Spring Planting Update

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Dave @ HappyAcres

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately working in the vegetable garden. With favorable weather last week, I was able to get the spring brassicas planted. This is a no-dig no-till bed, covered with woven weed barrier fabric. I have had great luck with growing the spring and fall brassicas this way the last couple of years, and I have high hopes that will continue in 2024. Before putting down the fabric, I amended the soil with several bushels of compost and some organic fertilizer. Then I set out 9 broccoli plants, 7 cabbage and 14 of the big Kossak kohlrabis. When these plants were a few weeks old I had transplanted them into 3.5″ pots, which makes for a strong and healthy root system. After planting, the weather turned wet, and we have gotten just over three inches of rain the last few days. That has gotten the plants off to a great start, and they have really taken off as a result.

bed with brassicas

Annual weeds are starting to sprout in the exposed soil though, and I will use shredded paper to mulch the soil to help keep the weeds under control. I am growing Melody mini-broccoli for the first time, and also growing AAS Winner Purple Magic. The rest of the broccoli plants are favorites like Artwork (also an AAS Winner), Jacaranda and Burgundy.

Melody broccoli plant

The Kossak kohlrabi plants are already starting to swell at the base, which is where the bulbous bottom part will form. These usually get well over a pound each, and I space them a foot apart to give them plenty of room. I am reusing the weed barrier from last year, and it is still in good shape.

Kossak kohlrabi plant

The warm weather we’ve been having has helped the soil heat up, and it was warm enough to set out 10 bush squash plants this past weekend at the other end of the bed. They have taken off already too, and I will thin to one plant per spot in a few days.

Starry Night seedlings

In the bed next to the brassicas and squash I have some Forum onions growing and sizing up. I planted sets last fall, and have been pulling some for use as scallions/green onions as needed. That bed will eventually be used to plant sweet potatoes this year, so they will all get pulled in a few weeks.

Forum onions

Next up in my planting schedule is tomatoes, and I have started getting that bed ready. It was very weedy to start with, no doubt as a result of neglect last summer and fall as I recovered from pneumonia. With a little work (okay, a lot!) though it is looking better, and once the soil dries a bit I hope to spread compost and fertilizer and begin planting the tomatoes. It may take a few more years to get rid of the annual weeds and grasses, since I am sure there are plenty of seeds in the soil and they sprout when conditions are favorable.

weedy garden

I have those tomato seedlings growing in 50 cell plug flats, and they have been hardened off and are ready to go in the ground. I’ve cut back a bit from previous years and hope to get all the tomatoes in one bed, though there might be a few that need to go in an overflow area. It’s always hard for me to say “no” to a few new tomatoes each year though!

tomato seedlings

I hope you have enjoyed this update on spring plantings here in early May. I’ll be back soon with more happenings from Happy Acres – including Harvest Monday!

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Harvest Monday May 6, 2024

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Dave @ HappyAcres

It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. The overwintered planting of lettuce in the greenhouse is about gone, but I cut another giant head of Starfighter last week that weighed over 1.5 pounds. I also began cutting the spring planted varieties, this time Salanova Red Oakleaf and Salanova Green Oakleaf. The red does not color up that much for me in the greenhouse, but the leaves are tender and tasty regardless. We have been enjoying salads often, and they make for a quick and cool meal.

Salanova Red & Green Oak lettuce

Starfighter lettuce

The arugula is still going strong, and I made a cutting last week to go on pizzas which have become a regular bi-weekly thing here. I’ve been using pita bread for the crust, and baking on a hot pizza stone which makes for a thin and crisp base. I make pizza sauce in summer from our tomatoes, then freeze it for use the rest of the year. Pickled Aji Rico and Aji Delight peppers are a favorite topping, and I make several jars of them each year.

arugula

pizza with arugula

pizza after baking

And I made a cutting of various baby greens to go on salads. Tuscan Baby Leaf kale and Mizspoon are always favorites of mine, and the Beka Santoh is good for fresh use as well.

baby greens for salads

It continues to be a great year for asparagus. We have harvested about 10 pounds so far, and have had plenty to eat for ourselves plus some to share with friends. Last week I stir-fried some in olive oil with a few mushrooms, which is another of my favorite treatments for a side dish.

stir-fried asparagus and mushrooms

In non-harvest news, our irises are in full blooming mode now, and we have quite a few varieties planted. One of my favorites is one I brought with me when I moved from the farm to Happy Acres. We call is Eva’s Yellow, since my neighbor Eva in Kentucky had them planted along the fence between our properties. She had moved them from her old place in Alabama, so they have travelled quite a bit! Another one I like was just planted last year, and it’s an orange one called Penny Lane.

Eva’s Yellow iris

Penny Lane iris

Another of my favorites was planted here when we bought the place. We call it Old Burgundy, since it looks like an old-fashioned variety that was popular in gardens back in the day. It’s tall, and a pretty reliable performer for us most every year.

Old Burgundy iris

Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to share, add your name and blog link to Mr Linky below. And please check out what everyone is harvesting!

 


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Harvest Monday April 29, 2023

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Dave @ HappyAcres

It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. Speaking of harvests, I made another cutting of tender new leaves from the overwintered collard plants. I thought they were about done for, but at least one plant (Jernigan’s Yellow Cabbage) proved me wrong and gave us a bit less than a pound of tender leaves last week. These are great when lightly sautéed in a bit of olive oil, and for me don’t need much in the way of seasoning other than some salt.

collard harvest

We’re also continuing to enjoy the lettuce I’m harvesting from the greenhouse plantings. This week I cut a giant head of Grazion, which is a green leaf lettuce with thick, wavy leaves. That one weighed over a pound, and lasted for several salads.

Grazion lettuce

It’s been a great year so far for asparagus too. We continue to cut a few ounces every day, and now have harvested right at eight pounds so far. Last year’s total was 13 pounds, and with about a month left in the season we should reach that amount again this year easily .

roasted asparagus

The overwintered parsley is bolting and just about done for. Those leaves aren’t quite as tender as normal, but plenty good enough to make another batch of tabouli salad last week.

parsley harvest

Tabouli salad

I pulled more of the Forum onions last week, and I continue to be happy with how they are doing. I planted sets last fall, and they have proven to be hardy and vigorous growers. I’m hoping to let a few size up, though eventually I will need to pull them all to make room for this year’s sweet potato planting.

Forum onions

In non-harvest news, our Encore azaleas are in full bloom now. These are repeat bloomers that put on another show in early fall, though usually the spring bloom is the heavier of the two. Our other azaleas have been done for several weeks now, so these are a welcome sight at the front of our house.

Encore azaleas

red azalea

pink azalea

And last but not least, the clematis (Crystal Fountain) we planted by our front porch last year is really blooming now. The blooms are huge, and the compact vines are literally covered in them.

Crystal Fountain clematis

closeup of bloom

Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to share, add your name and blog link to Mr Linky below. And please check out what everyone is harvesting!


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Cold Frame Makeover

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Dave @ HappyAcres

The last couple of weeks I’ve been working on a project to replace the cold frames I have behind our greenhouse. I’ve got three growing areas back there with about 50 square feet of growing space, and the cold frames provide protection from wind and critters like deer and rabbits. The frames have been falling apart for some time, and I finally decided it was time to replace them. Here’s what they looked like back in the fall of 2020, when they were still in fairly good shape.

back side of greenhouse

And here’s what they look like now, falling apart on the tops and bottoms with mostly rotten wood. This is a photo of one I moved to make room for the new ones, which I decided to buy instead of make.

rotting cold frame

The first step was to get rid of the old cold frame pieces, and put down cardboard around the edges to keep down weeds. Then I could assemble the new beds and move them into place. Finally I covered the cardboard with cypress mulch, and then started planting. I am continuing to use one old cold frame bottom, which will be planted with annual and perennial herbs. That bed does not need to be covered or protected, so the top isn’t really necessary and the bottom itself isn’t really that important.

assembling the beds

The old cold frames were made from untreated pine boards, and only lasted a few years before starting to decay. The new ones are made from white cedar, and with any luck should last as long as I do! They are a bit pricey up front, but given the cost of lumber and the hardware it takes to assemble the frames I thought it would be money well spent in the long run. These assemble with slots and pegs, and can be stacked to provide more growing room. I’ve got two of the 4×4 foot beds stacked together in one bed, and I planted curly kale (Winterbor, Starbor) in there and interplanted with onions. I plan to pull the onions as spring onions/scallions.

new cedar beds

In the third bed, I have a 4×6 foot cedar bed that I just planted yesterday with kohlrabi and lettuce seedlings. I also interplanted these with onions to fill in the spaces between rows. I sprinkled Sluggo Plus around the plants, then covered with the bird netting material.

bed after planting lettuce, kohlrabi and onions

I’ll share more updates as the growing season progresses, but so far I am pleased with the makeover results. I’ll be back soon with more happenings from Happy Acres!

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Harvest Monday April 22, 2024

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Dave @ HappyAcres

It’s time once again for Harvest Monday, where we celebrate all things harvest related. The weather has been seasonally cool here of late, and we continue to enjoy the lettuce I have planted in the greenhouse. Last week I cut Sea of Red and Grazion, and they went in salads and on tacos. I think homegrown lettuce has more flavor than what we buy at the grocery store, and my wife and I enjoy it often when it’s in season here. I make croutons with our homemade bread to go on salads, where they add both crunch and flavor.

Grazion and Sea of Red lettuce

lunch salad

tacos with lettuce

And we also enjoy the asparagus while it’s in season. We made another batch of Asparagus Mimosa last week, which makes for a light lunch or dinner when served with some crusty homemade bread like the Ligurian Focaccia.

I made a cutting of Mizspoona Salad Select last week for use in an egg dish and on a salad. This is a mild flavored mizuna/tatsoi cross from Wild Garden Seed with big green serrated leaves that does well for me here in container or in-ground plantings.

Mizspoona Salad Select

And I also made a cutting of arugula last week to go on a pizza. This is a mix of Speedy, Uber and Esmee I have growing this time around. Speedy is a long time favorite, while Uber and Esmee are more recent additions to our lineup.

arugula for pizza

pizza with arugula

And last but not least, the Pileated Woodpeckers have been almost daily visitors to our feeders lately. I often hear them before I see them, since they have a big voice to go with their big bodies!  It’s always a treat to see these giant birds, the largest of the North American woodpeckers. This one in the photos is a male, judging by the red cheek feathers. He has been foraging around on the ground under the feeders too.

Pileated Woodpecker at suet feeder

Pileated Woodpecker on the ground

Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to share, add your name and blog link to Mr Linky below. And please check out what everyone is harvesting!


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