Still haven't fertilized besides "Growbig." Seems like the Happy Frog soil conditioner, compost and ocean forest soil have held me down so far.
Need to get over there tomorrow and fertilize and water. Been hot lately!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Where did we leave off?
Jeebus, over a month later huh? Forgive the hiatus, with the blog being accidentally deleted, me trying to figure..actually, who cares why. I have a blog for that. Welcome back. Let's pick up where we left off..
So, at this point, my butter lettuce heads have maxed out, one is FINALLY, slowly, bolting. The rest are just chilling. Probably should harvest, might make for a good salad tonight. Besides, I still have some 6 heads left or so. Gave two of them to a friend, but I'm pretty sure they died. One did at least. Might have been aphids, might have been over/under watering. I don't know, I'll take the blame though. So, anyway, ALL of the veggies on the fire escape garden are ready to be harvested, though I'll probably let at least one of everything goto seed. Why pay $3 next year, right? Right.
Now... ..to the satellite garden, aka Johnelle's house. Pops and I tilled the soil over a month ago and planted, if memory serves, Lovage, two tomatoes (sun gold/i forget-I'll be sure to note on my next visit), cilantro, an ancho pepper, beets (which were on their LAST leg after sitting in the 6pack for 2 weeks sans direct sun), bush beans, lemon cucumber, an achillea (yarrow), a salvia 'hot lips' and some basil. I think that's it. For now, at least.
Here's a couple pics of the original work on the first day. Strawberries and nasturtiums were already there from before.
These are from april 13...
First two are the digging, second two are post planting. As you can see there's a decent amount of area, but I as a first timer I was quite hesitant to plant too close. Also, the budget didn't allow for anything extra.. I'll post some more updated ones with the next blog..
Again, I'm pretty everywhere with this post, just trying to make up for lost time, on short time schedule right now. Anywho, all of these were planted into Foxfarm Ocean forest soil after tilling the soil and adding some Pt Reyes Compost company "Bob's Best" composted manure. Used a top mulch of Happy Frog (also foxfarm). While watering was a couple to several times a week, over the span of a couple months I slipped in foxfarm growbig as a boost. I have yet to fertilize anything beyond that, and must say, it's due time. The garden has been planted for well over a month, and I'm sure my babies are hungry. Oh yeah, the pepper/cucumber and tomatos got some extra oyster shell (calcium) mixed into the soil. I need to eat dinner now. I promise it won't be another month before the next blog. You (my only two readers ;) ) know where to find me.
So, at this point, my butter lettuce heads have maxed out, one is FINALLY, slowly, bolting. The rest are just chilling. Probably should harvest, might make for a good salad tonight. Besides, I still have some 6 heads left or so. Gave two of them to a friend, but I'm pretty sure they died. One did at least. Might have been aphids, might have been over/under watering. I don't know, I'll take the blame though. So, anyway, ALL of the veggies on the fire escape garden are ready to be harvested, though I'll probably let at least one of everything goto seed. Why pay $3 next year, right? Right.
Now... ..to the satellite garden, aka Johnelle's house. Pops and I tilled the soil over a month ago and planted, if memory serves, Lovage, two tomatoes (sun gold/i forget-I'll be sure to note on my next visit), cilantro, an ancho pepper, beets (which were on their LAST leg after sitting in the 6pack for 2 weeks sans direct sun), bush beans, lemon cucumber, an achillea (yarrow), a salvia 'hot lips' and some basil. I think that's it. For now, at least.
Here's a couple pics of the original work on the first day. Strawberries and nasturtiums were already there from before.
These are from april 13...
First two are the digging, second two are post planting. As you can see there's a decent amount of area, but I as a first timer I was quite hesitant to plant too close. Also, the budget didn't allow for anything extra.. I'll post some more updated ones with the next blog..
Again, I'm pretty everywhere with this post, just trying to make up for lost time, on short time schedule right now. Anywho, all of these were planted into Foxfarm Ocean forest soil after tilling the soil and adding some Pt Reyes Compost company "Bob's Best" composted manure. Used a top mulch of Happy Frog (also foxfarm). While watering was a couple to several times a week, over the span of a couple months I slipped in foxfarm growbig as a boost. I have yet to fertilize anything beyond that, and must say, it's due time. The garden has been planted for well over a month, and I'm sure my babies are hungry. Oh yeah, the pepper/cucumber and tomatos got some extra oyster shell (calcium) mixed into the soil. I need to eat dinner now. I promise it won't be another month before the next blog. You (my only two readers ;) ) know where to find me.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
part 2
so, anyway, i got sidetracked last night. Had to handle some other business, but I'm back! Where was I? Last year's yield, i believe. Yeah, it was decent. Oh! I know! The crappy ass lettuce!
Yeah, so, the lettuce bolted, flowered, went to seed and fell over and dried up in the trough. I didn't really think much of it until a couple months ago when i went to clean out the weeds from the trough (yes, i left a trough just sitting on my fire escape with no real sign of 'useful' life for over half a year). When i went to pull out the dead lettuce remains it was like playing tug of war. Mind you, with a very weak opponent, but there was some kind of root action going on. Were these weeds... ...lettuce?!? Indeed. Apparently from one lettuce that i let fall over i had what appeared to be a handful of sprouts. I decided to let them grow on for another few weeks, and started watering more regularly-i had always watered the trough at least once a month while watering my other plants out there.. ...never sure why i did it, it just seemed like something i should do...and it paid off-so as not to kill what could potentially be this years harvest.
After a few weeks of my babies bulking up i noticed that these were indeed two different types of lettuce. Both of them fell over and rooted! Score! It was time to dig out the areas and take them inside [yeah, i do my gardening in my living room too, so dirty.. ugh..) to separate. I lined up the biggest of the little guys in a different trough and left the others to continue growing until they were what i considered big enough to transplant safely. Mind you, i really didn't have a great grasp on how big that is, but gardening is trial and error, right?
Long story short, i ended up getting over a dozen heads of lettuce from one plant that bolted. The other lettuce seems to be more bunchy and i don't know that it wants to be divided [seems temperamental], so I've just let it do its own thing. I also managed to continue watering the onions, which i never separated until this year, which are now FAT AS FUH! Pretty fresh.
I know this is probably pretty incoherent but I'm exhausted and can't really figure out what I want to blog about. Just wanted to 'finish up' what i started yesterday. If i missed anything I'll add it in the next entry, which will entail THIS YEAR'S festivities. Pictures (tho not that good) will be included.
Nap time.
Happy planting.
Yeah, so, the lettuce bolted, flowered, went to seed and fell over and dried up in the trough. I didn't really think much of it until a couple months ago when i went to clean out the weeds from the trough (yes, i left a trough just sitting on my fire escape with no real sign of 'useful' life for over half a year). When i went to pull out the dead lettuce remains it was like playing tug of war. Mind you, with a very weak opponent, but there was some kind of root action going on. Were these weeds... ...lettuce?!? Indeed. Apparently from one lettuce that i let fall over i had what appeared to be a handful of sprouts. I decided to let them grow on for another few weeks, and started watering more regularly-i had always watered the trough at least once a month while watering my other plants out there.. ...never sure why i did it, it just seemed like something i should do...and it paid off-so as not to kill what could potentially be this years harvest.
After a few weeks of my babies bulking up i noticed that these were indeed two different types of lettuce. Both of them fell over and rooted! Score! It was time to dig out the areas and take them inside [yeah, i do my gardening in my living room too, so dirty.. ugh..) to separate. I lined up the biggest of the little guys in a different trough and left the others to continue growing until they were what i considered big enough to transplant safely. Mind you, i really didn't have a great grasp on how big that is, but gardening is trial and error, right?
Long story short, i ended up getting over a dozen heads of lettuce from one plant that bolted. The other lettuce seems to be more bunchy and i don't know that it wants to be divided [seems temperamental], so I've just let it do its own thing. I also managed to continue watering the onions, which i never separated until this year, which are now FAT AS FUH! Pretty fresh.
I know this is probably pretty incoherent but I'm exhausted and can't really figure out what I want to blog about. Just wanted to 'finish up' what i started yesterday. If i missed anything I'll add it in the next entry, which will entail THIS YEAR'S festivities. Pictures (tho not that good) will be included.
Nap time.
Happy planting.
Monday, April 19, 2010
..and it begins (part 1)
First and foremost, welcome. After trying to register over a handful of urls (urbanfarmer, townfarming, city gardener and damn near every combination) I fell on this one. Not exactly what I planned, but the best things never are, right? (read: me).
Anyway, a quick rundown... When i was 4 or so I helped my dad and step mom with my first gardening project. The memories of the garden consist of me playing with snails and finding all kinds of wild stuff buried in the soil. Shoes, buckets, tiki-idols, headless barbies. The last of which was naked. I remember her well. After that initial, and quite exciting (think: 4 year old/naked barbie) gardening expeience I didn't really do any (vegetable) gardening for over 20 years..
Flashback to 2008.. ...after growing orchids and other random plants for a few years in my apartment(s) i decided it was time to try a vegetable-or fruit for that matter-on my fire escape-God forbid the building catches on fire, but that's a post for my other blog.. A tomato it was. With a decent amount of success of 5 baseball sized tomatoes I was eager to try again the following year.
Last year i upped my fire-escape vegetable garden to a six pack of onions, 2 six packs of lettuce and two tomato plants. I also figured I should grow some herbs too, so i threw a basil plant in there. Last years yield wasn't quite as fulfilling. Sure, i got 10+ tomatoes off of one of my plants, but I also only managed to harvest 2 tomatoes from my Early Girl (the same kind i had planted in 2008). I was disappointed in those tomatoes, but my onions and basil did great so I was overall fairly pleased. I also learned that lettuce wasn't a smart plant to start growing in May on the western-facing fire escape of a white building. Basically the lettuce bolted (went to seed, therefore not yielding any lettuce leaves) and i decided I'd just let it dry up and complete it's pathetic life alone, in the desert like trough it was inhabiting.
Anyway, a quick rundown... When i was 4 or so I helped my dad and step mom with my first gardening project. The memories of the garden consist of me playing with snails and finding all kinds of wild stuff buried in the soil. Shoes, buckets, tiki-idols, headless barbies. The last of which was naked. I remember her well. After that initial, and quite exciting (think: 4 year old/naked barbie) gardening expeience I didn't really do any (vegetable) gardening for over 20 years..
Flashback to 2008.. ...after growing orchids and other random plants for a few years in my apartment(s) i decided it was time to try a vegetable-or fruit for that matter-on my fire escape-God forbid the building catches on fire, but that's a post for my other blog.. A tomato it was. With a decent amount of success of 5 baseball sized tomatoes I was eager to try again the following year.
Last year i upped my fire-escape vegetable garden to a six pack of onions, 2 six packs of lettuce and two tomato plants. I also figured I should grow some herbs too, so i threw a basil plant in there. Last years yield wasn't quite as fulfilling. Sure, i got 10+ tomatoes off of one of my plants, but I also only managed to harvest 2 tomatoes from my Early Girl (the same kind i had planted in 2008). I was disappointed in those tomatoes, but my onions and basil did great so I was overall fairly pleased. I also learned that lettuce wasn't a smart plant to start growing in May on the western-facing fire escape of a white building. Basically the lettuce bolted (went to seed, therefore not yielding any lettuce leaves) and i decided I'd just let it dry up and complete it's pathetic life alone, in the desert like trough it was inhabiting.
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