The Garden Chronicles

The raised bed garden is working as expected. My expectations were low; to basically provide a steady supply of fresh produce for a couple of adults. They’re crowded yet the learning curve is short and it’s easy peasy to sow additional produce as you go. 

 

 

If I felt inclined to can pickles or something else there’s farm stands locally and a weekly market in Sturgeon Bay. There’s even a local neighbor who raises mushrooms and micro greens. 

 

Best of all, nobody’s gonna recall my lettuce or spinach for causing diarrhea.  And by the time February rolls-around I might commit high crimes and misdemeanors for my daily fresh tomato fix.

  

 

Raising a toast to an additional 18 inches of elevation….

Garden To Table

I collected seven harvests of spinach from one of my raised garden beds already.  We love fresh spinach.  Yesterday I resowed one of the two rows.  My second sowing of radishes is poised for picking and last evening we had fresh garden lettuce on grilled burgers.  Everything else is coming along nicely.

 

Anyway, I made a loaded quiche recently with onion, bacon, Gruyère and garden spinach along with a rich egg and cream custard. 

 

Pretty good chow. 

 

The secret is the crust. It is made with lard….

 

 

How To Build A Raised Garden - Chapter Three

With the final assemble of the two raised bed planting boxes site prep was next.  A trip to Home Depot snared a couple of rolls of Vigoro 3 ft. x 50 ft. WeedBlock Weed Barrier Landscape Fabric with Microfunnels.  The product is designed to channel water away; yet maintain some semblance of moisture.  We'll see.  Like I said previously, this raised bed gardening is a learning curve.

My site was not level and was going to require some earthmoving to level it out.  It was with some trepidation that I went to start the tractor; which fired in the first crank.  Whew!  We had a couple of yards of soil on hand but moving it was going to require the use of the loader.  There was additional soil amendments and mulch - all of which are better hauled with a loader.  More on that episode momentarily.

As best I could I transferred dirt from here to there, leveled it out and stapled-down a layer of weed barrier.  

Following that, I carefully lined both planters with a layer of weed barrier fastening it with stainless steel staples.  A further nod to extending the life of the cedar by means of delaying immediate dirt to wood contact.  We'll see.

The Missus and I placed the boxes in position, shimmed them with treated wood blocks and added three inches (give or take) of untreated, natural wood mulch.

This was followed by a thick layer of additional soil from our stash.  At which point a high pressure hydraulic hose blew on the loader.

This added a day of delay in the project as I had to remove the culprit hose, make a trip to Sturgeon Bay to get a replacement fabricated and install it.  

Crisis averted.

On top of the first layer of soil went ten total bags of organic raised bed soil.  And don't get me started about what I found in that "organic" blend - shredded plastic, bits of debris, and sorta whatnot and nonsense including a stainless steel bolt.  Sheesh. 

An additional bag of composed manure was added over all.

Then everything was dressed with more natural wood mulch which I'm happy with as there's no mud to my gardening experience.

Nevertheless, we did have delivered three yards of "fancy" wood mulch for general landscaping purposes this summer and some of that might find its way to the raised bed project.  Time will tell.

Anyway, be sure to check back periodically for updates on what's growing, harvested, cooked, consumed or preserved.

This old man is looking forward to no longer raising vegetables on his hands and knees.

Praise the Lord and Vive le Jardin Magnifique!

Speaking of which; I've got a solid-running rototiller that I'm willing to part with for not a lot of money it it goes to a good home.  If you're interested you know where to find me....

How To Build A Raised Garden - Chapter Two

As a building material cedar is naturally rot-resistant.  I switched to cedar for bird box construction and properly sealed have had excellent results for something that is subject to the elements 24/7, year-in and year-out.  The only exception is a half-dozen pine-constructed boxes that I literally (and liberally) soaked in Thompson's Waterseal wood preservative decades ago.  They're persisting despite being held-together with galvanized nails because as a preservative Thompson's mummifies your wood.  But I digress.

For my raised beds I thought best to treat the cedar before assembly and some research on the interweb let me to the choice of this product.

It is technically a deck stain, but is labeled as nontoxic when used for growing foodstuffs.  You can have it tinted in any number of colors, but I chose to go with clear untinted and the result was a mat (non-glossy) finish that really enhanced the natural elements of the cedar while hopefully extending the life expectancy of the planter.

It dries fast and earlier this month as the weather began to warm I dragged a couple of ancient sawbucks over to the granary lean-to and set-up  to stain/seal the boards and corner assemblies with two to three coats of product.  

It took three to four days and just about the time I was more than half-way thru the can this happened.

I wouldn't ordinarily cry over spilled stain but at $78 a gallon this was a near disaster.

Fortunately, and with the help of the missus, the spilled product on the surface of the boards was scraped back into the can and anything on the lean-to floor was sopped-up with a brush and applied to the boards.  Dirt and all.  I'd like to think it adds character; besides, it's a planter after all.  Disaster averted.

After the sealant was dry assembly followed.

 

And after assembly I touched-up any scrapes, scuffs and edges with more the sealant/stain.

I added handles on each end to facilitate moving the boxes to their final resting spot so as to not stress any of the fittings.

It occurred to me that with the addition of two additional handles on the long sides of the box I would be half-way to a coffin.  All that would be needed would be a bottom and a lid.  This notion has morbid possibilities so I'll leave it at the raised box planter stage of the discussion.

Tomorrow I'll share installation and planting material tips.   

How To Build A Raised Garden - Chapter One

I'm an old man and after more than three decades of working crappy Door County dirt I am done gardening on my hands and knees.  

At the close of last season we tilled and sowed the garden adjacent to the machine shed into pollinator plants and for us anyway permanently put it to pasture.  My plan was to install two to three raised beds in the front yard above the rock wall.  That way I could still scratch my gardening itch, give my back and knees a break and if I wanted to freeze or can a large quantity of anything there's plenty of ways to source vegetables from a local grower or farm market.

After researching designs and availability of material locally I decided-upon a box roughly three by six feet and sixteen inches in height.  Western red cedar deck boards closely resembling the material used in fashioning bird boxes.  Whilst bird box boards are planed smooth on one side and rough-sawn on the opposite surface the deck boards are planed smooth on all surfaces with rounded edges.  They're also thicker (one inch), closer-grained and seemingly have more knots.  More character I like to say.  

Sure, I could have simply used green-treated lumber but I figured on something easier on the eyes yet durable.  Oddly-enough, materials were cheaper sourced from Amazon Prime than anywhere else locally.

Last week, and just in-time, I installed two of them and on Wednesday planted the first with various vegetable seeds and some potted sugar snap peas and a trellis.  Two days ago the tomatoes, peppers and herbs were plugged-in.  After 48 hours all the plants are looking happier to be freed of their pots.

There's room for one more box, or a half-sized box, if needed.  I figure I'll give it a go for one growing season at a minimum before engaging in further expansion.

Raised bed gardening like this is new to me and likely has a learning curve.  Stay-tuned for a couple of further installments on the build and installation and harvest as the season progresses. 

 

 

   

First Monarch

Considering how long it has taken for spring to manifest itself around here even seemingly small events are a big deal.

I has outside yesterday planting potted vegetables and herbs in my two new raised garden beds and this happened.

First monarch I've seen this year and I was lucky to snare a video to prove it....

  

End of Tomatos

If you are a pizza snob like me by now you would have noticed that imported San Marzano tomatoes are now selling for $6 (give-or-take) for a large can.  Sure, you can purchase a quality domestic product for less $$$; but there is nothing like the genuine article grown in the rich volcanic soils in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.  Alas, the on-again, off-again, individually and personally negotiated Trump import duties (tariffs) are taxes that make imported food an expensive nuisance.  Such is the price of snobbery.

If my household was supporting a spouse and three teenage kids consuming a gallon of milk a day I would also tell you the bread, fresh fruit, produce, beef, dairy, deli meat for lunches and eggs are also up in price too.  And for a working family trying to make ends meet on the grocery bill along with sports uniforms and extracurriculars and a mortgage - life might be a challenge under Trump inflation and taxes.  But he doesn't care.  And I digress.

Last week, after putting the big garden to bed, I finally canned the last batch of San Marzano tomatoes grown in the crappy clay soil of my peninsula garden.  One bowl yielded two last pints of these garden gems.  So, yeah, there is a means to cutting costs.  Grow your own applies to veggies too.  And these are pretty darn tasty.  My two - yes, only two - San Marzano plants were tomato factories. The bunker shelves are well-stocked. 

In closing I want to announce that the big garden is being retired.  It's being seeded into native pollinator cover this fall and I'm going to install 2-3 raised garden beds in the front yard and fill them with decent topsoil and composted goodness.  I'm done gardening on my hands and knees.  Furthermore, if I want to make a giant batch of pickles there is always the Sturgeon Bay Saturday Farmers Market.

After thirty years of gardening I'm scaling-back....      

The Pantry Warrior Strikes Again!

Before we left on vacation 10 days ago Jill took a big box of tomatoes to the local food pantry. I picked an additional flat of greenish ones to ripen in the garage while we were away.  Following more than a week  of neglect today I picked everything you see.  

Consider those beautiful San Marzano tomatoes at the top of the frame.

 

Those were not grown in the rich volcanic soil found in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius; rather they did rather well in the crappy clay and rocky soil found on the peninsula. Those two plants from Sully’s Greenhouse are tomato factories!

 

Anyway, when you have tomatoes in abundance and have just returned from holiday you scour your pantry and freezers and whip-together a batch of Autumn Shrimp Sausage Tomato Stew; a household favorite of ours.

 

Raising a toast to Sam Sifton or Melissa Clark - I forget specifically. 

 

Pretty good chow if you can get it….

The Garden Chronicles

It has been a terrific year for tomatoes; half the number of plants and just about the same yield at harvest.  I have a couple of San Marzano tomato plants that are not growing in rich volcanic soil in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.  The are thriving in crappy, Door County clay soil and are absolute tomato factories.  Consequently, our diet features tomatoes at virtually every opportunity.

Tomato tart, tomato seafood stew, venison bolognese, caprese salad, you name it.  

Just the other day I found myself with about 5+ pounds of ripe, San Marzano tomatoes so I whipped-together eight pints of homemade salsa and canned it for winter use.

We all know the uncomfortable truth; that our lover affair with fresh garden tomatoes is a brief and fleeting dalliance.  Incredibly sensuous; and short-lived.  By the time January rolls-around and Ma Nature is hurling freezing sleet against the windows and temperatures hover in the single digits we all would consider felonious behavior to get our hands tomatoes such as these.  

Can 'em while you got 'em.......

Got Rhubarb?

Rhubarb is currently in season and if you don't already have a plant of your own you can find it at the local farm market, roadside stand and sometimes in a grocery store.  The recipe that follows is an all-purpose coffee cake; meaning that it is not restricted to rhubarb.  You could substitute apples, fresh cherries, blueberries or just about any other favorite fruit.  Between you and me the tartness of the rhubarb is a nice compliment to the crunchy streusel topping.

I made this today.....

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Prep: 30 mins Cook: 45 mins Total: 1 hr. 15 mins Servings: 12 Yield: 1 - 9x13 inch cake

Ingredients - Cake

1 ¼ cups white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup sour cream

3 cups diced rhubarb

 Ingredients- Streusel Topping

1 cup white sugar

¼ cup butter, softened

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Ground cinnamon for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, salt and 2 cups flour. Stir together the eggs and sour cream until will mixed.  Add to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth then fold in the rhubarb. Pour into the prepared dish and spread evenly. 

In a smaller bowl, stir together the remaining 1 cup sugar and butter until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup flour until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake then dust lightly with cinnamon.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 to 60 minutes depending on your oven.

Pro Tip –  I threw a double fistful of chopped walnuts in the cake batter along with the rhubarb because that was what was left languishing on the pantry shelf.  Good pick.  

Messenger Of The Gods

Iris is the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow – who also happens to be the messenger of the gods. This name can also be given in reference to the word (which derives from the same Greek/modern Latin source) for the colored part of the eye and the flower.

The wild-growing iris - like those found in the low areas and on the banks of Silver Creek - should begin their seasonal blooms later this month and into the next.  More on that to follow.

For now there are Jill's domestic cultivars that are adding some spectacular color around the house and serving the pollinators. Pictures are from this morning.

 

 

Jill's father raised iris and at least one of these goes back many, many years to one of his.

Others are from friends.

These iris are doing pretty well; actually thriving at a latitude half-way between the equator and the north pole.

 

Tough plant the iris is.....

Porch Beer

After working in the garden it's always good to retire to the porch with my sidekick to enjoy a bowl of salted in the shell porch peanuts, a frosty Canadian lager and watch a spring thunder storm roll-in.

It's quitting time after-all.

Raising a toast to our friendly neighbors to the north!

The Garden Chronicles

If you are a San Marzano tomato snob you likely already know that a purebred San Marzano tomato is grown in the rich, volcanic soil in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.

This year I’ve sourced my San Marzanos from a mutant plant that has overgrown the composter.  

A very robust volunteer from 2023 garden waste.

I collected enough fruits to can and foolishly imagined a dozen half pints.

Here is my harvest.

Four half pints.

Tomatoes and cracked Spanish sea salt. That’s it.

On a foundation of my sourdough crust this is the foundation of a real Neapolitan pie….
 

Lilac Blight

We have a long-established hedgerow of lilacs situated around the footprint of where the ancestral farmhouse once stood.  This summer we notices that there was leaf die-off and a darkening of the stems and branches.  Upon closer examination the woody part of the shrub was not dead.  If scratched there was healthy, green matter beneath the bark.  Nevertheless, something was stressing the plant as it was pushing-out replacement leaves and flowering.  Go figure.

According to the interweb this is likely a form of blight caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae.  Among other things, it is characterized by leaf spots that can lead to leaf darkening, leaf wilting and premature leaf dropping. 

Fortunately this is mostly a cosmetic condition and unless it reappears over multiple seasons there are no lasting effects.  It is associated with wet conditions; which certainly describes our monsoon-like spring.  

Because this is not a fungal pathogen spraying with a fungicides is a waste of time.  Cleaning-up the leaf debris will prevent transmission next year.

Pizza! Pizza!

Tossed some pies in the Forno last night with some pals.

After a dalliance with instant dry yeast, 2024 has been witness to the return of sourdough leavening.

An altogether superior bake.

Bonus was tomatoes and sweet peppers from the garden….
 

Summer Safari

Fun facts about the peninsula.  Door County has 298 miles of coastline and boasts more lighthouses and state parks than any other county in the contiguous United States.  It also is home to the largest percentage of individuals over the age of 65 in all of Wisconsin.  Not the highest number, highest percentage.  That said, with only about 30,000 permanent year-round residents it doesn't take long to feel like you've met just about everyone.  Six Degrees of Separation is a real thing.  

The peninsula has become something of a retirement destination - with a disproportionate number of retired professional types.  Anyway, since I retired here permanently I've made many new friends through the Community College's Learning In Retirement Program.  For several years now I've coordinated the Current Affairs class - A Fine Kettle of Fish.  My friends include retirees ranging from doctors, civil and petroleum engineers, naval architects and a medical examiner.

Recently a group of neighbors got together for a couple of tours in Manitowoc followed by lunch.  It is called a Summer Safari.  The botanical garden was short and sweet, lunch was excellent; but the highlight was a tour of Dramm Corporation.

Dramm manufactures and distributes a complete line of professional greenhouse tools and equipment distributed throughout the world.  It is one of the most respected names in the horticultural industry.  

Founded in 1941 by John G. Dramm, a local florist, who developed a soft-touch garden hose watering nozzle.  It was this invention that helped drive the company from a basement operation into the Top-of-the-line global leader it is today.

We scored a private tour of the new 98,000 square foot building located at the Manitowoc Industrial Park.

A well designed, environmentally-conscious building and modern manufacturing methods.

Most of the Dramm product line is available in a rainbow array of colors:  red, orange, yellow, blue, green and berry.

 

Orchard and commercial applicators of all variations.

With the legalization of cannabis in many states, the sale of high-tech drip irrigation systems have rocketed-off the charts.

In the shipping department there is no heavy lifting with this device.

Top-shelf, quality engineering and assembly.  Keep an eye out for the rainbow colors wherever you shop for gardening and horticultural supplies.