The Presidential Garden!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Although not local to us, still a pretty big deal worth celebrating here at Farm to Philly!

The Obamas are digging up the White House lawn for a big garden! Here’s a link to an article in the New York Times. More of the great backstory is here at the WHO farm site (“White” “House” “Organic”). As a teaser: “TheWhoFarmMobile is two school buses fused together with an organic edible garden on the roof. It was originally designed by Stefan Sagmeister and Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s, built by Tom Kennedy, and named Topsy Turvy.  TheWhoFarm acquired the bus, ripped off the roof and planted an organic edible garden….”

Maybe the next stop for the WhoFarmMobile should be Harrisburg!

Organize Me

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Last year Eileen shared her method of garden planning, which was pretty detailed and fascinating.  My own methods of garden planning are not nearly that detailed (primarily because I don’t have time anymore).  For many years, I used Excel to map out my garden - I utilize the Square Foot Garden method of gardening, as does Eileen.  Last year I started to use Folia, an online organizers that allows you to track your seed stash, plantings, harvest dates, notes on…well, everything.  It’s sort of like Ravelry for gardening (if you’re a knitter, that analogy makes perfect sense).

Having not even looked at it since last Summer, I just checked in this morning to update my seed stash and plantings.  I was thrilled to see that some upgrades have been made and it’s gaining much wider usage.  And, of course, I get to live vicariously through gardeners in warmer climes who are harvesting stuff already!

You garden is calling

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

I have given up on trying to grow tomatoes.  It’s not that I have a black thumb…it’s that the squirrels win every year.  Last year the $%&#@ critters stole every last one of my large tomatoes, and I barely even managed to get any cherry tomatoes.  Catching them in the act was an exercise in rage and futility: I’d look out of my dining room window to see three squirrels chowing down, and then they’d look up and grin maliciously at me.  I swear, once one of them even waved at me.

My husband has not reached the breaking point yet.  A few weeks ago he enthusiastically set up the grow light operation for starting tomato and pepper seeds in our living room.  ‘Tis the season, and all that.

But while the tomatoes and peppers are merrily taking root in my livingroom, I think it’s important to remember that there are things that can be planted in the garden right now.  Philadelphia’s average last frost date is April 20 - just a month away!  This weekend it’s supposed to be 55-60 degrees with very little chance of rain…so make a plan: it’s time to dust off the garden!

So exactly what can be planted right now?  All the good cool weather crops: peas, onions, potatoes, turnips, cabbage, greens like kale and mustard and collards, lettuce, radishes, beets, carrots, shallots, spinach, bok choy, brussels sprouts, rutabaga, and parsley.  You can even plant broccoli if you’re setting it from plants.

As usual, I’m a little behind the eight ball this year in ordering my seeds (I may have to make a run up to Burpee this weekend to round out my seed collection) - most of what I have ordered are warmer weather seeds.  But I do have at least a few things to plant right now:

• Parisienne carrots - These are teeny tiny round carrots that are great for growing in heavy soil (which I have).  They are very sweet with a thin skin that does not need to be peeled.  Very popular in Europe, they should be ready to pick in about 65 days…so I will have carrots to brag about in May!  I ordered these from Baker Creek.
• Hakurei turnips - I discovered these a few years ago at the Fair Food Farmstand and knew I had to grow them.  As it turns out, they are ludicrously easy to grow, and even faster to mature than the little round carrots: 38 days!  So I will have awesome Japanese salad turnips by the end of April, which will be great.  The lesson I learned last year: succession planting is my friend.  I really like turnips, but I can’t eat them every day and there’s no really great way to preserve turnips.

I plan to plant some mustard, along with a very small amount of mesclun mix, yellow beets, spinach, and (of course) lacinato kale this weekend as well.

Everything You Wanted To Know About Worm Bins (But Were Afraid To Ask)

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Spring is rapidly approaching. And before you know it, it’ll be time to make the trek to the local nursery and pick out a new season’s worth of yummy vegetables and beautiful ornamentals. So what could be better than saving your money on fertilizer and potting soil and instead, use your own scraps! Keeping a worm bin is an easy, low maintenance way to turn kitchen scraps into high quality soil. And, for us city folks, it requires a fraction of the space that a compost pile does. In fact, you can (and probably should) keep your worm bin indoors.

The first thing you need to set up a bin is, well, a bin. Any plastic container with a lid and some space will do. My bin is much larger than what you need. This is because I like the ability to section off spots so I can “harvest” my worm castings. As you can see from the photos, you need to provide lots of air holes. When I first set mine up, I didn’t have enough and horror of horrors, there was a mass exodus of worms. Nothing can prepare you for the nightmare of walking in your basement and seeing the entire floor writhing with worms. (I’ll revisit the gross factor in a moment). Another good idea is to lift it off the ground a bit. I put mine on 2 pieces of scrap wood. If you have holes on the bottom (which you should), then castings will most likely fall out, so I also put a scrap piece of plywood underneath so I can catch the castings and put them right back in. I also laid a screen on the bottom of the bin as well, as extra protection so the worms can’t crawl out. Just pick up one of those expandable window screens at a hardware store.

Next, you need the bedding. You “feed” the worm bin with a combination of “green” (food) and “brown” (bedding) materials. The bedding materials are simply paper — egg cartons, cardboard, paper. Use all that direct mail trash! Just don’t use any glossy paper. To the best of my knowledge, most items are printed with soy inks these days. I haven’t had any troubles using all sorts of printed materials, from the free neighborhood weeklies to discarded inkjet printouts (just not the special coated papers!).

To prepare the bedding, rip the paper into strips, about 1-2 inches wide. You don’t have to be exact, what you’re trying to do is make sure that it doesn’t mat and bunch up when you add water (so keep any confetti shredded paper away). After it’s in strips, dump it in water and wring it out fairly well. Lay it in a layer on the bottom of the bin, about an 2 inches deep. Now you’re ready to add the worms.
There’s no trick to this. Just dump them in. That’s all there is to it. Some people say not to feed them right away, but I usually have such small amounts of garbage that it’s no biggie. I wouldn’t stockpile your garbage in anticipation of your worms. Use your garbage disposal until you have your bin and worms set up. Also, you can’t use just any old worm. You need to use red wrigglers.

To feed, you just dump it in. You can feed worms just about anything except meat, dairy and bread. Also, chop it up. And it’s nice if it’s been sitting for a bit, getting a little funky. It gets the process moving a bit faster. If you have the inclination (and your box is big enough) you can section the box off: only feed on one half. When you get a nice amount of castings, start to feed on the other half. The worms migrate over and you can “harvest” that original side, free of worms. Once you feed them, cover with another layer of paper strips. This is the most important part: it’s what keeps the smell down. No matter what other websites tell you, there will be a smell. However, it’s almost never the food: it’s the wet newspaper! By covering the scraps, you cover the food smell. When you want to feed again, just push the top layer of paper strips away, feed and then push the paper back over it. I notice that my bin gets dry quickly (especially in winter). So I keep a spray bottle near the bin and every week, I just spray it with water. You need to keep them moist, but not sopping wet.

Worms can be fed as much as you want to give them, as long as you start them slowly. I personally find it easier to feed once a week. They will multiply (or shrink) depending on the amount of food given.
Also, don’t be alarmed if you see other creepy crawers in there. They call it a worm bin, but it’s actually not just the worms doing the decomposing. It’s totally normal. However, there are some bad guys that can get in, especially if you use garden scraps as bedding. If you see slugs, get rid of them. Centipedes, same.

Now, for the gross factor. I am deathly afraid of slimy things. But I can’t believe that this hasn’t affected my work with the worms. I keep a set of old garden gloves next to the bin so I can move the paper away for a feeding. The first group of worms that I bought kept escaping. So those gloves came in handy for putting them back. However, this second batch (from Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm: located right here in PA!) has been docile and perfect. I ordered both times from Uncle Jim’s. The first batch was the regular red wrigglers and the second was the Super Jumpers. Maybe that has something to do with their homebody nature. But no matter what, if you’ve provided them with adequate ventilation (meaning, lots of escape holes), then some WILL escape. So, despite the recent NY Times: New York Worm Composting (I swear that I’ve been keeping a bin before that article came out!) I wouldn’t keep a bin under your bed.

I can’t wait for the spring planting season. This will be the first year that I get to use my worms castings. I haven’t decided whether to plant directly in the castings or to go Macgyver and make a worm tea aeration system. Either way, I know that the scraps that I would normally put down the drain and the paper that I would send off to be recycled are now being put to good use. Cradle to cradle! And you know what: despite the creepy factor, I kinda have an attachment to those little critters. But I’ll stop short of calling them my babies…

Garden Planning

Monday, January 05, 2009

There’s no more local food than that you grow in your own backyard, and now’s the time to start planning - which is my favorite part. I love planning and organizing things, looking through seed catalogs, and of course in the planning stage every garden is perfect - no mysteriously dead or dying plants, no diseases, no pests, no weeds, and not a whole lot of work .

I’m going to give a brief description of my planning process for 2009.  While reading, please keep in mind three things: 1) I have a relatively decent sized yard, considering, so if you have an apartment or smaller garden don’t feel the need to be as crazily organized as I am, 2) I’m a fairly experienced gardener and am trying for a 4 season garden this year (see The 4 Season Harvest at your local library) so my succession planting is overkill for a less experienced or less obsessed gardner, 3) I like planning, so if this looks crazy to you, you’re probably perfectly normal.

Step 1 List the seeds (and perennial plants) from previous years. I don’t know about you but even the smallest seed packets are usually too large for my needs so I pop them in the freezer (in ziplock bags inside a larger ziplock to prevent condensation from forming on the seeds).  During this step I evaluate how the seeds did last year and decide if I really want to try again. This list includes plant type (ex. swiss chard), variety (ex. bright lights), days (i.e. how long it takes from planting to harvest), plant time (permissible dates/conditions to plant), and any other notes.

Step 2 Heaven! Browse all those seed catalogs that keep piling up and circle all the ones I want to plant.  Apply some common sense and narrow this down to things I really want to plant and have a hope of keeping alive.  Then I make a list with the same info as in Step 1, along with source (i.e. where I’m going to buy it), cost, and amount (ex. 1 lb for potatoes).

Step 3 I lay out a diagram of my garden space. I use graph paper and break down each area in to 1 square foot sections. This makes it easy to place the plants later. This picture is roughly laid out like my actual garden area, but with the space between beds scrunched, and the flower beds mostly eliminated. I mostly use the Square Foot Gardening method and I really recommend it.

Step 4 Next I sort my seed lists into several categories: transplants (ones I start indoors), early spring plants, early summer plants, mid summer plants, and late summer plants. Then the hard work starts - I try to fit two or three plants in to one garden plot.  I make a time line with start and mid-month sections, and mark the last and first frost dates.  Then I plot on the time line when the plants will be planted, transplanted, ready to harvest, and done harvesting. Then I fit complementary plants together. Note, if you’d like to try this keep in mind that most plants are harvest-able for a few weeks (except for say, head lettuce) so you don’t want to schedule to plant the second plant as soon as the first one is ready to harvest. I also do a little summary line that shows when that plot will be planted or fallow and note if it will need to be covered in the winter. Invariably, a few of the plants on the wish list don’t fit in to this planning step and are sadly crossed off the list. (This step is on the right side of the picture below.)

Step 5 Once I’ve scheduled all of the plots, I then place them in my garden diagram, and decide how many square feet to devote to each set of plants. On the left side of the above picture is a filled in version of my garden diagram - each letter corresponds to a plant group. Most of the items written in are perennials (or a few annual herbs). I also add little icons to say which spots need trellises, cages, or protection from the cold.

Step 6I order the seeds and plants that I need from the sources on my list.

Step 7Lastly, I create a schedule of what to do when in the garden.  I break this down (like the time line in step 4) in to roughly bi-weekly periods (i.e Feb 1 - Feb 15, Feb 16 - Feb 28). This gives me leeway for doing stuff in the garden when the weather and my life permits without feeling like I’m behind. Basically for this step I go through the time lines from step 4 and list everything that needs to be done for each time period. Here’s an example:

April 15 - April 30th
Plant Red Samurai Carrots and Arugula in A plots
Plant Mizuna and Mesclun in E plots
Then I just look a the diagram and know exactly where to plant stuff.

Of course, I had to put all that hand drawn stuff onto the computer and I repeat the process for my herb and flower beds - but I’m sure you get the idea.  I’m very excited for my garden this year - especially the fairy tale pumpkins - my favorite kind of winter squash.  Speaking of winter squash, ...

Catching up

Friday, January 02, 2009

Phillyist has posted their 2009 resolutions - eating locally grown produce and gardening has made the cut.  They’ll also be talking about how to join a CSA program.  I’m wondering who they’ll recommend.

There are a few CSA programs that I can think of that deliver within Philadelphia city limits (and probably a bunch more that I don’t know of or haven’t thought of)....

Landisdale Farm - Clark Park
Dancing Hen Farm - TBD
Emerson Farm - 6th & Lehigh
Greensgrow Farm - Kensington
Lancaster Farm Fresh - Reading Terminal & just about everywhere else in the city

And there are dozens more that have pick up and drop off locations in the burbs.  Just take a trip to Local Harvest, plug in your zip code, and you’ll find more than you know what to do with.

Finding a CSA join isn’t too difficult, but I’ve always wondered if there was an easy way to find community gardens in Philadelphia.  Years ago I used to live right down the street from a large garden, but aside from stalking the gardeners and asking for information I didn’t have a clue how to join.  The Philadelphia Lands Trust does have an online map of their community garden locations, although it doesn’t tell you how to become part of their gardens.  The site does contain valuable information, though - how to start your own community garden.  There is also a list of Philadelphia area garden associations at the at the American Community Gardening Association.  Rough Terrain is also a good online resource for community gardens. 

Still, none of them really talk about how to become a member of a particular garden.  I know from talking to people involved in community garden plots that there are sign ups and waiting lists and all sorts of things.  It would be a useful resource to have online - it’s where most people start their searches.

Anatomical produce - true food porn!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Over Thanksgiving at the Fair Food Farmstand, we noticed two carrots that had grown wrapped around each other.  It was sort of sweet, in a weird way.  Vegetable weirdness is everywhere, though.  Lisa Kerschner from North Star Orchards recently emailed me these two photos [click the photo for a bigger look]:

She says: “We picked “Mr. and Mrs. Carrot” (on the same day from the same planting ‘bed’), and also a ‘rude pear’.
Farming is a lot of hard work….finding treasures like these really is a joy!”

Oh, by the way, if you’re interested in North Star Orchard’s CSA program (both fruit and veggies), sign ups will begin in February.

Garden Porn: the 2009 gardening season beckons

Monday, December 29, 2008

I was at a holiday gathering recently with my friends Buzz and Pat, first-time participants in the 2008 One Local Summer challenge and first-time gardeners.  We were chatting about this past year’s harvest (they had tremendous luck with potatoes and pepper, I had great luck with various greens, garlic, and turnips), and it reminded me that it’s time to start fantasizing about next season’s garden.

My first 2009 seed catalog arrived the other day, as fate would have it, giving me ample garden porn to pour over.

Really, my 2009 garden is already started - I planted garlic a few months ago.  Normally, my gardening goals revolve around planting stuff I don’t think I’ll get through the CSA.  However, unless I can find a CSA program that plans to deliver to Head House Square it’s not looking like we’ll be part of a CSA next year…so that sort of frees me up to plant what I want.  That said, I still intend to plant things that perhaps are not as readily available at the farmer’s markets.

But I also want to be smart about things.  As much as I would love to grow these very awesome pointy cabbages, I don’t really love cabbage.  So I not only want to grow things I can’t find everywhere, but also things that I will have no problem finding ways to eat.

Sadly, the lesson I have learned over the last several years is that I am better off buying tomatoes rather than growing them.  The squirrels conspire against me every year, making off with my tomatoes.  I’ve tried everything short of hiring a sharp shooter to guard my garden.  So I concede defeat.  Luckily, great-tasting heirloom tomatoes are easy to find here, and I won’t go wanting for tomatoes.

So what am I thinking about for 2009?  Well…I may give zucchini another try.  I may be the only person on the planet who has super bad luck with zucchini.  I think it’s a pollination issue, so I’m going to try to plant some bee-attracting flowers right up next to the zucchini plants this year and see if it makes a difference.  And I’ll also try hand pollinating.

As I said, I really want to grow things you generally just can’t find at the farmer’s market.  I chose some possibilities with that in mind.  The Bush Baby from Johnny’s looks interesting - little stripey zucchinis meant to be picked small.  Or possibly the Kamo Kamo squash or Lemon Squash from Baker Creek.  I like the idea of the Kamo Kamo - it’s an heirloom pumpkin, meant to be a Winter squash but the young fruits can be eaten like zucchini.  And the Lemon Squash are just unique-looking.

More to come on the 2009 garden!

Putting the garden to bed

Sunday, November 16, 2008

I’m trying something I did last year which worked pretty well for keeping the container perennials over the winter. I push them together and pile the leaves and stems and even the rootballs of annuals over the top to make a wind barrier. Over the next week, I’ll collect more leaves and things and arrange them around the container bases as insulation.Then we’ll see if the coneflowers and verbena come back.
Another tactic has been to put a container in a container rather than disturb the plant’s roots twice by taking out the one it’s in, putting it into a bigger, more insulated container for winter, and then digging it out again in the spring. I’ll be burying this in leaves, too.
At the lower edge of this photo are some helleborus plants (Lenten Roses) swaddled in leaves. I’ve been piling them around my new this season raspberry bushes as well.
Last, but not least, the compost “silo” (yard is too small for a “pile”) for the rest of the leaves and the vegetable scraps. Apart from a squirrel or two diving in, it’s working pretty well. It’s in a corner that doesn’t work for in-ground planting, so I hope to keep it going all next year.

Grow your own fennel seeds

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I grew fennel this year in the garden.  It didn’t really work out so well for me in terms of harvesting it for use as a vegetable - it never bulbed up for me.  It did get nice foilage, though, so I did have fresh fennel fronds all Summer to cook with.

While I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get fat fennel bulbs out of the deal, I am now being rewarded - with fennel seeds.

Seed heads started forming on my plants a few weeks ago, and I noticed that Urban Girls was selling fresh seed heads at the Clark Park market this past Saturday.  I started harvesting my own dried seed heads today, although there are many more fresh seed heads in the garden I will have to keep my eye on.

One of the most common uses of fennel seed is with pork roasts.  Very delicious.  But fennel seeds have many other uses, including tea and keeping away fleas!  Who knew?  And fennel seeds have all sorts of uses in herbal home remedies.

Onions at the top

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I have never in my life seen top onions for sale.  Anywhere.  But Margerum’s had them recently at the Headhouse Square farmer’s market.  I could not resist buying a few - they were 15 cents per top onion, and if I remember correctly, they were some kind of heirloom variety.

Top onions are also known as tree onions, walking onions, or Egyptian onions.  I haven’t tried them yet, but I’m told they taste more like shallots than onions.

Now is the time to plant top onions for next year’s harvest.  Interestingly, they are perennials.  They’re very difficult to find for sale, although I did find a few places that sells bulbs.

late season garden + questions for readers

Saturday, October 11, 2008

1) Green Tomatoes. The garden in winding down, not because of the weather (obviously—it’s a gorgeous 75+ today) but because from the end of August my garden has been in near total darkness. New house = learning curve. At any rate, after July’s $75 tomato, the one productive plant is busting out with them, all green, not much of a shot at redness. Does anyone out there have a tried and true use for them besides frying? I was thinking about using them like tomatillos for salsa, but after that, I draw a blank.

2) Rose Affliction. See these near perfectly round holes on my rose? I’ve looked under the leaves and on the stems, and I don’t see any creatures. But it must be some kind of precisely munching creature. This didn’t start until the end of the summer. Ideas?

3) Happy Shady Flowers. If your garden goes dark, literally, at this time of year, I can recommend these pretty purple monkshood. I got them at Greensgrow a few weeks ago, and they have been thriving. (They do get a couple hours of sun early in the morning, but after that, all shadow.) (The littel red flower in the background is a salvia that rarely blooms and is in the reshuffling plan I have in mind for November.)

Garlic breath

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

This Summer and Autumn are really flying by, leaving me behind the eight ball a little when it comes to Fall gardening.  I only just ordered my garlic for Autumn planting today.  My options were limited, but I’m happy with what I’ll be planting.

Elephant Garlic.  I’ve been hearing about elephant garlic for years.  How gigantic the heads get.  How much milder the flavor is than regular garlic.  Well, I’m finally going to find out.  Interestingly, elephant garlic is more closely related to leeks than garlic.  This garlic will mature in mid- to late- Summer.  And here’s something useful to note: elephant garlic does send up a scape, but I’ll have to pick them quickly - they get woody very quickly.

Oregon Blue Garlic. I’m finally going to try some softneck garlic!  It won’t produce any scapes at all, but does have a sort of purple-y clove skin.  I have no idea what to expect.

Western Rose Garlic.  This is supposed to be a very long-keeping garlic, perfect for braiding.  It’s another softneck variety.

I will also be planting a few cloves from the garlic harvested this Summer, just so I have a supply of garlic scapes.

Garden Migration

Monday, September 22, 2008

I discovered that the backyard of my new house is overtaken by shade in mid-August. So I moved quite a bit to the sidewalk in the front. These Jimmy Nardello peppers from Seed Savers Exchange have thanked me for it by producing a bumper crop. And one of them made a nice little chaise for a grasshopper.

Jack and the Heirloom Beanstalk

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Every year I grow at least one new thing in the garden.  I try to make it something I’ve never seen in a grocery store.  This year it was a dried bean called Akahana Mame from Kitazawa Seed.  Are they not gorgeous?  The photo on the Kitazawa site shows them as red and black, but mine are lavender and black. 

From Kitazawa:

This rare and beautiful Japanese bean is also called “flower bean.” Grown as a pole bean, this variety produces gorgeous red flowers and pods up to 8” long. The striking 1” beans are a deep red color dappled with purple and black. Best if wrinkled beans are soaked before boiling. After cooking, rinse beans, and then add sugar and salt. Dissolve sugar by heating again. Toss with a large spoon so as to not break the beans.

The vines really do produce a very pretty red flower.  I was almost sorry to see them make way for the beans pods, which sort of look like lima beans a little.

As with all garden experiments, I had no idea what to expect from Akahana Mame beans.  You just never know how any vegetable will do in your particular soil, in your particular climate.  The beans did fantastically!  The vines got huge and is producing vigorously.  I haven’t tasted the beans yet.  But providing the beans are a good tasting variety, I will definitely be adding Akahana Mame as a permanent part of my garden…and planting a lot more of them.

I’ve grown dried beans before - cranberry, cannellini…you know, normal varieties.  For some, the space they take up in the garden isn’t really worth the yield.  And locally grown dried beans are readily available via Margerum’s (Clark Park and Headhouse Square markets).  But I do think dried beans are worth growing yourself IF you seed out more unusual varieties. 

For next year’s garden, I’m considering a few more varieties of dried beans.  Victory Seeds sells a nice variety of both bush and pole type dried beans, as does Salt Springs Seeds.  I also saw these great-looking orange Tiger’s Eye dried beans at Seeds of Change.