My Green Little Pinky

Taters and garlic are ordered and on their way

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:09:18 -0700

Taters and garlic are ordered and on their way:

This morning we put in an order of 100 lbs. of Red Pontiac potatoes, some of which we plan to put in the ground asap. We also ordered a pound each of three types of garlic: Sicilian Silver, Inchilium, and Brown Tempest. The order is just one of the many first steps that we’ve taken to start up our small farm with the Community Food Bank’s help and Community Culivators program. I’ll try and backtrack a little in future posts to fill in the blanks of what’s been going since August. Right now, we have our plan for the 1/4 acre plot. In it we’ll plant mostly broccoli, potatoes and garlic - 12 rows total. Then have 2 rows of speciality crops that includes spinach, collards, peas, lima beans, lettuce, beets, and more. I wouldn’t know where to start if you asked me why I’ve decided to do this right now, but I could say it just feels right. Growing food is part of me and I’m going with my gut feeling. Whatever happens, with growing conditions and weather this year, I know that I’ll end up with more knowledge and experience. Hopefully, we’ll harvest some good, local, and healthy food to sell at the farmer’s market too! See you there in a couple months :)

Aardvark Paper Straws at Cafe This Way in Bar Harbor, Maine

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:01:19 -0700

Aardvark Paper Straws at Cafe This Way in Bar Harbor, Maine:

I haven’t reported on any new products that either use no or little plastic packaging because we have been pretty strict on buying only bulk items that we store in glass mason jars. However, while on vacation in Bar Harbor, Maine last week we went out to dinner as a family at Cafe This Way. The food was AMAZING, the service even better, and when they served our drinks of iced tea and lemonade they came out with paper straws. I asked our waiter Tony where they bought the straws and he told us about Aardvark. More restaurants need to consider reducing the plastic service items they hand out every single day. Go to Cafe This Way and check out the Aardvark Paper Straws! Then try out the Brazilian seafood dish or the Lobster Roll Trio for a gastronomic experience (to quote my sister Jen)!

Brief Garden Update

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:31:50 -0700

Artichoke plant is nearly dead. Possible reasons include extreme heat, overwatering from monsoon rains, or the toxic water from compost that I routinely pour over it when cleaning out the bin…whoops! It yielded over two dozen artichoke so I’m still happy. I think I will pull out the entire plant this year, rather than leave in the stump as I did last year, to free up some space.

Three tomato varieties are all doing well, but the smaller cherry and plum-sized ones are the best. They are currently covered with white sheets to prevent burning and splitting and predation from garden wildlife.

Eggplant (both Japanese and Black Beauty varieties) are doing very well. After having a rough start we applied some magic worm castings bought at a farmers market in Flagstaff. Both plants are flourishing and very productive.

Carrizo squash at the south end of the plot is now taking off. Bunnies were to blame for all the nibblings of fresh leave, shoots, and flowers. We covered the entire plant with a planket and after two weeks of protection, the plant has taken off. We removed the planket yesterday and hope to see blossoms soon.

Jalapenos are many, but small. Good for our garden salsa!

Watermelon seems to be healthy with one small melon, but hopefully more will come.

Malabar spinach is out of control, but I pretty sure we can keep up with eating it. Steamed and fresh in salads everyday.

One okra out of many seeds planted is doing well at 14 inches high and still growing.

No time yet to stop at second garden to check on chiles, pumpkin, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes.

Photos will follow soon from both gardens soon.

I can have berries once again! 100% biodegradable packaging :)

Sun, 08 May 2011 11:09:00 -0700

I can have berries once again! 100% biodegradable packaging :):

Just found frozen blackberries, blueberries and strawberries at the Food Conspiracy Coop on 4th Ave in Tucson. The company is Stahlbush Island Farms and they have 100% biodegradable packaging. It is very difficult to find berries without a plastic shell around them, but I can deal with frozen over fresh if I means more smoothies and more berry-topped waffles and pancakes! In fact, I’m enjoying a blackberry/strawberry smoothie right now and it’s so delicious!

Wasa Crispbreads:Crackers without all the packaging

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:29:37 -0700

Wasa Crispbreads:Crackers without all the packaging:

Because I don’t have time to bake bread every week it’s good to have something to snack on, dip in soup, or give some crunch to any meal. I don’t even consider buying other crackers now since Wasa is the only brand that I’ve found so far that does not have any plastic packaging. The crispbreads are wrapped in paper and come in lots of flavors - my favorite is sesame. One of my favorite snacks is a crispbread with guacamole and sliced tomato. Try them out and check em out on Facebook

Tofutti Cuties

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 07:38:44 -0700

Tofutti Cuties:

The second item on my list of products without plastic are Tofutti cuties. They are delicious little tofu ice cream sandwiches. Tofutti cuties come in a recyclable cardboard box and each cutie is wrapped in paper. Even though they advertise as a living healthy treat, they do have high fructose corn syrup and other additives - but they are so good! So just have your cuties in moderation :)

Straw bale gardening experiment We all know that gardening can...

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:34:52 -0700

Amaranth seedlings

Cucumber sprouts

Full sun straw bale garden

Lima Bean Sprouts

Mesquite shaded straw bale garden

Straw bale gardening experiment

We all know that gardening can take over your life if you let it. But when something provides you with so much happiness, fulfillment and new knowledge all the benefits tend to outweigh the responsibilities. There is no crime in being addicted to delicious vegetables and a sense of community that often is hard to find in daily life. Since I started gardening with Community Gardens of Tucson in March ‘09, I have fully experienced and surmounted the steep learning curve of gardening. Knowing what to plant, when to plant it, how to take care of it, when to harvest, and of course, how to prepare it all comes with time and experience. Having reached the point where I feel confident enough to impart some advice to another gardener is very satisfying. I started something and stuck with it! In the meantime, I have formed a very healthy addiction to vegetable experimentation. I started solely with transplanting then moved onto starting seeds both at home and in my plot. Then with the new partnership with Native Seeds Search, I moved onto some local varieties. As I began to understand how incredibly fertile the desert environment really is, I became hungry for more plants and more space to grow them.

As a renter of a house with a large backyard my imagination started to go wild with dreams of corn and sunflowers outside my kitchen window. But as a renter, my living situation is not completely stable. My lease is up in a few months and then who knows where I’ll be, so my imagination turned to the ideas of a portable garden. I came across information online about straw bale gardening after researching portable garden structures. The straw bales seemed to be an easier and less expensive alternative to either buying or building a structure. With the limited Internet search that I performed, not much about straw bale gardening in the desert came up. I decided to take a gamble and try it out. I gathered information from a variety of different Internet sources and devised a plan of my own that I thought might be conducive to our hot and arid climate.
On June 14th I picked up 12 bales of straw from the OK Feed & Supply Store on Ft. Lowell near Dodge. Many of my sources had recommended watering each bale to saturation for no less than 7 days before planting. I instead watered the bales for about three weeks before getting them ready. Watering the bales will start the process of decomposition and get all the little microorganisms breaking down the straw as it eats away at the bacteria within it. The extended watering period was mostly due to scattered vacation time that happened to coincide with my straw bale experiment. I think that two weeks of watering would most likely suffice. There are some websites and blogs that include fertilizers in their bale preparation. I plan on using organic fertilizers (bone/blood meal) for the late summer and fall plantings. I will also periodically apply organic plant food to the bales once the plants are established.
On July 7th I planted okra, sunflower, and amaranth seeds. As part of the experiment I placed three bales in full-sun and the remainder under a mesquite tree in partial shade. The shaded bales were arranged in two sqaures, one larger than the other, to construct a makeshift soil garden area. One square currently holds chiltepine and Hungarian peppers. The smaller square is currently empty. The full-sun bales were planted as follows: 10 “basins” of about 6 seeds of amaranth each spaced a few inches apart in bale #1; 3 okra seeds spaced 4” apart in bale #2, and 8 sunflower seeds spaced a couple inches apart in bale#3. I also planted 3 okra seeds in a partial shade bale. As of July 24th, the 4 amaranth basins have germinated and sprouted; 2 okra seeds have appeared; and 5 sunflower seedlings are showing in full-sun. On the partial shade bale only 1 okra seeds has been successful so far. I plan on reseeding any unsuccessful spaces on the bales in the next couple of weeks.
On July 12th I planted 3 varieties of cucumbers in partial shade bales under the mesquite tree. Unfortunately I forgot to mark which plants were which variety, but I am confident that their identities will be revealed soon since all plants as of July 24th have been successful. All appeared on or around July 17th, less than a week after planting the seeds.

While planting styles vary with straw bale gardening, I simply fashioned a small hole large enough for a seed in the bales and then shook some potting soil into the hole before pressing the seed(s) in with my finger. I then topped the seed(s) off with a little more potting soil and watered the entire bale for about 30 seconds. Every day I water each bale for about 30 seconds twice a day around 9am and 4pm. I plan on putting together a drip-irrigation system on a timer like we have at our community garden. Until I get the materials and free time, I have really enjoyed watching this successful experiment every morning and early evening.
While there are many unknowns with straw bale gardening in the desert, I think that this can tentatively be an excellent option for people living in rental homes or apartments with balconies. The only potential hazard to creating a straw bale garden near your home is the amount of insects that it attracts. While these insects have yet to be identified, they are not pests or biters. They are tiny little fly-like bugs that are mostly visible when the sun shines through the mesquite branches. To me, they are a wonderful addition to the formerly lifeless backyard of mine which is now teeming with the prospects of more tasty veggies and grains in the coming months.
References:
Anonymous, YouTube username: OrganicGarden123. “Straw Bale Gardening: Start to Finish”. Organic Gardening in Suburbs. July 24, 2010 .

Chris, YouTube username: cmcarney1205. “As Green As It Gets”. YouTube. July 24, 2010 .

Green, Doug. “doug green’s beginner-gardening.com”. July 24, 2010 .
Rogers, Kent. “How to Grow a Straw Bale Garden”. Carolina Country Magazine. July 24, 2010 .

Garden Notes 5/18/10 The garden is definitely thriving in this...

Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

CGOT Gardens

Onions

Onion blossom

Pepper plants

Baby chiles

Garden Notes 5/18/10

The garden is definitely thriving in this warmer weather. It is obvious that the NSS seeds are adapted to the warm temperatures….they had completely refused to germinate while it was still cold! But now they are all spreading their leaves to soak in the shineshine. The spaghetti squash already has fruits and many many blossoms. I am expecting to harvest from these plants and then possibly replace them with cucumber and eggplant. Also, the artichoke at the south end of the plot is going to be removed soon and replaced with ??? Not sure yet. I’m going to take a look around the garden to see if there’s anything interesting to try out. We also have a garden meeting this Saturday which is a good time to think about options and learn more about the best varieties to plant.

Backyard Garden Photos 5/14/10 I can’t believe it! One of...

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Baby garbanzo - the first of the jiffies

Green salsa peppers?

Backyard Garden Photos 5/14/10

I can’t believe it! One of the jiffy pot seeds has sprouted! I’ll cross my fingers that it’s the first of many, but I feel like it’s taking so long. The peppers that had laid on the ground after being pulled from my plot are also doing well. Two peppers to show for it!

My first onion!

Tue, 11 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

My first onion!

Garden Photos 5/10/10 What a lovely surprise to return from the...

Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Winter red kale still going strong

Baby chiles - germinated around 4/23

Tomatoes

Sunflower

Artichokes gone wild

Spaghetti squash gone even wilder

More tomatoes

Garden Photos 5/10/10

What a lovely surprise to return from the east coast and find everything coming to life. The NSS seeds decided they liked the ground much better than silly jiffy pots and almost all have germinated! The chiles are slow growing, but I wonder if it just needs to heat up a bit for them to take off?? All 5 of the tomatoes plants have completely taken over the plot and the same is true for the spaghetti squash. This summer there will be plenty to eat!

The backyard herbs are doing so well! I have an endless supply...

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Herbs in the Summer

Little bugs on my basil!

The backyard herbs are doing so well! I have an endless supply of basil and peppermint. The rest of the herbs are stable too. One morning I came out to water and found these little buggers. Not sure what they were. After spraying the herbs with water over a few days they disappeared and did not return.

Garden Notes 4/11/10

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:36:00 -0700

A second attempt at planting the Native Seeds Search seeds has been made – I have a much better feeling about it this time. There are a number of factors that may have contributed to the last planting’s failure: the soil mix, the colder night temperatures in March, or a couple of dry days due to late watering. I am certain that it was human error and not seeds that are fault for 100% non-germination. I am planning a rescue attempt of the jiffy pot planted seeds, but I am not confident that any can be salvaged. Instead I am hoping that the second attempt will be more productive. This new crop has been planted directly into the garden plot. Two types of chiles, two melons, two watermelons, and two squashes have their own section of the plot so they can be closely observed. The success of the transplants in the north part of the plot keep me hopeful. The artichokes continue to rise and expand; as noted in the last post, there is one artichoke fruit showing. The onions, while shaded by the growing and multiplying artichoke leaves, are looking good. No sign on f the onion above the soil yet though. The spaghetti squash have all flourished and I look forward to guiding them up the trellis when they are ready. The very tiny pepper plants are now just little. This little mystery pepper plot is somewhat experimental due to my pepper planting ignorance. I planted many, sometimes more than 5, seeds together. At Mequite Valley Growers you sometimes see two or maybe three stalks in one transplant container, but I have 3-6 little stalks coming out of some planting spots. Next time I’ll be sure to only have 1 or seeds seeds for each planting. And then at least come the tomatoes! Eve the littlest one has set down its roots and started to grow towards the sky. The leaves have broadened for taking full advantage of the sun’s nourishment. There are 5 little cherry tomatoes on the Gardener’s Delight. The tomato plants so far have not needed guidance and seem to instinctively know that holding onto the trellis will increase its overall stability and chances of gathering the most resources: the sunrays and monsoons raindrops. I am happy to have gotten an earlier start in the planting season this year. These roots will grow deeper and these branches will produce even more fruit! Speaking of fruit, there are more strawberries than I can count now even though they are still green. After I get back from Florida I plan on taking measures to reduce predation by scheming bunnies and birds. Hopefully they’ll leave me at least one so I can taste the fruits of our labor.

Native Seeds Search

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:55:29 -0700

Native Seeds Search:

Went by the NSS Store on Campbell this morning and picked up another batch of the same seeds. This time I’ll plant them directly in the ground and hope for the best! Also picked up a sunflower packet :)

No luck on the homefront with the seeds from Native Seeds...

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:22:00 -0700

NSS Seeds have not germinated yet?

Artichoke #1

Spaghetti squash

Tomato plants

Strawberries!

Little pepper plants

Red Kale

Beautiful artichokes from Jack's garden

One little artichoke of my own

No luck on the homefront with the seeds from Native Seeds Search. The seeds were planted in jiffy pots on March 17, so it’s already been three weeks and I’m getting impatient. It may be that a few colder nights spoiled the whole lot, but that’s so hard to believe given the success of the last batch. I’m going to hold out a couple more days and also bring the little ones inside at night to give them a fighting chance. I may use Hannah’s idea and put a heating pad underneath them to stimulate germination, but it may already be too late. I’ll give it another go with the same species planted directly into the soil after I get a chance to stop by the NSS store on Campbell sometime this week (maybe after Yoga Oasis?) If the little ones end up sprouting from the jiffy pots they can be shared with other gardeners.

The first crop has settled in nicely after being transplanted into the garden. Not everything survived, but the large majority did and is now flourishing. The artichokes are coming along and there is one tiny little fruit showing on the north plant. Onions, tobacco, and rosemary are smothered by the artichoke leaves but don’t seem to mind too much. The spaghetti squash all survived and have grown significantly since transplant, however they are still not ready to climb the adjacent trellis. All 5 tomato plants are looking good and Gardener’s Delight even has 3 little green cherry tomatoes showing already. The mystery pepper area has now been joined by the mystery melon, watermelon, and squash seeds. These were kindly shared by Jack and Hannah this morning at the garden. The peppers are steady and strong but would do well with some extra water I think. I may save water in a jug and use for these little ones. The strawberries have really taken off - their leaves have quadrupled in size and little blossoms are now showing. The red kale has also grown substantially, I will be happy to have some extra kale at the end of the greens season. After last summer, I am excited to see just how much the little 3 x 12 foot plot will produce. I have taken a different strategy and spaced the plants less. Let’s hope for more rain!!!

Native Seeds SEARCH Review

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:34:57 -0700

As a yet another perk to being a member of Community Gardens of Tucson I have received free seeds from Native Seeds SEARCH! Up until last month I had only transplanted veggies and herbs and had good results. In both the summer and winter plantings I was behind the clock, so most plants were a little later to produce. No complaints at all though! I’ve been shocked to see what the desert environment can produce with just a little water :)

Last month, I started some seeds in jiffy pots in my backyard. Red Russian Kale (Brassica napus), Golden Purslane (Portulaca oleracea), Ring-o-Fire Cayenne Chile (Capsicum annuum), Early Jalapeno Chile (Capsicum annuum), and Spaghetti Squash (Cucurbita pepo). All the seeds came from Seeds of Change and were ordered off the internet. I have many more herbs that I haven’t seeded yet - most of which are medicinal. Will write more on those later…Back to Native Seeds SEARCH: Today I received the 10 seed packets from NSS. As I said above we CGOT gardeners can get free seeds in return for careful observation and recording of the plant phenology. NSS conveniently provides a detailed datasheet for logging observations and notes. Here’s a list of the seeds that myself and fellow gardener Jack will be planting:(the numbers correspond to the catalog order number)

___________________________________________________________________

Chile: D15 Isleta D59 Patagonia
Herbs: HB4 Mayo/Yoeme Basil HB14 Corrales Asafran
Melon: F10 Navajo Yellow F5 O’odham Ke:li Ba:so
Squash: EA38 Douglas Heirloom EM29 Carrizo
Watermelon: G2 Hopi Yellow G3 Tohono O’odham Yellow Meated

________________________________________________________________________________________________

I plan on doing some planting this weekend, so look out for new posts!