Seed varieties for Winter Vegetables

Dear Gardeners,
Some excellent and wise local organic veggie growers have some great ideas about how when and what to plant for WINTER crops in our area.
The above picture shows how Carolyn Herriot starts her winter veggies on an unused flat driveway, on sawhorses, up in flats away from slugs. (click on jpeg to make it larger, then use the back button to return here.)
The veggie varieties she prefers are listed below.

Here’s Carolyn Harriot's Winter seeding list:

She prefers these varieties of winter crops:

Kale ‘White Russian’
Kale ‘Red Russian’
Kale ‘Green Curley’
Collards ‘Champion’
Broccoli ‘Nine Star perennial’
Broccoli ‘Purple sprouting’
Broccoli ‘Green Goliath’
Silverbeet
Silverbeet Five colour
Swiss Chard ‘Fordhook Giant’
Perpetual Spinach
Parcel
Welsh bunching onions
Superior bunching onions
Rucola Italian arugula
Raddichio ‘Pallo Rossa’
Chicory ‘Rossa di Treviso’
Cabbage ‘Late Holland’
Cauliflower ‘Erfurdska’
Corn salad ‘Vit’
Feldsalat (Mache)
Carrots ‘Autumn King’
Chinese coriander, (Cilantro ‘Slo-bolt’)

To be seeded July 21st 2008

Winter Mesclun Mix
Mixed Winter Lettuces
Endive ‘Howe Sound’
Cress ‘Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled’
Cress ‘Dutch Broadleaf’
Mustard ‘5-Mix mustard greens’
Pac Choi ‘Ching Chiang’
Mustard ‘Giant Red’
Mustard ‘Mizuna’
Mustard ‘Tendergreen’
Tatsoi oriental greens

Read more from C. Herriot's blog.

End C. Herriot's list.

I think that if we'd like to get our winter seeding done in June and July we could lay flats out in unused spaces, on pallets up off the ground. Is that a great idea or what? Easier to control seedling moisture and keep the slug-festivals from feasting on our newly sprouted seedlings, come this summer.

Let me know if this idea is conceptually feasible.
Best, Jen :>)

Minutes from the D.I.G.S. AGM

Minutes for the DIGS Annual General Meeting:
February 21, 2010
The D.I.G.S. Annual General Meeting was well attended, and our guest speaker was riveting. You could have heard a leaf drop! If you wish to read the brief AGM minutes, they are on our P.I. email group's file page. Just click here, and sign in using your yahoo group password to view instantly.

I'd like to thank all the DIGS executive for their good work, and HUGE thanks to our guest speaker, who just about blew our tiny minds with her excellence!!

And since I'm feeling so DIGgy, here's a great video to enjoy about seeing the world from a plant's-eye-view. What an amazing perpsective.

http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_pollan_gives_a_plant_s_eye_view.html

Note the cool perspective on how plants get us to be THEIR servants! :>)

For a look at the permaculture Farm that is described three quarters of the way through the video (cows followed by chickens on the same patch of hay--so cool!)
see: http://www.polyfacefarms.com

How Mushrooms Can Save the World

Dear Gardeners,
Connie Kuramoto, the guest speaker at the DIGS AGM, held February 21 at the Beacon House mentioned this very interesting youtube video. Click on the play button and be amazed.


Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World

Connie also emailed us to say:

Hello,
Well I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Island yesterday, and was very impressed by the sense of Community feeling that you all hold so dear. What a wonderful way to spend my day! Good luck with your garden, here is the link to the Organic Gardener's pantry site. http://www.gardenerspantry.ca/
Enjoy!
Connie
PS: Did I mention that you should add organic matter to your gardens?

Connie Kuramoto
Gardens on the Go

Please contact me if you are interested in having Gaia College's Organic Master Gardener Program come to your area. http://www.gaiacollege.ca/

"Not only is another world possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing" Arundhati Roy

"Only when the last tree has died, and the last fish has been
caught, and the last river has been poisoned, will they realize that
money cannot be eaten". 19th Century Cree saying.

Fabulous new ideas

Dear Garden-lovers,
Sunday's information sessions with Connie were AMAZING!
I learned so much and it was all so great!
Huge thanks to Connie for the fantastic array of ideas.

One idea was to add comfry, horsetail and nettle into compost mixtures. Or to make compost tea to apply to organicly grown gardens, to foliar feed.

So I looked up a few links that might be of interest (see below). And I'm curious what other gardeners think about growing our own beneficial compost plants in pots or collecting horsetail and nettle, which grow on the island. and adding them to our compost? Enjoy these links and add any more you find useful in the comments below:


Making compost tea and the microscopic food chain.

Growing your own green compost plants

If you're successful in growing your own compost plants, you may want to know about shredding machines small to big

The facts on Comfrey growing in pdf

Common Comfrey; is it invasive?

Comfrey in pots for urban home composters?


Best,
Jen

What's up? Feb 20th

Dear Gardeners,
News from today's gardening: Feb. 20th
When we arrived for a look around this Saturday morning, the garden was still in shade and covered with frost. Have a look!
It was all melted an hour later, but what an amazingly warm day in the sunshine it soon turned into. (click on collage, and then use back button).



There is spicy mesclun coming up in our cool greenhouse, and we switched to "zippy" mesclun (less cold-tolerant) which was planted today. We're keeping a record notebook of the dates we plant, roughly every two weeks, in order to know in future years which mesclun does best in which months of the year.

I learned a bit about "damping off" that can kill off tiny seedlings, and how to try and prevent it by filling the seeding flats right to the top, so as not to create too much of a damp micro-environment right on the soil surface. The sterile mixture will sink after planting, so it's alright to fill it right up to level with the sides to start. Interesting stuff.



Some lovely DIGS volunteers dug under the last of the cover-crop of winter rye (thanks! that looked like big shovel work!) and others spread hay over the slightly muddy well-trod areas.
Now it looks ready for large draught-horses to come through the gates. Most magical!

We also cleaned up around the compost area, then made some coffee and had a good laugh about how we could sell little bags of all the great looking compost we have, with all the layers made up with different islanders good compost materials (chips from x, grass clippings from y--what an ingredients label THAT would be---it's a real melange of good will---plus it's full of worms!)

So everything's looking ship-shape and lovely, even if only kale, parsley, corn-salad, and a few cabbage and garlic are up and feisty. The raspberries are budding, and the baby strawberry plants have rooted. Optmism and fresh air abound! We even talked about a bower of pear trees we'd like to try. And fruit cages! We dreamed openly about fruit-cages!



Ah...such a good mood this sunshine brings!

Tomorrow we'll welcome our AGM guest speaker at 10:30 am at our garden, maybe with a thermos of coffee. The AGM starts at 1 pm, and we're looking our best.

Things we yakked about today over coffee with canned milk:

Raspberry netting structure:
We're trying to figure out a good inexpensive raspberry netting structure, and are looking into aluminum conduit that will create a frame for the bird-netting. Jim's clipping mechanism (bull clips put to a new use) seems feasible. A little more research, and then we should get to building it over bed 11.

New tools:
We're going to be purchasing some new strong tools and wheelbarrow and other gardening acessories (broom, rake, pitch fork etc.) so everyone's input on a tools list would be great.


First seedings:
Right now is the time for starting cool vegetables from seed like spinach, lettuce and greens. It will also be time soon to seed onions, peppers, tomatoes and other heat lovers to be started over heat (at Jim's place, and later moved to our garden.)A seeding timetable for our area is here.

Leeks and onions - how many?
We also need to think about onion beds and leek beds, and which they will be and whether we need more spaces devoted to these plants.
So I put a planning map up on the bulletin board, so everyone can see what the plan is so far, and updates to that plan can be posted as they arise.

Big day tomorrow!
So do enjoy the AGM tomorrow, the slide show, the cookies and the talk on "The Secret Life of Soil". The meeting and talk are at Beacon House (1:45 pm for the talk.)

Thanks to everyone for all you do for our garden. I just love it!! Best, Jen

Feb 21st Sunday AGM

Dear D.I.G.S. members and island gardeners,

Upcoming DIGS AGM Sunday, February 21st, at Beacon House. Our Meeting starts at 1:00pm at the Beacon House with refreshments,and a slideshow of pictures taken at the garden, and a chance to renew your membership for 2010 (single membership - $10, family membership $15). At 1:30, a short meeting, and at about 1:50 Connie Kuamoto, master gardener, will speak to the group on "The Secret Life of Soil", and answer your gardening questions.
If you can bring a batch of cookies or squares to the meeting please let me know.
Marg.

february day in the garden ..

                                                                    

barb and i meandered our way to the garden this morning .. we stopped to admire the indian plum and dogtooth violets  in smugglers' park that were beginning to show buds and the promise of flowers .. we took a turn at the pond to watch the ducks .. six pairs .. initially, we'd thought that possibly we would be the only ones at the garden, besides jenni whom i'd spoken to beforehand .. and the morning was promising winds and rain .. however, as barb and i were leaving her place, karen and joyce were heading down the road .. and once we arrived, sherry had come to join in as well .. wonderfull .. i am great believer in the idea that whoever needs to be in the garden, on any given day, comes .. it's delightful to see who shows up .. then, veronica arrived later to have a looksee .. i love this garden ..

when i begin my time in any one of the gardens i tend, the first thing i do is what i refer to as a 'walkabout' .. go see what's growing .. what's changing .. who's happy .. who isn't .. see what comes to mind to do .. or what shouts to be done .. and so, we began this morning with a walkabout .. moving from bed to bed .. reminding ourselves, with the help of sherry who had a copy of the 'map,' of what was going to be planted in this bed and that .. and the rye has done so well .. and how about these leeks and onions that we planted in the autumn .. and look at the colour in those brassicas .. and the shelling peas will go there .. and look how tall the garlic is .. and this bed will be full of beets .. and that one with corn and squash .. and we all wandered together from bed to bed .. throwing out ideas, questions, concerns .. mulling them over .. coming up with suggestions .. with answers .. with visions ..

i think we were all filled with delightful excitement about the garden this morning .. i know i was .. despite the weather .. the rye was dug under .. the shed was prepared for the introduction of the new filing cabinet .. the greenhouse got a new shelf .. the garden grounds were tidied up .. we spread chips in gateways .. yup, we got a lot done .. and i believe we all enjoyed ourselves .. the rain and wind incidental, really ..

Seed starting dates for indoors

Dear Gardeners,
I found a gardening blog from an island just south of here, and thought that the seed starting dates list was really useful.
Check it out by clicking here.
Best, Jen

Second Seeding Plan Feb 13th

Dear Gardeners,
See above for revised plot plan. Just click on it to make it bigger (and then use the back button to come back here.)

And for those with colour printers, there's a revised plan identical to the above jpeg, but in pdf for printing or emailing at our file section on the PI email group.
So well, gosh, we only made one small mistake on our first seeding plan. We put Peas in the same place twice. So if we just switch two beds that are next to eachother, the plan will work. Each plan is numbered, so like revised editions, we can just keep correcting and printing as we go, and keep one up on the tack board in the garden that we can refer to when we're actually gardening.

We met this morning for a general walk-through and tidy-up and did both! The walk-through was super fun, and the tidy up went quickly.
With two pitch forks a nice group of people turned over the green manure crop to give 2-5 weeks of composting of the winter rye before planting. Thanks you guys!!
We also discussed some fun ideas for this summer, to do with experimental beds, hanging strawberries, growing asparagus in a yearly bed (which apparently needs to be quite deep for the "tap root") and other tid bits.

Here are some pictures. (click to make bigger, then use back button on upper left to come back)

One idea I had today, (while gazing in awe at our garden) was a symbol that could be used on a signpost in a bed that would say "Water this bed" or "Please DO NOT water" for our summer waterers to see. Hmmmm. Maybe plywood? Maybe sticks in beds? But the symbols could be something bright and noticeable like these:





They could be on painted plywood, or even laminated on tiny cards that are stapled to stakes. This is to help all the different watering people to the invisible seeds that may be below a dry garden bed, or the need to stop watering garlic or carrots, or what have you.
Please feel free to post anything you like to this blog.
We all want to communicate so much it's easiest to have a space to do it, with everyone pitching in.
I'll have some photos later, and thanks again for today. So lovely. Spring is so exciting! Best, Jen :>)

First seeding plan

Dear Gardeners,
Above is our first DIGS seeding plan for early and heat-loving bed rotation for this spring. More info to follow as we haven't yet planned for strawberries, or fully discussed leeks or the club-root prone brassicas. Herbs, flowers and winter crops can all still be decided as we go.

At today's seed meeting we tallied up the seeds we have from last year, and found that we only need to order a few kinds for this year:

Seeds to buy: choose varieties

Asparagus - (new crop; to experiment with permanent place)
Artichokes - (new crop; to experiment with)
Beets - red/yellow/orange, cylindrical?
Brussel Sprouts - (need to choose a variety)

Cabbage - (need to choose a variety)
Carrots - Nante suggested
Corn - (need to choose a variety)
Cucumber - Lemon Cucumber suggested(round, small shape, great taste) plus one new variety more like "english cucumber" (does better in greenhouse?)

Onion - green onion and storage onion sets suggested
Peas - Two kinds - edible pod, and shelling (choose varieties)
Spinach - (need to choose a variety - heat tolerant? tender? long-season?)
Swiss Chard - Bright Lights suggested - note: lots of chard lovers in our meeting group!

And that's it for our current DIGS decision making on which seeds to purchase.

All the rest of the seeds (except tomato perhaps?) we have enough on hand from last year. And I'd like to suggest that we store our seeds overwinter in water-tight containers in a cool place, and have about a dozen blue-white waterproof containers for free if anyone wants any. I'll put some empty ones in the social shed.
Please feel free to add to the above, and click on the comment button below if you like, to add your thoughts.
I love the idea of pumpkins and zucchini in large container pots or in the compost,( and, of course, we'll have to see how that works for deer if outside the fence.)
We may have to choose a bush-pea if we don't want to build another pea-support too for the second pea-bed.

We are very very very flexible, and this is our first plan...so changes will be put on this blog as they arise.
But so far so good, and WHAT amazing coffee cake! Thanks J. of the coffee-cake "to die for" recipes!

Three more flats of Oriental Mesclun planted today in greenhouse. Stop by and admire the sprouts that are up from last planting! (photos to follow.)

And.... Jim and Marg, if you're reading this from your palm-pilot on a NZ cruise, we're holding down the tiny fort; have a wonderful time!
Jen

P.S.
Questions from today:
1. What are some good (fallow bed) cover crops, and do any of them make flowers?

So far our fallow-cover-crop list is here:
buckwheat, crimson clover, fava bean, fall rye, hairy vetch, oats, phacelia, winter field pea, white Clover.
I'm not sure if any have any better flowers than purple "hairy" vetch, or white clover, but would love to know more myself. Jen :>)

2. What are the first things to be planted?
See this chart below; just double click right on the chart, and then use the BACK button to come back here again. Sorry that I can't seem to spell kohlrabi or cauliflower or even rutabaaaggggaa, but there you go...ur... Doh. Jen

seeds, seeds, seeds ..

i'm reading this delightfull book right now, which a fellow community gardener lent me .. it's called gardening at the dragon's gate - at work in the wild and cultivated world .. a wonderful book, which i highly recommend, and i'm only into the first chapter .. a woman after my own heart, wendy johnson says "gardening is all about picking and choosing and following your passion" .. seems to me that's part of what we were doing saturday morning ..

a dozen gardeners gathered around pushed-together tables at beacon house .. brought together to, perhaps, follow a passion for our community garden .. the purpose of the gathering, to imagine what the garden might hold for us this year in the way of vegetables .. it was a dreaming session .. "picking and choosing" ideas of vegetables we'd like to munch on in the coming summer .. imagining picking fresh veggies during the winter .. tossing a variety of ideas into our midst .. and, in the end, writing down the names of three vegetables we each want to eat this summer .. and winter .. in a manner of speaking, we are following our passion as we find ourselves working together to create this year's garden .. 

during this week a list will materialize with all of our chosen veggies included .. then, on  saturday, february 6th, we'll gather again at 10:00 a.m. at beacon house to start filling in the picture that we are creating together .. it just all seems like fun, to me ..