Let's Make a Plan

 This week's forecast calls for highs in the 60's here,
ALL WEEK LONG!
I can finally get some garden chores completed
without the threat of rain or frigid temperatures.
One thing I've been working on is my spring garden plan.

2018 cucumbers

 One of the tools I've used in the past 
has been the free online planner offered by
Gardener's Supply Company.
You can find the tool here.
It's a great way to get started,
especially if you've never planned a garden.
I find it so helpful to be able to place the crops in the boxes,
and then tweak it as necessary.

Here's a preliminary plan for our hugelkultur bed.
You can vary the size of the beds easily
and there is a large list of popular plants from which to choose.

 This season, my focus will be on companion planting.
There is so much information on this topic,
and I thought it would be worth a try.
Recently, I've been reading books that covered the subject.
The best by far was Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte.
She offers simple explanations why certain veggies just love sharing space.

She also features a list of which plants don't really get along.
Instead of haphazardly planting what you have space for,
the idea is that by paying attention to which crops are neighbors,
the result will be better crop production and food quality.
It's worth a shot! 

2018 Yukon Gold potatoes

This year when I get my Yukon Gold potatoes started,
I will be adding bush bean, cabbage or nasturtiums to the outside of the wire hoops.
This will allow for the companion plant on the outside
to shade the potato foliage as it grows out of the hoops,
thus saving me from having to buy straw 
or bank the potato plants with additional soil. 
You can see how we created the potato cages here.

For folks who grow in rows, 
there is even a set of diagrams that suggest
how to place your companion plants.
It really doesn't get much easier than that!
For those of us who grow in raised beds or raised rows,
the principal is still easy to follow.

 Here's a rough sketch of the garden as it presently stands.
The structural parts are laid out,
and I can fill in what will go where as the season heats up.
For instance, I already know that I want runner beans to grow on the arches,
followed by melons later on in the season.
And presently in the two 4 X 4 raised beds, 
I have garlic and shallots growing,
which will have to remain there for a while longer.
There is still room in those smaller beds to add some companion plants around the perimeter,
like beets, carrots, kale, or spinach.
Not only is it beneficial for the established crop,
it will make the bed look so interesting with all of the varied colors, shapes, and textures.
The bonus is that it may confuse the bugs.

A master list of planting times for different veggies
(I only listed the ones I plan to grow),
makes the planning so much easier.
In March here in the Piedmont,
we can sow beets, carrots, kale, lettuce, and spinach.
So I will simply fill in any bare spots in those 4 X 4 beds
with one of these things I was planning on growing anyway.
Then I can fill in some of the other growing areas
with more of the same goodies.
It seems to be a more efficient use of space
and I'm hoping it will help with insect control.

It sure feels like spring,
but I know that Mother Nature is in charge.
Let's hope she's not feeling mischievous!

Garden Friday

It's Garden Friday!
This lil' guy has been frequenting the suet feeders recently.
What a treat to watch all of the various aviary friends that stop by.
They have been devouring our homemade suet every chance they get.
We are happy to provide some extra nourishment for them during the wintertime.

Earlier in the week,
we showed you the winter scenery at Popple Springs Farm.
One of the treasures I brought home was this praying mantis cocoon.
Jannah found some of these fascinating abodes 
while doing some early spring chores in the garden.
Being the generous soul that she is,
she offered to let me bring one home.
I hope I get to watch the big reveal!

Two of the four arches have been erected on the NE side of the veggie garden.
The plan is to grow runner beans all across
and later on, maybe melons.
The fence posts were fairly easy to get into the ground,
which was a total surprise.
Thanks to a fellow gardener and friend,
I was able to borrow the t-post driver to make it happen.
Most likely cardboard will be added to the ground here
so that there will be no grass to maintain.
I'm so glad that this project is almost complete
(I need to buy two cattle panels for the other end).
The structure of the garden is changing in a good way.

Talk about excited!
The peas are up!  The peas are up!
It took a full two weeks,
but they starting popping up in the hugelkultur bed
and I couldn't be happier about it.
There is not much that makes my tummy more blissful
than eating these sweet-as-candy sugar snap peas.

loose leaf lettuce mix

Remarkably, the lettuce that was planted last fall
is starting to do something.
I've been sampling some of the varieties, expecting bitterness,
and have been pleasantly surprised.

Look at those carrots peeking out of the dirt.

This winter was kind of wet and wild.

It sure didn't go the way I expected it to,

but I guess there's a lesson in that.

Every year, every season is different.

The only thing you can do is to

throw more seed at it.

Next week I hope to share 

the garden plan,

which includes companion planting.

"Don't judge each day

by the harvest you reap,

but by the seeds that you plant."

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Mo Veg

It's been a goal of mine to increase my intake of vegetables.
I'm not a true vegetarian, as I eat fish occasionally,
but the bulk of my diet is plant-based.
Here are some quick and simple ways to increase
your daily dose of the good stuff.

One of the easiest ways to enjoy veg

(especially in the winter),

 is to cut them into pieces and roast them.

Here is a combination of onions, carrots, zucchini and sweet potatoes,

liberally coated with olive oil, salt and Italian herbs.

The parchment-lined sheet pan goes into a 375 degree oven

for 20 minutes, then gets turned and cooked for another 10-20 minutes.

The finished product can be added to stews, soups,

or savored as a side dish with any meal.

You'd be amazed at how sweet they taste!

I roasted a half of a red cabbage this same way,
and it was so delicious!
(Any combination of veg can be substituted.)
 
The other half was simply sliced to add to salads.
That crunch is so satisfying,
 and better for you than croutons! 

Using a food processor takes the effort out of shredding veggies.
In just a few seconds, I had more than enough carrots and zucchini shredded
to add to my morning glory muffin recipe.

The rest was dressed simply with homemade honey mustard dressing
and eaten as a side salad with lunch or supper.

Kale is one of my absolute favorite things to eat.
Up until a few years ago, I had never tried it.
It's a regular staple in my daily salads now.
Another way to enjoy this tasty green is to make chips.
I have to admit, I haven't been too successful at this yet,
my chips never seem to get as crisp as I'd like.
It doesn't stop me from eating what comes out of the oven though!



I do often make steak fries out of white potatoes,
and sweet potato fries, both baked instead of fried.
Who can resist a yummy tater?



Acorn squash is another wintertime selection.
It's easy enough just to roast it in the oven with 
some olive oil, salt, cinnamon and a sprinkling of honey or maple syrup.
I have a hard time not eating the whole bowl.




And nothing beats a hot bowl of homemade soup
on a cold or rainy day.
It's as simple as throwing a bunch of chunked veggies
and some select spices into your crockpot with water or broth
and letting it cook on low for 6-8 hours.
By suppertime, you've got a savory and healthy meal. 

Feel free to check out all of the veggie recipes,
which can be found under the header.
We have "allergy-friendly" for those who have limited diets,
and "scratch recipes", including a sampling of vegetarian and vegan options.

Make some extra veggies this weekend
and see what happens!
 

Weekend Farm Visit

With no rain in the forecast,

I headed out on Saturday to visit my friend Jannah's farm.

We first featured Popple Springs last year in this post.

The new duck barn and pond was a busy scene.

Jannah's husband built the structure

and they both worked on creating the swimming hole.

 They have added these runner ducks to their brood.

The picture here doesn't capture it,

but when the light hits these critters just right,

it's magic.

Their feathers go from black to a deep violet or even teal.

The change is unbelievable!

 All of the shade and fruit trees have recently undergone pruning.

With as many trees as they have to take care of,

it's important to stay on top of these tasks.

 

The brilliant blue sky makes the bare branches even more striking.

ornamental cherry

Some trees are budding with the anticipation of spring.

 The perimeter of the parking area

will soon be overflowing with gorgeous bulbs

blooming and putting on their show.

 Numerous daffodils decorate the front gardens.

 Jannah is enamored with the purity of the color of these daffs.

As an artist, she can truly appreciate the intensity of color more than others.

 Edibles and ornamentals share space in many of her plantings.

Just look at the deep, rich hue of this mustard.

It was thrilling to take note of her leg up on the growing season.

She has broccoli, carrots, kale, peas, spinach, and more already soaking up the sun.

These tender seedlings are being protected from curious chickens.

 After felling a diseased oak tree,

the wood was strategically amassed for use at a later date.

This reminds me of a giant jigsaw puzzle.

 Up on the deck,

these cheery pansies greeted us with loads of color.

 There were quite a few that I've never seen before,

like this striped variety.

The contrast of colors was amazing.

 These ruffled pansies were another first-time treat.

Jannah is planning on doing some paintings of these gorgeous specimens.

Max

It's always stimulating to visit the gardens of others.

You never know what might trigger inspiration.

So grateful to have gardeners as friends.

We understand each other's language.

Garden on!

"In spring, by the end of the day,

you should smell like dirt."

~Margaret Atwood

Garden Friday

Happy March!

 Welcome back to Garden Friday.
It's been vacillating between winter and spring lately.
It seems Ole Man Winter isn't sure 
that He is ready to give up his time.
This blooming camellia makes the waiting just a wee bit easier.

We're still working on getting seeds started.
The lettuces, broccoli, beets, kale and spinach 
have been pushing their way through the soil.
Oddly enough, the peas have yet to show themselves.
They will be reseeded by the end of the weekend.

 Parsley was harvested yesterday from one of the raised beds.
This is some tough stuff, 
having made it through the winter unscathed.
It'll be nice to chop it up and put in the freezer for a fresh taste in recipes.

The work has begun on the installation of the t-posts.
Thanks to all of the rain we've had,
they went in without much effort.
 

Here are the first two driven in along the edge of the garden.
Arches will be added to this side
so that our runner beans have a spot to roam.
Later in the season, it would be fun to grow melon here too.

While awaiting cattle panels to go on sale,
I remembered we had this wire we got from a kind soul on Next Door.
We'll use this and see if it will work.
In the meantime, I will start collecting cattle panels
for future projects.
They are a heavy-duty solution to trellising most anything.

 While checking the lemongrass for signs of life,
(no green to be found),
I had an idea about using the dried parts that overwintered in the ground.

I've been wanting to make a pollinator house
using materials found on the property,
and I was thinking these shoots might work.
Why buy something you can make?
I love finding new projects that we can take a crack at.

What a sweet reward for my hard work in the garden this week.
I never tire of daffs,
because we couldn't grow them in Florida.
They are such a treat to cut and bring into the house.
Although it's still winter,
these cheerful beauties keep me happy while I wait for spring's official commencement.

Is spring any closer where you live?