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THE FUNNY FARMER

THE FUNNY FARMER: An astonishingly boring, painful, humorous and occasionally insightful approach to gardening and life as amom, a former psychotherapist, and apparently a life-long patient.



Welcome!

My name is Cherie and I live in Southern Maine with my husband and two young children. I have a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology and still have about 10k in remaining student loans to prove it. I left the field of practice three years ago, so this is not the place to be posting any suicide notes, okay? But if you want to hear about my garden and my gremlins, my pests and my problems, well then you just sit right down and read on!







Showing posts with label garden planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden planning. Show all posts

Friday, June 11, 2010

Creative Trellising for Veggie Gardening

Our of respect for climbing specimen, consideration of space limitations, and the joy of experimentation, I have taken to trellising this year more than any other. 

My father's cucumbers sprawled in his large vegetable garden and I was not even aware until recently that they have a climbing habit!  I have two cucumber varieties this year.  One is a Striped Armenian and I fashioned a climbing structure in a raised bed out of leftover decking lattice (well, perhaps "fashion" is not the best word...).  My second variety is pickling cucumbers because I adore the mustard pickles I grew up with.  Sooo tart and yummy, I WILL have pickles this fall!  I rummaged around my "potting shed" and garage and emerged with an old wooden ladder that should have been thrown out years ago.  I read that I should loosely tie the vines with fabric to the support, so that's what I'll try unless anyone else has a good suggestion.  My reading on trellising cukes has been very interesting!  Many claim that their trellised cucumber plants are less succeptible to disease, become more prolific, and create better shaped cukes that do not have white/yellow markings from laying on the ground.  My thinking is that they might be easier to find as well!

My next climber (no, not Matilda) is green beans.  More creative in my seed purchasing this year as well, I bought the Fortex Green Beans which claim to be long, slender, and stringless.  I can't wait to see/eat them!   Ghttp://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6614-fortex.aspx  Make no mistake that although I like creative shapes and colors, my veggies are ALL chosen for taste as well!  Like my dad, I used to plant my green beans in either side of a low row wire trellis.  This was sufficient, but I'm curious about the teepee method for space considerations.  I built a teepee out of three bamboo poles and planted 8-10 seeds around each pole.  I placed the poles in two different beds so the climbing will use the least amount of space as possible.  If all goes well, Matilda will LOVE the resulting tunnel even more than she likes it now!
For my first planting of snap peas this season I used my old method which is a foldable wire fence.  Functional, not ugly, but not very interesting to look at either.  I have attached a pic from my second planting of snap peas with an aesthetically improved "trellis".  After wandering the aisles of Lowe's for trellises (there are many options and most are quite pricey) I came home with an insta-fence.  It has panels that lock together and come apart so it's versatile from seasonn to season.  I'm a wee bit concerned about it toppling from weight with the anchors it came with.  If that becomes a problem, I'll have to stake it into the ground more firmly next time with another method.

These fencing pieces I purchased with the visions of containment, not climbing.  My raspberry bushes had become quite aggressive so I pulled up many of them and created a "row" with a fence piece on each end, one in the middle, and string attached to the sides to keep the branches from drooping into the lawn.  I am quite sure that the "posts" it came with will not be sufficient, so my "things to do" list includes anchoring them more firmly.
Does anyone out there have any creative trellising ideas/suggestions/pics?

Friday, June 4, 2010

Flower Seedlings Inventory 2010

While I was largely successful with my vegetable seedlings, my flowers seedlings did not thrive quite so well.  I wish I had take pics today for proof.... nuts.  Admittedly, I did give my vegetable seeds more attention since their success will cut my grocery bill.  So the flowers were not necessarily planted on their recommended dates and planted in cell packs rather than soil blocks. 
The zinnias are a few inches tall, but most are only a couple inches tall. I'm a little concerned that they won't survive/thrive the planting.  They have been outdoors in pots for a few weeks now, so I guess this is as good a time as any. 

I hope to plant them this weekend, and am trying to figure out what goes where according to height, spacing, and light requirements.  I'm also documenting what has survived for future reference.  Perhaps I'll just do veggies by seed next winter/spring...  We'll see....

So this planting planning summary is not terribly interesting reading.. my apologies :D  Perhaps this cutie-pie ocean pics will help....

Some flower seedlings that actually survived:

Marigold - Durango Outback Mix
8-12" height
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7047-durango-outback-mix.aspx

Angel's Trumpet Datura - double yellow
16-20" height, spacing 2-3'
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7035-double-yellow.aspx

Ornamental Kale
24" height, full sun, 4" apart, horizontal support
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5672-sunset.aspx

Amaranth:  Strawberry Fields
24" height, 6-8" spacing, full sun
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8015-strawberry-fields.aspx
 
Serenade Mix - China Aster
25-34" height, 6-12" spacing, full sun, support
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7991-serenade-mix.aspx

Cramers' burgundy Celosia
30-36" height, 6-12" spacing, full sun, horizontal netting advised, no fertilizer
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6280-cramers-burgundy.aspx

Pampas Plume Celosia
33-48" height, 6-12" spacing, netting, no fertilizer
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5640-pampas-plume.aspx

Giant Dahlias: 40-50", 9-12" apart, full sun, no support, do not disturb roots
Creamy Yellow
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7815-giant-dahlia-flowered-creamy-yellow.aspx
Scarlet
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7810-giant-dahlia-flowered-scarlet.aspx
Coral
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7806-giant-dahlia-flowered-coral.aspx
Lime
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7797-benarys-giant-lime.aspx

Ornamental Grass:  Love Grass
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5556-colored-uprights.aspx ?
 
Morning Glory
Cardinal Climber - 72-120"
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8120-cardinal-climber.aspx
President Tyler - 72-96"
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5702-president-tyler.aspx
 
Hyacinth Bean - Ruby Moon
10-20', full sun, 12" spacing, trellis/support
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8118-ruby-moon.aspx

DIRECT SEEDING
Sunflower Collection: 
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5544-johnnys-sunflower-collection.aspx

Cosmos:  Sea Shells
40-48" height, 9-12" spacing,
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8009-sea-shells.aspx

Hopefully I'll have plenty of flower pics over the next few weeks!!!  If I don't spend too much time at the ocean, that is....


Sunday, May 23, 2010

2010 Vegetable Garden Inventory

VEGETABLES I STARTED FROM SEED:

1) Tomato: Black Cherry
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7762-black-cherry-og.aspx

2) Tomato: Sungold Cherry
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7929-sun-gold-f1.aspx

3) Tomato: White Cherry (pale yellow, really)
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6219-white-cherry-og.aspx

4) Tomato: Chiquita
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5801-chiquita-f1.aspx

5) Tomato: Cherokee Purple
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7541-cherokee-purple-og.aspx

6) Tomato: Brandywine
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7941-brandywine-og.aspx

7) Tomato: Striped German
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5633-striped-german-og.aspx

8)  Husk Cherry:  Goldie
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?SearchTerm=husk+cherry

Cucumber: Striped Armenian
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5695-striped-armenian-painted-serpent.aspx

Pumkin:  Rouge Vif D'Etampes
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7184-rouge-vif-detampes.aspx
 
Pumkin:  Musque de Provence
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6552-musque-de-provence.aspx
 
Zucchini:  Costata Romanesco
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7655-costata-romanesco.aspx
 
Broccoli:  Santee
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8280-santee-f1.aspx
 
Broccoli:  Spring Raab
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8018-spring-raab.aspx
 
Brussels Sprouts:  Churchill
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7751-churchill-f1.aspx
 
Patty Pan Squash:  Sunburst
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7659-sunburst-f1.aspx
 
Bell Pepper:  Bianca
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?SearchTerm=husk+cherry
 
Leek:  King Richard
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6600-king-richard-seeds.aspx
 
DIRECT SEEDING
 
Snap Bean:  Pole:  Fortex
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6614-fortex.aspx
 
Snap Peas:  Sugar Sprint
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6722-sugar-sprint.aspx
 
Beet:  Golden
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8287-golden-beet.aspx
 
Beet:  Forono
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7969-forono.aspx
 
Radish:  D'avignon
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7300-davignon.aspx
 
Radish:  Shunkyo  Semi-long
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7311-shunkyo-semi-long.aspx
 
Carrot:  Deep Purple
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?SearchTerm=deep+purple+carrot
 
Carrot:  Rainbow
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6635-rainbow-f1.aspx
 
Spinach:  Smooth Leaf EMU
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7470-emu-f1.aspx
 
Swissh Chard:  Brigh Lights
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5877-bright-lights.aspx
 
Greens:  All Greens Mix (Salad & Braising)
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6169-all-greens-mix.aspx
 
Lettuce:  Allstar Gourmet
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6160-allstar-gourmet-lettuce-mix.aspx
 
Scallions:  Deep Purple Bunching
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6714-deep-purple.aspx
 
Scallions:  Nabechan
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7331-nabechan-f1.aspx

Friday, May 21, 2010

Recession Garden Garden Plan


An article thieved from The Gardener's Rake...
(The pic, however, is my own :D)

http://thegardenersrake.com/recession-garden-garden-plan

xo

Monday, April 26, 2010

Putting Out

Decisions regarding when and where to Put Out your seedlings do not have to be confusing or complicated.  A well educated gardener can make informed decisions regarding when to Put Out by taking into consideration just a few, simple factors.   There are many great gardeners who have come before you and you can learn from their successes and their mistakes. 

IS MY GARDEN READY?
You may be tempted to place a precious seedling into your soil on a particularly sunny day when you are in the mood for a little gardening  But it is important to use not just your heart, but also your head.  And getting to know your garden is extremely important before deciding to put out. 

First you need to know your Zone, and this information can be easily found online.  Your particular zone will have, from year to year, its own unique "Put Out" date, when it is believed that there is no longer a chance of a frost.  Take this "put out" date as a general recommendation.  Gardening should not be mechanical and you may have some other personal factors to work around.   For example, it may be difficult to put out when you are working, while your kids are having a play date, or when your in-laws are in town.  Simply delaying your put out by a couple of days will not cause harm to your specimen or to your garden.

Back to the web, I must caution you that there is a lot of misinformation out there.  Sadly there are websites that are just trying to make money from objectifying your beautiful garden. They do not truly care about the best interest of your soil or your blossoms, so be sure you are dealing with a reputable source in order to avoid frustration and embarrassment.


Beware also of Zone Envy.  Though I often wish that I was a zone 4 person, I happen to live in Zone 5a.  There are many Zone 4 specimen that I adore but after many unsuccessful plantings, I have finally come to terms with my zone and stopped trying to make it something it is not. I have wasted a lot of time and money by planting specimens that simply have no business being in my zone. Sure they may look pretty, seem exotic, smell nice or taste good, but these experiments ultimately fail.  This can lead to discouragement, remorse, and sometimes even shame. It's best to respect your zone,  appreciate these specimen from a distance, leave them at the nursery, and just walk away.

The next step is to really understand your soil.  In this article from Fine Gardening  http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/hows-your-soil-texture.aspx, the author explains in great detail how to perform tests in the privacy of your own home.  Obtaining informative and useful results involves understanding the importance of the depth in your sampling, the nuances of texture, your soil's ability to hold moisture and nutrients, and of course, fertility considerations.

IS THIS SEEDLING READY?
Also noted in this article is, "There is is no hard and fast rule to how tall a plant should be before you put it out in the garden due to the fact that different plants grow to different sizes."  Simply put, do not judge your seedling by its size as it has nothing to do with how well it will perform.  Just ensure that your specimen has an appropriate level of maturity by making sure that it has at least 3-4 "true leaves".  Otherwise you risk causing permanent damage to this young specimen.  There really should be a law against it, in my opinion.

Once you have decided that your soil, zone, and seedling conditions are ideal for putting out, you still shouldn't rush the process.  It is important to respect your seedling's transition through a process called "Hardening off."  In an article titled How To Harden Off Your Seedlings, http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/how-to-harden-off-your-seedlings.htm, the author explains how the 'Hardening' process will make your plants grow stronger and perform better when you finally place them in your garden.   Here is a pic of some of my babes getting used to the elements before taking the final plunge into the dirt.




While putting out too early can be detrimental to your garden, so too can be putting out too late, as noted in an article by Gardeningknowhow.com http://paulstamatiou.com/how-to-quickie-embedded-flickr-slideshows/. "If you put [your seedlings] out before they are ready, they may have a hard time surviving the elements. If you wait too long, your seedling may become pot bound in its original container." If you have never seen a root bound seedling, it's not a pretty sight.  It can be really difficult for this root system to create a successful planting,this is always a bit of a disappointment.

Please see my post on companion plantings while deciding which plant should go where in your garden.  It's like eHarmony for plants!

It is usually at this point that I take a post about gardening and toss in some analogies to psychology and life.  However "putting out" is such a sacred topic that one risks trivializing its importance by making trite comparisons, so  I will save any analytical ponderings for another day.  As Freud said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Companion Planting

The Vegetable Gardner's Bible by Edward C. Smith talks about garden planning as being time well spent and I couldn't agree more. For me, garden planning is one of the few highlights of winter in Maine!  My visioning often coincides with some big football event.  The Superbowl perhaps?  I don't know for sure.  I'm too busy with my nose in gardening books, catalogs, and magazines.  I grab a pile of my favorites, kiss my husband goodnight, and head for the bedroom.  He calls it my "housewife porn," but I'm pretty sure don't have a problem.  It's not hurting anyone, right?

So back to garden planning... part of the planning that Smith's 'Bible' discusses is the "buddy system" for plants.  "Some plants have a synergistic relationship with certain other plants.  One or both of them grow better, yield more, and sometimes even taste better when they grow near one another.  These are often called 'companion plants'." 

Now isn't that just the coolest thing?  Beets simply thrive in the presence of bush beans, cabbage, corn, leek, lettuce, lima beans, onion, and radish.  Eggplant may be finicky wallfowers, but they do enjoy spending time with bush bean, peas, pepper,and potato.  And the uber-extraverted tomatoes are psyched to hang out with asparagus, basil, bee balm, bush bean, cabbage, carrot, celery, chive, cucumber, garlic, head lettuce, marigold, mint, nasturtium, onion, parsley, pepper, and pot marigold.

So I assume you know where I'm going to go with this one.  People too can have synergistic relationships in various arenas:  romantically, artistically, professinally, and so on.  But just like plants, the presence of certain others may be merely neutral, while some are downright aversive.  I know that there are some folks with whom I thrive and blossom, whereas with others I feel like withering. You know what I'm talking about here, right?

Synergistic relationships can lead to prolific growth and blossoming.  I recently heard an interview with the creators of South Park and they are a great example of long-term, mutually thriving relationship with great productivity.  How about The Beatles?  Abigail and John Adams?  I remember the very moment I first locked eyes with the man who is now my husband.  There was just something familiar in his smile, soothing in his voice, and comforting in his presence.  After nine years, I would say that our companionship has been pretty bountiful.  We certainly have healthy, colorful, and vibrant offshoots!

In On Narcissism Freud's "On Narcissism: An Introduction" (Contemporary Freud Series),  Freud theorizes that the idealization of love objects often has to do with the deficits in our ego.  In some cases, a "Cure By Love" is successful and other times it can lead to an excessive dependence on the partner.  Making sure you are the healthiest specimen you can be precipitates finding a healthy companion and bountiful harvest.  What are the deficits in your ego?  What can you do to become healthier?  Psychotherapy can be very helpful (see how to find the right therapist link below).  Examine your deficits, where they originated, and what you can do to heal them to be a Super Seeding, cape and all.

Back to the Garden Bible, Smith's first step in planning is to "eliminate antagonistic relationships" or the "inhibitors":  His terms, not mine!  Once again gardening, interpersonal relationships, and mental health are marvelously analagous!  There are some amazon links I attached below to books that have great insights and tips in identifying and weeding out the inhibitors in your life.  Again, psychotherapy be very helplful with this.  You get to talk about your unhealthy relationships for an entire hour, hear yourself as you define these problems, acknowledge your participation with a supportive person, and get some unbiased feeback from a trained professional.  Al Anon groups are also a great option.  They are free, confidential, you don't have to talk if you don't want to, listen to and learn from other people's experiences, and the meetings addess codependence and establishing boundaries in toxic relationships.

So a carrot walks into my therapy office...... (no, not the setup for a joke).  Presumably said carrot's primary complaint is resulting in a failure to thrive in some way.  A la Freud, we might explore things like the carrot's early germination, growing environment, soil and weather conditions.  We would discuss how that has shaped her thoughts, beliefs, self-concept, behaviors, and of course her relaionships.  During this process we would look at what things are within this carrot's control.  Might she re-evaluate some of her thoughts and behaviors that are not serving her well?  In examining relationships, we would likely discover that celery, dill, and parsnip are stunting her growth.  So can she limit her exposure them somehow?  Will she choose to move to a different garden?   Are there other ways to increase her nutrients, rain, and sun?

Way back in my hipster Boston days I went to a party thrown by a cool, artsy couple who were, by the way, synergistic blossomers.  At the door entrance there was a table for what looked like name tags.  But tnstead of "hello my name is" stickies, they were typed quotes for you to choose from and wear.  I chose a quote that said, "Surround yourself with people who respect and treat you well."  That piece of paper has been long since misplaced and I can't seem to find the author, but I loved that quote!  It has come to mind many times in my contemplations about friendships, relationships, and family. 

Now 41, much less hip but a whole lot wiser (subjective opinion), I look back with a little embarassment and humility at my poor companion choices and wasted time, even with marvelous quote in hand.  I suppose with gardening, there is a rigorous process performed by the brightest of horticulturalists and master gardeners to discover which plants work best with which.  So I'll chalk up some of my past to... well.... research I guess.

Regardless of your past and present, it is always important to plan for your future garden.  Remember that you deserve to thive and blossom - true that!  Take good care and choose your companions well!