Garden Geek-Out

Last Sunday we went to the beach and took a quick plunge into the Sound.  We have done this several times since July but this time, it was really cold.  Fall is definitely here.  I first felt it creeping in on Orcas, where we spent the weekend before last camping in the rain.   There were a few moments of blustery bliss when the sun peeked out, magnifying all the newly fallen medallions, but most of our time on the island was soggy.

I also had the chance to soak up some shop talk because we stayed on Greg's old stomping ground- Maple Rock Farm.  John and company recommended lots of overwintering varieties of carrots, radishes and the MRF specialty, salad greens.  So before I get all excited about planting the winter garden, I want to record this summer's successes as well as the less glamorous results.  I am pretty much sick of tomatoes, but come spring, I want to remember everything I learned this summer.

This year's experiments are rooted in years of teen laboring in my parents' giant garden.  I have supplemented this suffering with some reading.  I recently scored a 3$, used version of The Healthy Garden Handbook, complete with disturbing insects and 80's fashion.  The WSU Master Gardeners website explains soil nutrients pretty well and the experts at Seattle Tilth and KUOW's Weekday Garden Show have taught me some tricks.  I'll save the best for last and start with some things I learned the hard way. 

On watering... Don't underwater squash plants, they'll get blossom rot. 
The squash were at the end of the soaker-hose line and they didn't get enough water during the heat-wave.  Apparently ample water is required for lime and calcium to circulate, maintain the proper pH and prevent blossom-end rot.

On fertilizing and composting... Too much chicken manure is bad for squash. 
Too much nitrogen makes the soil temporarily acidic. Vine crops like squash and cucumber grow better in slightly basic soils.  Lime can remedy this, but you can't really add lime once things are planted.  Nitrogen-heavy soil is better for foliage; for things like spinach, basil and beet greens.
Roots need potassium- or potash- which is found in kelp meal, wood ash and crushed granite.  
As for general soil improvements, working lawn clipping into the clay-ie soil around the rhody-invested house-perimeter has totally paid off.   Applying fish emulsion during the growing season kept things going strong and it really only smells bad for a day.  I also read that the best way to compost bulky waste like shells, bones and big sticks is by burning them, then adding the ash to the compost pile.  I haven't done this yet, but it sounds like great solution the mussel shells scattered through-out the garden.  They look pretty raw.

On building raised beds... Make at least 3' walkways.
Ours are more raised borders than beds.  Our landlord asked that we restore the original state of the parking strip when we move away, so rather than filling the beds with new earth, we removed about 16" of sod and replaced it with garden mix from Pacific Topsoils.  If we didn't need a border to satisfy our landlord and to fend off the dogs, I wouldn't even have wasted time with raised beds.
4 x 8 is a good size but if did it again, I would leave more than 2 feet between each island.  The tomatoes and Cosmos grew into the walkway and the squash ended up contaminating the tomato plants with Powdery Mildew.

On spacing... Squash and cucumbers need lots of space, even with a trellis. 
We put eight plants in a 4x8 bed with Cosmos.  It turned into a vegetable ghetto.  The flowers quickly expanded into four foot tall bushes and crowded out the squash's roots early on.  We harvested a bunch of Delicata, one wee Acorn Squash, one Hubburd (with which I will make soup) but zero Butternut... Disappointing.

On organic fungicides... It's counter-intuitive but mold needs to be washed off.
I tried two powdery mildew remedies- a milk potion and a baking soda wash.  The latter worked better.  I soaked all the leaves and affected stems with 1 liter of water/ 1 teaspoon of baking soda/ 3 drops of vegetable oil. The spray washed off the mold and coated the unaffected leaves, preventing further infection.  

On pruning tomatoes... If you do it, do it early.
I waited until the 4th of July and by then the suckers were big.  Cutting them left open wounds in the plants' stalks.  They recovered but it was traumatizing.  It's also nearly impossible to permeate a 4 foot solid block of tomato plants.
 
On harvesting... Pick big tomatoes before they're completely ripe.
John told me this and it works!  Ripening full-size tomatoes on the vine will make them go mushy and crack.  Bring them inside when they're just turning red and let them fully ripen on the window sill.

On tomato varieties... Black Zebra get the blue ribbon.
These gorgeous green-striped heirlooms were also full of flavor.  They boast a good medium-size and balanced texture.

The Big Beef were Greg's request.  I have been pretty satisfied but he recently informed me that what he really wanted was the Beef Steak.  Perhaps the name automatically sets one up for disappointment. This variety was indeed meaty and good for cooking, but not as flavorful as I expected.  I'm not sure if the the slight mealy-ness was caused by under-watering during the crucial months of June and July, late harvesting or just inherent to this type.  I did however hear from Willy Galloway that you can stop watering in late August and it helps concentrate the flavor. 
The Purple Calabash, also heirlooms, were pretty tasty, very juicy (almost watery), beautifully ruffled but a bit mealy towards the outside.  They also cracked easily.

Isis Candy and Sun Sugar are popular small tomatoes for a reason- delicious and prolific.
Next year I think I'll try Brandywine, and Amish Paste or some other meaty types for sauce.
Any suggestions? 

On things to (not) plant again...
Fear ye not the turnip.  Homegrown,  they are delicious roasted, in Tempura or steamed in Pot au Feu.  I tried the Purple Top White Globe variety and they were not only beautiful, but mild and tender throughout the summer. 

White Icicle and Cherry Belle Radishes are best- mild and juicy-in early summer.  Apparently Black Spanish Radish are a good wintering variety but they didn't grow very well this spring... I probably planted them too late.  I also had better luck with the Detroit Red beets than Bull's Blood.  The Bull's Blood are prized for their pretty leaves, but they actually tasted pretty bitter to me.  Yellow Mangel Beet greens, however, are super sweet.

On vines...
I had great luck with lemon cucumbers. They were tasty, firm and not too seedy and one sole plant produced enough cucs for a full summer of salads, cold cucumber-mint soup and snacking.  Delicata squash were also delicious and persistent (see on spacing). 

Pimientos de Padron are medium-spicy and smoky and delightful roasted, and on pizza.  Other fabulous peppers include Corno di Toro (good for Pico de Gallo) and Bulgarian Carrot Chili.  The latter are more acidic and dangerously hot.

Wild Purple Orach Spinach (the image in the Fringe Case title) is a tender beauty while Roquette Arugula grows in any soil and weather and makes excellent pesto.   Sorrel is my favorite salad green.  Lusciously sour but hardy, it survived the heat wave and has recently busted into a giant bush.  Nasturtiums are a spicy, luxurious addition to salad and they grow easily.  I didn't plant mine until late July and we are enjoying them right now.

On growing lettuce throughout the summer... Use a shade cloth. 
The lettuce bolted by early July.  I planted a second round on July 20th, and kept the newly sown seeds damp and cool under a shade cloth.  They all sprouted well, didn't bolt and still taste pretty sweet.  I also used the shade cloth to cover mid-summer beet, radish and turnip plantings.

 On green-housing... Just say no to PVC pipes
because bamboo works better and it's far more beautiful.  Covering the plants in spring and early summer contributed to our success, especially with peppers, tomatoes and basil.  Rather than using nasty-ugly-PVC to build hoop frames, I used bamboo strips from Bamboo Hardwoods.  The bamboo strips were inexpensive, strong, flexible and easy to screw directly to the raised-bed frame.  Plastic covers kept the plants warm and sheltered on cool May nights and windy days in June.  They'll also keep things growing this winter.  I hope.