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Garden Log
Garden Log

Last year we grew successfully: tomatoes, jalapenos, scotch bonnets, basil, lettuce greens, fairytale squash. Our usual crop of green onions, leeks, shallots.

Grew but did not harvest: kale, non-moschata squash, strawberries.
All were wiped out by various factors. Kale did the best, still saw living remnants of it in December. The aphids mostly ate it, it appears, so this year we are planting marigolds and may use a trap crop. It would be nice to use a row cover to see how effective it is.
This year we are trying to grow kohlrabi instead of kale. Starting strawberries earlier and planting with companion plants. Growing only solid-stem squash.
New vegetables this year: sunset bell peppers, kohlrabi, tomatillos.
Might plant peas and beans, only if there is room for them, likely beside squash. We would like to grow romanesco and broccoli, but may only happen if there's room.
Last year our pepper seeds and tomatoes had trouble sprouting, so we are using a new method from Eddy's Greenhouse: more seeds to a pot, dirt all around peat pots.
Looking forward to our 3 berry bushes coming back and maybe producing fruit this year.

jan

feb

mar

Seedlings:
1 - Grape Tigrella red from sp. 19 oct '18
2 - Heirloom yellow grape tomato Aug '18
3 - Small heirloom red multicolor Aug '18
4 - Small Yellow July '18
5 - Yellow Small sp. June '18
6 - Small multicolor heirloom Aug '18
7 - Indigo Rose sp.
8. Cherokee purple
9. Ukraine sword
10. Tigrella
11. Orange
12. Big White Pink Stripe
13. Green zebra A & B
14. Yellow tomato pink inside
15. (Indigo Rose) Black and red
16. (Black Oxheart)5 stripe chocolate
17. Kumato

Reminder: Start Poblano seedlings at Christmas. They're slow.
Note for next year: Start peppers at Christmas, start tomatoes in March and don't put any plants out in March.

apr


Note: Label all flowers by colour when they come up.
Fertilize berry bushes with 5-10-5, or acid fertilizer or ammonia sulfate. Mulch around plants with leaves.
Plant more alyssum by rock wall.
Amend soil and container soil with peat moss to make humus, increase drainage.
Consider growing plants in bags of topsoil over the lawn. No digging required.

New plan: Germinate pepper seed when fresh from the pepper, at any time of year for best germination rate.
Reminder: Collect tall water bottles for onions, radish, carrots etc.
Note for next year: start saving cream containers in February/March. Ran out on April 19. You will need hundreds.
Fertilizer: Miracle-Gro Shake 'n Feed Ultra Bloom, 2-kg $15.99
Our tomato fertilizer is 6-12-12. It doesn't have trace minerals, iron and magnesium. We have blue Miracle Gro. Need pink Miracle Gro.

may

Plant second crop of lettuce, and squash.
When transplanting tomatoes and peppers, put sulphur in the hole. For squash, put fish heads.
Must add support to tomatoes when transplanted.
Get garden lime & calcium for tomatoes, pepper, squash.
Plant peppers in black pots
Get Blueberries and grow them ASAP. Wild frozen if possible.

jun

Don't prune beefsteak tomatoes more than you need to. Can prune indeterminates and leave only main stem fruits. Reminder: Foliar spray tomatoes and peppers with Epsom salt every 2-3 weeks. Prevents BER and fertilizes.

jul

Use blooming fertilizer.
Start harvesting peppers.
Prune kale when it bolts. Don't put aphid-infested kale in compost.

aug

sep

Fall: Take hardwood cuttings of soft fruit bushes, raspberry, currants. Put in dirt to form new plants.
Get heirloom roma style tomatoes. Plus Yellow Grape, all grapes possible. For seed.

Dip plants in bleach solution to sanitize, and put in new clean soil. Purchase more soil for later and spring use.
Overwintering: Orange, Yellow Cayenne Peppers, Red, Yellow, Orange Lunchbox, Poblano
Like other late peppers, growing in pots and overwintering is a good idea for northern gradeners. Cut back plant in fall and keep inside during winter. Do not water too much until spring. -solanaseeds

oct

nov

dec

Get bag of clean and cheap potting mix for spring seed sowing.

Need to get:
peat moss for raspberry.
hose

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