Author Archives: Jim

About Jim

I'm a certified square foot gardening instructor that enjoys teaching others how to grow their own great, healthy, organic food. I also enjoy cooking, biking, playing my guitar, reading, and card magic.

Radicchio

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fiero radicchio 101613Everyone is familiar with radicchio-the small, dark maroon pieces found in mesclun salad mixes. Radicchio can be a bit tricky. I grow this particular variety and it’s been a huge hit. The variety is called Fiero-it’s harvested and used as you would romaine lettuce. It’s an open leaf variety and when grown in the right season adds a wonderful taste to salad mixes. Grow it in warm weather and it will turn so bitter that just one leaf will ruin an entire salad. Not only does it taste good, I think the color is amazing. This will be perfect for our winter harvest garden which is starting to really crank up right now with these overnight temperatures in the mid to high 20’s. I had customers clamoring over it this past spring. Give it a try.

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Time to look for those deals

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2 star lettuce and chard 101113Today I pulled up all of my drip irrigation lines as I haven’t watered with my automated system in a month.  I’ve been hand watering with free water from my Friskars rainbarrel.  It holds 48 gallons of water, and it fills up in about 20 minutes with any decent rainstorm.  I bought mine for $18 a year ago because it was the last one Home Depot had and also because it had a little white smudge on it.  It’s been great to have around.  I’ve used less metered water this year than any other even though I’ve grown more than I ever have.  I think it’s a good time to look for these closeout bargains at stores in your neighborhood.  Rainbarrels, seeds, trowels, and other garden equipment can usually be found for great deals this time of year.  This is what my gardens look like right now-things are up and alive and all looking good for my winter harvest.  Clockwise from upper left is open leaf radicchio(Fiero), chard, 2 Star lettuce, and Komatsuna.  I noticed today that I’m still getting 7 hours of full sun on my gardens.  It’s almost like spring but I have no pests this time of year.  The winter harvest should be great.

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For the healthy types….

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fall wheatgrass and prizeheadThis is wheatgrass. I can’t stand the stuff, but my wife loves to juice it-she calls it her medicine. Oh, well-to each his/her own. This is planted and harvested in 10-12 days. I only cut it once and then I empty the square and plant something else. Since it’s so late in the season and this particular bed gets little winter sun, I won’t replant this square with anything. I’ll begin to harvest and empty this entire 4X8′ box for the season and when it’s done, I’ll add my soil amendments and let it sit for the winter. It won’t be planted with anything until next spring. That’s prizehead next to the wheatgrass-an easy and tasty lettuce that anyone can grow.

Slowing down

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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.

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The square foot garden winter harvest

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leeks 091513Here in zone 6 it’s time to fill all your empty squares with things you like to eat during the winter. Most of us try to avoid our gardens during this usually bleak time of year, but you don’t have to. By using the right crops that love cool or cold weather and providing the minimal amount of protection, you can be eating out of your garden all winter. And the eats are good too!! The varieties are a little different than many are used to, but my guess is you’ll love the taste of virtually all of them. If you don’t have your garden filled up yet, you still have a couple of weeks to get many of the crops in that will thrive during the winter months. Leeks, turnips, parsnips, lettuce, spinach, mache, claytonia, mizuna, minutina, arugula, pak choi, raddichio, carrots, etc. are some of the things I grew successfully last winter. I’ll be having my last gardening workshop of the season this weekend if you live locally. Bring a friend and come on out. Visit my website for more information. I’ll be having a one of a kind class during the first week of December. You’ll be hooked when you see it then…[ois skin=”below post”]