Last weekend I watched the first round of Premier League football in England and Scotland. That always triggers my thoughts of the fall vegetable garden. It is time to think about some fall planting.
In a previous article, we discussed broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. It is not too late to still add these, but you had better hurry. You need to know your growing zone, and when your first frost will be coming. In the Ozarks, I have till around October 16.
Think back to spring time crops now also. Onions, lettuce, spinach, carrots are all good possibilities at this point. You can also use a cold frame to extend the growing season. The key is finding crops that can get their business done in around 60 days.
Get yourself some straw, and have it around to help with early frost. In addition, you want to make sure your crops are well watered through the remainder of the really hot weather. For me, that means mid-September.
Before you plant, make sure and fertilize the ground again, as summer crops will have taken needed nutrients from the soil. You can find an article on organic fertilizers in the archives of this blog. Feel free check it out. A good fish emulsion is also a favorite of mine for this time of year. Add a can or bottle of beer for the root system. Mix it all in 5 gallons of water, and add to the garden plot.
We will see you in the Celtic Ozark Garden again soon, feel free to email me with your questions about fall gardening, and I will share answers with everyone.
Ray Province
Ray Province is a retired minister who now works as an IT Programmer in the healthcare industry. He is also owner of The Celtic Ozarkian, a website that chronicles life in the Ozarks. He is an avid gardener, fly fisher, and Scottish football fan. You can reach him at contactus@celticozarkian.com or @celticozarkian on Twitter
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Get More Green Beans In
Folks,
Now is the time to get another crop of green beans into the ground. The current long term forecasts for most of the United States will allow another round of green bean planting. However, you need to get it done quick.
When looking for sytles of green beans, look for the varieties with shorter growing times. From my home in the Ozarks, we have approx 12 weeks until the average first frost. That is, then, the time frame we have to get the green beans finished.
As crops come in, try freezing them for a winter treet. Pick your green beans, remove the tip ends, and snap your beans into 2 or 3 segments. If you have any blemishes, take them out. Blanch your green beans for 2 minutes in boiling water, then drop them into an ice bath. This stops the "cooking" process.
Once your green beans have cooled, place them in freezer style baggies. I use an 8 cup measuring device, so I can divide my beans into 2 bags. You want to use quart bags. One bag will be equivalent to putting 2 cans of green beans on your table.
For those who plan ahead, plan on 52 bags for a family of 4 to have green beans once a week all year. You can thank my dad for that handy bit of info. I can still remember canning green beans to this level every summer.
slainte,
Ray Province
Celtic Ozark Garden
Ray Province is a retired minister and owner of The Celtic Ozarkian, a website dedicated to life in the Ozarks. Ray is also a freelance writer on religion, gardening, and travel. You can reach him at contactus@celticozarkian.com, or @celticozarkian on Twitter.
Now is the time to get another crop of green beans into the ground. The current long term forecasts for most of the United States will allow another round of green bean planting. However, you need to get it done quick.
When looking for sytles of green beans, look for the varieties with shorter growing times. From my home in the Ozarks, we have approx 12 weeks until the average first frost. That is, then, the time frame we have to get the green beans finished.
As crops come in, try freezing them for a winter treet. Pick your green beans, remove the tip ends, and snap your beans into 2 or 3 segments. If you have any blemishes, take them out. Blanch your green beans for 2 minutes in boiling water, then drop them into an ice bath. This stops the "cooking" process.
Once your green beans have cooled, place them in freezer style baggies. I use an 8 cup measuring device, so I can divide my beans into 2 bags. You want to use quart bags. One bag will be equivalent to putting 2 cans of green beans on your table.
For those who plan ahead, plan on 52 bags for a family of 4 to have green beans once a week all year. You can thank my dad for that handy bit of info. I can still remember canning green beans to this level every summer.
slainte,
Ray Province
Celtic Ozark Garden
Ray Province is a retired minister and owner of The Celtic Ozarkian, a website dedicated to life in the Ozarks. Ray is also a freelance writer on religion, gardening, and travel. You can reach him at contactus@celticozarkian.com, or @celticozarkian on Twitter.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
How To Grow Turnips
I wanted to share a video on growing my personal favorite vegetable. Turnips will grow almost anywhere, which is probably why Ozarkians grow them. It is a strong tasting vegetable, that has many of the same basic uses as potatoes or colliflower. Hope you enjoy the vdeo.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Recipe For Spiced Beets
Hey Folks,
In the video we did on how to grow beets, we promised to publish our recipe for spiced beets. The recipe belongs to Robin's Aunt. If you let these cure overnight, they get better tasting. We also like to eat them cold. Enjoy!
Beet Recipe
Ray Province
Celtic Ozarkian
In the video we did on how to grow beets, we promised to publish our recipe for spiced beets. The recipe belongs to Robin's Aunt. If you let these cure overnight, they get better tasting. We also like to eat them cold. Enjoy!
Beet Recipe
Ray Province
Celtic Ozarkian
Monday, July 20, 2009
How To Grow Beets.
I wanted to share another video on one of my favorite Celtic Ozark Garden veggies: the beet. They are easy to grow, and are packed with vitamins. Hope you enjoy the video.
Gafdening Careers
If you have ever enjoyed a lush garden, fresh vegetables, a nice park, or a grassy golf course, you may have thought of a career in gardening and landscaping. There are a lot of different kinds of opportunities in this field, from actually digging in the dirt outside to planning, buying, and selling in an office or store. There are also many places to learn the trade.
Digging In The Dirt
Working outside in a natural environment is an absolute job requirement for some people. Enjoying both the sun and the rain seems better than a desk any day. Many of these people get into the gardening and landscaping fields.
The easiest job to get, but also the most backbreaking, is planting and maintenance for a landscaping company. These are the folks who are outside every season planting new flowers around office parks, stores, and parks. This work does not pay as much as more specialize work, but it is a good way to get acquainted with this kind of gardening and landscaping task.
With some training in botany and plant care, it's possible to get a job with a little more independence and pay. Places like botanical gardens, city parks, and college campuses need managers for their grounds departments that plan, grow, and plant each season's display. Part of the year you may be running a greenhouse, and part you may spend mostly outside.
Perhaps the most demanding job for an individual gardener is raising a truck garden growing food to sell to individual customers and restaurants. You must have great skills in all aspects of gardening and landscaping, and management too, to keep a garden producing enough food in every season to supply regular customers. High-end restaurants often like to serve fresh, local, organic food. But they will not buy from a gardener that has an erratic harvest schedule or that produces poor vegetables.
Places To Learn
There are many places to learn the gardening and landscaping trade. The first is just to take an entry-level job with a company or city and just learn on the job. But it is hard to move up to a position of more responsibility without some education and not just in how to grow plants.
Many community and vocational colleges give gardening and landscaping degrees. Expect to study for two to four years, but also expect to learn all about planting, and how to run a business too. Gardening and landscaping is a great field for people who want to be self-employed.
Jerry Cahill Gardening website designer featuring items of interest to gardeners.
http://gardenlandscapedesigns.com/
http://gardenlandscapedesigns.com/gardening-tools-starter-kit/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jerry_Cahill
Digging In The Dirt
Working outside in a natural environment is an absolute job requirement for some people. Enjoying both the sun and the rain seems better than a desk any day. Many of these people get into the gardening and landscaping fields.
The easiest job to get, but also the most backbreaking, is planting and maintenance for a landscaping company. These are the folks who are outside every season planting new flowers around office parks, stores, and parks. This work does not pay as much as more specialize work, but it is a good way to get acquainted with this kind of gardening and landscaping task.
With some training in botany and plant care, it's possible to get a job with a little more independence and pay. Places like botanical gardens, city parks, and college campuses need managers for their grounds departments that plan, grow, and plant each season's display. Part of the year you may be running a greenhouse, and part you may spend mostly outside.
Perhaps the most demanding job for an individual gardener is raising a truck garden growing food to sell to individual customers and restaurants. You must have great skills in all aspects of gardening and landscaping, and management too, to keep a garden producing enough food in every season to supply regular customers. High-end restaurants often like to serve fresh, local, organic food. But they will not buy from a gardener that has an erratic harvest schedule or that produces poor vegetables.
Places To Learn
There are many places to learn the gardening and landscaping trade. The first is just to take an entry-level job with a company or city and just learn on the job. But it is hard to move up to a position of more responsibility without some education and not just in how to grow plants.
Many community and vocational colleges give gardening and landscaping degrees. Expect to study for two to four years, but also expect to learn all about planting, and how to run a business too. Gardening and landscaping is a great field for people who want to be self-employed.
Jerry Cahill Gardening website designer featuring items of interest to gardeners.
http://gardenlandscapedesigns.com/
http://gardenlandscapedesigns.com/gardening-tools-starter-kit/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jerry_Cahill
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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