Building the Fourth Wall (Part 2)

Now that the trees for the espaliered are on their way, we needed to get the trellis system installed. I purchased modular stakes that attach to the trellises that are then sunk into the ground and attached. Easier said than done…While beautiful, the trellis system makers did not think out their design very well. The weight of the trellis overwhelmed the stake bottoms while simply sunk into the soil and the trellis toppled on the first and second attempt to install them. This was a frustrating situation!

Luckily, my friend Don came up with the thought of concreting in the bases to ensure that the bases would stay firm! To do this we had to draw a straight and level string line after we measured the span of the three trellises. Once done, we dug small holes where the trellis stakes would go into the ground. Using quick setting cement, we filled in around the stakes with the dry concrete mix and added water according to package directions. Now we simply had to wait for the concrete to set and our schedules to align to install the trellis system!

Happy Gardening!

Building the Fourth Wall (Part One)

No, I am not talking about an acting technique (drama is so tired), I am talking about building a fourth wall to the vegetable garden!

I am attempting to do a similar technique to create a “fourth wall” around my jardin potager. Classically, the French kitchen garden (jardin potager) is an enclosed space. In my garden the fence on two sides and the garage on one side provide three of the four walls. For the fourth wall, I wanted something that would be productive and alive and blend well with the yard.

I researched several options and finally chose to create the fourth wall with trellises and espaliered fruit trees. Some of you may recall the post recently about ordering fruit trees. Well those trees will be arriving in a couple of weeks so I needed to get the trellising built.

Creating an espaliered tree wall takes several steps. For those who don’t know, Espalier is the horticultural technique of training trees through pruning and grafting in order to create formal "two-dimensional" or single plane patterns by the branches of the tree. The technique was popular in the Middle Ages in Europe to produce fruit inside the walls of a typical castle courtyard without interfering with the open space, and to decorate solid walls by such trees planted near them.

We debated on material (cedar, pressure treated lumber, iron, metal) for a while as well as design. Then on a recent shopping trip to the soon to be closed Smith and Hawkin in our area, I came across modular trellises. The design was beatiful, simple and a touch modern. I like the juxtaposition of styles it would create. Once purchased, the task was to build them! More on that in the next few posts!

Happy Gardening!

Fall = Fertilize

I know it sounds like the wrong time to fertilize your garden, with everything going into senescence…and for those who already think I am wacky, this will enhance that perception. However, there is method to the madness! Let me explain.

Sometime cooler weather will make plants seem dead or dormant when they are not, their roots are only growing. That is a good time to fertilize with a high phosphorus fertilizer to help ensure that your plants will have a strong root system next spring.

When there is an early frost in the fall this helps plants to produce higher levels of amino acids which will help them to resist freezing and making them hardier when the winter temperatures drop. As you start your fall fertilization remember that different plants have different needs such as perennials, your spring bulbs and your roses.

Perennial love a high phosphate fertilizer with low nitrogen content and fertilizing with this type will give you a lovely array of blossoms at blooming time. In September or October plant your spring bulbs such as tulips and daffodils and feed them with a phosphorus fertilizer at the root level to help get them established before the winter sets in.

As I plant I like to add a little compost as food being sure to plant with the tips up and in a manner that the hole is at least 4 times the height of the bulb. Now is not a good time to fertilize roses, they should be fertilized and cut back after they have gone dormant for the winter.

For the vegetable garden the same holds true. Adding compost to the garden the season before growing is essential. Micronutrients from the compost take time to break down and become available for root absorption (approximately 8-12 weeks). Since most people plant in April and May, that leaves February and March as the latest time you can fertilize so nutrients are available in the soil at the time of planting. Successful gardeners know that waiting longer is preferable and fertilizing in the fall give ample time for the soil to rest and regenerate with its augmentations! Get out and fertilize today!

Happy Gardening!

Herbal Vinegar and Oils

This is certainly not a new idea or project; however, it is a perrenial favorite on my gift lists. My family and friends love getting herbal or flavored olive oil and vinegars each year. Looking around in the gourmet stores, I know they are also a valuable gift. Purchasing these products can set you back at least $10 per bottle. If you have a large gift lists, this can become really expensive.

Growing your own herbs gives you the raw materials to make these delicious gifts. You can use your fresh herbs all season long, transplant your favorites to overwinter in a sunny window and dry them to use them all winter long. In addition, you can snatch a few sprigs to tuck into bottles and fill with quality olive oils and white wine vinegar purchased in bulk.

Start with extremely clean bottles, run them through the dishwasher to get them sparkling. Use a skewer or chop stick to tuck the fresh herbs into the bottles artfully. Use a funnel to fill the bottles with the vinegar and oil to above the shoulders of the bottles and cap with either the spout or a cork.

To finish the bottles off, wrap the spouts with a small amount of plastic wrap to prevent leakage or use a cork and affix the spout to the bottle. Melt sealing wax in a double boiler. Dip the tops of the bottles in the wax and turn in your hand to evenly distribute the wax. Allow each bottle to cool slightly before re-dipping. To ensure an attractive and effective seal, you will need to dip the bottles about 10 times or more. Pair with a beautiful ribbon or raffia tie and a decorative and descriptive tag and you have a marvelous host present or a great addition to an elegant holiday gift basket!

Happy Gardening!

Garlic, Garlic and More Garlic

I planted garlic yesterday morning. It was a cool fall morning just after a night of rain. The soil was damp and beginning to cool, and according to the farmers almanac, it was a good day to plant.

Soil Preparation: Garlic will grow under a wide variety of soil conditions. However, normally garlic prefers free draining loam with lots of organic matter. So my favorite soil mix with 30 soil/30 peat/ 30/ sand 10/ compost will work really well with garlic bulbs.

Under most conditions, garlic does best when planted in the fall. The timing of fall planting should be such that the roots have a chance to develop and the tops do not break the surface before winter. Planting in the spring in our part of the country will produce mixed results.
Hardneck garlics need to go through a cold period to trigger sprouting. If your soil temperatures stay warm, store the garlic in a cool, dry place, 45 - 50°F, for about three weeks before planting.

Shortly before planting break the bulbs apart into cloves. This is called ‘cracking’. The cloves are attached to the basal plate, the plate that the roots grow from. When you crack the bulb each clove should break away cleanly, leaving an intact ‘footprint’ on the basal plate.

Set aside the very small cloves to eat soon, to make into pickles, to dry, or to plant tightly together for eating in the spring, like green onions. Each larger clove will produce a good sized bulb by the end of the growing season. The smallest cloves require just as much space, care and attention in the garden and produce significantly smaller bulbs.

If you separate the garlic cloves as close to planting time as possible, preferably within 24 hours, the root nodules won’t dry out and the garlic will be able to set roots quickly.

Planting Garlic
I plant garlic in a square foot garden, to grow properly in this setting, the cloves should be planted 4 or 5 per square foot.

It is important to plant hard neck garlic with the top (pointed end) of the clove up, at least two inches below the surface. Planting garlic is like planting shallots or other bulbs, the garlic should be planted twice as deep as the size of the clove.

When you have planted the garlic you can cover it with a layer of mulch if you wish. Mulching conserves moisture, moderates soil temperatures and inhibits weeds.

Watering Garlic
Garlic requires fairly even soil moisture during its early growth and then no additional moisture during the last few weeks. Mulch is one way of maintaining an even moisture regime. Not enough moisture means that garlic does not develop a full sized bulb. Over watering results in garlic with poor keeping qualities - poor wrappers, burst skins and mold.

Harvesting Garlic
A few weeks before harvesting stop watering the garlic. Different growers have different rules of thumb regarding the best time to harvest:

· when the lower leaves are half to three-quarters brown
· when the plants are 40% brown, 60% green.

The dying back of the leaves is only an approximate indicator. Inspect a few bulbs in the ground by carefully scraping away the dirt. Pull the garlic from the ground when the bulb has reached a good size and before the wrappers begin to deteriorate or the bulbs begin to split open. If a bulb is not well-wrapped, and the skins on the cloves are not intact, the garlic will not keep well.

Learning exactly when to stop watering and when to harvest is a matter of judgment that comes with experience. But it is pretty easy to tell, so don't be discouraged...get out and get your hands dirty by planting garlic this weekend!

Happy Gardening!

Brussel Sprouts

Brussel sprouts, are hardy, slow-growing, long-season vegetables belonging to the cabbage family. In the proper season of the year, it can be grown in most areas of the country. In mild areas, or where there is deep snow cover, the sprouts may overwinter.

The "sprouts" (small heads that resemble miniature cabbages) are produced in the leaf axils, starting at the base of the stem and working upward. Sprouts improve in quality and grow best during cool or even lightly frosty weather. Brussels sprouts require a long growing period, though newer hybrids have greatly reduced this requirement. In all but the most northern states, summers are usually too warm for completely satisfactory production from spring plantings. Plants set out in late spring to early summer grow satisfactorily and mature high-quality sprouts when the fall weather begins to cool.

Now that the weather is really getting cool and we are getting frost advisories, it is time to harvest and use the delectible little sprouts. The small sprouts or buds form heads one to two inches in diameter. They may be picked (or cut) off the stem when they are firm and about one inch in size. The lower sprouts mature first. The lowermost leaves, if they have not been removed already, should be removed when the sprouts are harvested. Harvest sprouts before the leaves yellow.

The key to cooking Brussels sprouts is in not overcooking them. The leaves cook faster than the core, so cut an X in the bottom of the stem for even cooking when cooking the sprouts whole. As a rule, when Brussels sprouts have lost the bright green color, they are overcooked and have lost a considerable amount of nutritional value as well. My favorite method is to blanch the sprouts, then slice them in half and quick saute them in a little butter or olive oil with salt and pepper. This simple preparation brings out the best in the sprouts and eliminates any bitter flavor!

If you want to preserve the sprouts for later use, the best way to accomplish this is to freeze the sprouts once they are blanched…so remove them from the hot water and plunge them into iced water, then drain, dry and freeze flat on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a plastic storage container or freezer bag. Enjoy these delicious bundles of fall flavor with your harvest meals, Thanksgiving or even a Tuesday night with a good chicken!

Happy Gardening!

The Sunshine State

As a nice Jewish boy, I think I am naturally (by the deviation in my septum) to Florida. The warm climate, sunshine and fun all have their appeals but I am not much of a beach person and I would probably burst into flames without an umbrella, zinc oxide and SPF 9000. But, when my job required me to go to Florida for a conference I thought I should make it doubly useful. One, I would go to my conference, spend my evenings at the computer working on homework and other business, but I also thought I should do a little gardening research and report back on the blog.

One of the fascinating places here in the Orlando area is Epcot Center. The Land Pavilion at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center was opened in 1982 and prominently features a variety of hydroponic techniques for growing vegetables; I got a chance to tour the exhibit at the pavilion during some off time (evening) from the conference (Epcot is 2 miles from my hotel and the Living with the Land boat tour is only 14 minutes long!).

Hydroponics is a method of agriculture that doesn't use any soil. Plants are fed with nutrient solution that contains all of the minerals they need for growth. Hydroponic systems can be either media-based, with some sort of inert media supporting the roots, or water culture, which doesn't utilize any other growing media at all. Hydroponics is commonly used on Space Shuttle missions and on space stations to supply some fresh food. Since soil doesn't exist in space, researchers believe that hydroponics is the way to go in the future for long-term stays on space stations or on long orbiting missions and NASA is always experimenting with new setups.

Hydroponics holds a lot of promise for future generations as it represents a way to continue to have fresh vegetables even if we are not habituating this earth. It also holds a lot of promise for famine relief if the techniques are researched to the point of being cost effective for economically depressed societies.

It was a really interesting tour and I remain fascinated by all the new advancements in growing techniques. However, I still believe the quality of the produce grown in this manner can never equal that of something grown from properly maintained and cared for land. The flavor of something grown in a nutrient enhanced solution can never rival that of something grown in nutrient rich, compost enhanced soil.

Happy Gardening!