The mighty lettuce plant is the king of the spring garden. Going out and picking fresh lettuce will add to any dinner salad. The best part is it is easy to grow.
Lettuce came to us from Asia Minor, and was no doubt a weed. (L Scariola) The leaf style lettuce grew easily, and was hardy in all but the hottest places. Plenty of vitamins were available. There was also good roughage in lettuce.
Now, we enjoy mostly commercially grown varieties of lettuce. That is a shame, because there are so many good heirloom varieties available today. My personal favorites are the mixed lettuce varieties that are sold by the Baker Creek Seed Company in Mansfield, Missouri. You can check out the varieties of lettuce they have at www.rareseeds.com.
Lettuce is planted by just scattering the seed across the top of soil. I generally like to take my fingers and lightly spread the seed into the soil. The seed likes to be planted in fertile well drained soil. You will also need to keep the lettuce
well watered. Lettuce also does well in partly sunny
to sunny locations.
So, get your seed catalog out today, and pick out a variety of heirloom lettuce to plant in your springtime garden. You'll be very glad you did.
Raymond C. Province, M.A.
Celtic Ozark Solutions
Friday, January 29, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Get Your Seeds Ready
In the middle of the cold of January, the heart of the Celtic Ozark Garden begins to beat once more. Now is the time to begin to get your seeds ready to go. Life returns to the garden very soon.
Most of the Springtime vegetables will be planted by seed. My onions and potatoes will be the exception. Those I will grow from a starter. My Celtic Ozark Garden starts every year around St. Patrick's Day, with the root crops. As a rule, it is around April 9th of each year, though, before the Ozarks gets past any chance of frost. So, lettuce and peas planted early have to be watched.
Having said that, it is still a good time to start the seed for tomatoes, green peppers, squash, etc. They won't get planted much before the first couple of weeks of May, but they will get started. If you own a greenhouse, or have a place that is warm, where you can start seed, you can get going by February. You will give you plants around a 6-8 week headstart this way. You must, though, keep them warm.
I use a sunny part of a spare bedroom to start mine, near the window. It has a clear cover to keep the cats out! As Spring comes, and my garage warms up a bit, I will transfer them there, with a grow light. I have not built my dream greenhouse yet, but this is how I make use of what I have, to give the Celtic Ozark Garden of Summer a bit of a head start.
Get the seed catalog out! Go heirloom!
Slainte,
Ray Province
Celtic Ozark Garden
Ray Province is a retired minister and owner of Celtic Ozark Solutions.com and the Celtic Ozarkian.com. He likes to write about heirloom, square foot gardening techniques and products. You can reach him at contactus@celticozarkian.com or @celticozarkian on Twitter
Most of the Springtime vegetables will be planted by seed. My onions and potatoes will be the exception. Those I will grow from a starter. My Celtic Ozark Garden starts every year around St. Patrick's Day, with the root crops. As a rule, it is around April 9th of each year, though, before the Ozarks gets past any chance of frost. So, lettuce and peas planted early have to be watched.
Having said that, it is still a good time to start the seed for tomatoes, green peppers, squash, etc. They won't get planted much before the first couple of weeks of May, but they will get started. If you own a greenhouse, or have a place that is warm, where you can start seed, you can get going by February. You will give you plants around a 6-8 week headstart this way. You must, though, keep them warm.
I use a sunny part of a spare bedroom to start mine, near the window. It has a clear cover to keep the cats out! As Spring comes, and my garage warms up a bit, I will transfer them there, with a grow light. I have not built my dream greenhouse yet, but this is how I make use of what I have, to give the Celtic Ozark Garden of Summer a bit of a head start.
Get the seed catalog out! Go heirloom!
Slainte,
Ray Province
Celtic Ozark Garden
Ray Province is a retired minister and owner of Celtic Ozark Solutions.com and the Celtic Ozarkian.com. He likes to write about heirloom, square foot gardening techniques and products. You can reach him at contactus@celticozarkian.com or @celticozarkian on Twitter
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Time to Add Some Fertilizer
Over the past couple of weeks, the Celtic Ozark Garden has been filled with wonderful snow. We have had a very cold stretch of weather, so all our precipatation has been in the form of snow. That's OK with me. It is a gift from Nature, and a reminder to add some fertilizer to the garden.
Fresh snow in the garden adds wonderful nitrogen to your garden like none other. Spring peas, lettuce, and onions will be very happy. You can't beat it.
In addition to the nitrogen from the snow, I like to make up a natural fertilizer to add to the garden. Take a 5 gallon bucket, and add: 1 beer of your choice, and 1 cup of Epsom Salts, and 1/2 cup of ammonia (no scented ammonia). Pour this conentration throughout the garden, so that it has time to set in well, while the garden is still sleeping for the winter. By the time you start planting in the Spring, those new nutrients will be there, and the soil will have had time to help break them down.
Happy January to all, hope you are staying warm in your little neck of the woods,
Ray Province
Celtic Ozark Garden
Ray Province is a retired minister, and now IT programmer in the healthcare industry. He is the owner of Celtic Ozark Solutions, a company specializing in website content, articles, and blogs. He frequently writes about natural, square foot style gardening. You can reach him at contactus@celticozarkian.com, or @celticozarkian on Twitter
Fresh snow in the garden adds wonderful nitrogen to your garden like none other. Spring peas, lettuce, and onions will be very happy. You can't beat it.
In addition to the nitrogen from the snow, I like to make up a natural fertilizer to add to the garden. Take a 5 gallon bucket, and add: 1 beer of your choice, and 1 cup of Epsom Salts, and 1/2 cup of ammonia (no scented ammonia). Pour this conentration throughout the garden, so that it has time to set in well, while the garden is still sleeping for the winter. By the time you start planting in the Spring, those new nutrients will be there, and the soil will have had time to help break them down.
Happy January to all, hope you are staying warm in your little neck of the woods,
Ray Province
Celtic Ozark Garden
Ray Province is a retired minister, and now IT programmer in the healthcare industry. He is the owner of Celtic Ozark Solutions, a company specializing in website content, articles, and blogs. He frequently writes about natural, square foot style gardening. You can reach him at contactus@celticozarkian.com, or @celticozarkian on Twitter
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Celtic Garden Fall Planting
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
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 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
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