Tag Archives: basil

Slowing down

Leave a reply

092213 prepped fall winter bedsRight now I’ve got enough lettuce, beans, tomatoes, leeks, basil, and squash to last me another 3 weeks-tops. Nights are projected to be in the mid-40’s later this week, with highs in the 70’s. My newly planted lettuce seeds are growing quickly in this cooler weather. So are all the remaining cooler crops which I’ve planted. The change in weather has really slowed the summer crops. By the picture you can get an idea of what I’ll be doing this winter in the garden. I’ve got 10 more squares to plant in the next 2-3 weeks and then I’ll be done for the year. After that it’s just a matter of protection and minimal watering for the huge winter harvest season. I doubt it will be as cold as it was last winter so I’m really looking forward to all the great things growing right now. I can’t wait until is snows so I can go and hang out in the garden-with some of the tastiest things around.

[ois skin=”below post”]

Tomatoes, garlic, and basil

4 Replies

We’ve had a ton of tomatoes this year-probably more than we’ve ever had in the past. It’s a simple task to just go out to the garden, pull a few tomatoes, garlic and basil, and then start cooking. This is a family favorite-margherita pizza. It’s really just a fresh tomato pizza, but it’s one of the reasons we’re so anxious for summer to get here. If you’re interested, I’ve got a great recipe for it. We make ours outside so we don’t even have to heat up the kitchen. You’ll have to buy my ebook to get it, but it you do, you’ll walk away with a lot more than just a great pizza recipe. You’ll learn a lot of tidbits about square foot gardening. You’ll also learn about the two most frequent causes of failure in the square foot garden along with how to make your own 100% organic solutions to eliminate bugs and pests. You probably have most of these items in your home right now. All I can tell you is that these work exceptionally well. In Mel’s first book he says that these homemade remedies “work for some of the plants some of the time for some of the people.” These work. However, I do have to say that I rarely have had any kind of bug/pest problems in my garden. This point will lead me to my next post where I’ll explain why that’s the case with a lot of square foot gardeners. I’m finishing up with my final week of veggie/produce deliveries. It’s a good thing because it’s really slowing down. I do have plans on gardening all winter long. I just want to show that this can be done-pretty easily too! Stay tuned-I’ve been experimenting and learning about a new type of fertilizer-one that you make yourself in your own backyard. It’s really good-I think you’re going to like this.[ois skin=”below post”]

The smells of summer

Leave a reply

In a few short weeks we’ll all miss the smell of freshly snipped basil on our hands.  Right now my time is taken up with pretty much harvesting-and having a hard time keeping up with some of the things.  Keep harvesting those pole beans while they’re still a decent size.  If you don’t, you’ll end up with these pithy tasting beans, which you’ll end up throwing away.  By keeping them harvested, the plant knows it needs to still produce more.  If you stop harvesting, the plant believes it’s time to start shutting down for the season.  Keep the top of your basil plants pinched off.  I also end up cutting off any brown or yellowing leaves on all my squash plants.  Keep your lettuce well watered and shaded.  In about another 2 weeks it’s time to put in your fall-Labor Day gardens.  That’s for those who want to get one more harvest out of the season.  It’s the best time to do it.  All the things you grew so well in the spring can successfully be planted again-without the snails and slugs.  I’ve still been planting squares of lettuce-right through the summer-so that we have some available to enjoy with the other salad fixings from the garden.  Maybe start thinking of your compost right now.  You should have a bunch ready to go on Labor Day.  If not, you’ll need to start hunting around for places that carry a good quality compost.  I’ve already mentioned what I believe is the best commercial compost available in a previous post.  If you’ve made no compost, this is the stuff you want to buy.  I can’t believe summer is almost over but it’s time to think about either extending the season or shutting down the gardens for the remainder of the year.  Keep in mind that in many areas where the first frost hits, there is usually another 4-6 weeks of cooler weather to still plant for those who still want to.

The looks of summer

Leave a reply

It’s sure been a great year in the square foot gardens.  We’ve had 64 ears of corn in a 4X4 box.  We’re just now getting a lot of Roma and other types of tomatoes.  The lettuce and radishes have and continue to grow and do very well-even in the heat of summer.  That’s a little tougher to do and I’ve talked about how to do that in previous posts.  The squashes, cucumbers and herbs are all doing good.  And, with only 150 square feet of garden space I’m able to not only grow this produce for our family but also 4 other people.  They have gladly paid me for it-$125 for a 6 week period.  Sure it’s a way to make extra money, but the real fun of it is that you get to see the look on people’s faces when they get that newly harvested box of organic produce that you were able to grow.  I actually think I’ve saved them a few bucks along the way because I have ended up delivering the items.  The price is the same as you would find at places like Whole Foods, but the items they’re receiving has been delivered within 2 hours of harvest.  It’s a very easy thing to do on a Saturday morning.  This picture shows just a small sampling of things that I pulled the other day.  Zucchini, carrots, green and yellow beans, basil, and Swiss chard.  Right now it’s hard to keep up with all the beans.  What do you do with all of them anyway?  That will be a topic in a new ebook that I will be working on in the near future-harvesting and storage.  Don’t forget to try and plant all those fall crops if you can.  If you plan it right, you’ll have some great and tasty things back there when all of your friendly neighbor gardeners are done for the year.  And you can do it so easily with no pests around to speak of at this time of year.[ois skin=”below post”]