garden notes :: may 2017

May 29, 2017 Megan Rodriguez

I can't believe there is so much going on in my garden at the end of May! The garlic is huge, the herbs are going strong, the seeds and seedlings are planted, and the peonies are blooming! I even picked my first radishes!

As I mentioned in my last garden post (which was my last post...life has been busy!), I'm taking a bit of a different approach to the garden this year -- I'm planting a wider variety of vegetables, which means I'm planting a smaller quantity of each. I'm hoping this leads to more food that can fill our table throughout the summer, more of a continuous harvest from the garden, rather than nothing in June/July and everything in August/September, and less waste from too much coming in at once. We'll see! The only thing I'm a bit concerned about not having enough of is green beans. I freeze a lot of green beans and we eat them all winter long. I'm not sure that planting fewer beans was the right decision, but hopefully the cucumbers and acorn squash that will grow in their place will make up for it, especially since I usually buy both at the farmers market on a regular basis. I'll keep you posted.

The creeping thyme that I've been slowly working to grow as a ground cover between the steps in the garden is stronger than ever in some spots this year and completely dead in others. Maybe someday I'll have a carpet of green down that path...maybe someday.

How about you?? What's happening in your garden these days?

garden notes :: april 2017

May 3, 2017 Megan Rodriguez

May has arrived and spring is here in full swing with tulips blooming, perennials returning, and trees leafing out. We've had lots of rain, which has been much needed, but a bit dreary. However, it looks like we're in for quite a few days of sun, which will wake up everything that hasn't already awakened from winter's sleep.

With all of that, I thought I'd take a few moments to share a few garden notes with you from the month of April...mostly because there are actually notes to share! We had very little snow in the Twin Cities this winter and a warmer than average March, which meant that the ground was actually workable 6 weeks before the average last frost! This meant that I was able to plant my first round of peas in the first week of April, and two weeks later, I planted another round of peas, lettuce, radishes, carrots, beets, broccoli, turnips, and arugula.

This is the first time I have had more than peas planted before May, partly because of weather, but mostly because of a lack of planning! There are actually quite a few things that can be planted before the last frost, but it means taking advantage of those few dry spring days to prep garden beds and get things in the ground. This year I actually had time to do that! (Toddlerhood is so much more conducive to gardening, if you ask me! And only working outside of the home part time...that helps too.)

I'm taking a little different approach to my garden this year, focusing on planting more variety in order to better fill our table throughout the summer, rather than trying to fill the cupboards. I'll leave the task of filling the cupboards up to my farmers' market hauls. A few new-to-me things I'm going to try this year are beets, turnips, acorn squash, Napa cabbage, and heads of lettuce. I'm also giving a few things another try after unsuccessful attempts such as cucumbers, zucchini, and broccoli.

I'm so excited for the garden this year, as I feel a new sense of motivation. Having a new baby last year and being in my first trimester of pregnancy the year before, meant that the garden didn't get as much attention as I'd hoped over the past two summers. But this year shall be different and I'm so excited! I'm excited for the new mouth at my table to feed our garden's bounty to and I'm excited for long days spent outside playing, planting, and cultivating. It's gonna be good. So good.

How about you? Have you planted anything yet?? What garden dreams do you have for the summer?

garden notes :: 6.18.16

June 18, 2016 Megan Rodriguez

I can't believe my garden has been planted for over a month now, but I have yet to share it with you! That baby of ours has been keeping me busy!! I am happy to report, however, that the garden is growing strong! We've had many rainy days followed by warm sunny days and my plants are thriving!

The garlic scapes are ready for picking! I have a penne dish planned for tonight with sautéed scapes and asparagus with either goat cheese or parmesan to top it off. Yum. The peppers are also doing well. I planted them a little closer together this year to make space for other things, and I think it's going to work out. I'm excited about a new jalapeño that I'm trying called Biker Billy. It's supposed to be spicier than a regular jalapeño, which my husband will appreciate. I'm also trying a new basil this year called Amethyst. It's supposed to have thick purple leaves, but right now they are still pretty thin. I'm excited to see how it does.

Tucked behind the peonies in the picture above and next to the spreading mint is my new Redlake Currant bush. The plan is to espalier train it up the side of the house in order to hide the ugly cords and piping. And of course, to eventually have a nice harvest of red currants each summer!

I'm also very pleased with the progress my creeping thyme ground cover has made over the past year! It's starting to really fill out the space between the stepping stones! Since I decided not to use raised beds in my garden, it's been very important to me to create a living boarder for the soil in order to help reduce soil runoff. I think by the end of next summer it's going to be performing it's job quite nicely.

The tomatoes are growing like weeds this summer! I arranged them a bit differently in the garden this year in order to give them all more equal access to midday sun, which makes me hopeful for a bountiful crop! My pole beans got a new trellis this year! Dan built this wonderful little frame for them to climb up. In the past I've grown them at an angle up to the neighbor's fence, but this new frame will keep them more in the direct sun and will make it easier to pick them from both sides. I'm rather excited about it.

I've been dealing with a few pests this year. Potato bugs have been helping themselves to my tomatillo's leaves and the four lined plant bug is attempting to make itself at home in my herbs. I've been handpicking the potato bugs and killing the larvae every day or two and I'm planning to just keep a close eye on my herbs and act only if I need to. Pests. Boo.

And last, but not least, the peas!! I've never grown peas...why?? I'm not sure! This year, however, I decided to try them in this somewhat shady spot along the fence. I've tried several other things there and have not had success with them. So this year, I decided to try some peas since they can tolerate a bit of shade. Dan built a little trellis for them too and they seem to be enjoying their home. I started them a bit later than I'd hoped to, so hopefully it won't be too much longer before they start producing, but we'll see. I also snuck in a row of radishes in front of them. They seem to be enjoying their somewhat shady spot as well.

How about you?? What do you have growing in your garden this summer?

happenings 'round the homestead

May 11, 2016 Megan Rodriguez

It's been a full few weeks around this little homestead of ours! With all things baby, a trip out to Michigan to visit family, and spring springing around each corner. Flowers are blooming, perennials are up and filling out, the garden is waiting for seeds and seedlings, and the chickens are enjoying the longer days, the rain, and the sun! I love the softness of the spring blooms--lavenders, whites, and light pinks. The flowers tend to be small and delicate, just like spring.

The busyness over the past few weeks has made it a bit difficult to get the garden up and running as I'd hoped. The soil needs to be worked and there are peas and raddishes to get in the ground. However, it will all get done eventually, it always does! I did get my pots planted on the deck with lettuce, swiss chard, and arugala. The garlic, rhubarb, and herbs in the garden are also doing well! The rain we've had over the past few days has made things really start to take off! We'll have garlic scapes in no time!

We got two new chicks a few weeks back and they are about ready to join the older ladies in the coop. They been spending their days in the yard and nights under a light in the garage, but they are very curious about the older hens and can often be found looking at them through the fence. These two little ones bring us to a total of eight chickens. The time has come for us to begin to stagger our flock and keep it young and productive. We have decided to cull two of our hens this summer/fall for meat. More on that later...but for now, aren't our new little chicks cute?? Their names are Violet (the brown Ameraucana) and Fingers (as in Chicken Fingers...yes...). Fingers is a Maran and she will lay chocolate brown eggs! I'm so very excited!

Next week will hopefully bring lots of sunshine and time in the garden! How about you? What's happening around your homestead?

garden notes :: 10.16.15

October 16, 2015 Megan Rodriguez

I said farewell to most of my garden this past weekend. We still haven't had a hard frost in Minneapolis (however, tonight could be the night!), but the tomatoes and peppers had reached a point of making very little progress in growing and ripening. Also, as it's already mid-October, I've been feeling a strong urge to wrap up the outside work and prepare the house for the long winter months ahead. So, away went the tomatoes, peppers, tomatillo, and eggplant. Some carrots still remain and the beans will stay until the vines die back from the frost. The basil was covered last night and will be turned into pesto and some will be hung up to dry this evening.

Before pulling out the tomatillo and tomatoes, my sister-in-law helped me gather all of the fruit that was still covering the vines. We gathered another 2.5 lbs of tomatillos and a large bowl of tomatoes. Sunday was then spent in the kitchen busily canning another couple jars of salsa verde and 8 pints of pickled green tomatoes. I'm was excited to put all of those green tomatoes to use! Hopefully the pickles will be a great winter treat!

While it may seem like the garden is done for the season, there is still quite a bit more to do. I'd love to cut back my herbs for another round of drying and there's a fresh batch of compost waiting to be dumped into garden to prepare the soil for spring. Then there is garlic to be planted! I had such a good time growing garlic this summer and so I'm going at it again and quadrupling the amount! I have 4 heads to get into the ground in the next few weeks! This year I'm planning to mark those heads so I know where to find them in the spring and so I can take notes on the different varieties I'm trying. If you are wanting to grow garlic next year, now's the time to plant! You can pick up bulbs at local garden shops, but make sure you get types that are good for your climate. What's sold in the grocery store is generally not cold-hardy enough for these harsh Minnesota winters.

After the unruliness of the summer garden, I do love the quiet, tidy, and restful fall garden bed. It's calming to prepare it for winter where it will be able to rest, recoup, and rebuild before next summer comes around...that garden bed is a bit like us, I think, needing the quiet and rest that winter brings...I must say, I'm getting ready. How about you?