Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Harvest time!
These watermelons turned out differently than I expected. They have necks! Anyway, here's a pic of Dana Springer and Debbie Trevino doing a little harvesting.
Myself, I made off with a briefcase full of peppers and cucumbers. Ha.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Plants from the American Southwest
As promised, here's a little bit of what I learned about the plants of the Southwest. I got to see them in person on our vacation through Albuquerque, Phoenix, the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert and other stops. I took all of these pictures myself, and most of what I learned is from books, the Internet and friendly Arizonans and New Mexicans who helped me out when I had a question.
But first, here is proof that I hiked the Grand Canyon:
OK, now that that's been established, here's a few plants and trees from the Sonoran Desert, how they grow, whether you can eat them, and how useful they are to people:
Ocotillo — A wiry, brambly tree that looks like it's made of sticks, the ocotillo apparently flowers beautifully during the rainy season... but I wasn't there for that. If you pull up an ocotillo branch and replant it, it will grow there. Some people plant ocotillo "fences" this way, for decorative purposes or to enclose livestock.
Saguaro — Arizona's most emblematic plant by far, the saguaro is a tree-sized cactus that takes 75 years to grow its first "arm." The plant gives food and shelter to birds, insects and bats, which live in small hollows and drink nectar from the cactus' flowers. In July, the flowers ripen into large red fruit that are supposed to taste like strawberries. It is against state law in Arizona to damage, destroy or relocate a saguaro without a permit. They can cost around $80 per foot of height if you want to purchase one.
"Jumping" cholla — This fearsome plant, also called the teddy bear cholla ("CHOY-uh"), takes its name from the ease with which it can hook itself onto passers by. Even the slightest contact with any part of the plant will cause a stem to detach and potentially plant itself on you. Every part of this plant bristles with spines — that are themselves coated in backward-facing, microscopic spines, making them more difficult to remove. Locals told me cholla spines can pierce leather and flatten bicycle tires.
Barrel cactus — If you are in an emergency, the short, stumpy barrel cactus can help you in two ways. First, the cactus always tilts toward the south as it grows, making it a sort of compass. Second, the yellow, pineapple-shaped fruits are edible. They are somewhat dry and bitter, but they are spineless and easy to pluck.
Above: The saguaro flower, state flower of Arizona. The stems are thick enough to support a bat, which are pollinators of these cacti.
Prickly Pear — Prickly pears are difficult to tell apart, even if you know cacti. They crossbreed and hybridize readily, so sometimes lines between species blur. Almost every type has two kinds of spines — the long, more visible thorns, and the almost invisible, hairlike spines called "glochids." The fruit of prickly pears, called tunas, are edible once the spines are removed. The meat of the cactus itself can usually be eaten — once again, after the spines have been removed. Spines can be cut off, rubbed off on a hard or rough surface, or burned off in a campfire.
Spanish Dagger — This creepy-looking plant grows in clusters of 3-5 heads that slowly grow upward on stalks of old, dead leaves. The leaves can be used as cordage fibers or kindling in a survival situation. An old legend holds that these yuccas would walk around the desert at night in search of water, hence the nickname "walking yucca."
Honey mesquite — The famous mesquite tree is known to anyone with even a passing interest in barbecue, but they are common in the desert because of their ability to grow extremely deep roots that search for water well below the desert heat. Mesquites are nitrogen fixing plants, are nectar sources for bees, and the legumes and their pods are edible — though only the honey mesquite pods taste any good. When the mesquite is a sapling, the tree grows long, tough spines that disappear as the tree grows taller.
Above: Honey mesquite pods. Actually kinda tasty.
Pinyon pine — The distinct smell of burning pinyon wood has become well known since chimineas and backyard fire pits became popular. The pinyon also produces edible and nutritious pine nuts that were historically an important food for American Indians, as well as the birds who disperse the trees by eating the nuts.
The century plant — This amazing agave, also called a maguey, sends up a tall, spear-like stalk of flowers from its bunching, yucca-like leaves. I spotted a few of them in the Grand Canyon, which contains its own species of century plant named for the canyon that only occurs there. The plant does not actually take 100 years to grow. They live about 25 years. From this drink, pre-Columbian natives fermented the alcoholic beverage known as pulque — a predecessor of tequila still made today.
But first, here is proof that I hiked the Grand Canyon:
OK, now that that's been established, here's a few plants and trees from the Sonoran Desert, how they grow, whether you can eat them, and how useful they are to people:
Ocotillo — A wiry, brambly tree that looks like it's made of sticks, the ocotillo apparently flowers beautifully during the rainy season... but I wasn't there for that. If you pull up an ocotillo branch and replant it, it will grow there. Some people plant ocotillo "fences" this way, for decorative purposes or to enclose livestock.
Saguaro — Arizona's most emblematic plant by far, the saguaro is a tree-sized cactus that takes 75 years to grow its first "arm." The plant gives food and shelter to birds, insects and bats, which live in small hollows and drink nectar from the cactus' flowers. In July, the flowers ripen into large red fruit that are supposed to taste like strawberries. It is against state law in Arizona to damage, destroy or relocate a saguaro without a permit. They can cost around $80 per foot of height if you want to purchase one.
"Jumping" cholla — This fearsome plant, also called the teddy bear cholla ("CHOY-uh"), takes its name from the ease with which it can hook itself onto passers by. Even the slightest contact with any part of the plant will cause a stem to detach and potentially plant itself on you. Every part of this plant bristles with spines — that are themselves coated in backward-facing, microscopic spines, making them more difficult to remove. Locals told me cholla spines can pierce leather and flatten bicycle tires.
Barrel cactus — If you are in an emergency, the short, stumpy barrel cactus can help you in two ways. First, the cactus always tilts toward the south as it grows, making it a sort of compass. Second, the yellow, pineapple-shaped fruits are edible. They are somewhat dry and bitter, but they are spineless and easy to pluck.
Prickly Pear — Prickly pears are difficult to tell apart, even if you know cacti. They crossbreed and hybridize readily, so sometimes lines between species blur. Almost every type has two kinds of spines — the long, more visible thorns, and the almost invisible, hairlike spines called "glochids." The fruit of prickly pears, called tunas, are edible once the spines are removed. The meat of the cactus itself can usually be eaten — once again, after the spines have been removed. Spines can be cut off, rubbed off on a hard or rough surface, or burned off in a campfire.
Spanish Dagger — This creepy-looking plant grows in clusters of 3-5 heads that slowly grow upward on stalks of old, dead leaves. The leaves can be used as cordage fibers or kindling in a survival situation. An old legend holds that these yuccas would walk around the desert at night in search of water, hence the nickname "walking yucca."
Honey mesquite — The famous mesquite tree is known to anyone with even a passing interest in barbecue, but they are common in the desert because of their ability to grow extremely deep roots that search for water well below the desert heat. Mesquites are nitrogen fixing plants, are nectar sources for bees, and the legumes and their pods are edible — though only the honey mesquite pods taste any good. When the mesquite is a sapling, the tree grows long, tough spines that disappear as the tree grows taller.
Pinyon pine — The distinct smell of burning pinyon wood has become well known since chimineas and backyard fire pits became popular. The pinyon also produces edible and nutritious pine nuts that were historically an important food for American Indians, as well as the birds who disperse the trees by eating the nuts.
The century plant — This amazing agave, also called a maguey, sends up a tall, spear-like stalk of flowers from its bunching, yucca-like leaves. I spotted a few of them in the Grand Canyon, which contains its own species of century plant named for the canyon that only occurs there. The plant does not actually take 100 years to grow. They live about 25 years. From this drink, pre-Columbian natives fermented the alcoholic beverage known as pulque — a predecessor of tequila still made today.
Friday, June 22, 2012
First Tomato of the Season
YOU GUYS. I'm excited... I think this is going to be a really good summer for tomatoes and other summer veggies. We're getting a fair bit of rain, temperatures are reasonable and the sun is bright but not glaring.
Personally, I'm thrilled. I really needed a growing season to go well after 2-3 seasons of not-so-great results. But now, for the first time in a long time, I've managed to get a good amount of tomatoes out of the ground. Here's the first one that turned red!
The variety is brandywine cherry. They've turned out pretty huge for cherry-sized tomatoes. If you can't tell from the size of my son's hand, they're about half the size of the average grocery store tomato. They've got a nice balance in acidity — not too sweet and not too sharp. They're meaty as well, with not too many seeds. I recommend this variety!
Dana Springer tells me that we had our first little "harvest" at the PennWell Community Garden as well. A few tomatoes, peppers and even summer squash have grown so far. My sunflowers as well are ready to pop.
Here's a shot I took earlier today:
Personally, I'm thrilled. I really needed a growing season to go well after 2-3 seasons of not-so-great results. But now, for the first time in a long time, I've managed to get a good amount of tomatoes out of the ground. Here's the first one that turned red!
Dana Springer tells me that we had our first little "harvest" at the PennWell Community Garden as well. A few tomatoes, peppers and even summer squash have grown so far. My sunflowers as well are ready to pop.
Here's a shot I took earlier today:
Friday, June 15, 2012
Update From My Garden and Our Garden
Well, I'm back. Like I said earlier, I fully plan to blog about desert plants soon, but for now, it's a good time to talk about how our gardens are coming along.
First off, I spent a week and a half driving through the Southwest on vacation. I asked my mom to check on the gardens while I was gone — just turn on the sprinklers now and then. When I got back, she had weeded and mulched my vegetable garden. Amazing.
Looks nice, eh? That's the sage I divided earlier this year.
I've got a giant mass of moonflower in front. I never planted them, so I think these may be the most successful volunteer plants I've ever had.
I have a lot of basil, so I put some on a homemade pizza. There's no such thing as too much basil.
First off, I spent a week and a half driving through the Southwest on vacation. I asked my mom to check on the gardens while I was gone — just turn on the sprinklers now and then. When I got back, she had weeded and mulched my vegetable garden. Amazing.
I've got a giant mass of moonflower in front. I never planted them, so I think these may be the most successful volunteer plants I've ever had.
I have a lot of basil, so I put some on a homemade pizza. There's no such thing as too much basil.
Meanwhile, back at the PennWell Community Garden, we've got a few plants coming up.
This is the center of a sunflower that's developing (viewed from top down). I planted these from seed.
The squash Dana transplanted from her garden looks a little dry and leggy here, but since I took this picture they have really spread out nicely. Some of the leaves are downright huge.
That's all for now!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Housekeeping note
I'll be leaving on vacation to the Southwest here pretty soon. The trip will include hikes in national forests and visits to Albuquerque, Phoenix and Scottsdale. We'll also be stopping at the Grand Canyon.
So I won't be around for about a week and a half to work in the garden, or manage the blog. But hopefully I'll come back with some cool pictures to share. The wildlife and plants of the desert have always been such a fascination for me. I remember making marker drawings as a kid of the painted desert, with big saguaros and Road Runner and Coyote-style canyons.
'Til then, happy trails and happy digging. And don't forget to water.
Update:
OK, so I did one more thing. I pushed some seeds into the ground just now: habanero peppers, green onions and carrots. Carrots are supposed to do well in sandy soil, peppers grow almost anywhere, and the onions are kind of an experiment. Anyway, I have them marked, so if something pops up there while I'm gone, don't pull it. It's not a weed.
Dana tells me she planted some watermelon seeds as well, which are marked with plastic straws. They're along the south side of the garden. Those ought to be good sellers if we can coax them into growing us some melons. Oh, and cucumbers too, which I think she planted close to the squash.
The good news is there's still plenty of space, so if anyone has any herbs, veggies or fruit they'd like to grow, give it a shot.
So I won't be around for about a week and a half to work in the garden, or manage the blog. But hopefully I'll come back with some cool pictures to share. The wildlife and plants of the desert have always been such a fascination for me. I remember making marker drawings as a kid of the painted desert, with big saguaros and Road Runner and Coyote-style canyons.
'Til then, happy trails and happy digging. And don't forget to water.
Update:
OK, so I did one more thing. I pushed some seeds into the ground just now: habanero peppers, green onions and carrots. Carrots are supposed to do well in sandy soil, peppers grow almost anywhere, and the onions are kind of an experiment. Anyway, I have them marked, so if something pops up there while I'm gone, don't pull it. It's not a weed.
Dana tells me she planted some watermelon seeds as well, which are marked with plastic straws. They're along the south side of the garden. Those ought to be good sellers if we can coax them into growing us some melons. Oh, and cucumbers too, which I think she planted close to the squash.
The good news is there's still plenty of space, so if anyone has any herbs, veggies or fruit they'd like to grow, give it a shot.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
10 Gardening Tools for Beginners
After a while doing gardening, you can accrue a shed full of garden tools — some of questionable utility. You might buy things and later find you don't use them. Or you run out of money to spend on gardening and really wish you'd gotten something that would be just right for a job you have to do.
I wanted to write out in this post a shopping list for the beginner gardener. Just a few essential things you'll need to turn soil, dig holes, spread amendments and destroy weeds. I favor hand tools myself just because they're cheap, low maintenance and you get a little exercise using them, so you probably won't see many machine-powered tools here. In any event, I'm not sure what I'm going to include just yet, so lemme get writing...
1. Leather work gloves: Your most important tools in gardening are your hands — so take care of them first. Get yourself a good, tough pair of leather work gloves that are thick enough to handle the occasional thorn and protect your hands from getting all bunged up. Of course, mine usually do anyway. I'm kinda clumsy like that.
2. Steel garden rake: Get one of these. Preferably with a nice long handle. The steel garden rake is useful for cleaning debris and dead leaves out of your flower beds in the fall, but they're sturdy enough to dig weeds out with as well. I also use them to break up tough soil, smooth out uneven ground, spread amendments and mulch over beds, and till fertilizers into the soil.
3. Mattock: One of my personal favorite hand tools, I've found the mattock to be indispensable when it comes to dealing with the thick clay soil that most of us find here in Oklahoma when we start digging. You can use these to break up clods of earth, plow rows into your soil, chop up and pry loose tree stumps, and deal with some of the tougher problems you come across in gardening — the ones that require a little muscle. Most mattocks have an extended, hoe-like scoop on one end, and either a pick or an axe-like blade on the other end.
4. Hand cultivator: There's no getting around it. When you have to weed, you've got to be up close and personal. So get down in the dirt and pound those jerks with a hand cultivator. Look for a two-sided one that has a hoe-like edge and a two- or three-pronged cultivator side. Hack away at mature weeds, or else drag the tines through moistened soil to disturb young weeds and weed seeds. It might be more comfortable to get a long-handled one, but the nose-in-the-dirt method is more effective in my experience, which is why I don't even own a hoe.
5. Sharpshooter shovel: This is the type of shovel that's most useful to the gardener. They're the kind that are skinnier than they are wide, and have a sharpish edge at the end to cut through soil. Get one with little turned-out rims so you can use your shoe or boot to apply a little extra force when needed. Real wood handles are best for all the abuse you're going to put it through. Remember that wood can spring back, but once metal bends, it's never the same.
6. The Garden Claw: I think these are made by the same people who designed the Garden Weasel, which anyone who stays up for late night TV will remember from their infomercials. This tool is pretty versatile. They can break through difficult soil, mix in amendments, stir up compost, aerate lawns, destroy weeds and break up clods of dirt. It's pretty much only limited by how strong you are, but another advantage is you don't have to bend over as much as with some other tools. As you twist it, you don't have to bend at the waist provided it's adjusted to your height.
7. Yard fork: If you make compost, there's not really a better way I've
found to keep it sorted and turned than the four flattened tines of a
short-handled yard fork. You can also use this tool to aerate your yard
or spread mulch around.
8. Pruners: A pair of sharp pruners is needed whenever you have to harvest some herbs or deadhead some flowers. Hedge clippers are for keeping your bushes well-groomed, and loppers are for handling branches, saplings and other tough, woody stems that your garden can do without. Those three things are all the cutting power you need, but I'd choose the pruners first just because they're versatile.
9. Soaker hose: Watering plants isn't just a matter of splashing as much water as possible on them. That can be disruptive to the plants when the water comes down with enough force to damage leaves and stems, or else splash mud onto the leaves — which can spread disease. The soaker hose waters more gently and deeply, by introducing water as a mist that sprays through hundreds of tiny holes. Plus since it's a hose, you can weave it through your garden however you like. I used to keep one coiled on top of my compost heap to keep it damp. Also, this is probably the most water-efficient way to keep your plants healthy, as less water is wasted and it all goes to the plants.
10. Hand-held spreader: These are little plastic buckets, usually square, with a hand-crank on the side. Most of them have adjusters on the handle that allow to you decide how much of something to apply to your soil. These spreaders are good for applying granular fertilizers to your lawn or garden, or reseeding or overseeding your lawn. And they're less cumbersome than the kind you have to push or pull.
I wanted to write out in this post a shopping list for the beginner gardener. Just a few essential things you'll need to turn soil, dig holes, spread amendments and destroy weeds. I favor hand tools myself just because they're cheap, low maintenance and you get a little exercise using them, so you probably won't see many machine-powered tools here. In any event, I'm not sure what I'm going to include just yet, so lemme get writing...
1. Leather work gloves: Your most important tools in gardening are your hands — so take care of them first. Get yourself a good, tough pair of leather work gloves that are thick enough to handle the occasional thorn and protect your hands from getting all bunged up. Of course, mine usually do anyway. I'm kinda clumsy like that.
2. Steel garden rake: Get one of these. Preferably with a nice long handle. The steel garden rake is useful for cleaning debris and dead leaves out of your flower beds in the fall, but they're sturdy enough to dig weeds out with as well. I also use them to break up tough soil, smooth out uneven ground, spread amendments and mulch over beds, and till fertilizers into the soil.
3. Mattock: One of my personal favorite hand tools, I've found the mattock to be indispensable when it comes to dealing with the thick clay soil that most of us find here in Oklahoma when we start digging. You can use these to break up clods of earth, plow rows into your soil, chop up and pry loose tree stumps, and deal with some of the tougher problems you come across in gardening — the ones that require a little muscle. Most mattocks have an extended, hoe-like scoop on one end, and either a pick or an axe-like blade on the other end.
4. Hand cultivator: There's no getting around it. When you have to weed, you've got to be up close and personal. So get down in the dirt and pound those jerks with a hand cultivator. Look for a two-sided one that has a hoe-like edge and a two- or three-pronged cultivator side. Hack away at mature weeds, or else drag the tines through moistened soil to disturb young weeds and weed seeds. It might be more comfortable to get a long-handled one, but the nose-in-the-dirt method is more effective in my experience, which is why I don't even own a hoe.
5. Sharpshooter shovel: This is the type of shovel that's most useful to the gardener. They're the kind that are skinnier than they are wide, and have a sharpish edge at the end to cut through soil. Get one with little turned-out rims so you can use your shoe or boot to apply a little extra force when needed. Real wood handles are best for all the abuse you're going to put it through. Remember that wood can spring back, but once metal bends, it's never the same.
6. The Garden Claw: I think these are made by the same people who designed the Garden Weasel, which anyone who stays up for late night TV will remember from their infomercials. This tool is pretty versatile. They can break through difficult soil, mix in amendments, stir up compost, aerate lawns, destroy weeds and break up clods of dirt. It's pretty much only limited by how strong you are, but another advantage is you don't have to bend over as much as with some other tools. As you twist it, you don't have to bend at the waist provided it's adjusted to your height.
8. Pruners: A pair of sharp pruners is needed whenever you have to harvest some herbs or deadhead some flowers. Hedge clippers are for keeping your bushes well-groomed, and loppers are for handling branches, saplings and other tough, woody stems that your garden can do without. Those three things are all the cutting power you need, but I'd choose the pruners first just because they're versatile.
9. Soaker hose: Watering plants isn't just a matter of splashing as much water as possible on them. That can be disruptive to the plants when the water comes down with enough force to damage leaves and stems, or else splash mud onto the leaves — which can spread disease. The soaker hose waters more gently and deeply, by introducing water as a mist that sprays through hundreds of tiny holes. Plus since it's a hose, you can weave it through your garden however you like. I used to keep one coiled on top of my compost heap to keep it damp. Also, this is probably the most water-efficient way to keep your plants healthy, as less water is wasted and it all goes to the plants.
10. Hand-held spreader: These are little plastic buckets, usually square, with a hand-crank on the side. Most of them have adjusters on the handle that allow to you decide how much of something to apply to your soil. These spreaders are good for applying granular fertilizers to your lawn or garden, or reseeding or overseeding your lawn. And they're less cumbersome than the kind you have to push or pull.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Plotting the Plot
The PennWell Community Garden is a group project, and everyone's input is needed to help make it a success. But with any garden, you have to have a good idea where you're headed. You must know what you want to do in this season, and what you'd like to accomplish in future seasons.
So by way of getting that conversation started, I want to use this blog post to spell out a little on how I'd like to see this garden grow in the weeks, months and years ahead. What started as just a seed of an idea, as Traci Huntsman put it, can continue to grow and expand proportionate to the amount of muscle and thought we're willing to put into it.
Here's a few ideas I have for the garden's near and far-out future. Please don't take them to be the end-all, be-all. I want to hear other ideas. I'm just one member of the group.
Short Term Plans (next few weeks)
So by way of getting that conversation started, I want to use this blog post to spell out a little on how I'd like to see this garden grow in the weeks, months and years ahead. What started as just a seed of an idea, as Traci Huntsman put it, can continue to grow and expand proportionate to the amount of muscle and thought we're willing to put into it.
Here's a few ideas I have for the garden's near and far-out future. Please don't take them to be the end-all, be-all. I want to hear other ideas. I'm just one member of the group.
Short Term Plans (next few weeks)
- Finish clearing out the remainder of the bed space, and take some measures to prevent weed encroachment (namely, mulch of some variety)
- Finish planting so as to use up all available space. We're doing a good job with spacing requirements thus far, but it would be a shame not to use all of the land we have open to us. We should talk at some point about how we can obtain more plants, either from seed or transplant. A little bit of collaboration will help us plan this out.
- Top-dress the plants with soil amendments (and the area in between, if enough amendments can be obtained) to introduce more organic materials into the soil.
- Water judiciously throughout. This summer is showing some hints that it might be hot and dry. Maybe even record breaking, although I hope not. We will have to be careful and take steps to protect our investments.
- Begin our composting operation. Based on the plans I talked about earlier, we can build ourselves a functional compost bin with a little bit of lumber and a saw only. Afterward, we can rely on garden waste and compostables that we come up with ourselves (either from home, or from around the office) to create good soil.
- Organize our Mini Farmer's Market. The idea was floated in our first and only meeting to make our produce available to people around the office. We shouldn't wait until we're picking tomatoes and peppers to figure out how we're going to do this because, well, produce tends to either spoil or get eaten. Things we need to discuss are how we're going to advertise that we're doing this, what we will charge as far as pricing goes, how to make sure we offer quality products, what materials we might need, etc. I think the idea has promise if we just develop it a little.
- Also, hell, we need to give it a name. We have "branding" experts here I'm sure, so what do we call out market? My suggestion? The Cubicle Farmer's Market. Because that's what I feel like now. A cubicle farmer.
- Keep the garden well-maintained in between growing seasons. The last thing we want to do is let things become as overgrown as they were at the start of this season. It was a battle restoring it to usable condition, believe me! There are a few options here, like covers and mulches. Maybe one of the nicer options would be to plant some kind of cover crop, like a rye grass or some other type of nitrogen-fixing plant. This technique is called "green manure." The plant prevents other weeds and grasses from moving in, and then when the time comes to get ready for the next season, you simply till the plants into the soil where they add nutrients and structure. That way, the garden will be in better shape than we left it rather than worse.
- Talk about fall gardening. I haven't done much autumn gardening myself, but I understand that the cooler seasons are best for many different types of crops. Turnips, radishes, beans, tomatoes, squashes, pumpkins and melons are a few examples. Selling pumpkins around Halloween might be a pretty cool way to raise a little money.
- Explore the option of expanding our cultivated space. This could take the form of container planting around the bed, building a new bed, or digging an in-ground plot in the area adjacent to the existing bed. With more space, we can further our growing efforts. We could create a dedicated herb garden, or perhaps a small butterfly garden to attract pollinators to the area.
- Another option would be to plant fruit trees, or a berry patch. This might require some kind of approval from the building management people, but I've always wanted to plant a tree and never have. The arbor would have a symbiosis with the garden, attracting pollinators to one another. Eventually, the shade from these trees could create a microclimate ideal for a shade garden, or maybe shelter for a bench or table or two — a nice place for people to get away from their desks. And in a few seasons, we'd be able to add fresh fruit (think peaches, pears, apricots, etc.) to our Mini Farmer's Market plan.
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