potato crazy

demonstration gardens serve a purpose.  they allow gardeners to demonstrate how something could or should be grown.  more importantly, the garden is a teaching tool for both the visitors and believe it or not, the master gardeners who work there.  the name "master gardener" is a serious misnomer.  we are not masters, we are students of the garden and it schools us regularly!

 for this years lesson, we have decided to experiment with potatoes.  four different varieties, terra rosa, purple majesty, austrian crescent fingerling and bintje potatoes will be planted around the garden in different manners all to see what does and doesn't work.

for the first method, we built a raised lasagna bed.  we had an empty 4'x4' bed and decided to put it to use for this experiment.  to create a lasagna bed, we used the materials we had on hand in the garden.  the first layer into the bed was from our most recent delivery of wood chips, it took about 6 cubic feet to fill the bed about a third of the way.

 the next layer into the bed was about 6 cubic feet of mulched leaves.  

 this was followed by about 6 cubic feet of our compost.  at this point, the bed was full to the top of the wood.  however, anyone that has used this method knows that the materials will compact quite a bit.

 to compensate for the expected compaction, we added several layers above the top of the wood.  to get it started, we used straw.

we finished it off with another layer of leaves and a thin layer of compost and now the bed is ready to be planted with potatoes.  the potatoes planted in this bed will not be hilled.  we will simply sink them in and see how they do.  we have another bed in the garden where we are using a no-hilling method and so far, the potatoes are beginning to bloom.

to try other methods, a group of small plastic crates was added to the area.  for the potatoes grown in these crates, we will use different materials.  two crates have compost, two will have straw and the last two will have mulched leaves.  the last structures will be deeper so that we can simulate hilling-we will need to purchase the supplies for these exhibits.  

square foot garden, 5/28

this new addition to our garden is wonderful!  shirley could not have put together a better display if she had tried.  after taking a week off from the garden, i was shocked to see how much the plants in each square have grown.  if you have limited space and want to grow your own vegetables, buy or borrow a copy of mel bartholomew's book and get to work.  to see the progress of our display, check back here from time to time.

gotta love how neat and organized this is

 a reference chart for plants per square is a valuable piece of information and it will help you fill the squares properly to obtain the highest yield.

 swiss chard

 kale

 bloody dock-easily on of my favorites since it is so pretty

 runaway lettuces!

 peanuts!  see the cracks in the dirt?  more are sprouting

 arugula

 the little pepper plant that could

a perfect little red radish.

you go shirley!!!  now go enter that bed in mel's contest, don't make me do it for you...see you out in the garden.

july 10, mid-summer update

at this time of year, most gardens tend to die off.  intense heat and dry weather cause plants to shut down and die back.  we aren't seeing that yet; there has been steady rainfall and the plants are looking beautiful.  early morning arrivals make gardening a pleasure since it beats the heat!

taking it vertical;  asian long beans are climbing the strings while cucumbers are climbing tall stakes.

 a florida weave is holding up the tomatoes in this bed

 all of the rain has caused a serious plant explosion in the herb garden!

 basil anyone???

 the raised beds are doing well too.  here is the little garden that anne planted, the tomaotes are taking over!

 when you have rain, you get mushrooms!

look carefully, at about the 7 o'clock position is a red object, that is a stinkhorn growing out from the cluster of mushrooms known as little helmets or fairy bonnets (coprinus disseminatus).

 growing between the clumps of switchgrass that top the berm on the rain garden is thare these mounds of creamy white foam.  they are called crust or parchment fungi.

 witches butter on the work table, it is decomposing the wood pretty quickly.

 the passion fruit that ate the garden...i really need to get this thing in a pot with an arbor to climb on.

 this used to be a compost corral.  it is now a squash arbor.  unfortunately, it is a plant from hybrid seeds and no squash are developing-just plant and flowers.

 the good thing about flowers, you can stuff them, bread/batter them and fry them for a tasty treat!!!

 pretty painted lady getting a drink

 carpenter bee on a sunflower

 somewhere in here is the rain garden.  the plants in it have outdone themselves and have completely filled the basin.  no more erosion problems!!!

 coneflowers in full bloom

 phlox plants in bloom

 jack in the pulpit in bloom in the shade garden

and it just wouldn't be sunday morning in the garden without cake; little muffins to be exact.  mixed grain with carrots and apples.

another steamy morning in the garden, 7/3

the big day has come and gone and now it is just a question of how well we can maintain the garden in it's current state.  so far, so good; we have had a fairly steady flow of volunteers stepping up to the challenge and things look good.  hopefully, they will continue to come out and support the garden.

we tried something new this past week, an afternoon work/picnic session and despite a low turnout, we had a good time.  to make it easy, it was a pot luck and there was plenty to eat.

darry and sam manning the grill-the only photo i managed to take!  i was too busy enjoying myself and i forgot to take more photos!!!  after thhe fire was hot, darry grilled some sockeye salmon and zucchini-both were tasty.

now for the current garden update

 the grapes are looking beautiful, now if we could only keep the birds out of them, we might get to taste them when they are ripe.

 borage in bloom in the herb garden

 as always, the garden is the site for skippers

 the new block herb garden in the outdoor classroom is adjusting to the heat-wish i could...

 reddening lepiota-a parasol mushroom found in the classroom.  it is an edible but we left it to drop it's spores.

 tansy in bloom-covered in tiny little bees

 the pennyroyal was the busiest spot in the garden-it was covered in bees of all kinds, some wasps too!

 hollyhocks

 the new compost structures are in use.  on the left we are building a new pile.  in the center is the pile that is curing and when it is finished, it will be moved to the empty space on the right.

compost bins can be built of all kinds of things, here is one made from straw bales.  it is not as durable but is still functional.

the big day-6/18, field day & gardening a-z

 each year, the week before our field day event is jam packed full of tasks that needed to be completed a month ago.  this year was no exception.  the difference, we had a wonderful group of dedicated volunteers helping us out!  many thanks to all who persevered the heat and the hail to make it happen.

our last sunday workday before the big event-as always, cake.  pumpkin spice with apples

 one of the many beds to be finished, the new herb garden in the outdoor classroom

 and speaking of the herb garden, we now have a bed of basil!  it features different varieties of basil, one of my favorite things about summer.

 just look at the herb garden-the plants have exploded!

 the cinderblock garden on the pad formerly used for the satellite dish.  and speaking of the dish, stay tuned for photos and videos of the transformation from dish to flower bed.

 a close-up of the portulaca, aka moss rose, in the block garden

 there is no end to what you can do with cinderblocks in the garden and if you add a little spraypaint...

 there's no telling what you will get!!!

 beans, bush and asian long beans

 raised bed garden

 the new memorial garden

 over in the junior master gardeners beds-more cinderblocks!

 and even more cinderblocks

 the new enabling structure is home to tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and herbs

 and around the garden, you will find buckwheat sprouts-a trap crop planted to draw beneficial insects to the garden.

oh, i did mention hail didn't i?  well, here it is.  it was egg sized when it fell but by the time i took this photo-an hour later, it had melted a bit.