Year Three Begins for the Redneck Garden

I finally got around to planting & realized this is the 3rd summer of Redneck Gardening. Same buckets, same small yard, but a few lessons learned along the way. 

I started with heavy soil, much like the native clay soil of the region. It seemed like a good concept; if I had a bigger yard & was planting in the ground, this would be the soil type, so why not in containers? It turns out that one of the cool things about container gardening is that you CAN use better soil. DOH! Most folks aren't going to remove a foot of soil over their whole garden, install drainage & then put in a foot of high-dollar soil, so they make due with what they have, amend as best they can and garden away. Folks with money might build raised beds & bring in an amended soil from the neighborhood garden center, but even that is a crap shoot. Rock yard garden centers typically use whatever dirt they can get for free or cheap & the cheapest amendment they can get their hands on. This means the dirt likely came from a construction site & you can guess what may or may not be in it. Organic matter may be a commercially produced greenwaste compost or something like stable shavings, mushroom compost (which is typically sterilized, meaning it has zero beneficial biology), uncomposted manure or tree waste, and the list of possibilities goes on & on. As nice as those folks are, don't let them convince you that this is really the "Premium Planter Mix" the sign over the bin claims.

In containers, it's a whole different game! For one, if you are buying soil, you need a LOT LESS, so spring for the good stuff. No, that does not include anything with the Miracle Grow label on it. Read the label, folks. Make sure you know what you are getting. Factoid: labeling is very strict in places like California & the manufacturer HAS to be sure to include everything that goes in the bag. Unfortunately, since many of the big brands are manufactured & marketed in many different areas, the ingredient list not only includes what IS in the bag, but anything that might ever be in the bag. Again, you never know for sure what is really in the bag, or in what proportions. My best advice if you go the bagged soil route; by a regional product, something made close to where you are, preferably organic. Mixes with coconut fiber (coir) will hold more water than those with peat & will rehydrate better. Try to buy a mix with sand in it if you can. Manufacturers don't like sand, because it adds weight & reduces the volume they can ship in a given truck. Consequently most retail bagged mixes contain no sand or soil at all. I'm also not a fan of perlite (expanded obsidian) or vermiculite (expanded pyrite). These are ultra lightweight fillers often used to reduce weight and improve drainage. They are not porous, so don't help with air & water movement in the soil, they are also environmentally challenging to produce. I prefer a mix with pumice or lava if you can find it.

I am more fortunate than most in this department. Dirt is my life. Well, livelihood actually. I don't have any formal education in soil science, but I do have 20 years of on the job training. Seems odd that it took me so long to start gardening. You would think it would've been a natural thing for me, but it just didn't click for me until more recently. Better late than never, I guess. I've enjoyed tinkering with the soil in my containers. They have great drainage, but don't dry out (I hand water twice each week), they are about 2/3 mineral (sand, soil, lava) & 1/3 organic matter (compost & worm castings). I don't add conventional fertilizers. Instead I add a little new compost and calcium sulfate (or gypsum) each year & everything seems to be doing great. I have also added a product called AXIS, which is calcined diatomaceous earth. AXIS has the perfect pore size for absorbing & releasing water when the plant needs it. The other benefit is that as moisture levels draw down & AXIS releases the water, it actually pulls air into the soil. This stuff is awesome! This combination seems to produce healthy plants with amazing root development.

Enough rambling about dirt, time for some pics!

The Front Porch

Poblano, Jalapeno & Habanero Peppers to Keep Things Lively.

Grafted Tomatoes are new to me this year. And apparently I don't cook with fennel often enough.

And now for the ornamentals:

The kniphofia on the left had four bloom spikes a couple weeks ago, now my other one is getting into the act.

Wifey loved these little happy faces.

Love the color these dianthus bring & they love this hot little planter by our entry.

Last one, another favorite from Annie's Annuals. This even survived being tented with the house!

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

So Many Possibilities...

It's pretty hard to beat the mild weather we've been having in the Bay Area lately. Mid 60 degree temps & lots of sun makes for pleasant days to work in the garden. If anything, it's too nice. trees are all blooming, plants are shooting up (especially the weeds) & the temptation is to start slamming those veggies in the ground, but we all know it's too early for that. Isn't it?

Last Sunday I managed some yard cleanup & cleaned out most of the containers that had remnants or weeds growing in them. I graduated from general cleanup to clearing dead/dying foliage from a few of the neglected plants. Then I saw the Cannas...

As you can see in the top-left, they haven't been dug up in awhile. The tubers were so overgrown that they were actually about 6" above the level of the surrounding concrete. I couldn't turn away, I just had to dig them up & split them. These are two 10" circular openings in the concrete & I dug up enough tubers to fill a 5-gallon bucket!

Back to the subject of possibilities; I have all these empty containers (buckets) & a planter strip that was decimated by the exterminators who tented the house last fall. I am resisting the temptation to start planting early, but it seems they are calling to me even as I write this.

I decided to put my energy to good use & knock out a couple projects that were nagging at me. If you've read my blog before, you've seen the bare trellis on my back fence. It just kind of stands there & blends into the background.

Well, none of the plants in this pic are still with us (except the roses), but the trellis is still hanging around. with nothing colorful to cover it, it definitely needed sprucing up. Now to figure out what all to hang on it.

 

And then I looked up & saw the trees... I haven't properly pruned my apricot tree or the IDKWTFII tree in several years. A couple hours & several scratches later, this is what I had...

The tools & spoils of my battle with the trees. Even with no leaves on the branches, the effect was big. Hopefully I did more good than harm. Would actually have liked to do more, but the IDKWTFII is stuck in the corner of the yard & actually hangs over my neighbors yards more than my own.

As I write this, the endless possibilities for all those empty spaces are rattling through my brain. Apparently I still have a few marbles for them to rattle around with. Besides my empty containers & planter strip, I also have a sort-of hell strip between my driveway & the neighbors. It's really part of their lot, but I take care of it out of self defense. It would be a great spot for a few artichokes I think. What do you think?

Iivette Soler @ Annie's Annuals 6-25-11

It looked like everyone had a great time at Annie's Annuals (no surprise there) listening to Ivette speaking passionately about her view of the Edible Front Yard.

Elayne & the crew @ Annie's had to bring out extra chairs to accommodate all the folks that showed up. Among the enthralled masses we found Maureen Decombe (@Plantanista) , Kristi (@Tikikristi) & Carri Stokes (@readbetweenthelimes). Somewhere out there is Susan Morrison (@susanlmorrison) of "Garden Up" fame.

What a great setting for Ivette to bring her enthusiasm for combining good design principals with front yard food. She had the audience wrapped around her little finger and I'm sure everyone learned something useful. She presents a lot of information in a short time and makes it very entertaining! Though Ivette is very serious about proper design, she has a very go-with-the-flow attitude.

Signing books for the fans. If you don't have a copy yet, be sure to pick up a copy of "the EDIBLE FRONT YARD". And if you haven't met the wonderful @Germinatrx before, you don't know what you're missing!

Return to The Redneck Garden

Yes, it has been awhile. No apologies, but I will say that I've missed blogging. I enjoy writing & it forces me to look at & think about things in more depth. Like being a photographer requires you to consider the subject in more than just an admiring fashion. Sort of self-induced introspection, if there is such a thing.

So, as for the Redneck garden; various influences kept me from planting winter veggies, so things pretty much languished in neglect.

But spring (such as it has been in Northern Ca this year) brings a sense of renewal & rejuvenation. I didn't get quite as ambitious this year and missed all the really good plant sales. A neighbor gave me a few seedlings of bean & cucumber, while the rest of my plants came from the local hardware store's garden center. That said, I'm pretty pleased with the number & variety of plants as well as the opportunity to take some new challenges this season.

I'm trying corn in buckets for the 1st time. Fellow gardener Annie Haven (@GreenSoil) encouraged me to give it a try & these Redneck planters are set up perfectly for companion planting. I'm hoping the cucumbers will draw the pollinators for the corn. All of this was planted just three weeks ago & is really taking off. Oh, the fennel is a survivor from last year that just keeps producing.

This lettuce container is a bit slow getting going, but I'm optimistic.

The red Cherry Bomb peppers are off to a good start. As are the bell, poblano & jalapenos.

This new tomato appears happy with it's cilantro & basil under-planting & neighboring chives & marjoram, which are both blooming profusely right now thanks to the temperature change & sunlight.

This tomato is a "Classic yellow" from last year that survived the winter frost & neglect & insists on shooting up, tall & proud with lots of flowering going on. I'm interested to see how it does in year #2. This one also has the cilantro & basil companion planting.

 Though the bean or squash plant in the center of this container failed, it looks like the scallions are going to make it just fine. That's another new one for me. I'll find something else to plant in the middle, maybe more scallions.

This Kniphofia was blooming like crazy a month ago.

But now looks like this. Did I piss it off by cutting off the (apparently) dead bloom spikes? Is it just because I have it in a fairly small container? I'm open to input from anyone with more experience.

We do have some pretty happy Dianthus right now. This plant had one single blossom all last year. This year it is really bringing it!

Beautiful, delicate flowers against very interesting structure.

Apparently the baby grasshoppers like them too.

I know it's off-topic, but I have to show off the new houseplant that wifey brought home. I'd never seen a Red Maranta before, but love the red veins & velvety texture. A great find from my bride who really isn't a plant person.

Another great combination of color & texture, courtesy of Mother Nature.

That's about it for this update. I have some new twists in mind and will share them when the time comes. Hope everyone gets their summer off to a great start.

Just a Little Bit Longer Kidz, We're Almost There.

I thought this day might never arrive, but some of the big heirlooms are finally showing a little color!

Dagma's Perfection may not be quite perfect, but it will work for me!

Ernie's Round is coming along as well.

Ernie's Round also won the "Vertical Challenge", climbing more than 7 feet above the soil. Not bad for a large variety growing in a bucket!

And then there are the peppers...

This small plant was supposed to be a green bell, but turned out to be yellow instead. This is a very productive little plant.

These are the best of the Poblanos, nearly 6 inches long. I see Chile Rellenos in the near future!

This is the Habanero that was near-death when I brought it home from the MG sale. Guess it likes my coddling, 'cause it's going gangbusters now, in a 10-inch pot!

And the Hinkle Hatz? These little buggers are s'pose to be smokin' hot & this thing is loaded! I'm just waiting for one of them to turn color so I can test them out. There will be a VERY cold beer close by when that day comes!

Black ChuChu eggplant & lemon cucumber have also been very productive lately. Do I ever LOVE all garden-fresh goodies in my salad bowl these days.

Just had to show off Mr. Black Adder as he looks sooo happy in a real pot. Hard to believe he was in a 6-inch pot just a couple months ago.

So, as we've discussed before, patience is a BIG part of edible gardening and I don't seem to have much of that these days. It's just a darn good thing that the rest of The Redneck Garden has stepped up to keep me distracted from the lack of tomato availability or I'd be seriously bonkers by now.

Are We There Yet?

"Are we there yet?" Anyone who's ever traveled with kids surely has heard that question and you younger gardeners were probably saying things like this not too long ago, much to your parents frustration. Well, it's the middle of July and hopefully your garden is bursting at the seams. I've been reading blogs, facebook posts & tweets from folks all over the country, enjoying bushels of juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, hot peppers, blah-blah-blah.

Don't get me wrong, The Redneck Garden is growing like mad, but outside of the herbs, all I've been able to harvest is lettuce & a couple of lemon cucumbers. Every morning I walk around my containers, say good morning to all my children and offer them heartfelt encouragement. I drive to work wondering, will this be the day I see some color in the tomatoes? Every evening, I drive home, walk into the yard, asking just like my kids on a long car ride; "are we there yet"? And every day, the answer is the same; "not ye-et". Patience has never been my strong suit, can you tell?

So here's what's going on in The Redneck Garden:

The Yellow Pear Tomatoes have looked exactly like this for at least three weeks.

The mystery volunteer is clearly some sort of cherry tomato that is putting out big long racks of fruit.

On a hopeful note, I took this pic of the egg plant flower on July 9th.

And just nine days later, we have fruit!

The heirlooms have all outgrown their 4' cages by 2' or more, they have plenty of flowers & fruit, but the late spring and cool start to our summer are keeping them from really getting with the program.

The new green bell from the Master Gardener's sale is covered in flowers and young fruit.

The little, frail Habanero (also from the MG sale) is finally bulking up and showing buds.

And it looks like we will eventually get a good dose of "Hinklehatz" peppers, which the label said are "extremely hot". Someday.

I should say that the couple lemon cukes we've had were excellent and I've been able to enjoy a few delicious radishes, fresh cut lettuce & loads of herbs. However, if you've been following my chronicle of The Redneck Garden, you know that this is my first serious summer garden and I'm still learning the many lessons that gardening teaches. Let's just say that my grade in "patience" shows that I need to work a little harder at going with the flow. I enjoy the anticipation, but can't wait to show off a huge "Yellow Dagma's Perfection" or "Pink Stump of the World" to my mega-mart, sawdust-texture tomato eating coworkers. Soon, I hope.

So please tell me how your harvest is going, so that I may vicariously enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Rapid Growth in The Redneck Garden

So, this is probably just my rookie gardener showing, but I just can't stop being amazed at how quickly my garden has taken off this season. All the transplants were done on 5/16 & the seed starts (lettuce, spinach, radishes & carrots) were sewn on 5/22. For the new visitors, you should know that I garden organically, there are no chemical fertilizers used, ever. Take a look, tell me what you think & let me know how your garden is doing.

5-22

6-16

5-22

 6-16

5-22

6-16

(Yes, the lettuce finally bolted)

5-22

6-16

5-22

6-16

5-22

6-16

5-22

6-16

There are more, but I think you get the picture. Hey, I know it's early in the season, but things are looking pretty good in The Redneck Garden. We are already harvesting heavily from the herbs; parsley, basil, dill, fennel, chives, marjoram and lots of cilantro. There have been some challenges too, like the lettuce seedlings that were decimated by birds, some critter eating the tops off my radishes, the scallions that never showed at all and the habanero that is still only 3" tall. Overall though, the garden seems pretty happy. I think my latest incarnation of Terra Vida Living Soil has given everything a great start. Stay tuned for more updates as summer (if it ever really does get here) progresses.

In case anyone is wondering, here's a list of the edibles:

• Hinklehatz Red Pepper
• Crookneck Squash (3)
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Lemon Cucumber (2)
• Poblano Pepper (5)
• Green Bell pepper (2)
• Yellow Bell Pepper
• Habanero Pepper
• Ambassador Squash
• Tomato, Green Grape
• Tomato, Yellow Dagma's Perfection
• Tomato, Ernie's Round Pink Beefsteak
• Tomato, Pink Stump of the World Beefsteak
• Tomato, Beam's Yellow Pear
• Tomato, Unidentified Volunteer
• Black ChuChu Eggplant
• Blue Lake Bunch Beans (2)
• Strawberries: Chandalier, Sequoia & Eversweet (1 each)
• Radishes, Rainbow
• Carrots: Purple, White, Red & Yellow
• Baby Leaf Spinach
• Sea of Red Lettuce
• Sweet Baby Romaine Lettuce
• Dill
• Fennel
• Parsley (2)
• Sweet Basil (4)
• Chives (2)
• Marjoram (2)
• Rosemary (2)
• Cilantro (4)

Hope you enjoyed the Redneck Garden update. Leave a comment & let me know how your garden is doing.

Matt