It's the winter slump :)

You probably think I have dropped off the earth.  Nope.  Just the Winter slump.  Every winter the garden and I go into hibernation . . . sort of.  My garden has winter produce growing and other than watching it grow (totally boring) I am simply waiting out the season.  Winter is different here in the central valley of California so you can grown a completely active winter garden. I have Broccoli that is beginning to 'flower'.  Not with real flowers (that comes later) but with the green flower that we all eat.  I have cauliflower too plus beets (golden and red), potatoes, onion, mint, lettuce, spinach, kale and Swiss chard.  All up and going. 

 

 

Do we do anything during this season at all other than just watch and wait?  Gosh yes.  There is clean up from the summer still going on.  Leaves to be raked and composted.  Pulled out my Bell Pepper plants just last week and believe it or not I still have jalapenos and tomatoes on the vine.  Really.  In December.  I'm trimming back the runners on the strawberries too.  All ready for next years bursting forth :)  Spraying for leaf curl has commenced with the first spraying of copper.  You're supposed to do it right after the leaves fall off.  Still waiting on the Almond tree to give up its leaves.  The Elberta peach did it in one night.  Went to bed one night with full leaves and got up the next morning to a bare tree.  Shades of Harry Potter's whomping willow.  

 

 

 

We do get freezes here too - but they are so rare that you need to daily keep track of the weather.  Missing an alert will totally mess up your sensitive trees and plants for a long time.   Missed one last year and it took my hibiscus till the end of summer before it started looking happy again.  Cover everything with old sheets or special landscaping cloth.  Old sheets are cheaper (try 2nd hand stores for cheap ones).  Make sure you go out first thing in the AM and remove them.  You don't want them to damage the plants.   Helps if you have a way to hold them away from the plant too.  Where the sheet touches the plant will often times freeze but if that is the worst of your damage then hooray for you.  You can also use my Dad's trick and put a light bulb (lit, of course) under the sheet to create just enough heat to keep the plant from freezing. 

 

 

 

 

And you still need to be fertilizing - December is mostly Citrus and shade plants (like Azaleas and Camillas) use a 0-10-10 fertilizer and Flowers need 5-10-5 and your veggies still need stuff too 5-10-10. 

 

Of course next month the real work begins with roses that need to be pruned.  Grapes and berry plants to get hacked too.  Then all the trees need to be opened up for the light and air to get in.  Gonna be a busy January.

Another Little Space Saving Beauty for my Garden

My Husband and I always looking for ways to expand what little space we have in our garden.  Especially those areas that get at least 6 hours of sunlight in a day since that is the only place that growing anything makes any sense.  So I was looking on Pinterest (yes, I am an Addict - no intervention needed at this point) and found this amazing little stacked planting bed.  Sorry no picture but here is the link :)

Click here for the link see the site that sells that tiered gardening bed

I looked at the link,which was to a online store, and found that it was way over my budget and not only that it was made of cedar and I have this OCD matching everything issue.   So I stared at it for a long time - longingly - and realized that it was just a series of boxes stacked on top of each other.  Score!  I could do that - well actually Jeffery could do that but I make a great cheering section and besides I draw all the plans :)  See - looks amazing, right?!

Five tiers to plant in (your looking at strawberries). I put beets and herbs in the top two. It works well in our little space and I got to determine the size of the tiers rather than having something that was pre-made for me that I would be struggling to fit into my space. And I matched it (OCD issue resolved) to my square foot garden beds by using 2" x 8" redwood. It should last for a long time.

Put the whole thing on landscaping cloth and then surrounded it with bark chips to clean up the area. LOVE IT!

 

It was easier than we thought.

Your going to need 8 - 2" x 8" x 8' and 1 - 2" x 4" x 8' (we were only able to find the 2" x 8" boards at Lowes) and a box of 2 5/8" Deck Screws

For tools you will need something to cut the boards with (we used a circular saw)

and an electric drill (to do the pre-drill so that the boards won't split when putting in the screws)

and electric screw driver

You cut the boards thus:

5 of the boards need to be cut in half (exactly as possible) these are the fronts and backs of each of the boxes you will be building

The sides are as follows:

You need:

2 - 48"

2 - 36"

2 - 28"

2 - 19"

2 - 10"

We were able to combine the 36" board with the 10" and the 28" boards with the 19" so all of the above only used 3 boards.

Finally cut the 2 x 4 into 2 approximately 40" lengths - there will be a bit left over.

 

 

 

 

Then comes assembly:

We put the boards in so that the sides went butt up against the ends. That way we knew that the width of the box would be a uniform 4'. We pre-drilled all the holes (2 in each board) and then assembled with the deck screws.

After assembling the boxes we started stacking them just one at a time with the two 2" x 4"'s in the back corner with the narrow part of the 2" x 4" against the back wall and the wide part against the side.  Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of that.   Again we pre-drilled and then screwed it together. Continue the stacking and screwing to complete the assembly. A nice plus in doing it this way is that it squared itself as we screwed it into the 2" x 4" board.

 

Finally, it takes a lot of dirt to fill this so we put our heavy clay soil in the back of the unit until it was about 1/2 full being careful not to get any in the front part then we bought garden soil (I don't remember the brand) and it took about 6 - 3 cubic ft bags to fill it.

 

I have now had my first season with the box.  We added some supports for netting since our happy birds were massacring our new sprouts.  I had my husband anchor them to the box after I looked at this picture and realized how wonky they looked.  I love it.  I especially love the herbs in the back so that I can easily go around the back and snip a few when I'm cooking.

 

 

See my Potato box on the side - yup that's for another blog :) 

My Square Foot Garden

Gardening is my joy and my pain.  The pain mostly comes from the soil in my lovely Central California Valley Community.  We have Clay.  If you have clay then you are nodding your head - enough said.  But if you don't have clay then let me explain.  Clay makes pots - and is tough to grow anything in.   When it's wet it sticks to everything and when it is dry it breaks yard tools.  There is about a 15 minute time when it is perfect and that is usually when I am at work.  

 

I am surrounded by farms where is live and I have watched them over the years.  They cut their product off, plow into the ground the remnants and then churn that into the soil over and over (sometimes as many as 3 times) till the soil is workable.  This is repeated every season, year after year after year.  Now I own my own rototiller but really - no - you gotta be crazy to til your soil every season - over and over and over. 

 

So one year I had reach my limit - tired of dealing with the clay and more tired of the lack of product that I was getting back.  

Where were my tomatoes?

Then I found Mel and enlightenment :)

 

Really Mel Bartholomew and his square foot gardening method.  Truly I'm getting no kick back from this publicity for him but, after reading his book from cover to cover, I decided to give it a try.  So I dragged my husband, Jeffery, in kicking and screaming :) 
I got the boxes built and mixed the special mix as prescribed by Mel. 

 

Wooohooo - product. 
Finally. 
Best stupid garden ever. 
So I'm going to share.

 

 

Nice pretty boxes in a row :)  Works well with my OCD. 
All our boxes were made with redwood.  The one in the front uses 2" x 12" boards and the one's behind it and in the back are 2" x 8".  Mel's prescribed method is using 1" x 6" but I decided with our oppressive heat in the summer I wanted something a bit deeper.   And I wanted something that would last for years and years, not just one season.  And not only that but I wanted potatoes and carrots and so I needed more depth.

 

 

If you count the pretty squares then you see that our back boxes are 3' x 4' and our front boxes are 3' x 7' and 2' x 6'. 

 

Next I lined the bottom of each box with 2 layers of landscaping cloth to keep any weeds from coming up before putting in the 'Mel's Mix'.  If you have gophers I would line the bottom with chicken wire first before putting in the landscaping cloth to keep those little buggers from eating everything.

 

 

Now the Mel's mix - truly this is the heart of his plan and the toughest for me to pull together.

You mix 1/3 peat moss (easy to find), 1/3 compost (from different places, not so easy - will elaborate more later) and 1/3 vermiculite (pain in the butt to find and horribly expensive).  But I had decided that I was going to do EXACTLY what I was told by Mel

so I could complain later if it didn't work. :)

 

So first the Peat Moss - found this at the Ace Hardware in town.  No Problem.

 

Next the Compost - now you want compost, not potting soil with compost.  You want not only compost but you want a lot of it and from different sources.  Mel says that the compost is made differently depending on who you purchase it from.  So he suggests buying several different kinds and mixing them together.  Right, got it, not so easy, but got it.

 

Finally the Vermiculite.  This along with the Peat Moss are to hold moisture and nutrition in your soil.  So I hunted and hunted.  I didn't want those tiny bags that they sell in the stores since they are horribly expensive and I would need about a thousand of them.  Okay, so maybe not a thousand, but way more than my budget could stand.   Tried ordering it online.  Nope.  Shipping cost was more than the vermiculite.  Tried special ordering it from the local nursery.  Nope.  Tried special ordering it from a nursery 25 miles away.  Nope.  Finally went to OSH and found that they sell it in larger bags too but still spent over $110 just on the vermiculite.   Just a quick update here - I was at Home Depot the other day and they FINALLY sell Vermiculite in large bags.  Hallelujah!

 

Seriously looking at $75 tomatoes if this didn't work. 

 

 

 

Final addition when the plants got too high - the cheap electrical piping and some elbows to make a frame.  We hammered in the ground some re bar that fit into the piping to hold the framework upright.  Slid the whole frame over the re bar and then strung some netting. 

Tied everything up and it worked like a charm.

 

 

At the end of the season I did something totally radical. 
I planted a winter garden.
  I'd never even considered it before. 
So I slowly transitioned the tomato plants out.  Banging off the Mels mix from the roots (saving all I could - that stuff was too expensive to waste).  Added some more compost (as prescribed in Mel's book) and in went the Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cabbage.

 

 

I'm showing off now :)  

 

 

 

 

 Score one for me :) 

Seed Storage Idea

Do you have a pile of half used seed packets when you are finished planting your garden?  Do you try to save them for the next year but, when the next year rolls around, you have no idea where you put them? 

Welcome to my world. 

I HATE spending the money for good seeds only to use half, and worse, when I say 'well, I just save them', yeah, like that will ever happen.  I have never been able to store them from year to year.  And worse still, when I get a plant that does amazingly well in my garden and I want to save some of the seeds from it (like squash and pumpkin and onions and . . .) I just don't have a good storage system. 

 

But no more (I feel like one of those TV ad guys)

Introducing my new improved seed storage system :)  

This has worked like a charm.

 

Its just your standard cheap plastic covered binder

(very important that it's plastic on the inside and outside since you store the

whole enchilada in the refrigerator).

 

Filled with clear cheap Kids pencil storage envelops.  You know the kinds with the little zipper on it that has holes to put them in a binder.  I got these at the before school sales at Target - paid just 89 cents each.

 

Then you separate the seeds according to what it is - like this is the herb seeds.  And voila!  Seed city.

 

Put the whole thing in your refrigerator and ignore it till next season and your ready to go.

 

Love it!

 

 

Butternut Squash Bisque

This is the 'most amazing soup'.  It's creamy and wonderful.  And made with butternut squash which, by the way, I really don't like.  Really.  Truly.  But THIS soup is WONDERFUL :)

 

Here is all you need :)  Notice it's only 2 medium sized butternut squashes.  See the blog before this on how to peel them.

 

 

 You Start with Celery, Onions and Garlic

 

Saute them up in some butter and oil

 

 

Add Diced Carrots (I use baby carrots)

 

And peeled Butternut squash

 

 

All in the pot!  Add Vegetable broth and spices.  Bring to a boil and simmer till the carrots are done.

Then all that yummy goodness goes into a blender (except the bay leaf)

 

Put picture of blender here :)  Mine came out too dark :(

 

Then it goes back into the pot and you add some heavy cream - look at that amazing color!

 



Then you serve it with a dollop of sour cream on top

 

 

There are wars in my home over this soup. 

 

Butternut Squash Bisque

 

Serves 8 - unless you are piggy

(Thank you to my Relief Society Sisters for sharing this one with me)

 

2/3 cup diced onion

2/3 cup diced celery

1 tablespoon of butter

2 tablespoons of oil

 

Put all of the above in a thick bottom soup pot and saute till the onions are clear

 

Add

 

6 cups peeled Butter nut squash (cut into small pieces)

1 cup carrots (cut into small pieces)

2 16oz cans of Vegetable Broth

1 teaspoon of Chicken Soup Base

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp pepper (or more if you prefer)

 

Bring to a boil and simmer till carrots are done then remove bay leaf

 

In small stages - put the hot mixture in a blender (we have a Vitamix) and puree the heck out of it :)

 

Put it all back in the pot and add

 

3/4 cup of heavy cream

 

Bring back up to heat and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top

 

Woooohooo Soups On!

Butternut Squash - It's a Peeling (so bad)

My garden this year included my usual assortment of Butternut Squash.  Squished in a box with Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Crookneck and Beans.  Worked pretty well actually.

I love Butternut Squash Bisque. It's amazing. Creamy, warm, decadent. Problem is I absolutely hate peeling the darn things. I usually almost slice off my arm trying to cut them in half and it just gets worse when I try to peel them. Grrrrr. So I found this way of peeling them that saved my life (and my fingers). Now I can have Butternut Squash Bisque in peace :)

 

First cut them in half and then scrape out all the seeds.  The cutting for me is the dangerous part.  Limbs have been in danger as I wield my knife.

 

Then put a bit of water (like a teaspoon worth) in the seed bowl area and wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap.  Then into the microwave for about 7 minutes.  It should feel a bit squishy when you take it out of the microwave.  If not, put it back in for a couple more minutes.

 

Then take it out and let it sit on the counter for a couple of minutes to cool down.  Peel off the plastic wrap (it will stick to the outside skin - don't panic your getting rid of that anyway).  Then using a sharp paring knife just peel away at the squash. 

 

Perfect.  Ready for Soup!  My next blog has my favorite recipe for Butternut Squash Bisque!

So Here We Go :)

If you are looking at my history for this blog you will find I don't have any.  Why?  New blog - new adventure.  I was pondering the other day the fact that I am getting old.  Yup, finally can get the senior discount at Denny's :)   But with that age is a desire to be prepared for the changes that will come to our family in the next few years.  Kids are grown (but not all out yet) and Jeffery and I will soon be retiring (or at least wishing we could).  So saving dollars are going to be very important to us.   Our retirement income is now crap (sorry) thanks to the government and the stock market so we will have to squeak out what we can from our home and our land. 

Now understand I do not have anything big as far as property is concerned - just your standard 1960's home with a small yard.  But I am determined to be able to use what I have to live, in part, off the land.  So Garden city here I come :)  I have a sweet friend who's philosophy is 'if it doesn't produce something that my family can use then it does not belong in my yard'.  Well since my yard space is at a premium I have taken that to heart.

 

This is a long shot from under the patio cover to give you an idea of how small an area I'm dealing with (this is from two summers ago).

Anyway, I figured that I needed a place to record my journal for my garden - hence, 'Plant . . Tend . . Grow'   Perhaps I should have capitalized that last word.  GROW. 

 

I guess my first confession to make it that I am a square foot gardener.  I soooo love the idea of boxes.  Addresses my OCD issues :)   Actually, truthfully, I live in the Central Valley of California and the soil here is Clay.  Solid, impossible to work with, hard clay.  I have tried in the twenty plus years I've lived here to amend it into working for me and two years ago I gave up.   I even own my own rototiller and couldn't win against it.  So I found a book by Mel Bartholomew, one day in my perusal of the Internet, called Square Foot Gardening.  Talked my poor husband, Jeffery, into building me boxes and there you go.

 

Best stupid garden year I ever had.  Never, NEVER going back to the old method.