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!!!

Eat Real Festival Year Two

I managed to get away to enjoy a few hours at  the Eat Real festival in Oakland this past weekend. I went last year as well, but this was a bigger & better event. Just about any kind of food you could want was being served from trucks, carts & booths. Of course there were several versions of the traditional taco truck or taco stand and they all looked great. Click on the pics for larger images.

And some not so traditional versions...

There were Filipino food trucks...

Argentinian & Indian food trucks...

And of course, a local favorite made even more famous by their recent appearance on the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race", Spencer on the Go!

Yes, I did have the Escargot Lollipop, which was excellent and no, Spencer would not tell me who wins. So much for my phone call to Vegas.

And there was entertainment in the form of good, live music...

And more food...

And beverages...

And great wood-fired barbacue...

I talked with one of the guys from this crew; they came all the way from Alabama to do this event! They are trying to organize a similar event at home and have come to Eat Real the past two years to gain experience and learn what it takes to put together a food event of this magnitude. Oh, and they smoked a whole hog from Marin Sun Farms, who provided their pastured pork for all of the food vendors at Eat Real. Yumm!

Can't forget desert...

But wait, there's loads more food...

And there was a whole section on Urban Homesteading...

Even my favorite CSA folks were here...

My family really enjoys the box we get from Farm Fresh to You every other week. My little urban container garden is pretty good, but the CSA subscription keeps us in diverse, seasonal, organic fruits & vegetables that come fresh from the farm, for the same money we used to spend at the local mega-market.

Organic dairy products anyone???

Have I told you about the "Pulled Rabbit Sandwich" yet???

Oh yes I did & it was delish! The rabbit, from Canvas Restaurant (a roving supper club) was a product of Devil's Gulch Ranch, on the Marin county coast. Another great example of sustainable, organic agriculture just a few miles from San Francisco. The Pasternaks are not only farming, ranching & wine making people, they provide many educational opportunities as well. Elmer Fud woulda' loved this.

And more food...

Mac & Cheese is the new Beef Stroganoff (especially the "Trailer Mac") and these ladies were rockin' it! MMMmmmm, pans full of warm gooey, cheesy goodness.

And more food...

Seemed like the crowd was enjoying the whole Eat Real experience. The absolutely perfect weather didn't hurt either.

My visit ended with something you don't see every day...

A hog butchering competition. I know, seems a little strange, but part of the Eat Real message is for people to be more directly connected with their food and know where it comes from. These guys were truly skilled craftsmen and impressive to watch. Absolutely nothing was wasted. The lady emcee did a terrific job of describing exactly what was going on, interacting with the crowd & the judges and provided a lot of education along the way. I learned a lot about pastured pork and what I can do to improve my food supply. This was an unexpectedly good surprise.

So, what did I eat you ask? Limited time and funds were my restrictions or I could've easily spent the whole weekend here. My first taste was the Maui Taco from The Taco Guys. This was a fantastic little fish taco with great big flavor and wonderfully crispy fried Pacific Rock Cod & Sriracha Mayo. My second bite was the pulled rabbit sandwich from Canvas Restaurant and third was the Escargot Lollipop from Spencer on the Go! Okay, I did have one beer on the way out. In truth, I wish I had used that $6.00 on more food.

So there you have it; Eat Real Festival looked to be a huge success this year and I can't wait to see what next year brings. If you made the fest, let me know what your favorite bites were. If you didn't make it, mark your calendar for next year. If you are a fan of fresh, local, real food, this event is not to be missed!

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.