Earth Gardens: Edible-Medicinal-Wild Habitats (Permaculture Network)

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Comment by David Pike on September 28, 2009 at 9:36pm

Wow the squash is good (coated with butter and brown sugar of course!)

Comment by David Pike on September 28, 2009 at 8:13pm

I've picked the dry ones off of the vines, and left the green ones on the vines so they can continue to mature. the danger is that they might mold if it stays too wet and cold for too long, but I think they should be ok.

Rain! and its cold. this seems oddly familiar, oh yeah this is Bellingham...

Comment by Cindi Landreth on September 28, 2009 at 7:21pm

I think you are supposed to hang them to dry fully, David. Any other input?
Is the storm coming tonight or tomorrow?

Comment by David Pike on September 28, 2009 at 6:27pm

storm's a brewin'. Goodbye summer, sniffle, cry. Just harvested all the squash last night, 2 wheelbarrows full, I've got a few 20+ lb. sugar hubbards that I need some help eating. Harvested some of the dry beans, but some are still green. I suppose I just have to wait and hope they don't mold?

Comment by Kate Clark on September 25, 2009 at 6:21pm

David Culver- good to meet you last night. I didn't realize you were in the middle of this big project (the house!). You'll have to do a Show and Shine about it sometime- ;-)

Comment by David Culver on September 25, 2009 at 10:03am

Hello,
I am a gardener who has no garden this year. I have prepared a bed for next year though. I will cover it with lots of leaves soon and then with black plastic to mulch through the winter.
I am building a new alternative energy home outside of Ferndale and it is taking all of my time at present. I am looking forward to gardening next year and hope to meet some of you soon.
Sincerely,
David

Comment by David Pike on September 7, 2009 at 6:02pm

Kate,

there is a chapter in Steve Solomons latest edition of "growing vegetables West of the Cascades" on water and dry gardening. Specifically he says that a mulched garden tends to dry out faster than unmulched because the mulch actually wicks water to the surface to evaporate, while bare soil forms a crust and seals the moisture below! Not what you typically hear from the common gardening mantra to mulch to conserve water. Also, the best component in soil to conserve water is Clay, which we spend enormous effort here to try to eradicate from the soil, when it is key to dry gardening since it is formed of tiny platelets which trap water. And one other tip he mentions is that the more space you give a plant, the bigger its root system can be and has more access to the available water in the soil so it will do much better than plants that are too tightly spaced and competing heavily for water. It is important to water deeply during the driest parts of summer, its really common for people to spray the surface and think its watered because it looks wet, but 1/2 inch down it is still bone dry. Hope this helps with next years harvests, good to hear from you and hope we can talk (write) more.

Comment by Kate Clark on September 5, 2009 at 10:46am

My garden didn't do well this year...too dry I think. I did raised beds and they really dry out a lot faster. Any ideas on how to keep the soil more moist (its a combo of aged compost and 3-way)? I have heard that mulches tend to just provide a hiding place for potato bugs and earwigs...who then like to eat your plants!

Comment by David Pike on August 29, 2009 at 11:22pm

Hey Growers,

Finally finished shelling peas thanks to many helping hands - Thanks to the helping hands!

I'm looking into - When to harvest the winter squash? They look good, fat, the orange ones are bright orange (Lakota), and the green ones are enormous 20+ pounds (sugar hubbard) but I feel like they should be left on the vine as long as possible to completely mature and grow as big as they can be. The plan is to pull them before the first big rains of Fall, but the timing is critical! I suppose I could wait for the rain, and then pull them and dry them off and cure them...because they will rot on the ground where the contact the wet soil...any other suggestions/info?

D

Comment by Heather K on August 23, 2009 at 5:57pm

Summer planting for fall & winter harvest- Swiss Chard, Kale, winter hardy spinach, lettuce, mustard, daikon radish, & more! Once the soil cools down some the seeds will sprout sooner. Remember to keep beds watered during dry times of late summer. I hope to reapply some poly-weave cloth to help with moisture, since its so dry now. (Remay is an oil product & non-biodegradable so its not a long term solution, but I have some old stuff, and it does help extend the growing season on both ends when you don't have multiple glass coldframes...
David P - I like your idea for gathering in fall with chili & cornbread & shelling beans...and lets invite some musicians too! If you create something I'll try to come! Chris W. & Jeff W. in town often offer their homes to host events..or invite folks to come out to your place...All we need is an awning for shelter & a fire pit and warm food & seeds. I'll try to pass you invite to Chris W next event, or look for under 'Franklin Gardners'
We could just start a discussion on "Summer Seeds Planted for Fall-Winter Harvests"that can be accessed easily in following years.

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