Green Thumb Momma

When I first started gardening I had no idea that there were actually vegetables that prefer to grown in cooler weather. I thought, "Since you grow tomatoes in summer, aren't all the other veggies grown then?"

This year I've learned a lot of vegetable gardening. Gas prices and food costs are so high; I've been trying to save some money by starting a veggie garden. Also, my son just turned 6, and is old enough to have his own garden spot. He thinks it's cool to grow something to eat, even though he won't let any of it near his dinner plate. (I need to get a copy of that cookbook by Jerry Seinfeld's wife-- where is gives recipes that hide veggies in kid-friendly foods, "Deceptively Delicious".)

So in the late winter I made my wish list of veggies to look into growing. Potatoes, spinach, onions, scallions (for this great pad Thai recipe I have!), broccoli (one L or two?), cukes, beans, snap peas, lettuces, etc. What I discovered was that most of list does not like the very hot summer in my Zone 7, mid-Atlantic garden. We are hot (90 degrees) and humid (90%). At those temps, green tomatoes won't even turn red!! Most of the garden goes into a dormant state in such conditions and stops producing. My sugar snap peas did. Consider your fescue-type lawn. When there is little rain and high temps (like July and August), you don't have to mow as often, do you? Your lawn has gone into dormancy. Shut down under the extreme conditions.

So now I get to have two (next year 3) seasons of veggies in my garden. How cool is that? I've got the broccoli, swiss chard and some bush beans in the ground now. Come early September in go the lettuces; butter crunch, mesclun mix, and red leaf.

I found the transplants at the local Southern States. While there prices might be a little higher than others, Southern States has a great selection of plants and gardening supplies. They do a great job of providing organic materials as well! In the local superstore or the local family-owned nursery, organics are still very hard to find!  I'm going this weekend -- need some organic fungicide!

Consider cool season veggies. You'll get a few more months of growth in the garden. Save more money, have more fun. Get your hand dirtier for longer! Sounds delish.

Hubby and I have been working very hard to remove large areas (approx. 1000 sq ft) of english ivy in the front yard. The area is very dry from large tree roots and is located at the top of a slope. These areas are also in full sun, part sun and full shade. Ivy is amazing in that it flourishes under such varied conditions!

The key word is flourishes! It fills up our drainage ditches which traps leaves and other debris. So, when it rains heavily, the ditches overflow rainwater right into our garage. It's a disatrous mess. So the ivy has had to go. I first just tried pulling it out of the ground. I could only do so much at a time (from the back aches and hand cramps). It's so agressive that I just could never get a good jump on it.

Several applications of weed/grass killer failed. But, a total of 3 applications of brush killer mixed with something to help it stick to the leaves finally did the trick. The ivy is very brown and drying up. . . getting the vines up and the roots out is still back breaking work. Hubby has tried a rototiller with limited success.

Some variegated vinca was mixed with the ivy. Another invasive bully will have to go.

What will be replacing the ivy? First, after a soil test . . . we need nitrogen and lots of organic matter. Then goes in a thick layer of mulch. I've got to get the soil improved or there's no chance of improving the dryness issue. What plants will go in? I don't know yet . . . I've got to get the soil right first.

It's one of the major lessons I've learned over the past 3 years in the house. Great soil makes great plants. Soil must come first! Soil may not be exciting, but it's still facinating to me. AND it's crucial to the health and vitality of your garden. First things first.

Go get your hands muddy! It's rained steadily all day today. Finally.

So my summer veggies did about fair. My sugar snap peas petered out, and my tomatoes developed septoria leaf spot (I identified this disease on the VA Tech Cooperative Extension page - see the links to the right!), but our mini-pumpkins and pickling cukes produced bumper crops. I think my soil be infected with nematodes that cause root galls, but apparently there's not a lot to be done about it organically except to plant french or african marigolds. The marigolds suppress the bad nematodes for a few seasons. I found this information about nematodes and other garden problems in Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver by Fern Marshall Bradley. Five Stars!

Are there people out there who think that gardening is boring? I'm at a loss, if there are . . . there's always something going on . . .

So, for the first time, I'm going to plant some cool season crops! I've got broccoli and swiss chard already in the ground, and lettuces on deck (literally it's sitting in the shade on my deck, but also figuratively on deck, like the baseball term meaning "the next person to bat." I'm laughing at my own joke, so be quiet about it already.)

We live in an area that gets frequent critter visits; deer, rabbits, raccoons, there's apparently a bobcat around as well. My hubby has a photo of a deer eating one of my tomatoes. Why was he taking photos and not chasing the deer away, you ask? Me too. I asked that question loudly and frequently when I heard about it.

I've been using a repellant product called "Liquid Fence"from Gardener's Supply. It smells like garlicy fox peepee - I'm a big garlic fan, but this particular combo may not be appetizing for some. The odor does dissipate fairly quickly. Although I wouldn't suggest spraying right before you host the neighborhood end of summer picnic in your backyard. Give it a day or two. Having noted the odor issue, the product does seem to work. I sprayed three weeks ago (with very little rain), and I've had no critter visits to note.

So, as my first venture into the world of cool season crops progresses, I will certainly keep you up-to-date. Go get your hands dirty!

Water restrictions . . . as a gardener I find myself frustrated by the whims of Mother Nature and energized by the desire to be ecologically responsible. My garden is desert dry . . . and some of my more sensitive plants are suffering from drought stress (and the insect/disease damage that accompany that stress.) Losing plants feels like money down the drain; like an amputation too. My japanese anemones have been attacked by blister beetles for the second year . . . nearly defoliated.  My enormous rugosa rose is half brown -- what I thought was the toughest plant in my garden.

So, I sigh and shake my fist . . . and know that the seasons will always change to bring cooler temps and rain again.