Kaati's Garden Diary

Built a trellis for cordoning tomatoes and cucumbers in RB1 (raised bed one.) Transplanted two tomatoes. It became too cold and rainy to continue. Will transplant the rest of the tomatoes and peppers over the next couple of days. Zucchini is coming up in the big container. Longfellow and Little Potato cukes are coming up in RB1. The rabbits dug a very deep hole in RB2 and have eaten almost all of the lettuce plants in both beds. I ordered a trap from ACE Hardware. Hopefully I will get it in a couple of days so I can start the removal process. Planting pumpkin, mustard and cowpeas today and tomorrow.

They've never given zucchinis to their friends, neighbors, coworkers, and casual acquaintances and don't understand why you would. They didn't watch The Victory Garden with Roger Swain on PBS as a kid. They don't know the joys of getting a seed catalogue in the mail and dreaming about next year's garden while sitting by a winter fire. They don't experience failure in their endeavors in quite the same way as a gardener does and therefore have never truly experienced failure. They don't get excited when they see earthworms...or bees. They think bunnies and squirrels are cute. They don't understand the callous heart you must develop to be able to thin seedlings you've raised from seed. (It's serial killing and you must become a serial killer.) They worry more about food security because they don't realize there's enough zucchini for us all. They think seed-saving is something that happens at a fertility bank. They think worm castings have t

Left four of the lettuce baskets on the patio step and they burned and wilted in the sun. Moved them to a shadier protected area. I think only one is irretrievable. Transplanted 8 of the jalapenos into various containers. Trying out fabric pots this year. Wind might make this a tough start for the baby peppers so I kept back 8 to plant on a friendlier day. Planted all but a couple of them with worm castings in the hole to see if it makes a difference. Scratched in some worm castings around some of the beets and lettuces.  Caught a bunny in the rb1 (raised bed one) this morning. I really hate those adorable bunnies. giving fabric pots a try

Transplanted tomato plants up into 4-6" pots. Transplanted lacinato kale into rb2. Transplanted the rest of the lettuce into yellow baskets. Received 40 lbs of worm castings to begin spreading tomorrow.

Planted lima beans and french green beans in rb2 after soaking seeds for three days. Worried that I soaked them too long, but didn't feel like planting yesterday. Transplanted baby leeks into rb1 Transplanted a bunch of lettuce plugs into the Easter baskets I found when we cleaned out the garage yesterday. Planted cucumber seed on the soon to be cordoned area (Longfellow, Little Potato, and Holland White.) Harvested radishes, baby spinach and chives for use in a lunchtime quinoa salad. Planted sunflowers along the edge of the corn patch. Added levels to my patio flower pots using the cinder blocks I found when we cleaned out the garage.

some heirloom veggies grown in my garden (2018) Because they taste better! Most hybrid seeds and transplants that one can easily find at the garden center are productive (yes,) healthy (yes,) and easier to grow (yes.) But, they don't taste half as good as most heirloom varieties. There is a simple reason. They are not bred for taste. They are bred for production and pest resistance.  Both of those are important, but not as much so for a small scale gardener like myself. Heirloom varieties were often passed down generation to generation. Many recent heirloom varieties were bred by garden heroes (like Carol Deppe - Read her book " Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties " for a thorough course on selecting for taste, consistency, size, and more.) who selected specifically for taste. Since I don't run a big agrobusiness where I need to be concerned about profit per acre, I don't really need to be concerned about plant production in the same way. When I grow my garden, I&

Soaking Lima Bean & French Green bean seeds (day 2) transplanted more lettuce plugs from the lettuce bowl into main raised beds first large Italian Flat leaf parsley sprout peeked its little neck out of the soil in a container rabbits are building a den under the bay window. pinwheels seems to be keeping them out of the raised beds...for now. Wish that I had researched more about mushroom compost before adding it to the soil in the tomato bed. Could have some chemical residue from mushroom production, hopefully not. Adding sheep and peat to the tomato and bean beds today to get them prepped for planting. Things that are ready to harvest today: radishes over-wintered Swiss Chard