Tag: Gardening

Book Review: Home Gardener’s Specialist Guides
Gardening · Reviews

Book Review: Home Gardener’s Specialist Guides

Sarah

Two newly released titles this spring, out for gardening time. Each book is full-color, easy to flip through, and packed with a lot of information.

Home Gardener’s Annuals: The Complete Guide to Growing 37 Flowers in Your Backyard

Flowers. Until we became bee keepers I looked down on annuals. After all, wasn’t a berry producer more favorable? Well, I learned that lesson that the more annuals I planted, the happier my pollinators were, and oh the gardens were so much prettier. Now, I plant many types, sprinkled throughout the gardens and yard.

Home Gardener’s Perennials & Bulbs: The Complete Guide to Growing 58 Flowers in Your Backyard

Bulbs I was weird about as well until the past few years, which oddly enough garlic was cool to grow, but not flowers. A friend gave me a birthday gift a few years back of bulbs. She has moved across the country now, but every year the bulbs flower – and Regina’s gift keeps giving. If you haven’t tried out growing bulbs, be sure to take a look.

February Garden Tasks and Seed Planting (For Zones 7-8 PNW)
Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

February Garden Tasks and Seed Planting (For Zones 7-8 PNW)

Sarah

The month of February is fast approaching, and the garden tasks are waiting to be done, before Spring shows up. I always love November/December/early January because those are my “sleepy” months, when I get to stay inside, and do other things like crafting and reading. But come end of January, I know I have to gear up. This past weekend I spent it in our greenhouse, cleaning and tidying it up. Apparently, certain small boys and their friends feel that the greenhouse is where you go into on cold days to play – and to leave a million sticks in. I cleaned it all out and we had a fire in the pit last week!

The zone we use for our homestead is 7, rather than what the zone chart claims is 8b. In a previous post I talked about my decision to follow a colder zone here in Maple Valley, Wa. I find that we have cold/wet longer into early spring than other zone 8’s have. The foothills of the Cascade Mountains and Mount Rainier help play into the weather as well. And it gives me more time, in case a heavy rain or late freeze comes. A good example is yesterday, when we had over an inch of rain in a day! Early seeds would have been destroyed and flooded out, if not covered.

Garden Tasks:

  • Figure out what you want to grow, and purchase seeds.
  • Plan your garden layout for the year.
  • Clean up your garden work storage space – whether it is a shed, garage or a greenhouse.
  • Sharpen and clean tools.
  • Clean up tree debris, such as fallen branches and pinecones.
  • Assess fruit and nut trees for minor pruning.
  • If the ground isn’t frozen, plant bare root trees and shrubs.
  • Plant asparagus bare roots.
  • If using raised beds for crops, start making them, of if existing, turn the soil over and remove weeds.
  • If planning on in ground gardening, consider getting it ready – cover with cardboard to smother weeds, or get garden tarps down. Working in amendments can be tricky this early due to heavy rains in the PNW.
  • If you have ignored your compost bin, work on it. At minimum, start turning it.

Seeds To Plant:

To see more on when to seed, and transplant, see here.

Below are seeds you can start in February, which are either colder-weather crops, or need a longer start time. The dates are not set in stone, it is a guide of what week may be most preferable to get them started. Needless to say, the start of February is a good time to have seeds on hand, potting soil and small pots – and a sunny window, greenhouse or grow light system on hand. And if you start them later? It’s OK for many crops. And for temperamental ones like broccoli, you always can grow those as a fall crop, where they often fare better than in spring, if you miss the window, or late winter is too warm.

Artichokes:

Indoors February 18th

Beets:

Indoors February 18th

Broccoli: 

Indoors February 18th

Brussel Sprouts:

Indoors February 18th

Cabbage:

Indoors February 7th

Cauliflower:

Indoors February 8th

Celery:

Indoors end of January/early February

Chard:

Indoors February 18th

Collards:

Indoors February 11th

Herbs:

Indoors mid February to early March.

Kale:

Indoors February 7th

Kohlrabi:

Indoors February 7th

Leeks:

Indoors end of January/early February

Lettuce:

Indoors February 1st

Onions, from seed:

Indoor January 7th to early February

Peas:

Direct seed February 18th to March 8th.

Peppers:

Indoor February 18th to March 22nd

Spinach:

Indoor February 1st

Tomatoes:

February 25th

Growing A Garden In Zone 7 (and 8)
Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

Growing A Garden In Zone 7 (and 8)

Sarah2 Comments

Our homestead is in Zone 7 (to 8), in the Pacific Northwest. Many of our readers are as well, so we have complied a collection of planning for when to get seeds & plants in the ground. Your dates may vary a bit if you are in a micro-climate (such as above 500 feet elevation, in a small valley surrounded by hills). If surrounded by more pavement, earlier dates may work. If you live a bit farther out in the country, a week later can be a good idea. Some years you may lose the first seeding in the ground: to the rain, a freeze, hungry birds and slugs. I always plant a second set a week after, just in case, for beans and peas.

And that honestly is the hardest part of gardening I have found: Knowing when to plant. Some seed companies give great resources on the back of the packages, others…not so much.

Zone 7 is an overall temperate zone. While we have freezes in winter, they don’t usually last long, and the winters are wet and mild(ish). Summers are usually dry and can be warm, but usually are not bad. Which leads to a stickler: Where we live it is considered zone 8, but really is zone 7 due to micro-climate and the rainfall in winter/early spring. Living near the foothills makes it colder as well. So while the maps say we are 8, I hedge for 7 for safety. (Wonder where you are? Check out the zone map)

Zone 7 Gardening

When to plant seeds, and when to transplant in the outdoors, and when to put fall crops in. 

  • Last Frost: April 15th
  • First Frost: October 15th

This of course can vary year by year. We can get a hail storm on May 1st, or a quick frost in September. Gardening is half science, half hopes and wishes.

The Produce to plant in Zone 7

Artichokes:

Indoors February 18th

Transplant April 15th

 

Beans:

Direct seed April 15th

Sow ever 2 weeks direct seed, bush beans can be seeded up to early August for fall crops.

 

Beets:

Indoors February 18th

Transplant April 1st

Direct seed outdoors March 22nd

Sow every 2 weeks direct seed, till summer heat comes. Resume seeding last week of July to first week of August for fall crops.

 

Broccoli: 

Indoors February 18th

Transplant April 1st

Indoors June 21st

Transplant July 26th

This crop grows best as a fall crop. It can bolt to seed in early warm springs. Protect late summer plants from summer heat with shade cloth.

 

Brussel Sprouts:

Indoors February 18th

Transplant April 1st

This crop grows best as a fall crop. It can bolt to seed in early warm springs. Seed in middle of April, plant in June for fall.

 

Cabbage:

Indoors February 7th

Transplant March 18th

Indoors June 7th

Transplant July 12th

Can be grown as fall crop, protect plants from summer heat with shade cloth.

 

Carrots:

Direct seed March 25th to first week April.

Sow every 2 weeks direct seed. Seed August 1st for fall crops.

 

Cauliflower:

Indoors February 8th

Transplant March 15th

Indoors June 14th

Transplant July 19th

Can be grown as fall crop, protect plants from summer heat with shade cloth.

 

Celery:

Indoors end of January/early February

Transplant April 22nd

 

Chard:

Indoors February 18th

Transplant April 1st

Direct seed Aril 5th

Sow every 2 weeks direct seed. In most summers grow it continuously, when it’s too hot for lettuce.

 

Collards:

Indoors February 11th

Transplant March 18th

 

Corn:

Direct seed April 22nd to 26th

Pick varieties with a shorter growing season. Hybrids grow best in the PNW.

 

Cucumbers:

Direct Seed April 15th

Sow every 2 weeks direct seed.

 

Eggplant: 

Indoors March 1st

Direct seed/Transplant May 1st

 

Garlic & Shallots:

Direct plant October to November, before hard freezing.

 

Gourds:

Direct Seed May 1st

 

Herbs:

Indoors mid February to early March.

Transplant late April to mid May.

Plants should be hardened off before setting out in the outdoors, especially Basil.

 

Kale:

Indoors February 7th

Direct Seed March 15th

Sow every 2 weeks direct seed. Plant by August 1st for fall crops.

 

Kohlrabi:

Indoors February 7th

Direct Seed March 15th

Sow every 2 weeks direct seed. Plant by August 1st for fall crops.

 

Leeks:

Indoors end of January/early February

Transplant April 1st

 

Lettuce:

Indoors February 1st

Direct seed March 30th

Sow indoors 2 weeks, till summer heat comes. Resume seeding end of July to plant fall crops through mid August.

 

Melons:

Indoors April 1st to 12th

Transplant May 1st to 5th

Melons have a long season, pick varieties that are good in the PNW/shorter seasons and grow smaller.

 

 

Onions, from seed:

Indoor January 7th to early February

Transplant middle to end of March

Green onions can be seeded every few weeks for a continuous crop.

 

Onion Sets:

Transplant March 1st

 

Peas:

Direct seed February 18th to March 8th.

Direct seed August 1st for fall crops.

Sow every 2 weeks direct seed, till summer heat comes. Bush takes less time than tall climbing varieties.

 

Peppers:

Indoor February 18th to March 22nd

Transplant May 1st to May 10th

Do not direct seed, both hot and bell peppers have a long growing season. For longer growing varieties, start earlier.

 

Potatoes:

Transplant March 22nd

Transplant July 5th for fall crops

Seed potatoes need about a week of time before planting to be prepped.

 

Pumpkins (and winter squash):

Indoors April 26th

Transplant May 17th

Direct seed May 1st

 

Radishes:

Direct seed March 15th

Direct seed August 1st and 15th

Sow every 2 weeks direct seed, till summer heat comes. Resume in August for fall crops.

 

Spinach:

Indoor February 1st

Transplant March 8th

Direct seed March 7th

Direct seed August 1st

Sow every 2 weeks direct seed, till summer heat comes. Resume seeding in August for fall crops.

 

Squash (Zucchini):

Indoor April 1st to 12th

Direct seed or transplant May 1st to 5th

For a more continuous crop, transplant one crop, then direct seed a later crop. Can be seeded through late July.

 

Tomatoes:

February 25th

Transplant May 1st

Read how long your variety takes, it can vary from 60 to 80+ days to harvest. Some will need to be started a bit earlier if an 80 day type.

Plants need to be hardened off to the outdoors (out during the day, in at night) for a few days before transplanting.

 

Turnips:

Direct seed March 15th

Sow every 2 weeks direct seed, through mid-August.

 

Watermelons:

Indoors April 1st

Transplant May 1st

Watermelons have a long season, pick varieties that are good in the PNW/shorter seasons and grow smaller.

For a full-size printable: Seeds

The Lies, Half-Truths and Money Pits About Homesteading: Heating A Greenhouse
Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

The Lies, Half-Truths and Money Pits About Homesteading: Heating A Greenhouse

Sarah2 Comments

A greenhouse can change a homestead or small farm. No doubt about it, it can stretch your growing season by months, on both ends, and if heated, and with grow lights, you can produce food year round. But there is one downside:

The high cost of heating it in colder months, especially if you live farther North.

Our back story to how I spent way too much last winter was a long lesson to get into my head. Our first years on Never Free, I had cheap “disposable” pop up greenhouses (think $100 or less, a metal and plastic frame with plastic cover). While they worked well enough to keep plants wintered over and mostly alive, they are not truly a greenhouse. I only got about a solid year out of them. Even my favorite, below, the cover rotted as the second winter hammered it. (Having said all this, if it is all you can budget, it works well for what it is. You can’t do everything, but you can at least get plants started in early spring…)

In 2016 we bought a Sunglo greenhouse and built it. It was a large undertaking, but well worth it.

In the winter of 2016-17 I went crazy in it. I was growing kale and lettuce in late fall and early winter. We had strawberries all winter. My many citrus plants. The greenhouse hummed along. As winter turned into spring, I started the tomatoes, herbs, and strawberry seeds. Finally, by May my greenhouse was empty and it was all in the ground growing, or sold as extras.

In the winter Kirk realized we were using too much energy. We turned down the heat to save money. We only had it kick on then at around 45*. Well, even that was expensive. Even at 40* it was brutal. The harsh truth is, even if you have a well insulated floor, as our does, and double layer walls, greenhouses are going to be drafty. The vents may close, but they are not insulated, this is where they leak. It is a very bad use of energy. Even with those final months cutting back on the heat, our electricity bill was outrageous. Any profits we made in growing food was burnt up by the cost of the energy.

So why didn’t we use solar energy, like we do year-round to run the fans? We are too far North in the Pacific Northwest. In late January we have barely 9 hours daylight. Our panels can run the fans in winter, but the energy hog heater it cannot power. The sun is too weak, too low, and too often it is hidden behind the clouds. If we lived farther South it might be different. The other issue is the heater that came with our greenhouse is nothing more than an old school space heater. It is an energy hog. It’s simply takes too much energy to power it, and would tax our already taxed solar system.

So for the 2017-18 winter we were much more conservative. I unplugged the heater, and instead used a roll of frost fabric to cover the citrus trees, taking a hack I used in the pop-up greenhouses. I dragged the citrus pots away from the walls (less foot space, but oh well, the plants stayed warmer), stuck in each pot a wooden stake, and draped the fabric over the plants using the stake to keep it up, holding the fabric on with binder clips. Frost fabric can provide about 5 to 10* of protection. It doesn’t often get deep freezes here, so plants will survive if protected. Our aloe vera plants we put on a shelf up higher, and did similar.

How did it fare? I was concerned when we had a week of Arctic freezing, but decided I would just trust in the fabric. I didn’t plug in the heater, no matter how much I wanted. And then a week of snow came as well. And I waited.

What I found was due to our excellent insulation, there wasn’t condensation this year in the greenhouse, with no heat on. During the day it often reached the 70’s and 80’s inside. I love working in it on a cold day, it’s very toasty inside. On hot days, the fans kick on, using solar power.

Recently I checked on the plants, to see if they needed watering, as we had many sunny days. While watering I was amazed at how healthy the aloe vera plants were. Thick, sturdy and no blackening. If anything, they are thriving under the frost fabric. (And as you can see, we are starting to ramp up for the coming spring production.)

Another thing: last spring I noticed some of our citrus plants had been too close to the grow lights. It led to the trees growing rapidly, and left them weakened overall. Most of the plants I had to cut back severely before fall came. Lesson learned. Citrus doesn’t like grow lights.

The other bonus is at night it got cold enough to finally kill all the fungus gnats that had gotten into the greenhouse. We had a batch of soil that was contaminated last winter, and I constantly battled the (mostly harmless) but freakishly annoying bugs. Like mosquitoes, they go right for your breathing and you end up having them try to fly into your mouth or nose. A good freeze is always good for greenhouses…..

So the lesson? Watch your energy consumption. You will have a hard time justifying heating your greenhouse after a few month’s of bills. Use passive methods to keep plants alive. And treat winter as a time for the greenhouse, just like the fields, as resting time, if you can. And invest into a roll of frost fabric asap.

As a side note: We are still looking for a heater that isn’t an energy hog, that can run on solar.

Planting Garlic With An Antique Dibble
Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

Planting Garlic With An Antique Dibble

Sarah

I was a bit later than some years with getting the garlic crop in last Fall, but it worked out well enough. We decided to use the raised beds, and it should hopefully work well. It was also time for new soil, which we worked in.

We have two of these beds, so with my oldest son’s help, we layed out lines: rows 1 foot apart (sideways), and each bulb in a row (up and down) 6″ apart.

I did the first bed, decided he could learn since his back is strong 😉

A few years back my Mother In Law sent us an antique dibble, of which I was clueless about. It’s an old school bulb planter, and yes, they are still made – and you should own one if you plant garlic. It seriously sped it up, and made it so you could do it standing up, not on your knees.

Also good for pounding out frustrations on the dirt…hah!

Some of the garlic and shallots:

We planted Basque, Nootka Rose, Inchelium Red, and Chesnock garlic. Grey shallots and another shallot that I harvested from this past year, and dried. Some were picked up from Uprising Seeds.

After it, we mulched the beds, and left them to sit over the late Fall and Winter.

And through winter it slowly grows: