2014 Garden Tasks

July

July 20 – The Bodacious sweet corn was fantastic. We got 400 ears or more of very good quality corn. Everything is nearing maturity: melons, squash, tomatoes, blackberries.

Things to do:

• Weeding
• Harvest
  • Okra
  • tomatoes
  • peppers – the red “Little Cuties” are nice
  • Cushaw squash
  • Summer squash – scallop and zuchinni
  • Canteloupe
• Composting
  • Turn pile
  • Make new pile with corn stalks and chicken litter
• Seed Saving
  • Cushaw
  • 10 foot tall sun flowers (flower is as big as dinner plate!)

June

Red Shallot harvested

June 18 – The corn began silking on my birthday – 12th. Half of it looks great. Other half is where an old cedar stood 2 years ago and the soil needs more amending. Most onions are up. Tomatoes are taking to their spiral trellis system. Adding string has secured the stakes from moving too much in the wind (which could damage the stem).

June 4 – have harvested the best looking red shallots. Each plant had 5-8 nice bulbs. The garlic came up today. Nice heavy bulbs with big cloves.

Things to do in June

• Trellis
  • Blackberries for adult one year canes (they are much taller). These produce next year’s berries.
  • Trellis all peppers with horizontal mesh.
  • Train Tomatoes and use twine.
• Harvest
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Shallot
  • Blackberry
  • Beans – late in June.
• Weed, weed, weed
• Composting – we need another new pile. All we had is in the ground or is mulch on top of tomatoes and peppers.

May

5/18 – Very little rain this month (maybe only 1 inch in last 30 days). Xander and I harvested 1 gallon of strawberries yesterday! Many more in the beds.

Things to do this month

• Plant
  • Pepper seedlings
  • tomatoes
  • Okra – planted next to peppers for shade in summer heat.
  • melons – 4 rows with drip lines
  • squash
  • eggplant
• Composting
  • Use compost as top dressing for peppers, tomatoes
  • Give side dressing to blackberries.
• Harvest
  • Strawberries
  • Scallions
  • asparagus

April

4/24 – Replanted ‘hardy’ crops. They froze to death in late frost (26 F). Corn planted yesterday. It seems too windy to transplant the peppers and tomatoes. But it is getting late too.

4/8 – Most early plantings (hardy crops) are planted and the seed is sprouting (kale, collards, turnip, beets).

Things to do this month

• Fertilize with nitrogen
  • Fruit trees
  • blackberries
  • strawberries
  • garlic and shallots
• Planting
  • Tomatoes – store bought seedlings
  • Kentucky Wonder pole beans
  • Replace dead onions with our Granex seedlings. (Earliest onion sets 75% failed)
  • New fruit trees if we find them – apricot
• Trellis for veggies:
  • Pole beans on plastic mesh and steel posts
  • Tomatoes – stake and twine. 1/2 steel posts and wooden stakes.
  • Tomatoes in small garden – hog panels shaped as teepee.
• Turn Compost and make new pile.
• Weed like crazy – every day now
• Build hoop tunnel covers for summer squash

March

3/23 – starting late with this year’s diary/journal. Last year we were busy building the seed starting enclosure with shelves and lighting. This year we have less prep work.

• Seed Starting
  • Peppers – Poblano, Jalapeno, Serrano, Bell,
  • Tomatillo – only a few plants this year
  • Marigolds
• Planting
  • Onions
  • Leeks
  • Turnip
  • Kale
  • Collard
  • Potatoe
  • scallions – these bulbs are hard to find locally? Hmmm wonder why?
  • Beets
  • Carrot
  • Blueberry Bushes
  • Apricot Trees
• Bed preparation – clear and till early beds.
• Supplies needed
  • 100′ x 10′ light insect mesh for hoop houses.
  • 6′ x 250′ plastic mesh trellis material – for peppers

January 2014

• Seed Starting – onions in pots
• Composting
  • Mix leaves with chicken manure into new pile
  • Turn other piles into one.
• Yeah! time to do Bayesian Networks too!
• Order seeds