Garden 2019
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Brown leaves droop over tall stalks in the frosted garden. In the center tiny new leaves appeared. Kale plants are growing again. Each year the best ideas from the garden follow me into the future. From the 1983 summer in Iowa City when we planted our first tomato seedlings until today, we’ve either had a… Read more
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What does a gardener do when winter arrives? Despite the fact there’s snow on the ground, IT’S NOT WINTER! Please check back Dec. 21 for winter programming. The apple harvest is finished and priorities shifted. While our orchard’s chief apple officer may favor kicking back creek-side for a post-season draw of Jameson Irish Whiskey, after… Read more
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After planting garlic last week I made hot sauce using leftover seeds: Jalapeno and Serrano peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, apple cider vinegar and salt. The recipe evolved over time from one Juan San Miguel explained in 1977 when we both garrisoned in Mainz, Germany. Those were days before a four-foot section of assorted hot sauces… Read more
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After missing last year I planted garlic on Oct. 15. A couple of clear days dried the ground sufficiently to mow the plot, turn it, and put seeds in the ground. I increased the number of rows from two to five which if all goes well will yield plenty of scapes and about 60 head… Read more
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The forecast calls for 32 degrees tonight so tomatoes and peppers need gleaning from the garden. There aren’t many left, maybe enough to make the effort useful. While at it, I’ll pick apples I can reach as well. It is the end days for this year’s garden. My farmer friends have already been through their… Read more
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(Editor’s Note: This year I donated 350 pounds of Red Delicious apples to Local Harvest CSA for distribution in member shares. Here’s the note I wrote for weekly newsletter). The apples in your share are Red Delicious variety grown from a tree planted on Earth Day 1995 by Paul Deaton in Big Grove Township. Back… Read more
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The view from atop the ladder was pretty good. Monday I began harvesting Red Delicious apples from a tree planted on Earth Day 1995. This tree outlasted three others planted the same day. Tuesday I completed a 350 pound donation to Local Harvest CSA, which has been my go-to outlet when there is an apple… Read more
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We’re in the main season at the apple orchard. We survived the madness of Honeycrisp weekend and can settle into some really great fruit like the four varieties of apples in the photo. The Robinette was complexly flavored and super-delicious. That’s no apple joke. The last two days of summer bring a lot of work.… Read more
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This year has been an amazing year for garden tomatoes. 21 varieties with a total of 47 plantings produced beyond expectations and our household’s ability to use them. There are so many I took two crates to the orchard for folks to can, freeze, eat and share. I took flats of them to meet ups… Read more
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I want to write a nice summary of this year’s garden including successes, failures and lessons learned. Instead of crafting something usable, I visited two of the farms where I work. Knowledge lives within us more than in written words. Life doesn’t always proceed in a linear manner despite predictable changes in season. Yesterday was… Read more
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