tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321253125394829722011-12-01T09:43:07.401-08:00The documentation of my successes and failures at growing a edible gardenkate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.comBlogger1361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-6425634804744828372011-08-30T23:37:00.001-07:002011-08-30T23:43:54.812-07:00

As August comes to a close, I realize that I need to get on uploading pictures. I don't know what my problem is when it comes to doing such a simple task... Also, my tomatoes are finally starting to produce enough to make salads, pizzas, sauces, and have enough left over to freeze. My one recommendation when freezing tomatoes is to boil them for about a minute and slip the skins off FIRST before

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-19548777762754428362011-08-15T09:15:00.001-07:002011-08-15T09:15:54.994-07:00

Wow, after seeing my corn stalks turn red and the ears on my stalks feeling "empty", I decided to pick one yesterday morning, and I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes...There were yellow corn on them cobs!!! Well, some of them were just pure starch then since I thought I wasn't picking any corn this year but some were out of this world sweet! I wish I picked most of

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-48211303683037095302011-07-28T08:22:00.000-07:002011-07-28T08:30:38.639-07:00

Hi, it has been a while...I was thinking about converting to Wordpress, but my laziness has been my hinderance in that migration project, so I think I will bring over my one (and only) post from over there to here later.The vegetable garden is in the production business now...I am out there picking beans every day (and I swear I pick the almost-ready beans the previous day too!), the butternut

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-68797055602261388632011-05-15T21:47:00.000-07:002011-05-15T22:02:09.637-07:00

This weekend, I was barely able to get in some dirt work - I still had the south-side garden to finish up with loosening the soil, covering with compost, then some cardboard, and a layer of mulch/compost on top of that (called "lasagne" method) - but I got it in late this afternoon. now all the beds have been composted! (late, i know...).So I have a few more beds ready for something to grow, but

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-76438563482047684172011-05-02T11:34:00.000-07:002011-05-02T11:40:23.231-07:00

The garlic plants that I planted near the cherry tree were looking a bit wind-swept, yellow, and nearly lying parallel to the ground, so I thought they were probably ready to harvest. It is just the beginning of May so it could've been a bit too early, but...Sunday, my son and I dug up 20 nice heads of garlic! some were quite huge too! I left the leaves on and braided them all together (thought

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-42804049728046807642011-04-16T20:30:00.000-07:002011-04-16T20:39:39.903-07:00

YEAH! I weeded all of my plots! Even all of the grasses and vetch that overwintered in my south garden. They were much easier than I anticipated to pull up with my bare hands. I have left them lying on top of the ground and I will do the lasagne method on them with some cardboard and what I have left of soil amendments (I only have 2 bags left...:( ). I'd love to use my own compost instead, but I

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-35346886543763399392011-04-14T08:14:00.000-07:002011-04-14T08:43:05.553-07:00

My seedlings grew great with the lighting fixtures and the heat mat...but once faced with the outside elements, some died! :-( Most of it was my fault tho. Next time, try to acclimate seedlings by placing them outside (during the day only) for 2 - 3 days, then after that, up till at least a week, leave them outside.Also, this year, its been weird weather (when is it NOT during spring????).

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-53645751516526914712011-03-14T15:03:00.000-07:002011-03-14T15:12:23.571-07:00

I told myself I wouldn't buy very much for planting in general...I mean why do plants need to be pampered? They have done without for a long time...Well, since seed-starting this year, I've bought 2 (yes, TWO) shop fixtures and 4 bulbs for them, and one seedling heat mat. *sigh*, talking about breaking down! but my entire setup has been under $100. The shelving unit that I am using was already in

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-954104632906107312011-03-01T11:59:00.000-08:002011-03-01T12:06:07.415-08:00

Yeppers...last night, since I actually bought myself a seedling heat mat (*gasp*...I never thought I would buy one of these things...but it is freezing in our garage!!), I decided to plant more seeds:snow peassugar snap peasand the rest are all bush beans:blue laketendergreenslenderetteroyal burgundydragon langeriejacob's cattleJacob's cattle is the first shelling bean I am planting. I chose this

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-14794401248822516882011-02-23T08:20:00.000-08:002011-02-23T08:21:12.954-08:00

Snow Peas: 4.5 handfuls (1 handful = 30 pods)Super Sugar Snap Peas: 2 handfuls (1 handful = 30 pods)San Marzano Tomatoes: 200+Australian Yellow Onion: 30Zucchini: 29Strawberries: 27Corn: 17 earsEggplant: 27Jalapeno: 16Zucchini Squash: 11Garlic: 9 (tiny heads)Anaheim Pepper: 10Lettuce (various): 6 salad bowlfuls (adult, side salad amount)Bell Pepper: 9Apples: 4Cucumber: 4Beans (blue lake, dragon's

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-84607135272334104522011-02-19T16:20:00.000-08:002011-02-19T16:54:07.318-08:00

Whoa...it has been waaayyy too long since I last posted to this blog. since September 2010? Shame on me!!Life has had its moments since then and since my work life deals with me being on the computer all day, I kinda lose the interest of going on to a computer when I get home. But, that's besides the point!The point of this blog is to keep a log of my journey into edible gardening. This year, I

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-49054687710397654212010-09-11T22:48:00.000-07:002010-09-11T22:51:20.637-07:00

yeah....FINALLY. (i know).these got boiled for about 8 - 10 minutes, and shocked in ice cold water for about 16 - 20 minutes.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-62917655138049046402010-08-17T08:23:00.000-07:002010-08-17T08:26:07.845-07:00

My 15 month old son and I ate the very first 2 plums picked from our tree that I planted 2 yrs ago. It was not the type I expected but they were just as sweet and yummy! My son and I seem to love to graze the garden and papa barely gets a glimpse of some harvests we have. ha! that's what he gets for not coming out into the garden with us.I know there is a third plum on that tree somewhere...we

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-23199503116044887032010-08-16T22:29:00.000-07:002010-08-16T22:38:37.775-07:00

Yes, folks...since eating my first ear of corn, that I grew, with my 15 month old son, I decided to do more corn harvesting today. I picked the largest ears, which came out to a total of 12 ears.I researched how to best preserve this corn, since there is no way 2 adults and one toddler can eat 12 ears of corn in one sitting, and I chose blanching. Blanching is a technique of quickly boiling and

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-89634497294594837602010-08-07T08:36:00.000-07:002010-09-14T14:23:32.095-07:00

...more beans...all kinds....zucchini amount was good (although since we've been having freakishly cool weather lately, I could've probably had more by now). I have 6 plants....space out the tomatoes more...I had 8 plants planted in one "plot". maybe plant 4 plants in a zigzag fashion and plant pepper plants where the other 4 plants have been removed. just plant plum tomatoes. forget about the

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-62862350664263359172010-07-23T08:19:00.000-07:002010-07-23T08:57:30.605-07:00

Yes, I have to take pictures. They will come!But, I wanted to share what I read up on corn. (This is the first time I've ever grown corn, so I find this info fascinating!) The flowers on the tops of the corn plants have the pollen that needs to fertilize the corn so that the corn develops the yummy juicy kernels on the ears. Well, for the fertilization to occur, the pollen needs to fall onto the

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-4017064222177233862010-07-15T22:26:00.001-07:002010-07-15T22:34:11.391-07:00

The following pictures are of my Golden Bantam Cross corn taken this evening...Here is what my corn plants look like this evening. The parts sticking straight up on the corn stalks are the flowers. They need to be pollinated for the corn kernels to grow plump (from what I understand). Wind is the main pollinator, which explains why corn plants need to grow so tall.Here are the flowers up close.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-17626418178848769952010-07-15T22:21:00.000-07:002010-07-15T22:25:57.477-07:00

You can see the tassels from the new corn coming out...woohoo....i may get some corn this year!Here are some lettuce leaves I harvested this year. yum! I read that if you pick lettuce leaves and some milky substance oozes from where the leaf was torn off, the lettuce is bitter-tasting, but although some of my lettuce had this, it still tasted pretty good.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-24286849333304430572010-07-15T08:23:00.000-07:002010-07-15T08:30:34.763-07:00

This is the first year I have attempted to grow corn. The type I am growing is Golden Bantam Cross, I believe. It has been amazing to watch this grow! The flowers have shot out from the top a few days ago, and just yesterday afternoon, I saw the tassels show itself atop 4 growths that will soon be corn! I just hope the pollination goes well so the kernels grow nice and plump! Yes, I do have to

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-68018203910454165822010-07-01T09:57:00.000-07:002010-07-01T10:18:42.909-07:00

I only have 2 more seedings that need to eventually be placed somewhere in the garden. It looks either like melon or squash seedlings (I was terrible at labeling!) and the BIG question is where to put them...But that's the fun part.The rest of my garden is currently in a state of keeping maintained - weed out the small weeds (big weeds have been happily eradicated), water, prune, harvest,

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-9133665512868777552010-06-20T18:20:00.001-07:002010-06-21T15:41:42.487-07:00

Today I picked the first of 2 nectarines growing on my tiny Nectazee tree I planted earlier this year. (When I say tiny, I mean TINY. It stands only about 2 feet tall. It will grow, at most, 6 - 8 feet). It had some color to it, so I thought it might be ripe. Well, it was partially there. Where there was a red color on the skin, the fruit was deliciously sweet. Where it was still green, the fruit

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-61512110220212937422010-06-07T23:24:00.000-07:002010-06-21T15:42:21.574-07:00

Just thought I'd keep tabs on what has been done since the weekend...- WEEDing: baby weeds are starting to sprout, so I am going to keep on top of that.- Use home-made compost: I top-dressed most of my fruit trees with what I had.- Harvest: strawberries. I wanted to harvest the two almonds that I have been watching for the past month, but some dirtbag varmints beat me to it! (#*#(!*@)#($!@#$&%*!!

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-12248490213555197432010-06-05T16:25:00.000-07:002010-06-21T15:43:06.846-07:00

So here are the pictures I promised a couple of weeks ago. I'll try to post more pics as the days roll forward. (These pics are about a week old).Seedlings...various plants - broccoli, cukes, corn, beans, etc.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-51706356006203711502010-06-05T16:23:00.000-07:002010-06-07T13:48:33.557-07:00

Corn seedlings on the left, and recently planted flower seeds on the right (various flowers).Home-made compost on the left, pot of recently planted seeds - mostly zucchini and cukes. (yes, I am lazy when it comes to labeling).Onions - self-sewn last year. It is an open pollinated species (old australian yellow), so it should be okay.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-51919132773506513092010-06-05T16:21:00.000-07:002010-06-07T14:45:02.114-07:00

South GardenOnion patch on the left, garlic patch (somewhere in the middle) on the right. This garlic was something I bought from the supermarket. it was labeled as garlic grown in Gilroy so I thought it could do well here (i was too late in ordering garlic to grow from seed companies (in February)). It grew the average 5 - 8 leaves, but the plants are kinda small. I should've given them more

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-8234188877228712002010-06-05T16:18:00.000-07:002010-06-07T13:58:34.634-07:00

South garden overview on the left, 4-species cherry tree and corn/melon patch on the right (east garden)more of the melon (Charantais) and corn (golden bantam) patchGrapes - Merlot (which I plan to dig up and replace with table grapes) and concord grape.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-87786886284422817942010-06-05T16:12:00.000-07:002010-06-07T14:02:25.958-07:00

The zucchini and cucumber bed (east garden), to the right of the grapes.Sweet pepper patch and the almond tree at the very end (east garden) on the left, overview of the north garden on the right.Tomato/pepper patch up close.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-73733122256545497352010-06-05T16:07:00.000-07:002010-06-07T14:05:24.691-07:00

Tomatoes (I am growing a type of cherry tomato and san marzano tomatoes), and strawberries (everbearing - Sequoia and another one that starts with a "Q" - the name eludes me...)Zinnia, marigolds and alyssums border the tomato/pepper patch in the north garden.Beautiful calendula flowers - self-sown.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-44956439316378908362010-06-05T00:10:00.000-07:002010-06-07T14:09:43.732-07:00

Lavender and Calendula flowers (north garden). Beautiful combo.Apples (Early Summer) growing on a 4-species apple tree, and a European plum (I've been waiting for fruit on this tree for 2 years!). Update: I actually found that I have two (!) plums growin on that tree...I can't wait to see how it tastes!Overview of the apple (far left), dwarf nectarine (nectazee, middle), and european plum (right)

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-74879000037029768882010-06-02T23:23:00.000-07:002010-06-02T23:28:40.407-07:00

forgive the pulled out woody herbs to the right...more images to come as time allows.(feel free to click on the image above to view a larger version).Note: I grow my veggies/trees/flowers/plants on the outer edges. Since we have a child, we would like to keep our lawn space for play space for now. But I do have an eye on that space as raised bed areas....

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-56812285103204593032010-05-27T15:39:00.001-07:002010-05-27T15:40:25.399-07:00

What's up with posting no pictures?!?um...cuz I'm lazy...?yep, I'll work on that this weekend.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-29451437975901233692010-05-25T11:59:00.000-07:002010-05-25T12:13:11.434-07:00

Yeah, I was back in the garden this past weekend. I finished planting most of the north garden (all that it is missing are some bean and okra plants, which I am currently trying to grow). I then WEEDed out the entire east garden (near the back fence), loosened up the soil in the two areas around the grape vines (not really double-dug it, but just loosened the top 6 inches or so and worked in some

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-57617248495204122552010-05-19T08:21:00.000-07:002010-05-19T08:35:57.813-07:00

Last weekend I was a garden juggernaut...okay, spelling might be if-y but you know what I mean.After coming home from my family trip to Germany, I was highly motivated to start full-force with my vegetable garden. Being away from the garden for over 2 weeks, the weeds were really coming back in with a vengence! I WEEDed the entire north garden (left side), double dug the two plots I have for

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-25181899928691916202010-04-15T10:03:00.000-07:002010-04-15T10:19:02.904-07:00

Sorry for not posting for a while. It's not because I haven't done any garden work (actually, I haven't, but I'll get to the reason why). Just 2 days after my last post, I found out I had pneumonia. I have been out of work for 2 weeks. People out there....PLEASE stay away from pneumonia. It's one of those awful things that you should definitely stay away from. If you have a cough AND high fevers

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-1318515031840737042010-03-29T07:59:00.000-07:002010-03-29T08:19:20.113-07:00

Yeah, I didn't write the past two three weeks because I didn't want to face the reality that I did next to NOTHING in the garden. I do have a good reason for not doing anything 2 weeks ago...I worked to create a vegetable garden at my son's day care. yay! After that, I think the inspiration hit me, so I did a few things that weekend in my own garden and this past weekend. (Don't ask me about why

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-48774455728473871842010-03-12T10:56:00.000-08:002010-03-12T10:59:12.713-08:00

My goals are multiple, and maybe impossible, but one can try!1) double dig the north garden2) turn my compost pile (that I haven't touched for almost 2 years!!!)3) add compost to the north garden4) WEED the south garden5) direct seed more broccoli, lettuce (more on that later)6) WEED the east garden Does the above look familiar? Yep, they are goals that I had made for last weekend, but completely

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-90552603295447164552010-03-11T07:57:00.000-08:002010-03-11T08:03:06.046-08:00

My "European" plum tree is finally showing some flowers!!! The flowers look a lot like my almond tree blossoms - white, 5-petal paradigm of daintiness...No more blossoms on the almond tree and nectarine tree. I just hope that with all the rain we've been having since they first blossomed, they were not completely affected - I would like to see some nuts and fruits.The apple and cherry trees are

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-40252450692085080362010-03-08T09:17:00.000-08:002010-03-08T09:34:08.513-08:00

*Composure...*Okay, ask me how my gardening goals went. Did I meet them all? Um...in short, no.Did I get a few done? Uhhh....errr...no. I couldn't say that.Did I get at least one goal done???? Well,....if walking out into my gardens to view what is going on counts as one of my goals....darn, I didn't list that (will have to remember that goal for next weekend). Then no.Not a single darn garden

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-58839085433957263042010-03-05T08:09:00.001-08:002010-03-05T08:19:23.006-08:00

My goals are multiple, and maybe impossible, but one can try!1) double dig the north garden2) turn my compost pile (that I haven't touched for almost 2 years!!!)3) add compost to the north garden4) WEED the south garden5) direct seed more broccoli, lettuce (more on that later)6) WEED the east garden If I can accomplish all that, I definitely will need to think of an excellent reward for myself.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-29797391095912248402010-03-01T13:10:00.000-08:002010-03-01T13:31:06.698-08:00

This weekend's update will not be a spectacular one. All I did was more WEEDing. I've removed all of the weeds from my North garden. Of course there are some new WEEDs popping up (GRRRRRRRrrrrrr....) but no worries for now. I also did about half of the upper (east) garden (where the almond tree and the grape vines area). Next weekend I will tackle the south garden.Am I going to plant more cool

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-79100834626782452752010-02-21T13:33:00.000-08:002010-02-21T13:47:46.130-08:00

Here is the "north" garden (one of two sections I have planted so far). Here are some sugar snap peas, snow peas, broccoli, various lettuce, and spinach. all sprinkled with a bit of sluggo to keep those icky beasts out of this area.Here is the 4-in-1 apple tree (Gala, Early Summer Red, Fuji, and Granny Smith). I don't have a close-up of this tree, but some of the buds are starting to swell! Very

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-88855744296941950342010-02-21T13:15:00.001-08:002010-02-21T13:49:40.746-08:00

Here is the little Nectazee tree and the European plum tree behind it. Notice how small the Nectazee tree is (I think it is barely a foot tall). Here is the plum tree and the 4-in-1 cherry tree in the background. I am trying to keep this plum tree (and the cherry tree) between 5 and 6 feet tall to keep it manageable and easily pickable. Dave Wilson nursery (davewilson.com) has great photos and

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-88537784635822631112010-02-21T13:00:00.000-08:002010-02-21T13:15:26.639-08:00

This lovely tree is my all-in-one almond tree. It has been in the ground for about 2 years now. From the very first year I planted it, I got some great almonds. (It was the first time I ever saw how almonds grew on a tree!) I would have gotten some almonds last year, but due to pregnancy/baby/life, the squirrels got to them faster than I could. I am contemplating on either putting up something

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-85812141110325842672010-02-20T13:49:00.000-08:002010-02-20T13:53:57.713-08:00

This morning I was finally able to plant my cherry and apple trees in the ground. i also planted my spinach sprouts in the garden - among its lettuce/pea/broccoli brothers and sisters. i hope i can harvest some this time around - last time my spinach seeds never grew (i think i planted them to late).i also did more WEEDing. last time, i said i WEEDed only 1/16 of my garden. i think now i have

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-47620388303629835092010-02-19T22:47:00.000-08:002010-06-21T15:53:59.580-07:00

So last week, I went to my favorite local nursery (it's not a big box outlet type), and bought 2 fruit trees - it would've been 3, but I forgot to take the stroller out. One is a 4-in-1 apple tree (Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Anna (i think) a early summer red apple. I really wanted the Granny Smith apple since my husband and I just love eating and savoring its tartness.the other tree is a 4-in-

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-4368978756472818282010-02-11T16:23:00.000-08:002010-02-11T16:32:30.782-08:00

oooh...getting behind on the blogging - bad!no, i didn't buy anymore trees for my "little orchard", but i do have 3 in mind. there was not much free time this past weekend due to super bowl eating/planning/partying, but i did get some things done.1) i did more WEEDing. i had to. because,...2) i planted all sprouting veggie plants. yup - broccoli, sugar snap peas, snow peas, various lettuces...the

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-37752451972608282882010-02-01T10:07:00.000-08:002010-02-01T11:16:32.604-08:00

wow, after a few weeks of continuous rain, we actually got weekend full of sun! i started off my weekend by going to my favorite "small" garden nursery in san leandro to look at their plants. i went without a definite plan on what to buy (bad thing!), but i knew i wanted to see what kind of fruit trees they had (especially the multi-grafted ones) and what kind (if any) veggie starts they had.well

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-50175341130311746602010-01-28T08:31:00.000-08:002010-01-28T08:32:45.473-08:00

For archival purposes, I'm placing my harvest from 2008 as a post. I need the "harvest" space for my (possible) harvest this year. *yay* * Blue Lake Bush Bean: 6lbs (ca. 69 beans/lb) * Jalapeno: 245 * BH Grape Tomato (H): 180 * Cucumber:150 * Zucchini: 122 * Carrots: 38 * Spitze Tomato (H): 35 * Plum Tomato: 27 * Sweet 100 Tomato: 22 handfuls (1 handful = 40 tomatoes)

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-20281573971856088872010-01-28T08:07:00.000-08:002010-01-28T08:24:10.255-08:00

did i WEED after my previous post? well, kinda...i actually tilled/dug/cut up weeds and dug them under the soil. the weeds were not going to seed, so i thought it might help put in some nitrogen and aeration into the soil. i only did about 1/16 of my garden space (divide and conquer strategy), but it was only because it started to rain again and i didn't want to turn into a muddy mess. (its been

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-74052079999768418392010-01-23T09:09:00.000-08:002010-01-23T09:37:52.768-08:00

It's a beautiful saturday morning and I still feel the garden itch - maybe even more than yesterday. I'm anxious to get things started, but its just january....what have i done in terms of trying to satisfy my gardening crave you ask? well, i looked at all the seeds i have. to my surprise and delight, i have many vegetable seeds of various sorts. bad news is that they are all dated for 2008

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-67756952422446358842010-01-22T22:55:00.000-08:002010-01-22T23:07:34.816-08:00

Yeah, that is a question I pose myself. So I've been away for almost 1 1/2 years. WOW. Life just got the better of me, I guess. I got pregnant near the time I last posted, and I've been caring for my little tike and working at my 9-to-5 job till now. My son is almost 9 months now, and I am starting to feel the garden itch. I need to look at what seeds I have, what I'd like to plant, and maybe

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-81517186330298867252008-09-23T10:45:00.000-07:002008-09-23T11:03:11.408-07:00

wow, its been almost 10 days since my last post. my apologies to those who keep up with this blog. i've been really tired, drained and feeling a bit under the weather. if you are a family member, chances are you know the possible reason behind my fatigue. i say "possible" because i am have an appointment with a professional to actually confirm things this thursday. once i know for sure, and that

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-10423116655406521232008-09-14T22:10:00.000-07:002008-09-14T22:16:08.369-07:00

i finally harvested the almonds. the only problem is, i expected to pick around 7 - 8 almonds. but there were only 3 i could find. i think some squirrels might've found my tree, so i'm glad i picked them when i did. plus i believe they were ready. they have already started to split. here are the pictures:

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-22682563091431786132008-09-12T20:49:00.000-07:002008-09-12T20:52:00.503-07:00

today i harvested a few beans, jalapenos and these...these actually have been my best carrots so far. the one closest to my hand has to be the longest and straightest carrot that i have harvested to date!

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-37340995938650561632008-09-12T11:41:00.000-07:002010-06-21T15:48:57.555-07:00

i was finally able to spend some time in the backyard yesterday after work. here are some updates:1) soybeans: on the oldest plants, i already see soybean pods developing! how exciting! i could actually get some to harvest before fall really comes upon us.2) green beans: with my schedule, i haven't been able to pick beans as often as a should, which leaves large beans on my plants...meaning they

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-38515105914161268422008-09-06T10:42:00.000-07:002010-06-21T15:47:22.048-07:00

my harvest this morning...yesterday, i also got the seeds that i ordered a little over a week ago. these make up about half of the stuff i want to grow this year and next (most of them are vegetables i plan to grow next spring). look at the cute packaging! these are seeds from pintree garden seeds (superseeds (dot) com). they have some of the best pricing of seeds (and i compared prices from 4

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-63362115611239381772008-09-05T21:03:00.001-07:002008-09-05T21:05:06.994-07:00

OT (off topic): There just was a small earthquake at 9:01pm today. It felt/sounded like something hit the ground first and then the shaking began. Any san francisco bay area people out there also felt that?this was my second earthquake i've felt since we moved here 5yrs ago.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-22121144780239173012008-09-05T12:22:00.000-07:002010-06-21T15:46:02.428-07:00

my harvest from yesterday...my newest seeds that have been planted - lettuce, fava beans, red and yellow onions, sugar snap peas, snow peas, chinese cabbages, broccoli...etc...my california native plants are still alive. i will eventually have to find a spot for them.one of the locations in the left garden where i have cultivated the soil. i planted a fava bean seed there last weekend. i'll

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-85426578055211011222008-09-05T12:07:00.000-07:002008-09-05T12:21:52.870-07:00

to my german readers...(the rest of the post will be in german since it pertains only to them).liebe deutsche besuchern...weil ich versucht habe, mein blog zu uebersetzen, es braucht einfach zu viel zeit fuer mich es weiter zu tun. es war viel spass, deutsch zu ueben, aber zwischen fast 3 jobs (dieses semester unterrichte ich 2 klassen), den garten, 8 voegeln und meinen mann, zeit zum uebersetzen

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-9985934774469048912008-09-05T11:45:00.000-07:002008-09-05T12:07:25.794-07:00

in this post, i want to post some of the problems that are showing up in some parts of the garden. (what is a garden without its problems, right?) i just want to document this to reflect on next year.small bugs with large black spots outlined with either a sliver or whitish color have been congregating on my plum tomato fruits. They seem to be eating it, but there are no outward signs of

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-88418846398812850572008-09-02T10:11:00.001-07:002008-09-02T10:13:09.161-07:00

the slow food victory garden has been extended till November! woohoo!der slow food victory garden bleibt vorm rathaus bis November! woohoo!Read the original story here

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-63750473143768976902008-09-01T20:06:00.000-07:002008-09-02T10:32:37.080-07:00

wow...its already the first of september! currently, i am harvesting different varieties of tomatoes, green beans and cucumbers. (sorry, no photos of harvests this weekend).wow, es ist schon den 1. september! jetzt ernte ich verschiedene sorten von tomaten, gruene bohnen und gurken. (verzeihung, keine fotos von der ernte genommen)i planted most of my sprouting seeds over the weekend. the onions

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-65029632473409168472008-08-29T21:21:00.000-07:002008-09-02T10:14:23.575-07:00

here are the pictures i have taken over the past week.hier sind die bilder, die ich unter der woche genommen habe.harvest on sundayernte am sonntagcherry tomatoes that grew togethercherry tomaten die zusammen gewachsen sindthe last zucchini this yeardie letzte zucchini fuer dieses jahrharvest on mondayernte am montagyes, i harvested the largest watermelon this past monday...you'll see what

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-57759239429793929162008-08-29T08:31:00.000-07:002008-09-02T10:14:10.948-07:00

when i got home yesterday, it was a sweltering 95 degrees (F)! summer has not reached its end here in the san francisco bay area! the weekend should stay in the mid 80s and will be going up again later next week (but you know how the weatherpeople can be about the weather....)als ich nach hause kam, war es 95-grad (F)! eine hitze! in der san francisco bay umgebung ist summer noch nicht vorbei! am

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-86298564577355739912008-08-28T11:56:00.000-07:002008-09-02T10:13:38.205-07:00

i have taken pictures of the garden and some harvests, but i have not yet had time to sit down and upload them. i will try to get to this tonight when i get home. i will also probably have more harvests to show when i go out there this afternoon. (hopefully)ich habe doch bilder vom garten und die ernte fotografiert, aber ich hatte bis jetzt keine zeit, um die bilder hier hochzuladen. ich versuche

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-35550519209184530882008-08-25T12:11:00.000-07:002008-08-28T11:55:48.348-07:00

wow, this weekend went by in a flash! i never got around to taking the camera out with me this weekend (i will try to do this today after i get home) but there has been one really drastic change...wow, dieses wochenende ist ganz schnell vorbei gegangen! die kamera habe ich gar nicht die benutzt (ich versuche heute abend ein par bilder zu machen) aber es gab eine sehr groesse aenderung im garten..

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-85673719941053020112008-08-21T09:37:00.000-07:002008-08-21T09:57:02.258-07:00

as promised, i took pictures of the huge raised vegetable garden growing in front of san francisco's city hall yesterday. this vegetable garden was built on july 1 and harvest day is coming next weekend, between August 29th and September 1st. it is indeed a very beautiful garden! i took a lot of pictures and i couldn't make the decision of what to show and what not, so i'm just showing them ALL.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-22228143889193123932008-08-21T09:34:00.000-07:002008-08-21T09:37:20.901-07:00

slow food nation victory garden, san francisco city hall - part 2slow food nation victory garden, san francisco rathaus - teil 2

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-20472805135309544202008-08-21T09:29:00.000-07:002008-08-21T10:07:36.086-07:00

slow food victory garden, san francisco city hall - part 3slow food victory garden, san francisco rathaus - teil 3a "three sisters" planting!"three sisters" belegungsplan

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-43052978996505255722008-08-21T08:25:00.000-07:002008-08-21T10:06:22.553-07:00

slow food nation victory garden, san francisco city hall - part 4slow food nation victory garden, san francisco rathaus - teil 4a "three sisters" planting - continuedeine "three sisters" belegungsplan - mehr fotosthe following two pictures were taken with city hall directly behind me.die folgende 2 bilder waren mit rathaus san franciscos genau hinter mich fotografiert.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-85899241051148852432008-08-20T14:17:00.000-07:002008-08-20T14:43:03.036-07:00

this post is catching up to the harvests i've had over the weekend, on tuesday, and then today. i hope your veggie garden is as productive for you! maybe better!hier hole ich mit meiner ernte auf sonntag, dienstag und heute morgen nach. ich hoffe, dass deiner garten erfolgreich wie mein ist! vielleicht besser!sunday's harvesternte von sonntagtuesday's harvest (partial) - this is, so far, my near

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-33725915629455489682008-08-17T16:39:00.000-07:002008-08-17T23:38:06.699-07:00

this week's garden post will be a bit different. since i have family in germany, i have decided to try and offer german translations to all of my content. so starting with this one, i will be first posting the english text, then followed by italicized text written in german. my german is a bit rusty, so forgive me!diese woche des gardenupdates wird etwas anders sein. weil ich familie in

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-18353714381812337132008-08-15T10:28:00.000-07:002008-08-15T13:22:47.675-07:00

sorry...i forgot the camera when i went to civic center this week. i meant to take some pictures of the slow food nation victory garden (large veggie garden) in front of san francisco's city hall, but i forgot to take the darn camera. i'll try for next week. (it's coming along beautifully...and they even have their own little compost pile).i finally got to spend some time in the garden yesterday.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-36813770883254710632008-08-10T22:58:00.000-07:002008-08-10T23:13:03.272-07:00

here are some late afternoon harvest pictures for today. (sorry, no full garden update. i don't know what happened. it must've been the heat...?)here is barney, my garden supervisor looking upon the harvest. if it was up to him, he would taste each and every cherry tomato i pick, just to make sure they are juicy and sweet.my first harvest of blue lake bush beans. these are rather small, but they

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-1547314748086770672008-08-09T23:13:00.000-07:002008-08-09T23:41:17.780-07:00

here are a few pics of the garden.my garden helper, barney. he supervises my work and gets a few cherry tomatoes as payment for his hard work.the watermelon growth is amazing! i think it should be ready for picking in (latest) 2 weeks. i just hope no critters damage these before it gets ripe. currently i have about 4 watermelons growing bigger (on 3 plants)here are the seedlings i planted in the

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-41947497066838488742008-08-07T20:14:00.000-07:002008-08-11T09:45:42.348-07:00

here are some pictures that i took over the weekend and what i just took this afternoon.the first one is of one of my watermelon fruits. (its just amazing how fast it grows!). the picture below was taken this past weekend. my hand is in there for size comparison.this is the exact same watermelon as it looks today! isn't that amazing?! it does have a lot more growing to do, but its so cool! who

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-23325120034369667682008-08-07T12:15:00.000-07:002008-08-07T12:38:07.334-07:00

a couple of days during the week, i take the train into downtown san francisco and my stop is at civic center. at that stop, just a block up, is city hall. has anyone heard of what is going on in front of san francisco's city hall?well, a few local farms, victory gardens and slowfoodnation.org teamed up to create a vegetable garden on the grounds in front of san francisco's city hall. how cool is

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-89663842940601065822008-08-04T13:32:00.000-07:002008-08-04T14:04:01.629-07:00

here are the pictures of my harvest from sunday (yesterday). zucchini and cucumbers and a side of soybeans.zucchini, anyone?yesterday, my husband and i also went looking for some native plants. they are much better acclimated to our california weather and heat and are known to be drought tolerant. i want to convert at least part of our front lawn into a more decorative garden, mostly with native

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-52391214751407802322008-08-02T16:57:00.000-07:002008-08-11T09:44:47.062-07:00

i had a lot planned this weekend. i did. and when i went out to my garden at 7:30am this morning, i found that there was more to do than i originally planned. okay this was my to do list this morning:- work in the soil ammender, that i sprinkled on top of my cool crop plot #1.- plant all the beets (i found out i have burpee's golden beets, NOT touchstone gold), broccoli and swiss chard seedlings

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-88268394515884425862008-08-01T12:15:00.000-07:002008-08-11T09:44:27.560-07:00

I have been thinking about the cool weather veggie planting for a while now, and since this is our very first fall/winter crop planting (it is actually my very first veggie planting YEAR...so far so good *knocking on wood*), i am not really sure about when i should start planting them. i have just been itching to get started.okay, so the zucchini growing in full force, the cucumber is following

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-79790910335496445612008-07-31T21:35:00.000-07:002008-08-01T08:52:13.892-07:00

okay, so here are a few snapshots of what has been going on in the garden this week...first, the bush bean flowers...here it is, slightly afar. it grows out first as a bulbous white growth and somehow it just bursts open.here it is close up. if these flowers are pollinated, the beans will be ready to be picked in two weeks from now.here is that bell pepper plant, planted where the broccoli was,

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-45027959259253106552008-07-31T11:22:00.001-07:002008-07-31T11:32:24.136-07:00

yes, i did take pictures of my bush bean blooms, but you will have to wait to this evening to view them. i had just enough time this morning to pick some cucumbers, sweet 100 tomatoes and a jalapeno, water what needed watering and take some shots of whats going on in my garden....and leave.so i will post them later. what did i see this morning? well..1) my cool weather seedlings are doing well,

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-13458728335899071352008-07-29T20:52:00.000-07:002008-07-29T20:56:48.760-07:00

this morning, i went out to water my plants and i noticed on one of my bush bean plants, there are FLOWERS on it! they are so tiny and cute! they kinda look like mini sugar snap pea flowers, with their white color and curvy shape. i will have to try and take a picture of it tomorrow (if they are still there). if not, maybe i can take pictures of some small bush beans instead?...i love seeing the

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-79223196915101016992008-07-27T17:50:00.000-07:002008-08-11T09:44:02.347-07:00

sunday garden update!first, the harvest...i have actually had a GREAT harvest. from this past friday, i have harvested about 15 cucumbers, 15 zucchini, 2 handfuls of sweet 100 tomatoes, 14 jalapenos and this...finally! the edamame were ready! actually, i didn't realize to really look very closely to these plants until i was skimming over a seed catalog and it stated that the harvest period for

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-73003268628651823862008-07-26T17:17:00.000-07:002008-07-26T23:07:44.927-07:00

today i built both the worm bin and the biostack composter i received from the alameda county. it was very easy to build, even if there was a small piece broken on one of them.the worm bin. currently i don't have my worms yet, but i will try to get them by the end of next week. i decided to at least put the base together and see what came with the entire set up.here is the worm bin directly

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-86089469504217638532008-07-25T22:35:00.000-07:002008-07-26T23:08:11.503-07:00

within two days, i made two harvests. in total, i harvested 3/4 of a handful of sugar snap peas (the last bunch from the plants i planted during the summer), 3/4 of a handful of sweet 100 tomatoes, 14 zucchini, 7 cucumbers, and 15 jalapenos. Most of this produce will be/have been given away since my husband and i can't get to it all. just one cucumber lasts us for a whole week!while cutting down

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-45037722642550484462008-07-22T10:29:00.001-07:002008-07-26T23:08:34.939-07:00

i think i have reached the next level (if there are any levels) of gardening...well, okay maybe part way since it is not built yet. last night, i received the compost bin and worm bin that i ordered through my county waste management program. it offers these at discount prices and it really was a steal when i compared prices to other online retailers.anyways, i have two big boxes containing the

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-69516354523759117132008-07-19T17:36:00.000-07:002008-07-26T23:08:50.905-07:00

here is the update of the garden...the sweet 100 tomato bush getting out of control, but I have been getting a good amount of tomatoes from these bushes the past few days.the thyme plant is blooming, although its quite small...pretty though, huh?here is the thyme plant from afar (see how small it is), to the left of the grape tomato that i planted from seed (with the huge fruits).here are the

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-1126043110305291562008-07-18T19:15:00.000-07:002008-07-26T23:10:14.128-07:00

garden highlights...so i went out to the garden this afternoon after getting home from work because i just had this feeling that my watermelon flower buds were going to bloom today...i was right! here are some other things going on as well...this is on one of the watermelon plants. here is the female flower. there was also a male flower, but as soon as i saw both, i quickly picked the male one

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-29078563467959242852008-07-17T20:28:00.000-07:002008-07-26T23:10:37.116-07:00

here are some of the highlights in my gardens around the backyard...the watermelon plant is growing wonderfully and spreading every which way!also, look what i have spied! the plant looks still young, but it is already starting to show flower buds all over the vines! how exciting!!!here is another one.also, my sweet potato is finally starting to branch out. i love the dark foliage of this plant.

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-453892669082588702008-07-14T22:21:00.000-07:002008-07-26T23:09:43.045-07:00

hello to those who read this blog...sorry i didn't put an update on here this weekend. it was a little crazy around here. we had an insurance person here as well as an electrician (the house inspector said we have too little amps coming into the house normally for a house this size.)well, most things around here are growing well, and some are not.my biggest worry are the heirloom tomatoes. after

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-4252539007460153672008-07-09T19:22:00.001-07:002008-07-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

*sigh* a moment of silence for an heirloom tomato plant that i lost today...i hoped against the possibility of this day, but the inevitable happened. this could have been due to the plant being in the hands of a complete novice or due to forces of which i had no sway. either way, i am truely saddended with my loss.today, i uprooted my amish paste tomato plant. and i took pictures in hopes that

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today was extremely warm and humid. tomorrow will supposedly be even hotter.i've found some plants who are just thriving in this heat, and some just begging for a little coolness.zucchini - this vegetable is just a-mazing. the heat only spurs more overall growth, more flowers, more zucchini. what was a tiny zucchini this morning, is at a normal size in the evening. i think if i set a chair in

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-72114277346993717982008-07-06T22:03:00.000-07:002008-07-26T23:10:57.681-07:00

9 japanese cucumbers and 3 sugar snap peas (i actually harvested another 1/2 handful)9 zucchiniharvest overviewmy lone sweet 100 tomato harvest. how pretty!3 onions (2 red, 1 white). these red onions grew really well! i am curing them now. (which will take about 3 weeks)

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-33732549812724385552008-07-06T21:32:00.000-07:002008-07-26T23:11:19.082-07:00

Left GardenHere is the weekly update...here in the upper left side of the photo, you can see the 2 light green plants - these are the blue lake bush beans that i first planted. for some reason, they are not happy here. actually all of the bush beans that i planted in the left garden are not doing well and they are all this light yellow-green color. i don't know if its too much water or too much

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-29214342924416110922008-07-06T21:23:00.000-07:002008-07-06T21:32:00.939-07:00

here are some proof that the tomatoes are growing nicely! i actually harvested my first tomato (sweet 100) today and it was tasty! most tomatoes are still green (including those that are on my heirloom tomato plants)SpitzeMiniBoutiful Harvest GrapeGrape (okay, so when i went to the grocery store and looked at the grape tomatoes they are selling, the size did actually correspond to the ones

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-18779552676368679752008-07-06T21:16:00.000-07:002008-07-06T21:22:21.814-07:00

just because flowers are pretty...the unknown purple-bluish flowerafrican daisyalyssumpetuniamarigoldnasturtium

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-45293716603673069602008-07-04T09:07:00.000-07:002008-07-04T09:43:49.614-07:00

okay, i thought i saw everything yesterday while i harvested cucumbers, peas and zucchini. but when i went out there this morning, i discovered some weird things going on...oh, by the way, happy independence day!first up, the tomato plants i planted from seed. these were the ones that i planted WAY too early outside and i thought it was going to die in our light frosty spring weather. well, i'm

kate franz <a href="http://www.mickaboo.org">mickaboo.org</a>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08136243449580169769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132125312539482972.post-72394386106791173472008-07-03T19:46:00.000-07:002008-07-03T20:21:20.978-07:00

it has been a wonderful eve of the 4th of July! at least in the way of harvests.i have been wanting to harvest the garlic for the last 2 weeks now, but since i just planted them 2 months ago, i thought they would need more time. i also read that just before being ready to harvest, garlic plants grow scapes (flowering stems), but mine never did - i think its because i just planted them in april (

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wow, it's the first of july already! it has been 5 months since we moved into this new home and so far, i've harvested about 15 - 20 zucchini, 2 cucumbers (i just harvested one today), numerous sugar snap peas and strawberries, 10 - 15 carrots, and about 10 heads of large broccoli (not including the many smaller broccoli heads that grew out of the plants after the larger heads were cut). its just

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