Root Crops
Although we've been getting timely and adequate rains thus far this year, normally our summers here can be a bit dry. So we started mulching in our garden by mulching around the potato crop seen above. Because this is a new garden, it lacks in organics in the soil which help retain moisture for longer periods of time. This is very evident when immediately after an inch of rain, I can walk out in the garden and barely sink. In our old garden, doing that would guarantee my shoes would be buried in mud up to my ankles. So my hope is that I can till all the straw into the soil this fall and help to start building up the organic load along with any remaining crop residue.
Some of you may remember that after I tilled the lawn last year to create this garden, I seeded it down with Daikon radishes in order to help build up the organic load and to help penetrate down into the harder layers below the top soil to allow moisture be absorbed even more. I didn't yet have a fence and after the deer discovered the radish patch and spread the word, a herd of them was out there every evening and decimated the entire crop. I was only able to pull a couple radishes that were somewhere between the diameter of a pencil lead and the entire pencil and maybe an inch long.
In the area where I plan to plant my tomatoes and peppers soon, I have yet to till it up this year. As a result, I have a healthy crop of volunteer Daikon radishes growing there now with some nice sized tubers. They have been a nice addition to our salads from the lettuce we are also growing in our garden. I'm not sure yet what I will do with all the radishes that I'll have to pick before I can plant the tomatoes and peppers but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
Finally a shot of the entire garden down below taken exactly 7 days ago. Everything planted in it is up with the one exception of garlic, which is another casualty of the seed company shipping live things way too late to plant. Garlic needs to be planted with cold weather ahead, typically I have always planted it in the fall or on the rare occasion, very very early in the spring as soon as the frost goes out. I've never planted it this late before and from what I have read online, it will still grow but will probably not multiple and will look more like an onion with a single clove at the bottom. If it doesn't, I'll just get some garlic this fall, from a different source, and plant it again. Our various beans, green and dry shelling, are planted to the left of the mulched potato patch. A few rows of those didn't germinate well for some reason. About half of the rows only have maybe a 50% germination rate and two rows maybe 10%. Not sure why at this point but it is what it is. The weedy spot on the far left is the volunteer radishes that I wrote about above and where I hope to soon plant my tomatoes and peppers.
Looking good, Ed.
ReplyDeleteWas just reading about the storms in Iowa yesterday. Were those near you?
Well the town that got wiped out by the tornado was maybe 80 miles away as the crow flies. There were radar indicated tornados, probably never touching the ground, as close as 20 miles away. We just got quite a bit of wind and a brief heavy rain.
DeleteIt looks like your site is well blessed with sunlight.
DeleteWhen we moved here, our backyard was in continual shade. But we have lost somewhere north of 50 trees in the 11 years we've had this property, many along the edges of our backyard and so now it gets quite a bit of sunlight. We are gradually replanting trees, but on other parts of the lot where they won't block the sunlight to the area where the garden is now.
DeleteGlad to see from your comment above that you weathered the storms OK. The garden looks promising!
ReplyDeleteSoil tests show the soil is very depleted and we added quite a bit of nitrogen to it this spring but it will need a lot of work to get it to where our old garden was. We are seeing signs that it is affecting the actual vegetables but won't know how much until later.
DeleteI like that last shot with the verdant foliage beyond your selfmade shed/greenhouse and your vegetable plot. I think I can see a gang of deer hiding in the shadows. Can't you get some well-rotted horse manure to dig in when the summer has gone?
ReplyDeletePerhaps but the hard part is getting it delivered and down a steep hill behind my house. Then there is dealing with the weed seeds in the manure that will be making their presence known for years after.
DeleteVegetable gardeners in England swear by horse manure but it must be well-rotted. I also save all of our vegetable matter and for example recyclable teabags in order to create compost in three big compost bins. This is duly dug into our smallish vegetable plots.
DeleteWe too save our food scraps and have been doing so for years in a pile that is behind the greenhouse in the picture above. I hope to work some of that into the garden this fall.
DeleteYou have such a nice, neat garden plot! I've thought about growing garlic before. Maybe I should try it this fall.
ReplyDeleteI love growing garlic and it is an easy crop to grow. My only dislike is that I don't have a really perfect place to store it so I can have it year round.
DeleteKorean Natural Farming can make your ground fertile and bring earthworms to the soil. Also, planting soy beans and cutting the stalk at the ground when the harvest is done brings a lot of nutrients to the soil. And of course, time heals, cures and improves all (hopefully).
ReplyDeleteWhen I tilled up the garden last summer, I saw few earthworms. But while planting things this year, they are everywhere. I'm taking that as a sign we are moving in the right direction.
DeleteYour garden looks beautiful! I love radishes whether in green salad or potato salad. Yummy! P.S.Glad the tornado didn't hit you!
ReplyDeleteRadishes are one of those things I like in measured doses. I like them on my salads but they grow old more quickly than the supply since they are pretty easy to grow. I need a way to preserve them for more gradual use all year long.
DeleteWe have another round headed our way tonight though the bullseye is further west. It is just something we have to deal with every spring and whether or not "lightening" will strike.
Looks great and I remember the building of the shed!
ReplyDeleteIt has come in really handy. My garden tools are now steps away from where they are utilized. Seedlings we start from seeds are too.
DeleteYour garden is looking good, it all takes time. The garden I had in North Dakota was wonderful, here we have so much sand in our soil that it is not wet for long..and the deer eat everything in sight. Maybe next Fall plant a cover crop of beans and then till it all up come Spring!
ReplyDeleteMy brother in Alabama has much the same sandy soil and quickly gone moisture problems with his garden. I certainly would like to plant a cover crop this fall. I'm not sure how it will go with mulch which might make the planting of the cover crop difficult. Time will tell.
DeleteGrowing radishes to plow them in is probably the best use for them. 😊😁
ReplyDeleteRadishes are a polarizing vegetable for sure. I like them for awhile in the spring and then I can go the rest of the year without another.
DeleteBest of the luck with the garden, Ed. It is looking great so far.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteBeautiful garden AND shed! Wish I could enjoy some of what I am sure will be a bountiful harvest!
ReplyDeletePerhaps. There are signs that the poor soil quality is affecting the produce but will know more later this year.
DeleteGood looking garden and a beautiful shed. Hopefully those deer will show you a little mercy!
ReplyDeleteThus far, the netted and electrified fence has kept them at bay.
DeleteI'm hoping to get a garden in sometime this year! The one root crop I haven't done well with here is beets (and it's my favorite). I can grow plenty of turnips and do okay with potatoes, but have only gotten a few beets each year--enough for one or two servings.
ReplyDelete