Your Kitchen Gardener - May Frost

May Frost ... well it stepped aside this year ... just barely!

I put this sign up just for fun.

You see, every year my plants have to be sheltered and
coddled, covered with blankets or whatever is handy
because I plant them too soon.

One year I  even set up a tent over the tomatoes and put a hot light bulb inside to try to save them. What a struggle. That time the fruit did not  appear until middle summer as the plants had to re establish themselves after being treated so unkindly.
   This year it appears we will eating fresh tomatoes in a couple of weeks.
    If you have been creating healthy starters in a sheltered environment please be careful to harden them before transplanting them outside for good. The plants need a gradual change from their limited light place to the out of doors. Put an umbrella over them or maybe even my black plastic tent that helped keep the frost off my plants a few years ago.
   This year the sun was so hot for a week that some of the leaves of the plant withered and crumbled.
   My next door neighbor has just planted their tomato babies. The weather conditions this year are very favorable. So they should have a good crop for canning this fall.

        This eBook is sure being a big help.

We will continue to post tips as the season goes on. It is such a delight to have the opportunity to work with the soil. One does not need a huge plot of land to be happy ... but those of my neighbors who have lots of room also appreciate that wonderful fact.

 Barry

If this interests you ... send me your email address and I will provide much more information by return email

info@kitchengardener.com

ask for Fre*e ebook !!!

Spring GrowGuide

Your Last Spring Frost Date: March 24
Your First Fall Frost Date: November 24
Tasks calculated for week of March 24, 2010 (week of last spring frost)

TASK	NEW THIS WEEK. . .	ONGOING. . .	LAST CHANCE. . .
SOW INDOORS		leaf lettuce
SOW OUTDOORS	bush beans lima beans pole beans sweet corn cucumbers melons pumpkins summer squash winter squash	beets carrots radishes swiss chard
HARDEN OFF		cucumbers (3/3 - 3/9) eggplant (1/20 - 1/26) leaf lettuce (3/3 - 3/9) melons (3/3 - 3/9) okra (2/24 - 3/2) peppers (1/20 - 1/26) pumpkins (3/3 - 3/9) summer squash (3/3 - 3/9) winter squash (3/3 - 3/9) early tomatoes (2/3 - 2/9) late tomatoes (2/3 - 2/9)
TRANSPLANT	cucumbers (2/24 - 3/2) eggplant (1/13 - 1/19) melons (2/24 - 3/2) okra (2/17 - 2/23) peppers (1/13 - 1/19) pumpkins (2/24 - 3/2) summer squash (2/24 - 3/2) winter squash (2/24 - 3/2) early tomatoes (1/27 - 2/2) late tomatoes (1/27 - 2/2)	leaf lettuce (2/24 - 3/2)

Spring GrowGuide

Your Last Spring Frost Date: May 24
Your First Fall Frost Date: October 24
Tasks calculated for week of May 17, 2010 (1 week before last spring frost)

TASK	NEW THIS WEEK. . .	ONGOING. . .	LAST CHANCE. . .
SOW INDOORS		leaf lettuce	cucumbers melons pumpkins summer squash winter squash
SOW OUTDOORS		beets carrots radishes swiss chard	peas
HARDEN OFF	cucumbers (4/26 - 5/2) eggplant (3/15 - 3/21) melons (4/26 - 5/2) okra (4/19 - 4/25) peppers (3/15 - 3/21) pumpkins (4/26 - 5/2) summer squash (4/26 - 5/2) winter squash (4/26 - 5/2) early tomatoes (3/29 - 4/4) late tomatoes (3/29 - 4/4)	leaf lettuce (4/26 - 5/2)
TRANSPLANT	leaf lettuce (4/19 - 4/25)		brussles sprouts (3/29 - 4/4)

Total Blog Directory

Small Kitchen Gardener | Your Kitchen Gardener

Is there such a
thing as too
small a garden,
either flower,
vegetable, for




"the kitchen gardener"?
This little spot of color is so welcome by the neighbors. I have marigolds, petunias, geraniums, lilies, hydrangea, snapdragons, ferns, blue spruce. Every year,other than the hydrangea, the planting is different. This year (now just started) there is a new climbing clematis  at the base of the spruce that will have fun draping itself over the tree's limbs.

I think of those in the cities that place raised boxes or flower pots in casual or special spots.
How wonderful!

If all who enjoy living plants would simply grow something anywhere, we would all feel happier.

One of the fellow gardeners grows sprouts in a mason jar in the window at the kitchen sink.

What are you doing for your kitchen gardener who is anxious to get out and cultivate your garden?

For ideas take a look here:    htttp://howtokitchengardener.com

Beautiful Ferns | Your Kitchen Gardener

Thought you would like to see my fern. It is almost 4 feet tall! Picture taken by my kitchen gardener

Got to thinking why it is so happy.  Well my underground water seepers have been very generous to the roots of this gorgeous specimen and also I have been using sheep manure fertilizer for the past few years. This baby is only three weeks old ... obviously very happy in my garden.

You will see other ferns starting to grow just to the left of the geraniums. We had a very dry winter with little snow and not much cold weather. The plants are all showing the result of the lack of moisture with some of them dying as a result. My prize climbing rose simply gave up and had to be pruned back to the ground. Looks like I have lost it.

The ferns will continue to sprout and grow at their own pace. The roots travel every direction from the mother plant. So the babies pop up everywhere ... and keep doing so for another month usually in my  garden.

I transplanted a couple from the wild a few years ago and at times simply have to pull them out when the appearance gets too cluttered. My home is in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia.

This Valley runs north and south from our area right down into Washington. A wonderful place to live!

No matter what happens each year, it is so wonderful to cultivate and encourage in "my garden"

See http://howtokitchengardener.com

Tomatoes and Your Kitchen Gardener

So, what do you think of my tomato plants? This picture was taken today, 19th of May 2010 by my kitchen gardener.

After so many years of dreaming of juicy, delicious tomatoes off my own plants, the last few years it has become a reality!

Now I purchase plants in pots from a nursery.

Our growing season is not long enough to wait 90 days for the fruit to ripen.  These plants have blossoms and within a month of setting them outside, beautiful servings or stealings of the fruit is right on my kitchen counter.

Of interest to others, I do not transplant them any more. The process is difficult for the plants to handle and sets the time of harvest back quite a bit.

The bottom is cut off the container and lots of bone-meal and fertilizer is added ... carefully I may add.

Purchased in the beginning or so of April, then kept inside during the nights and chilly weather, set outside in the warmer periods for the sunlight until the second week of May.

Try it if you like. Then maybe you would appreciate some very popular and helpful advice here.

My Garden and the Kitchen Gardener

Worm Castings | Your Kitchen Gardener

 Strumelia's blog

Worm composting....it's vegetable Reincarnation!

Written by Strumelia

Sun, 05/16/2010 - 8:20pm

I keep a bin of red wriggler (Eisenia fetida) composting worms in my basement.  All the very choicest discarded tidbits from the kitchen such as fruit and vegetable peelings and scraps, egg shells, tea bags, banana peels, and used coffee grounds with filters, and shredded brown paper, all go to the worms, and the rest of the kitchen and garden scraps just go into our regular outdoor compost bins. In return, every few months I get a nice big 10 or 15 pound tray full of pure black earthworm castings for my garden.  For free.
I hadn't harvested from my worm bin since the Fall, and today I refreshed their bedding and rotated out about 25 lbs. of wonderful rich castings.
I purposely harvested today because today I prepared the tomato patch.  After deep digging the whole bed, I pounded in the stakes.  Into the ground around each tomato stake, I hoed in about 12 cups of earthworm castings.  Tomorrow I am going to buy the 16 tomato plants at my favorite local growers' stand.  Tomatos are the one vegetable I buy already potted as plants....everthing else I direct seed into the ground in my veggie garden.  I just don't want to get involved with starting seed indoors under lights, and our short growing season doesn't really give enough time to start tomatos from seed outdoors. I've already put in the stakes and planted my cucumber seeds. So now the tomato bed is ready as well.
I like to think about how so much of what we used to throw into the garbage to eventually wind up in landfills now instead gets re-cycled back through our two simple home composting systems and helps us grow our vegetables. And how amazing to think that some of the scraps from those vegetables will yet again go back to the worms to travel another cycle.  It's vegetable reincarnation!

Kitchen Gardener | Rock Ground Cover

   One needs to  be very careful when using rocks for ground cover in your kitchen gardener.

   There is a need to replace water sucking lawn in unused areas. However, consider other types of ground cover such as drought tolerant shrubs, ornamental grasses,etc.

    Just like pavement and sidewalks, rocks will absorb and reflect a tremendous amount of heat, making it hotter in adjacent buildings and homes as well as stressing any plants planted in them unless they are dry heat lovers such as sagebrush and lavender. It is also hard to clean fallen plant debris out of rocks and to weed out of them when the inevitable weeds begin growing. The kitchen gardener of course will be wise to this fact.

   Even if you liv  in a semi desert, one can have beautiful lush gardens that use very little supplemental water. Please consider a more successful way to garden ... http://okanaganxeriscape.org 

   Just another word of help for those of you looking for that perfect kitchen garden courtesy of  http://howtokitchengardener.com

 

Preserving Water for Your Kitchen Gardener 2

   For the past 10 years Gwen Steele has been teaching ways to garden using less water. This method is called xeriscaping and consists of seven sensible principles to guide you to garden with the environment you live in rather than fighting the natural Nature. A natural for the efficient kitchen gardener. These are:

1. Planning
2. Design
3. Soil Preparation
4. Practical Turf Areas
5. Efficient Irrigation
6. Appropriate Plant Selection
7. Mulching

   You will have the added bonus of reducing maintenance time and costs as well as pest and disease problems.
   Irrigating lawns is where the majority of domestic outdoor water is used. Watering less often for a longer period of time promotes deep roots that are more drought resistant. On clay soil it is possible to keep a lawn green with only seven inches of water added in a whole season. This can be done in one inch applications.  Eg: One inch in May, June and September and one inch two weeks apart in both July and August. This illustrates how little water is needed on clay or water retentive soils. The good gardener understands this.
   Growing lawn on sand is a major waste of water. A minimum of six inches of good topsoil is needed before planting a lawn in this situation.
   There are several drought resistant grass seed mixes available such as Enviro-Turf and Enviro-Lawn that look like a regular lawn but are low/water low/grow  mow. Another option is to remove lawn from areas where it is not needed for activities and replace it with drought tolerant ground covers, shrubs, ornamental grasses, etc. A kitchen gardener needs to pay attention to new or established recommendations.

My Garden | Preserving Water 1

   We live in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada. Only 41/2 hours drive east of the Pacific Ocean 
A portion of our Valley is desert, with a native dry land bush being the prominent plant.
The main part of our Valley outside of the desert area is wetter. Including the snow season, we have a precipitation average of 11 inches per year. This past winter season the snow did not come while on the Atlantic Ocean coast there was an overabundance of winter snow and cold. This will really affect the Garden

   For some time the focus of  maintaining one's yard with the least amount of water possible, has been at the forefront. With water demands from a rapidly increasing population and the increasing frequency of dry hot summers, we need to err on the side of caution in our water use.
   Water meter data indicates there is a huge increase in domestic water use during the gardening season. In 2009 the average single family use was 217 litres/day/person in winter.  And in summer, 670 l/d/p. The simplest way to conserve water is to reduce landscape irrigation.
   The most sustainable and successful way to garden is to create landscapes that use very little water so that when water restrictions come, you and your landscape are prepared. That is how we become the efficient Gardener.

Kitchen Gardener | Travel to Vietnam

Just something to make you hungry!   I do think you could make buns that stay fresh and various foods from your Kitchen.  Being a Kitchen Gardener has the delight of creating awesome creations from your own Home.

Your Kitchen Gardener-Naturalized

Hello again,  here is an example of a naturalized kitchen garden that some of you may have the exact place for.    Remember to come back to these articles often 'cause as information of interest is found, I will continue to make lots available for you.
See you at  Your Kitchen Gardener!

Your Kitchen Gardener-Rain Garden

 
For the Kitchen Rain Gardener




Sorry ,  the link corrupted my computer so I did not want to pass the problems on to you.
Hope you liked what we could show. There a lots of us with land that this could apply to.

Your Kitchen Gardener-Pond Kits | Canadian Tire

Pond Kits | Canadian Tire

While you are dreaming about that special spot in your garden, you may want to look at what is available for a feature water fall, fountain or gold fish pond.

Over the years it has been such a joy for myself and friends as we watch the birds flock to our bird splash pond. Keep up and realize your dream . Don't put it on the back shelf for too long.

Not this year? Why not? Do in right away so your enjoyment time starts now, not later!

Thinking of you .... Barry for "Your Garden"

Grub Busters for Your Gardener

Exciting FR*EE Gardener Resource! Look at PERFECT GARDENER TIPS.  Fill in the necessary information and immediately receive awesome GARDENER guides. No Kidding! These are high quality tips for the gardener and kitchen food preparation.  Delicious Video Examples!
 Nematodes

     "Nematodes have been around commercially for a long time, however, they have always been scarce in the retail scene."

   
    To learn more about nematodes and Grub Busters for Your Garden, be sure to read the rest of this article

Asparagus and Your Kitchen Gardener

"Here  is an article regarding ASPARAGUS, sent to me without identification of the source. 
My reason for passing this on as requested, is that my study of the positive effects of Glutathione is outstanding. Glutathione is our own natural built in antioxidant. Everyone needs more replenishment of this on a regular basis. Glutathione pills do not work because our digestive system neutralizes it before it reaches our Liver.

Asparagus - a real blockbuster revelation!    An Important Natural Source of Glutathione."


To learn more about Glutathione, Asparagus and Your Kitchen Gardener, be sure to read the rest of this article!

Kitchen Gardener

Hello Reader,

     This morning I noticed the April rain gently covering my lawn and garden with such a thorough almost mist. If this had been two months ago we would have welcomed what we often see in this area of the World.  That is what is called powder snow. Such a delightful layer of white on the ground, giving those who like winter sports the best of the best to ski and snow board on (and in).
     This past winter has been very hard on my yard. Not enough moisture. The temperature was above normal and the snow was not sufficient to provide the winter wetness that is so important to the survival of my roses.
     One beautiful climbing rose called it quits.  So it was necessary to prune it back right to the earth this spring. We will have to wait to see if it will come back.
     Also my very precious hydrangea has part of the basic form showing the same problems.
     Our trees, shrubs, plants etc. all need a real winter experience to continue successfully in their growth. Not so this winter. Because we did not have enough reasonable cold weather, the complete growing system will experience difficulties this year.
     For awhile pruning, feeding and lots of water is about all we can do.

     There is knowledge of what can help in this Gardener's Manual contained in the Kitchen Gardener. I hope you like it!          The Kitchen Gardener 

Your Gardening Friend ... Mr Barrymor

My Garden from the Kitchen Gardener

My Garden

This is a blog referring to "My Garden", one of 27 other posts that I have made over the creation of this course focused on BeBiz and iContact support staff.

For the interest of the viewer, if you wish top notch training in the internet industry, these two professional companies would be my first recommendation.

Just enter BeBiz or iContact in your browser bar and carry on from there.

"The Kitchen Gardener" is the result of this training and I personally invite you to see what my last few months of training has done for me ....

Just click here " My Garden"

Your Kitchen Gardener-Bulb Planting Depths

Greetings.     As  most of us can use all the information possible as we try to be good gardeners, I thought you would like a chart that recommends planting depths for various bulbs.  You will note they all like good drainage and porous soil with some bone meal and humus.  Sharp sand mixed in your preparation is great.
Mr Barrymor   (The Kitchen Gardener)

Planting Trees for the Kitchen Gardener

     When you are planning your special plot of precious garden area, whether it be a small vegetable garden or the overall larger area that includes your home, yard, outbuildings etc., be careful of what effect your dream will have 50 years from now.
      I am presently living in a private area of 134 homes that was established about 45 years ago.
     The original owner has passed on, leaving the park in the care of his son.

     What brought me here is the beautiful layout of the homes,  nestled in amongst the towering fir, pine and other evergreens with poplar or what have you trees sprinkled here and there.
     At the present time the beauty of the plantings like blue spruce, is being criticized because of the immense size they have grown to. Only a few are causing real problems. Those being under power lines.

      So what I want to conclude here is, project your mind into the future when planting. Visualize as best you can what your plantings will be like 50 years from now.

The Kitchen Gardener-Grub Busters | Nematodes

     Nematodes have been around commercially for a long time, however, they have always been scarce in the retail scene. These beneficial microscopic worm-like cretures attack all sorts of ground dwelling garden pests including white grubs, the larvae or the European chafer, Japanese beetle and June beetle.
     Nematodes also control leather jackets. But what is most exciting is they control fungus gnats, onion maggots and cutworms.  It's been a while since we've had a product that gets these damaging pests.
 
     The commercial product now available is called   Grub Busters

     Credit for this information to my friend  Don Burnett

Dandelion Control in Your Garden/Lawn

     Sometime ago an article appeared regarding a fungus that was discovered to control dandelions in the lawns. At the time it was being tested for it's safety and effectiveness. The article stated it would hit the market in the near future. Well it is here now.
     T he name of the product is  "Serritor", the first biological weed killer.
     When to apply is controlled by season and the weather quality in that season. It needs to be applied in moderate temperature weather,  warm of course. Watering needs to be done within 24 hours of application.