Supporting Peas

The peas are about 2" - 6" and in need of support.  I have tried all sorts of methods: the English traditional methods are twiggy branches or mesh netting.  I don't like either as they are messy and hard to reuse.

After a lot of experimentation, I use a rather stiff metal mesh 4 feet high, that I stick into the ground and either tie to greenhouse ribs or to long stakes.  The mesh is fairly cheap, easy to clean and lasts indefinitely.  The peas seem to love it and crops are heavier and longer.

Do not listen to those seed companies that say you do not need to support dwarf pea varieties.  Peas love to climb and the higher the better.

Foaming Bountea

Time for another dose of Bountea in the garden.  I left it a little long and the foam started spilling over. 

I believe foam is a great indicator of biological activity and am told it contains the bodies of dead microbes!

I have heard that some "experts" say the foam comes from the yucca in the Bioactivator.  This does not quite make sense as it only happens when it is warm and has been brewing for a few hours.

If you want to reduce foaming, just add a little cooking oil to the brew.

Digging in the Garden

I was away over the last week and could not get into the garden.  So this last weekend was a bit of a marathon. 

I found that some strange roots (possibly aspen) had invaded some greenhouse beds and created a interlaced network about 9" below the surface.  Out came the Big fork (10" tines while the Little fork has 5" tines) and I had an energetic time getting most of the roots out.

Although I espouse minimal dig methods which only disturb the top 4 inches of the soil, I actually love to dig!  I was raised on double-digging that goes down 18" but that is not a good idea in my sandy soil.  So I create new beds (like the potatoes) or renovate the old ones as an excuse to get some real exercise.  I have my eye on a new patch for next week!

Potatoes

I have a complicated relationship with potatoes.  When I was 18 and living on a tiny croft farm on the Sheepshead Penninsula in the far South of Ireland, we planted potatoes in lazy-beds every year (see Bountea Article).  With the rain, peaty soil and a helping of cow manure, the potatoes simply grew themselves.

In my sandy alkali soil, I have had problems getting any kind of crop - and the potatoes often have a nasty dose of scab.  Last year I grew a couple of varieties of fingerlings with moderate success.  I dug deep trenches and filled them with peatmoss and pine tree mulch.  The more acid environment did help contain the scab.

This Sunday I started two new beds; potatoes like fresh soil.  I had forgotten how rocky my soil can be as I removed about 60 pounds of stones from an area 30" x 60".  I am trying the car tire approach: you plant 2 or 3 potatoes and cover with a car tire.  As the plant grows, you fill in the tire with more mulch and soil around the stem to provide an environment for the setting of extra potatoes.  There is a concern that the tires might leach chemicals but I will use weed block to keep the roots from touching the rubber.

I contacted the seed potato supplier, Ronniger Potato Farm, and asked for scab resistant varieties. Of their suggestions, I ordered Keuka Gold.  I also planted Peanut fingerlings for great taste.  Ronnigers also told me that I was probably not watering enough and the dry soil was promoting scab.

With better information and a few new growing tricks, I expect to a bumper crop of potatoes this year.

Mountain Gardeners Meeting

The food was wonderful, the conversation all about gardening - what could be better!  The Boulder Mountain Organic Gardeners had their first meeting with just 10 members - but a whole host waiting in the wings.  The conversation ranged over topics of intense interest to mountain gardeners:

• Plant protection vs. the devastation of hail, wind and critters
• Pollination by other insects than bees
• Which varieties of vegetable grow best at altitude and in short seasons
• How to get our rocky soil to become and stay fertile
• Project Budburst (www.budburst.org) - keeping exact records on plant development to help track climate change for UCAR in Boulder
• Encouraging the growth of aspens using wood-ash -- but make sure keep them far from your garden!

We meet next month in the mountain town of Nederland.

Preparing for Spring with Microbes

Not a very interesting weekend in the garden - mostly clean-up after the snow and getting ready for the burst of growth that will happen as soon as it stops freezing at night.

I sowed more cover crops (peas and barley), planted out the leeks and transplanted lots of Swiss chard seedlings that had set themselves.  The variety is my favorite - Verte a Carde Blanche - very sweet with a wide white stem and slightly crumpled deep green leaves.  We use the leaves and stem as almost separate vegetables.

I ran a bunch of Fall leaves through the shredder ready for another compost pile.  The old pile had cooled down so I turned it over, added a couple of handfuls of rock dust, some M3 and a good dose of Bountea.  The extra nitrogen and microbes really worked - in a couple of days it was steaming hot again.

It is always best to add all amendments, particularly rock dust, to either the Bountea or your compost pile. That way everything gets processed by the microbes.  Microbes are king of the garden. The picture is of microbes in compost tea.

Green Manure for Tomatoes

This is the right time to begin thinking about your tomato beds.  I am not  exactly sure where all the varieties will fit but I know they like lots of food.  I had 15 minutes to spare today, so I sowed some green manure in a couple of places.

I gave the 2 beds (each 4' x 6') a shallow forking and raked them smooth.  This year I am experimenting with Field Peas and Spelt.  I usually use clover and barley but I wanted a change.  The big seeds are easily sprinkled over the soil.  I gently raked them in and covered with a light dusting of leaves.  That's it.

The seeds should germinate quickly with the peas climbing up the spelt stems as they grow.  In May/June, I will fork them under and plant the tomatoes.

Boulder Mountain Organic Gardeners

I have been a member of the Boulder Culinary Gardeners (BCG) for a number of years.  It is wonderful collection of avid vegetable gardeners with a vast range of experience.  Lately the group has become so popular that it has been hard to hold meetings of the whole group.  Instead it now provides classes on a number of gardening topics to all comers.

One difficulty I have with BCG is that members mostly garden in the Boulder flatlands at around 5,500 altitude.  That means they enjoy an unfair growing advantage over us Mountain gardeners.  The season is shortened by about 10 days for every 1000 ft altitude; my last frost date can be June 1st.  The picture is of the path to my greenhouses.

So a few of us hardy Mountain gardeners have got together to start our own group: Boulder Mountain Organic Gardeners (BMOG).  We hope to hold our first big meeting in a couple of weeks.  You have to be crazy to garden in the Rocky Mountains so it should be interesting!

If you are a gardener, think about joining or forming your own group.  It is an immensely valuable arena to share gardening experiences. Tell me about your.