Ancient Potatoes – Ozettes in the Garden

Posted on May 9, 2012 by

Potatoes occupy a lot of space in the garden, and this is one of the reasons that, until recently, I only planted them every 3 or so seasons.  Lately – and by ‘lately,’ I mean the last three years or so – I’ve planted them every spring, simply because fresh potatoes are delicious, and they are one of the few crops I actually enjoy harvesting.

IMG_2699I love to plant, and tend plants, but I have never really liked harvesting.  Strange, I realize.  I enjoy the harvest, but not the act of harvesting.  Not so for potatoes, however.

In any case, this year, I planted some yellow fingerling potatoes, and some sort of run-of-the-mill Yukon gold potatoes.  I planted them in a richly-amended row, and they’re growing vigorously.  With purpose, even.

Not last weekend, but the one before that, I attended the El Dorado County Master Gardeners annual plant sale.  I was there to give a short presentation on tomato growing, and I ended up taking home a few plants – some mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), hyssop, borage (Borago officinalis), a few tomatoes, and a pound or two of Ozette potatoes.  A web search reveals some interesting information about Ozette potatoes, which are apparently very old, perhaps the oldest potato grown in North America.  C. Lindquists “Vegetables of Interest” blog is worth a read, BTW.  Anyhow, these Ozette potatoes are apparently much talked about, and much loved by foodies and heirloom gardeners alike.  I’m glad to have them in the garden – I love plants with a story!

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Biochar Compost FTW

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

Biochar CompostBack in October, I wrote this and this about the process of making biochar.  This weekend, I put the finished product to use!  Backing up a step…after crushing the charcoal and soaking it thoroughly, I mixed it with compost and let it cook over the winter, turning it from time to time.  The resulting compost biochar mix is a rich, dark brown, and smells great.  It feels like powerful stuff!

Pictured here is one of the rows that will, in two or three weeks, be planted with tomatoes (you can see the young’uns here).  I chopped down and chopped up the cover crop – a mix of bell beans, field peas, vetch and oats – then spread the biochar compost out, covering that with a thick layer of composted horse manure.  In two or three weeks, the cover crop will have broken down, and the row will be ready to plant.  This is my first (or perhaps my second?) year forgoing all tilling in the annual vegetable garden, so I’m curious to see how things grow.

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The Bear Is Back

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

The Bear Paid Me A VisitA year ago (or was it 2?), a sow and her yearling cubs killed my three ducks, and perhaps 24 neighbor chickens, over the course of three nights.

A couple of nights ago, a bear – likely the American black bear (Ursus americanus), and probably the californiensis sub-species – visited my garden.  The bear M.O. is to crush the fence, which in turn uproots the peeler cores, embedded though they are in concrete.  Bears are heavy.

This particular bear (or bears?) was after the compost, and after nosing around in it, presumably finding some tasty morsels – a rotten mandarin, perhaps some egg shells or vegetable peelings? – it moved on, leaving me with a wrecked fence and this.  A friend of mine has one of those motion detector cameras, and we’re going to set it up and see if we can’t get a look at the miscreant.  Despite their name, the bears I’ve seen around here aren’t black at all, but a lovely reddish-brown.  I’m ambivalent about bear damage – I suppose it’s just part of the deal, living close to the edge of the El Dorado National Forest.  I will probably leave the fence as-is until the time of the bears has passed – they usually hang around for month or so in early spring, upsetting trashcans and fences, and then disappear until the following year.

Posted in Animals | Tagged | 7 Comments

Rapini and Other Flowers

Posted on April 27, 2012 by

Rapini flowersA few days of warm weather, and most everything that can bloom is blooming.  Pictured here is rapini, and the rest of the October-planted fall/winter vegetables – broccoli, mustards, collards, cabbage – are throwing flowers like crazy as well.  They’re pretty much done for the year.

The nectarine and peach trees (planted last spring) have blossomed, and it looks like the nectarine might even fruit this year. The newly-planted Nanking cherries, beach plums, and 4-in-1 Asian pear are all leafing out. I’ve been anxiously checking the jujube and the walnut each morning, and it looks as if they are finally going to break dormancy.  This is a huge relief – whenever I plant bare root trees, I get nervous that they won’t take.  I know, I know…I’m working on it.

Rhubarb FlowersIn other news, the various rhubarb plants in the forest garden are growing beautifully – I’m going to let them go this year and not harvest any, in an effort to let them really find their roots.

I realize that I’ve never let the rhubarb flower – I usually cut the flower stalks when they emerge in order to encourage leafy growth.  This year, however, I’m letting this one flower, as I’ve never held a rhubarb seed.

Posted in Food Forest, Propagation | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Thai Red Roselle

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

IMG_2693One of the things I love about gardening is the opportunity to grow things that are rare an unusual.  That is, things that aren’t typically found in the local produce aisle or farmers market, either because they are unfamiliar and thus unpopular, or because they don’t ship well.

One such plant I’m growing this year is Hibiscus sabdariffa, or Thai Red Roselle.  The plant is grown for its leaves (for eating), its stalks (for fiber), and its fleshy flower calixes (for tea and beverages).  There’s a lot of really interesting information and history about roselle in this document from Purdue.

I realize that “rare” and “unusual” are relative terms.  I realize too that I am far outside the normal growing region for this plant, but I have read of it being grown successfully in California, and growing from seed is an inexpensive way to at least see the plant, even if it never successfully fruits or flowers.  The seedlings are gorgeous and robust, their stems streaked with crimson, and I can hardly wait to get them into the ground in a month or so.

Posted in Vegetables | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Have a Look at this Handsome Beast!

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

UntitledWhen I teach classes, I encourage gardeners to visit their gardens at night.  So much of the “bad” things that happen to plants – chiefly insect damage – happen at night.

Just a short while ago, while wandering the garden in the dark, I stumbled upon this impressive critter.  It’s not the best photo, but I assure you that this millipede – not sure yet what sort of millipede exactly – is quite as long as my hand, from the tip of my middle finger to the wrist.  Millipedes are really common around these parts, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one quite this big.  They’ll occasionally cause damage to seedlings and young plants, but I’ve rarely caught them in the act.  Mostly they seem inclined to simply wander from here to there.

In other garden news, the asparagus patch is really starting to push spears in earnest, and the 68 degree weather today caused a growth spurt in a number of plants, including the elephant garlic, which I swear grew about 4 inches in 24 hours.  More warm weather on the way…

Posted in Insects | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Allium Update

Posted on April 17, 2012 by

ShallotsA warm spring day, and all of the various Allium species are soaking up the sun.  Pictured here are shallots (you can see their baby picture here), and they seem  to be happy.  Some of these I saved from last season, and some I purchased back in the fall from Peaceful Valley, which is a really nice operation.

The garlic – I talk a lot about garlic (here, here, here, and here) – is enjoying the weather, and the onions are likewise doing well.  The bulk of last year’s compost went into this particular part of the garden, so I’m hoping that the nutritional boost will finally give me some respectable onions – I have a hard time finding the right onions to grow, as they are particular about day length, perhaps especially so in my garden.
Elephant GarlicThis is the elephant garlic (first mentioned here), with the garlic in the background.  The elephant garlic is looking robust, and I’m grateful for this – there’s nothing quite like planting something for the first time and having it just work.  No word yet on the ramps or bear garlic.  Cross your fingers.

In other news, I’ve been doing a lot of speaking gigs lately.  Last week, I trained the El Dorado County Master Gardener recruits in the ways of vegetables, today I’m participating in panel discussion for an interdisciplinary class on Sustainability, and on Thursday I get another shot at my Edible Forest Gardening talk (the one that my friend @giuliaforsythe so generously documented here).  I may try to broadcast again, and if I do, I’ll post the URL for the radio stream on Twitter.

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What Comes Around Goes Around

Posted on April 7, 2012 by

Earthmaker!Literally and figuratively.

Have a look at this beauty.  The problem with most compost tumblers is that they just aren’t big enough.  That is, they don’t hold enough compost to really hit the sweet spot, the critical mass that gets things cooking.  Not so for this one, which towers overhead.

Perhaps 18 years ago, when I was living in Los Angeles, I scored this Gardening Naturally Earthmaker compost tumbler.  Friends of my parents, estate sale enthusiasts, picked it up as part of a larger sale, and gave it to me as a gift.  When I left L.A. for Northern California, I left it behind, for it took up to much moving van space.  I never knew what happened to it.  As it turns out, unbeknownst to me, my Uncle Tim ended up with it, and this past summer, he surprised me by giving it back!  A couple of days ago, I spent a few hours rehabbing it – the grip tape was worn out, and the rubber rollers a bit glazed, making it difficult to turn.  I replaced the tape and scored the rollers with a hacksaw, and it’s good as new.  The best part about this particular model is that the frame is sufficiently high as to allow a wheelbarrow to fit underneath.  Pop the hatch, dump the compost.  Simple.

Posted in Permaculture | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Ever the Optimist, I Planted a Mandarin…

Posted on April 7, 2012 by

Madarin Gamble…by which I don’t mean a bureaucrat of Imperial China, but Citrus reticulata. The climate here is pretty far outside the range of most citrus, and my dream – long ago shattered – has always been to have a lime tree. Many years ago, I planted one in a pot, and it died to the ground during its first winter. The rootstock, likely the Trifoliate Orange (Poncirus trifoliata), continues to sprout, being much more hardy than the grafted lime, long since frozen.  I’ve since learned a lot about citrus – some serious and well-documented plant science going on in places like U.C. Riverside, which maintains the UCR Citrus Variety Collection.  Lime is pretty much out of the question.

Armed with a bit more information, I selected a sunny spot on the border between the food forest and the garden proper, and chose a mandarin variety called “Gold Nugget” primarily for its cold resistance.  Supposedly, it’s hardy to 10 °F.  In the more than 10 years I’ve lived here, it’s never gotten below 23 °F, so I have high hopes that in a few years, I’ll be BURIED IN AN AVALANCHE OF SWEET, DELICIOUS MANDARINS.  Wish me luck.

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Finally Hazels or A Quest to Plant Protein

Posted on April 4, 2012 by

Corylus CuttingsA surprise package arrived in the mail the other day, containing 3 Corylus – hazel –  varieties that I ordered in 2010.  For whatever reason, they didn’t ship in 2011.

The only hazel commonly available in nurseries in this part of the world is an ornamental called “Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick.”  Harry Lauder, I’ve learned, was a famous Scottish entertainer, who took the stage in traditional Scottish dress, including a twisted walking stick.  According to some nurseryfolk I’ve spoken with, hazels are not inclined to be especially productive in this part of California, being particular about who they’ll pollinate with.  In any case, I’ve potted up cuttings of C. cornuta v. californica, and two others called “Winkler” and “Rush.”  With any luck, if all goes well I’ll have hazel nuts before I retire.

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