Since we’re coming up on seed-starting or possibly even mesclun-growing season, some inspiration from the NYTimes on “Living Off the Land in Maine, Even in Winter“:
IT was early February, when the 10-hour day returns here on the 44th parallel, and Barbara Damrosch could see it in the brighter green leaves of her tatsoi and spinach growing in the unheated greenhouse attached to the house she shares with her husband, Eliot Coleman, at Four Season Farm.
Mr. Coleman, 73, began farming here on Cape Rosier, a rocky peninsula in Penobscot Bay, in 1968, on 60 acres of forested land he bought from Scott and Helen Nearing for $33 an acre. …
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By the time they eyed each other over the tomatoes, Mr. Coleman had already published his first book, “The New Organic Grower,” and taken delegations of scientists to Europe to observe the success of intensive organic farming. Ms. Damrosch had appeared on “The Victory Garden,” the popular WGBH public television series that promoted composting and intensive gardening, and she had published a book, “Theme Gardens.” Over the years, they have both continued to write: Ms. Damrosch’s book “A Garden Primer” is a bible for gardeners; Mr. Coleman’s “Four Season Harvest” and “The Winter Harvest Handbook” explain his organic methods in detail…
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This time of year, there is a mad race to seed all kinds of crops. Spinach, salad greens, arugula, cabbages, beets and many other hardy crops are grown in the unheated greenhouses. Seeds of heat-loving tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are started in flats in the one heated greenhouse. As early crops are harvested, the transplants of heat-loving crops will take their place, remaining under the protection of the hoop houses, which can be vented front and back…
I’m prejudiced, because Damrosch’s Garden Primer was the book I used for courage when I first started gardening 25 years ago. Guess I should buy a copy of the revised edition and try pushing my self-imposed limits some more.
So, here’s a question: I know cut-and-come-again hardy greens are supposed to be a very simple project, but I have no faith in my ability to tell edible crops from potentially poisonous wind-blown ‘volunteers’. Now that every grocery store carries a wide variety of pre-bagged greens, is the home-grown taste premium worth investing in a waist-high planter and some plant cover to try growing my mesclun?
Next week, I’m planning a list of this year’s tomato plants…
Raven
I took this picture of our garden yesterday, collards, kale, broccoli, and mustard greens are really doing well. I’ll buy the bagged greens in a pinch but fresh out of the garden are much much better!
debit
Yes. I never plant any because of rabbits, but a neighbor with raised beds gave me some of the last of his spinach in November and it was the best I’ve ever had. I’m going to have to find some tall planters.
OT: The wind is whipping around and rattling the house this morning. All the other cats and Chloe have retreated to their various places of safety/comfort. But Oliver is running to each window and clawing at the doors. He’s going to go out there and kick that wind’s ass.
OzarkHillbilly
Yes
Raven
It’s hard to see but if you look closely at the fencing you will see that it is “double loop ornamental” fence. It’s only made in Texas and Iowa and I had to have it UPS’d but it really does a great job keeping the critters out. We have rabbits and groundhogs and as long as we keep the gate closed it keeps them out.
geg6
If you aren’t watching Up with Chris Hayes this morning, you are missing what Sunday morning punditfests could be, but sadly never are or will be.
Stella Barbone
It’s pretty easy to tell what’s what after the true leaves come in. Wild volunteers that look like their domesticated relatives are edible anyway. We were walking along the beach last week and I was eyeing the beach plant with the mustardy looking leaves and flowers and wondering about the taste. If I were Italian rather than wanna-be Italian, I would have picked and eaten it.
Walker
As soon as planting season begins, my new house is getting apple trees. I have even contacted my old neighbor to get a cutting of his wonderful Rome Red so we can graft that sucker.
tBoy
we get tomato seeds from TomatoBob.com – an Ohio family business
Kirbster
A DIY self-watering “Earthbox” is a great way to grow greens and mini-vegetables out of the reach of rabbits, crawling insects, and weeds. It’s a fun project that you can throw together in an afternoon.
Also, too, you can grow colorful salad greens in window boxes instead of flowers.
currants
Raven–love the fencing. Guessing it won’t keep squirrels out, though? I had trouble last year with them stealing tomatoes, of all things. Otherwise, the critters I need to keep out are bunnies and in the late spring, snapping turtles trying to lay eggs.
chopper
Coleman’s FourSeason Harvest is still one of the gardening references I use the most.
pls
If you want to read about the socio-cultural background of Coleman’s work and the beginning of the farm mentioned in the article, then a book by his daughter Melissa (with his first wife) is a fascinating read: “This Life Is in Your Hands: One Dream, Sixty Acres.”
Sapient
Damrosch’s Garden Primer was the book I used for courage when I first started gardening 25 years ago
Me too! I love that book. Maybe I should buy the revised edition to see what’s up that’s new.
A DIY self-watering “Earthbox” is a great way to grow greens and mini-vegetables.
Yes, that’s the way I do it too, plus you can usually find a place close to your kitchen to place the box for easy access. The rabbits (or someone) usually get a good share (sometimes all) of my garden greens, but I plant them anyway.
I’m addicted to pre-washed beautiful salad greens from the grocery when they aren’t available from my garden. But the garden box greens are way better, and always fresh! I can’t believe it’s that time of year!
Bill
Eliot and Barbara’s farm is about 40 minutes from our summer place, and we try to make the drive at least once a year to buy from their farmstand. To say that they are talented and successful farmers would be a gross understatement. To see their vegetables growing is stunning. You have literally never seen such healthy, happy plants in your life. They’ve got this organic growing thing figured the hell out, and they jot it all down in books and share their knowledge and experience so others can grow successfully. When we visited last year, Eliot was wearing a shop-vac as a backpack, and was vacuuming bugs right off the spinach.
I would vote yes on growing your own mesclun. We do, in a fairly weedy garden, but our most aggressive weeds are purslane and lamb’s quarters, both of which are delicious and far more nutritious than anything we’re trying to grow.
BigHank53
Check out Coleman’s Four Season Harvest at the local library, and you’ll have your own cold frame/row covers within weeks. Windblown volunteers happen all the time: they’re called weeds, and you just yank out the plant that isn’t lettuce or spinach or tatsoi or claytonia or arugula or mustard. Cold-weather growing, though, means that it’s too cold for a lot of weeds to even germinate.
Sapient
Raven, with beautiful plants like that, I’m surprised that you don’t have two-legged invasive species breaking in. I’d be tempted.
Raven
@currants: They certainly could get over it but we haven’t had much problem.
Princess
Home grown greens have more flavour than grocery store mesclun (which basically tastes like groovily-shaped lettuce to me). I like the stronger, bitter flavours, but not all do.
Peter
It is absolutely worth it. I keep stuff going all winter under hoops and the flavor alone is worth the effort. It’s remarkable how many species can thrive with a little protection.
Also, per Bill above, some weeds are excellent eating: purslane, lamb’s quarters, dandelions, etc.
peggy
Windowsill mesclun project. Wash plastic tofu(or take-out) containers and punch some holes in the bottom and fill with 2-4″ soil. Find a matching container for the water overflow and use soda bottle caps to provide elevation. Thoroughly moisten the soil, plant some lettuce, mesclun, beets, herb, onion or asian veggie seeds and cover lightly with soil. Scatter the seeds thickly, 1/4-1/2″ apart. You can mix various types together, but they will germinate & grow at different rates.
Harvest with scissors between 2&4″. All of these baby greens make a fine salad. Also try planting a container and putting it on a windowsill at work to liven up your lunch.
Off topic, but I’m not ready for the great outdoors yet.
WaterGirl
@geg6: I really love Up with Chris Hayes. I have to say I was kind of disappointed in Saturday’s show, though. Did you watch it? I would love to get your take on it.
Gretchen
@Raven:
I didn’t get a thing out of my garden last year – all was eaten by rabbits, possums, squirrels, raccoons, and a family of groundhogs that actually moved inside the chicken-wire fence as if I’d put it there for their own little home. And none of them were scared off by my big dog. Is the fence partly buried to keep the digging critters out?
Yes, it’s worth growning your own mesclun and lettuce. I buy the Pinetree Gardens mixes – they sell a variety of lettuce and mesclun mixes that have numerous types of seeds in one packet. I go out with a scissors (or did before the neighborhood critters discovered I was running a lunch buffet), cut off a variety of lettuces about 2-3 inches off the ground, and let them grow back. One planting, harvest lasts until the weather turns hot.
I’m thinking an electric fence my be my only recourse to getting anything out of my garden. Anybody have any experience with that?
imonlylurking
Maybe this is a good spot to post my inquiry.
My place of employment has a garden-the produce is donated to a local food shelf. Last year was the first year-we made our target, barely (because I stepped in and took over in July-the guy tapped to be in charge willingly admits that he knows nothing about gardening. He was extremely grateful for the assistance.)
I volunteered to be on the garden committee this year-and they made me co-chair. (I get the greatest toys.)
I’ve been looking at seed catalogs and I’m falling in love with eggplants. I want to grow at least 6 varieties, which is kinda nuts but I can’t help it.
Of course, 6 packets of eggplant seeds will be an alarming amount of seeds. I can probably figure out how to store them (they just go in a baggie and then in the fridge, right?) but the ideal would be getting several eggplant lovers and split the seeds up evenly, so everybody gets some of each variety. Some of my friends are happily willing to do this with with tomatoes and peppers, but I only have one friend who would be interested in eggplant.
So. At the risk of being booted for soliciting-would anybody here be interested in joining my eggplant seed coop?
Raven
@Gretchen: It’s very tight at the bottom. I set the 4×4’s in concrete and then stretched the fence fabric with a come-along hooked by chains to trees. The fencing in very rigid and the weave is tight enough to keep critters out. You might trench a few inches down and put treated 1X4’s along the base for more burrowing protection.
geg6
@WaterGirl:
Missed the Saturday show. I had to go to work to preside over a FAFSA completion workshop. Which is a really shitty way to start the weekend. Crazy anxious parents, sullen teens, and computer anxiety mixed with financial stress. Even if Up sucked, it would have been better. ;-)
WaterGirl
@geg6: Sounds like almost as much fun as the weekend of somebody at BJ who had a tour guide for the work open house abandon some set of people in the basement of some building. Both stories make me glad I left the University. :-)
I thought of you and Henry this week when I helped a friend through what looked like it might be his dog’s last day, but, happily, wasn’t. I hope you guys are doing okay.
ruemara
No garden for me this spring. Short sale. Unless I get a much better paying gig. Or win the lottery. But I look forward to as much garden porn as you guys can post. I’ll miss having dirt to play with and, yes, the flavour is totally worth it. I’ve never had chard or greens as tender and delicious as the ones from my boxes. I used the Square Foot Garden method-poorly-and it was still very good stuff.
Gretchen
@imonlylurking:
Cook’s Garden sells a one-packet mix of all their eggplant varieties. I have had good luck with their squash mixes.
Alternatively, Pinetree Gardens eggplant seeds for $1-1.50 a packet, so you can afford several. They’re my favorite company – inexpensive, and lots of variety.
imonlylurking
@Gretchen: I have not heard of either of those companies. Seeds of Change sells packets with 20 seeds but that’s still way more than I need.
I’ll check them out-thank you!
greenergood
I remember visiting a college-era old friend (as opposed to ‘an old college friend’),living in Rockland, ME in the summertime a few years ago, and he had enormous basil plants, the like of which we would never ever see in Scotland. So the winters are frozen, but the summers are far more sultry – I envy you.
pjcamp
All I know is arugula is a commitment for life. Once you’ve planted it you’ve got it for life. In fact, you’ve got it coming up all over your yard for life.