Fruitless Steps

Off to the vegetable garden

“If we are to describe the gardener’s March according to truth and old tradition we must carefully take note of two things: (a) what the gardener is supposed to do and wishes to do, and (b) what in fact he does, not being able to do more!”

So spake Karel Capek in his delightful book The Gardener’s Year published in 1931. No less true today.

Seduced by the brilliant sun and the mild temperatures we’ve had for the past few days, melting the snow, I told my husband we had to go down and look at the vegetable garden and discuss the plans I have for arranging the new cold frame and some new plantings. We trudged along, sometimes sinking up to our knees in the icy drifts, but to no purpose. There is no way to see the borders of the garden as they are and what space new elements might take. There is still nothing to do outside.

As Capek continues his March lament he says, “Yes, only when he becomes a gardener does a man appreciate those threadbare sayings like “the bitter cold,” and “the merciless North wind,” “the harsh frost,” and other such poetic cursings; he even himself uses expressions still more poetic, saying that the cold this year is rotten, damned, devilish, cursed, beastly, and blasted; in contrast to the poets he does not only swear at the North wind, but also at the evil-minded East winds, and he curses the driving sleet less than the feline and insidious black frost.”

Alas, as he says, “Yes, nothing can be done; it is the middle of March, and snow lies on the frozen ground. Lord be merciful to the little flowers of the gardeners.

Thank you Carolyn Gail for instituting Gardener’s Muse Day and getting us all inspired.

I Got Lucky

In a check out impulse I bought a not very promising bag of bulbs at my garden center last fall. I set them up in the basement where they were very slow to show any activity, and very slow to throw up flower shoots when I finally brought them upstairs. I think my house is so cold that they didn’t get much hint that spring, even a false indoor spring, was approaching. But the wait was worth it. I have recently become enamored of pink daffodils, and just by chance, here they are. Lit by the sun I can almost believe spring will arrive outside.

For more Blooming Friday beauties visit Katarina’s Roses and Stuff.

Winterfare

Confession - this photo was taken in the fall, but suggest just a sampling of the Winterfare produce.

When I drove into the Greenfield High School parking lot last Saturday morning at 10:30 the parking lot was already  full.  Fortunately, I saw a couple with full canvas shopping bags get in their car and drive away; I took their spot.

            When I walked into the school lobby it was clear Winterfare 2009 was in full swing with more local farms represented than I knew existed in our area.  One of the largest booths belonged to Red Fire Farm in Granby tended by Ryan Voilland and his crew.  Ryan grew up in Montague and  found his passion for farming when he was in middle school. This is his 9^th season of farming full time since he graduated from Cornell and in addition to all the root crops I expected to see, Red Fire Farm was selling beautiful heads of lettuce, Asian greens and a mix of greens. All fresh. All grown in an unheated greenhouse. I stood in line ready to fill my shopping bag.

            I came with a list and bought a bag of apples and ‘Vintage’ cider from Clarkdale. I was assured that the cider was Vintage because it was made with old apple varieties like Baldwins, not old apples.

            I bought a beautiful Sunshine winter squash; raw honey from Warm Colors Apiary; yogurt from Sidehill Farm; chevre from Chase Hill Farm and celeriac from Riverland Farm. After reading Aaron Falbel’s praise for celeriac I could not resist the gnarly roots. My dinner guests Saturday night were amazed and delighted by the fresh local glories on my table.

            It seemed that every kind of farm was represented. Shoppers could buy beef, pork, veal, and lamb as well as every kind of root vegetable, an array of jams and jellies, pickles including saurkraut, blueberries, yogurt, milk and cheeses, not to mention sheepskins, wool roving, and skin care products made with honey.  Soups and stew prepared by Bart’s Café, Green Fields Market, Hope and Olive and the Wagon Wheel were served up for lunch. Every morsel prepared was eaten.

            If there was any doubt in anyone’s mind, this Second Annual Winterfare Market proved that farmers did have produce to sell even in mid-winter, and that eaters were ready to buy that local produce while they enjoyed the carnival atmosphere.

            I also enjoyed thinking about the productivity of our land. Many of the big dairy farms have gone out of business, but dozens of small farms have bloomed along the by roads of the county. That means fresher food for all of us, and it means an energy and financial savings because of lower transportation costs. It means jobs for would-be farmers.

            According to Andrew Martin’s article in Sunday’s New York Times the number of farms increased 4 percent between 2002 and 2007, most of those new farms are small, or even part-time operations.  I know in our area farmers have often had a second steady income off the farm in the family.

            Now we are a nation of giant farms, and really tiny farms. According to Martin 900,000 of the 2.2 million farms brought in $2500 or less.  I like to think the farms at Winterfare do better than that, and I hope that with growing interest in local produce including meat, that they can do better still.

            Martin also says that the face of the farmer is changing.  There are more Hispanic farmers, and the number of black and Asian farmers is growing. The number of Native American farmers has doubled. We know that in our own region there are more women farmers.  The number of organic farms has increased. In 2002 there were about 12,000 and in 2007 the number was about 18, 200.  Again, that trend is reflected here.

            I absolutely promote high tech, bio-tech, and alternative energy industries in our state, knowing they can be important for our economy.  But it is also important to remember how big the green industries are in our state.  We don’t always think about the economic contribution that these diverse activities make. In addition to dairy, vegetable, fruit and meat farms, there are flower farms, bedding plant operations, sod farms, timber farms, and plant nurseries.

            Yesterday I talked to Mary McClintock, one of the organizers and author of Wednesday’s column Savoring the Seasons.  She said while they were all exhausted at the end of the day they sat around “grinning and full of stories of ‘did you see this?’ and ‘did you taste that?’ and ‘wasn’t that display amazing?’ and ‘so many smiling people.’ She wondered whether there was something magical about the Barter Fair room. “I’m sure that people walked out of that room with more food than was walked into that room. . .it just seemed to multiply as people traded and chatted! .  . . We lingered, savoring the huge success of the day”

            It was a joyous event. Like Mary I’m “continuing to surf the wave of all of that wonderful community energy.”

            And I’m hoping there is enough of a wave to bring us more than one Winterfare next year.

February 14, 2009

Drifts in the Sunken Garden

Rory’s Days

There is no end to the chores. We go through a lot of firewood so Rory helped the Major.
But then it was off to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst.

We aren’t allowed to take photos in the galleries, but the special big murals that Carle painted give a taste of the tissue paper he works with in his unique way. One exhibit was celebrating Carle’s 80th birthday and the 40th Anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

In addition to the galleries with wonderful collections of the original paintings that were published in children’s books, there is a library where we got to sit and read some beautiful books.

No cultural outing is complete without a snack. Atkins Farms has apple orchards AND apple turnovers.

But the only sign of spring is at the Atkins flower shop.

If Rory is going to eat at Granny’s he has to help. He put together his own Saumon en Papillote. This is one of his favorites and it is not only easy it is a wonderful way to cook salmon to perfection.

As far as I’m concerned no meal is complete without dessert. Our fantastic librarian gave us a recipe for chocolate pudding cake when we went in to get our week’s books. Don the librarian is actually a master baker in his off hours.

There is always a payoff in the kitchen and at the table. This is one chocolate-y dessert. Dee-lish.

But in the morning there was a race to get Rory home before the promised snowstorm. Another one.

Boy, Worms and Chores

Rory has come to visit during school vacation and the chores begin. We found out the worms are not dead after all. At least not all of them, so we have to feed them eggshells to help reproduction, and squash flesh and seeds.

If you look really closely you can see a couple of worms in their last meal. We also saw very very tiny worms, so I guess the eggshells work. We are not the only ones tending a worm far. Over at Garden Rant I just learned about this NYTimes article and urban vermiculture.

Worms aren’t our only livestock. We have to get out to the chickens. People mostly talk about the romance of chickens, clucking cheerfully, decorating the lawn and producing beautiful eggs. But the winter reality is freezing waterers that need to be rotated, and a difficult trek to the hen house.

Rory was game, and ready to trek in the snowshoes, but you’ll notice he’s not carrying the waterer. That was me.

However, he fed them and made up a song.

My little chickens, my little chickens

Happy as can be.

Makes funny noises,

Plays around all day.

In the big ol’ pile of hay.

My little chickens, my little chickens

Making the best of time,

turning into big egglaying hens

that they are.

My little chickens, my little chickens,

Growing up so fast!

Winter Wonderland

Again! Another 5 inches.

Ode to Tomatoes

Ode to Tomatoes

 “come on!

and, on

the table, at the midpoint

of summer,

the tomato,

star of earth,

recurrent

and fertile

star,

displays

its convolutions,

its canals,

its remarkable amplitude

and abundance,

no pit,

no husk,

no leaves or thorns,

the tomato offers

its gift

of fiery color

and cool completeness.”

            Ode to Tomatoes

by Pablo Neruda (1904-1973 Nobel Prize winner)

(translated by Margaret Sayers Peden)

It seemed appropriate that a friend sent me this poem, only a portion  used here, right after my Tomato Growers Supply Company catalog arrived in the mail.

The catalog clearly shows there is a tomato for everyone from Wisconsin to Florida and Kosovo, whether you are an Arkansas Traveler or a Hillbilly, a Jetsetter, a German Queen or a Sweet Baby Girl, a First Prize Big Bite is waiting for you in the garden. The Legend of the ‘cool completeness’ of which Neruda sings is waiting for you if you are longing for a Health Kick of Green Grapes, or a Sugar Snack and Dr. Lyle and Dr. Neal would approve of either. Whom do you dream of sharing a tomato sandwich with? Abraham Lincoln? Paul Robeson? Mama Leone? Box Car Willie? Goliath or Aunt Gertie? Dreams can come true for those who drive a Mule Team, or tend a Homestead in the Heartland.

Some might say the names of the tomatoes are poetry in themselves, doubtless because the tomato is the single most popular vegetable to eat or grow.

A gardener new to tomato growing has to begin by deciding whether to grow a determinate or indeterminate variety. A determinate variety like Red Rocket produces fruit (and the tomato technically is a fruit, not a vegetable) that will ripen pretty much all at the same time. Also, growth of the vine will stop once the fruit has set.

On indeterminate varieties like Giant Valentine the vine continues growing, even after fruit is set. There is a longer period of harvest and there will be fruits at all stages of development.

Gardeners also have to think about how long they want to wait to harvest the first tomato. It usually takes about 6 to 8 weeks to grow a healthy seedling. Catalogs will list the days to harvest, starting the count from when the seedling goes in the ground, anywhere from about 50 to 85 days. It is always wise to consider the length of the particular growing season when making this decision.

Does the gardener like huge varieties like Believe It or Not whose fruits can reach two pounds?  Or because of preference or limited space is Golden Gem cherry tomato a better choice?

Gardeners also have to choose whether they want red, pink, purple, yellow, gold, green or white tomatoes.  It seems that every catalog has an infinite array of color and size.

Does the gardener want a modern hybrid like BHN 640 VFFF with multiple disease resistance? Or an heirloom like German Red Strawberry noted for its fabulous taste?

Whatever your choice you can be sure it will have the ‘benign majesty’ that Neruda describes.

A vital decision is where to plant.  Just remember, tomatoes are tropical plants. They like at least 6 hours of sun. More is better. They also like warmth which is why it is important to wait until the soil has warmed up and there is no danger of frost.  The traditional safe date for planting tomatoes in our area is Memorial Day weekend, but we each can note our own microclimate and possibly plant earlier.

I have heard of people who covered their tomato patch with plastic for a week or two before planting to help warm up the soil, and so get their seedlings into the ground a little early.

Tomatoes like a fertile and well drained soil. To prepare for planting dig compost into your soil. You can buy bagged compost these days if you don’t have your own homemade supply. Compost not only adds nutrients for your plants, it improves the structure of the soil, and hence its ability to hold or drain water.

A healthy root system is important to growing a good crop of tomatoes. If you buy seedlings you should plant them in a trench.  In other words, dig a shallow trench and after pinching off the lower leaves, lay the seedling down and cover the length of the stem with  soil, leaving only the top leaves above the soil. Roots will form and grow all along the buried stem.

If you are starting your own seeds, you can transplant your seedling three or  four times, each time burying all but the top leaves to encourage the development of a big root system even before planting in the garden. The intent is not to bring the plant closer to harvest, but to develop a really good root system. Leave at least 18 inches between plants in the garden when planting.

Once planted the secret to success is consistent watering.  We can’t do much about torrential summer rains, but we can make sure to keep the garden watered during dry spells.

I would very much like to hear what varieties my readers favor, and what tips they have for new gardeners. Please do email me at commonweeder@gmail.com and I’ll include your suggestions in a follow up column a little later on.  I hope to hear from you.

February 7, 2009

Life is Short -

My jade plant has overwintered happily in our unheated Great Room for several years, but this past year the room did not maintain temperatures above freezing – and as you can see the plant suffered. However -

when life is short, the instinct is to procreate! A few branches at the top of the plant are blooming. I will be able to start a new plant or two.

Bloom Day

The state of my indoor plants, such as they are, makes me long for spring bulbs in the lawn. But alas the lawn is buried under deep snow, fresh snow, with more snow promised. The cyclamen is sprawly, but still going.

This one a bowl of daffodils I potted up in November. I made the mistake of using a bag of mixed bulbs on the sale table at my local garden center. I will know if future to only force the same bulbs in a single container. I think it will work better.

There is always the ever faithful abutilon, which is rarely out of bloom. Such an uncomplaing and undemanding plant. I recommend it. If coral is not your color, there are other choices.

For visions of other blooms visit Carol, the inventor of GBBD, at May Dreams Gardens.