Trial and Error

   As I've mentioned before, this is the first year we are trying the SFG method of gardening, and I am encountering new situations that got me puzzled.  Of the three tomato plants, the Black Krim was lagging behind, and yet, lately, it is the only one that is growing normally.  The other two tomato plants (Yellow Pear and Brandywine) have slowed down growing (I might even say stunted.), and looking somewhat paler than the Black Krim, and the lower leaves are beginning to yellow a little bit.  In my past experience, these symptoms indicate one of the two things: overwatering and subsequent root rot or nitrogen deficiency.  The two tomato plants that have slowed down the growth pace are the ones that were going crazy and really vigorous before the really hot weather (daily high consistently being in the 100s).

  Since some of the other plants showed signs of dryness (broccoli and bell pepper plants wilting), I was guessing they needed more water, but when I stick my index finger down the soil near the tomato plants, the soil is moist and just fine.  And since they are in a raised bed, I doubt that over-watering can be an issue.  Which leads me to the next possibility on the list, nitrogen deficiency.  It has been really hot and the plants have been growing so fast, it's not entirely unlikely that the soil might be low in available nitrogen.  I don't really want to use Miracle-Gro, but the compost I have in the backyard is not quite ready.  I guess I have the fish tank water that I can water the tomatoes with and it should have a bit of nitrate, ready for the plants to use right away.  At any rate, I'm going to have to somehow find the remedy for the situation.

   Here's a picture of the "Ichiban" eggplant growing in the same SFG box as the tomatoes.  It's looking really vigorous and starting to produce a lot of blooms.  I have a small fruit growing close to the ground level (not visible in this picture) that's about 4 inches.  The very first fruit of the season was snapped in half by one of my cats the other day and I never got to eat it. T_T

   The marigolds that were direct seeded into the SFG spring veggies box are blooming nicely.  Most of the plants turned out to be the bi-color variety with red on the top side and orange on the under side.  The red gradually fades to orange as the flower matures.

   The sunflowers in the back yard (directly in the ground) were getting stunted until I started drip irrigation.  Now the tall ones are growing a few inches a day.  This large one in the picture is now measuring 38 inches tall.  Just last week, it was only about 18 inches.

The Heat Is On

   We are seeing unusually high temperatures for daily highs for the past straight week -- all triple digits!  Still,  we are not getting much relief in terms of precipitation.  Our total precipitation up to this point is less than 1/3 of average same time of the year according to the weatherman. So, it's been dry.  Luckily, around my house, it has been dry like this since late spring that not very many weed seeds managed to germinate and grow.  Weed abatement has been easier than previous few years.  

   We are, unfortunately, having multiple wildfires going at different areas of the state, with the biggest one still raging in Colorado Springs.  Looking at the weather forecast for the state, I don't see them getting much help from Mother Nature...

   Anyhow, my corn has started to bloom as you can see in the photo above.  This is the first crop of corn that is supposed to get ready in the early part of July, so I guess it's right on track.  The tallest plant measures about 4 1/2 feet now.  I was having a hard time keeping them watered for a while, but trickle watering works quite well even with just a single regular hose in a box.  So I've managed for the past several days without having them curl their leaves up.

   The marigold I planted into the spring veggies box on April 8th has finally bloomed. ^^  There were two pots on the front porch with marigold which was also started from seeds, but they seem to get a little more sun and been blooming for a week already.  The difference in the micro-climates around the house is surprising sometimes.

   The Yellow Pear heirloom tomato with the pear-shaped little babies.  This plant turned out to be the most vigorous of the three tomatoes in my SFG box.  It needs staking badly.  It's leaning onto the Brandywine for support at the moment.

   The Brandywine tomato twins. ^ ^  I've been keeping track of these guys for a while and they are growing nicely.  Still a long way before I can have a tomato sandwich (This is the only time I crave white bread ... to make tomato sandwich with just white bread, tomato slices, and mayo. LOL ).

Corn Box Day 61

   The Corn Box on Day 61.  The tallest measured 48 inches/ 4 feet tall.  I'm starting to see the fronds of corn 'flower' at the top of some plants.  Daily high has been record-breaking lately with triple digits on consecutive days and the leaves show signs of heat stress.  Today is a bit overcast, so they get a bit of a break from the harsh western Colorado sun.

   The view of the four SFG boxes in our backyard.  I was giving the plants something extra in the form of the kelp solution this morning.  You can see one of our adopted cats, Loki, sitting between the spring SFG box and the corn box.  The kitties love hanging around the boxes.  Luckily, most squares have filled out enough to discourage them from going in too much.  The one bare square in the middle of the spring veggies SFG box where I pulled the bolting spinach is still being targeted, though.    The peas, amazingly enough, have still not died out, but producing some tiny pods still.

   The summer veggies SFG box is looking nice and lush!  I really like the way this box is looking.  The different shades of green from yellow green to grey green and all the different textures are so beautiful!  The eggplant, broccoli, bell pepper plants are really getting big and looking healthy and so are the string and soy beans.  The basil (There are 3 plants in one spot.) is overflowing its square.  The once-lanky Italian parsley has gotten greener and more compact.  I still have a few empty squares in the picture.  I planted more Swiss chard and soy beans this morning so all squares are being used as of today.  I like leafy greens and I am not quite getting enough from that one square of Swiss chard in the spring veggies box, so I'm hoping that I'll start getting more plants to harvest from in about a month. :D

Day 50

   Our first SFG box is celebrating Day 50 today. :D  It's been a wonderfully fun project for my family, but especially for me, who is a huge salad fan.  The box has been very productive and I have been able to eat greens every day for quite some time now.

   This past Thursday and Friday were extremely unpleasant with high winds gusting at upwards of 70 mph all during the daylight hours while the temperature was in the mid to high 80s.  The peas showed their dislike of the hot weather by turning the bottom leaves yellow and dry. ^^;  Considering that I had a late start on these guys (sowing them on April 8th), I can't complain.  Our area's spring is notoriously short.  The daily high has been consistently in the 80s to lower 90s for weeks now.  One thing that made me pleased was the pea support.  The PVC pipes, rebars and the strings held up well in those 70+ mph gusts of winds (which, by the way, knocked down a good size tree limb right onto our roof with a huge BAM!).  The peas are holding onto one another as well as onto the strings and they're standing tall today as if nothing happened.  The "Alaska" peas are at 2.5 feet, which the Asian snow peas are catching up in height.

   Here's a picture of the flowers from the Asian snow peas.   They are white with an orange-pink tinge and different from the pristine white flowers of "Alaska" peas.

   Now that the temperatures are getting so high, I'm thinking about putting up shade cloth to help keep the plants cool in the spring veggies box.  I am seeing a few of the spinach and lettuce plants starting to bolt.

   I found our first normal size strawberry in our strawberry box today. :D  The color is just beautiful against all the green leaves.

   The corn box on Day 34.  The first crop, which you see on the bottom half of the picture was planted 2 weeks before the second crop.  They have maturation dates that are almost 3 weeks apart, so there should be about 5 weeks separating the pollination times of these two crops.  Corn plants, once they get going, grow so fast with such vigor.  Especially since it's been many seasons since I grew any corn in my backyard, this has been exciting.  I'm very curious to see how well they do in the SFG box.  So far, so good!!

Simple Pleasures

   We seem to be hearing about crops of lettuce or spinach contaminated with Listeria on the news more and more.  Whenever there's a recall announced, I feel so lucky to be growing and having access to fresh greens right in my backyard.  I know exactly what goes into it, too -- all organic, no pesticide, no herbicide.  Since the soil mix is 1/3 compost, I don't use any fertilizer like Miracle Grow.  The only thing I use is a sea kelp concentrate that provides trace minerals.  Oh, and I'm a firm believer of the benefit of fish tank water. :D  Whenever I do a partial water change on my three fish tanks ranging in size from 26 gallons to 72 gallons, I water my houseplants and outdoor plants with the water that is siphoned out of the tanks to be discarded.  As far as I can see, the plants LOVE the fish tank water. lol

   Anyhow, to be able to eat salads every day and know that everything is exactly as nature intended and disease-free is wonderful.  I'm sure the nutrients are doing wonderful things to my body, but the psychological effect can't be overlooked.  There's something very special in helping nature along in the form of growing one's own garden and keeping it healthy, lush, and thriving.  It's life affirming.  It's soothing to the spirit. ^_^

   The Summer Veggies SFG box.  The part of the backyard they are in is just getting out of the shade of the tree in this picture.  In the north part of the box, I have three heirloom tomato plants.  We plan on building a strong support for them so we can grown them vertically.  If all goes well, we will have dark purplish red on the left, yellow in the middle, and pinkish red on the right during the peak of summer and onward.  I also have basil, Italian parsley, eggplant, beans, and soy growing in this box.  I can't wait for the first tomato sandwich of the season! XD

Day 41

   It rained overnight, which is a treat for us since it rarely happens, and everything had droplets on them this morning.  The smell of rain was wonderful to wake up to.  Here's a picture of the Spring Veggies Box on Day 41.  Found a few paw prints in the green onions square.  I don't know how the cat managed that with all those sticks in the way. XD

   The peas have started to bloom.  They have pretty white flowers.  We'll be eating peas soon!

   One of my tomato plants.  This one here is "Black Krim".  It's my first year ever trying this heirloom variety.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this plant's fruits will taste. :D  I have a total of 3 tomatoes planted along the north side of my Summer Veggies Box.  They will have a support to climb on -- eventually.

   The Strawberry Box.  Every plant is growing nicely and filling out the box.  Some of the leaves are really big.  We have only seen sporadic fruiting up to this point, of tiny strawberries.

Soy Beans

   Soy beans square on Day 40.  Of the 9 beans planted in this square, five managed to grow.  I've noticed when I grew  them in traditional in-the-ground garden also that some soy beans would just rot in the ground and never manage to germinate.  Some would also break ground, but turn brown and fail to grow.  These observations were also true when I started them indoors in small pots.  I honestly never expected soy beans to be quite this tricky. ^^;  once they get past the initial baby leaves stage, they seem to do just fine.

   Looking at this photo of my soy beans, it makes me think that they might need more nitrogen -- the newest leaves on top look a little yellow...

   The two squares that radishes were growing in have been all harvested and cleared.  I planted one with curled parsley clump (Came 3 in a decent size pot).  I like fresh parsley in tabouli (I omit mint that traditional tabouli recipes call for in my cooking because parsley and mint together is just ... not my thing. ^^; ) during summer.  They also look quite pretty in a vigorously growing mound.

   As for the other square vacated by the radishes, I'm not sure what I'd like to plant yet.  I know my daughter and I would love more soy beans and/or broccoli while my husband would love more carrots. ^^;

   The Mammoth Russian sunflower seedling that I've been keeping track of.  It's stout, but very healthy.  This one already follows the sun during the day from east to west at this size.

   The newly germinated Mammoth seedling.  I have a single row going in the backyard.  These guys were planted before the Mammoth Russians germinated.  My seed packets for MR were a few years old and I wasn't sure if I was going to get any seedlings at all.  I've got some, but nothing as consistent as the packet of Mammoth, which was purchased brand new this season at a store.  They germinated bigger and are growing faster.

Day 39

   The spring veggies SFG box on Day 39.  As you can see, I've been eating the radishes and they are almost all gone.  I will be planting something else in these two squares soon.  Although I've had a side salad or a meal-size salad made with greens from the two Mesclun salad mix squares for every meal for the past two days, it's hardly noticeable in the way those two squares look -- they look really full.  It is so nice to have easy and continual access to fresh, organically-grown vegetables.  I have not seen any pest in the garden and nothing has had any holes either. ^_^

   One square I have yet to start harvesting is the Swiss chard square.  They are just not getting to be between 5 and 8 inches tall (The tallest is the orange one, and the shortest is the magenta one.) and I'm going to let them grow a little bigger before I'll start taking the outer leaves for me. ^_^  They sure are beautiful!!

   Also beautiful are the pea plants with their light grey-green leaves and elegant tendrils.  The tallest one in the crowd, among my "Alaska" peas, measured 24 inches today.  And I noticed some flower buds starting to show. :D  Exciting!

Day 37 & Update on Chicken Coop

   Spring Vegetables SFG Box on Day 37.  I have already used some spinach yesterday and have been using Mesclun salad mix leaves for sandwiches also for a few days.

   Took us long enough, but we finally put the climbing support for the peas now that "Alaska" was 2 feet tall.      The seed packet said they'd only grow to  be 2.5 feet, and I have no idea how tall the Asian snow peas climb.  But I have tucked in some moonflower seeds about 8 days ago, and I know they will be able to use the support for sure.  I'm also considering putting some morning glory seeds in there, but wondering if the soil might be a little too rich -- they tend to do better in poor soil while rich soil tend to produce lush growth with no flowers.  Anyhow, you can see the chicken coop frame in the background, far to the upper right.

   The Mother's Day Sunday was a project Sunday for us.  My husband has finished building the frames for the chicken coop.  In this photo, they're just tacked together temporarily (We still need to get some pressure treated wood for the base.), but it sure helps visualize the whole thing.  Our city code allows for up to 6 chickens for properties under 1/2 acres with no permit necessary.  Rooster is not restricted, either.  We are hoping to get 4 hens.  We took apart the old swing set that used to sit there as you can see what's left of it along the fence... and one of out kitties in the background.

   Mesclun salad mix square has grown to look so lush and delicious.

   I'm harvesting these guys today -- "Crimson Giant" radish.  They are about 1.5 to 2 inches across.  Even with the late start (April 8th) and recent hot weather, they've managed to remain sweet without becoming hot, and crunchy without being dry.

   The other square of radish -- "Sparkler White Tip".  Red top with white bottom.  A pretty color combination.  The very first one that I pulled out turned out to be very hot and disappointed me.  But the rest of the batch I pulled out for breakfast turned out to be the classic radish flavor with no obnoxious hotness.   That made me happy.

   In the past, whenever I grew radish, cracking and dryness were always a problem with some part of the garden that didn't stay consistently moist.  With Mel's Mix in the SFG box, the moisture was consistent throughout the growing season and there were no problems.  So this method is clearly great for radishes.

   The little sunflower seedling that I've been keeping track of.  His real leaves are now bigger than the baby leaves.  The stem is getting really dark.  Very sturdy since it was grown outside from seed.  I get way more kitty traffic out there than in the SFG box (with those sticks XD ).

   Here's my Zebra Iris.  It sits quietly by the little jellybean pond by itself with unique yellow and green leaves.  This is the first year that it has grown a decent size bloom. ^_^

   Another picture of the same bloom taken from a different angle.  The blooms are relatively simple to compliment the showy foliage.  In the background are the lily pads.

Little Mushrooms

   I found a tiny surprise this morning when I was checking the SFG boxes.  Right in an "Alaska" peas shade were two little mushrooms.  They are about 1.5 inches.  As much attention as I pay to these boxes, I doubt that I missed them yesterday, so they must have come up overnight.   My area is very dry, so we don't see a lot of mushrooms unless in the mountains or in the shade after a rainstorm.  The soil mix for SFG must be doing an excellent job keeping things moist.  These are the only two I've found.

   Aside from their tiny stature making them look undeniably cute, I think they are beautiful.  The texture of their tops reminds me of ribbed sweater.

   I removed the soil around the roots of the radish to see how they are coming along. ^_^  Bright red!  Still a little small, but they're definitely getting there.

   Something else that is getting colorful in my spring veggies SFG box is the "Neon Lights" Swiss chard.  In the SFG book, Mel recommended 4 Swiss chard plants per square, so I planted about 4 to 5 seeds per spot, hoping that I'll be able to get one of each color that was in the mix -- red, pink, yellow, and orange.  When they germinated, the red and pink/magenta seedlings look almost identical and so did the yellow and orange babies.  So I waited until a pair of true leaves grew.  By then, the oranges looked a little darker than the yellow guys and the red ones looked more intense than the pink/magenta ones, helping me identify and thin according to desired color.  They are about 3 to 3.5 inches tall right now.  Clockwise from lower left: yellow, orange, red, and magenta/pink.

Day 31

   Looking at all four of our SFG boxes at once.  (In the right upper corner, you can see the frames of the chicken coop that my husband has started building.)  The spring veggies box closest to us is starting to look nicely loaded with fresh green colors.  I do notice a bare spot in one of the Mesclun salad mix squares where a cat had dug around. T_T

   Oops, I took this photo from the north side.  I have been taking the pictures of this box from the east side all this time.  I put the peas along the west side of the box, although the book recommended to put the trellis in the north of the box so the sun doesn't get blocked.  The peak summer sun in the afternoon will be so harsh for the greens, I figured they will be able to use a break later in the season.  We'll see if this works out ... or not. :D

   Visiting the boxes counter clock wise, starting with the spring veggies box, the next up is the corn box.  I just planted the second variety of corn on the south half of the box (8 squares).  The variety planted is Honey and Cream -- an yellow and white bi-color.

   The summer veggies box (Box #4).  I have two heirloom tomatoes, Black Krim and Brandywine.  Brandywine is a favorite of mine for the classic tomato flavor and the size of fruits, and Black Krim is something I'm growing for the first time ever -- it's a variety from Ukraine and has purple/black shoulders and the inside of the fruit shows the color as well.  I'm curious how this tomato will do in our climate.  I haven't grown tomatoes in several seasons.  I've missed them and am extra-excited about growing them in  the SFG to see how they'll perform.  I'm the only one in the family who enjoys unprocessed tomatoes straight from the vine.  I guess I will be sharing them with neighbors. ^^;

   Also in the summer veggies box so far are: Japanese eggplant "Ichiban", Italian flat-leaf parsley, red bell pepper, all from the local nursery.  I have also planted squares of soybeans, garden beans (bush variety), broccoli, carrots and four o'clocks (for color).  I'm also planning to plant sweet basil and some other veggies (not all the squares are filled yet in this box).

   Finally, the strawberry box.  They have stayed healthy without wilting since the transplant, and also managed to avoid any intrusion by our kitties for some reason.  I have seen only tiny fruits so far, but they had strong strawberry flavor.

Corn Seedlings Plus Other Flowers Around the House

   Their tiny tips poked up two days ago, but it would not have shown in the photo with all the specks of colors in the soil mix, so I waited till this morning to take a picture.  Corn seedlings look like baby canna and so easy to distinguish from the seedlings of elm trees.  I can be pretty casual about pulling the weeds in this box.

 
   My pots on the back steps out of the kitchen.  I think the garden fairies are enjoying a little more color than before now that the pansies and sweet williams are producing more blooms. ^^

   Around the house to the front yard.  The magenta peonies have fully bloomed.  My camera has the hardest time capturing the deep bluish red colors like this flower's.  But you can see the silky shine on the petals and how they pick up the light.

   Another angle of the same peony bushes that are producing the magenta blooms.  They are in the shade of the wisteria vines, protected from the mid-day sun.

   The "Samurai Warrior" irises have started blooming.  They have the wonderfully rich, maroon-brown, brick-red color with beards showing orange and purple.  Blooms are rather large for their overall stature.

   Another angle, looking at the same two blooms.  The colors are delightful against the fresh green of the grass in the morning light.