The Garden Buzz

Competitive Small-Space Strawberry Growing: Do I Stand a Chance?

The challenge was simple enough. Grow three strawberry plants in a creative manner that maximizes space and produces lots of of berries. Then blog about it. The grower/blogger best following those requirements with the largest number of comments and questions wins an iPad.

Of course, I have to say that this challenge was presented to the garden bloggers that attended Garden2Blog this spring by the Corona Tool Company. They sent us 3 bare root Tribute Strawberry plants from Stark Bros (the fruit tree people), a Corona Trowel and their best wishes for a spirited competition, all meant to bring awareness that even the smallest of places can be put to use for a delicious treat.

It's been fun to see all the different approaches by all the bloggers involved. Jenny Peterson, The Mulch Maven down in Austin, Texas planted hers in a hayrack windowbox decorated with wine corks and a mystical looking ceramic mushroom, Chicago's Shawna Coronado of The Casual Gardener repurposed lighting fixtures and built a futuristic Strawberry planter, while Jackie d"Elia placed hers in edgy steel wall planters. You can see everyone's progress on the Corona Strawberry Fields facebook page.

Of course I think that Shawna will win because beyond her great garden solution she has a gazillion facebook friends to vote her through!

Me? I started behind since I do live in Minnesota where we had a wet, crappy, cold, did I mention crappy, spring followed by a spate of blistering 103 degree days in June. Even the commercial growers have thrown in the towel according to a local news report about the short and so-so strawberry season here up north.

I guess I don't have any competitive streak when it comes to gardening, my style's a little lazy and definitely laissez-faire and by default, organic. My approach is usually low-key and simple.

June 10, a promising start...

So I used an old wooden box I found laying around the garage that was labeled Dow's Vintage Port. Remembering an old world recipe for strawberries macerated with sugar and soaked in port, I felt it fitting. Kind of like coming full circle with a touch of recycling too.

I planted them in a mixture of potting soil and compost along with Jobe's Organic Fertilizer. And then I left town for two weeks.

My strawberries sulked through the cold weather, then sweated the heat and actually sputtered out a few berries. I figured that was the end.

June 30, a few berries, is that all there is?

The rules said grow them "naturally", so I refrained from giving them a shot of Miracle-Gro, and brewed up a bucket of Moo-Poo Manure Tea made by cattle rancher Annie Haven (we grew up a mile from each other in CA but only met in Arkansas as fellow garden bloggers, small world, huh?). That seemed to perk them up and put on more foliage.

The beginnings of more berries...

Next up on the weather menu: torrential rains, and then mind-boggling heat. A week of tropical, dew-point busting, humid, hot weather the likes of which had never been seen or felt with heat indices over 110 in Minnesota!  I watered the berries with that rainwater saved in trashcans mixed with some Herb & Vegetable Plant Food that the nice folks at Bonnie Plants sent me to trial. 

Meanwhile the Japanese beetles thought they looked pretty tasty too. I plucked them off into soapy water and then sent them to a grisly death in the garbage disposer.

July 25, buds, blooms and berries galore...

And well, wouldn't you know...the plants are not only producing runners, but flowers and baby berries. I love how they are draped over the table and dangling like jewels from the vines. I just may have a bumper crop of berries after all!

Strawberry Fields Project in progress, and behind that a raised bed from Green Gardener where I'm growing tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, basil and a few cukes.

Vote for The Garden Buzz by leaving a comment or question on this blog post if you like my interpretation of small-space food-growing. Who knows, Mama might win an iPad! 

 

My Tomato Planting Technique: Does It Measure Up?

P. Allen Smith measures the tomatoes that Garden2Blog garden bloggers planted in his vegetable patch during the various competitions. Here's mine!

The Garden Buzz

Just in Time: P. Allen Smith's Seasonal Recipes from the Garden

Every time I see more snowflakes falling from the sky I have to turn my head to the heavens and ask, "Really?"

So when P. Allen Smith's Seasonal Recipes from the Garden showed up, it was not a minute too soon. If I can't be gardening, cooking and reading are next on the list; better yet when the two are put together. But be warned, don't read this while you're hungry, you'll stop mid-book and start rattling some pans.

 

Just in time for spring, and for some of you that will be sooner, way sooner than for me, this book is plum-packed with delicious ways to prepare dishes from all the great produce in your garden. Cooking from the garden is such a joy; instead of asking yourself what's for dinner, the garden tells you what to make. Having P. Allen as a guide only makes it nicer.

Mr. Smith and my family come from the same neck of the woods. Like the family photos at the front of his book, mules loom large in mine as well. I may have been a California kid, but I was raised on beans and cornbread. My mama made sure I knew the pleasure of shelling peas on the porch and picking blackberries in the sticker patch. So I don't so much as read the recipes, but hear them in a familiar voice. Don't think you have to be a southerner though to enjoy it.

I love how the book isn't just about vegetables, but includes recipes for the meat, eggs, fruits, herbs and flowers he raises at his new home, The Garden Home Retreat. I was able to visit there with fellow Master Gardeners as it was being built  and I can tell you it is a gorgeous fantasy homestead brought to life.

I've been using his recipes for some time via his online Garden Home newsletter, so I know they're straightforward and not the least bit fussy. I have a knack for being able to taste a recipe as I read it, and let me tell you, I can't wait to try these.

Divided into four seasons, I'm anxious to make the Crawfish Etouffee, Broccoli with Lemon and Hazelnuts, and Radish Top Pasta for spring. I'm defintely curious about his Speckled Strawberry Ice that uses lots of cracked black pepper!

Summer includes among others: Grilled Summer Salad, Savory Grit Cakes with Oven-Smoked Tomatoes, and Peach Moon Tart. Fall features Allen's Favorite Sweet Potato Pie, Killer Apple Cake and White Cheddar Parsnips. And while I'm so over winter, the Winter recipes for  slow-cooker lamb, roasted quail and duck gumbo seem like a tasty culinary distraction from all the white stuff outside.

And like the good boy that he is, he includes his mother's cinnamon rolls, even though they don't have a garden conection at all.

More importantly, the recipe for Cornbread Dressing, not 'stuffing' y'all, sounds the same as the lost recipe for my mother's version...could this be the holy grail of cornbread dressing I can now pass onto my daughter? Let's hope.

Besides the inspiring recipes, the beautiful photographs along with gardening and cooking tips make this book one I would have bought anyway, but thanks again to P. Allen and his people. It's a winner!

 

 

 

Last Minute Shopping: 8 Great Gifts for Gardeners

If you already have your holiday shopping done, you probably don't need this list. However, if you've been waiting for divine inspiration or panic to spur you on, maybe I can help.

If I only had to shop for gardeners, gift-buying would be a giddy, fun-filled spree skipping through the internet and multiple garden centers. I think, as a group, we are a grateful bunch, a group that's easy to please.

Just be glad you don't have to shop for my husband; good, all-around guy but not a gardener. His mother and I brainstormed on this gift topic recently but only came up with headaches.

I'll be the first to tell you that we bloggers get lots of samples and goodies. They come from generous and well-intentioned people hoping that we will find them delightful and/or useful, and then write about the wonders of their product. I'll admit right up front, that a few of my suggestions might spring from this, but mostly they are practical things that I myself would be happy to receive, any time of the year for that matter. So here we go...

1. Gloves: We can never have enough gloves. We lose them, we poke through them, we lend them. A collection of gloves would be good; heavy goatskin for rose-pruning, rubber-coated for digging damp soil and thin, stretchy for delicate seedling work.
2. Plant Journal: While some of us will never be so organized as to actually use one, we'd like to have one just in case. There's an online plant journal called Plant Jotter, that takes garden planning and recording to a whole new level.
3. Mason Bee House: Beyond bird feeders this is the perfect gift for habitat gardeners. Mason bees use the bamboos tubes inside the cute little shelter to lay eggs and store nectar and pollen. Mason bees are 20 times more efficient than honeybees, and they don't sting.
4. Dibble: What? A dibble or dibber is a sharp, pointy tool with a T-shape handle, an old-fashioned tool that makes for fast planting of seeds, bulbs and young plants. A life-changing tool for me, it's great for what I call speed-planting. You can find them in garden stores and online catalogs.
5. Camera: Whether it's a point-and-shoot or a big, fancy digital SLR; a camera can bring so much to your gardening. Photographing your garden makes you see it in a whole new way; recording your growth and bloom times, helping with design issues, seeing seasonal interest not to mention lots of pictures to pull out and show off to your friends. For the real geeky gardener, go one step further with a macro lens for bug closeups. Yes, I have one and no, it wasn't free.
6. Tools: Trowels, pruners, weeders, shears, etc. You can't go wrong with iconic red-handled Felcos, however Corona tools are making a big push with their new line. They've put a lot of thought into ergonomics; scaling them to fit feminine hands. I love Oxo tools in the kitchen and now they are coming out with garden tools too.
7. Garden Magazine Subscriptions: Hey, when we aren't gardening, we like to read about gardening. Right now publishers are practically giving away magazines, just to keep readership during the tough economy. I recommend anything that Better Homes and Gardens does, Fine Gardening, Birds and Blooms, Garden Design and Horticulture. If you live in my neck of the woods, buy local and give a year of Northern Gardener.
8. Seeds: We love seeds. Seed packets give us hope and something to hold in our hands during the long winters. Lots of catalogs are out before Christmas with yummy photos to dream over. Give a gift certificate for spring or pick out some and personalize the plant. Try purveyors of unique and heirloom seeds like Renee's, Seeds of Change, Seed-Savers,Johnny's and Baker Creek.

Let me know if you have suggestion too. Otherwise, what are you waiting for? Get shopping!

 

 

 

 

Herbs: Food Growing for Commitment-Phobes

Vegetable gardening is the hot ticket in the horticultural world right now. The quest for locally-grown produce meeting the economic downturn has sent folks back to the land.

Yet anyone who's heard of that book about the $64 tomato knows that growing your own sometimes comes with a price. Better to grow for the delicious taste and fresh air opportunities.

Not everyone will be able to grow a veggie garden; it's a considerable outlay of time and energy. Others simply won't have a suitable site. Not to be a Debbie Downer, I'm all for edible gardening, but it's a bit of a commitment.

Growing herbs is a great solution for those not quite ready to commit. They take up little space, can be grown among other plants and provide a continuous harvest. Many of them are drought tolerant once established, as well as pretty much pest free.

 Homegrown herbs spark up store-bought vegetables, or better yet, farmer's market finds. Herbs increase the health value of any dish, some with high vitamin and mineral content They add depth and flavor to just about anything, sweet or savory.

 

BEGINNER'S HERB GARDEN

 

CHIVES

The classic accompaniment to sour cream on that baked potato. Slender green foliage with pretty pink blossoms. Hardy to zone 4. Clumping form that can be divided to increase plants. Mild onion flavor that adds zing to eggs, salads, soups and more.

PARSLEY 

Beyond the garnish, parsley is a versatile herb that combines well with other herbs to lend depth to many dishes. The more common curly type is milder than flat-leaf or Italian parsley. Add to soups, salads, vegetables and casseroles among others

THYME

Tiny leaves on stiff stems followed by pink or white compound flowers. A smoky, spicy taste that gives sophistication to meat, fish, vegetables and egg/cheese based dishes. Lots of varieties with citrus fragrance and taste notes.

MINT

Fresh green textured leaves with that distinctive flavor. Grow in containers to keep in bounds. A huge number of different twists; apple, pineapple, coconut, lime, you name it. Special in drinks, surprising in desserts, lovely with lamb and other meats.

BASIL

Green shiny leaves with an anise tinged taste. A heat-loving plant that grows and grows. Lots of varieties for a diversity of flavor, color, texture and shape. Popular for pesto and pasta.

 

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Making Maple Syrup: Field Trip to the Sugar Bush

The sap's running!

The call came yesterday. My husband's former boss, the consummate woodsman, canoeist, hunter and sportsman, now retired, would be boiling syrup the next day. Sap runs in the spring when the days go above freezing while the night temps remain below. So today we headed north to the woods...

The sugar bush refers to a stand of maples, typically sugar maple or black maple, used for making the syrup we all love on our pancakes, unless you've got a thing for Mrs. Butterworth. Today's post is more show than tell.

The Sugar Bush (The Garden Buzz)

Rustic sap buckets have given way to cleaner, more efficient plastic bags, note the tap in the middle.

The sap is collected in large buckets, strained with a milk strainer to remove any bugs or debris. Then it's ready for cooking.

Wood-fired cooker is used for the first phase, keeping the temp constant.

The next phase will finish the process when this goes into a roiling boil.

Ron and his 90 year-old father patiently and expertly supervise the process.

It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of finished maple syrup.

The gorgeous scenery, white trilliums will carpet the woodland floor in spring.

Hmmm...I wonder what creature lives in there.

Moss, lichens and bracket fungi. The forest is poised on the moment of re-birth while in decay at the same time. Once again, that whole circle of life stuff.

The syrup is not quite finished, but beginning to take on that amber hue. At this point a mildly maple taste to the product.

We had to leave before the final phase. I'm hoping for a small bit of the batch someday soon.
 
 
For more signs of spring read about the antics of my resident Canadian Geese in the   Star Tribune 

 
 
 
 

 
  

Making Local Eating a Little Easier

Radishes (The Garden Buzz)

Just days after the announcement of Apple's iPad, it's easy to think that all the new ideas are hi-tech, complex and out of our reach. And then an idea comes along that is sweet and simple, and based on sharing. A smart lady with the appropriate last name of Farmer, has started a website called The Farmer's Garden, a place where gardeners, growers and farmers can register to sell, buy and trade surplus produce with other local growers and consumers. In addition, individuals and non-profits, like food pantries can register classified ads for wanted produce. She wants to make it easier for everyone to be a locavore. It seems a win-win for everyone.

Ms Farmer states that you can "trade your banner crop of one thing for your neighbor's bountiful crop of something else". I would think fruit tree owners might find this especially helpful when an entire crop comes at once, or even the everyday gardener with a zillion zucchini, and all kinds of good food in between. Delicious, unusual or rare varieties might be found growing not in your own backyard but mighty close. She encourages people to consider that even in winter there are still certain crops available.

It's not necessary to register to search the database. You can search with options for zip code, travel radius, transaction type and produce category. Always use common sense when using any online source.

This community resource can connect consumers and growers, create community, support better nutrition, and reduce waste. I bet you can think of more. Check it out at The Farmer's Garden.