Gardeners 'To Do List': Nov

It gets colder and thus it is time to start planning for next year
This is the time to be picking the last of your harvest before snow hits. While racking up leaves is probably consuming your free time, now is the time to put your gardens to bed... If you have been freezing/canning/dehydrating then now is your time to shine. Time to make pies, start us the jars of jam, and heating up soup mixes.

I am preparing my garden beds for next year by:

• tilling garden beds
• fixing and setting up new garden beds
• emptying my compost bins to store leaves I am raking up
• mixing compost into the garden beds
• propagating my strawberry/raspberry plants to other areas
• trimming trees and shrubs (1/3 rule)
• storing my rain barrels
• cleaning gutters one last time.
• cleaning out the shed and checking the snow blower
• writing blogs to post next year :)

Time to harvest and eat:

• Kale
• Broccoli

Sow seeds into the soil:

• indoor herb garden.

You still have extra time and want to do more. (where are you getting this free time???)

• Go to a winter farmers market
• Plan for next years crop
• Read a gardening book
• Start building hot boxes
• Start building potato boxes
• Sharpen your gardening tools
• What about adding a automated drip irrigation system?

Gardeners 'To Do List': Oct

You should be seeing frost soon. Time to prep your garden for winter.

Harvest what is left. Dehydrate what you can't eat right away. I always have extra mint I need to dry out. Start mulching leafs and packing away the rain barrels for winter. Time to plant your garlic for next years harvest. Extra bonus points if you keep a green house going through the winter, as now is your time for winter setup and planing seed starting.

Time to harvest and eat:

• Green Tomato
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Beats
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Spinach
• Celery

Sow seeds into the soil:

• Garlic

You still have extra time and want to do more. (where are you getting this free time???)

• How about adding more mulch to your garden beds? You should be racking leaves right now.
• How about a hugelkultur garden bed?
• Water your plants with city water?

Gardeners 'To Do List': Sept

Lots of rain so far. While planting seeds has stopped, harvesting is going to be a full time job this week.

Finally all your hard work has paid off, but not what are you going to do with all this food? Might I suggest you read my post on "Storing Your Extra Food"  Personally I like to dehydrate because to the low energy needed and the long term storage potential.

Time to harvest and eat:

• Lettuce
• Cauliflower
• Sweet Potato
• Tomato
• Eggplants
• Pepper
• Winter Squash
• Summer Squash
• Potatos
• Cucumber
• Melons
• Corn
• Beans

Transplant into the soil (from your starting seeds or bought from a garden store):

• Done for season

Sow seeds into the soil:

• Done for season

Start seeds in doors:

•   Done for season

You still have extra time and want to do more. (where are you getting this free time???)

• How about adding more mulch to your garden beds to help retain moister and prevent weeds?
• How about a hugelkultur garden bed?
• What about adding a automated drip irrigation system?
• How about creating a small green house?

Gardeners 'To Do List': Aug

It is still hot. While you might not be harvesting this month, remember that tomato season is just around the corner. 

Still hoping for rain. In the mean time you should get organized for planting seeds and being ready to harvest tomatoes next month...unless you like fried green tomatoes.

Time to harvest and eat:

• Onions

Transplant into the soil (from your starting seeds or bought from a garden store):

• Cauliflower

Sow seeds into the soil:

• Lettuce
• Kale
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Beets 
• Carrots

Start seeds in doors:
     None this month




You still have extra time and want to do more.

• How about making plans for better garden water retention for next year?
• More mulch
• More shade
• Hugelkultur garden bed?
• Garden water swales.
• Water your plants with city water? How about removing the chlorine through overnight evaporation?

Gardeners 'To Do List': July

It is hot. Good time to relax by water your garden, and leaving digging for another month.

Hope you enjoyed the 4th! but get back work and check your plants if they need watering  :-)

Time to harvest and eat:

• Lettuce
• Carrots
• Spinach
• Cabbage

Transplant into the soil (from your starting seeds or bought from a garden store):

• Tomato
• Eggplants
• Peppers

Sow seeds into the soil:

• Lettuce

Start seeds in doors:

•  Cauliflower

You still have extra time and want to do more. (where are you getting this free time???)

• How about adding more mulch to your garden beds to help retain moister and prevent weeds?
• How about a hugelkultur garden bed?
• Water your plants with city water? How about removing the chlorine through overnight evaporation?
• What about adding a automated drip irrigation system?

Potato

If at first you don't succeed...

I utterly failed last year's crop of potatoes. All of them were destroyed by potatoes bugs, and water rot from planting them just before a week of heavy rains. But I don't let an utter failure slow me down so I am back at it again.

• I should have planted them 3in or more deep (not the 1in deep). 
• I should have used lots of mulch (4in  to 6in) on top of the soil, not just 2in of mulch. 
• There is no right position to plant them. Any side up.
• Using potato cuttings are easier then potato seeds
• If you are cutting the potatoes, remember to have at least 2 eyes on each cuttings.
• The ground needs to be loose and not compact. 
• You might need to till the soil.
• I needed to add amendments and compost to my clay soil (just leaves from last fall)
• Don't plant in the wet season. Dry soil is a good thing.
• Plant between May15th to Jun 15th 
• Havest depends on your potato type (could be any where from Aug 3rd to Sept 12th)
• 80 days maturity for fingerlings and new potatoes
• 120 days maturity for later maturing and storage varieties

Links:
GardenGirlTV: Planting Potatoes

GeorgiaOrganics: Growing Potatoes

Girls Guide To Butter: How to plant Potatos

Planting Garden Potato in Kenosha

ehow: potato ready plant

How Potatoes Grow

Gardeners 'To Do List': June

June bugs aren't the only bugs that are bugging me...

Well, the mosquito are back. The weather maybe hot, but time to get planting and maybe do some eating.

On the plus side the longest day of the year (June Solstice) is on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. Sunrise at 5:12am to sunset at 8:34pm, that is about 15 hours and 22 minutes of sunshine.

Time to harvest and eat:

• lettuce
• carrots
• beets
• spinach
• broccoli 

Transplant into the soil (from your starting seeds or bought from a garden store):

• Tomato
• Eggplants
• Peppers

Sow seeds into the soil:

• Potatoes
• Winter/Summer Squash
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Beans

Start seeds in doors:

•  Cabbage

You still have extra time and want to do more. (where are you getting this free time???)

• How about adding more mulch to your garden beds to help retain moister and prevent weeds?
• Have your turned you compost pile lately?
• What about adding a automated drip irrigation system?

Gardeners 'To Do List': May

April showers bring may flowers...

Well, we didn't have a month of rain. However non-soggy soil is a great time to add compost to the soil, transplant, and sow seeds into the garden.

Transplant into the soil (from your starting seeds or bought from a garden store):

• Tomatoes
• Eggplants
• Peppers

Sow seeds into the soil:

• lettuce
• Spinach

Start seeds in doors:

• Brussels Sprouts
• Melons

What's that... you still have extra time and want to do more.

Well how about installing rain barrels?
How about adding more mulch to your garden beds to help retain moister and prevent weeds?
Or starting a compost pile?

Rain Barrels

a blast from the past...




Last year I wrote an entry about rain barrels. If you are considering adding a rain barrel (and who wouldn't with the benifets it gives to your garden), then give this entry a read. http://gardenrainbarrel.blogspot.com/

Whether you want to collect rain water for your lawn/garden, decided to go green by reducing the strain on your city's storm drains, or just looking for another project; rain barrels might be the right option for you. Searching the web for different rain barrel systems, I found nothing that fit my situation. There are some basics to consider before you build your rain barrels: Amount of water, Filtering, Storage, and Usage.

This topic has grown a life of its own. Please visit my rain barrel blog where I go over this topic and explain why I chose my rain barrel design.

Starting Seeds: Hardening off plants

Time to toughen you up, for the real world.

I have potted up my seedlings. What else can I do before planting them in the garden? My little plants are still fragile. Growing in the protection my house with no wind, no heavy rain, no cold temps, and not baking under the full sun light. To prevent transplant shock and allow these plants to thrive I need to start transitioning them to the real world.

Why harden your plants?
Mainly to prevent the dreaded transplant shock. The effects of transplant shock include slow growth, reduce/prevent fruiting, product bad/rotten fruit, make the plant to susceptible to disease, or kill the plant.

When to harden your plants?
3-14 days before planting directly into soil. This is mainly advised when you have a environment outside then where the seeds are grown. This includes if the seeds where grown inside and it is still cold outside.

How to harden your plants?
Let the plants say out side in some shade/partial sunny area. Eventially you will slowly put the plants into areas of more and more direct sun light. Setting the plants outside to allow the plants to transition to a colder temperature. be cautions of weather under 50 degrees, heavy rains, or high winds. This is to protect seedling's stems from strain and the roots from shock.



Resources :

http://www.growit.umd.edu/SeedStarting/Hardening.cfm

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/914/#b

http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenprimer/ss/SeedStarting_10.htm

http://richmondfoodcollective.blogspot.com/2012/03/seed-starting-and-hardening-off-for.html

http://chiotsrun.com/2010/05/19/seed-starting-101-hardening-off/

Starting Seeds: Potting Up

Knowing your roots...

It has been about 3 weeks from starting my seeds and they are growing so fast. Even with the warm weather, it is too early in the season of Wisconsin to transplant in the soil with the risk of frost. So what do you do when your baby plants have out grown there seed trays, but the weather is too risky? Pot Up

Why Pot Up?  
The main purpose of to prevent stunted root growth. With out room for the roots to grow they will just circle around in the container and stunt the plants growth when you transplant them into the ground.  This also give the plant more dirt to absorb nutrient. As well as allow you offset any leggy/spindling seeds that have too long of a stem by to set the plant deep into the pot and filling up soil around the stem.

When to Pot Up?
Usually the best time is after you see true leaves and they are about 3-4 inches tall. Those first 2 leaves are just baby seed leaves called 'cotyledon leaves'. It is also a good time when you see roots grow out of the bottom of the tray or pot For most plants it is about 3 weeks. Peppers are known to take longer.


How to Pot Up?
Water the plants the day before potting up, this will help loosen the soil. Choose a pot or container that has proper drainage and is 2 inches or bigger. Get some fresh garden potting soil. The day of potting up, i like to loosen the sides of soil in the seed tray with a butter knife. Put a small layer of soil in the pot/container you will be using. When removing try not to touch or damage the stem or the true leaves, try to pull using the cotyledon leaves and turning the seed tray upside down.  Put the plant in the pot and fill with soil. 


Remember:
You still need to water and provide additional light for your plants. You might even want to start 'hardening off' you plants by setting them out side in the day. They are still baby plants, so don't leave them out if it gets bellow 65F at night or if it is raining (risk of over watering you plants).


References:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/seed/msg031430028669.html
http://www.growit.umd.edu/SeedStarting/Potting%20up.cfm
http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenprimer/ss/SeedStarting_9.htm
http://houseplants.about.com/od/pottingandrepotting/a/Repotting.htm
http://www.correntewire.com/seed_starting_pt_4_potting_up

March: Planning, Pruning, Patience

March is just about over. Will we ever see warm weather again?

As much as Grams warned me, I fell victim to the 4 days for warm weather and ambitiously set out my rain barrels. The next day... 29F high temperature. Good thing the sun warmed my barrels enough for me to drain them before they froze. I have decided to revert to my winter mindset, which is planning what my tasks are when spring returns.

So what are the plans? I will be adding 2 more garden beds near the side door of the house. It is the sunnier south side of the property and it is conveniently closer to my kitchen. I have considered putting in the extra effort by doing some hugelkulture, but I'll save that for another post. What will I plan in theses new garden beds? Mainly herbs, because that are great for cooking. I will also do a few tomato, peppers, lettuce, and beans. In the old garden beds I'll be growing more exciting plants: Popcorn, Hoops, Pumpkins, Wheat, and Okra. Hopefully burying the fall leaves in these old gardens have repaired my clay soil.

I have found something to do outside. With the snow gone and spring trying to impersonate winter, I have set forth with pruning saw and shears in hand. Pruning during the winter is the best as the plant is dormant and nasty plant attaching bugs are not out yet. With the snow gone and spring trying to impersonate winter, I have set forth with pruning saw and shears in hand. Am i a good pruner... no. I don't know exactly what I am doing. Most bushes are very forgiving and i started with them. I have read that you can cut out 1/3 of a bush safely with our killing it. We'll see if they survive come spring. The trees need some timing too, but they are too close to power lines for me to brave doing it my self.

For now I am just going to be patient, refill the bird feeder, and check the forecast for warmer weather.