End of August

We have still been able to harvest, even though I have been neglectful about planting new seeds. The broccoli continues to supply new florets that are starting to look more like broccolini. The cabbage also creates new heads every time I harvest one. All of the brassicas are growing new plants alongside the old ones. Hopefully these will produce and we can have broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower through the winter.

I did plant some beets, so hopefully they will do well even though we have been having some hot weather recently. The seeds I planted are actually a group of six, so I used the thinnings as a nice addition to my salad.

Radishes

I harvested radishes in my usual fashion, late. The smaller ones were much better than the large ones, which seemed a lot more susceptible to pests. Since they weren't the most perfect radishes I decided to learn to pickle with them. They came out well, good as a side salad or garnish. Next time I would add another jalapeno.

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup rice vinegar (not the seasoned kind)

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

12-15 small radishes

3 small carrots

1/2 small red onion

1 small serrano or jalapeno pepper.

Pour hot water, vinegar, salt, and sugar into a small (1 pint) jar. Stir to dissolve sugar and salt.
Slice radishes, carrots, onion, and pepper into 1/8-inch thick slices. Add to jar. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days before eating.

Corn Harvest

Our corn was ready to be harvested, even though it wasn't fully filled out. The silks were turning brown and the liquid that came out of the kernels was almost opaque. If the liquid is clear it is too early to harvest and if it is completely opaque you've waited too long. The corn is sweet and a good snack, but they aren't going to fulfill my dreams of bbq'd corn in the husks.

There were 10 plants with an average of two ears each.

Today's Harvest

Kale

The kale in the garden was doing well, but started to wilt and succumb to aphids (bleh). So, I harvested most of the leaves so it is easier to do pest control. I washed them off really well and chopped them up to make a simple soup.

What's in the Cupboard Soup Recipe:

Sautee chopped onion (1), garlic (3 cloves) potato (4 small yukon), jalapeno (2), and carrots (2) in large pot

Add chopped kale (one large bunch) until wilted, season as desired

I used basil, parsley, salt, and pepper

Add water with bouillon or broth to cover vegetables

I also added canned kidney beans, cannelli beans, and chopped fresh tomatoes

Bring water to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low

Simmer for about 20 minutes.

I had a lot of day old rice in the rice cooker that I threw in the cooked soup at the end to make it even more of a hearty meal/stew.

Substitute whatever vegetables you have or desire to create this soup!

Today's Harvest

Lots of kale, second-harvest broccoli, and easter-egg radishes

lots o' lettuce lunch with spicy mustard greens

It's too bad I don't have garden-fresh tomatoes to go with these greens, maybe next year.

Tomatoes are very tricky for this area. That is what I think and Pam Pierce of Golden Gate Gardening agrees with me. I ripped those half dead suckers right out so they would stop bringing down the morale of the garden. I did not put them in the compost, of course, as they may have been diseased. I also turned out the soil and added nutrients before planting my new seeds and transplants from the greenhouse.

Homesteading 101

These are the books I have been using as references for the whole backyard project.

Golden Gate Gardening is ideal for beginner gardeners in the Bay Area. You can find it at most nurseries, Rainbow Grocery, and your local apothecary. Or, you could read the blog: http://goldengategarden.typepad.com/ This book is what I trust the most for gardening information (and recipes), even over the whole world wide web.

Back to Basics and Homesteading are both by author Abagail Gehring, who also wrote Self-Sufficiency. These books remind me of my science textbooks in grade school. They are large, have lots of photos, and give basic overviews of essential concepts. I think they are worth having just for the inspiring pictures.

The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan, is an ambitious book. It packs in a lot of information about all the possibilities for small areas. The format is harder to read as the information is densely packed, but the index is pretty useful for navigation. I think I will use this book for food preservation techniques and perhaps, someday, for the how to 'cut up a chicken' section.

Growing from Seed

My first experience growing food from seed is turning out to be truly satisfying. The only trouble is that I don't want to pick my beautiful veggies when they are ready. I usually harvest when I can share with other people, otherwise I feel a little guilty keeping all the goodness for myself.

Broccoli

I definetely let these get HUGE! The heads were bigger than an average person's head. Luckily, the harvest was delicious despite my procrastinating. This broccoli has a very zesty taste and juicy stems. Any suggestions of things to do with those gigantic leaves besides feeding them to the chickens?

Brassicas, after the harvest

After harvesting my cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli I considered removing the plants completely. However, since I didn't have anything to plant there yet I let them sit. Now I have more plants growing and can look forward to a second harvest!

Cauliflower shoots emerge as sun begins to shine through the big leaf canopy.

Broccolli

Broccolli

Cabbage

Mid-June

Still, no fruit from the tomatoes!

They are growing tall with lots of foliage and flowers that seem to die off while new ones continue to grow.

Real corn stalks are growing. This is something I did not expect to happen. Most books reccomend a minimum of 4'x4' rows of corn for successful pollination. Looks like the Daly City wind is good for something!

Yard to Table: Cabbage

Peppers

Moved the peppers to the greenhouse Jake built, and they are loving the warmer clime!

Volunteer Avocado

Found another "weed" in the garden! After digging deep I realized that this was an avocado tree, and transplanted it.

Volunteer Potatoes

I found two small potato plants in the garden (a sign that our compost was not broken down very well) and re-planted them. At first I didn't know what it was, I had to look it up! I had never seen a potato plant before...

Garden, End of May

Getting Started

In the first bed we paired sweet corn with brassicas (broccolli, cauliflower, and cabbage). We placed these each about 1/4' apart, although the labels said to accomate each plant with 2' or more! We just did not have enough space for the amount of plants we purchased.

The second bed we planted a variety of tomatoes and peppers.

In pots, we planted strawberries and cilantro with regular potting soil.

The two plots are 4'x6' and run along the fence, where we get the most sun. For the soil we dug about 3 feet deep, used a small amount of the exisiting dirt, a good 1/2' of our homemade compost, coconut fibers (http://www.planetnatural.com/site/coconut-coir-fiber.html), as well as store bought compost and soil. We did not have a pH reader and had been a bit lax about upkeep with the compost, so we were not sure how the transplants we bought would take.