NJ Jersey Shore Garden Blog | Playing in the dirt in planting zone 7

Getting My Fall Garden On

09.03.2011, No Comments, Fruits, Greenhouse, Mulch, Vegetables, by admin.

I got a lot accomplished out there in the garden today. After struggling with the thought of tearing out my blighted and hurricane blown tomato plants, I pulled all the green ones off and trashed the rest. The bed was being wasted and they weren’t getting any better, so they had to go.

I planted red tipped lettuce, romaine and beets in their place.

Right next to that bed, in the space next to the cabbage, I planted a mesclun mix.

I pulled my bush bean plants, harvested the last of them and had green beans and pasta with garlic and oil for dinner with the kids tonight. If you put the beans in the boiling water first for 5 min., then add the noodles and cook them until aldente, about 8 min, the fresh beans are the PERFECT texture. Drain them all together and add sauce. mmmmmmm.

I planted broccoli raab in place of the beans. Made sure to trim the wilted leaves and help train the cucumber plants on their trellis. I took some of the rooted runners from the strawberry patch and potted them up. I plan to move a few to the front yard beds once they get over the shock.

At least the eggplants look happy!

The kiwi (male and female) were not doing well in the pots I had them in on the front porch, so I potted them up with a better soil mix and put them in the greenhouse with the other plants I’m paying closer attention to right now. I staked a few of the volunteer tomatoes and transplanted one of them to a container in the greenhouse. I also edged the front walk, got rid of the weeds in the cracks and swept the steps and the walk. I don’t do that often enough. It makes SUCH a big difference when you look at the front of the house!

I still have a bunch of mulch in the back of the truck. I need to finish putting it down on the driveway bed and try to unify the flagpole bed with that one solid color mulch. Right now, it’s very choppy looking over there. That bed could use a nice clean edge too.

Here’s what the kids were up to while I was digging in the dirt. This was NOT a couch potato day!

Amazon.com Widgets

Grass as Mulch and New Flowers Blooming

08.19.2011, 1 Comment, Composting, Flowers, Fruits, Keyhole Garden, Mulch, by admin.

We’ve been getting a lot of rain this week which is great for my garden, but not so fantastic for my husband’s vacation. I almost feel bad for being so thrilled about it. I recently planted what is probably my last set of bush beans in the garden to replace some of the spent zucchini plants. I planted peas along this little stick trellis (see the photo) to replace the turnips and some lettuce to fill in spaces here and there. I tend to stink at germinating seeds in the summer because I let things dry out too much out there, but the rain has really been helping me out.

A friend of mine pointed out a local landscaper who posted an ad on craigslist offering to dump a truck of grass clippings to be used in compost and as mulch. I went for it and had him bring me the grass last Saturday. I will NEVER do that again. The pile was only half as big as the huge pile of mulch I that I had dumped on the driveway in the spring but the grass was WAY more of a pain in the butt because of the SMELL.

I’ve read a lot about compost and I knew that a pile that had too much green matter could get stinky, but holy moly, there is no way I thought it would be that bad. My compost piles have always been carbon heavy because I always have WAY more leaves than kitchen and compostable garden waste. We’ve got a lot of trees. But a truck load of grass clippings is a LOT of green and that stuff got HOT and slimy and smelly real fast. I layered up my compost pile and then spread the rest as mulch, but I tell you it STILL smells like a horse stall outside my front door and the flies are just all over it. I was kind of hoping that once I spread it out it would dry out some and stop being stinky, but the rain has kept it moist ((shiver)) and oh, just gross.

I have to go into this much detail about it because I need to remind myself how awful dealing with it was. You see, after just a day or so I can already see a significant difference in my gardens. My dry summer gardens just LOVE the grass + rain and I’m afraid I’ll forget the nastiness for all the lovely boost my plants will receive.

Speaking of a boost – check out the morning glories! There is a flagpole under there somewhere. I never thought they would get that insane. I can’t help but wonder, how the hell am I going to get them OFF of that thing when they freeze this winter? I think I’ll have to take the flagpole down to do it.

As for the keyhole garden – I couldn’t be more thrilled with a garden project than I am with this! The greens haven’t quit the whole season and that volunteer watermelon vine that came out of the compost has 2 huge melons on it! I wish I had ANY idea when to pick them – I would hate to waste them by picking them too early. I think that after everything freezes this winter and a few weeks before I plant in spring, I’ll empty out the middle compost bin, mix it all into the rest of the soil in the keyhole and start again with a new compost mix in the center.

Here are some flowers that are blooming that are brand new to my gardens this year.

“Turtleheads” transplanted from my Cioci Kathy’s garden in Howell, NJ

Hollyhocks I started from seed I bought from a seller on ebay. Strange thing is, that plant on the left with the pink flowers came up from one of those seeds that should have been a Hollyhock. What the heck IS that thing? It’s pretty though and then stem is real sturdy, probably an inch in diameter. I don’t mind it, I just don’t have any idea what it is.

A blurry, washed out picture of some Exotica lilies that were included for free in one of my nursery orders this spring. They are lovely and had I almost forgot I put them in the ground until they started blooming.

Spring Gardener Gable Greenhouse, 6 Feet X 8 Feet X 7 Feet

08.02.2011, 4 Comments, Greenhouse, by admin.

I’m so glad I bought it. I got it from Amazon at the link to the right and we put it up today. My husband and I had it up in about 1/2 hour. It’s so sturdy! The pipe frame that holds it all together is metal with a powder coat finish and it’s like the width of a canister vacuum cleaner handle, you know what I mean? I guess about 1 1/2 inches and it’s held together with wing nuts so you don’t even need a screw driver. Everything lined up just the way it was supposed to, unlike when I had to put the damn garden arch together in the front yard.

The cover is thick with big sturdy zippers and velcro. It has a front and a back door and 4 roll up windows with screens to keep the bugs out but allow ventilation on super hot days. It’s seriously cool. Also, to make sure the cover doesn’t flap around in the wind and weather, it’s secured to the frame with velcro straps on the inside at each corner and all these little bungie cords along the base and roof lines. (take a look at the pictures below)

I’m looking forward to getting some shelves in there and to get growing. I think I might want to move it closer to the house so I’ll be more likely to water frequently and it’ll be easier to get to in not so nice weather. The only spots closer to the house are quite shady now, but will get sun in the fall after the trees lose their leaves. So, do I leave it here, or move it? Decisions, decisions…

Turnips with Tunnels, Wilting Cucumbers and Blighted Tomatoes

08.02.2011, No Comments, Flowers, How's It Growing?, Keyhole Garden, Vegetables, by admin.

I haven’t posted in a while – it’s been a busy summer and I’ve been enjoying my garden’s bounty. Contrary to the title of the post, the garden’s been great so far. I’ve had more zucchini this season than last season. I’ve got a basket of fresh tomatoes on my counter that I’ve been using in tomato salads and the chocolate cherry tomatoes barely make it out of the yard because I LOVE them so much I eat them before I get them inside. And there are a LOT of them. Smile I’ve got melons on the vine – honey dew, sugar baby watermelon and a volunteer watermelon from the compost basket from a seed of one we enjoyed from the grocery store. All that huge ton of mulch I got from a tree service in the spring is doing a great job at keeping the weeds down, only a few really determined ones are popping up through the surface.

I’ve had to clear a lot of leaves and 3 whole plants out of my tomato garden because of some nasty blight that attacked them. I tried to keep the leaves up off the dirt, but I don’t have soaker hoses or drip irrigation and use mostly overhead watering. Next year, instead of cramming so many in the same garden, I’ll have to spread them out more. I think that will help a lot.

Oh, and I’m staking the tomatoes next year. I hate the strings.

I planted 2 morning glory vines next to the mailbox and 2 more next to the flagpole. Holy moly! hahaha. If only my food grew like those morning glories! I can’t help but think “Jack and the Beanstalk” when I look at the flagpole.

I’ve been knocking cucumber beetles off my cucumber plants. Each time I take a look at them there are a few more wilted leaves and the vines just don’t seem to be going anywhere, not like last year.

Here’s some more of what’s going on in MyNJGarden…

This front yard entry garden is doing alright. I love the way the kale looks tucked in there. I need to plant more of them NOW so they look good into the fall when some of that loveliness starts to die back.

Now there are 3 honeydew melons growing on that vine I planted against the bed frame trellis but I had a surprise volunteer honeydew popup in one of the veggie beds in the back yard and that looks like it’s in even better shape than this one. Good thing too. I bought a honeydew at the grocery story yesterday and it was $5.99! WHAT?!

The keyhole garden is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I love it. I pick greens from it almost every day and I love the way the melon vines are spilling over the sides. That crazy huge burdock plant was kind of a surprise though. I’m glad I only put one in there. I had NO idea it would get so BIG. Those leaves are the size of a pizza! Very cool looking, I hope I like the flavor of the root. Not sure when to harvest/what to do with it yet. Just wanted to make it grow! haha.

There is that volunteer honeydew vine I told you about down at the bottom of the picture. I seem to always have good luck with chard. It likes my soil and my compost. It’s the most successful crop I grow, hands down. My cabbage isn’t really heading up, but I’m picking the leaves off, much like harvesting my chard, and enjoying them that way. Who needs a whole head of cabbage anyway?

My main tomato crop may be disappointing, but these 2 staked beefsteak tomato plants are awesome. Those tomatoes on there are huge and each plant has quite a few big ones ripening. I’m going to save seeds from one of them for next year.

I picked some good looking turnips today but was sad to see they had a few holes in them. I think some cabbage worms have been tunneling around in there…

I hear I’ll be getting blackberries on the plant you see above next year. I planted it last spring, but didn’t get much growth last year, so I’m thinking all that mess counts as first year vines meaning they will fruit next year and then I’m supposed to cut them down. I’m playing around with the idea of taking this bush out because it’s an Illini blackberry, a thorned variety, and those babies are SHARP. I’m not real excited about picking blackberries off that bush. Maybe when they finally show up though, I’ll be so psyched about it I won’t care.

Hey Oak Park, MI–Let Julie Grow!

07.11.2011, 1 Comment, Fruits, How's It Growing?, Lawn, Vegetables, by admin.

It’s hard to believe that this woman may have to face a 93 day jail sentence because she wants to be able to continue to grow food in her own front yard. Some blog posts describing this outrageous situation can be found here: TheGerminatrix and here: TheAgitator

Her front yard was torn up after replacing a sewer line, so an Oak Park woman installed neat raised vegetable garden beds with mulched pathways so that she could enjoy her own homegrown produce. One of her neighbors is pressing charges and says it’s not a suitable use of the front yard and it should be “common”, planted with a “grass yard with beautiful trees and bushes and flowers”.

Edibles belong wherever the homeowner can grow them! Eating locally benefits the homeowner as it is less expensive to buy and grow seed than to purchase veggies from the store, and it is more healthy to eat organic, seasonal fruit and vegetables. Home gardens also benefit the entire planet! Think of the fossil fuels used to grow store bought produce – to plow the fields, harvest, transport, package and sell it – vs. walking out the front door to pick your salad and your salsa.

Get your priorities straight Oak Park! And while you stew in that for a bit, I’m happy to stand up and share my own FRONT YARD edible gardens with the surge of support for Julie today.

Tags: front yard | Julie | MI | oak park

Picking tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini and beans now

07.03.2011, No Comments, Vegetables, by admin.

squash, cucumbers and a single pole bean scrambling up the arch http://mynjgarden.com Ate my first red garden tomatoes today from the Miracle BPF plants. A couple of chocolate cherry tomatoes too. Oh so tasty. The summer squash and zucchini are starting to roll in and I’ve got some tiny baby cucumbers on the vines. I had the sprinklers on for HOURS today, moving them all over the yard.

I dug up the purple potatoes. I planted one row along the 8’ edge of one bed. We got 24 spuds out of the 6 seed potatoes I planted. Some of them were real small so we could probably make about 3 mashed potato side dishes for dinner out of them. Not sure if I want to use the space for potatoes next year. The purple mashed potatoes DID look cool though and the kids loved helping me dig them up.

There are lots of beans happening out there right now. I gotta pick em tomorrow.

Gushing in the Garden and How’s It Growing?

06.13.2011, No Comments, Flowers, How's It Growing?, Questions, Vegetables, by admin.

I love this. I walk around my garden now with a big silly grin on my face. I feel like this is it – it’s really happening now. I waited all winter, dreaming of NOW – heading out first thing in the morning to pick ripe berries, harvest greens for breakfast, pull nasty weeds that weren’t there yesterday and see the brand new bloom that has finally opened up. I am so happy – SO happy in MyNJGarden. Here’s some of what’s happening out there.

Pretty borage flowers. I used some of the leaves in green smoothies while they were still young and small, before the flower stalks came up. Once they get bigger, the leaves get a weird, fuzzy (but pretty) texture and I don’t like the taste. The flowers are edible too, but I haven’t tried them yet this year. I’m just not much of a flower eater. I better dead head these things soon because they reseeded like CRAZY from last season. I didn’t plant any borage on purpose this year, but they are all over the place.

The spinach (on the right) has bolted, but I’m not sure how/when to collect the seed from it. Gotta look that up and get on it before I miss my chance. The swiss chard (on the left) is really going strong now and it’s soooo yum.

Looky, looky! Makes me giddy to think that I’ll be having fresh tomato salad soon. Ahhhhh summer.

On the left, peas that never got very tall. Turns out lincoln is a dwarf variety. pfft. The bush beans look happy in the middle there and the blue potatoes are hilled up against the board on the right side of the bed. Fingers crossed! I really hope the blue potatoes come out good. I want a LOT of them. I haven’t eaten one since high school (ahem, almost 20 years ago)

These are my Egyptian Walking Onions. I got a bunch of bulbets from a seller on Ebay and planted them in November. I haven’t harvested any yet, but look at all the little bulbs on the top of the plant! The little ones are starting to grow already! Now, I’m not sure what to do here – do I chop off the bulbets now, even though they’ve started to sprout? I’ll leave a few on some of the plants so that they weight them down and reseed themselves, thus “walking” around the bed. Anyone ever grow these? What do you do at this point? Also, when do you dig them up to eat onions? How long until they are mature underground?

One day the garlic plants were just leaves and, I swear, the next day, SCAPES! Big curly ones! How did I not see THAT coming? haha. I cut a few off today and put them in some lentil soup. So, when you cut garlic scapes, do you cut them down as far as you can without cutting leaves, or do you just cut off the top “flower” part?

My driveway herb garden. It’s really coming along! The oregano really got HUGE this year. Last year it was just ground cover but this year they are like 2ft high shrubs.

This is milk thistle – over a foot in diameter with a cool, Eeyore treat, purple thistle on top! I know in supplement form, milk thistle is supposed to be awesome for liver support, but I honestly don’t know what the hell to do with this other than to enjoy how cool this plant looks! haha.

Harvested lots of mustard and spinach out of the keyhole garden. Today I planted Spinach Mustard in it’s place. I’m hoping that can handle the heat of high summer in New Jersey.

Welcome to “Kinder Garden”! This is in shade most of the day, so I’m not sure how the harvest will be. The pole beans are climbing, but the leaves are tiny on the vines. The bush beans look more lush and they DO have flowers, so we’ll see how many beans the kids get to pick this year.

I planted these sweet william last year. I picked the plant up from the farmer’s market around the corner on Rt. 9. Call me crazy, but last year I SWEAR the flowers were magenta. Like /bright/ magenta. Now they are /white/? How the hell did THAT happen?

Three years ago I bought a predesigned garden from Spring Hill nursery that included butterfly blue scabiosa. The first year they were amazing – bloomed like crazy from early summer to frost – I LOVED that flower. The next year, I was spoiled and cocky and didn’t water them nearly as often. They all died. All except three. I replanted those here in this front garden and only one plant made it through the winter. It’s happy and I’m making sure to keep it that way. I hope it reseeds all over the place.

My squash and cucumber plants are small, much smaller than they should be. I planted in those damn cardboard containers and the roots have been struggling to break free. That’s one lone pole bean climbing up on the right side there…

Purple cone flower starting to bloom. Hooray! I love these…

Freecycled Dame’s Rocket I planted in the fall. Can’t wait to see what this looks like when it blooms.

Lavender in bloom. Smile

First of June brings first rose, cherries and tomatoes.

06.01.2011, 2 Comments, Flowers, Fruits, How's It Growing?, Vegetables, What I Planted, When I Planted, by admin.

The Rugosa Rose has bloomed! My picture is a little washed out, but it’s a light pink with just 5 petals. So pretty. There are a lot more buds on it, so I’m sure it will keep the show going for a while.

My first Lapin cherry is turning red! I’ve only got 2 cherries on the tree this season (haha), but this is only the second season it’s been planted here so I’m not disappointed. I didn’t even expect to get cherries this year.

Both the miracle BPF tomato plants have tomatoes on them already. I know I started the seeds early (indoors on Feb. 21) but wow, tomatoes on June 1st?! I wonder when they will turn red?!

I will never ever plant in cardboard seed flats, cut the cells apart and plant the whole cell thinking the cardboard will break down in the ground.

My zucchini, squash and melon seedlings have been in the ground for weeks and they are choking in those stinkin little pots. Today I planted seeds of each plant right near it and we’ll see which ones do better. Direct sowed, or started seedlings.

The ozark beauty strawberries are awesome! They are giving me so many berries! We can pick at least a pint every other day. I love them.

Something nasty is happening to my apple trees… what’s going on here?

I watered everything this morning and now there are severe thunderstorm warnings for this afternoon and tonight. I need to go put the lawn mower away and tape up the door to the greenhouse.

Tags: cherries | roses | strawberries | tomatoes