Allrighty, if it’ll ever stop raining, we’ll roto-till the garden. We did expand the garden last year and kinda botched it. Well, we didn’t botch the expansion, that was pretty straightforward. We screwed around with it and planted the lettuce too late – it got too hot and the lettuce went to hell. We also used some fancy planting soil that was actually contaminated with weed seed and spent the
balance of the summer fighting that crap. So, this year, we’re sticking with simple old manure of one sort or another. We need to get on the stick and get the greens planted.
The stalwarts in the garden will be (as always) the roma tomatoes. However, we will skip the heirlooms. Those things are a pain in the neck so we’ll stick with a big or better boy hybrid for sandwich tomatoes. Better yields and less tempermental. My buddy Rich won’t be happy to hear that but that’s life…:) Rich is a good gardener and I’m not. He is, however, free to come on over and tend some delicious heirlooms in my garden too…:)
Basil and peppers grow great in Manassas and we will need those so we can make fresh sauce. Can’t beat fresh sauce with a great bottle of red. Probably will stick in an okra plant or two as those grow without TLC. They grow well in the “corner”. The “corner” deserves some explanation: our garden is behind our office and is absolutely mobbed with rabbits. If we dont’ put up a fence, we’ll be left with not much garden. The corner is just that” the fence corner.
We usually plant some bush beans or peas but those only ever really seem to yield once so we’re looking to replace them. Last year we dedicated some space to sweet potatoes but they sucked. I’m thinking of sticking with good old cucumbers this time around. Squash are great but they take up too much space and I think we can train the cucumbers up the fence and bring ’em up between the greens as those go out early….we’ll see!! We’ll also fill in around the edges with herbs of some sort. Rosemary is always a cheap date.
On thing that will not be making a return appearance is those stupid Topsy-Turvies. You know what happens when you try to grow tomato plants upside down? They try to grow right-side up. This works well until the plant gets heavy and the stem can’t bear the weight. At that point, the stem folds and the plant hangs down. While this doesn’t kill the plant it does seem to crush the vascular system of the plant and the yield is zero.
April 14, 2011 at 8:35 pm
Jealous. Everyone around me is growing things and I’m nursing poison ivy from only 1 day of weeding and putting down mulch from Osbourn HS athletic boosters. Your garden plans sound wonderful.
Just got back from Weems ES where VCE Horticulture Agent Paige Thacker and Master Gardeners Paul Gibson and Nancy Berlin were leading the dozen Point of Woods “pioneers” through the basics of gardening. I say pioneers because, according to Gibson, POW will be is the first public community garden in the city or the county for that matter. They’re thrilled to see this unfold. The soil’s already been tested, and Mark Olsen of Olde Towne Landscaping is going to turn up the soil in the field, add manure and till it before 1 By Youth day on May 14. Only 1 more month to go, and half the plots are rented out.
At least I’m glad to hear the crape myrtles we had planted in our yard last year are okay – I thought they were dead due to the ice storm because everything around them is blooming but they’re still brown. The VCE volunteers said they’re fine — they don’t flower until July. Just put some of that good OHS mulch around them. No volcanos.
Good luck in the Harrover/Matrix rabbit-free upright-tomato garden.
April 14, 2011 at 8:43 pm
Thanks and thank you for mentioning the garden blog posts during some reasonably dark times….:) God bless u Cindy, it meant more than you can imagine at the time.
April 14, 2011 at 9:01 pm
I’m jealous too. I wish we had the space for a garden. There is nothing like being able to grow your own food. Lots of good lessons are learned from having a garden.
April 15, 2011 at 6:05 am
As to no heirloom tomatoes, hurrumph (that’s an oppositional grunt)!
As to rabbits in your tomato garden, see Emeril’s rabbit ragu with pappardelle–
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/rabbit-ragu-with-pappardelle-pasta-recipe/index.html
COM- You can have a few of our heiloom tomatoes (cherokee purple, black krim, etc.). You will miss out on the growing part but not the eating part. Always happy to share. You too, Cindy.
April 15, 2011 at 6:27 am
Cindy, where is that community garden?
April 15, 2011 at 6:31 am
potatoes of any kind tough to grow around here in this clay soil. Sort of like trying to grow carrots…any tubular for that matter. Takes lots of ground up leaves and a ton of gypsum before it would be workable.
April 15, 2011 at 8:32 am
Andy, I’m e-mailing you a link to a sneak preview of the video we just finished to promote the project — hope to launch it next week. It will be in a 3-acre field off Stonewall Road near Stonewall Park, and will include a gazebo (repurposed from Public Works) and a memorial to Sgt. John D. Connor III (donated by Kline Memorials). Like bicycling, gardening is one of those common ground interests that build community and encourage civic involvement. Start one community garden and others start popping up.
April 15, 2011 at 6:33 pm
The master gardener is your neighbor…he learned from the best, my daddy…4 lb ‘maters just don’t grow in every corner of the world!!!! THE BEST!!!!!!!!!! Prize winners they are!!!!!!!!!!!
April 15, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Cindy…how to keep poison ivy away…DAWN DETERGENT…shower with it after pulling weeds…it cuts the oil from the plant.
April 16, 2011 at 2:10 pm
I put DAWN on my shopping list, thanks, Nettie. I keep looking for “leaves of three, let them be” and forget about the flippin’ roots!
Link to the Patch story about POW – news late Friday that our project won a $1K grant, too. Should have that release and the video out this coming week.
http://manassas.patch.com/announcements/master-gardeners-help-point-of-woods-community-garden-take-root
April 17, 2011 at 12:05 pm
“Biggest sweet potato we’re ever seen was brought into
the office this week by Mrs. John Patton of Yorkshire.
We took it over to the Center Market next door and the scales
showed 6 pounds. The office thought it looked
more like a pumpkin than a sweet potato.”
(Manassas Journal-Messenger – 10-9-1952)
“Seems like every home gardener has had success this year.
W.R. Arrington brought us a 13 inch, three pound cucumber
yesterday.
(Manassas Journal-Messenger – 8-28-1958)
Andy,trust you too will make local gardening news.