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Melon Pictures

2010-08-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

I believe I've figured out how to add pictures. (Good job, caveman...)

Above is a Thai Golden Round melon. It was not sweet in my garden this year.

Melon Zatta. I'm told that in Italy it's called "brutto ma buono" which translates into "ugly, but good."

Ananas is the netted melon at rear left. Zatta is at rear right, and Savor Charentais is up front.

chopped leaves

2010-07-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

My garlic is about 50/50 brown/green, so today I decided that it's probably time to dig it up. I'm fairly new to gardening, and I'm learning things all the time. Today, I learned a little more about the amazing powers of chopped leaves.

Last Fall, I mulched my garlic with a 3 inch layer of chopped leaves held down by a thick layer of heavy, pressed straw (big pieces torn from the very large bales they use on big farms.) In late winter or very early Spring, I regularly checked under the straw chunks for garlic sprouts, and when I found them coming through the leaves, I removed the straw.

The chopped leaves really did a great job of blocking early Spring weeds, as I don't remember seeing any at all in my garlic bed. Some summertime weeds (kochia or "fireweed" and bindweed) did eventually develop a presence in my garden, but the soil was kept so amazingly soft by the layer of leaf litter that pulling them was much easier than "normal."

As I dug up my garlic, I realized that the leaves provided a number of amazing services. They blocked weeds. They also blocked intense sunlight from hitting bare soil and thus retained moisture and reduced the need for additional irrigation. The leaves fed the earthworms a buffet, thus attracting their valuable digging and aerating labor, and causing them to leave behind nutrients in the form of their worm castings or worm manure. The body slime the earthworms produce helps to maintain soil structure, too.

I had covered the entire bed with leaves, and I thought they were matted down and stuck down to the soil fairly well, but I was wrong. Early Spring storms in Kansas can bring winds of 60 miles per hour or more, and my leaves were blown off half the bed.

When I cultivated it, the half that was bare was gray, dry, hard, compacted, and weedy. The half that remained covered with leaves was black, moist, soft, loose, and almost weedless.

My new goal for the Autumn is to gather enough leaves to cover every square foot of my garden beds in 1-2 inches of chopped leaves. I have seen the light: chopped leaves are my new favorite mulch.

melon update

2010-06-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

I've got eighteen varieties of melons in my garden this year. Almost all of them are making male flowers, and three of them JUST started making female flowers. I think one of them is already pollinated, too! I have one hybrid variety from Burpee (by way of Harris Seeds) called "Ambrosia." From John Scheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds, I have one hybrid (Savor Charentais) and one heirloom (Montreal Market Nutmeg.) I have two open-pollinated varieties from the Franchi Sementi spa in Italy: "Rampicante Zuccherino" (which means "Climbing Sweet") and "Zatta". Zatta has more names than any other melon I've got. The Italians sometimes call it "brutto ma buono" which means "ugly, but good." Supposedly, Thomas Jefferson grew this melon and called it "Cantaloupe Massa."

And then, I have thirteen open-pollinated varieties from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. (Can you tell that I really like that company?) From B.C., I'm growing: Sakata's Sweet, Thai Golden Round, Hollybrook Luscious, Ananas, TA&M Dew, Kansas, Ginger's Pride, Old Time Tennessee, Livingston's Tip Top, D'Alger, Petit Gris de Rennes, Delice de la Table, and Noir de Carmes.

I've grown Ambrosia, Montreal Market Nutmeg, Savor Charentais, Hollybrook Luscious, Rampicante Zuccherino, Delice de la Table, and Petit Gris de Rennes before, and I would say all of them except Hollybrook are 5-star quality top-notch melons. I'd give Hollybrook Luscious 3 or 4 stars because while it's quite large, it's not very sweet.

All the other varieties are new to me. I expect that D'Algers, Noir de Carmes, Old Time Tennessee (sometimes called a "mushmelon") and Kansas should be pretty darn good, too. I really enjoy melons, my favorite plants in the garden!

Seed Company List

2010-06-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

Abundant Life Seed Co. (organics, supplies)
Adaptive Seeds (Pacific NW adapted varieties)
Amishland Seeds (heirlooms, esp. tomatoes)
Appalachian Seeds (tomato seeds & plants)
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (heirlooms & open-pollinated)
Botanical Interests (flowers, herbs & veg seed)
Bountiful Gardens (heirloom varieties and tools)
The Chile Pepper Institute of New Mexico State University (peppers)
Comstock, Ferre & Co. (heirlooms)
Cook's Garden (seeds & plants)

Crimson Sage Medicinal Plants Nursery (certified organic)
Crosman's Seeds (veg & flowers)
D. Landreth Seed Co. (heirlooms)
Eden Organic Nursery Services (certified naturally grown)
Evergreen Seeds (Asian varieties)
FEDCO Seeds (garden supplies)
Filaree Farm Organic Seed Garlic (garlic)
Fungi Perfecti (mushrooms & mycorrhizae)
The Garlic Store (garlic)
Gourmet Garlic Gardens (garlic)

Gourmet Seed International (chef focused)
Heirloom Acres Seeds (heirlooms)
Heritage Harvest (heirlooms)
High Mowing Organic Seeds (certified organic)
Horizon Herbs (certified organic herbs)
Irish Eyes Garden Seeds (seeds, potatoes, supplies)
John Scheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds (veg, herb & flower seed)
Johnny's Selected Seeds (seeds & supplies)
Kitazawa Seed Co. (Asian varieties)
Kusa Seed Society (grains)

Logee's Tropical Plants (tropicals)
Maine Potato Lady (taters, onions, garlic)
Marianna's Heirloom Seeds (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, herbs)
Native Seeds/S·E·A·R·C·H (Southwest native varieties)
The Natural Gardening Company (oldest certified organic nursery)
New England Seed (home & commercial growers)
New Hope Seed Co. (open-pollinated veg & tobacco)
Nichols Garden Nursery (seeds & supplies)
Old House Gardens Heirloom Flower Bulbs (heirloom bulbs)
One Green World (fruit trees & bushes)

Pantry Garden Herbs (certified organic herb seed & plants)
Peaceful Valley Seeds (organic supplies)
The Pepper Gal (peppers)
Pinetree Garden Seeds (seeds & supplies)
Plants of the Southwest (seeds & trees)
Potato Garden (taters, used to be Ronniger's + Milk Ranch)
Prairie Moon Nursery (seeds & plants)
Raintree Nursery (fruit & nut trees & bushes)
Redwood City Seed Co. (peppers & veg)
Renee's Garden (heirlooms)

R. H. Shumway's (seeds, trees, supplies)
Richters Herbs (seeds & plants)
The Sample Seed Shop (small packets, bargains)
Sand Hill Preservation Center (seeds, roots, poultry)
Sand Mountain Herbs (herbs)
Seed Savers Exchange (heirlooms & open-pollinated)
Seedman (seeds, plants & supplies)
Seeds for the South (southern adapted varieties)
Seeds from Italy (Italian varieties, Franchi Sementi distributor)
Seeds of Change (organic hybrids and open-pollinated)

Select Seeds - Antique Flowers (seeds, plants, bulbs)
Skyfire Garden Seeds (heirloom & open-pollinated, plus hogs)
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (heirloom & open-pollinated)
Stark Bros. (fruit & nut trees & bushes)
Sunrise Seeds (rare varieties)
Sustainable Seed Co. (heirlooms)
Swallowtail Garden Seeds (veg, herb, & flower seeds)
Tatiana's TOMATObase (tomatoes)
Territorial Seed Co. (seeds, plants & supplies)
Thompson & Morgan (seeds & supplies)

Thyme Garden Herb Co. (seeds & plants)
Tomato Growers Supply Co. (tomatoes)
Totally Tomatoes (tomatoes)
Trade Winds Fruit (tropical fruit & plant seed)
Turtle Tree Seeds (heirloom & open-pollinated)
Victory Seeds (heirloom & open-pollinated)
We Grow Garlic (garlic)
Wood Prairie Farm (certified organic)

Six Weeks to St. Paddy's

2010-02-03T08:51:00.000-08:00

Just an update on my gardening activities:
Yesterday marked exactly six weeks until St. Patrick's Day. That's the day I plan/hope to plant potatoes and onion sets. Last year I planted Viking Purple and Yellow Finn mini-tubers from Irish Eyes Garden Seeds down the middle of a 3' x 20' bed or wide row. I think that this year I will just get whatever seed potatoes they have at the local grocery store, just for the sake of economy.

I also plan to start some broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and chard today to be ready to transplant out on or around St. Paddy's. That's awfully early, but I think if I harden them off properly that they'll have a good chance. I might get a row cover by then to help protect them from cold and insects. And I could always just wait until April to transplant if the weather won't cooperate.

Sorry this blog is so boring. I'm working on re-acquiring the ability to post photos (long, dull story...don't ask) with the hope that some images will jazz things up a bit.

That's all for now. Have a great day!

Food, Inc.

2010-01-31T12:13:00.001-08:00

Food, Inc. (1:33:44, Some graphic imagery)

If you eat food anywhere on this planet, you should probably watch this movie. If you farm, you should really watch this movie. If you love fast food, you particularly need to watch this movie.

Vote with your food dollars, three times a day. Grow a garden. Do something to prepare. Because whether by dictate of the government or by external shocks to the system, our current methods of food production will not persist forever. Of that, I am certain.

A Farm for the Future

2010-01-26T12:38:00.000-08:00

A Farm for the Future (48 mins)
An Englishwoman returns to the farm of her youth and thinks hard about its future in a world where oil demand is increasing and supply is decreasing.

$50 Greenhouse

2009-11-24T10:47:00.001-08:00

This might actually cost more than $50 if you don't have some of the small fasteners and bits on hand.

$50 Greenhouse

There are a few other posts on this site worth examining, including some other plans for low-cost greenhouses. They say that even unheated, this type of structure can really extend your growing season in the Spring and the Fall.

Greening The Desert

2009-11-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

One of the wonderful people at idigmygarden.com showed me this video. So far, I haven't seen any Permaculture videos that are better than this one. Have you?

Greening The Desert on YouTube

Or, you can watch it right here:

100% Wind Power

2009-11-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

Locally owned electrical co-op provides 100% wind-based electricity.
Maine Island goes to 100% Wind Power

Some Seed Companies To Consider

2009-11-18T12:48:00.001-08:00

I haven't used all of these seed vendors yet, but I sure like to look at their catalogs. I am NOT listing them as an endorsement, but rather as a convenient starting point to shop for seeds and gardening supplies. This is America, so "buyer beware."

100% CERTIFIED ORGANIC:
Abundant Life Seed Co.
FEDCO Seeds
High Mowing Organic Seeds
Natural Gardening
Seeds of Change
Wild Garden Seed
Wood Prairie Farm

OPEN-POLLINATED and/or HEIRLOOM VARIETIES:
Adaptive Seeds
Amishland Heirloom Seeds
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (best Melon selection I've seen)
Botanical Interests
Bountiful Gardens
Comstock, Ferre & Co.
D. Landreth Seed Co.
Heirloom Acres
Heritage Harvest
Native Seeds/S·E·A·R·C·H (Native & Southwest specialists)
New Hope Seed Co.
Renee's Garden
Sand Hill Preservation Center (Heirlooms, plus Heritage Poultry)
Seed Savers Exchange (superb)
Skyfire Garden Seeds
Southern Exposure
Sustainable Seed Co.
Turtle Tree Seeds
Victory Seeds

TOMATOES (mostly):
Appalachian Seeds
Marianna's Heirloom Seeds
Tatiana's TOMATObase
Tomato Growers Supply Co.
Totally Tomatoes

SINGLE FOCUS, NON-TOMATO:
The Chile Pepper Institute of New Mexico State University
Filaree Farm Organic Seed Garlic
Fungi Perfecti
The Garlic Store
Gourmet Garlic Gardens
The Pepper Gal
Potato Garden (Ronnigers + Milk Ranch joined together)
We Grow Garlic

HERBS:
Horizon Herbs
Pantry Garden Herbs
Richters (extremely informative catalog)
Sand Mountain Herbs
Thyme Garden Herb Co.

SPECIAL FOCUS:
Cook's Garden (Chef focused)
Evergreen Seeds (Asian varieties)
Gourmet Seeds International (Chef focused)
Kitazawa Seed Co. (Asian varieties)
The Kusa Seed Society (Grains)
The Maine Potato Lady (Potatoes, onions, etc.)
Old House Gardens (Heirloom Flower Bulbs)
The Sample Seed Shop (sample sized packets)
Seeds from Italy (Italian varieties; Franchi Sementi distributor)
Select Seeds Antique Flowers (Antique or Heirloom Flowers)
Sunrise Seeds (Unusual Varieties)
Trade Winds Fruit (Fruits & Tropicals)

SPECIALISTS IN REGIONALLY ADAPTED VARIETIES:
Adaptive Seeds (Northwest)
Native Seeds/S·E·A·R·C·H (Southwest)
Plants of the Southwest (Southwest)
Seeds for the South (South)
Wood Prairie Farm (Northeast)
Victory Seeds (Northwest)

NURSERIES (Trees, Bushes, & Plants, mostly):
Crimson Sage Medicinal Plants Nursery
Eden Organic Nursery Services
Logee's Tropical Plants
One Green World
Raintree Nursery
Stark Bros.

GENERAL SEEDS / SEEDS & SUPPLIES (some have nurseries, too):
Irish Eyes Garden Seeds (large Potato selection)
Johnny's Selected Seeds
John Scheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds
New England Seed
Nichols Garden Nursery
Peaceful Valley Seeds (Organic supplies)
Pinetree Garden
Redwood City Seed Co. (large Pepper selection)
R. H. Shumway's
Seedman
Thompson & Morgan

I have shopped from Baker Creek, Gourmet Seed, Irish Eyes, Kitchen Garden, Kitazawa, Pinetree Gardens, Richter's, Seeds from Italy, Seeds of Change, and Seed Savers Exchange and have had only positive experiences with each one of them.