bleeding hearts. Very early bloom

The point of this blog

2008-09-28T11:25:00.001-07:00

1. To serve as a repository of our websearches/readings on gardening
2. To serve as a journal of our experiences, trials, triumphs and other subjectives of gardening.
3. To keep track of what we do from year to year.