July 31: MOVING HOME!

The square foot garden worked PRETTY well.  There were some things to learn the hard way, but it is clear we can garden here with our square foot frames.  So I harvested the last of the stuff from frame #1 and moved it home.

 There were plenty of tomatoes, onions and anaheim peppers, so I pulled the stuff and made grilled chili.
1) Core tomatoes and grill until well-marked, turning once (about 8 mins)
2) slice the onions into 1/2" thick cookies.  Pray onions peppers and celery with oil (like PAM) and grill both sides until well marked.
3) Puree the tomatoes, chop the other veggies and put them in a pot with a small can of tomato paste and a can of beef broth.
4) Season and Grill 3 pounds of meat (two pork chops and the rest hamburger works well).
5) Put everything in a big pot and simmer for about an hour until the meat is pretty tender.  Add 4 cans of pinto beans and simmer 15 minutes more.    It's great and everything is grilled except the beans!

Frame #1 in my backyard!  Planting Fall lettuce today.

Harvest continued

I know it's been a while since I posted.  Not much to tell really.  Until now.

We have harvested BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER and LETTUCE so far.  We have Anaheim peppers that are getting pretty ready for harvest (nothing in green or red bell peppers yet though).  Tomatoes are just starting to blush.  Onions and carrots are almost there also!

But the cool thing is GREEN BEANS.  The first harvest was enough for a lovely dish:

1. Chop a small onion.
2. Chop half a red bell pepper.
3. Saute until the onion is pretty translucent.
4. Add a cup of broth (Chicken or Vegetable)
5. Add a big fistful of green beans.
6. Cover and Saute on low until the broth is absorbed (about 20-30 minutes)
7. Season to taste

QUE COMIDAS TAN MARAVILLA!!!!!
("Good vittles!)

Not part of the garden, but for desert we had this.  You have GOT to try it!!!

1. Halve a peach and toss the pit.
2. Spray with oil (Pam, for instance)
3. Grill (medium direct) face down until nice grill marks appear.
4. Turn and grill skin side down until soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.
5. Serve with ice cream and sprinkle with coconut (we are Paleo, though, so we used Coconut Bliss Naked Coconut ice cream.  No need for extra coconut)

SO GOOD!!!

The Garden is a SWAMP, but our plot is high and dry!

The daily thunderstorms have turned the Community
Garden into a swamp.

Community Swamp Part II

There's water all around us, but our SQUARE FOOT
 Garden is High and Dry!!!!!

Box #1: Broccoli, Cauliflower and Peppers.

Box #2: Tomatoes, Green beans, Onions and Carrots.

A first brave tomato appeared today!

The broccoli is coming along.

More broccoli.

The Lettuce overwhelmed the garden and US!
We picked it, washed it and shared it.  We
Still have a mountain of it!

June 15 - First Harvest!

June 15, 2013:  I had to harvest some lettuce!  It was so full and healthy I couldn't leave it another day.  We have two squares dedicated to green leaf lettuce, two for red and two for spinach.  Those others weren't ready but, thanks to all the rain and mild temps, the green leaf lettuce was growing like mad.

I LOVE square foot gardening.  Our garden is miles ahead
of everyone else's at the Community Garden.
Partly because we got it in between the last
snow and the first rain on May 10th!

Our first harvest, June 15.  Not exactly harvest time!
Plenty of lettuce still in the square foot garden for later!

And now, I must report a stupidity.  All my dumbness, not Sandy's!!!!

I planted a row of green peppers between our broccoli and cauliflower!!!
The enormous leaves are shading and overwhelming the little green pepper plants.
I didn't realize they got so BIG!  DUMB!  Won't make THAT mistake again!

Today we are having salads like this!

Inch by Inch, Row by Row

Inch by inch, row by row, I'm gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe and a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row, someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below 'til the rain comes tumbling down -- Peter, Paul and Mary

Been a good gardening month!  Hardly had to water at all!  Thanks, God!!!

May 21, 2013

June 7, 2013

Box # 1 - Red and Green Peppers, Anaheim Peppers,
Cauliflower and Broccoli!

Box #2  - Tomatoes, Red and Green Lettuce, Spinach,
Onions, and Carrots!

Timing is everything.

I managed to get the garden in after the snowstorms and before the rains!!

My two 4X4 boxes.

Box #1:  Broccoli, Cauliflower and Peppers!  All transplants.

Box #2: Green Beans, Onions, Spinach and Lettuce.
Mostly seeds except the Tomatoes and Onions!

The Lettuce is going to town!

Plot Map

Seeding May 7 - Onions, Green Beans, Spinach, Carrots and Lettuce.
Everything else we will plant May 13 when there is less
threat of frost.

Tomato cages.  Transplants May 13.

Two squares - the left is for transplants (Broccoli, Cauliflower and Peppers.
The right is for seeds mostly.

Tomatoes (los tomates)	Tomatoes (los tomates)	Tomatoes (los tomates)	Tomatoes (los tomates)
Green Lettuce (Lechuga Verde)	Green Lettuce (Lechuga Verde)	Red Lettuce (Lechuga Roja)	Red Lettuce (Lechuga Roja)
Spinach (La espinacha)	Spinach (La espinacha)	Onions (Cebollas)	Onions (Cebollas)
Green Beans (las habichuelas)	Green Beans (las habichuelas)	Carrots (Zanahorias)	Carrots (Zanahorias)

FRAME 1.

Broccoli (Brécol)	Broccoli (Brécol)	Broccoli (Brécol)	Broccoli (Brécol)
Green Peppers (Pimentones verdes)	Green Peppers (Pimentones verdes)	Green Peppers (Pimentones verdes)	Green Peppers (Pimentones verdes)
Cauliflower (Coliflor)	Cauliflower (Coliflor)	Cauliflower (Coliflor)	Cauliflower (Coliflor)
Red Peppers (Pimiento morrón)	Red Peppers (Pimiento morrón)	Orange Peppers (Pimiento dulce)	Anaheim Chile (Anaheim Chile)

FRAME 2.