Harvesting Onions & Using Food From the Garden

We finally got to harvest some of the heirloom scallop squash. 

 

Eggplants should be producing fruit soon.

Its hot and its really really really dry so things have slowed down. Maybe more pictures next time.

New Growth, New Pest, and Unexpected Guest

Its Spring, maybe already Summer! Unfortunately its already super hot. We have had two 100+ degree days in downtown Austin, already and its not even May.

For the most part I have our Spring garden in, minus one little area where I am planning on planting eggplant. Now, just to find time to run to the nursery and get some eggplant transplants.

If you remember, I am not planting tomatoes this year (squirrels=too frustrating), so I am planting a lot of corn in order to trade with friends at work for tomatoes. The Gentleman's Sweet Corn is starting to grow in my new raised beds in the front yard (http://urbancomposter.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-year-new-garden.html). The front middle bed was just planted with Dakota Black Popcorn. I had to stagger the planting of the sweet corn and popcorn so the sweet corn wouldn't cross-pollinate with the popcorn and make it starchy.

I am trying to stagger my plantings of Inca rainbow sweet corn in order to have corn most of the Spring and into the Summer. You can see the first planting is starting to send up its inflorescence, while the new corn in front is just starting to get big. The bare ground is planted with seed but it is not germinating, so I am going to take the corn plants that were thinned from the front boxes and plant them in this space. After the corn has run its corse I will plant this space with okra. Two heirloom varieties that I will save to write about later.

The heirloom yellow scallop squash is making its debut. I have heard from the grapevine (friends at work) that scallop squash (aka patty pan) are some-what resistant to squash vine borer. So-far-so-good. Hopefully I am not jinxing myself.

Garden from afar.

First major pest of the year, cucumber beetles. They are devouring my potatoes plants, and I am trying to figure out how to slow the carnage (any ideas?). Last year I had the same problem (http://urbancomposter.blogspot.com/2010/05/food-is-coming.html). Today I tried using a hand vacuum with no success so just reverted to a trusty bowl of soapy water and hand picking. I think I knocked them back a bit, but all it takes is another swarm. I think it will be an ongoing battle until the potatoes are ready for harvest. I just need to be vigilant and not let them get so prolific they move to my squash and corn. BUT...

...yesterday I found this guy devouring a cucumber beetle. Unfortunately by the time I got my camera he either ate it or let it go. I am assuming some sort of assassin bug (anyone out there have an idea?). There are way more cucumber beetles eating my plants than he knows what to do with, but hopefully my culling today will let him catch up and do his duties. This guy is the only reason I didn't do a full spraying of neem oil.

For the unexpected guest,  but a much welcomed guest. Three snake herb (Dyschoriste linearis)
 plants showed up in the Dora memorial garden (http://urbancomposter.blogspot.com/2009/12/eulogy-for-dora.html) I thought I wrote about this bed when it was created, but I guess not. I will have to have a blog dedicated to the Dora Memorial Bed. Back to the snake herb...They are growing right up next to the little bluestem clump I brought back and planted after digging it up where I buried Dora, so I can only suspect they are stow-aways. Since I just spent money buying this plant at my work's plant sale for another bed, I will welcome them with open arms in the Dora Memorial Garden.

And for a final thought, one of my favorite Texas natives, the purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), is about ready to bloom in the Texas Native bed. Can't wait till these guys are in full bloom.

A new year, a new garden

Spring has arrived, and my much neglected blog needs some attention. I am going to try and blog more this year and have some guest bloggers chip in with some thoughts. Here is my garden so far. I am excited about this year's garden. I started everything from heirloom seeds and have some good thought out plans for the entire Spring and Summer. Here is hoping the squirrels will leave me alone and maybe it rains a little. 

First thing you will notice is that I have given up on tomatoes. I am growing a lot of corn in hopes to trade some neighbors and coworkers for tomatoes.

Overall view of the set up this year. I extended some growing room by removing some of the walkways and adding soil. Corn on the left, scallop yellow squash in the middle, peppers, potatoes, chard, sorrell, and onions on the far right, and eggplants will go in the front.

Potatoes have been planted since early February, and are doing well. Looking a little wilty here, because it is so damn hot outside already. No cucumber beetles yet, but I have been seeing them around. Its just a matter of time.

Onions have also been planted since early February.

I've got one unknown bell pepper, 2 King Arthur bell's, and 2 Serranos planted so far. Awaiting some more pepper transplants from my parents.

I am trying to grow some corn in succession so I can have it through the Summer, and then plant okra in its place as it goes. This is a heirloom variety called Inca rainbow sweet, a multi-colored sweet corn.

I added three raised beds in the front yard to offer more space in my limited sun. The two outside beds are planted with Gentleman's Sweet Corn, a heirloom variety that looks like normal sweet corn. The middle bed will be planted with Black Popcorn, another heirloom corn, in a few weeks. I have to stagger the plantings of the popcorn with the sweet corn so they don't cross pollinate and make the sweet corn starchy. The spouse loves popcorn, so hopefully I can come through for her needs.

The front trellis is planted with red Asian long beans, and they have just started to pop up. I grew the green variety last year and it was a lot of fun. Imaging foot long bean pods! The back trellis is planted with Christmas Lima beans. A heirloom variety that I read about in "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver (strongly recommended).

I am excited about my nopals putting on lots of new pads. I planted this spineless prickly pear for food a couple years ago, and I think it is finally big enough to harvest a pad here and there.

In the Texas native garden, the bluebonnets are blooming nicely. Not much of a display this year in the TX native garden since we have not had much rain at all, and I refuse to water this garden. That's the  point of planting natives! But none-the-less, with no water I still have flowers, with more to come.

And the mealy blue sage is blooming nicely. This one will last all summer!

Homegrown/Local Dinner

Quick post about my dinner tonight. I have been bad about posting pictures from my Fall garden, but in the meantime, here is a cool dish I made tonight using all local food or food from my garden.

Roasted acorn squash, mashed purple califlower with garlic and cilantro (all from Johnson's Backyard Garden -- jbgorganic.com). And as a side, greens (dino and tuscan kale & mustard greens) and bell peppers from my garden.

The salad was mixed lettuce, arugala, and sweet plum tomatoes from Johnson's Backyard Garden.

Julie said she like it so it must have been a success!

I will try to get some pictures of my Winter garden posted soon.

Mid Summer and Squirrels Wreak Havoc!

Squirrels have left their mark and made me do some "rearranging" of my vegetable plans. Summer heat has started to slow things down, but I am still having fun. The peppers have been doing well and I planted some okra hoping it can make it through the summer. Fall garden plans are brewing, and I am starting to get the itch. I just need to get through the next two months of Central Texas heat!

Our cantaloupe at the top of the trellis is swelling up. As with most things in my garden the ones that try to develop down low become breakfast for the squirrels. I find a new half eaten cantaloupe somewhere in my yard, weekly.

This is what it has come too. A tomato hut. While building this I realized I would pass the "South Austin School of Architecture". I'm pretty proud of this ridiculously tacky and ugly structure. It is working quite well. I did learn the hard way that the squirrels can chew through the netting, so now I am not only trying to play urban farmer but have to play urban rancher and walk my fence-line every morning to check for holes and do a patch work that rivals the overall quality of the structure itself. Ha.

So the story goes like this. I built the tomatoes structure and dusted off my hands, held my head high, and retired for the night pretty satisfied that I had done something major to beat the squirrels. I woke up the next morning only to find the squirrels gave me the middle finger and completely ravaged my corn patch. They peeled open and ate EVERY ear of corn that had formed and completely annihilated EVERY corn stalk. It literally looked like a tornado had come through. There were corn plants all over the yard and garden, and ears laying around half eaten. It was bad! But not a time to give up. I planted some peas and beans in that spot. It gets quite a bit of shade this time of year, so I thought maybe they would survive summer. We shall see.

Sorry for the blurry pictures and lack thereof. Its hot! Cheers.

Texas Natives = Pretty flowers without watering!

One of the best thing about using native plants is that you don't have to water after they are established (I haven't watered mine in over a year). Here are some pictures of my "Native Garden" from earlier in the Spring and currently.

Lindheimer Daisy (Lindheimera texana)

Brazos Penstemon (Penstemon tenuis)

Winecup (Callirhoe digitata)

Cool little grasshopper inside winecup.

Horse crippler (Echinocactus texensis)

Oh the Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis)

Going to be a lot more next year!

Engleman's Daisy (Engelmannia peristenia)

To the right are Maximilian Sunflowers (Helianthus maximiliani)

and on the left Tall Golden Rod (Solidago altissima)

Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea)

Brown-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta)

Rock Rose (Pavonia lasiopetala)

Food is Coming!.

Things are starting to grow, bugs are arriving, and the squirrels have found the tomatoes. Oh, how I love the challenges of gardening!

Cantaloupe

Sungolds are starting to set. Now to keep the squirrels away, that is the challenge.

Some heirlooms are starting to show up, but I can't remember the name of this one.

Well the squash vine borer has officially arrived in my garden and taken out two of my squash plants. I at least got 5 crooked-necked squash before they got them. I was planning on not having squash for long, but was given some seeds so I decided to go for it. I plan on replanting the space with peas and okra. I am hoping that I can get a few more fruit off the one surviving plant, but I am not counting on it.

The cucumber beetles had a field day on my potato plants, as you can see below. I had a fit hand picking those little bastards everyday. DE, insecticidal soap, neem, bt, nothing seemed to phase them, just good ol' fashion hand picking. I think the wave is gone, I have only seen a few here and there the last few days, so maybe I managed to get through the onslaught.

The corn is growing. The ones in the back get a lot of shade, therefore are very stunted. Next spring I will make sure the patch is all in full sun so I can get some even growth. I think I will get a few cobs if all goes well.

So corn has been a neat learning experience. I have to admit my ignorance and say I only thought I knew how it grew. The male parts come up from the top like any ol' grass, but the female (cobs) form down in the middle of the plant. My cousins in MO will be embarrassed by me saying this, but I had no idea.

The top shoots up high and then the pollen falls down to the tassels below and pollinates the fruit.

All of my peppers are growing slow. The little are where they are may need some soil work. This jalapeno is starting to bear some fruit even though the plant is only about a foot and a half tall.