How does his garden grow?

A tour of the garden...

2008-06-01T11:16:00.008-04:00

So now that everything is planted I wanted to take you on a brief tour and show you what's in the ground. These are from one week after things went in so not a great deal of progress.

The garden is laid out in 12 rectangular beds with a gravel path up the center (so six on either side). Each bed is bordered by straw pathways to allow me to work the garden without having to step on the beds. I generally work my garden counter-clockwise starting from the lower right corner and that's how I will show you the beds here.

Bed 1 is for lettuce, which I plant from seed in two week intervals so that we get fresh salad all summer. You can see in the bed that there are two bricks that I use to mark off the bed into thirds so I know where to plant the next batch.

Beds 2 and 3 are for herbs, divided very loosely into Italian and non-Italian varieties. Bed 2 is "non-Italians" such as coriander, tarragon, thyme, Thai basil and oregano. Bed 3 is the Italians: flat-leaf parsley, basil, rosemary and sage.

Next comes the first of three tomato beds. In position 4 I have the heirloom varieties and and I think I dropped some yellow cherry tomatoes in there as well. Notice how all are caged and the stakes are in position ready for tying...in 2006 I learned what a fiasco unsupported tomatoes can be.

And bed 5 is our string beans from seed. These will take a while to emerge and the packaging failed to say whether these were pole or bush style beans so I have a trellis at the ready in case these guys need some support.

That concludes part one of our tour...stay tuned for part 2 which will include some drama and a cliffhanger ending!

One week later...

2008-05-30T17:40:00.006-04:00

So the plants are in the ground and generally seem to be doing their thing. My squashes and eggplants are looking a bit feeble still but that could be down to the cold snap we had for two nights this past week. Based on previous experience, these may not recover and I may have to replace them with new plants, I'll make that call next week.

I did my first weeding of the season today, finished in a record 15 minutes. If I'm smart enough to stay on top of it then every week could be this quick (I'm not, so they won't be).

I also spent some time sprucing up the drip irrigation system. As is typical each year, some of the lines need to be replaced and others need to be respositioned.

Here's how things looked last week, I'll get you another shot this weekend:

The big day...

2008-05-24T06:20:00.003-04:00

Memorial Day weekend is the typical starting point for the garden. Last year (2007) our garden plans were derailed by an unfortunate accident involving my dad, some gasoline and a match (don't ask). Now that everything is back to normal I'm keen to get some things in the ground.

I do have one confession, in order to help keep on top of general maintenance around the grounds I have someone who helps me during the week. Brian is my gardener/caretaker/go-to guy for helping keep things in tip top shape. He does a great job and his efforts during the week allow me to enjoy some of my weekend. He did a great job this week of getting the beds set up...we're heading out to get some plants momentarily. Here's the before shot:

The other big project...

2008-05-15T07:29:00.002-04:00

The big project

2008-05-14T20:29:00.013-04:00

So it's been a while since I've sat down and given the blog some attention. A lot has happened since my last post. The biggest change since last year is the arrival of this guy:

This is Logan and he was my Christmas present in 2006. He's now a year and a half (has it been that long) and life is pretty different now.

Most mornings during the week we're up at 5:30 to get some exercise up in Central Park. On weekends up in the Country, we sleep late to 7am (if I'm lucky).

He's a City dog during the week and loves being totally goofy with the other dogs he meets on the street.

When we're in the country he's a different dog entirely. He's a real sportsman and could chase a ball for hours. This is what I was doing last summer instead of gardening and blogging:

But this summer I'm planning on being back in the garden, with some other big changes afoot...

Watch this space!

2008-05-09T15:30:00.000-04:00

Could it be? Is he back? Stay tuned!

Oh where, oh where has he gone???

2006-09-16T06:59:00.003-04:00

Work has very little time for blogging, or indeed gardening, these days. We're in the middle of planning season and it's all just been pretty manic. I left for London last weekend and was there all week, got back yesterday and will miss yet another weekend upstate for the wedding of Jim's brother today. September is going to a rough month for me and my country pursuits.

That said, I have been managing to squeeze in a day or two upstate over the past few weeks. The pumpkins are coming in at the rate of one or two a week. The tomatoes are finally ripening. The zukes have done their thing and it's time for them to come out, same for the cukes. It's nearly time to get the garden shut down for the winter.

Start of October I will throw some bulbs in which I have not done before. Apparently the actual planting process is easy...keeping the deer and rodents away, not so much.

Be patient friends, I will write when I can.

Poor Planning

2006-08-25T07:25:00.000-04:00

Next year, I must be smarter with my August. We are away for three weekends this month which has made it nigh impossible to enjoy the fruits of my labors. We have a bachelor party this coming weekend so I took Monday off to tend to things, including my lawn which will require a machete soon.

Last of the 2006 Projects

2006-08-24T06:54:00.000-04:00

After the granite, I swore I was done with projects for 2006. But I spoke to my friend Raeph last weekend and decided that we could fit in two minor things before the winter:

1) New external doors at the main entrances (which should improve energy retention this winter)

2) A ceiling fan and light in the porch so we can start to use that room more

Homework is never done.

Little Nibbles

2006-08-23T07:03:00.000-04:00

I will get you photographic evidence next week but we noticed some nibbles out of some of the low hanging tomatoes this weekend. A rodent of some kind, not rabbit, something smaller (chipmunk maybe).

But lemme ask you, why must my little friend take two bites out of seven tomatoes when he'd get the same amount of fruit from just eating the one and leaving the other six for me!?

Restaurant Report: BLT Fish Shack

2006-08-22T09:08:00.000-04:00

In an effort to cover topics outside of the garden I'll share with you a recent experience at a New York resto. Last Thursday night I had dinner at BLT Fish with my friend Ben. We had an 8:30 reservation and showed up at 8:30. So far so good.

The table wasn't ready but we were assured they were paying now so shouldn't be long. No sweat, we'll have a glass of wine at the bar (an unmemorable Riesling). 15 minutes later, still no table but a polite reminder to the maitre, with the response of "just a few more minutes please." 30 minutes later, still at the bar.

That was when the hostess came by and we said "we've been here for 30 minutes watching plenty of people get seated, at the very least you can offer to buy us a drink." Her response: she laughed. She really did, like I made a joke. Very irritating. We eventually got seated (I know, I know we should have walked out then) and had a fine, but by no means transcendent, meal. The iceberg wedge was really excellent, the garlic bread that comes with the table was pretty superb as well. The lobster roll was good but not $24 good and the fries that came with it were pretty soggy and disappointing.

Fortunately Ben is good company and we had a great time together. I can't say I'll rush back to BLT Fish. It's been well reviewed and we probably caught them on an off evening, but the pool is too deep in NY to reward an average experience.

Sitting on the fence

2006-08-22T06:42:00.000-04:00

Can someone tell me why my pumpkin vines insist upon growing along my fence. It's not an aesthetic issue but I am concerned that as the fruits get heavier, my fence will groan under the weight. Next year I need to come up with a trellising concept for the pumpkins.

Any thoughts?

Weeks 18 and 19: 12 and 19 August -- No frickin' tomatoes

2006-08-21T19:22:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it? How ridiculous that they won't ripen. So strange...or maybe not. It's my first year, maybe this is typical.

So I've been a delinquent blogger over the past two weeks. I owe you guys some major updates, right? Here's the dirt:

The beans are still coming in nicely, a good pound or so each week. They are yummy. Interestingly the bush beans have been more consistent than the poles.
Zukes are still coming out huge. I'm not sure what to keep doing with them. This weekend we battered and fried them, that seemed to go well.
Squash and cukes still doing their thing too
There will be no artichokes this year. I've lost two of the six plants and the rest aren't looking so hot. I will try to cover and mulch them well over the winter but I'm not confident that they will cooperate.
And yes, the pumpkins are continuing their conquest. We have at least four growing specimens that we will look forward to.

So life in the garden continues apace. Lots of lessons for next year which I will bounce off you in the coming days.

Week 17: 5 August -- Stubborn Tomatoes

2006-08-08T21:19:00.000-04:00

So now they are just laughing at me. These guys are sitting there just refusing to ripen. And I know exactly what's going to happen...one week I'm going to have 25 pounds of tomatoes ripen at once.

The plums I have a plan for...sauce that I will freeze. But what about the rest. I guess it'll be BLTs and tricolores for a week straight. Actually I'm kind of looking forward to it.

Vulture and Deer

2006-08-04T07:32:00.000-04:00

Bee Balm

2006-08-03T07:28:00.000-04:00

This is called Bee Balm, although I didn't know that until Jim's sister pointed it out this past weekend. I have quite a few of them around. They seem to take very well to our microclimate upstate and the flowers last for ages.

Apparently the leaves are edible and can be used in place of mint in some recipes. Must try that some time.

How about a Pimm's my dear?

2006-08-02T07:06:00.000-04:00

I found THE best use for cucumbers from the garden. On my way back from London last time I picked up a bottle of Pimm's at Heathrow. Pimm's (or a Pimm's Cup more precisely) is the quintessential British summer drink.

The recipe is simple: 1 part Pimm's, 2 parts Sprite (the British say lemonade, but they mean Sprite or 7UP), a cucumber spear in each glass, and whatever fruit you have on hand (we used strawberries, and some lemon and lime slices). We forgot to add mint leaves but you can if you want it even more refreshing.

I can't tell you what's in Pimm's, it's a closely guarded secret. Here's more info if you can't get enough. We just about finished the bottle this weekend. Good thing I'm back in London in September!

I think they're doing something wrong...

2006-07-31T09:33:00.000-04:00

Have a look at this. If their compost smells like sulfur, something definitely is not right with it. Or the odor could be coming from someplace that had nothing to do with the compost.

Week 16: 29 July -- Squash Attack

2006-07-30T19:04:00.000-04:00

And by squash attack, I mean all types. The zukes, pumpkins and yellow squash are steadily marching forward and taking over everything in their path. The pumpkins are especially Napoleonic. I even saw my first baby pumpkin this weekend.

No pictures for you but I can tell you that this weekend I pulled out:

6 Giant Zucchinis...I must get better at catching them when they are younger, they get a bit mushy with age
A dozen yellow squash
8 Cucumbers (message to self, use gloves next time)
3 Cherry tomatoes...what's up with that
A few good handfuls of delicious string beans, even some yellow ones
The tomatoes are rapidly ripening, any week now I should be inundated

But really not a whole lot to do; weeding and harvesting are the main chores these days.

But what's up with my artichokes, I'm not seeing any choke stems coming out of them yet. I hope they're not pulling some "first season, no choke" BS with me.

Keeping guard

2006-07-26T06:26:00.000-04:00

No doggies allowed in the garden. This is Bogey and what he wants more than anything is to be in there with me. Actually, what he wants more than anything is cheese, but failing that, he wants to be in there with me.

He'll have to settle for standing guard while I'm working. He gets paid in string beans.

Away again...and does anyone know what's eating my tomatoes?

2006-07-24T07:24:00.000-04:00

I'm off on a business trip all week and won't be blogging (unless I can grab a free minute in the evening).

While I'm gone, can anyone figure out who's ravishing my 'maters?

Week 15: 22 July -- The first harvest

2006-07-23T23:16:00.000-04:00

So I've learned that I can never, ever go away for a week in the middle of the summer again. The lads in the garden got quite unruly while I was away.

But first, let's talk about what I pulled out this week. My first zucchinis, some squash, some string beans and a cucumber. Here's a picture of the collection.

Now if you're thinking that I have a rather big zucchini there, you're right. Here it is on it's own with a 20-dollar bill for perspective. It's kind of ridiculous and well past it's prime for eating. My mom did take it and swore she'd make zucchini bread with it. I'm looking forward to that.

Back in the garden, things had gone haywire. What was left of the lettuces had bolted so I hoed both plots over and left the remainder to rot back into the soil. The peas had come and gone without too much to show for it so I tore those out as well. I'll throw some lettuce in the pea plot in a few weeks when things start to cool down.

But it's the tomatoes that required the most work. All of my heirlooms had flourished to the point that they knocked over the bamboo stakes I had tied them to and were growing along the ground (as Stephen predicted). Not good for the ripening tomatoes. I spent hours untangling them and getting them firmly attached to more substantial six-foot stakes. I'm not sure how well they will do at this point but I should get some yield from them. The other plot of tomatoes were safely ripening in their cages and much happier for it. Cages all the way in '07!

And the pumpkins are continuing their conquest of the garden. They have managed to make their way through two adjacent plots and seem to be heading toward the house. Here they are devouring my sunflowers!

Not quite an update...

2006-07-20T15:02:00.000-04:00

So I was with my family in Puerto Rico for a few days which was a welcome break. The weather was accommodating and we all won in the casino. I was hoping to make it upstate on Monday to check on things but didn't manage to do so...

Which means that tomorrow will be my first day up in two weeks. Who knows what will be doing? Will my new irrigation system have failed? Will I have ripe veggies rotting on the vine? Will the heatwave have wiped everything out? How will Clark escape from the Phantom Zone?

Stay tuned patient readers, a full update and photos when I get back next week.

Hols

2006-07-12T06:02:00.000-04:00

I'll be away for a few days so no blogging until next Tuesday. Should have some good stuff for you by then. Stay tuned!

Two impressive performers

2006-07-11T06:49:00.000-04:00

Now, it's a bit early to get excited about yields or anything like that but I wanted to call out two crops which have really astounded me with the speed in which they have flourished.

The first is no surprise and one I've been marveling at for a few weeks now: pumpkins. Have a look at these shots from 11 June, exactly a month ago, and this past weekend. It really is incredible how quickly they can go from seed to this. They have really taken over a huge section of the garden (they have 60 square feet to themselves) and would grow beyond if I let them. I'm hoping that they continue to do well and, more importantly, that I have room to support all of the pumpkins that they will produce. Next year I'm going to have to make a vining structure for them to climb.

Almost as impressive are my pole beans. These are your standard stringbeans -- well, not quite standard, I planted three different colors: green, white and purple. Once again, here is a before shot from 11 June and an updated photo from this past weekend. These guys have really taken to their environment and have managed to climb well beyond the top of their teepee. There's another 3 feet of vine at least draped off of the top of the tower, I bet they would climb another four feet if I had a structure tall enough. They have now flowered and I'm hoping to see some beans unfurling on them soon.

So I may have jinxed myself with all of this crowing, but it's been so amazing to see these huge and vibrant plants emerge from tiny seeds.

Week 13: 8 July -- Water, water everywhere

2006-07-09T22:39:00.000-04:00

This weekend my friend Sheldon and I installed a drip irrigation system across the entire garden. I'd ordered one from Dripworks and we managed to get the entire system set up in a few (long) hours. Fortunately Sheldon had actually done this a few times before so things went a lot quicker than they would have otherwise. I'm pretty darn pleased with how it all went (and very indebted to Sheldon for his expertise and labor).

And have a look at my first tomatoes. These will be a yellow cherry tomato so they should be ready in just a week or two (max). We've also got zukes and squash growing, flowers blooming and the start of a pumpkin (assuming this female blossom blooms and manages to get fertilized).

Guess what I found...

2006-07-07T06:42:00.000-04:00

I know I said no more compost entries but this really is exciting. My compost is riddled with worms!!! Great big earth worms. How cool is that? It means that they like my compost recipe and they are helping to turn my compost into a nutritious soil additive. It's amazing what gets me excited these days.

Some wine thoughts...

2006-07-06T07:21:00.000-04:00

So my brother and his girlfriend Rachel were up this weekend. We spent some time futzing with the cellar and went through quite a few bottles on Monday night. Two particularly stood out. The first was the 2003 Kenwood Jack London Zinfandel. I don't quite have the palatte my brother has but it went down great with notes of chocolate and berries. A really good easy drinking summer wine.

The second bottle was a 2004 Pinot Noir from Lafond winery. The bottle was a gift from a colleague and it was suprisingly enjoyable. By that point I was completely smashed so don't have any tasting notes for you but I remember thinking it was a great drop ; )

Week 12: 1 July -- A rare four-day weekend

2006-07-05T12:08:00.000-04:00

First off, I have no pictures for you this week. I didn't feel like a photo session. But I gotta tell you, I could totally get used to four days a week in the country.

So let's start with the garden. The salad leaves are looking good and I'm expecting them to go bitter any week now but so far so good. I've not put in a new crop yet so I may be stuck buying lettuce again at some point.

The herbs are looking good too. The cilantro has flowered so there'll be seeds soon. I should probably get them out before they seed all over the place. The peas are coming but not so much. I may get a handful off each vine but not a fantastic yield. The only other failure this year is the eggplant. For some reason they never established themselves and they now look downright anemic next to everything else.

And everything else really is flourishing. I found baby tomatoes on a few plants this weekend which was very exciting. I have a few nice zucchinis and yellow squash coming. The cut flowers are blooming now (I even cut a few this weekend) and even the sunflowers are starting to bud.

And boy oh boy how 'bout those pumpkins. They're really starting to take over and I'm concerned that I will lose control of them soon. I found the vines reaching into the sunflowers this weekend and I'm afraid they're going to jump the path into the squash patch in the next few weeks. It may be time to thin them again but I feel awful doing it.

I owe you one

2006-07-05T12:04:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone. Swamped at work after being away for four days. I'll drop you a comprehensive update this evening. This week's hot topics will be tomatoes, beans, pumpkins and worms (yes worms).

Good guy or villain?

2006-06-29T07:27:00.000-04:00

I found one of these in the garden this weekend. What would you guess? Is this a good thing or a really bad thing?

The answer is it's a hoverfly and it's a good thing. They help with pollination, and more importantly their larvae eat aphids. I don't think I have aphids which either means they were never there or Mr. Hoverfly and his young'uns did their thing.

A few more kitchen shots (this is the last of them, I promise)

2006-06-28T06:29:00.000-04:00

So the kitchen is done...at least this year's projects. I sealed the new countertops this weekend and Jim and I hung the shade on the new light. A few pictures for those of you that just can't get enough.

More compost stuff

2006-06-27T06:41:00.000-04:00

Okay, now I've really lost it. I'm actually photographing my compost heap. Sorry friends, I guess I'm long gone. I won't be surprised if I come home one day to find you all sitting in my apartment explaining how an intervention works and dragging me down to the Maritime for drinks. But until then here is a picture of my compost heap

So a few weeks ago I was upset that my compost had sprouted weeds. I was concerned that I'd polluted the whole thing and now couldn't use it for fear of creating a major weed issue in the garden. So this weekend I decided to start yanking the weeds in an attempt to save it (which means that in addition to weeding the garden, I'd be weeding the compost too, maybe I am going insane).

Anyway, as it turns out, they're not weeds. Check out the picture at left to see what happens when you throw some potatoes in the compost. I guess my compost is pretty fertile after all.

Close Encounters

2006-06-26T20:35:00.000-04:00

I really can't beat this one. Saturday night we were having dinner with our neighbors Bart and Jim and a few friends of theirs. The rain that had been plaguing the weekend stopped for a few hours and we had a wonderful meal on their deck.

I told them about the bear that had attacked my birdfeeder...but they managed to do oh so much better. Jim and Bart had actually come home one evening and found a black bear doing the number on their own birdfeeder. It's probably the same bear as our houses are so close to each other.

Even better, they had the presence of mind to get the camera, move to a safe place and photograph the bear doing his thing. He stuck around for a half hour or so and allowed himself to be photographed. When I saw these shots I had to get them for the blog and Bart and Jim very kindly agreed. Guess it's time to get some of this.

I guess they'll be here soon

2006-06-26T07:37:00.000-04:00

Look! My first zucchini. He's just a wee lad yet but I imagine he'll be ready for harvest in a few weeks. I understand they grow pretty quick. How exciting! There were a few green ones and a few yellow ones.
Maybe it's really working.

This whole nature thing is pretty darn cool. If I'm this excited over a zucchini, what am I going to be like when the pumpkins start?

Week 11: 24 June -- A few messages

2006-06-25T22:05:00.000-04:00

So we're looking pretty good. The major storm that was predicted for the weekend didn't seem to hit with the punch that I was prepared for. We got a nice soaking rain but no heavy water damage. The garden seemed to love it. The hosepipe that I repaired on Wednesday night has held too. I've had good garden karma this week.

Saturday was a day of weeding. Lots of it. Message to self: next year, mulch well once your plants are established.

Have a look at these tomatoes. After all of my worry and fret these seem to have established themselves well. Another message to self: next year every tomato plant will be caged, no more stakes and ties. Still no sign of fruit but a few flowers which means that fruit can't be far behind.

And check out these beans. They're working their way up the teepee. They have these amazing spiral tendrils which climb up the poles. Very cool.

I'm feeling pretty good about things right now, everything is doing what it's supposed to (except the eggplant, they seem a bit stunted). The lettuce is growing faster than we can eat it. I think my first bed is going to bolt soon. One more message to self: next year, divide each bed into three and stagger the planting even more.

This week will bring that same mix of sun and rain that we've had for the last month. It doesn't seem like a typical summer but the garden is sure loving it.

Yikes! Not a great weekend for gardening

2006-06-23T12:28:00.001-04:00

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...

* A COLD FRONT WILL DROP SOUTHEAST THIS MORNING FROM THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY AND BECOME STATIONARY THIS AFTERNOON OVER SOUTHEAST NEW YORK AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW ENGLAND. SEVERAL WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTHEAST ALONG THE STATIONARY FRONT TONIGHT AND SATURDAY BRINGING HEAVY RAIN TO THE REGION. RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE WATCH AREA FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON ARE EXPECTED TO BE 2 TO 5 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS UP TO 8 INCHES.

Compost

2006-06-23T06:47:00.000-04:00

When I took over the house, I was determined to recycle as much kitchen and garden waste as possible. There was already a compost pile set up but it was looking pretty dry and dead. After a few loads of grass clippings I managed to breathe some life into it last summer. I've been pretty dilligent about saving coffee grounds, lemon rinds, carrot peels, etc. from the kitchen but I doubt at nearly enough volume to make a difference. I'm still not getting that black gold from my compost pile that gardeners crave.

This year I'm making some changes:

1) Grass clippings again, these seem to have gone composty the quickest

2) All kitchen waste is getting chopped before it goes on the pile. I'm still finding whole lemon shells from last season in the pile.

3) Diligent turning of the pile at least twice a month. I got this neat tool that makes the job a whole lot easier.

If I'm feeling ambitious at the end of the season, I may set up a three bin system.

A very short trip upstate

2006-06-22T14:52:00.000-04:00

I was so freaking out about the state of the irrigation and my outside water hookup that I raced upstate last night after work. Raced because I had to get there before dark so I could survey the situation. Not easy to get out of Manhattan at 5pm on matinee day.

Good thing I went. The pipe had once again come undone and was spraying everywhere. I managed to get it reattached and it seems to have held, at least until this morning. I had a quick look at the garden and all is fine, despite the lack of irrigation for at least one day this week. In fact, things are better than fine. The tomatoes have all taken (woo hoo), I have a pea pod (just the one) and it looks like I'll be eating salad for the next few weeks (at least). Amazing what a good blast of sun will do.

Of course, this all meant that I had to leave at 5 this morning to get to work in time. A few interesting points:

1) I got over 28 miles per gallon on the trip down, that's impressive! (see picture)
2) Rabbits are everywhere at 5am
3) There is no way I can live upstate and work in the City, 5am is too early to start and 132 miles is too long to commute

Try the wine...

2006-06-22T07:43:00.000-04:00

The cellar is now installed and stocked. It's pretty neat to have the entire collection hermetically sealed and completely climate controlled.

I'm heavy on Zins right now as I spent a good few months learning the varietal and stocking up in anticipation of summer barbecues. I'll work my way through those and then move onto my next varietal which will probably be Rioja. Either that or Petite Syrah. But probably Rioja. In my quest for wine mastery I'm taking a grape by grape approach and trying to get my head around one at a time. I'm thinking that I'll alternate between US and European producers and I'm not going to jump into France until I'm a bit more confident. So Zins now, then Rioja, then Petite Syrah, then something Italian and then American Pinot Noir.

The whites get their share of attention in and among the others. I know that I prefer Sauvignon Blanc and that I can deal with Chardonnay but don't really seek it out. I'll need to make a concerted effort with Rieslings at some point but not just yet.

Thinning the Herd

2006-06-21T06:59:00.000-04:00

Well the good news is that the pumpkins are continuing to make great progress. With five plants on each hill, I never expected them all to flourish. But now that they're growing so fast and starting to crowd each other, I had to select the weakest from each hill to take one for the team. I may need to thin them again at some point if even three per hill is too much to support. Here at left is a shot before the thinning.

Mowing Sights

2006-06-20T07:02:00.000-04:00

The lawn sorely needed a good mowing last week. I had let it go too long and the grass was heavy and the tractor was complaining. I did get a few good shots of a frog in the pond, my first peony of the season and the big bush at the bottom of the yard that blooms with the most beautiful red flowers every year. I always forget about the flowers on this one and am always surprised when they come out each summer.

Like a rolling stone...

2006-06-19T07:13:00.000-04:00

The granite is in! After four plus weeks without countertops, I finally have surfaces in the kitchen again. I must say, it's come out looking pretty darn good.

I'm not sure if the granite has been sealed yet so we didn't put anything on it. I need to check with the contractor this week.

So here's a shot of the new faucet and sink. I was absolutely convinced that the handle on the faucet was mounted incorrectly, I thought it should be in the front instead of on the side. But I checked the Blanco website and sure enough it's exactly where it should be.

Week 10: 17 June -- Things are growing!

2006-06-18T11:23:00.000-04:00

It was kind of a frustrating short weekend upstate for me. We arrived up late on Friday night and I discovered that the outside water pipe that I repaired a few weeks ago had once again come undone. That means that a) an incredible amount of well water had been wasted and b) the garden was not getting irrigated for however long the hose was undone, it could have been the whole week for all I know. That meant that Job 1 on Saturday morning was once again mending the hose, not what I needed to be dealing with.

But despite all that some things are definitely growing. The heirloom tomatoes (above) are kicking butt now. Their doing even better than the standard ones which I thought would have been easier to grow.

The cut flowers have now found their feet. They took a bit of time to get settled but they are now standing proud and one is even budding. I'm looking forward to pulling out a few stems each week to brighten up the table and the house. Still no major progress on the sunflowers, but, it's not like we've had major sun yet so I'll cut them some slack.

The zukes and squash are looking good. The zukes flowered last week and now the squash have done so. I pulled of the leaves of the sick zukes from last week and they seem to be doing well. One of the plants has a weak looking stem but I'll see how it develops before I stress about it. The cukes, in the same bed, are happily doing their thing.

But I'm coming to terms with the fact that I probably won't have peas this year. The plants have hardly grown over the past two weeks and there's no sign of fruiting. I think I put them in too late and now it's simply too hot for them. There's nothing I could have done different as the garden simply wasn't ready for them any earlier. I put them in as soon as I could. But I'll know for next year that they really should go in end of March, beginning of April.

And speaking of things growing, I had to throw in this shot of Jim's nephew Jacob with his aunt Trish. He's not really walking yet but he's quite the bruiser at seven months. And, he's one of the best babies I've ever seen. We spent the day with Jim's family yesterday and he didn't fuss once. What a cutie!

Pre-Weekend Update

2006-06-16T07:51:00.000-04:00

An abbreviated weekend this week as we're heading down on Saturday for Dad's Day with Jim's family. Sometime between tonight and tomorrow afternoon I will need to mow the lawn (which I've neglected for a few weeks), weed the garden, pull out a salad for the barbecue on Saturday (if there is any to be harvested) and put the kitchen back together as the countertops were installed this week. I'll try and get some pictures for you all but if I run out of time, you'll know why.

Big Happy Fathers' Day to all the Dads out there and a big Happy Birthday to my friend Mark Perrin who turns 40 today. Mark is having a "Board Shorts and Martinis" party in LA tomorrow to celebrate the occasion so if you're out there and find yourself at a loose end, see if you can track him down. Tell him Billy sent you.

Poppies!

2006-06-15T06:48:00.000-04:00

They're up and almost finished. These guys are all over the yard. They were there when I got the house and all they need is a good deadheading when they're done to keep them coming back year after year.

Sick zukes?

2006-06-14T19:29:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure what's going on here but one of my zucchini plants has come down with some bad leaf acne. This can't be good. Any ideas on what it could be?

Next weekend I may whip up a batch of garlic and cayenne tea to spray on the leaves. This is allegedly an effective organic herbicide...or a bunch of hooey.

Mad mint

2006-06-13T07:32:00.000-04:00

Here's a lesson in why mint cannot be planted among anything else. Last year this was a single mint plant with one stem. Now it has taken over its barrel. Imagine what it would do if I let it loose in the garden!

Now if anyone has a good toothpaste recipe...

Fortunately no lions or tigers...

2006-06-12T14:56:00.000-04:00

...but I sure do have a bear! This is my winter birdfeeder. I decided to leave it up through the spring and summer this year to keep up the show outside the window. On two previous weekends I had discovered it fallen over but I assumed that our wet May had softened the ground to the point that the pole lost its grip.

Now I realize that there were definitely more brute forces at work here. My friends Mark and Jeff around the corner told me a story about how a bear stole their bird feeder off the deck one year. I was a little jealous that nothing that cool had happened to mine. That will teach me to envy my neighbor.

Check out how he (or she?) mangled the metal feeder apart to get at the goodies within. He was big enough to rip the metal pole from the base. The last picture shows the full extent of the damage. I guess I'll put up a replacement in the winter again...perhaps a bit further away from the house this time.

Week 9: 10 June -- Slow but steady progress

2006-06-11T22:59:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how much happens during the week between my weekends upstate. Both lettuce beds are doing well. The herbs found their way into two dishes this weekend (a parsley and tarragon frittata and roasted peppers with buffala mozzarella and basil). Peas have climbed about 16 inches up the trellis but I have yet to see a pod form which means I'm still weeks away from any harvest. On the way back today we drove by the garden at the restaurant Aubergine near my house, their peas are much taller and fuller than mine. I'm slightly concerned.

The first big story are my zucchinis which have now flowered. I'm pretty sure that's a good thing and not a sign that the plants have bolted (it's not nearly been warm enough for that). I know that zucchini flowers are a delicacy but I had no idea how to prepare them and if harvesting them would mean no actual zucchini (I fear that it would). So I let them be. I'm hoping that we'll see some real zukes forming soon.

The pumpkins are continuing their impressive progress. At this rate their going to start crowding each other out soon (see how the leaves are already starting to overlap each other). I think we'll cut them back to two or three plants per hill in the next week or so.

And now a setback. We had a lot of heavy rain over the past week and I've noticed some erosion across the Italian bed and the mesclun. In the picture here you can see the diagonal band of lighter soil where the erosion occurred. Some of the basil and parsley plants have their roots exposed now and I've lost a bit of the lettuce. I'm hoping for some dryer and warmer weather now but temperatures are due to remain low over the next week and there's still rain in the forecast. Yikes!

The wine cellar

2006-06-08T07:15:00.000-04:00

It was delivered last weekend. I've not even plugged it in yet as it needs a few days for the fluids to settle after delivery. I'll get it plugged in and stocked this coming weekend. Pictures to come next week.

The tomato saga continues

2006-06-07T07:54:00.000-04:00

I'm probably worrying about these guys more than I should but I just don't think the tomatoes are flourishing like they should. I'm noticing serious growth and some of the leaves are looking downright anemic.

The good news is that they are all holding themselves up (no real droopers) and that new leaves seem to be forming on some of them. But they've been in for two weeks now and I was hoping to see some more progress.

I mentioned my fears to the guy down at the Agway. I was particularly concerned after seeing reen tomatoes forming on some of their greenhouse plants. He said that we've simply not had the weather so far this year. The tomaters need a few good hot days to hit their stride and we've simply not had that yet this year.

So I'm trying to baby them a bit by removing dead leaves and stems that didn't make it. I'm not going to panic yet but if I end up without tomatoes this year, I'll be the first to say I told you so.

Feeding time

2006-06-06T06:33:00.000-04:00

Before I left last weekend I decided to give the whole garden a good feeding. Now that everything is planted and established, a boost of nutrients would help keep things on track. I've not been really diligent about checking my soil pH and things like that so I decided on a general fertilizer that supplied moderate amounts of the key nutrients of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (the three numbers that describe all plant fertilizers).

Espoma seems to be the brand that I see written about and spoken of most frequently and they have an entirely organic feed called Plant-Tone which is like a Flintstone vitamin for gardens. You will recall that I used another Espoma product Garden-Tone when I was setting up the beds. Now that I have things planted -- things that I will soon be eating -- I decided that I preferred to use something that was 100% organic.

I'll give them a good feeding each month of the growing season and then mulch in another round of the Garden-Tone in the autumn before I put the beds to bed for the winter (so to speak).

Yabba-dabba-doo!

Week 8: 3 June -- New Arrivals

2006-06-05T07:35:00.000-04:00

So a few new arrivals this week. Helped no doubt by a few sultry days and, more importantly, some real rainfall at the end of last week.

The beans which seemed to be taking their time have now made a good showing. Two sides of the trellis have come up (seen here) but no word yet from the third side. Could it be that we're not getting enough sun or water on that side? Or could they just be a week behind, we'll see what happens next week.

I don't know if you can see from the picture, but some of the seedlings still have the shell of the bean seed attached to them, pretty cool.

In another coup for the happy confluence of ideal conditions and a tendency for quick germination, the pumpkin seedlings have emerged (shown here). Regular readers will recall that these seeds went in just last week. That's pretty impressive growth for just seven days. By far the fastest seeds in the garden so far. I have at least 17 seedlings so far which means lots and lots of jack-o-lanterns if I let them all do their thing.

Let's give them another few weeks before deciding whether or not to thin the herd.

The rest of the garden was in good shape. Lots of weeding to be done, no doubt influenced by the same sun and rain which helped my crops along. I am now starting to worry that I'll have a huge bounty all at once; those who are fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to live on the path between the Country and the City shouldn't be surprised to find a bushel of veggies on their doorstep on Sunday afternoons.

The first salad

2006-06-04T09:21:00.000-04:00

I may have jumped the gun a little bit. But who could blame me when the lettuce looked this young and vibrant. Baby lettuces are super tasty and by snipping just a single leaf from the outside of each plant, I've not done anything to adversely affect the rest of the plant's development. By next week I should be able to take even more out, which is a good thing as I have six for dinner on Saturday night.

Lettuce is best harvested in the morning while the plants are cool and the leaves are crisp with moisture. Once harvested, a cold bath and a few rinses to clean the grit off ensure a tasty salad. Rinsed leaves can be stored in the fridge in a ziploc wrapped in a damp paper towel for a few days.

My playpen

2006-06-01T06:57:00.000-04:00

There's a story here. When I was born my father's family kept a country house near Pawling, New York (about an hour south of where mine is now). My dad is the oldest of four boys and the house was a part of their lives for years. In the summers they would all come up with their girlfriends and then wives. Extended family and friends would all escape from the city to the house. Summer days were spent by the pool or playing tennis on the court or skiing on the lake. Evenings were barbecues and hanging out. My grandfather ran the grounds and my grandmother ran the house (each with their own management style). The house was full every weekend.

When I was born in 1972, I was the first of the next generation, a boy and Poppy Frank's first grandson. He and I would play for hours at the country house. My parents resumed the weekend trips upstate as soon as I was portable and Poppy Frank made sure I had the biggest playpen of any boy in the world. As big as a tennis court in fact, and he made a sign so that there would be no misunderstanding about it. This sign hung on our tennis court for years, well at least until the next grandson, my brother AJ, came along.

So now this next generation is claiming their own stake. AJ owns his own business, just like Poppy Frank. And I've put my energies into a house in the country, just like Poppy Frank. My playpen now may be smaller than a tennis court but I no longer have to give it up for an hour so that Uncle Gregg can practice his serve.

Check out my deck

2006-05-31T07:11:00.000-04:00

As we seem to have moved swiftly through spring into summer, the newly expanded deck got its first real use this weekend. In anticipation of the season, my mom and I headed upstate on Thursday night. Our primary objective was to find containers for the deck and get them filled with annuals. Here is the result of our (well, mom's) handiwork. I think they look great, she has a real eye for that sort of thing. We found these extended watering devices that fit in the containers to make sure they don't die of thirst each week. Please disregard my garden-booted feet in the photo.

I wrote previously about the new teak deck furniture. Here it is in situ with that spectacular view of Catamount in the distance. Needless to say, this deck hosted two Memorial Day barbecues this weekend.

The fate of the tomatoes

2006-05-30T08:49:00.000-04:00

So by and large I dodged a bullet with the tomatoes. You will recall that I have tomatoes planted in three places in the garden. Last week I ambitiously put them in and left them to fend for themselves in the face of some pretty chilling events (well, a cold snap really). Toms usually shrivel after one bout of cold so I was worried all week about how they would fare.

The first picture is of the standard "chuck-'em-in-a-salad" variety (not their official name). They're sitting happily in their cages and are holding themselves up. They are perhaps a little skimpier than I would like them to be and some of their leaves have a few spots on them. I think they'll be fine. They may punish me with a reduced yield but I have nothing to compare to so I probably won't know the difference.

The results of the heirloom tomato patch are a bit more varied. One of then came through beautifully and is looking better than the standard toms (but not better than the plums which are doing best of all). Two are not looking as hale and may need to come out if they haven't perked up by next week. The heirlooms are not caged so I staked them all this week in the hopes that this week's warmer weather will give them the push that they need.

Oh yes, there will be zukes

2006-05-29T18:04:00.000-04:00

The zucchini are definitely on target to deliver mightily this season. They've been in the ground for only a week and are already showing signs of fruit. Lots of it.

I have four plants and each one has at least a dozen buds. That's a lot of veg. In the next few weeks I may thin out a plant or two and will also pinch off the buds that don't seem to be going anywhere. This gives the remaining ones a greater share of the plant's energy.

Please post any good zucchini recipes you have.

Week 7: 27 May -- Everything but the Garlic

2006-05-29T07:47:00.000-04:00

If I wrote for "Lost" I would make you wait a few more postings to let you know the fate of the tomatoes that I was fretting about last week, I know you have all been on the edge of your seats since then and I do appreciate the candles that a few or you have left outside my door (the tomatoes appreciate them too). I will give you full details in the next post but the tomatoes do seem to have come through last week's cold snap, not unscathed but they look like they will make it. The eggplant (and cucumbers, surprisingly) did not fare as well and were replaced this weekend.

But let's talk about the rest of the garden for a minute. Peas and lettuce continue to do well. I'm hoping for a salad in two weeks (which is ideal as I have my first bout of summer company then) and the peas are slowly finding their way up the trellis. All good stuff. The beans have yet to emerge but I'm not concerned, normal germination is two weeks and they've only been in for one.

The zucchini and yellow squash are thriving and I'm now concerned about volume. The vines have already started showing their fruit and it looks like I'll be up to my neck in zukes this year.

My second round of lettuce is already starting and the Italian garden (parsley, basil and plum tomatoes) is doing molto bene. In fact, the plum tomatoes are doing the best of all the tomatoes.

This spiny looking guy is an artichoke plant. They're very alien looking. I wasn't able to find them but Melissa tracked some down this week and picked them up for me. I was thrilled that she remembered that I was looking and that I got to see her place when I went to collect them. Her garden and grounds gives me new things to aspire to and I'm extremely envious of her stunning barn!

In addition to the chokes, the last remaining beds were filled. The first was a bed of cut flowers. The color will really help the garden and it'll be neat to cut a few for a vase on the deck or in the house.

Behind the cuts is my pumpkin patch. I'm hoping to have fruits by Halloween. I planted four hills worth (hard to tell from the picture but there are little mounds in the bed) and each hill has five seeds. I'll probably have to thin them out once they get started as I don't think I'll manage to fit 20 pumpkins in there.

All this means that everything I am going to plant this year has gone in except for the garlic which will be planted in and among the pumpkins starting in July. I'll also throw in one more round of lettuce in the pea bed once they have done their thing and fixed the nitrogen in the soil.

The driveway, the lawn and the house

2006-05-24T07:25:00.000-04:00

Are my tomatoes doomed?

2006-05-22T10:13:00.000-04:00

I fear they are. I took a risk putting them in this weekend. None of the nurseries had moved their toms outside yet, temperatures have been hovering in the 40s in the evenings, and even in the 30s for the next day or two. This does not bode well.

Toms hate the cold. One frost, or even an abrupt change in temperature (like from a greenhouse straight to my garden) is enough to kill them. So I took a chance by picking them up and putting them in the ground this weekend. I did try and get them acclimated a bit by keeping them outside for two days and then in the garage at night. It may be enough but by the time I left on Sunday, the heirlooms were looking a bit droopy. There was even talk of hail on Sunday which would be the coup de grace for these poor suckers.

It's out of my hands now. We'll see how things look next weekend (which is Memorial Day and the official start of tomato season). If they didn't make it, I'll have to get fresh plants and put them in again. It wasn't a huge outlay and I guess I'll need to get used to losing a few guys each year, but I hate the idea of being the cause of their demise. I still might get lucky, and if so I'll have tomatoes a week before anyone else!

Week 6: 20 May -- A Milestone

2006-05-21T18:56:00.000-04:00

Rain. That has been the defining characteristic of the last week. Lots of it. Fortunately I was spared the severe flooding that plagued parts of New England north of me but things were still plenty wet this weekend. Nonetheless, I got loads done. Including completing the beds and paths for the entire garden, planting most of the remaining veggies, my first serious weeding effort and sorting out irrigation to cover the entire garden (somewhat superfluous considering the weather).

The peas and lettuce are growing steadily, although slower than I would have expected. At this rate, we're still weeks away from a salad. I stopped by a few nurseries this weekend and found all of my herbs (cilantro, parsley, basil, tarragon, rosemary, lemon thyme and oregano), zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, eggplant, two types of conventional tomatoes (plum and standard ones), and three types of heirloom tomatoes. I also threw in another round of lettuce (mesclun mix this time) and my first beans (both bush and pole types).

See above for shots of the lettuce, peas and a wide shot of the garden.

Something completely different

2006-05-17T22:36:00.000-04:00

I owe you an update on what's happening at the house outside of the garden. A few major changes coming in the next few weeks including carpeting in the master bedroom, new granite countertops in the kitchen and the installation of a temperature and humidity controlled wine cellar. Preparation for all three took up a good chunk of time last weekend, that and the mowing which was amazingly overdue (amazing because I'd just mowed two weeks previous and it's a bit early still for weekly mowings).

The granite countertops turned into quite a palaver. Who knew that I had to have the old tops removed before the granite people would even come in and measure for the new ones? That leaves two plus weeks with the old tops off and the new ones yet to arrive. I've managed to convince my contractor to give me at least a sink and my center island while I wait for the granite to be cut. I'll need to take a trip up to Albany next weekend and pick out the exact slab for my tops (which is actually kind of cool).

The wine cellar is a neat exercise too. It'll have a capacity of close to 200 bottles. Right now I have 60 but my brother, AJ, has plans to invest in a few cases to put away for five or ten years. He's in the wine business so I trust his judgment. I'm thinking I may need to charge him for storage or at least take a cut of any appreciation when realized. I've found a cool application called Cellar Tracker which allows me to track my entire cellar on line and includes tasting notes, drinking windows and valuation. I'd recommend it to anyone with a collection.

Week 5: 13 May -- Major sprouts and major progress

2006-05-14T21:43:00.000-04:00

Significant progress this week:

1) We have sprouts! Peas and lettuce, both pushing their first leaves through. The lettuce seems to be coming up across the entire area that I planted. The peas are being a little shyer and only about one-half of what I planted has come through. I hope the rest are just pokey and not duds. I was so excited that I couldn't sleep on Saturday morning (it was after dark when we got to the house on Friday night), I was literally up at first light to check on things.

2) The topsoil is now entirely spread! This is a major achievement and has been the hardest part of this whole exercise to date. Jim was up this weekend and really was a great help in getting the last bits done. We also measured and staked the left side of the garden. All that is left to do is throw down some Gardentone, build the beds and straw the paths. Woohoo!

3) Melissa called on Saturday to check up on me. She's been reading my progress here so most of what I had to tell her she already knew (although I was pleased to tell her about the sprouts). From next weekend I have a green light to get most of the rest of the garden planted including beans, tomatoes, zukes and cukes, artichokes (this year's wildcard veggie), herbs and cut flowers. I may push them out to the following weekend although I'm keen to get things from the garden stores before the other Weekend Warriors have their way with what's available. I'll see how I'm feeling next week. Melissa also suggested planting rows of Morning Glories around the perimeter of the garden to make their way up the fence and add some visual excitement. Speaking of excitement, she made my weekend when she told me that I won't have to do the topsoil thing again next year.

For those keeping track, this was also the first weekend that I didn't have to spend a dime on the garden. Also, I set the sprinkler timer to 30 minutes at 8am every 48 hours. We've had a good bit of rain over the past week which I'm sure has helped my little sproutlings to no end. Of course, I forgot my camera so no pictures this week (again) so you'll have to take my word for it (would I lie to you???).

Lots of other doings this week at the house ex-garden but you'll have to wait for another post to hear about it.

Am I merely trendy?

2006-05-09T08:38:00.000-04:00

This garden journey of mine is a release. An opportunity to try something I've never done before. I work in a bank so I don't get to use my hands for much; there's no output for what I do. My garden satisfies my primal urge to move earth and create.

And I'm apparently not alone. Two items from the New York Times over the past week point to something very current about men and their gardens:

1) A story on Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez and his garden at his home in Greenwich, CT that is his sanctuary.

2) From this past Sunday's Book Review, a look at two laddish books about gardening from a very male perspective. The Alexander book looks like a good (and relevant) read.

Week 4: 6 May -- The other half

2006-05-08T11:37:00.000-04:00

I couldn't wait to get upstate on Saturday morning and see what had come up from what I had planted last week. Sadly, nothing had. At least not of what I had planted. What I did find was that a number of raspberry plants seem to have jumped the wall from their patch outside the garden and poked through. These suckers sure do get themselves in good before they dare show their faces. I dug them out by hand and they had real six-inch taproots in place with only about two or three inches of stem. Maybe I'll get to see some peashoots next week.

What I did get accomplished was sorting out the irrigation. I had the huge advantage of my dad up this weekend who had managed to fix all of my water issues before I even arrived (in addition to carting 10 tractor-loads of pine boughs from a tree we trimmed last month, thanks dad!). That meant that I was able to get a sprinkler set up on a timer to water the peas and lettuce. I set the timer for 20 minutes of water every 72 hours. That's probably too little and I'll adjust it this coming weekend.

I also carted topsoil over to the left side of the garden which, to now, has been untouched. I'm nearly done and should get all the topsoil laid next weekend. Will be very pleased when that task is complete.

Signs of Spring

2006-05-03T08:26:00.000-04:00

After a few fits and starts there is no doubt that spring is now well underway. The lawn got its first mowing this past weekend and I could see the grass immediately perking up once it lost six months of deadweight. I mowed on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon it looked like it needed another going over. I love the way it looks right after being cut with the long striations up and down the length of the lawn giving it a real manicured look.

Elsewhere on the property the daffs are just past their peak and my first tulips have made their entrance. The primrose are up and looking great and the big rock is covered with columbine and all sorts of neat little flowers.

It's a glorious time of year, the days are long and tolerable and the nights are still cool. Barbecue season is just round the corner so I got the grills out and in position. I also set up my new teak furniture for the deck. I'd say we're just about ready for the season. I can't wait.

Week 3: 29 April -- The first seeds

2006-05-01T16:23:00.000-04:00

So I'm feeling like there has been significant progress this weekend. The weather was really perfect and I was able to break up the work over a few days. I finished spreading the topsoil over half of the plot on Saturday (that means that there's still another half to do -- guess what I'm doing next weekend). Then I finished staking the plots. Then on Sunday I raked the soil off the paths and built up the beds and laid straw on the paths to keep them separate. Then the pea trellises went up and then finally I planted my first vegetables: sugar snap peas and a blend of salad lettuces.

I gave the seeds a good soaking and they'll get more on Wednesday this week as we're do for showers. The showers are fortunate as I had major problems with the water hookup down by the garden. There's a leak further up the line that I'll need to deal with next weekend as well.

I'm pretty pleased with the work so far. I spent a good bit of time standing back and surveying what I had done. Of course, it all means nothing if I can't get anything to grow. Maybe I'll see something pushing through the soil next weekend.

All Systems Go!

2006-04-27T14:52:00.000-04:00

After the fiasco of last weekend, it looks like the stars are aligned to get things in shape this coming weekend. I have a furniture delivery coming on Friday (teak table and chairs for the deck) so I have an extra day to get caught up on getting the topsoil spread. Then, I'll make a few of the beds and, finally, actually plant a seed or two. Lettuce round 1 and peas will go in this weekend. Ah, musn't forget about irrigation (I had until I wrote this sentence), that means I'll have to have the watering sorted out for next week. This I see emerging as the big vexing project of the weekend.

Speak to you next week!

Week 2: 22 April -- A Wash Out

2006-04-24T11:27:00.000-04:00

As predicted, Mother Nature wasn't on my side this weekend. I made it up to the house in good time on Friday with my folks' dog Bogey in tow. The weather then was warm and dry and I set about getting as much of the soil spread as I could.

I've taken a picture of the mound of dirt which at first sight wasn't as big as I thought it would be. But boy, as soon as I got my shovel into it I realized how big a job this was actually going to be. After 90 minutes and 10 barrowloads, I managed to get the bottom right quadrant of the garden dumped and spread. I also measured and staked the beds in that quadrant so the peas and lettuce can go in next week. I do still need to build the beds and straw the paths but I should be able to do that without too much effort.

It rained buckets all day Saturday and Sunday so the rest of my dirt is covered with a blue tarp until I can get my spade into it next Saturday. By the way, dirt really is deceptively heavy. Each shovelful really had an impressive heft to it.

Topsoil + Rain = Mud

2006-04-20T09:35:00.000-04:00

Now I'm in trouble. I just checked with the dirt-dealer who confirmed that my four yards of topsoil have been duly delivered. I also checked with weather.com where I learned that there's a 70% chance of rain on Saturday (which we certainly need, but Sunday would have fit so much better in my plans). The clock is ticking on my getting this stuff spread.

As I see it I have two options:

1) Work like mad to get this all onto the patch starting on Friday afternoon/evening and try and beat the rain. I may actually take down the fence of the garden so I can use the tractor. This could end up being an exercise in futility.

2) Get another tarp and cover the pile. This is the logical choice and definitely buys me some time.

The real answer will probably be a combination of the two. I'll keep you posted.

Week 1: 15 April

2006-04-19T11:55:00.000-04:00

Over Presidents' weekend in February, Jim and I spend a few extra days upstate. When we left mid-week there was a strange car in my driveway. I'm a bit off the beaten path so it's rather unusual to see a car in my drive. I went to investigate and found Melissa at the veggie patch with a tape measure in hand creating a map of the garden.

This past weekend Melissa and I met and she showed me the fruits of that labor. She drew up a to-scale plan of the garden laid out with 12 beds of 30 to 60 square feet each with two foot walkways between each bed. My two initial thoughts were 1) "wow, she really knows what she's doing" and 2) "what is she crazy? How am I going to go all of this?" But we sat down and she demystified everything for me. The actual plan in attached to the fridge upstate but I'll bring it down with me next week and add the exact dimensions to this blog for those keeping track (by design I don't have internet access upstate).

The modular approach to the beds means that different crops go in at different times and we can adjust what we're growing during the course of the season or call time at the halfway point if I'm getting too overwhelmed.

On Saturday we also mapped out the first three weeks of activity. Week one was 15 April and was a pretty light one. All I had to do was till over the soil once again and collect the supplies I would need. The previous owners left me with some garden tools but I didn't have some basic things, like a hoe. So week one also marked the first expenditure on the garden.

I was prepared for this part. My friend Brian who has a place a few miles away in Sheffield, Massachusetts joked that he once spent an entire summer producing 4 cucumbers for $3,000. I'm hoping my yield is better than that.

So first to Ward's (in Great Barrington, Massachusetts) where I got a hoe (and a new spade to match even though the one I have is fine and well-worn) as well as lettuce seeds (lettuce, round one of three, goes in next weekend at the same time as the peas), and a few other bits ($98.34). Then to Taconic Lawn and Garden (in Hillsdale) for some fertilizer and a new wheelbarrow ($233.26, high but includes some non-garden expenses).

I also this week placed an order for four yards of topsoil and compost mixed together (did you know that a cubic yard of soil weights 2,700 pounds!) and laid out a tarp near the garden so that the dirt-dealer would know where to leave it ($168).

I have a compost heap but I haven't gotten it to get all loamy and composty yet. I've been good about adding material to it but lax in turning it over. Another project to add to the list. There's something very natural about adding back to the garden the scraps of what comes out of it.

This coming weekend is big doings. Those four yards of soil (i.e., 5 tons!) need to make their way into the garden enclosure evenly spread in a three-inch thickness. It should take 18 trips using my new 6 foot wheelbarrow.

When that's done I will put down a light layer of Espoma Garden-Tone fertilizer and will stake and string the beds and lay straw on the walkways. I should be thoroughly exhausted when it's all done. I may stretch this into two weeks and put the peas and lettuce in a week later, we'll see how it goes.

In the beginning...

2006-04-19T10:26:00.000-04:00

Well, in the beginning there was not a whole lot. This blog will recount my experience in raising a vegetable garden for the first time. Before this year, I've never planted a seed and had an actual plant emerge. Don't be surprised if our conversation grows beyond the garden and includes seemingly unrelated issues.

Actually, to be honest, I still haven't sown a seed, but the lettuce and peas are due to go in the weekend of the 29th of April. Which is less than two weeks away, and boy is there a lot that has to happen in the ensuing ten days.

But before we start all this tilling and sowing, let me give you some background. In late 2004 I bought a country house in Hillsdale, NY, about 2 and a half hours from Manhattan where I live and work during the week. It's not a huge house but it's on a nice chunk of land and the only serious work it needed was two new bathrooms. The rest of my enhancements have been cosmetic and now, in 2006, I'm finally at the point where I can dial down the spending on house stuff. My boyfriend Jim and I are up there just about every weekend, sometimes alone and sometimes with friends or family. We also know a few other weekenders who we hang out with up there.

The previous owners were avid gardeners and created a number of really stunning perennial gardens among the six acres that include a fish pond (which needs to be re-lined this summer, another huge task which will probably end up described here), two boulders that have been covered with rock plants, a primrose path, and a vegetable patch. I have since learned that they used a concept called Xeriscaping which essentially means that I don't have to water anything (how lucky is that?).

As part of the experience of owning the house, I wanted to maintain things as much as possible by myself. A bigger challenge than one would think. My parents never had much success with their lawn and despite her best efforts, my Mom never got much of anything to grow in the hanging pots in our sunroom. I was starting with a huge disadvantage. How on earth was I going to manage the renovation of two bathrooms, furnish the rest of the house, maintain 4 acres of lawn and garden (thankfully, two of the six acres are wooded), work full time shuttling between New York and Frankfurt and sow and harvest a vegetable garden?!

The answer was provided by a higher power, Melissa, my garden consultant (or the Plant Whisperer as my Dad and brother call her). I got in touch with Melissa a year ago while coming to terms with the fact that I didn't know the difference between a weed and a daffodil and that I was going to need serious advice and support if I was going to do this all myself. She thankfully suggested that we take the vegetable garden off the table and deal with it in 2006. I spent last summer getting familiar with the rest of the land and keeping the existing landscaping in shape. We covered the vegetable patch with black plastic for the summer to kill all of the alien growth which had taken root. Then, at the end of the summer, I tilled everything in using my Mantis tiller and put down a cover crop of clover. I don't remember why we did a cover crop but I think it had something to do with conditioning the soil.

And now it's April 2006 which means it is time to get started.