Blue Ridge Gardener

I needed to pass this recipe along because it hit the spot tonight.

Shrimp and Grits (Italian style)

Rose’s Garden Fresh Recipe’s will keep you busy in the garden and the kitchen.

Since purchasing my house and yard almost a year ago, I have had three soil tests done on the garden plot, and another two done on the front yard.

The first soil test recommendation done in May 2008 (before I even closed on the house) on the yard was to add 20 lbs. per 1000 square feet of 5-10-5 fertilizer.  This year, they recommended 20 lbs. of 5-10-10 per square feet.

I applied that equivalent amount in March 2009 (I knew that the lawn needed feeding, and I decided to apply a general fertilizer at last year’s rate and then supplement based on the soil test.)  I don’t think I will be adding anything to the lawn this spring/summer.

I have noticed that the weight/volume of the lawn has increased so the soil is heavier than the year before (could be a less dry sample than I got last year) and most of the minerals are similar to last year.  Based on the excellent growth we are getting this spring, and it’s dark green  color, the yard is much healthier than last year.

The excellent information coming from the garden is where I place my focus:

Last year’s recommendations included 30 lbs of lime per 1000 sq. ft. and 20 lbs. of 5-10-5.  These were applied and the garden produced bountifully last summer and fall.  My Sep 2008 soil test recommended no lime, and to continue with 20 lbs. of 5-10-5 per 1000 sq. feet.  

I added fertilizer to every vegetable bed planted, and sowed cover crops in beds that were dormant, and that resulted in a fertilizer recommendations for Spring 2009–0 lime and only 1 pound of Nitrogen per 1000 square feet.

There have been increases in all the minerals from Fall 2008 to Spring, and the Humic Material percentage is up.  The Cation Exchange Capacity is down a bit, and best that I can tell that is because the clay is breaking up and the soil is more friable.  Over time, the rate should go up as it becomes more organic. Always learning.

I am going to run a test on my square foot garden beds as a comparison this summer.  A controlled system made mostly of light, organic materials should make for an excellent study.

Yesterday I took some time in the garden to clean up and get ready for the rest of the summer season.  

• I weeded the beds that had been flooded on Sunday and gave the soil around the plants some breathing space.  This involved using a hoe, some hand weeding and some muscles.  This is totally different than working in the Square Foot Garden beds.
• I spent a little time thinning in the SFG beds (minutes).  I like this system very much.  I have excellent, organized stands of vegetables in the square foot sections.  It is very easy to spot unwanted seedlings, and there is a full stand of each vegetable.  The system just seems too easy to be true.
• I disassembled the hoophouse and stored it for the fall.  Based on weather forecasts and and best estimates, I will not need to use the hoop house until around September.  Rather than leaving it up and having to move it on a regular basis to till and cut grass, I have stored it for the summer.  It served its purpose well and will become an even bigger part of the garden next fall/winter/spring.  It will need some repairs and adjustments, but overall, it is in very good shape.  It withstood all of the elements and will be ready for another season.

Romaine Lettuce about 10 days ago

It is a question that everybody asks here in the mountains.   It is not that simple.  Even if you live somewhere else.  Because there are so many factors that have to be considered.

Believe me, there is more advice than you can imagine.  The NC Extension service has planting charts for the state, and by adding a week here, or subtracting a week there, you can come to a planting date for your particular crop.

Then there is the Old Farmer’s Almanac that has a different set of dates altogether.  They tend to be a month later than the extension service for this region (an may be closer to the correct dates when all is said and done.

The old-timers in the community have a different set of standards.  Most of them will not plant anything before May 10th, except a few crops that they will plant in April (potatoes and cabbage being two of them).

I read this article in the Smoky Mountain News- When is it safe to plant? I think there is some solid advice in the column, but I am not sure that I would wait until after June 1 to plant to be 100% sure that there is no frost.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when preparing to plant:

• What is the average last frost for your community? (There are a number of resources available that provide that information, you will have to decide which one is most accurate)
• What is your elevation? (If it is higher or lower than the elevation for your town/city [this is where the frost date is calculated]–you will need to recalculate)
• What are the old timers doing?  (Not everything they do is the best or most efficient way to do things, but they know the weather and climate better than the extension service, and you can generally trust them)
• What are the plants you are wanting to get in the ground? (hardy crops can take the cold better than the tender crops)
• How much time are you willing to spend covering and uncovering plants in the event of a late frost? (My tender stuff in the Square Foot boxes are much easier to cover than a long row of another crop)
• How patient are you? (Can you wait another week for a fresh tomato?)

I always remember when working in the garden that nature has her own timetable and we have to learn to deal with it. We can plant seed or transplants earlier than nature wants them, and they will just sit there until the conditions are right–then all of a sudden, things take off.  My Romaine lettuce is a good example of that this year—it was planted at the right time according to the extension service.  But it really didn’t start producing until last week.  Now we can pick leaves everyday and the plants keep producing more.

In another example, I transplanted some Basil to one of my SFG beds a little early, and they poked along.  A week later i planted another set of transplants.  They are both doing about the same and there was no advantage of planting early.

I followed extension service calendars concerning some hardy seeds, but lost those seeds to damp cold in early April.  I replanted in late-April in the SFG boxes, and they are doing better than any time I have planted seeds before.

The best answer to “When do I plant?”—You will always be learning.