What's Up Doc

I just pulled this row of beautiful carrots on Tuesday. I planted them closer together than recommended on the seed packets, in two rows using a staggered pattern. So I'm really happy they grew this well!

I think if I left them in longer they would have gotten bigger, but they were a little too close to my cucumbers. Happily there is still a whole other row, so this is less than half of what I'll get. Wuhoo! I'm also very pleased b/c last year my carrots barely grew at all. Must be b/c they got more sun this year + a better variety of seed (Napoli hybrid, Eliot Coleman's favorite type).

They are really sweet tasting too. I've just been eating them raw so far, like Bugs Bunny. Tonight I will probably make a shredded carrot salad, with some lemon juice & herbs.

I'm going to plant more for a fall harvest soon.

And now I have to post a gratuitous JJ picture. :-) I went on a camping trip for four days this weekend that didn't allow dogs, so Mom took care of him. Boy did I miss this furry little guy, barking and all! He loves carrots.

Up To 90% of NJ's Bats Died This Winter!

http://www.northjersey.com/environment/environmentnews/NJs_alarming_bat_die-off.html

Wow, I hadn't heard about this before. I just found it from http://twitter.com/WildNewJersey.

N.J.'s alarming bat die-off

Monday, June 29, 2009

BY JAMES M. O'NEILL

E-mail: oneillj@northjersey.com

Up to 90 percent of North Jersey's bat population was killed off over the winter by an unusual fungus that has been associated with the deaths of more than a million bats in nine states.

This brown bat captured in New Jersey was weighed and measured before being released. The die-off of bats could impact people because the animals help keep insect populations in check.

New Jersey officials are reporting severe mortality among bats at two major hibernation spots in North Jersey — the Hibernia Mine and the Mount Hope Mine in Morris County — as well as two smaller mines near the Delaware Water Gap. Tens of thousands of bats have died, experts said. An estimated 30,000 bats normally hibernate in Hibernia Mine alone, but, in mid-April, only about 750 were found alive there.

"There were thousands of carcasses on the floor," said Mick Valent, principal zoologist with the state's Endangered and Nongame Species Program.

The fungus, called white-nose syndrome for the whitish powder that appears on infected bats, was discovered on bats near Albany, N.Y., in 2007 and has since spread to nine Eastern states. Experts have lobbied Congress for emergency funds to study how and why the disease is spreading and how it might be stymied.

The disease has caused "the most precipitous decline of North American wildlife in recorded history," Thomas H. Kunz, director of Boston University's Center for Ecology and Conservation, said during a congressional hearing this month. Experts warn that as the disease spreads it could lead to the extinction of some bat species.

I always did like bats, so I'm bummed. I remember them flying above the trees that circled the round pool in my backyard when I was growing up. I wasn't scared of them, though some other people were. I'd often hear they were afraid the bats would fly in your hair, but that never happened to me and I spent a lot of time out there. I loved swimming in that good ol above ground pool, what fun that was. Wish I had one now, too bad the backyard is too small!

They best thing about bats is they eat mosquitos. It's bad enough here with the bats, imagine if they were gone completely? I really hope they don't go extinct.

There is a count you can help with, if anyone reading this locally knows past roosts. I'll be at my childhood home this weekend too, I wonder if I'll see any bats? The pool is long gone so I haven't spent much time out there in years, so I can't say how long it has been since they have even been around. And my mom who lives there is is one of the people who were scared of bats so I doubt she knows! haha But I'll look, she's taking care of my dog while I go camping, so I know we'll be out there throwing the ball with him...

Because of the large mortality of Jersey bats, the state's annual summer bat count will take on even greater significance this year. Volunteers will be asked not only to count the bats they see emerging from summer roosts, but also report on known past roosts that have no bats this summer, said Maria Grace with the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, which is managing the bat count for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Interested volunteers can contact her at maria.grace@conservewildlifenj.org.

"It's always alarming when you see a species being decimated," Valent said "and we don't know what else could eventually be affected."

Today's Garden Tasks: Updated

1. Pick up garden-quality straw (no or dead seeds) from local horse farm, then spread over paths and around plants (but not touching stems). This straw mulch will prevents weeds, reduce watering needs, and break down into the soil within a season or so, acting as a rich compost/fertilizer. I got this tip for a great new list I found: the veganic agriculture network. http://www.goveganic.net/ STATUS: HALF DONE. The horse farm was literally on the same street as my Aunt & Uncle's house, that I've been going to my whole life. I had no idea there was a horse farm, dog park & nature preserve all right there! It was so cute! The hay looks and smells really sweet. I will definitely go back & bring JJ to the dog park, and maybe even go horseack riding on the trails. Did not yet get a chance to spread it out though, it is sitting in the basement.

2. Mix baking soda, a little biodegradable dish soap, and water then spray on plants to prevent powdery mildew. http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/bakingsoda.html STATUS: DONE.

3. Add more Maxicrop (seaweed) fertilizer. 1 tsp per gallon of water, spray on leaves & soil. STATUS: ON HOLD. Veganic network & gardenweb say I should wait for a soil test and/or just use hay b/c of the carbon footprint from importing this stuff from Norway. I agree & will use sparingly. I think I will put on another teaspoon in a week or so though. Also need to continue researching local sources of NJ seaweed and salt hay.

4. Might also add this fertilizer I picked up yesterday at Lowe's made of soybeans! I was so happy to find this in just regular old Lowe's from the list of ingredients it appears to be vegan! I just wrote them an email to confirm it is. I hope so!! STATUS: ON HOLD. (see above entry on Maxicrop)5. Reset fence & plant a few new plants I bought yesterday to attract more pollinators: 2 shasta daisy, 1 echinacea, 1 black-eyed susan, another yellow black-eyed susan type, I'm not sure the name, & a purple plant I'll have to update later with the exact name too. STATUS: MOSTLY DONE. Just need to trim off excess fence posts, staple down hose, dig a bit more dirt and plant 1 daisy & the royal candle purple plant. Got all the others planted and the whole fence pounded in.

6. Maybe I may even make a bit of compost tea by putting some in a sock and soaking it in water. I have to turn the pile and add some straw to it, too. Definitely the low-fi way of making compost, that I read on the gardenweb forums. Whereas this article makes it a lot more complicated: http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/brewing-compost-tea.aspx But I just may try soaking it just for a day or two and see. STATUS: ON HOLD. (see above entry on Maxicrop)

I need to find out if I could mix the seaweed, fertilizer and compost all in one batch. That would be easiest if I could, but I'm not sure if they'd react with one another or something. Anybody happen to know? STATUS: CANCELLED. Veganic network/gardenweb says no, or at least - be cautious when doing something like this. Might have too much nitrogen, which would promote too much leaf growth instead of fruits and veggies.

PHEW! I better get to work!!

Peas: From Harvest to Plate

Well, looks like my peas are about done for this season. I pulled the bush peas out this weekend. The sugar snaps are still there, but only have a few flowers. I think the high temps predicted towards the end of this week will be the end.

Overall, I'm moderately happy with the harvest. I honestly had hoped for more, but as you'll see from the pics below, I got enough for 3 big bowls. They were really delicious. I am going to replant the sugar snaps in August for a fall crop. And next spring, I will definitely try the Agribon to extend the harvest. This year they didn't get above a few inches until it warmed up in May, so I think that is going to be key to getting more peas. So without further ado, here are the pics.

Sugar Snaps (and lettuce) on June 2nd

Dark Seeded Early Perfection Peas & Strawberries

The harvest bowl. I got another bowlful about a week later filled about twice as much, and another this weekend filled almost all the way.

The plate: Garden Salad w/ Creamy Tarragon Herb Dressing, Cold Peanut Butter Soba Noodles covered in peas, carrots & cukes, lemon pepper cucumber slices, and strawberries. (berries, herbs & lettuce also just picked). Above on the shell plate was Red Pepper Bean Dip w/ oregano + Herb Onion Tofu dip w/ broccoli and cauliflower.

I'll update this with the Peanut Butter Noodles recipe when I get home tonight. It is so simple, yet so good. Definitely one of my favorite go-to dishes. Here is the bean dip recipe, I just added extra roasted red peppers instead of the pimentos. And this is the tofu dip recipe, plus chopped herbs and a packet of onion soup mix.

p.s. I know my camera skills need to improve. My camera is actually half broken at the moment, I dropped it and part of the lens fell off. Sooner or later I'll get a new one, and make sure to read the manual this time!

Red Trumpet Honeysuckle

Last summer I made my first and last order of live plants through the internet. Most of them died, so I won't do it again. One that has managed to come back strong this year though, is the Red Trumpet honeysuckle. You can see it in the background on the trellis in this post from last year. Now as you can see on the right, it has reached the top of the trellis.

I have always loved honeysuckle, with fond memories of eating the little drop of nectar from the common white and yellow ones as a child. I only found out last year that is Japanese honeysuckle, which is actually a highly invasive plant. No wonder it was growing along the roadside in so many places! So instead, I got Red Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) which is native to this area and not considered invasive.

It never flowered last year, so when I saw these gorgeous red trumpets come out this spring, I was delighted. I think it is still on the small side, and may need to be moved into an area with more sun. But at least I got these beautiful flowers!

Rain Rain Go Away

This has got to be the coolest and rainest spring I remember in a long, long time. I can't believe it is raining AGAIN today. It rained last Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun morning, Mon (a torrential downpour of course just as I had to walk outside in my work clothes & dressy shoes, with no umbrella - I got totally soaked) Wed and Thurs!! Forget trellises, I need to build an ark!

I literally have not used my soaker hoses once yet this entire season. Now, if this was Seattle, it wouldn't be that strange. But here in NJ this is highly irregular. Last year by this time we'd already had a heat wave with temps in the 90's. This spring, we've barely hit 80 except a couple of times.

And they're even predicting more rain and cool weather this weekend. I'm supposed to go swimming in the Atlantic this weekend at the annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. In previous years, it has been so hot and humid the dip is always refreshing after the long march in the sun. This year, I think I'm going to have to really get in the Polar Bear mindset! Maybe even wear my shorty wetsuit.

In any case, it sure has been keeping me out of the garden. So far, everything seems ok- but I am worried my peppers are going to be drowned. Here's hoping it turns into a normal summer with the solstice next week!!

Bird Netting/Greenhouse Rowcover, Tomato Cages & Trellises Done!

It looks like a spaceship back here, there are so many shiny metallic shapes all around!

We put more of the Ikea trellis from last year on the other side of the yard and built 4 huge tomato cages using these instructions: http://yourhomegardenblog.com/vegetable-gardening/constructing-tomato-cages-using-wire-mesh

Except for one difference: the wire mesh in both home depot and lowe's was super rusty and expensive. so instead we got some type of galvanized wire. I have to look up exactly what it was b/c my partner bought it but I can only make a short post of notes right now as I have other work to do. This wire is very shiny and not rusted at all.

The only problem is the holes were smaller so it would be hard to reach your hands in to harvest the fruit. So I took a pair of industrial wire cutters we just bought and made 15 extra big holes per cage. I may have to cut more, but I figured that was enough to start.

We staked them into the bed with 1 rebar each, and 2 wood stakes each. They do seem extra strong so I am very pleased.
Then, I finally made one of the rowcover mini greenhouses w/ the wire that I read about in Eliot's book last fall!!

It really worked!!! I am so happy.

I made 3 hoops with the wire then pushed them into the dirt about a foot, in the holes of the concrete blocks around my strawberry & pea bed.

The wire did not make perfect hoops like I wanted it to, b/c it was kind of flimsy. So the shape is really uneven. At 1st it didn't seem sturdy enough to hold up to wind so I also had to make a 4th hoop to go across all three, as a crosspiece for stabilty. Then it seemed really strong, so that was easy enough to fix.

I think it may of been especially flimsy b/c I had to make the hoops pretty high, like 3 ft tall. There is a short trellis with burpee early perfection peas growing in the middle of this bed, with 4 different types of strawberries.

Although I wasn't planning on growing peas in there again - I was just going to let the strawberry runners fill it in - I think the trellis may have ended up working in my favor b/c I attached the wire to it for extra stability. And it is a pretty strong trellis. I hammered it in more too, so it is really in there.

I actually had to finish it yesterday for bird netting, not agribon, so the birds and squirrels would not eat my berries. The bird netting I bought at home depot last year was only held over it w/ logs & stones, and the peas were getting tangled in it.

So I attached the bird netting to this hoophouse structure with plain old wooden clothespins. I figured the clothespins would make it very easy to just take one off, pull up that section to pick a berry, then just clip it back on.

That was yesterday, and today it still seems to be working great! I have to go pick some berries right now. yum :-)

I still have to build several more of these, and believe the next ones will be better.Of course there's a learning curve.

I even had an idea, since this one looked so much like a modern tent - why not use a type of good tent poles design to make ultralight moveable mini greenhouses? I may have even read it in Eliot's book...I think I heard that idea somewhere before. I really think something like that just might work.

Spring Harvest and Two Meals

Here's a good pic of the different kinds of radish I grew this spring. White Icicle, Easter Egg (white, pink, purple, maroon) & Red Globe. Most of the White Icicles ended up taking a bit too long to mature, so by the time they were big enough to eat, they had bolted and gotten woody. I think they'll be better in the fall. The Easter Egg & Red Globe, on the other hand - were fantastic - I picked about 100 more that aren't pictured here.



Now here's a picture of the Mustard Greens. I picked at least 3 more armfuls as big as this one. They were so tender and delicious. The trick is to saute them with a little maple or agave syrup to bring out their sweetness. I will definitely grow these again.






This is a big pile of Arugula. I also picked about 3 more piles this size. It is great sauteed like spinach. I like to mix the sauteed Arugula in with a tomato bean sauce and put it on pasta. It's also good just raw as a salad green. I love the nutty taste.

I even used the arugula flowers in a meal one evening. They have the same nutty taste as the leaves, delicious! You can see them at the top right corner of this picture:

It is cajun-spiced seitan on a bed of radish & mustard greens (sauteed w/ garlic, smoked paprika & red pepper flakes), dirty rice, and a wonderful salad composed of thinned baby turnips and beets, plus radishes w/ chive & arugula blossoms and a light herb vinagrette. I really do like the taste of the chive blossoms. I sprinkle them on everything now.

But that meal was nothing compared to this brunch! Grilled Vcon smoky tempeh w/ black-eyed pea salsa & grilled smoked rosemary potatoes + mustard greens sauteed in the leftover tempeh marinade. It is all sprinkled with chive blossoms and also dollops of oregano pesto. (I had to make something with the oregano since I have sooo much of it. The pesto was tasty!). More purplish-pink easter egg radishes on the side, with a bit of the pesto on the end + chamomile flowers. The yellow flowers by the pile of greens were actually mustard green flowers. Spring is great!

Everything's In!

Wow, I planted my heart out yesterday. I was planting from 10AM until 7PM. But finally, everything I have is in the ground. Yep, the whole big list!

I am soooo excited for it all to grow. I planted something in every possible inch of the backyard. If everything grows, I'm going to have veggies and flowers out my ears!

Yesterday I also noticed the snap peas finally grew the first pod. Then this morning I looked again, and now there are 7 or 8! One is even a couple inches long, looks like it will be ready to eat in a few days. I swear that wasn't there yesterday. It was like they grew the pea pods overnight!

More great news: I found the camera battery and took lots of pictures. In fact, I took so many I don't even know where to begin posting! Of course, it doesn't look like much yet either, since lots still has to grow. But I'll try anyway. Here's a couple long shots of each side of the yard.

Above, you see the left side. There are 5 beds: along the big fence on the left, in the front is the peas & salad, in the back is peppers and the future home of climbing zuchinni that hasn't sprouted yet. Behind that is the herb garden. Then, on the right near the white picket fence, in the front is the large bed with basil, peppers, tomatoes, and some of the remaining radishes & arugula.

Then below you see two shots of the two new beds on the other side of the backyard. On the left, mustard greens, more peppers & squash, plus emerite pole beans that haven't sprouted yet. On the right, carrots, beets & turnips. Of course, more close up shots will follow soon enough. (you may also want to scroll back a bit through the last couple posts, as I updated them with cute pictures of lambs and chickens!)

































I also have a decent picture of another new, somewhat strangely placed bed. Like I said, I planted every possible inch of the backyard! haha

Below you can see the fern & mint garden in a little corner between the house and the fence. I think this may end up being my favorite. I don't know why, I just love ferns so much. I wasn't sure if I should buy the white yarrow (that's the plant in the front on the left) but I'm so glad I did - I think it is going to look awesome next to the Ostrich Fern in the back left corner. I can't wait to eat the fiddleheads next spring!! In the middle of the yarrow and the fern you can only barely see the purple perilla (shiso, Japanese mint) in the shade. On the right, in the back is white peppermint, and the front is pineapple mint.

I am also putting a couple paths in there with stepping stones, just haven't gotten to that point yet in this picture. I already dubbed the concrete block in front of the yarrow my "contemplation seat". Makeshift for sure, but still, so peaceful. I sat and contemplated the ancient, even prehistoric nature of this garden for a good long time when I was done. Eventually, I plan to get a real stool in there for this purpose. Maybe I'll even dry the yarrow stalks to read the symbolism of random events using the I-Ching . Now that would be cool. haha

Well Sweep Swept Me Away

Even though a Well Sweep is an old-time farming implement that made getting buckets of water out of a well easier, and has nothing to do with a broom, I can definitely still say this herb farm swept me off my feet! They had so many plants, it was completely overwhelming, in a good way of course.

As you can see from the picture, it was herbs as far as the eye could see. They had literally every single kind of herb I had ever heard of, plus many, many more that were completely new to me. I also saw a whole flock of the most adorable lambs, adults and babies - plus lots of pretty chickens in really nice coops. For a New Jersey farm, I have to say they really put the garden in the Garden State!













I spent about 3 hours just looking at all of the plants for sale, but could have easily spent twice that much time, or more. There was so much to learn, especially since their catalog was very well labeled and told a lot about each plant, such as whether or not it was winter hardy in our area, drought tolerant, edible, fragrant, sun needs, etc. It was helpful just to see what plants are supposed to look like too. Now for the seeds I am trying to grow at home, I know what they should look like when they grow. Unfortunately I had to get back home, so I didn't even get to go in their greenhouse with topiaries and rare species, or walk around the formal herb gardens. Guess this means I'll just have to go back soon! It was definitely worth the 1.5 hour drive.

I ended up wanting to buy everything of course, but managed to resist pretty well and only ended up spending a little over budget. I didn't really get anything that exotic, since I'm still new to this and trying to stick with things that are easy to grow. This is what I got, with a * next to the ones I planted last night:
LIST TO BE UPDATED TONIGHT

• *Logee Blue Rosemary
• *D- Rosemary
• *-Lavender
• *Flat leaf Parsely
• *White Borage
• *2 Red Gem Marigold
• *2 Tangerine Gem Marigold
• *- Giant Dill
• *Pink Chives (They had white too! They were a bit expensive since they are so rare, so I didn't buy one. Boy I'm kinda sorry now.)
• 2 Black Hollyhock (since only 6 out of the 15 seeds I planted germinated)
• Jacob Cline Red Bee Balm (since my seeds didn't germinate)
• White Yarrow (since I lost the seeds I ordered somehow!)
• - Shasta Daisy
• Anise Hyssop (since my winter sowing experiment failed miserably)
• Shiso (Perilla) Japanese Mint
• Ostrich Fern
• 2 Astilbe

Unfortunately Well Sweep did not have any compost for sale. We also stopped at a couple places on the way home, but none had anything suitable. I spoke with a knowledgable worker taking care of the plants at a decent nursery - and while they did have bagged organic compost made out of manure and humus, she said it has a tendency to burn plants so she didn't recommend that type. She also said my peppers are probably turning green because we have had so much rain lately. So it may just be too much water. I'm hoping that's it, and they'll recover soon as the weather gets warmer. I also bought some yellow squash from this nursery since I forgot to get them at Brock's when I bought the rest of the summer plants.