Weekend Chores

For the past few days we've been enjoying truly wonderful weather here in New England. It is indeed a nice change from the torrential rain and cold winds we experienced not too long ago. This past weekend, I was able to get out into the garden to do a bit of cleanup and digging. While the recent rains caused my garden to flood for a few days, it also helped to thaw out the soil. Even the beds that were left uncovered this winter were easy to turn over.


I went ahead and transplanted some of my cool weather greens (Shanghai bok choy, Mizuna and Tuscan Kale) underneath one of my mini hoop houses. Admittedly, I neglected to harden them off beforehand. Regardless of this, they seem to have adjusted to the protected environment just fine. Our nights are averaging near freezing, but the days are warming up dramatically. With the increasing sunlight, I have to be more diligent about venting my hoops as temperatures inside are now reaching into the low 80's at mid-day. In fact, my spinach is already showing signs of heat stress.

It felt really good to get my hand dirty. The soil blocks were incredibly easy to transplant and I'm happy to say that none of my seedlings were damaged in the process. Hopefully, I can start to harvest some Mizuna and bok choy at the end of this month.


In other news, the overwintered chives are starting to sprout again...


...and my hard-neck garlic is finally showing some signs of life.

The spring growing season has officially begun! I hope you all are as excited as I am!

Harvest Monday - I'm So Sick of Carrots

That's it! I promise! This is the last carrot harvest of the winter growing season. I'm as sick as you are to see them on Harvest Monday. Hopefully soon, I will have some nice Spring greens to blog about.

As I'd mentioned earlier, my garden mouse had dined on about half of my remaining Nantes carrots. Still, I was able to harvest 1.92 lbs of trimmed carrots. I was really surprised by how much they sized-up this winter. I wanted to make sure they were all pulled before the weather gets too warm and they start to send out roots again. Waiting until early March was definitely pushing it.

Here's to carrots - the ultimate winter vegetable. If you'd like to see what others are harvesting or show off your own, visit Harvest Mondays at Daphne's Dandelions.

How to Build a Salad Box or Table

I first came across the concept of salad boxes and tables while watching the PBS show, Cultivating Life. The idea behind them is pretty start forward - many salad crops have shallow root systems and therefore only require 3 to 4 inches of soil medium in order to grow. Building a salad box or table made out of 2 x 4's enables you to harvest fresh greens right at your doorstep or even on small balcony. As a result, they are ideal for urban areas and for gardeners with limited amounts of growing space. Since they are movable, salad boxes and tables also allow you to extend your growing season. Finally, I think they would look quite attractive in any kitchen garden.

Here are the materials I used to construct a large salad box:

6 - 2 x 4 x 30 inch pieces of pine
16 - 3 inch galvanized screws
1 - 30 x 36 inch piece of aluminum screen
1 - 30 x 36 inch piece of hardware cloth (with 1/2 inch mesh)
2 - galvanized door pull/handle
4 - 1 inch galvanized screws
staple gun and staples

(Note: Since I wanted to build two of these boxes, I purchased three 2" x 4" x 12' lumber and asked the sales attendant to cut them down to twelve 30" lengths.)


1. Start by constructing the frame. Screw together four of the 2 x 4's (using two 3-inch screws at each corner) to build frame measuring 30 x 34 inches.


2. Attach the aluminum screen to the frame using a staple gun. The side of the screen measuring 36 inches should be placed on top of the side of the frame measuring 34 inches, leaving about an inch of overhang on each side. Start by stapling the corners and then at the center of each side, lightly stretching the screen taut as you do so. Then place a staple every 4 inches or so along the frame.


3. Place the hardware cloth on top of the screen and repeat step 2. The hardware cloth adds stretch and rigidity to the bottom of the salad box.


4. Fold and staple the excess screen and hardware cloth onto the sides of the frame.


5. Place the two remaining 2 x 4's on top of the hardware cloth (positioning them about 8 inches from each side) and attach them using the remaining 3-inch screws. These will serve as the legs of the salad box and add greater stability to the frame.


6. Attach the handles to opposite sides of the box. I placed mine about 14 inches from one end and at a slight angle simply because this felt most comfortable for me. Imagine that you are carrying a rather large laundry basket with your arms stretched out and one side of the basket resting against your lower abdomen as you walk. Ideally, you want to attach the handles to where you imagine your hands would grasp the frame in this position.


And there you have it. Pretty simple, right? The box offers about 30 x 26 inches of growing space. I can probably manage moving this box (soil and all) by myself but some of you may want to build a box half this size. This year, I intend to grow all of my baby leaf salad greens in these boxes as well as some mini-heads of lettuce and certain varieties of Asian greens (like Bonsai pak choi, tatsoi and mizuna).

If you'd like more information on salad boxes and tables, including other building designs, what soil mix to use and what greens to grow, visit the following links:

Martha Stewart's Website

College of Agriculture & Natural Resources

University of Maryland

R. I. P.

Yesterday, I went out into the garden to harvest the rest of my winter carrots from under one of my quick hoops. Not surprisingly, about 40% of the carrots (Nantes) had been munched on by my nemesis (strike 1). Then I looked under my other quick hoop to find what used to be a spinach bed (strike 2). The only thing I have left right now is the spinach pictured above. So I did the only thing I could and placed a trap next to one of the spinach plants. I didn't have much hope as all of my traps have been left untouched...

...until now. Tonight, I came face to face with what used to be my mortal enemy - a really big white bellied mouse. To be honest, I felt a huge sense of relief mixed in with a bit of guilt. I guess the Havahart humane rodent trap I ordered from Amazon today will have to be used on the next intruder. I'm still amazed by how much damage was done in a relatively short period of time. I guess I can now transplant my early Spring greens without too much stress.

A Happy Day

It's done! Today, the great state of Massachusetts officially made us parents. Jonathan even got to sign a decree agreeing to adopt Marc and I as his parents. I hope he's ready for this kind of responsibility!

These past 11 months have been the most rewarding and challenging of my life. It's been quite a journey getting to this point. Here's to new beginnings!

This Week's Seed Starting Update

Mizuna and Shanghai Bok Choy - I'm really amazed by how quickly these greens have grown. They are definitely overcrowded at the moment. I will transplant them undercover this weekend, that is if the weather will cooperate. Since temperatures rarely get below 30 degrees inside my hoop house these days, I think these hardy greens will survive just fine. I have to remind myself to harden them off this week.


(From bottom) Sage, Chamomile and Lavender - The sage and chamomile are doing very well. I know I should thin them but I'm hoping that I will be able to split them as they get large enough to handle. The lavender has germinated VERY poorly. I think I will end up buying transplants later this spring.


(From left) Ground Cherry, thyme and oregano - All are doing well. Thyme is definitely one of my favorite herbs. I hope never to run out of it this summer and fall. Also, I think I've sown enough ground cherries to have my own booth at the farmer's market. If you've never tried this mildly tropical tasting fruit, you're certainly missing out!


Leeks and (more) Onions - I've decided that I will not be starting onions using soil blocks next year as I did this year. Instead, I will use flats. I think less than 50% of my onions germinated and soil blocks take up more precious shelf space. My leeks on the other hand are germinating very well. As these leeks and onions grow and become easier to handle, I will divide the clumps into individual cell trays.


Chilies, Peppers and Tomatoes - About a week ago, I started all of my chilies and peppers that I will be growing this year, as well as some early tomatoes. All of these warm weather plants have germinated very well on top of a heating mat except for the Poblano/Ancho chili (which are taking a bit longer) and eggplant (which seems lifeless at the moment). Some of these blocks have 2 to 3 seedlings. I can't decide whether to trim them down to 1 using scissors or try to divide them into separate cells. I just hate to waste certain seedlings...what do you think?

Finally, the Roselle is starting to get tinged with a bit of burgundy coloring. I don't know that much about this plant, but I have a feeling that it may end up being very striking.

Chrysanthemum Tea Plants

They're here! After 2 years of searching and an open plea to my readers, I finally have 4 of my very own chrysanthemum tea plants. They arrived last week from Companion Plants, a medicinal plant nursery located in Athens, Ohio. I don't know of any other commercial source for this plant in the United States.

Hopefully they will grow well for me this summer and bloom in the fall. The flowers are what is harvested, dried and then brewed into tea. Again, I have to thank Michelle of From Seed to Table fame for finding Companion Plants.

For me, part of the thrill in gardening is being able to grow interesting plants that are not widely cultivated in my area. I feel really lucky to have this one.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Notice anything askew in this picture? Either two of my mini hoop houses grew legs and jumped off their beds or mother nature is frowning upon me at the moment. For the past 48 hours, we've been battling torrential rain and tropical storm-force winds. Several large trees were uprooted in our neighborhood and much of our yard is still under water. My poor next-door neighbor whose house is downhill from ours got 4 inches of water inside his finished basement. Hopefully, the weather will let up soon despite what the weather man says.

My shorter 2 feet tall hoop houses seemed to ensure the high winds just fine. I wish I could say the same about my 3 feet tall hoops, which luckily are still in one piece. I'll have to install stronger hinges and a lock to prevent this from happening again. Pests, flood, flying hoop houses - I guess it's true that bad things come in 3's. Hopefully, this will be the end of it!

UPDATE (Fri. 11:00 PM): I just went into the garden to survey the damage. As some of you may know, all of my 3 x 6 feet raised beds are enclosed by 2 x 4 inch pine frames. Imagine my surprise to find that my 2 taller hoop houses were still attached to their frames. Yup, the wind had ripped the frames right out of the ground. I didn't even think that was possible!

Question of the Day - To Trim or Not to Trim

Presently, my Red of Florence scallions and Red Amposta onions are over 4 inches tall and are beginning to flop over a bit. Since I've never grown onions from seeds before, I thought I'd ask those of you who have whether or not you trim the onions seedlings at some point, and if so, how short? I can't seem to find a definitive answer to this question.

I have to say, I sowed a fair number of seeds, but it doesn't seem like I have that many seedlings to show for it. Some blocks failed to germinate altogether. I'm starting to second guess my soil mix or the fact that I may have pressed some of these blocks too firmly.

Spending Money and Strange Happenings

By now, most of you are aware of my rodent problem. I've placed spring traps and sticky traps underneath my hoops but no bites yet. (Note to self - sticky traps are not sticky at low temperatures.) Then I came home tonight to find my garden completely flooded. It's been raining nonstop for the past 12 hours and the frozen soil has contributed to some drainage problems. As I stepped into the garden tonight, my boot sank several inches into the mud. My raised beds are practically floating at the moment and we're expected to get a mix of snow and rain for the next five days. I'm not looking forward to the cleanup.

This past weekend, I started my leeks, peppers, chilies, mini-Napa cabbage and first sowing of tomatoes. Amazingly, the cabbage and tomatoes have already begun to germinate. I'm seriously running out of shelf space. At Home Depot, I picked up some grape vines (Concord seedless and Reliance), Victoria rhubarb crowns and white onion sets, which are all lying dormant in my garage right now. I also placed an order with Nourse Farms for some Jersey Supreme asparagus crowns, Jaclyn raspberry canes and an Invicta gooseberry bush to ship in late April. Finally, I ordered Seville orange and Indio mandarinquat trees from Four Winds Growers to ship in late March.

I'm starting to feel as though I've stacked too much onto my gardening plate this year. I still have to dig 2/3s of my garden plot and think about possible irrigation systems. Hopefully, I won't be pulling out my hair in the coming months.