Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Square foot pondering....

So i've narrowed down my veggie choices to 18 seed varieties. I might be able to convince someone else to go in with me on seeds since i'm not trying to feed an army.  If not it shouldn't be the end of the world. it's only like $60 in seeds. The world won't end.

I'm going to try some square foot gardening I guess.  I got my compost heap covered.  I need to finish digging all of the leaves out of our pool and get them on the compost heap (Or start a second one)  So I need as much compost as possible to help reduce costs.

I am going to use some sq foot gardening techniques to manage our garden.  I think i'm going to try to make greenhouse coverings for the raised beds to protect them individually.  we'll see how costly it is and how much stuff I can find cheaply. 

Sizes of stuff I want to grow::
XL (2 sq feet required to grow 1 plant)
Black Beauty Zucchini (2)
Amish Pie Pumpkins (4)
Cornfield Pumpkins (4)

L (1 plant per sq foot)
Grape Tomatoes (4)
Peach Blow Tomatoes (4)
Green Tomatoes (4)
Double yield cucumbers (2)
Apple Cucumbers (2)
Burgundy Okra (3)
Chocolate Peppers (3)
Red Peppers (3)
M (4 Plants per sq foot)
Tennis Ball Lettuce (4)
Marigolds
S (9 plants per sq foot)
Beets (2)
Spinach (2)
Kale (2)
Swiss Chard (2)
Yellow Beans (2)
Green Beans  (2)

XS (16 plants per sq foot)
Carrots   (4)

planning our garden

We are in planning stages for our garden next year.  I have big plans/desires and need to document them so I don't forget them.

We have started a compost pile in the back yard.  We need to get some plastic to cover it and i need to remember to water it pretty regularly until i cover it.  I am watering it with water from our swimming pool (there are no chemicals in it and the water is nasty like pond water. so i'm scraping leaves and such off of the bottom mixing those in with food waste and other yard trash and decomposing sticks and such.  i'm working on getting the compost started. we have so much yard trash I can make multiple piles I bet...and have them in various stages of decomp.

We have several deer and rabbits in our yard and they will attack the fire out of any garden that I plant.  I want to do this organically so pesticides and poisons are not an option and even the hav-a-hart traps wouldn't be an option anyway.  I KNOW there are baby bunnies in our yard and I don't want to trap mom and dad and other adults in the colony and leave babies to fend for themselves or get eaten by snakes.  Besides which....I would rather live WITH The bunny faces....and then the teeny little fact that if I rid my yard of bunnies, more will move in. plus there are moles and other vermin in my yard anyway to eat my veggies and fruits. I'm going to have to go at this hardcore to protect my stuff.

So i found this pretty cool video that teaches us how to make a greenhouse for $150 or less:
The link is HERE.

it uses cattle panels that you can buy at TSC:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/feedlot-panel-cattle-16-ft-l-x-50-in-h

I am not 100% sure if I want to put plastic on the whole thing or on part of it or just use the wire to keep the vermin out. (We have opossums and racoons as well. and squirrels.  I am inclined to build the greenhouse as is and build an additional cage for other stuff and cover it in netting for my fruit trees while they are young. )

So here is my list of desired fruits and veg that I want to grow:

Definitely want:
Seascape strawberries: These are everbearing strawberries and will bear fruit if the temp remains between 35 and 85 degrees F.  So i'd have to container garden these bad boys.

Beans: (Pole Beans)
Sultan's Golden (Organic):  Rarely offered and almost extinct. SSE is pleased to reintroduce this variety. Distinct curled yellow snap bean. Stringless, excellent flavor. Very prolific. Pole habit, snap, 75 days.  Trellis, Teepee or Fence. Full Sun.
Bean Provider (Organic): (Phaseolus vulgaris) Introduced by Dr. Hoffman of South Carolina in 1965. Known as the most dependable early green bean. Round straight pods (5-8" long) borne heavily on compact plants. Excellent flavor, one of the best for freezing and canning. Germinates well in cool soil. Disease resistant. Bush habit, snap, 50-55 days.

Beets:
Golden Burpees:  Commercially available since 1828. Dual purpose beet for roots and greens. Roots are globe-shaped and bright orange, turning golden-yellow when cooked. Tender and mild even when large. Will not bleed like red beets. Sweet flavorful leaves. 50-55 days.

Carrots:
Danvers: Developed in Danvers, Massachusetts in the late 1800s. Leading main crop variety for home and market, stores well. Bright orange flesh is nearly coreless, sweet, and tender. Uniform roots up to 8" long. High yields in clay or heavy soils. 65-87 days.

Cucumbers:
(Organic)Crystal Apple:  (aka Apple Shaped) A prolific and sweet flavored cucumber that is shaped like an apple when mature. Listed by Ferry Morse Seed Co. of Detroit in 1934; once very popular in Australia and New Zealand. Very tender creamy white skin. Good for market or home gardeners. 65 days. Full Sun
(Organic) Double Yield cucumbers for pickles Introduced in 1924 by Joseph Harris Co. of Coldwater, New York. In the words of the introducer, “The remarkable thing about this new cucumber is its wonderful productiveness. For every pickle that is cut off, two or three more are produced.” Very early pickling type. Green 6" long fruits are symmetrical, smooth, and uniform. 50-60 days. Trellis & Full Sun.:

Kale:
(Organic)Dwarf Blue Gorgeous finely curled blue-green leaves hold their color even in severe cold. Uniform low-growing plants are 15" tall with a 20-35" spread. Very hardy; will overwinter with mulch in zones 4-5. Ornamental and delicious. High in vitamin A. 53-65 days from transplant. Full Sun:

Lettuce:
Tennis ball lettuce: Small rosettes of light green leaves measure only 7" in diameter and form loose, tender heads. Grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. According to Heirloom Vegetable Gardening by SSE member William Woys Weaver, tennis ball lettuces were often pickled in salt brine during the 17th and 18th centuries. Black-seeded. Butterhead, 50 days. Full sun or partial shade.

Spinach:
(organic) Bloomsdale Spinach  Introduced by D. Landreth Seed Company in 1826. Vigorous upright plants with dark green, glossy, savoyed leaves. Fine quality, very tender, excellent flavor. Quick growing variety with heavy yields. Well adapted for late spring or summer plantings, slow to bolt. 39-60 days.

Swiss Chard:
Five color silverbeet (aka Rainbow Chard) Australian heirloom from Digger’s Garden Club. Ornamental technicolor mixture of Swiss chards with shades of red, orange, purple, yellow, and white. Seed crops of all the different colors are grown in isolation to maintain a proper balance of colors. Tender and delicious. 50-60 days.

Okra:
Red Burgandy :  (aka Burgundy) Bred by Leon Robbins at Clemson University after eight years of careful selection. Introduced in 1983; AAS winner in 1988. Stunning 4' plant with burgundy accents and tender burgundy pods up to 6" long. Good yields. 55-60 days. Full Sun:

Peppers:
(Organic) Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper  (aka Choco) Early bell pepper bred by Elwyn Meader and introduced by the University of New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station in 1965. Ripens from green to chocolate on the outside and brick red inside. Thick sweet flesh. Great for gardeners in short-season areas. 60-85 days from transplant. SWEET.
(Organic) Ruby King Pepper First offered in 1977 SSE Yearbook by Dr. John Wyche. Early bell pepper that ripens from dark green to ruby red. Fruits grow to 6" long with thick sweet flesh, excellent for frying or fresh eating. 65-70 days from transplant. SWEET

Pumpkins:
Carving: (Cucurbita pepo) First offered by SSE member Glenn Drowns in the 1984 Yearbook from USDA seed. Our top choice for use as both a carving pumpkin and for fall decorations. Fruits are flattened, light-colored, thin skinned, and weigh 12-15 pounds. Very sturdy stems rarely break off. Traditionally grown as a dual crop planted with field corn. 90 days.
EatingHeirloom obtained by James Robinson from an Amish gardener in Maryland. Introduced commercially by SSE in 1999. One of the best processing pumpkins we have ever grown at Heritage Farm. Pale orange flesh measures up to 5" thick, and the largest fruits weigh 60-80 pounds. Firm moist flesh is excellent for making pies and for freezing. 90-105 days.

Zuchini:
(ORGANIC) Black beautyThe standard summer squash, introduced to U.S. markets in the 1920s. Compact everbearing bush plants are loaded with glossy green-black fruits with firm white flesh. Best eaten when under 8" long. Excellent variety for freezing. 1957 All America Selections. 45-65 days.

Tomatoes:
(organic) Peach blow sutton: Introduced in 1897 as “Sutton’s Peachblow” by Sutton and Sons Seed Growers and Merchants of Reading, England. Named after a style of Victorian era glassware known for its peach skin appearance. Round 6 ounce fruits with slightly fuzzy ‘tomato pink’ skin. Refreshing sweet flavor and low acidity. Indeterminate, 80 days from transplant.
Grape Tomatoes: (Solanum lycopersicum) Originally from Germany. Name translates as “giant bunches of grapes.” Introduced commercially in the U.S. in 1994 by Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. High-yielding plants. Tasty 1" fruits are borne on large sprays and shaped like beaked plums. Indeterminate, 80 days from transplant. Trellis.
(Organic) Tasty evergreen tomato:  (aka Evergreen) A favorite of Ben Quisenberry. Originally introduced by Glecklers Seedmen of Metamora, Ohio, in 1956. A green-when-ripe variety with medium-sized beefsteak fruits. Grapefruit yellow when fully ripe; flesh and gel remain green inside. Luscious and tender, strong sweet flavor. Very productive. Indeterminate, 75 days from transplant. Trellis

Maybe
Cauliflower:
Early Snowball: Introduced to American gardeners in 1888 by Peter Henderson & Company. Smooth 6-7" heads of tightly formed white curds are solid, crisp, and tender, excellent quality. Can be over-wintered for early crops in warmer regions. 60-85 days from transplant. Full sun

Cabbage:
(non-organic) Red cabbageIntroduced in 1889. Solid uniformly round heads are 8" in diameter and weigh 7 pounds. A sure cropper with a small to medium core that is red throughout; fine flavor, excellent for cooking, salads, and pickling. 98 days from transplant. Full Sun.

(Non-organic)  premium late flat dutch:  Introduced to the U.S. by German immigrants around 1840; listed in the 1924 catalog of D. M. Ferry & Co. Solid blue-green flat heads with white interior weigh 10-15 pounds. Excellent for late fall or winter use. 100 days from transplant. Full Sun

Brocolli:
(Non Organic) Calabrese:  Popular market variety that was brought to America by Italian immigrants in the 1880s. Tight heads can grow up to 8" in diameter. After the central head is harvested, side shoots will form. 58-90 days from transplant. Full Sun.
Interested in:
Apple tree
Cherry tree Two trees:
Ranier: http://www.treesofantiquity.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=178
Stella: http://www.treesofantiquity.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=179
Walnut franquette: http://www.treesofantiquity.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19_32&products_id=481
walnut chandler: http://www.treesofantiquity.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19_32&products_id=261
walnut pedro: http://www.treesofantiquity.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19_32&products_id=262
Melon: Emerald gem: http://www.seedsavers.org/onlinestore/melon/Melon-Emerald-Gem-OG.html

Peas:
Green arrow: (aka Green Shaft) An English main crop variety and standard home and market variety. Slim pointed pods are 4-5" long and contain 8-11 small deep green peas. Pods are almost always borne in doubles. Very heavy reliable production. Medium vines grow 24-28" tall. Shell, 62-70 days. Double rows can be planted on each side of a trellis

Totally a possibility:
Golden Raspberries: 
Blackberries: 
Blueberries: 
Grapes:
peach tree: 

Notes:
backyard fruit growers assocation:
http://www.seedsavers.org/onlinestore/Vegetables/