Useful Tips for Starting a Container Garden

Tulips
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

With spring still a month away and the growing season even further, now is a good time to start thinking about starting a container garden. With that much time to plan and, more importantly, procrastinate, just think about how many episodes you can secretly watch of Project Runway. Damn you, Santino! Brother man, you're a gutsy designer but when will you ever get with the program?

One: Size up your land. Engage a surveyor to plot your land and plant several handsome oak trees. Luckily, if you're thinking about container gardening you most likely have a patch of blacktop. Perfect. No need to hire an expensive surveyor, which means more money you can sink into your garden or waste at dog track. When sizing up your land, think about how sunny or shady it will be. How sheltered is it? Are there trees or houses that will cast shadows in the morning or afternoon? Also, is there easy access to a hose?

Two: Go get some containers. Just how big a container should be is a source of endless debate. At left are plenty of links if you want to join in on the fray. Use some common sense and you'll be fine. The bigger the plant, the bigger the container should be. Lettuce will do fine in small six-inch container but a cherry tomato plant needs at least a five-gallon container. My favorite place to get a container is Home Depot. For a few bucks you can get a sturdy five-gallon bucket suitable to handed down as an heirloom to your kids.

Three: Drill holes in your containers. The folks who make these paint buckets and storage bins are sticklers for detail and almost never install drainage holes in their product. Fools. As such, use a drill and a big drill bit and punch a whole mess of holes in your new container. This is an important step. Excess water needs to drain away otherwise the plant will, for lack of a more scientifically-accurate term, drown and die. Think about all the rain each plant might get. Without holes that water would have no where to go.

More later.

Mid-Winter Update: Most Plants Still Dead, Future of Grange in Doubt

Alewife
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Despite the recent warm-up, winter is alive and well here in New England. A cold front should whip through tomorrow night, sending temperatures back to appropriate seasonal ranges.

Nevertheless, there is one plant that has gotten the jump on every other in the grange. The chives, which were planted in a pot last season and never got much attention, have begun growing in earnest. While it has a been a fairly mild winter by New England standards, chives' ability to withstand cold is certainly remarkable. My landlady even tipped the chives out of their pot, perhaps in the belief that they should have been thrown out at the end of the season. Ah, renting.

In related news, said landlady's designs to turn the already humble grange into a parking lot have cast a pall over this upcoming season's plans. In all likelihood, this winter-time hiatus will continue through this upcoming season and into 2007. Oh, what will the sponsors say!

Gardening Books: Crockett's Victory Garden

Crockett's Victory Garden
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Written 28 years ago and discovered last summer in the depths of my parents' basement, this is my primary gardening resource. It's wonderful. Jim Crockett is to Michael Weishan as The Sugar Hill Gang is to Kanye West. He was the original host of the Victory Garden and blazed a trail for subsequent hosts including the homeless-looking dude with a beard and the current host who's a bit irritating.

1977 was a different time indeed. Carter was president and was urging Americans everywhere to swaddle themselves in wool in an effort to stick it to OPEC. We were making peanuts while Jimmy was growing them. And, judging by Crockett's book, pesticide use wasn't too big of deal back then. He loves the stuff. Slap it on some bread, rub it on your face, and gulp it down, because Crockett seems convinced that there truly can be better living through chemistry. Despite warning readers not to eat food from pesticide-treated plants for up to 14 days (scary!), he seems quite comfortable with pesticides, some of which (see Diazinon) have been later banned by the EPA.

Crockett's pesticide evangelism aside, this is a fabulous book. Laid out by the month, instead of by plant, this book provides a nice summary of the challenges each month poses. Crockett writes with a friendly tone and never pretends to be God's gift to gardeners. His passages about his failures are perhaps the best parts of the book.

As a bonus, he has lots of pictures, all of which seem to have been shot on the set of Three's Company. While I have yet to spy my erstwhile TV buddies, Jack Tripper and Chrissy Snow, in the pictures, they are fun to look at. My fav shot is on page 182, when Crockett boils compost, not as a prank but because he wants to pasteurize it. Sweet.

In summation: this is a great book. It has loads of useful information. Skip your copy of the New York Times for a day and buy this book. Used copies go for $0.75.

Late Delta, Rome, NY

Late Delta, Rome, NY
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

No. Upstate New York is not the Grange and the Grange is not Upstate New York. Nevertheless...

Constructed in the early 20th century as part of an effort to ensure a constant supply of water to support barge traffic on the Erie Canal, Lake Delta covers a little more than 4 square miles. Built on the headwaters of the Mohawk River, five miles north of Rome, New York proper, the lake, which is held back by an 1,100 foot dam, has an average depth of about 23 feet. The lake bears the name of the town which was razed during construction. A 1904 USGS map clearly shows the town of Delta and the valley which now holds the present-day Lake Delta.

Killing Freeze Arrives on November 11, Ending Growing Season

St. Paul's Cemetery
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

On November 11 temperatures dipped below freezing for several hours, choking the remaining life out the grange, and marking the end of a productive and enjoyable season.

Over the weekend, I performed a few last chores out in the garden and will soon be making plans for the spring. The lettuce and spinach continue to grow and might make it to Thanksgiving.

Between now and then, photos not necessarily related to gardening or the grange will fill the pages of the blog, serving as reminders of warmer weather.

Bright Colors and Freezing Nights

Autumn upon St. Paul's Cemetary
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Aside from the marvelous fall foliage, it's been a slow week in the grange. Had plans to pull up the tomatoes and clean out the containers, but those were dashed given how busy I've been.

Last weekend, we harvested just about all of the lettuce and spinach and had a huge salad of mixed greens. It was tasty as all get out. As an experienment, we left behind a few leaves to see if the plants would keep growing. Sure enough, the lettuce and spinach bounced back and will probably provide at least one more salad.

Now that the season's just about over there are a few last items that need to be taken care of in order to put the garden to bed for winter. The garden bed needs to be weeded, the hoses taken in, tools put away, dead plants removed from containers, and finally, rinsing out old containers.

Quick Snowfall Marks End of Growing Season

Snowfall
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Yesterday afternoon, as temperatures hovered near freezing, a dusting of wet snow signaled the end of the growing season for almost all of the plants in the grange.

While temperatures have yet to actually dip below freezing, it's probably safe to assume that the all of the flowers, basil, and tomatoes have packed it up for the season. The lettuce and spinach should keep growing for a little while longer however.

Lessons Learned: Lettuce

Romaine, Day 53
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

We've learned a thing or two about growing lettuce this season. Having grown a looseleaf variety like Black-Seeded Simpson and a head-lettuce variety like Romaine, each plant requires different levels of attention.

Black-Seeded Simpson is a very delicate plant. It likes cool weather and did not grow well this fall. Heavy rainfall is particularly damaging to the plant, causing it to droop and hang low the ground, which invites leaf rot and pests. Consider providing some sort of protection if rain is forecast. Making two or three small harvests rather than waiting for one large harvest seems to take weight off the main stem and allows the plant to remain upright. Next spring, we'll plant several containers of Black-Seeded Simpson. The cooler weather will likely make a big difference. The best part about this plant is its wonderfully delicate taste and texture. It's unlike anything found in big supermarkets.

Romaine, on the other hand, is a lot easier to grow. (Actually, the pictured lettuce may not be romaine. This plant grew from seed labeled Boston Bibb. Obviously the seed company made a mistake, so I'm not too sure what variety this is.) While it does take more time to reach maturity, it is far more resistant to the weather and requires less maintenance. As with the Black-Seeded Simpson, this plant grew better in the spring than in the fall.

Fall Flowers

Fall Flowers
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

It's hard to say when these flowers emerged. It could have been anytime since last week. Aside from stumbling around the yard in a Grateful Dead tye-dye and black denim slacks, drunk, yelling at feral cats who relentlessly taunt and judge me, I haven't been outside much because of the rains (and the increasingly caustic rhetoric of the cats).

These are some good looking flowers and are some sort of daisy, perhaps chrysanthemum leucanthemum or ox-eye daisy. They typically bloom in early-fall and might stay in bloom through month's end.

Mailbag: The Grange and You, Arm & Arm We Walk to Unknown Adventures

Leaves
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Question: Are you saying the Grange is kaput for the season?

Answer: Far from it. There are a few weeks left in the growing season, so there will be lots of stuff to talk about, at least until the first hard freeze.

After that, the plan is to write about the lessons learned and preparations made for winter and the following spring. By November or so, the number of posts will surely dwindle. Things should pick back up by the first week of March. Thanks for the question! There are lots of topics in the works, so please keep reading!

The photo was taken about two weeks ago, about an hour before sunset.

Under Tupperware Skies

Departing Storm
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Capping off eight straight days of rain, this weekend brought nearly six additional inches of rain to the grange. Few things hold up well to a half-foot of rain, not to mention the 40 mph winds left in the storm's wake. The marigolds have just about had it and the tomatoes look downright haggard, which is probably for the best because the neighbors are starting to talk, bandying about words like eyesore, public nuisance, and ship box. Why they think my plants have anything to do with shipping is beyond me.

Stormy Early-Fall Weather

Black-Seeded Simpson, Day 46
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

As the front moved through and the winds swung around to the north, temperatures fell almost twenty degrees in less than two hours. Three-and-a-half inches of rain over the past two days combined with a forecast of rain through the end of the week certainly presents a fair number of challenges.

Delicate plants like black-seeded simpson don't stand up well to heavy rain. An old window frame provides plenty of protection and is big enough to shelter two plants. As seen in the picture, the plant outside the window has been beat up by the rain while the other plant remains vigorous.

The romaine (not pictured) withstands the weather considerably better than the black-seeded simpson, but it too has started to droop from all the water.

Black-seeded simpson is an heirloom variety of lettuce and has been around for well over 150 years. It has a very light taste and delicate texture.

Bolting Spinach & Tossed Tomatoes

Early-October Tomatoes
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Although warm weather is great, it does make it difficult to grow cool-weather crops. The spinach has recently started to bolt.

A fickle crop to begin with, Spinach likes cool weather and will bolt in the heat. Spinach has two life-cycles: the vegetative stage and the bolting stage. During the vegetative stage Spinach puts out tasty leaves, which emerge from the base of the plant.

The onset of heat, however, causes Spinach to send up a seed stalk (bolting). During this phase the leaves become pointy, the stem grows rapidly, and taste deteriorates. When the plant bolts, the leaves should be promptly harvested and eaten.

In other news, high winds last week tossed three tomato plants. If this hadn't happened before, it would've been fairly traumatic. But, tomato plants are resilient. After a quick pep-talk and affirmation session, they were set right-side up and were no worse for wear. The picture above is of a plant that took a header. Just look at all the tomatoes it has.

Global Warming A-OK: Grange Experiences Warmest Two-Month Period in 121 Years

Pollination
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

The average temperature of 68.9 F over the past eight weeks marks the warmest August/September in 121 years. The warm weather allowed the tomatoes and flowers to keep producing. In fact, the bees are still out and pollinating. Getting the growing season to last until early November looks encouraging.

Black Seeded Simpson: Day 37

Black Seeded Simpson
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Now that the hot weather has passed, the cool-weather crops like this lettuce and as well as the spinach are starting to come along. Growing lettuce in the fall has been harder than expected. The heat really made things difficult, especially considering how warm September was. One major problem was wilting. No more how much protection the plants had, once the heat of the day set in, these plants tended to wilt and droop.

Another challenge has been getting adequate sunlight. With the sun rising lower in the sky with each passing day, surrounding trees cast more shade, which wasn't a problem back in July and August because the sun was higher in the sky. Additionally, the low angle in the spring wasn't much of a difficulty because the trees had yet to bloom, so there was not much shade.

Nevertheless, with cooler weather to stay and at least several more weeks of the growing season left, these plants should produce enough to harvest at least a few good salads.

Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Situated in the front yard, the landlady planted this, but, gosh darnit, I watered the thing all summer so it rightly deserves an honorary spot on the grange. Hibiscus syriacus is the scientific name although the popular name, "Rose of Sharon," can refer to any of several plants. This is a hardy plant and puts out nice-looking flowers in late summer and early autumn. When it's not in bloom, it's not much to look it, however.

An Update Upon Fall's Arrival

Early Fall Early Morning Colors
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Fall arrived sometime this afternoon, well after "The View" but before "Days of our Lives."

Although it is about a week until October and candy corn, the tomato plants keep growing, despite the rapidly shortening days, cooler weather, and weaker sun. For the first time since late July, with yarn in hand, I tied up several stems of new growth. New flowers are emerging and fruit still sets. Once the cooler weather returns for good, the plants will likely head south, never to return. By Columbus Day, surely these plants will have stopped yielding anything meaningful.

What's good for the tomato's goose is not good for the lettuce's gander. As the tomato plants bask in the warmth of early Autumn, the lettuce weeps and droops. This is certainly caused by the heat. After a cool night the plants look bright-eyed and bushy tailed but soon fade by mid-afternoon. Saturday's high temp of 66 should put these plants in their climatological sweet spot.

In other parts of the garden, the basil keeps plugging along while many of the flowers -- especially the petunias and zinnias -- have largely packed it in for the season. The chives look really good, but they might be phoning it in as they haven't done much over the past few weeks. They've got a long stretch of rough weather ahead of them as they'll be spending winter on the grange outdoors. (More on this in later posts.)

Incidentally, the picture at right was taken in the front yard yesterday morning.

Spinach Update: Leafminer Control

Spinach, Day 43
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

It if weren't for the leafminers, we'd be enjoying this spinach. Nevertheless, the plant is on the mend now that some leafminer controls are in place. To head off future infestations, each leaf is quickly inspected for leafminer eggs, which are almost always on the underside of the leaf. Any eggs are easily whisked off with a finger.

If any leafminers make it inside the plant, they can be squished while actually in the leaf. You'll be able to feel them inside. Of course, that leaf shouldn't be eaten but it doesn't have to be removed either.

Overall, this approach seems to be working. A few leaves look less than edible but the new growth appears to be leafminer free. Big up.

Enter the Dragon: Serpentine Spinach Leafminer

Spinach Leafminer, Serpentine
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Sometimes it seems like I'm doing nothing more than creating really swell plants for insects to gnaw on. Hearken back to Wednesday's post bragging about my spinach where I was all:

"My spinach brings all the neighbors to the yard,
And they're like 'It's better than yours'
Damn right, It's better than yours..."

Well, actually, that post was written on Sunday, filed away, and posted on Wednesday. Between Sunday and today, the leafminers hit.

The spinach leafminer (pegomya hyoscyami) starts out as tiny eggs on the underside of a leaf. They hatch, burrow into the leaf, and hang out like it's the Old Country Buffet on social security check day. While considered to be one of the most destructive pests known to spinach, other sources say, over the long term, they rarely injure the plant. Leafminers are easily recognized by the marks they leave. Some are serpentine (see photo above) while others are blotchy and oddly translucent.

For the small-time, Bartles & Jaymes sippin' gardener, they can be controlled by removing the eggs as they appear. Infected leaves should be removed and thrown into the neighbor's yard. You can also squish the larva while it's actually in the leaf, perhaps mentally noting not to eat that leaf come harvest time. Row covers or some other sort of garden cloth will prevent adult leafminers from depositing eggs.

Life on the grange is, indeed, wild and woolly.

Spinach, Day 35

Spinach, Day 35
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

35 days into it and this plant is really looking sharp. It's responded to its move into a semi-shaded area with lots of vigorous new growth. See what the plant looked like nine days earler.

The seeds came from Burpee and are called, "Spinach Salad Fresh." Bizarre name aside, it's described as a bolt-tolerant, semi-Oriental variety that stands up well to harsh weather for a long, high-yield growing season. We shall see, Burpee.