Beautiful Summer Produce

Summer in the garden has been glorious this year. We've had seemingly endless dry, warm days and the plants have responded with a bounty of produce. It's been a few years since we've had a summer this nice, and we are all enjoying this gift of fair weather.

lemon cucumbers

Every year it seems that one or two crops perform particularly well. This year that distinction goes to our cucumbers. Both the lemon cucumbers and the regular cucumbers have outdone themselves!  We keep harvesting them and they keep ripening more.

cucumbers climbing a trellis

The squash, tomatoes and tomatillos are doing beautifully as well.  We have several "Super Zucchini's"--those zucchini's that hid themselves amongst their foliage and grew into giants.  Too big to be good eating now, we are letting them grow just to see how big they get. When our overnight students come in September, they will be amazed at the giant zucchinis!

Tongue of Fire beans

Our Tongue of Fire shelling beans are looking extra colorful as well.  These beans are easy to spot with their bright pinkish red markings, and they've been climbing the sunflower stocks all summer long.  When the pods start to dry, the children will have a great time opening them up to discover brightly striped beans!

A mixed planting of shiso, lemon cucumbers, lettuce and cosmos

Cosmos add beauty and also help to draw beneficial insects

Fresh tomatoes always taste amazing!

Meanwhile, we have been busy planting out fall and winter crops.  While this summer's harvest has been delicious, we know that winter is right around the corner.

January 4th, 2013

Turnips!

We are still able to harvest (outside):                           

• Leeks
• Kale, all varieties
• Swiss Chard
• Turnips
• Brussel Sprouts
• Sorrel
• Potatoes (only a few left in the ground!)
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Celery
• Sunchokes

    Frosty, Cool Chard

                                                         

                                                                   Happy New Year!!

Artichokes are tough!

It is now 2013, and things have been changing a lot in the garden. Many things are asleep to cope with the cold, low light, and overall wetter conditions of winter. There has been lots of frost this week, and that can be hard on some of our plants. However, some things are still going strong like kale, artichokes, leeks, celery, swiss chard, radishes, turnips, parsley, sorrel, and brussel sprouts.

Turnips, frosty and still going strong

Here is what is going on in the garden right now~

Frosty Lacinato Kale

 Kale is pretty strong and hardy, and can usually withstand hard frost as can some of its other Brassicae relatives such as brussel sprouts, broccoli, collards, and cabbage.

Remay!

We also have some new friends in our greenhouse......baby collard greens! These were planted from seed, and are now big enough to be in their own pots. When they are old enough, we will transplant them to the outdoor garden, and voila! Delicious greens~

December 4th, 2012

What are we still able to harvest outside in the garden this week?

Leeks, Kale, and Celery

• Leeks 
• Celery
• Kale
• Chard
• Artichokes
• Potatoes
• Brussel Sprouts
• Broccoli
• Sorrel
• Chives
• Herbs: rosemary, oregano, peppermint, lemon balm, thyme, sage, parsley
• Sunchokes
• Collards
• Turnips
• Parsnips

Fresh Sorrel in our Garden! After a fresh rain, the sorrel (Rumex acetosa) a perennial herb, looks so green, and happy. As always, it is delicious right out of the garden. Have you tried sorrel before?



 

Colder weather is on the horizon, and we are getting prepared in the garden! Some plants do poorly in cold weather (around or below freezing), but what to do if they live outside? We can put some remay on them!

Remay is a spun-bonded polyester fabric that acts as a "plant blanket" if you will. It comes in different sizes and weights, just like blankets we use. The thicker the fabric, the more protection it offers. It allows for rain and water to penetrate to the plants, although it can shade some light. Remay also protects plants from pests and wind, and is used to shelter baby plants while they first take hold. Overall, when other plants freeze in the open air, the remay-ed plants have no frost and have a better chance of making it through the cold temperatures.

This is what the garden looks like this week.....some beautiful crops like leeks, celery, and kale doing great in the colder weather. We put remay on the chard, and over some of our herbs. Hopefully, they will stay nice and warm!

Cozy Chard

Up here in the Pacific Northwest, and in the IslandWood garden, we love our seasons! The changes they bring alter the types of food crops we harvest, our water supply, the appearance of the garden, plant productivity, and they also influence the dormancy of our garden plants and flowers. Even the bees take a break from the cold, wet environment and hunker down in their hives!

People also change their appearance during the different seasons. Think of what you would wear if it were snowing, raining, or was a bright sunshiny day? So what does the garden look like now? What food is available to eat in different seasons? Check back here to see the changing faces of our garden!

The garden on Nov 21, 2012!

November 21, 2012

As of today, we are still harvesting tomatoes in the greenhouse! However, we are at the end of our tomato season, and don't expect to harvest too much longer. Lots of chocolate cherries, sun golds, and Oregon stars. Here is a photo of our small, but beautiful harvest:

Tomatoes!

Are you growing anything in your home, school, or community? If so, drop us a line and let us know what's growing for you!

November 19, 2012

Well, today has been one of the wettest days to date this fall! The coming of winter is ever present, and the plants are feeling it too. Some crops are suited well for this time of year, and are still growing in the garden. These crops include:

Brussel Sprouts!!

• chard  
• kale
• sunchokes
• broccoli
• many herbs such as peppermint, lemon balm, rosemary, parsley and oregano
• sorrel
• turnips
• parsnips
• collards
• leeks
• comfrey
• carrots
• lettuce
• celery
• brussel sprouts (like it cool!)
• radishes

Baby Carrots!

Luckily, we have a fantastic greenhouse to keep some plants cozy and warm during the fall and winter. This allows us to keep growing certain crops that wouldn't make it outside in the cold, harsher environment. We also can utilize this warm environment to plant new seeds, and grow plant starts to create our plant nursery. Some things we are growing in the greenhouse now are:

• baby carrots
• tomatoes
• peppers
• stevia
• butterhead lettuce
• snow pea starts
• austrian pea cover crop
• pac choi greens