I have some good news and….

I’ve been away for a week and my son has been in charge of keeping the seedbeds moist. We had just about given up on the hairy vetch but lo and behold…it has germinated! That’s the good news.

As I predicted, two of the mail-order collard plants have gone to their reward. The others look sickly but seem to be on their way to recovery. So…between the survivors, the swiss chard (silverbeet) and mustard greens…we shall have greens. We’ll have a little lettuce as well…very little. I hope to get more going soon.

Never Again

The collard plants finally arrived yesterday and I put them in their bed this morning. They had been back ordered. I had initially ordered them along with 6 Broccoli plants and three Kale plants. All but one of the broccoli plants survived and now seem to be thriving. The Kale looks great.

I would not be surprised, however if two or more of the collards bite the dust. They didn’t look well when they arrived and I’m afraid they’ll die of transplant shock. None of them had well-developed root systems and when I took them out of their little plastic pots, the soil just fell away. Well, they are now in my garden and their fate, for good or ill, awaits them.

My other concern is frost. Will these little delicate, worse-for-the-wear and poorly rooted transplants survive our first frost which cannot be too far away? I have the floating row cover ready to pull over them when the frost comes but it may not be enough. If I had grown my own transplants, they would have been in the soil for a month by now.

If they die, it serves me right. I just didn’t take the time to produce my own transplants and so I had to depend upon a commercial grower way up north. So, as I put the poor little things in the ground, I kept muttering, “Never again…never again.”

Thursday, 18 October

The chill is definitely in the air when I walk out to The Retreat for morning coffee. I really needed my serape (Mexican security blanket). I was out of the house at dawn (comes late in October — until the stupid time change kicks in) up before my wife and my son visiting from university. It’s my favorite time of day. Good coffee, sun coming up, morning bird calls and time to just think or plan the day.

Time for coffee is also time to take stock of what’s going on in the Charamon garden. Many tasks called out for me but the one that had to win was weeding the young lettuce, carrot and mustard green seedlings. The chard needs it too but it can wait. Prior to that I watered the bed with the newly sown hairy vetch. I’ll need to make sure to keep it moist until the seeds germinate.

This year I have resolved not to let the weeds get the upper hand in any of my beds. Let’s see how well that resolution holds.

Eat your veggies!

The Bindweed Dilemma

It is time to take down the tomato cages. I started the process today. They have done their duty and now this edible nightshade must make room for hairy vetch. This cover crop will grow all winter and fix nitrogen for the next crop of heirloom tomatoes.

My tomatoes were infested this year with purple bindweed (Ipomoea trichocarpa) a relative, believe it or not, of the morning glory and the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatus). It almost choked the life out of my crop…the result of too much neglect on my part.

The leaves give it away as a sweet potato cousin and its roots offer further proof. Although they don’t develop a true tuber-like root, they tend to be heavy and thick (check out the photo). The plant will come up next year from roots left in the ground. It is also an efficient seed-producer. If you want to get rid of the plant for good (almost impossible) you must get rid of all the seed and dig up their roots and trash them. They are not good candidates for composting because they will survive the composting and simply spread as you spread the humus.

Control is the only answer (as it is with bermuda grass and nutsedge). When you see the pretty little vines creeping up your cage or trellis, you must get on your knees and search for the source and nip it in the bud. But, mind you, it is persistent (in common with all my most troublesome weeds).

Here’s a sad truth known by most gardeners. Everyone is eager to consume your veggies but not to help you grow them. Even though I gave some very unsubtle hints, no one (except my extremely busy son) had the ability/desire/inclination/time. Ah well, we live and learn.

The Garlic Lesson

  Here in Western North Central Texas, it is garlic-growing-time. I began growing four kinds of garlic suggested by a professional grower in the region. A couple of varieties really did well. Over the years I have narrowed down to a variety called China Rose. It loves my soil and grows well. I will probably try some other varieties in years to come.

Holding Pattern

Well, I am waiting.  The vegetable seedlings I ordered have still not arrived.  So, I am waiting on them.  The garlic is “spotty” coming up…so I am waiting on them.  The fava beans have not yet poked their heads above the soil surface…so I am waiting on them.  There’s a lot to be done, but the press of other work keeps me out of the garden except for my morning coffee prayer and meditation session.  So much of gardening is waiting…patiently or otherwise.