Weeds

One thing I never had to deal with in Arizona were weeds. Such intense irrigation was required to grow anything there that the seeds sprouted before the weeds had a chance to get a foothold, and there weren't all that many weeds in the first place. In Ohio I find that weeding is a necessary part of gardening. Although I find watering my plants more satisfying than weeding, I prefer to deal with weeds than watering. Simply put, if circumstances prevented me from watering in Arizona, plants died. I would have to significantly fall behind on weeding before I had such a concern. So although it is quite necessary, there is considerably less urgency.

In other news, I don't expect any more wildlife disturbances. We got two new dogs, a Great Pyrenees and an Australian Cattle Dog (which I prefer to call a Red Heeler). The Pyrenees (Balto), along with the Pyrenees/Anatolian cross (Phantom) we already had have moved to an enclosure next to the garden. I don't expect turkeys or deer to want to come particularly near two large dogs. We hope to so put up one more fence enclosing the remaining cleared land and get meat goat breeding stock. Balto and Phantom would then live with the goats.

We had a lot of rain the last three days. Things are growing well. At this point I have seen at least one of nearly everything. Notable items which I have not seen any of include: Cumin, Leek, Shallot, Chives, Parsley, Celery, Oregano, Paprika, Coriander, Marjoram, Cayenne Pepper, Bell Pepper, Shiso, Basil, Savory, Potato, Scallion, Serrano Pepper, Amaranth, Endive, Carrot, Chamomile, and Tomatillo.

Short day

Saturday I planted another three blocks of old Swiss chard seeds and two blocks of old lettuce seeds. Most importantly, we got a good half inch of rain in the afternoon. As today is a day off, I look forward to seeing what new seeds have germinated tomorrow.

Wildlife damage

It was bound to happen eventually. From the scat left behind, it would appear that the wild turkeys have been at my garden. The peas, soybeans, and corn have all taken substantial damage. Mostly it appeared to be scratching and digging, with damage to the plants being random and indiscriminate.

I planted another 5 blocks of Swiss chard today, from an old seed pack dated 2000. I don't have very high hopes; but since I need to use up these old seeds, the remaining five rows (100 blocks) seems like a good place to use some of them up.

I got a call from Park Seed that my order with them had been returned. They are going to resend to my Adena address. At this point, those seeds will all have to wait until next spring. They include habanero pepper, buttercup squash, delicata squash, acorn squash, and tomatillo. I managed to plant tomatillo only because I found the leftover seeds from last year's planting.

Finally done!

I finally finished planting yesterday. I still have five rows remaining unplanted due to all of the items (mostly dry beans) I pulled out of the planting set. I will fill those up with old seeds that I have left over. There is no urgency to these plantings though. The final planting from yesterday:

5 blocks of burgundy bean (germ 20 Aug) (harv 6 Oct)
8 blocks of tomatillo (germ 27 Aug) (harv 21 Oct)
40 blocks of buckwheat (germ ?) (harv 28 Sep)

One more day

All that remains are buckwheat and half of the burgundy beans. Today I planted:

12 blocks of cauliflower (germ 23 Aug) (harv 15 Oct)
8 blocks of wax bean (germ 20 Aug) (harv 10 Oct)
6 blocks of crookneck squash (germ 21 Aug) (harv 5 Oct)
14 blocks of straightneck squash (germ 26 Aug) (harv 5 Oct)
4 blocks of burgundy beans (germ 19 Aug) (harv 5 Oct)
3 blocks of cucumber (germ 20 Aug) (harv 5 Oct)

I have eight blocks of extra space between the burgundy beans and cucumbers. I will plant extra blocks of burgundy beans if I have enough extra seed. Otherwise, I will poke around my old seed stash and see what I can do to fill the empty blocks.

Final phase

Now that the last few day have been added, here's today's info:

12 blocks of bok choy (germ 22 Aug) (harv 29 Sep)
6 blocks of lettuce (germ 20 Aug) (harv 14 Oct)
2 blocks of roquette (germ ?) (harv 24 Sep)
15 blocks of mustard (germ 18 Aug) (harv 9 Oct)
5 blocks of marrow squash (germ 22 Aug) (harv 14 Oct)

At this point I have exactly 7 items left to plant.

We had a nice rain last night. So far, the following plants have germinated:

Brussels sprouts
Quinoa
Chick pea
Queensland blue squash
Turban squash
Flax
Tepary bean
Kabocha squash
Hubbard squash
Rutabaga
Sunflower
Pea
Soybean
Pumpkin
Muskmelon
Corn
Runner bean
Lima bean
Radish

Monday 14 Aug

Finshed the last little bit of beets and continued with:

2 blocks of spinach (germ ?) (harv 25 Sep)
8 blocks of scallop squash (germ 19 Aug) (harv 8 Oct)
6 blocks of okra (germ 28 Aug) (harv 9 Oct)
5 blocks of zucchini (germ 19 Aug) (harv 3 Oct)
1 block of kohlrabi (germ 28 Aug) (harv 8 Oct)
12 blocks of cabbage (germ 21 Aug) (harv 16 Oct)
8 blocks of watermelon (germ 17 Aug) (harv 2 Nov)

Okay, once again there is a discrepancy. My notes say this variety of watermelon is 60 days to harvest, but the Seeds of Change seed pack says 80. Here's hoping for a warm autumn and a late frost.

Saturday 12 Aug

Fencing day!

My parents came out today. My mom watched Cerra, while my dad helped Melody and I put up the fence. Melody had all the plans in order, and things went rather smoothly. We had to order the gate; but otherwise, the whole garden section is now fenced off.

Friday 11 Aug

Today's planting:

8 blocks of broccoli (germ 14 Aug) (harv 10 Oct)
4 blocks of carrot (germ 18 Aug) (harv 20 Oct)
1 block of chamomile (germ 21 Aug) (harv 10 Oct)
5 blocks of beet (germ ?) (harv 13 Oct)

The carrots and beets were brutal to plant (256 seeds per block). The chamomile was actually planned for more space, and even had enough seeds for it, but the seeds were too small too do anything but broadcast, hence one block.

I also picked up the rolls of woven wire for the fence.

Thursday 10 Aug

More planting:

7 blocks of amaranth (germ 14 Aug) (harv 4 Oct)
12 blocks of tomato (germ 16 Aug) (harv 14 Oct)
8 blocks of green bean (germ 14 Aug) (harv 4 Oct)
3 blocks of Swiss chard (germ 16 Aug) (harv 29 Sep)
2 blocks of endive (germ 12 Aug) (harv 24 Sep)

This finished planting the first half of the garden. I took a lot of items (mostly dry beans) out of the planting set, so the second half will not be full.

Wednesday 9 Aug

A little out of date. Let's see if I can remember everything:

3 blocks of potato *
18 blocks of kale (germ 12 Aug) (harv 28 Sep)
4 blocks of scallion (germ 16 Aug) (harv 13 Oct)
6 blocks of serrano peppers (germ 19 Aug) (harv 23 Oct) Cold protection
6 blocks of butternut squash (germ 16 Aug) (harv 23 Oct)
6 blocks of spaghetti squash (germ 19 Aug) (harv 21 Oct)

The potatoes were all from my premature potato harvest in Arizona. They were too small and bitter to eat and probably wouldn't have lasted until the spring planting. I don't know whether they'll actually come up or just rot in the ground.

Also, this day Jerry Stackhouse from up the road came down and tilled another acre for me. I got a better price, for more area, and he did two passes in less time than Scott took for one. It helps to have the right equipment for the job (a tractor with a tiller rather than a push tiller). I will plant this field with a half acre each of wheat and rye.

Getting closer

Today's planting:

9 blocks of oregano (germ ?) (harv 27 Oct) Cold protection
1 block of paprika (germ ?) (harv 27 Oct) Cold protection
1 block of coriander (germ 15 Aug) (harv 22 Sep)
23 blocks of marjoram (germ 22 Aug) (harv 27 Oct) Cold protection
2 blocks of runner bean (germ 15 Aug) (harv 7 Oct)
21 blocks of cayenne pepper (germ 16 Aug) (harv 27 Oct) Cold protection
3 blocks of bell pepper (germ 16 Aug) (harv 17 Oct)
1 block of Lima bean (germ 15 Aug) (harv 9 Oct)
8 blocks of shiso (germ 22 Aug) (harv 22 Sep)
5 blocks of basil (germ 14 Aug) (harv 12 Oct)
11 blocks of savory (germ 18 Aug) (harv 12 Oct)
1 block of radish (germ 11 Aug) (harv 28 Aug)

Next item to plant was potato, but I didn't have my bag of seed potatoes with me.

Flax has germinated.

Time to finish the fence

Today's planting:

13.5 blocks of soybean (germ ?) (harv 31 Oct) Cold protection
7 blocks of pumpkin (germ ?) (harv 20 Nov)
8 blocks of muskmelon (germ 10 Aug) (harv 31 Oct)
6 blocks of radicchio (germ 14 Aug) (harv 31 Oct) Cold protection
7 blocks of celery (germ 28 Aug) (harv 31 Oct) Cold protection
4 blocks of chile pepper (germ 15 Aug) (harv 21 Oct) Cold protection
14 blocks of corn (germ 14 Oct) (harv 29 Oct)

On my paperwork, I have the pumpkin listed as 85 days, but the seed packet I received from Johnny Seeds says 105 days.

The following crops have germinated:

Brussels sprouts (2 days early)
Quinoa (on time)
Tepary bean (on time)
Hubbard squash (on time)

I had to stop early today due to rain. The next item to plant is oregano, and the seeds are microscopic. There was no way I could do that in the rain.

According to a neighbor (old guy in a chevy S-10) there was a flock of turkeys in my garden the other night. With things starting to sprout now, finishing the fence is a greater priority than before. Not that it will really keep turkeys and deer out, but I hope that it will at least deter them.

Saturday 5 Aug

A half day planned today.

7 blocks of fennel (germ 15 Aug) (harv 24 Oct) Cold protection
3 blocks of jalapeño peppers (germ 15 Aug) (harv 29 Oct) Cold protection
21 blocks of pimento (germ 12 Aug) (harv 24 Oct) Cold protection
1 block of parsley (germ 19 Aug) (harv 19 Oct)
4.5 blocks of soybean (germ ?) (harv 29 Oct) Cold protection

Friday 4 Aug

Melody finished the T-post edges and put in wood posts for the corners. I continued planting.

10.5 blocks of chervil (germ 18 Aug) (harv 7 Nov) Cold protection
7 blocks of kabocha squash (germ ?) (harv 7 Nov)
5 blocks of hubbard squash (germ 7 Aug) (harv 2 Nov)
2 blocks of dill (germ 11 Aug) (harv 3 Oct)
4 blocks of rutabaga (germ ?) (harv 7 Nov)
5 blocks of sunflower (germ 11 Aug) (harv 24 Nov) No chance
10 blocks of peas (germ 10 Aug) (harv 13 Oct)
6 blocks of sage (germ 11 Aug) (harv 23 Oct) Cold protection
12 blocks of eggplant (germ 9 Aug) (harv 23 Oct) Cold protection
6 blocks of chives (germ 11 Aug) (harv 3 Oct)

The sunflowers don't have a chance unless there is an exceptionally late first frost. It's kind of hard to put row covers on something that large. I intended to order a shorter season variety but got the wrong kind due to misreading the catalog number.

Thursday 3 Aug

Melody started putting up the fence around the garden section, and I continued planting.

2 blocks of quinoa (germ 6 Aug) (harv 11 Nov) Cold protection
2 blocks of leeks (germ ?) (harv 6 Nov) Cold protection
1 block of chick peas (germ 9 Aug) (harv 1 Nov) Cold protection
6 blocks of shallots (germ 7 Aug) (harv 11 Nov)
8 blocks of Queendsland blue squash (germ ?) (harv 11 Nov)
4 blocks of turban squash (germ 10 Aug) (harv 1 Nov)
3 blocks of flax (germ ?) (harv 11 Nov) Cold protection
1 block of tepary bean (germ 7 Aug) (harv 27 Oct) Cold protection
1/2 block of chervil (germ 17 Aug) (harv 6 Nov) Cold protection

Further work cancelled on account of rain

Wednesday 2 Aug

Scott spent an hour finishing the corners, and I started planting.

5 blocks of parsnips (germ 23 Aug) (harv 6 Oct)
6 blocks of cumin (germ 9 Aug) (harv 10 Nov) Will need cold protection
12 blocks of Brussels sprouts (germ 9 Aug) (harv 26 Oct) Will need cold protection

Tuesday 1 Aug

Scott Hazelton plowed the third of an acre I will plant for the vegetable garden. I spent the day raking off the crownvetch I mowed the night before into compost piles. Scott had a gas powered push plow and it took a full day to plow. Temperature was in the upper 90s, so we were pretty well bushed by the end of it.

Monday 31 Jul

I mowed about a third of an acre of crownvetch to prepare for the plowing tomorrow. I met a neighbor named Steve who cut hay in our field during the previous owner. I told him he could mow the rest of the field and have the hay.