Toni's Square Foot Garden

Still Winter in Wyoming...

2012-02-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

Here in northern Wyoming, it's still winter! It's been a pretty mild winter for the most part though... in hind sight... wish that I had done my little winter cold frame project this year! I could have grown greens all winter long!

Gosh... I am behind. Don't have any seeds ordered yet!

This winter photo is from a few years ago.

I'm inspired by this homemade seed starting setup...

2012-02-12T08:49:00.000-08:00

I'm dreaming about having a better seed starting operation... this looks good!
http://doorgarden.com/02/home-made-bottom-heat-seed-starting

Ducks and the Blooming Garden....

2011-07-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share this ducky video with you!

My Muscovy Ducks having breakfast. They are 8 weeks old.

The Peppers have been really enjoying the heat... look at these banana peppers!

My beautiful Kale is being eaten...

Radishes... my husband's favorite!

An Underground Greenhouse?

2011-07-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

I was doing some research on Food Storage and Gardening... when I came across a link with details on building your own underground greenhouse!

I thought that it was so cool that I wanted to share it with you! I never really thought of having a below ground greenhouse... but I'll tell you what... it would solve our wind issue... and it would be like our geothermal system in that you have the warmth of the ground temperature during the winter... and the coolness during the summer!

Here's the link: Underground Greenhouse

No, I'm not jumping right on this and getting it done... but I will be thinking about it!

Our first garden salad...

2011-07-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

Our 1st garden salad!
We enjoyed a nice salad from the garden tonight... baby romaine, broccoli, danvers half long carrots and radishes.

Radishes are my husband's very favorite vegetable from the garden... so tonight I planted a bunch more for him!

I'm beginning to let some of my muscovy ducks into my garden... not the whole herd of them (all 9)... just a few females and a male. I have to really watch them as they pass their favorite greens... cucumbers... beets... corn... overall, they're doing a pretty good job gobbling up the hoppers.... but sometimes the greens are just too tempting!

You'd laugh if you heard me out there with them (I am mama duck!)... I'm always telling them... "Eat the hoppers.... Eat the hoppers!"

I see a difference already!

2011-07-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

The other day I weaved soaker hoses all throughout my square foot garden.

And... I see a difference already! My bed of peppers is LOVING having the extra moisture!!! They've already grown a few more inches... in just a couple days!

Oh ya, black spaghetti!

2011-07-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

It's been so windy and hot here that my garden has been dry as a bone even with watering almost every night!

So today... I took drastic measures.... I employed the "black spaghetti!"

A very kind neighbor (I have lots of these!) gave me a bunch of soaker hoses that her aunt no longer wanted...

So today I strung them all thru my garden beds!!!!

I know! It's not pretty.... But, I'm going to give it a try anyway!

I am a front yard gardener!

2011-07-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

I am a front yard gardener!

I decided when we moved into our new house that I would take Mel's advice (author of Square Foot Gardening) and put my garden in a place where I would walk past it frequently and where it would capture my attention... namely... the Front Yard, actually.... right next to the driveway!

I am outraged by what is happening to Julie Bass in Oak Park Michigan! She is being criminally charged for having a raised bed vegetable garden in her FRONT yard!

Read this article.... and if you feel moved to act... please do voice your opinion to city officials in Oak Park Michigan!

Green Bean Chronicles: If You've Got It, Flaunt It!

The Toad...

2011-07-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

This morning first thing, the ducks headed over to their kiddie pool. Choco was the first one to the pool and right away... he captured a toad.

You should have seen him trying to eat that toad! He ran away from the "herd" so that he could eat it all himself!

I didn't think he could do it... but he did!

The garden is looking good! The tomato plants are blossoming and setting fruit, the giant pumpkin vines are growing... and the cucumber plants are getting more leaves.

I've been able to harvest broccoli, strawberries, and lettuce so far...

Harvested another head of broccoli

2011-07-04T07:11:00.000-07:00

I definitely need more broccoli plants next year!!! Is it too late to start some from seed for fall planting???

My broccoli is just beautiful this year!!!

In case anyone wants to know... you CAN eat more than your broccoli heads! Did you know that the leaves are edible too?

And... you can even add them to your green smoothie!

Harvesting Broccoli...

2011-07-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

Garden Fresh Broccoli... YUM!

I started harvesting my broccoli this week. It tastes SO good! It's so much better than grocery store broccoli!

Woohoo... I finally get to participate in Daphne's Monday Harvest Reports!

Our "free range" Muscovy Ducklings are almost 6 weeks old! Here's a photo that I just snapped... they're hiding under my truck in the shade.

It's Raining...

2011-06-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

Wow did we just get one heck of a rain storm! Oh and now... the sun is out! Well, the garden really needed a good watering after the intense heat of the past couple days!

A view of the garden during the rain storm.

The Ducklings are not sure what to make of all this rain!

Growing Kale for the very first time!

2011-06-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

Garden update...

For the very first time... I am growing Kale! Russian Red Kale is the seed type. I've come to really enjoy Kale in my green smoothies... and in soups too.

I had to reseed some of my Kale squares as the duckies go to them before I put up my garden fence.

Muscovy Ducklings 5 weeks old

Russian Red Kale sprout

My tomato plants survived the mighty winds of late May and early June and are flowering. They look really healthy! Bring on the tomatoes... I want lots of canned sauce!

I have a whole 4x8 bed of various types of pepper plants... from hot to sweet. They're about 5" tall so far.

And my strawberry plants are producing nicely! I have 3 boxes of strawberry plants this year. My bigger box contains plants that are about 3 years old. My two smaller boxes were planted this year with plants generously provided to me by a neighbor.

And here's my bench that I purchased way back in 2004. It was looking a little shabby, so I painted it. Some of the wood will need to be replaced... maybe next year. I painted it Pacific Pine... the same color as my front door.

Now to get my boys to help me put it in the fenced in garden!

My garden has a fence!

2011-06-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, it took most of the day and 150 feet of garden fencing... but we got 'er done!

FENCE!

Garden all fenced in! Safe from duckies!

My cute ducklings were eating up my tender shoots of corn, broccoli, cucumbers, peas, and lettuce. And my cats and possibly Missy the duck sitter... were digging in my beds! So my 13 year old son, Aaron, and I installed this fence today! YAY!

Question for those of you who have experience with poultry...
Is there such a bird that I could let loose "in" my garden and have it eat bugs but not my plants?

Ducklings... now 4 weeks old
My ducklings put themselves to bed tonight! It was the funniest thing! They just marched themselves right into their ducky house... all on their own! But... they hadn't done their nightly "grasshopper buffet" walk with me yet!

Every night we walk around the property. I stir up the hoppers... and they gobble them up!

Missy the Duck Sitter and Aaron (13 years old)

Broccoli... Ducklings... and Deer... oh ya..

2011-06-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

The Garden....
The garden is starting to take off! Warmer temperatures have set in... yup... it's finally summer here in northern Wyoming! Yay!

My tomato plants are getting blossoms... even some little tomatoes! The broccoli is forming heads... the green beans are coming up...

The Ducklings...
I've been so enjoying my ducklings! Yes, we have a routine now. In the morning I lead them (yup, just like mother duck!) over to the little pasture on the north side of our property where they gobble up baby grasshoppers by the dozens.

Then in the evening after supper, I take them on another grasshopper adventure to the south side of the property.

This one was gobbling up a long dandelion stem! I couldn't believe it!

Ducklings 4 weeks old

They follow me around like mother duck! It's so fun!

Tonight they even helped me do some weeding in the iris bed against the house. I pulled weeds and they gobbled up bugs all around me!

The Deer...
Oh ya... and deer! The other morning there were 2 deer that came out of our woods right out back! Luckily I had my camera handy and snapped these photos.

Luckily they were at the back of the house far away from the garden! I was surprised that the dog didn't go crazy... but she was at the front of the house... maybe busy watching the ducklings.

Our duck watching dog...

Grasshoppers, weeds... WAIT... not my broccoli and...

2011-06-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

My 4 week old duckies are growing so fast! They are about a foot long now and getting their feathers. They are beautiful creatures!

But then they got into my garden! And started nibbling on my tender shoots of corn, and budding broccoli heads, and chinese cabbage, and all my lettuce... !WAIT!... where are my pea greens?

Duck nibbled Chinese Cabbage

And this is what my broccoli SHOULD look like...

And so...
I went to Lowes and bought 2 big rolls of green Garden Fencing, 50 feet each and strung it along the long sides of my garden beds. I need one more roll to finish it.

Now my tender plants can grow! Oh... and I forgot to mention that the dog and cats are also digging in my garden beds! My poor tender cucumber shoots!!!!

Now, all critters can stay OUT OF MY GARDEN! Well... at least they will after I get that last roll of fencing.....

Ducky things... a new house

2011-06-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hi Gardening Friends!

standing up tall!

Muscovy Ducklings 3 weeks old.

Muscovy Ducklings playing in the mud puddle! They love puddles!

The Ducklings spent their first night outside in their duck house. As I peered in this morning, they seemed very comfortable.

My older son designed and built it for me out of scrap lumber and repurposed plywood.

Duck House. Needs to be painted!

More planting

2011-06-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

The Beginning...

I bought 16 more tomato plants and 4 more broccoli plants. Got them in the ground.

Been having so much fun watching my ducklings! Today my older son finished building the duck house enough so that they can spend the night outside. Nothing fancy... looks like a 4x4' box... but it works!

OK... now... bring on the warm weather!!!

purple podded beans

2011-06-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

Greetings gardening friends!

Looks like spring has finally sprung in Wyoming. Yesterday was in the 80s. Yay!

Today I planted 32 purple podded bush beans seeds. I want to plant 128 more in my 8x4 SFG bed! Got to go get more seed! Goal... can lots of green beans!

My Muscovy Ducklings are getting so big! Today is their 2 week birthday! They swim, eat weeds, eat bugs and are a hoot to watch!

My dog Missy (border collie, heeler, maybe aussie mix) has found a job! Herding her ducklings and chasing away predators. Yay Missy! She's been needing a job besides walking me!

Sorry for NO pictures. I have temporarily misplaced my camera!!!

Tomatoes and Peppers and Eggplants... oh my!

2011-05-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

Finally... a day of sun and warmth! We've had a very wet spring here in northern Wyoming and flooding in southern Montana!

Southern Montana

On Saturday between rain drops my son shoveled out about 1 yard of beautiful rich, dark, compost from my pickup AND filled up my garden beds for me!

Big Blue loaded up with 2 yards of rain soaked compost.

Then today he shovel the leftover, about a yard's worth, onto a tarp for future use. What a great kid!

Today, in the bright sunshine, I planted... and planted... and planted!

32 Amish Paste

8 Jet Star

8 Early Girl

8 Brandy Wine

8 Eggplant

32 Peppers (assorted but mostly hot)

4 Broccoli

My garden... looks like a garden now! Sorry, I'm too pooped to take photos... tomorrow!

I also have spinach and lettuce growing!

My Muscovy Ducklings spent a few hours outside rooting and basking in the sunshine... oh ya... and eating bugs! They loved it! They're 9 days old now and getting tail feathers!

8 days old

What a cutie!

Shoveling Compost

2011-05-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

It's time to fill the garden boxes with compost!

Got compost!

2011-05-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

Got a truck load of compost!!!! Guess what my 2 teenage boys are doing tomorrow?

On the way to Billings Montana, we took the backroads. Had to take this pic!

I hope that the weather is nice tomorrow. I'd like to let my ducklings meander thru my gardening beds before I fill them with compost.

Speaking of ducklings... they're getting so big so fast!!!

5 days old and growing fast!

And then there were 9...

2011-05-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

About my ducklings...

Day 1, Hatched 5/23/11
My little Muscovy ducklings were hatched at Country Hatchery in Oklahoma, on Monday 5/23/11 at 8am, then mailed Priority Mail.

Day 2, Traveling Priority Mail

Day 3, They Arrive!
They arrived at our post office two days later, on Wednesday afternoon 5/25/11... Ten, oh so adorable... fuzzy, peeping little ducklings!

As I was thinking of what to put these little guys in for the first little bit of their lives, I remembered that my folks had 2 big boxes from the new washer/dryer set that they got over the weekend! Perfect!!!

I cut the box down a bit and then made a place to support a pole which would hold the warming light.

Placing newspapers on the bottom, an old towel to one side, their chick watering jug, and 2 small feeders... I was ready for business.

Then my cats became interested...

So my son grabbed some poultry mesh and we covered the top of the box. But then while I was in the other room, Charlie, our cream colored flame point siamese cat, got curious... that's when I found him sitting on top of the box on the chicken wire! Oh my gosh!

So, all three cats spent the night outside!

Day 4, Today my ducklings are 4 days old... but...
And then there were 9....
Lost a duckling during the night. This little yellow duckling was noticeable weaker than his brothers and sisters.

So now I have 9 little ducklings. And today I get to clean out their box! Oh my gosh, what a mess they've made!

My next great adventure has begun...

2011-05-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Make way for the ducklings!!!

Here's some photos of my Muscovy Ducklings.

Oh my gosh, they are SO CUTE!!!

This is my very first poultry experience... let the fun begin... and let it begin with grasshoppers!

The Ducklings are here!

2011-05-25T14:01:00.001-07:00

The post master just called for me to come get my ducklings!

They are so cute!

Will post pictures... come back to see.

in the ground...

2011-05-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

It's been raining a lot here... it's actually raining right now!

So yesterday while it was drizzling out, I grabbed my tomato and squash starts and got them all planted in my SFG! I figured that the drizzle would do them some good!

After planting, I got to work pulling weeds... THAT... was when I saw them!!!!

Itty bitty... GRASSHOPPERS!

These buggers were tiny and YES, I did squish as many as I could catch!

No ducklings today. They're coming from Oklahoma. I sure hope that they make it here OK!

Wondering if my Muscovy Ducklings will arrive today...

2011-05-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

It's raining and my spinach, lettuce, and baby tomato plants are loving it!

Will my Muscovy Ducklings arrive today????

This is going to be a brand new adventure!!! I've never kept poultry... my only animal experience is with cats and dogs.

You may ask, "Toni, why are you getting ducks?"

The answer... I'm so tired of dealing with grasshoppers... Muscovy Ducks are organic solution to grasshoppers!

So... let the fun begin! A quick shower... then off to see if my peeps made to the PO today!

It's a beautiful drizzly day

2011-05-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Happy Monday!

After the days of rain last week and perfect sunshine yesterday, Spring has finally made it's way to northern Wyoming!!!

Leaves are budding...
Tulips are in full bloom...
grass is a beautiful luscious green color...
and now, fruit trees are in bloom!!!

I just set my tomato plants, well sprouts actually, outside to basque in the drizzle!

Hey, if you like mushrooms, head on over to Daphne's blog to enter her giveaway!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Daphne's blog! I've learned so much about gardening from her blog... and from your garden blog too!!!

Put some seeds in the ground

2011-05-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

The wind has been howling for several days straight here... but we finally got a break yesterday... so out to the garden!!!!

I planted some seeds: peas, swiss chard, romaine lettuce.

It rained during the night... yay!

I've been slowly preparing my garden beds. Most of my boxes need more soil!

Grasshoppers... go ahead... I dare ya...

2011-05-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

Last year those darn grasshoppers ate my whole box of beautiful burgundy beans then my pepper plants... they hopped all over the place jumping out at me as I walked... ewwww!

I watched them grow from little buggers to big buggers all the while fighting with myself over how to control them....

One year they totally defoliated my raspberry bushes... no raspberries for us!

This year... I TAKE REVENGE and let the natural order of things prevail! This year I'm getting critters that will eat those darn hoppers, oh... and flies too.. among other bugs.

Welcome to our little homestead Muscovy Ducks!!!!

Next week my little muscovy ducklings will arrive.

I'm actually a little nervous about this adventure, well, because I've never had poultry before! The extent of animal experience ends at cats and a dog! But hey, I'm up for the challenge!!!

So, I've been searching and reading tons of articles online... If you have experience with these wonderful animals, please do share your wisdom!

strawberry plants...

2011-05-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

My neighbor just me a bunch of strawberry plants!!!! Will get them in the ground today!

Another neighbor gave me a whole bunch of irises! Got to get them planted too! I envision having them all along the front of the house.

Don't I have some awesome neighbors?

in the boxes...

2011-05-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the sun was shining after a few days of rain, so I headed out to the garden!

Now remember... this is northern Wyoming... we are way behind you in the gardening season!

So I started working in my SFG boxes, cutting away broken string, pulling some weeds, filling holes from where I pulled plants last Fall. I have GOT TO get to Billings to get my truck load of compost! My garden really needs it!

I'm sad to say that again this year, despite my good intentions... I did NOT seed any tomato plants. Sigh... but my dear neighbor who is so kind to me... gave me a bunch of her seedlings. Now mind you... they can't go into the ground for a few more weeks!

However, there is a much expanded green house not too far away with a wide variety of plants that would love to call my SFG home! *smiles*

So now is the time to plant cold hardy arugula, peas, chard... and other greens.

Let's just say that...

2011-01-31T07:30:00.000-08:00

Let's just say that -6 degrees F is might cold!

Luckily it's 30 degrees in the hoop house and only got as cold as 29.5 during the night!

Bbbbbbyyyyeeee.... brrrrrr.... for now!

It's snowing...

2011-01-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

We're back to a deep freeze here in northern Wyoming. It's going down below zero for the next couple nights.

This afternoon it started snowing and we've got a couple inches of dry fluffy accumulation. As I walked Missy tonight, I was struck by the stillness and quiet. The snow was still coming down in very fine flakes. Wonder how much snow we'll have in the morning?

I've got the trucks plugged in so that they'll start in the morning. They don't like below zero weather....

And the little hoop house is all buttoned up for cold weather.. the light is on... the sleeping bag is sprawled over top of the plastic... and even though it's 10 degrees right now outside... it's 35.6 degrees inside the little hoop house.

I promised myself that I would get my seeds ordered this month... I'd better git to it before I run out of month!

Good night... as Ribbit says, "the morning comes early." And it sure does in my world!

In the Hoop House... baby spinach

2011-01-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

Thought that I'd give you a hoop house update....

It got up to 82.0 degrees F in the hoop house this bright sunny morning... with the plastic covering on. So, I opened up the hoop house to the fresh air & sunshine...

Back in the early winter I sprinkled some spinach seeds in the soil within the hoop house. Since it's been getting warmer in there... they sprouted and have their baby leaves!

The arugula is getting gangly and going to seed, but the swiss chard looks good enough to eat!!! The spinach plant is dying back... I don't know... maybe it's gotten too hot?

So... in the hoop house I have:
arugula
swiss chard
beet greens
broccoli greens
spinach

I think that it's time to plant some lettuce!!!

While the hoop house is opened up, I'm going to give it a good watering!

Overall I'm very pleased with my hoop house experiment! It has survived subzero temperatures and Wyoming winds. My goal is to keep my greens alive... and grow some too! So far... so good!

I've really enjoyed having something green to look at all winter! And when I open up the house that wonderful earthy smell... is just a little piece of heaven!

Growing... inside.. a report on sprouts and micro greens

2011-01-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

Hello gardening friends!

It's another below zero day here in northern Wyoming, -2 degrees F as I write this post at 9:30am. The dog is desperate to go for a walk... sigh... She just doesn't understand that mommy will freeze out there!
But tomorrow is a new day... bringing with it... warmer temperatures!!! I mean like a heat wave, well, practically! It's going to get into the 30s!

Hoop House Report...
The hoop house is staying toasty even with the double digit below zero temperatures! The coldest it got inside the hoop house last night was 30.5 degrees... that's not too bad!

Right now the hoop house is up to 43.7 degrees and will get warmer as the sun shines! Yesterday, even though it was -5 below, the hoop house got up to the 60s because of the sunshine!

Growing Inside: Sprouts & Micro greens...
My husband got me a seed sprouter for Christmas! It came with 3 trays for seed sprouting. These are the kind of sprouts that you eat!

Yesterday I heated up some left over vegetable, beef, and barley soup and tossed bunches of sprouts on top. It was delicious!!! The sprouts were crunchy and so fresh tasting!

On Saturday, I took 3 pie tins, poked holes in the bottoms... put in a little soil... watered... and added a thick layer of (2010) seeds (beets, bok choy, and carrots). And... they've ALREADY sprouted!!!

When my micro greens are 3 to 4 inches tall, I will harvest the tender shoots for salads, on top of sandwiches, and for green smoothies!

3 tray seed sprouter... you eat these sprouts!

Here's some sprouts that are ready to enjoy!

This is my "inside" greenhouse! I'm growing micro greens.

I took leftover pie plates from the holidays, poked little holes in the bottoms, put them on old plates, filled each with soil... and sprinkled heavily with seeds.

these carrot micro greens are beginning to sprout!

these boy choy seeds sprouted really fast. Wonder why I couldn't get them to sprout in my garden last year? I was thinking that the seed was "bad."

the beet micro greens are just beginning to sprout.

double digits below ZERO!

2011-01-11T05:23:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh... COLD COLD COLD!!!
It's -11 this morning at 6:20am. We're on the end of a cold snap... for now!

But in my precious little hoop house the coldest it got is 28.0 degrees F!

Have a little light bulb and a sleeping bag cover seems to be keeping the hoop house warm...ish!

Snug in the hoop house

2011-01-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

It's Monday morning at 8am on this cold, blustery day.

The hoop house is snug as a bug with it's sleeping bag covering and light bulb burning bright. It's 39.0 degrees in there right now and climbing!

Outside... well... that's another story! My truck said 5 degrees F about 10 minutes ago. And... it feels like there's a wind chill going on out there!

The Little Hoop House that Could... continues to SURVIVE despite the cold winter temperatures here in northern Wyoming!

A Peek inside the Hoop House 1/8/11

2011-01-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful sun-filled day here in northern Wyoming with temps heading into the low 30s!

I'm just back in from opening up "The Little Hoop House that Could." As I lifted the plastic I got a blast of warm air and smelled the rich aroma of dirt and growing things! I gave the plants a good watering.

The plastic covering will remain pulled up over the pvc support piping this afternoon while the weather is warm and sunny.

Want to peek inside?

Look what I got!

2011-01-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

It's Toni reporting from "The Little Hoop House that Could..." in burrr northern Wyoming!

I'm just back from walking the dog to the Post Office. I can't feel my cheeks nor my upper legs! It's a balmy (ha.. ha..) 4 degrees F here this morning. Oh so cold!!! I just made some DR tea to sip on while I read my newest seed catalog!

But in the cozy, covered-up hoop house... it's 63.5 degrees F!

Look what I dragged home from the Post Office!!!

What a beautiful cover photo! All my favorite colors!

My Kitazawa Seed catalog arrived today...

2011-01-03T15:13:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Daphne's wonderful harvests of Asian greens... I decided to request my own copy of the Kitazawa Seed catalog, "Your Source for Asian Vegetable Seeds" and take a look...

Look at her tatsoi growing in her hoop tunnel! Aren't her greens just beautiful?

Since I've started making green smoothies, I've become very interested in different greens. I hope to grow lots of greens this upcoming gardening season.

Some Asian greens that I'm considering (based on Daphne's success over the past couple years) include:
Mizuna
Komatsuna
bok choi
chinese broccoli
Fun Jen
Tatsoi

Do you have a favorite green? So far... I love swiss chard, spinach, kale and arugula... and salad greens too!

Hoop House Report
temperature inside the HH at 3:30pm: 55.2 degrees F
termparature outside: 12 degrees F with bright sunshine!

I opened up my hoop house this afternoon. It had gotten up to 85 degrees all covered up with the heat lamp on. So I took off the sleeping bag cover and turned off the light... and gave all the plants a good watering.

All the plants look good! Well, the arugula has gone to seed...

Happy New Year... -9 degrees F

2011-01-01T06:42:00.000-08:00

Hello Gardening Friends! Happy New Year!!!

It's cold cold cold here in northern Wyoming... -9 degrees F right now at 7:20am.... It was supposed to get to double digits below zero last night... thankfully it didn't! The expected high for today... wait... grab your warmest hats & mitties... 11 degrees!

Hey, we're staying home and eating more of that awesome clam chowder that hubby made last night... and making some more egg rolls... and maybe some sushi too! Read more over on my other blog... here...

Hoop House report...
Goal: keep hardy greens ALIVE (and maybe growing...) throughout the bone-chilling Wyoming winter
Temperature report:

outside: -9.0 degrees F

inside hh: 32.0 degrees F

I had meant to add an additional covering directly over my plants yesterday but got caught up in the New Year's eve festivities...

But the warming light is adding a significant amount of warmth inside the hoop house because even though it's -9 degrees outside.. inside my little hoop house it's 32.0 degrees F!

oh so cold...

2010-12-30T05:52:00.000-08:00

We're heading back into a deep freeze here in northern Wyoming. Single digits will be the HIGH today. Can you say, BURRRR????

And tonight is supposed to get really cold... double digits below zero! Yikes!!!

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
338 AM MST THU DEC 30 2010

.A STRONG PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE LIGHT TO
MODERATE SNOWFALL ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. WHILE THE HEAVIEST SNOW
HAS ALREADY FALLEN ACROSS THE AREA...ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF
2 TO 5 INCHES ARE EXPECTED TODAY INTO TONIGHT ALONG WITH SOME
AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. WITH TEMPERATURES MAINLY IN
THE SINGLE DIGITS FOR HIGHS TODAY EXPECT EVEN A MODEST WIND TO
PRODUCE WIND CHILL VALUES WELL BELOW ZERO.

My little hoop house experiment continues despite the cold! 

HOOP HOUSE Temperature this morning just before 7AM... 39.7 degrees F.
OUTSIDE Temperature... 7 degrees!

I have beautiful living, thriving greens including beet greens, arugula, spinach, swiss chard... and the broccoli seeds that I sprinkled in the soil months ago have sprouted!

I swapped out the shop light for a warming lamp in my hoop house the other day and even though it's a blustery 7 degrees F outside... inside my hoop house is a cozy 39.7!





Tonight it will be really frigid with double digits below freezing... so I'll add an extra layer of covering on the inside of the hoop house over my plants taking extra care to cover the plants on the outer edges.

Microgreen Harvest 12/28/10

2010-12-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

pea microgreens

spinach and radish microgreens

shoot... can't remember what I planted in the bottom planter!

I bought this indoor green house a few years ago. It's perfect for getting my seeds started... and growing my microgreens!

pea microgreens

I read in a gardening magazine a few months ago about growing microgreens. And thought... ya... I can do that!

So I grabbed a couple long planters and some left over seeds. I sprinkled the seeds thickly over the soil then lightly covered with soil. Placed the 2 long planters in my indoor greenhouse near a south facing window. Watered every so often... well, really I just misted...

It's been a few weeks. I've so enjoyed watching the seeds sprout and grow their first little leaves!

Today the pea sprouts were a good 3 or 4 inches tall... so I decided that it was time to harvest!!!

I plan on using my microgreens in salads, on sandwiches, and in my green smoothies!

Today those tender, fragrant, tasty pea microgreens went into my fruity green smoothie!

Merry Christmas dear gardening friends!

2010-12-23T05:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas my dear gardening friends!

You have inspired me and taught me so much this year. Thank you!

PS... I've got two trays of mircogreens growing inside!!! They are about an inch high or so... when they reach 3 to 4 inches I'll be able to clip them for use in salads and green smoothies! Oh... probably by Christmas Day actually!!!

microgreens

microgreens growing in our inside greenhouse

yes... 68.5 degrees

2010-12-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

Hi gardening friends!

I'm just back from walking the dog. I was surprised by how warm it is out there... I know... warm is relative and you might be laughing at me when I say that it's 31 degrees F here.

But the sun is shining in the bright blue sky... and it feels so good!

The temperature in the hoop house is 68.5 degrees F (and climbing!)... and with bright sunshine it's sure to be nice and cozy by this afternoon!

I'm about ready to begin laying tile in the 1st floor bathroom... yay... we're going to have a bathroom on the first floor just in time for Christmas!!! Well... if I get off the computer and get to work...LOL...

it's 53.6 degrees...

2010-12-14T06:12:00.000-08:00

Hello gardening friends!

I am so enjoying my little hoop house. It's fun to make little adjustments to see how to add warmth.

Most of my plants survived the November/December chill of single digit temps or weeks of temperatures in the teens at night. Usually we get 2 weeks of deep freeze in January. I'm hoping that we're done with the really cold cold weather... but that might be a little optimistic!

Having a light bulb hanging in the middle of the hoop house has made the biggest difference... and covering the hoop house up at night... yes... with a sleeping bag!

This morning at 7am (before sunrise), it's 53.6 degrees F. Outside, according to my truck, it's only 24 degrees.

Question...
Who is your favorite seed supplier?

It's here... let the dreaming begin!

2010-12-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

I am the proud recipient of my very own Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog! I have been on the list to get one for months now... and here it is in my hands!

It is beautiful!!! Filled with gorgeous pictures of fruit and vegetables to drool over!

Just a moment ago, my husband and I were fighting over who got to look at it first! He won when I mistakenly put it down to type something on the computer. Possibly, he needs his own copy...

OK... marker in hand... off to bed I go with my precious seed catalog!! Ah the dreams I will have tonight!!!!

59.0 degrees F at 8am...

2010-12-13T07:18:00.000-08:00

Boy, we are having a heat wave here in northern Wyoming!!!!

It's actually in the 30s outside this morning! It was really nice NOT to have to scrape ice off the windshield before taking my son to school.

Inside the little hoop house it's a balmy 59.0 degrees F! Yes... I said 59.0 degrees at 8:15am without sunshine! Of course... it's still covered up with the sleeping bag... and the work light inside the dome is still on...

all snug and cozy with it's sleeping bag cover...

Have a great gardening day! I'm off to get some tiling done in our 1st floor bathroom!

12 degrees outside this morning at 7am... but...

2010-12-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

It's 12 degrees outside this morning at 7am... but... inside my hoop house, it's a cozy 43.7 degrees F.

It's amazing what a light bulb can do... and it has made all the difference in keeping the temperature up.

see the work light dangling from the center of the hoop house?

sleeping bag covering my little hoop house, an extra layer for frigid nights

Morning surprise...

2010-12-10T06:05:00.000-08:00

I've got my painting clothes on this morning! Going to give the 1st floor bathroom a 2nd coat of paint today!!!

As I stepped outside shortly before 6am, in my short sleeve shirt to let the dog out, I was surprised by how warm it was out there!!!!

It's in the 30s this morning!!! Not having to scrape the windshield... "It's a good thing!"

In the little hoop house it's 52.7 degrees!

I'm heading out there shortly to pick some nice fresh greens!

the light bulb...

2010-12-09T06:07:00.000-08:00

So I replaced the light bulb yesterday afternoon. Wow... what a difference!

It's 12 degrees outside according to my truck's temperature gauge... but it's a cozy 41.7 in my hoop house!

It's 26.6 degrees in the hoop house this morning....

2010-12-08T05:16:00.000-08:00

Good morning...

We had hoar frost on Monday. Everything was covered in glimmering crystals!

It's 6am here in the wilds of Wyoming. Still dark outside.

The outside temperature is 15 degrees. But, inside the hoop house it's 26.6 but my temperature display says that it got down to 24.0 during the night.

During the day with bright sun it gets up to the 70s in my little hoop house even though it'll be only in the 30s.

My work light that I have dangling from the hoops burned out a while ago. Today I'll put a new bulb in it. It helps to raise the temperature about 5 degrees or so.

It's 70 degrees today!

2010-12-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

It's a bright sunny day here in northern Wyoming! The sun feels really warm!

It's 70 degrees today... in my little hoop house that is...

I just harvested some more greens!

It's 6:15am...

2010-12-06T05:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday Gardening friends!

Ah.... don't you just love a brand new week?

It's 6:15am here in Northern Wyoming. We had fog so thick yesterday that visibility was probably less than 100 feet! From what I can see in the dark, it looks like the trees will be all covered in hoar frost. (Come back later this morning, I'll post a picture!)

It's a bone chilling 15 degrees outside, but inside my little hoop house it's 25.3 degrees F.

Watered the plants in the hoop house

2010-12-04T14:31:00.000-08:00

Took a break from mudding walls to do a little work in my hoop house on the beautiful sunny warmish (maybe 30?) afternoon.

a peek into the hoop house

Here's what I did today:
-pulled the large arugula plant that died in the chilly teens last week
-planted some spinach and radish seeds
-watered

Hoop House improvements:
-put a large piece of styrofoam on the north side
-put a smaller piece of styrofoam on the west side
-added 2 hot water filled containers to the north side

Hopefully these improvements should help shelter the plants a little better.

sad little swiss chard in the north west corner... can't you just see it shivering?

spinach

swiss chard

Hoop House Experiment update 12/3/10

2010-12-03T18:31:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long absence! The weather was really cold for a good week or so before Thanksgiving. Too cold for photographs!

It's been a little warmer since black Friday with temps getting up to the 30s during the day and teens at night.

Hoop House update...
My little hoop house stays between the 20s & 30s during the night even with the chilly teen temps thanks to my fortifications (Christmas lights and a sleeping bag cover over the plastic).

Unfortunately, I did lose some plants to the bitter cold though. My huge arugula "bush" that was growing so nicely on the west side really took a beating... not sure if it'll make a come back, we'll see. And 2 of my swiss chard plants on the north side look really sad.

But still growing are spinach, swiss chard, and arugula... as well as my micro greens including mesclun, radish, and sunflower.

Today I harvested some of the greens that will be used in my morning green smoothie... yup... still drinking down that delicious fruity green stuff!

greens harvested from the hoop house 12/3/10

Hope that you had a yummy Thanksgiving!

For the first time in our new home, we hosted 16 family & friends. And it looks like Christmas dinner will be here too this year!

It's 7 degrees...

2010-11-21T06:41:00.000-08:00

We got a couple inches of snow last night... but now it's 7 degrees.

this photo taken last year...

Somehow my little hoop house is staying warm in the 30s!

16 degrees outside...

2010-11-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh, it's 6:45 am and pitch black here in northern Wyoming... and it is COLD out there!!!! It's 18 degrees Fahrenheit! There's even a dusting of snow on the ground!

The hoop house experiment continues!!!
I'm going to see how long I can grow greens in my little 4x4 hoop house!

But in my little hoop house... it's a cozy 37.2 degrees! Yeah!
It only took:
-styrofoam sheets on the north & west sides
-jugs of water to collect & retain warmth
-Christmas lights on the soil around the plants
-a work light hanging from the supports
-a light cover on the plants inside the dome
-and... a sleeping bag covering the outside of the dome!

I'll go check on the plants later today when it hopefully warms up a bit!

For more information on having your own backyard hoop house, here's a nice article that I just read on the Mother Earth News website. (link added to my Reference list)

Hoop House Drastic Measures...

2010-11-19T19:03:00.000-08:00

Greetings on this chilly night...

The hoop house had gotten down to 29.5 degrees... and it's on it's way down into the teens.

The Hoop House before I covered it with a sleeping bag!

So I hurried outside (NOT properly dressed mind you) and...
-Turned ON the work light & Christmas lights that are inside my hoop house.
-Then covered my plants with a tent tarp.
-And on the outside over the plastic covering, I placed a sleeping bag.

All that done... my hoop house is up to 35.4!

Hope it's OK tonight... my arugula seems kind of crispy...

It's going to be BELOW zero (Fahrenheit) at night in a couple days.

Harvested Arugula from the hoop house

2010-11-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

Greetings gardening blogger friends!

The weather has indeed turned nippy here in northern Wyoming... we're heading into a chill that will give us teens for a high... and below zero temps at night... burrr...

Temperatures...
inside the hoop house at 2pm (overcast): 51 degrees
outside 32 degrees

Notes from the hoop house...
My arugula just keeps growing and growing! Had to give it a haircut today!
I harvested a bowl of these zippy greens for my vegetable beef stew!

Vegetable beef stew...
Tonight is "friends over for supper" night... so I'm trying something fun! Bread bowls filled with steamy and nutritious vegetable beef stew! Into the stew go those spicy greens!

Vegetable Beef Stew with Arugula greens

It's snowing...

2010-11-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

It's almost 9pm on Sunday night as I write this post. Snow is coming down with some accumulation.

It's 41.5 degrees in my hoop house and about 35 outside.

Hoop House Report...
The Arugula is growing like crazy on the West side of the hoop house. I cut it back not too long ago. It must really like 40 degree weather! Anyone want some Arugula? I've got enough to share!

I cut the rest of my radish micro greens for my husband's tuna sandwich today... Will need to reseed some more!!!

Can you say Burrrr?

2010-11-09T19:22:00.000-08:00

A quick note to let you know that NO, I haven't frozen to death!

It's getting cold here in northern Wyoming. The Indian Summer that we were so enjoying... gone... a distant memory... sigh...

We even had snow flurries today! That happened on my walk back from the post office. I was so happy that I wore my country bumpkin rag wool hat and my fleece mitties!

It's getting cold! The next few days will be in the 40s and in the teens (like 13 degrees!) during the night! Burrr...

I will put a blanket over my cold frame and inside my hoop house!

30 Pounds of Green Beans

2010-11-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

Greetings from northern Wyoming where Indian Summer continues....

Ah... if I could just "can" this awesome weather and preserve it for a below zero day this winter... wouldn't that be awesome?

Hoop House Report...
The hoop house has been cozy at night in the 40s. My greens are doing well. Really been enjoying the radish sprouts.

notice grasshoppers on either side of this pot... urghhhhh...

Look baby spinach leaves!!!!

Some of the seed that I planted is starting to sprout in the cold frame (just a 3x3'ish box with a window on top).

But... beginning Tuesday the high will be 40 and the low at night 20... burr....

30 pounds of green beans...
I belong to a food co-op called Bountiful Baskets. Their produce is fresh and sooo yummy! We pick up our "share" on Saturdays. I ordered a case... 30 pounds... of green beans. I love green beans but I don't care for then commercially canned. Someday I hope to grow enough green beans in my garden to can... but until then...

Monday afternoon I will dig out my pressure canner and get to work canning my beans! But first... got to get my jars cleaned up!

Hoop House report 11/5/10

2010-11-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

It's 41.0 degrees F in the hoop house this morning.

Update at 8am: I'm just back from dropping my son off at school. I had no idea how cold it was outside! My truck said 23 degrees F! All the while my little hoop house is a cozy 41 degrees! Yeah!

Yesterday was a sunny, beautiful, warm day in the 60s here in northern Wyoming. I opened up the hoop house for a while in the afternoon.

Would you believe that I found a few grasshoppers in my hoop house? I'm sure that they think that they've found paradise... of course that was until I found them...

Cold Frame #1 set up

2010-11-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

I set up Cold Frame #1 today! It was a beautiful sunny afternoon in the 60s here in northern Wyoming.

I'll be growing micro greens...

Cold Frame #1: will be growing micro greens... spinach, kale, peas, lettuce

I put gravel in the box as well as some large rocks that were warm from the nice sunshine today.

Cold Frame #1 all cozied up for the night...

Then I covered the box up with my fish insulation topped with the window.

Wish me luck!

Hoop House Report 11/2/10

2010-11-02T05:20:00.000-07:00

Hoop House report...
6am temperature in the hoop house: 48.3 degrees F.

I'm going to harvest more radish & sunflower greens this morning! Some of the radish sprouts will go on my husband's tuna sandwich.... the rest... into my fruity green smoothie!

Cold Frame report...
I acquired 3 more windows yesterday for a total of 5 or 6... Today I will set up one or two cold frames!

I plan to grow mostly micro greens in these two cold frames. Micro greens are sprouts grown in soil till they're about 2 to 4 inches tall... then they're harvested for salads and in my case fruity green smoothies!

Hoop House Report 10/31/10: Harvesting Micro Greens

2010-10-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

inside the hoop house... happy greens!

Since I added Christmas lights around my plants in the hoop house... they've been nice and cozy!

Growing Micro Greens...
I read about growing Micro Greens in the Urban Farmer magazine last month and thought... YES... I can do that!!!!

So... in my hoop house in pots, I'm growing some greens... they will be harvested when they are between 2 & 4 inches tall:
-Spinach
-Mesclun
-Sunflower
-Corn Salad

Today I harvested some radish & sunflower greens!!!

Micro Greens: I harvest some radish greens this morning!

All of my greens are very happy in the hoop house!

Micro Greens: I also clipped some sunflower greens..

I also harvested some greens that are growing in the Hoop House soil.

My little green harvest goes into my fruity Green Smoothie!

The Giant Pumpkin weighed in at....

2010-10-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Remember that BIG pumpkin we grew? Well the lumber yard GREAT PUMPKIN WEIGH IN was today!

And... our pumpkin won!!!!

the Giant Pumpkin is loaded into the pickup

and it's weighed in Wyoming style

Our son with his pumpkin

Up it goes..

how much will it weigh?

71 Pounds! A winner for the kid's division!

All the Giant Pumpkins...

Our son wins with a 71 pound Giant Pumpkin!

As I was surfing around this afternoon, I came across this website on how to roast a pumpkin and other pumpkin recipes.

So... if you've got Pumpkins this site might be helpful!!!

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/how-to-roast-a-pumpkin.htm

Got Sprouts... a Hoop House Report

2010-10-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

Fishy Insulation coverup... for cold nights.

The picture above shows the fishy insulation that I scored from the Pet Store. Before I cut it in half, it was shaped as an envelope and used for keeping fish warm during shipping.

I cover my plants with this fishy insulation (within the hoop house) to keep them warm and cozy on cold nights.

Here's the inside of my little Hoop House!

Mesclun Sprouts (to be used as Micro Greens)

Cobb Salad beginning to sprout (micro greens)

oh shoot... can't remember what these sprouts are... darn!

Sunflower sprouts (micro greens)

Cobb Salad sprouts

Swiss Chard transplant. The grasshoppers had eaten all the leaves... BUT LOOK... it's growing some more!

Swiss Chard

Beet Greens

Spinach

Swiss Chard

I lowered the little hoop house by about a foot today... less space to warm now. We're heading back into the 30s at night for the next week... so not so cold!

Hoop House Report: Overcoming the Elements...

2010-10-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hello gardening friends! A hoop house report... SUCCESS!!!!

early this morning before the sunrise

I made some changes to my hoop house last night. I knew that it was going to be pretty frosty during the night... getting down to the low 20s.

Goal: keep hoop house above freezing... SUCCESS!!!!

See the silver stuff over the plants? That's my fishy insulation!

This morning my hoop house was a cozy 42.5 while it was 25 degrees outside! Wow!!!!

Hoop House Changes... (oh my gosh... I feel so like EG!)

1. A FB friend of mine suggested that I put non-LED Christmas lights around my plants for added warmth. So I did! And boy did my hoop house look festive! : )

2. Added Fishy Insulation over my plants like a tent... well... this needs some explanation...

So, last week I was to the Pet Store where they were unpacking fish. Each box had these awesome insulated bags to keep the fish warm.... and... boxes and all were headed to the trash. I kept thinking gosh I could do something with those insulated bags!

Originally I thought that I would use them in the cold frames that I will be building. But then last night inspiration struck... I had an EG moment, I guess!

The bags were shaped like an envelope with a seam running along each side, so I cut along each seam so that they looked like a rectangle. Then I placed each rectangle (I had two of these fishy bags) as a tent directly over my plants.

3. Lowered the light bulb that was hanging high in the dome to right above the insulation tent.

4. Put the wireless temperature probe thingy inside the tent.

And... success!!!! There was frost on the inside of the plastic dome... but my plants were nice and cozy (42.5 degrees F) under the fishy insulation blanket while it was 25 degrees outside!

Some pictures:

a peek inside!

cozy cozy!

seedlings growing... swiss chard, arugula, spinach, and beet greens... all happy!

Hoop House report... temperatures are going DOWN!

2010-10-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome TYRA! Thanks for following my blog! Tyra has the most beautiful greenhouse! Go check it out here....

Hoop House Experiment report...

Temperature Swings:
High: 79.5
Low (so far today at 9:30pm): 41.9

Temperatures are heading down down down at night! Will get as low as 20 degrees F maybe colder by midweek.

Well heck... it IS almost the end of October here in northern Wyoming!

In preparation for the cold weather I:
-put a cozy blanket over my plants inside the hoop house.
-put a light on in there. Blanket + Light = ??? (we'll see!)
-put large pieces of styrofoam on the north side inside the hoop house.

Other ideas...
-electric blanket??? Ohhh... just had this idea.... I guess if I had to I could put an electric blanket on my plants!!!
-fishy insulation... I repurposed 2 insulation bags that were used to ship fish from the Pet store. Wish that I had grabbed more! I could sew a covering for my hoop house using this stuff... or use it as a blanket.
-make it smaller (shorter)... I've been thinking that I should cut the hoops down to make a smaller house. I'm hoping that that would also help keep some warmth where it would be a smaller area.... hmmm..

I wonder what low temperature will bother my spinach, beet greens, swiss chard, and arugula????

As I write this post, it's a cozy 41.9 degrees F in my hoop house at 9:30pm.

Just greens... and a buffalo or two!

2010-10-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

Oh it's a blustery... chilly day out here in northern Wyoming! I'm just back from a walk complete with fleece mittens and a rag wool hat... and my face and ears are still cold!

The Pryor Mountains got a new blanket of snow during the night as well as all the mountain ranges around! Very pretty... but it means that cold weather is here...

In my little hoop house it's a toasty 42.6 degrees even though it is overcast this morning. Yesterday I harvested some swiss chard and other greens.

Oh... I scored two windows at a neighbor's yard sale on Saturday!!!! Got to build some cold frames now!

What???? Buffalo???

On Thursday I took my Aunt who is visiting from Maine to Yellowstone National Park! It was a lovely warm day... with incredible sights! Want to see the photos that I took? You can view my online photo album here.

Video: how to make a pallet compost bin

2010-10-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

I love facebook! This morning there was a post by Urban Farmer Magazine (UFM) that included a link to a video on how to make a pallet compost bin and a great list of what to compost!

I've been thinking about making one myself!

Thought that I'd share this video with you gardening friends! Here's the link: http://www.urbanfarmonline.com/urban-farm-videos/urban-farming-activities/build-compost-bin.aspx

And here's UFM's list of "what" to Compost!
http://media.animalnetwork.com/channelmedia/urbanfarmonline/compost-materials.pdf

I have also added these links to my Helpful Links sidebar for future reference!

Hoop House Experiment: Wonderful Radish Sprouts

2010-10-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well it's been one week since the Great Cover-up! And temperatures have been in the 30s at night for most of that week.

Last Tuesday I also began growing micro greens in the hoop house. I'm so excited to see these sprouts!

Radish Sprouts

Mesclun Sprouts

Sunflower sprouts

I harvest a few cups of greens this morning including: chard, spinach, arugula, cilantro, lettuce.

10/18/10 Harvest from the Hoop House: Greens

I'm making a concerted effort to build health! Missy and I are power walking every day... and I'm consuming more greens via green smoothies. Gosh... we could call this the Great Toni Experiment!!! Anyway... I know what you're thinking... green smoothies... ewwwwwww....

I know! But honestly they taste pretty good the way that I make them! This green smoothie has pomegranate, peaches, apples, grapes, orange, fresh lemon juice, some frozen berries... and some greens from my hoop house garden!

My secret weapon is my Vita Mix! It's a high powered pulverizing wonder! I use it every day... it's one of my prized possessions! I popped on over to the Vita Mix site and found that they have a whole page dedicated to making green smoothies!

To make my green smoothie I add fresh and frozen fruit and some greens!

Research on Winter Greens & Cold Frames

2010-10-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

Where did I put my Eliot Coleman book? I bought it last year... um... I'm ready to learn about 4 season garden!!!

I'm doing some research on growing greens this winter and on having a cold frame. I have to admit this is a very different blog post for me... it's really more of a place holder for what I'm learning.

Here's a video that I've really enjoyed:

Winter Gardening Using Cold Frames

Cold Frame and Green House covering... this Solexx stuff sounds really neat!
http://solexx.com/videos.html

Greens for Winter Harvest
The following greens are winter hardy:
Arugula, Kale, Chard, Spinach, Beet Greens, Collards, Mustard, Pac Choi, Mizun, Tatsoi

Here's a good article that I found on Greens for the winter!

Hoop house experiment 10/15/10... day 5-Sprouts!

2010-10-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

The little Hoop House over my 4x4 SFG box!

Hi all! I'm just back in from the Hoop House!

Here I am in northern Wyoming attempting to keep growing stuff as the weather turns...

The big news is that.... I have sprouts in my micro green pots!!!

I'm growing some micro greens in the hoop house. Gosh I just planted them on Monday... and some of them are already sprouting! I'm very encouraged to see those little sprouts!

radish sprouts day 5

sunflower sprouts day 5

I'll be harvesting these little sprouts when they're about 2 inches or so tall.

Temperature report from inside the Hoop House:
Low: 34.5
High: 99.5

It's been a bit milder the past couple nights with lows just above freezing and afternoons in the 60s.

My greens that were transplanted on Monday look so much happier today! They've perked up and look healthy again.

Previous posts about the Hoop House:
Day 1: The Great Cover Up!
Day 2:
Day 3:
Day 5: Sprouts!

Cold Frame update...
Posted a sign at the post office the other day...
Wanted... Your Old Windows... the ones taking up room in your garage... No Calls yet..

hoop house experiment 10/13/10

2010-10-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

The Hoop House experiment continues here in northern Wyoming... My goal is to have fresh greens for a few more months.

I've placed a wireless weather probe in the middle of my 4x4 hoop house down low in the middle of the hoop house close to the plants.

Temperatures (degrees F)... what a huge range!

Low: 28.5
High: 99.5 (before I opened it up to let in fresh air)

Plants growing: Chard, Spinach, Beets, Arugula, Romaine (just about gone to seed!).

A new twist...
I've been thinking and thinking and reading about what I may be able to do to keep my hoop house above freezing. One article that I read suggested filling 30 gallon barrels with water and putting them on the south side of the hoop house. Well... excellent idea... but my little hoop house is only 4'x4'!

Adding Water containers... and Soapstone!

But... I do have some large containers that I filled with hot water to give that a try. Also... we've been cutting soapstone counters for our new home... and knowing that soapstone is used in stoves because they retain heat for long periods... I also added some pieces of soapstone upon which I set the water containers.

So now we'll just see... our low tonight is supposed to be 34 and we're entering a bit of a warming trend over the next few days...

My plants look a little droopy because I transplanted them into this box on Monday... talk about shock! Cold nights and transplanted!

Oh and Eggplant...

I harvested my Eggplant today because the plants had just had enough of the cold weather and were just withering away...

my hoop house experiment...

2010-10-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hi all! What a beautiful day here in northern Wyoming! It's sunny and going into the 60's!

Green Smoothies...
I just washed up my greens from the hoop house! Yummy! They will be going into my lunchtime green (mostly fruit...) smoothie shake!

Oh... I have some veggie wash samples left! Let me know if you'd like one... see my side bar on the right --->

The Great Hoop House Experiment...
Some of my plants are experiencing a bit of shock from being transplanted yesterday... but I think that they'll be OK.

It got to 26.5 degrees at the top of my hoop house during the night.. burr... so to get a better understanding of the temperature at plant level (which must be warmer!), I lowered my wireless temperature thingy closer to the plants.

Will be interesting to see the temperature low for tonight!

It's a beautiful sunny Fall day here in Wyoming! So I've opened up the hoop house for some fresh air and sunshine.

WANTED... YOUR OLD WINDOWS... for my Cold Frames!
I'm still hoping to get a donation of some used windows so that I can make some cold frames (thanks Sue in northern Michigan for the inspiration!!!! Sue gets 5 months of gardening in by extending her season with cold frames!) I'm going to post a WINDOWS WANTED sign in our Post Office today.

The Great Cover-Up...

2010-10-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin & Squash harvest 10/11/10

We had a light frost the very beginning of September, but... it's been quite nice since then with lows in the 40s. But we have a downward trend coming... and after all... it is October 11!

I transplanted all of my greens that were scattered in various boxes into one 4x4 box. Hope they survive the transplanting!

Then... in preparation for what will surely come... I've covered my GREENS box. Here is the "Great Cover-Up!"

I have a wireless weather station transmitter inside the dome... so I'll know what's going on in there from inside my house! Is that cool or what? The weather station says that it's 75 degrees in there right now!

I've been cleaning up my boxes... pulling vines...

Here are a few pumpkins and squash that I gathered during my clean-up.

I read about growing "mirco greens" indoors in Urban Farm Magazine and thought that I'd give that a try. Basically, you harvest the greens when they're a little more than sprouts.

So, I planted some seeds in pots but have them covered up outside for now... until I make room in my kitchen garden window.

Planted some seeds for my "micro greens" experiment

Then.... there's the BIG Pumpkin!

I cut up all my vines and revealed my GIANT pumpkin! Here she is...

Here she is sitting on a big bale of peat moss!

My Garden... Fall 10/11/10

Greens for my Smoothie...

2010-10-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

Swiss Chard

It's barely dawn here in northern Wyoming. I'm just back in from Power Walk #1... my ears are thawing out... it's a balmy 43 degrees this early morning!

I just walked around my garden gathering up some greens to go in my morning smoothie... a little swiss chard, arugula, cilantro, and spinach. I will mix these greens with frozen berries, apple, plum, peaches, and some ESP.

Arugula

Cilantro

Beet Greens

view of garden from the 1st floor of the house (thru a screen... sorry!)

I haven't really posted that much about my pumpkin patch! We planted Giant pumpkins this summer and have 1 pretty big pumpkin growing! It must be about 50 pounds. I'll measure it next time for you!

The giant pumpkin experiment!

Sue from Garden Notes 2010 suggested that I try some Cold Frames to extend the growing season.... I'm excited to do that! Now... to hunt down some old windows!

The End... almost...

2010-10-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

I've been cleaning out my boxes. Just a few tomato plants left to pull up!

I have lots of ripening tomatoes on my counter and in buckets. It doesn't take them too long to ripen up! Made a sauce yesterday... I'm thinking of using some of it to make a lasagna today! The rest will be canned or frozen.

I've got a bunch of cherry tomatoes that I'm going to dry using my dehydrator.

It's looking so like fall not only in my garden... but all around! Leaves are changing here in northern Wyoming and beginning to fall. Our great Cottonwood trees with their rough bark and huge trunks are turning flaming yellow. Very pretty!

I'm grateful for the greens that are still alive in my garden! I've got spinach, swiss chard, arugula, and beet greens that I can harvest a little each day. I like to add these wonderfully nutritious greens to my morning fruit smoothie!

Next year I want to plant more greens. Maybe even try something new!

I just got in some more (Shaklee Basic-H2) Veggie Wash samples. Would you like one?
See the details in the right column over there ----->.

I use this organic "green" cleaner to wash up my produce from the garden, grocery store and bountiful basket co-op. Also, I use it to wash my floor, my appliances, walls, truck... even my dog Missy! I love this stuff! Been using it for 13 years now!

Sigh... and now to dream of my 2011 garden!

Fall stuff...

2010-10-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

Cleaned out one of my 4x8 tomato beds. Picked all the tomatoes... will put them on he counter to ripen.

I'm slowly cleaning out the garden.... sigh...

Today I finished canning my Granny Smith apples. I had bought 2-40# boxes! So 80#s of apples (approx. 200 apples) gave me 41 quarts. I saved about 8 apples for eating.

Our weather has been absolutely beautiful the past 2 weeks with lows in the 40s and highs in the 80s. Wish that I could can some of this weather for the winter!

Canning...

2010-10-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I took a look at the red ripe tomatoes on my counter and decided that TODAY is the day!

this photo is from a previous tomato sauce batch...

As I write this, I have a batch of the most delicious smelling tomato sauce simmering.

Yesterday, Mom & I canned 40 pounds of Granny Smith apples that I got from my Bountiful Basket co-op. I'm thrilled to have 21 quarts of yummy apples down the basement on my shelves!

Got another 40 pound box of Grannies yet to process! Anyone want to stop over tomorrow and run the apple peeler/corer thingy?

How does a grasshopper eat a watermelon?

2010-09-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Question...

So, how does a grasshopper eat a watermelon?

One bite at a time...

Luckily they ate the smallest one and I have 3 more!

I'm going to harvest the seeds from what's left!

Tomato Sauce... the canning has begun!

2010-09-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

Just finished up my first batch of sauce for canning!

After processing... I had one jar break on me during processing... darn!

Just picked about 2 pounds of tomatoes. These need to ripen up a bit more...

And sitting on my counter...

Well 9/16, our average first frost day has come and gone. Our night temperatures have been in the 40s. But... that could change fast... so I'm beginning to pick my tomatoes as soon as they start to ripen. Soon I may have to pick the green ones too!

I'm afraid that my gardening season here in northern Wyoming will be coming to a close for the season... within a few short weeks!

I am so upset!

2010-09-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

I was just out to water our giant pumpkin when I noticed that my precious escarole... yes... the escarole that I've been drooling over... the escarole that I was going to make into our favorite Italian Wedding Soup....

HAS BEEN MUNCHED UPON BY....

YES...

GRASSHOPPERS!!!

I'm so upset.... : (

Royal Burgundy Beans and dried Cherry Tomatoes

2010-09-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

The grasshoppers did a job on my Royal Burgundy Beans! They totally defoliated them!

Didn't take a picture to share... just picture in your mind... your beautiful bean plants stripped of leaves... so that you're looking at stems and branches... kind of like a tree in the dead of winter.... sigh...

So, I picked what was left and pulled all the plants.

I really liked these mild tasting beans and they have beautiful burgundy pods which turn green when you cook them. No... it has nothing to do with the fact that burgundy is my favorite color... lol!

Some of these pods will be kept for the seeds. WILL BE planting them again next year!

I dug out my food dehydrator and got it all cleaned up! Man was it a mess after sitting around in storage for um... 7 years!

So far I've dried... cherry and grape tomatoes, viva italia slices, champagne grapes (from my Bountiful Basket co-op), black grapes (also from BB co-op), apple slices, mint, and oregano.

I decided that this year I wanted to add some dried fruit (and eventually veggies) to my food storage. So now I have a small collection! Man those grapes made the BEST raisins I have ever tasted!!!! Going to be yummy in scones!

Plum Juice using my Steam Juicer...

2010-09-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

Remember those Plums that my Mom gave me? She has a Plum tree in her backyard! Here they are!

Well today they are becoming Plum Juice! And then Plum Jelly!

First I got them all washed up using my favorite non-toxic clean everything formula! (Don't forget to request your FREE sample before they're all gone!!! Yes, you can clean your veggies and your floor with the same stuff... and not worry about Fluffy getting into it... or Charlie in my case!)

I'm using my steam juicer to create wonderfully clear Plum Juice! Here it is in action!

Next up... Make Plum Jelly!!!! Hope I have enough sugar on hand!

ice ice baby...

2010-09-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

So about 6am this morning as I let the dog out, I decided to meander around the garden... a favorite morning pastime! And there... in the bird bath... a thin layer of ice!!!

But alas the garden looks fine! Must be the ambient heat from my gravel paths... the rest of this week is forecasted to be in the 40s at night. Whew...

I grabbed my little bucket and began the day's harvest of tomatoes, royal burgundy beans (mild tasting and delicious... a definite redo for next year!), lettuce, baby carrots, and some beet greens (to be added to my morning smoothie with some frozen fruit!)

My mom shared some of her red plums with me! I got them all washed up and will be steam juicing them shortly for Plum Jelly! Yum!

I happened to catch a youtube video about creating a high poly tunnel for the garden... so now I'm in dream mode...

The Great Pumpkin and washing up...

2010-09-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

Good day my Gardening Friends! And happy looooonnngg weekend!

I'm just back in from watering my garden. As I meandered around my awesome gravel pathways... I found that my Early Girls are finally starting to turn red!

I haven't really shared with you about the Giant Pumpkin that we're growing!!! Here she is! She gets bigger and bigger every day!!!

Our local lumber yard is having a Great Pumpkin contest... my 12 year old son entered... so here's hoping!!!! Isn't she beautiful???

As I picked some Swiss Chard this morning for my smoothie... I thought that I'd share a video with you of how I clean up my garden yummies... I have to warn you though... my kitten Charlie thinks that he's the star of this little clip!!!

I have some samples coming in and would love to share some Basic-H2 with you! It's my gift to you! See the instructions in the column to the right of this post!

I'm going to try some!

2010-09-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Garden Harvest 9/1/10

2010-09-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

With cooler temperatures the garden is in full swing now. Today I was able to harvest a bucket of garden yummies!

About half the bucket is tomatoes! I've got a bunch of different varieties including Early Girl, Viva Italia, Lemon Boy, Celebrity, Cherry, Grape, Sweet Tangerine (not picture because it didn't make it into the bucket...)

And... maybe you know what this green variety is???

Here's some pictures of my harvest today!

Here's a close up of my Swiss Chard... yum! Some of this is going into my morning smoothie and the rest will be for dinner!

And this photo shows an ear of Mandan Corn. This corn was grown by the Mandan Indians along the Missouri River.

Isn't it pretty? The stalks are short between 3 & 4 feet and the ears are small about 5 or 6 inches in length. Perfect for my square foot garden!

Tomatoes are ripening up nicely...

2010-08-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes!

I've been collecting tomatoes... these are the ones that I picked last week.

This morning as I meandered around the garden, I found lots more tomatoes ready to pick. I washed everything up in my sink (we finally have the water installed!) with my very favorite organic cleaner. I just use a few drops of this stuff and I'm always amazed at the grit and dirt that comes out!

It's been so cool this summer that I've been picking lettuce all summer.

In this photo: Tomatoes (mostly Viva Italia), Green Peppers, Baby Romaine Lettuce, Swiss Chard, and Arugula.

I can't believe that it's been so long since my last post! But it's been a cool summer so the garden has been slow.

We've been really busy with the house working on the kitchen. Guess that's been my priority! I'm happy to report that I have a working sink! My talented hubby got the water connections done on Friday!

Tomato Harvest... and more Royal Burgundy Beans

2010-08-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

I harvested enough Royal Burgundy beans for 2 family meals today!!! I love the color of these beans! Um... burgundy is my favorite color!

When you cook them... they turn green!

I had a fantastic Tomato harvest today!!!!!

Included in this harvest:

-Viva Italia (paste tomato)
-Lemon boy
-Sweet Tangerine
-Cherry

The tomato that I'm pointing to is the Sweet Tangerine (looks like I could have left it on the vine just a little longer... but I was so anxious to pick it and eat it!!!). The little yellow tomato is a Lemon Boy.

Royal Burgundy Beans... and Orange Tomatoes...

2010-08-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

Royal Burgundy Beans...
I'm beginning to harvest my Royal Burgundy Beans!!! They are so pretty!!!! I LOVE the color of these beans! After I pick some more this afternoon, I will have enough beans for supper tonight!

Tomato Update...

As I was watering my garden this morning... admiring the growth of my 90 tomato plants.. I was amazed to see how many new flowers have blossomed over the weekend! Looks like I'm going to have a bumper crop of tomatoes this year!

I have a new favorite eating tomato... it's called Sweet Tangerine! Oh my gosh, the flavor is just divine... sweet and mild... I sure want to grow lots more of these plants next year!

Sorry... don't have a picture (they got eaten really fast... hee hee...) but they are beautiful Orange tomatoes!

I had some friends over for lunch recently and put some of these Sweet Tangerine orange tomatoes in my salad. I took a bite and was like... OH MY GOSH... did you get some of the orange tomatoes in your salad???? They're fantastic!

oh oh... pulled 2 more tomato plants & a seed treasure...

2010-07-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Not sure what's happening... pulled 2 more sickly tomato plants! I think that they were Yellow Stuffers.

Any ideas? I think that this is the same variety as the 2 plants that I pulled last week.

On the upside... my cucumber plants are loaded with flowers! Can't wait to taste our very first garden cucumber!

During breakfast, I was looking thru that old box (1993, 1994) of seeds that my husband found while unpacking... and I found a TREASURE!!!

This is an envelope of Dr. Red Columbine seeds that my grandmother mailed to me! I wish that it was dated!!! I'm sure it is from around 1993.

My grandmother (born in 1920) always had a beautiful flower garden!

I have such sweet memories of summers at her home in Woodland Maine. She would have us collect the poppy seed pods. She had so many beautiful flowers... pansies and snap dragons... poppies... marigolds.

And she had a bunch of Blueberry bushes... we so enjoyed eating those blueberries!!!!

My grandmother is now in a nursing home. Sadly, she has Alzheimer's disease. So this envelope is just precious to me!!!

I so hope that these seeds germinate when I plant them!!!!

Out go the Peas and in go the ???

2010-07-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

I pulled the Peas today.

My younger son and our dog sure had a good time eating fresh out of the garden for a few weeks! My 12 squares of peas plants yielded about a quart baggy full of peas.... not a lot... but enough to enjoy!

Now... what to plant in those 12 squares?

I picked up some Bok Choy seeds at Home Depot last week... I may give that a try.. and also plant some more lettuce! What did you plant in place of your peas?

Oh... and a note to myself...

DON'T PLANT your beets NORTH of your Peas next year!!! My poor beets plants have been sun starved... maybe they can perk up now!

Spaghetti Squash... a first for me!

I've harvested 2 spaghetti squash so far! I have NEVER eaten this type of squash... up till now! I'm thinking of giving it a try tonight!

Here are my funky Carrots!

I had such beautiful carrots last year... so what happened this year? Much of the planted seed didn't germinate! The seeds probably got blown away in one of the several gusty wind storms!

Harvest...

In this tin container are several heads of Baby Romaine, Peas, Swiss Chard, Arugula, and Gem Lettuce... oh and a couple Spinach leaves.

We're having salad today!!!

Will be planting some more lettuce today!

Here's some pretty flowers in my hanging basket...

all the way back in 1993!

2010-07-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

We've been slowly unpacking boxes from our move in 2003 (MA to WY). We've finally gotten our new home to the point that we can do this...

So, my husband says to me... "I found your seed box." OK... so I open the black file box... and there were seeds! Some dated back to 1993!

Wow... 1993!!!

Onions... and garden update

2010-07-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

I was just over to the Growveg blog... and they've posted an excellent article on harvesting onions... here.

I am so enjoying my garden... I'll tell you those gravel paths have made all the difference to me this year! I just love walking around the garden... watering... and watching my garden grow!

We've got baby cucumbers!!!! I know it won't be long until we're eating some!

And baby pumpkins!!!!

Tomatoes are beginning to ripen.

I'm having company for lunch today!

I will be harvesting baby romaine, arugula, spinach, and radishes just for this special occaision... and we'll enjoy 2 different kinds of quiche... Quiche Lorraine (ham & swiss) and Spinach Bacon.... yum!

Off I go to start making the quiche!