Garden Journal 2010. Garden is 0.4 acres with several beds of fruit and vegetables,in Zone 5B, Brantford, Ontario, Canada. The Journal is mostly pictures with a short explanation.The Journal is updated daily depending upon something of interest appearing. I add material from previous years if it has enduring information.
Garden Journal for 2009
21 September 2009 Shed Roof Replacement with Suntuf Panels.
In 2004 a shed was build and typical PVC panels was used for the roof. Similar to Palruf, but am not certain of the name at this time. It may even had been Palruf. This was desired for having ample light in the shed. The material went through about two seasons then it got brittle and cracks appeared. Clearly this material is almost useless for building. The roof was replaced with Suntuf, which is supposed to have a long life and is UV resistant. Both products appear flexible and strong when new. Suntuf is about $50.00 for a 2 by 12 foot sheet, whereas the old PVC panel is about $30.00 for a similar sized sheet.
8 October 2009 Planting Garlic (Allium sativum, Hard neck)
Planted using 2009 best and largest cloves. Seventy five cloves were planted for the main harvest.
Forty five bulblets from another garden, and fifteen one year old cloves, which grew from bulblets last year in another garden, were planted as an experiment to see how large the bulbs will get.
Spacing is 6 inch centers, and depth is about three inches for the base of the clove. The bed was prepared on the 10 of September and covered with wood chips to diffuse rain water and to reduce moisture evaporation.
After planting the wood chips were raked over the bed to limit frost heaving of the soil during the freeze and thaw cycles during the winter. The mulch will be moved away from the emerging shoots in the early spring.
Goji berry, Chinese Wolfberry, Lycium barbarum
The Chinese Wolfberry pods were planted on 10 February 2008. Due to ignorance the whole pod was planted, but it is only necessary to plant one seed per plant. They were thinned and the stronger plant will be kept as they get larger. Germination was about 14 days and it appears maybe planting the pod is a good idea, since the germination was probably 100%. The plant is a perennial. Fruit production is in the third and fourth year, according to the literature.
Goja Berries. Various views of the berries and plants.
Inspecting the garden after the first severe frost, six goja berries were discovered on one Chinese Wolfberry plant. This is after 18 months from seed growth. There are three plants in the garden. Two are thriving and the other is healthy but stunted, since a rabbit ate the top in the Spring of 2009. Taste was pleasant.
General overview of preparing a garden bed which is basically grass covered to begin. The various operations are simplified with the right tools. Most can be rented at a reasonable cost, if the size of the garden doesn’t warrant purchasing.
Spray can for garden use. This spray can is made from a propane tank. It uses compressed air to propel the liquid. It is an improvement over the manual pump up commercial tanks in my jaundiced opinion. Construction is described in detail in the pictures. Little Giant SV-18 Snifter Valve, 1/4″ Pipe Thread.
Asparagus Bed.
16 May 2008 Making Asparagus bed. Note: An asparagus bed is a long term effort. It should last many years, and the third year full Spring harvest should commence..
The bed is 41 inches by 102 inches by 12 inches deep. About a cubic yard of soil was removed. Time taken three hours from start to finish. Compost, sand and a bit of bone meal was added and mixed prior to planting the Asparagus Millennium Rhizomes. There were a total of eleven rhizomes. The bed will be filled in with compost, sand and a bit of normal soil as the plant grows. The rhizomes were spaced about 16 inches apart, and covered with two inches of soil, with the crown just protruding above the soil level.
6 August 2008 Asparagus (Millennium)
This indicates the growth over the summer. The bed was gradually filled in with good soil, as the asparagus fern stems grew.
18 June 2009 Asparagus (Millennium)
All originally planted eleven plants are now growing. The end of the bed with slow growth may be due to being wetter at that end.
13 September 2009 Asparagus bed.
Growth is excellent for one year. The bed was planted in May 2008. Only a few spears will be taken in 2010, then the main harvest will begin in the Spring of 2011.
Crosne (Stachys affinis) Final Harvesting and Processing.
Crosne were dug a total weight of 15 pounds from the row, around 40 plants. Seven liters of the crosne were pickled in vinegar for future use, and a liter was left out for eating fresh. The blue tarp under the plants has no real advantage, and will be abandoned next year.
If the climate is congenial, the tubers can be left in the ground and dug as required, but this is not an option in my cold region (Zone 5). Next year, placing the tubers in soil and placing in my cold room will be tried for storage.
Last year most tubers got ruined, since they were kept under water in a pail, and taste and color changed. Crosne change to a dark color quickly in the refrigerator, so pickling seems like a good choice for storage.
Some tubers were placed in a pot and buried in the ground for seed in 2010. This same practice was successful last year.
Blender Vitamins Juice Fiber
Blender Vitamins Juice Fiber Pictures of the process.
Various fruit and vegetables are cut into pieces and blended to make juice. I use enough water to blend easily, and to make the juice liquid enough to swallow similar to canned juice.
The initial blending is then mixed by dumping back and forth into two pots, and blending a second time, then putting into containers and stored in the refrigerator.
The quantity shown is about a 7 to 10 day supply for one person at a consumption rate of one or two glasses per day.
The whole fruit is consumed so the fiber is also present, as opposed to just squeezing the juice, and some of the fruit and vegetables have almost no juice.
I utilize what is readily available from my garden or the supermarket in the off season. Usually the soft, pulpy fruits are avoided, since they fiber usually floats, meaning it does not mix well.
Total preparation time about 50 minutes.
This support at first look appears to be ideal for supporting tomato plants in the home garden. The ring is 9 inches in diameter and diameter is about 1/8 inch and is stiff and very strong.
One of the sides of the ring can be easily removed to facilitate circling an existing plant, particularly if a support is required lower than the those installed.
The plastic clamp is well made and of strong construction. I use rebar for support, but wooden stakes up to about two inches could be utilized.
