wet garden

 
 
Nothing but rain in sight in our forecast. I hope my garden doesn’t float away. But then there’s not very much left in it anyway. I have some great kale, which I am really enjoying. A few tomatoes and peppers trickle in. I am just now starting to pick a small planting of green beans. A few fall shell beans are ripening too. I have some odd radish I’ll have to hardest and try soon. I have parsley and garlic chives. And my gourds are still growing. I planted a…
 
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Fortex green beans

 
 
Here’s a variety I’ll add to my list to grow again next year. Its a green bean called Fortex. As long as a dinner plate (10 inches), stringless, nice vines and best of all really sweet. Delicious.Fabaceae
 
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gourd art

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Here’s a fLickr photo group of gourd Art. Some really cute ones!Decorative gourds
 
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birdhouse gourds

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I am watching four nice birdhouse gourds growing in my gardens. I’ll pick them when the stems dry and turn brown or before a frost. They’re not quite ready yet. I looked up what to do with them and found this nice site: Birdhouse Gourds When dried, these gourds are nearly as tough as plywood… it may take anywhere from 3 months to a year before gourds are completely fry. After picking, set gourds on several layers of newspaper in a warm dry place. Hanging them in a sunny place…
 
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rough draft for next year

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This is a quick early plan for next year’s garden – to give us an idea of where to put the rocks for the bench. The new space we are adding is to the east of my gate in the community plot. garden planning (drawings and diagrams)garden planning (drawings and diagrams)
 
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plot work

 
 
Four stumps out, six more to go. One enormous rock gone, several middle sized ones yet to move. I’m still hoping to get a cover crop on this new soil before too long.community plot expansion project
 
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winter cover crop

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Ouch – my first mention of the word “winter”…. My cover crop is sprouting. Little bits of green between the wood chips and the garden tools. I pulled my beans and squashes, limed and planted cover seeds last week. I have a mix called “Fall Green Manure Mix” from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. As Johnny’s writes: “A mix of winter rye, field peas, ryegrass, crimson clover and hairy vetch. The peas, clover and ryegrass will winter kill to provide organic matter and soil cover. The hairy vetch and winter rye will…
 
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root cellar

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How to store the root harvest? I am researching root cellars since I lost a whole bagful of big garden beets. There were too many to fit in my refrigerator and I thought these would keep in my basement – but I was wrong 🙁 Root crops I grow (or would like to) include beets, potatoes, carrots and parsnips. My two bags of potatoes (so far) are keeping fine in my basement. My carrot harvest did fine in the fridge. I only had two gallon bags of these and there…
 
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zinnia photos

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I was admiring my zinnias up close this afternoon. Beautiful flowers. I wish my eyesight was this good.
 
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chickadees enjoy the last sunflowers of summer

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This must be one of the best days of the year for a chickadee. Abundant seeds. Warm sunshine. The chicks are raised and on their own. This little guy was on the sunflower stems outside my living room window this morning. He didn’t mind my camera too much and I got several close shots. He was making quiet chirps as he hopped and gathered seeds. Today is the last full day of summer – tomorrow at 3:40 pm GMT is the autumnal equinox.
 
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Kathy Martin
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy


weeks and counting until my last spring frost

What I planted recently

Jan 21
thyme, lettuce, escarole

Feb 21
celery, celeriac, parsley, leeks

March 11
cabbage, kale, arugula



What I'm planting soon

April 1
peppers, eggplants, marigolds, beets

April 12
tomatoes, basil, sunflowers

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My garden this week

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17 years of archives!

Check out the food pantry farm I helped to start up:

Aurelia's Garden

Flickr

Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!

“I envision a day when every city and town has front and back yards, community gardens and growing spaces, nurtured into life by neighbors who are no longer strangers, but friends who delight in the edible rewards offered from a garden they discovered together.” – Greg Peterson

"What can happen to a seed is a miracle."

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