Today Post::coming soon

This is a reminder to myself to post the following: an update on my compost tumbler, update on my Botanical Interests seeds, and a list of FACS (with things like “what kind of camera do you use?”, “how do you format your blog?”).

Today Post::I've got compost!

When I was last here two years ago, I found the garden in much the same state as it is now - overrun with grass borage and nettles - and spent a month clearing it up then too. The weeds and the grass and the clippings from everything I cut back more than filled the Council’s garden waste wheelie bin, so I revived the compost heap at the bottom of the garden. The borage and other weeds went into the wheelie, and anything which didn’t have seeds or tap roots attached went into the compost heap - or the “dump” as we used to call it when we were kids.

Two years later and, despite it not having been looked after at all, I have the most gorgeous rich crumbly compost. There are still some woody bits that haven’t broken down properly, but they’re easy enough to sieve out and once that’s done it looks almost edible. Pity I can’t take some home with me - but I don’t think it would fit into RyanAir’s 15kg allowance-

I’m gradually digging it out and transferring it into bags at the moment. Gradually because I’m terrified of overdoing things and putting my back out - when you’re gardening on a balcony you don’t get much practice at digging. So I intersperse short bursts of heavy work with the more gentile aspects of gardening - deadheading the roses and spraying the black spot, you know the sort of thing - in the hope that I can con my muscles into staying the course.

Before I leave it will be dug into the garden, but there’s a way to go before I get to that stage. However, I need the compost heap empty again for the new stuff, which is already piling up. Hence the transfer into bags.

This year though, the composting is going to be done a bit more scientifically. Last time things were just chucked on the heap in desperation. This time I’m planning first - I shall be chopping and shredding, layering my greens and browns, sprinkling old compost on each layer to introduce the microorganisms, and watering in.

I can almost hear the borage licking its lips in anticipation …

Today Post::first tomatoes

My first tomatoes of the year are two pretty little Sungold cherries.

Today Post::today's harvest

Amazing how fast things are growing in the hot weather we FINALLY have this week. The garden is awesome. Overrun with squash vines. Fantastic cabbage heads. Corn is taller by the minute. I could sit and watch all day!

Today I harvested lettuce, dill, patty pan and zucchini squash, a giant Chiogga beet, a couple small onions, a green Thai hot pepper, and a handful of broccoli. Oh, and I almost forget, another cherry tomato.

Today Post::mom and dad's harvest

My dad sent me this photo of the vegetables they picked from their garden this week. Looks like they are eating well. Many of these are plants I grew from seed this spring. My parents’ garden always produces super broccoli. And they are ahead of me on the summer squash and cucumbers. I’m wondering if that is a garlic head in there? I’ll have to ask them.

Today Post::popcorn

My popcorn plants are almost as tall as me. They’re getting tassels now but no sign of ears yet.

Today Post::mid summer wildflowers

I’m adding some pretty photos to follow the warty toad and blighted potatoes. The fields near our community gardens are beautiful now with bright mid summer colors. Joe Pye Weed is always my favorite. Its just starting to bloom. Also lots of golden rod, purple loosestrife, milkweed, vetch and Queen Anne’s Lace.

wildflowers, weeds, invasives and natives

Today Post::my plot

Two views. The top one is the view from the west and the bottom one is the view from the east.

Today Post::Vivienne Westwood in my garden.

The fashion goddess that is Vivienne Westwood, or Viv as I like to call her, has recently unveiled her new Manifesto. Titled 'Do It Your Self' Viv suggests that fashion should be less about the recent move towards "throw away" philosophies, where people buy cheap items and throw them away after a short period of time, and more about recycling, quality and utilising key pieces. Within this campaign Viv also insists that recycling and sustainability should be included wherever possible. The quality or key item should remain within the collection and reused within different settings throughout different times and fashions. Alongside this, and something that is to be expected of the high Dame, is the need for individuality and reflection of self. The new Spring/Summer '09 manifesto can be found here: http://www.viviennewestwood.com/flash.ph! p

"What has this got to do with gardening?" I hear you ask. Well, quite a lot actually. The key messages that Viv puts forward can be interpreted and applied directly to gardening. Other issues such as recycling, sustainability, quality, staying power and versatility, which are all included in her latest manifesto, all impact on garden design and planting. These are topical issues within society and horticulture and as such, these should bear heavily on our choices and decisions.

What can we do in the garden that incorporates Viv's philosophy?

Firstly, we look at the use of key pieces and quality items. This can relate to good quality specimen plants; be it large or small, herbaceous or woody, or hard landscaping be it a patio, sculpture, etc. A key piece would need staying power in that it is there for all seasons; hence it's recurrent nature and versatility when used in new schemes or changing garden fashions. A good example of a key piece would be a large evergreen shrub/tree which would add structure and permanence in the garden or a focal point such as a piece of garden art.

Secondly, as a garden comprises more than one element, it will need additional planting or landscaping. This is where recycling can come in very handy. When applying this to planting, propagation is one of the easiest and cost effective ways of increasing stock, and lets face it its an incredibly sustainable way of maintaining a plant filled garden. Utilising opportunities to acquire free plants and landscaping materials, such as plant swaps, Freecycle, or friends and family, will also enable you to put more resources towards key pieces.

Finally, the most important component of the garden should be you. A garden should reflect your personality, style, and tastes. Afterall, if we all followed fashion and the media as directed wouldn't it all get a bit boring?

I say we take influence from the Queen of fashion and for that matter any influences that promote individuality, sustainability and longevity. We have so many influences and yet so few that aren't solely focussed on commercialism.

What are your views on this interpretation? And what influences you in the garden?

Today Post::Late blight notice

Here’s a sign I’ll post at our community gardens tomorrow as I remove my contaminated compost pile. Let me know if you have any revisions to suggest!

And, I’m still looking for a vegetable disease expert for a presentation at our community garden. If anyone knows anyone to suggest, please let me know. I think we could use a topic for a gardeners gathering. A use for our newly cleared entrance area. Coffee and donuts, stewed zucchini and fresh lettuce leaves. Ahhh. What fun.

Today Post::garden toad

I think this is why the slug damage isn’t so bad in my garden any more. Toads eat lots of bugs, slugs and snails. This big guy has been hanging out under my squash vines.

Today Post::Skywatch Friday : UFO

On Tuesday I flew back to London. It was a sunny but windy day, and for the first part of the journey the clouds were stupendous …

Banks of cloud in weird shapes, fluffy cumulus, and down below the mountains and the fields of Switzerland and the southern part of France.

As we got into the northern part of France though, the cloud changed to a uniform grey mass. And that was when I saw it …

A little black blob flying parallel with us, just too much obscured by the cloud to decide what it was.

But it was an object, definitely flying, and definitely unidentifiable - by me anyway.

So I guess I can contribute a UFO to this week’s Skywatch Friday - at least in the most literal sense of the term. But who knows - my last post was about intergalactic plant exchanges. Perhaps it wasn’t quite as much a figment of my imagination as I thought ….

I don’t know if anyone else from Skywatch is posting UFOs this week, but there are some great photos up. Don’t miss the sunset photographed as it developed by Arija in Australia.

Today Post::blighted potatoes

I thought the potatoes I dug were fine, even though the plants were heavily hit with late blight. But after three weeks of storage, I have realized they’re not fine. The fingerlings and Russets that were hardest hit and that I cut down and dug first are turning brown and rotting in their bags.

[Late blight produces] characteristic coppery-brown discoloration of the potato flesh under the skin…. Infection of potato tubers arises from spores that develop on foliage. Tubers exposed by soil cracking or erosion of hills may come in contact with spores washed down from infected leaves and stems by rainfall or irrigation. Tubers infected during the growing season may partially decay before harvest. Tuber infection may also occur at harvest when tubers contact living spores remaining on infected vines. Little if any tuber-to-tuber spread of late blight occurs during storage if tubers are kept under cool, well-ventilated conditions. Ohio State Univ Extension Fact Sheet on Late Blight

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And here’s a very helpful comment Soilman left me a few days ago:

Hiya,
Blight is a pain, isn’t it?
I’ve given up with tomatoes. I just can’t bear seeing them struck down with blight every year. Potato blight, though, can be managed. I get it every year (it’s a routine hazard in the UK climate), but I’ve never had a crop failure. The key is to remove all the haulms when the blight starts to really get hold.
You then wait at least 10 days before you dig the potatoes; without the haulm, the blight spores get fried in the sun. Choose a warm, dry day to harvest the potatoes. If they’re thoroughly dried before storage, you should be OK. It’s always worked for me. One crucial point: NEVER put potato haulms on the compost heap. Burn them.

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And here’s a what the CSA farmer at Piccadilly Farm in southern New Hampshire wrote about late blight yesterday:

A note on the Late Blight front: farmers in all parts of New England are reporting serious losses in potatoes and tomatoes. The spread seems to be snowballing, and any prolonged cool, wet weather exacerbates the problem. We scout daily and have seen no sign of Late Blight here. The tomatoes look great and are beginning to size up. Every passing week means more spuds sizing up and less loss on that crop if we do get the blight here. I know I’ll be counting down the weeks until the relief of that last potato harvest in October (12 weeks…)! Coupling this stress for vegetable growers with the devastating financial crisis that dairy producers are facing, many regional farmers are having a tough go of it.

These rotting potatoes were dug right after I cut down the foliage, so I guess that was the error. I have lots of potatoes still in the ground now though I have cut down all of the foliage. Guess I’ll just be patient for a few weeks before harvesting more.

And, someday I need to figure out how to dispose of my compost pile. Its full of blighted tomato and potato foliage. I don’t think anything around here is dry enough to burn. Maybe a big deep hole? I don’t know … Can I just dump it in the woods?

Today Post::community garden bill in congress

A bill to fund Community Gardens has been proposed in Congress. Here are a couple of letters that were forwarded to me.

Dear Gardener,
Please lend your support and encourage your congressional representatives (House and Senate) to support both of the bills referenced below. With over 150 active, vibrant community garden sites in Boston’s city limits (and over 200 in the metro area), please cite the important role community gardens play (providing fresh economical nutritious food, building community, recreation, green space, and more) for our
citizens!
Jo Ann Whitehead, Garden Educator, Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN)

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Hi folks - GREAT news!

Congress just introduced 2 Community Garden related measures. One is a bill (HR 3225 - The Community Gardens Act), which creates a grant program to fund community gardens. Another is a resolution (the text is here) praising community gardens. If you want to voice your support for these, shoot your representative an email and either thank them if they are already a co-sponsor (list below) or ask them to co-sponsor HR 3225.

Sponsor: Jay Inslee (D-WA) Cosponsors: Del. Madeleine Bordallo [D-GU], Del. Donna Christensen [D-VI], Del. Eleanor Norton [D-DC], Rep. Earl Blumenauer [D-OR3], Rep. André Carson [D-IN7], Rep. Emanuel Cleaver [D-MO5], Rep. John Conyers [D-MI14], Rep. Donna Edwards [D-MD4], Rep. Eliot Engel [D-NY17], Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ7], Rep. Marcy Kaptur [D-OH9], Rep. Barbara Lee [D-CA9], Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D-NY14], Rep. Doris Matsui [D-CA5], Rep. James McGovern [D-MA3], Rep. Dennis Moore [D-KS3]; Rep. James Moran [D-VA8], Rep. Lynn Woolsey [D-CA6]

Folks can read the bill (HR 3225) on the Library of Congress website

If people are interested in supporting the bill they can write their representative in the House and ask them to co-sponsor the bill. You can find your local representative here.

They can also write their senators and ask them to sponsor a companion bill in the Senate. John Kerry’s email, Edward Kennedy’s email.

Here’s a great site at Boston Natural Areas Network with Community Garden information!

Today Post::Skippy in the garden

I forgot my regular camera lens today and was looking for a subject for my macro/portrait lens. Skippy! He got a bit annoyed with me, but he’s awfully cute….

Today Post::today's harvest

The vegetables are coming in very fast now. Fava beans, summer squash, potatoes, radish, lettuce and garlic today. I dug about 30 heads of garlic which I will dry a few days and then braid and store in the basement.