What’s Growing, 2011

2011 Garden Notes

March 20, 2011 Vernal Equinox at 4:21 p.m. EST
I have shoveled off the raised beds i the orchard and erected one tunnel for early transplants–I will put the hardiest souls out in another couples of weeks. Over in the kitchen garden, last year’s artichokes are either dead or dormant–an experiment to see if I can coax them into thinking it really is temperate enough here to be a perennial. We’ll soon see if it worked.

Down in the basement artichokes, calendula, celery, endive, lavender, lemongrass, lettuces, onions, parsley, radicchio, shallots and Za’atar are up and growing away. Today I plant tomatoes.

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May 19, 2010
The garden is a good two weeks ahead of last year (read today’s NYT article about climate change and the National Academy of Sciences), and a good three times the size (not due to climate change, but to my efforts at coping with it and inter-cultural communications and understanding).

Transplants started in the basement under grow lights now up and growing under tunnels or in the open garden:

125 hot peppers: ancho, thai, cascabella, serrano, pasilla, numex, alma, dulce rojo, cherezo and chimayo are all out there sorting themselves out (mulato islemo, mirabel, don padrone & espanola await planting in the garden)

artichokes (globe and purple)
eggplants (Japanese and Italian varieties)
fennel
raddichio
lacinato kale
winter squash (kiri and buttercup)
gourds (birdhouse and corisican)
melons (chanterais)
pumpkins (french cinderella)
tomatoes (brandywine, pole cherokee purple, san marzano)
tomatillo (green and purple varieties)
greek oregano (I replant every couple of years)
sweet marjoram
rapini
chamomile
lemongrass
parsley
nasturtium
thai and genovese basil

Perennial & fall starts up

chives
lavender
garlic
shallots
egyptian onion
oregano
dill
cilantro
mint
tarragon
sage
winter savry
sorrel

Seeds planted in the garden, up and growing &/or being harvested

potatoes (four kinds)
spinach (2 kinds)
lettuces
arugula (three kinds)

onion sets & leek sets
poppy seed poppies
mustard seed
peas (3 kinds)
fava beans
nigella
fenugreek
beets
carrots
french breakfast radishes
watercress (down at the pond)

Plants purchased
zaatar
epazote
lemon thyme

Seeds planted but not up
chard
pole filet beans

More to be planted and transplanted!

June 10

This week we’re picking:

• Carrots
• Chamomile
• Edible flowers (nasturtium, Johnny jump-ups, chives)
• Garlic scapes
• Greens (beet, mustard, broccoli rabe, fenugreek, radicchio)
• Herbs (basil, parsley, mint, tarragon, oregano, marjoram, epazote, chives, thyme)
• Peas (sugarsnaps)
• Radishes
• Salad greens
• Scallions
• Sorrel
• Spinach

June 17

We’ve had cool, rainy weather for the past week or so, but by tomorrow it will careen up into the high 80s.  That’s got to be stressful.  Especially for the heat lovers on the one hand (peppers, beans and melons) and the cool lovers , on the other (favas, greens, lettuces).  The peppers are setting their blossoms unevenly–many of the varieties I am trying for the first time, so I don’t know if they are behaving normally or not.  The cumin sits and sulks.  The beans are stunned into place, shivering.  The lettuce is happy, the radicchio delighted, the peas just chirping away–for the moment.  Crazy crazy fluctuations.

I’ve lost a couple of crops to the rabbits–all of the fenugreek, most of the fennel (do they prefer vegetables that begin with “F”? Now they’re making some inroads on the carrot tops. Right now I’m okay with sharing. In another week I might hanker after rabbit stew.

What we’re picking:

First favas

• carrots
• chamomile for drying
• edible flowers
• favas
• garlic scapes
• greens
• herbs of all sorts (for fresh, freezing and drying)
• lettuce mixes
• onions (young)
• peas
• potatoes
• radishes
• potatoes

July 1

As my posts have indicated, we’ve been buffeted by some extreme weather–wind, rain, heat and cold.  The peppers and beans, in particular, seem at a loss–growing & stopping, growing & stopping.  It will be interesting to see if there are any effects come harvest time for them.  Otherwise, everything is moving right along and we are harvesting, drying, freezing, canning and eating a wide range of vegetables and berries at this point in the season.

This week we’re picking:
carrots
chamomile & other edible flowers
favas
garlic scapes
gooseberries
green garlic
greens: arugula, chard, radicchio, kale, spinach, beet greens
herbs of all sorts
lettuces
onions
peas
potatoes
radishes
raspberries
scallions