Urban Gardening 2.0 - Mid-June

The yellow peas have a few pods.

So, there’s not much going on in the veggie garden right now. It’s a big ol’ snoozer out there.

The garden is sort of in between right now – in between the fading cool crops (lettuce, spinach, mustard, arugula, and mizuna are toast) and the growing warm crops (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumber, watermelon don't have fruit, yet).

The cilantro is blooming, which means it’s at death’s door, and, if we wait it out, coriander will make its presence (cilantro seeds = coriander).

Since it’s such a bore out there, I’ll tell you about my super-duper, kick-ass bucket. I’ve gardened for umpteen years with a used 15 gallon black plastic bucket that trees come in, and, really, it worked just fine, but... no more! I got myself a Tubtrug - extra large, to be exact.

What’s great about Tubtrugs:
wide range of colors (this is important, no?)
indestructible
handles a lot of weight
holds water (hello, ice and beverage filled party bucket)
flexible, so you can grab both handles in one hand to carry, and
can squeeze it together to make a spout to pour out dirt or water

I actually gave one of these to my sister for Christmas! I was like, “Um…so...I got you a bucket for Christmas, but it’s awesome!” She then put all her presents in the bucket and was able to carry them all in one trip. See! Awesome.

Urban Gardening 2.0 - Mid-May
Urban Gardening 2.0 - Late April
Urban Gardeining 2.0 - Late March
Urban Gardening 1.0

Urban Gardening 2.0 - Mid-May

This is how our jumbled, tight-for-space garden is looking right about now. Not everything is labeled in the above photo, because the bed really is jumbled. There's a basil hiding between this and that, and a few tomatoes in the back, and even a watermelon over yonder. The watermelon is an insane idea for such a small spot, but we're going vertical with it, or, at least, hope to.

The empty space along the front of the bed used to hold cute, yellow violas that were an impulse buy waaay back when the first flowers were hitting the market, tempting saps like myself. The violas had to go to make room for the veggies.But I'm notoriously cheap (or you could say economical), so the yellow violas got a second life in containers.

Yeah, yellow violas and white geraniums together make my inner designer and outer hort snob retch, but the geraniums were free, and, like I said, I'm cheap! I'll tolerate this combination until something else free comes along. Plants are expensive!

Little baby celery stalks. Aren't they cute?

Bad flowers - mizuna (L) and arugula (R) are bolting. These annual greens are on their way out. Sad face.

Good flowers - tomatillos are in our future. Happy face!


Urban Gardening 2.0 - Late April
Urban Gardeining 2.0 - Late March
Urban Gardening 1.0

Urban Gardening 2.0 - Late April

A garden update so soon? There’s been a lot of activity in the garden – by squirrels! See that empty strip down the center of the bed? Lettuce was there. The squirrels at it all in one day!

Man, we’ve got some scruffy, half-tailed, one-eared squirrels in South Philly, and these badass squirrels have a palate for salad. They bounded over the fence, flung all one pound of their mangy asses on the bird netting until it collapsed, and then feasted. They crawled though the cracks, too. If I weren’t so nonchalant about life, I’d join the old-geezer-with-shotgun gang.

So, we just planted some more lettuce. And rigged the bird netting in a more secure fashion.

Running out of room! Out with superfluous beauty; in with utilitarian foodstuff.

It’s been so warm lately that it’s easy to grab up some tomatoes and peppers, forgetting that the last frost date is in May. Professionally, I’m being a good person and holding off on warm-weather plants for my clients (having hundreds of dollars of plants die is no fun), but, for myself, I can do what I want.

With the replacement lettuce, we also planted tomatoes, peppers, and tomatillos. Still kicking and going strong from the first planting are snap peas, celery, cilantro, spinach, arugula, and mizuna. Yeah, our squirrels don’t like spinach, arugula, and mizuna – just lettuce!

After the planting this weekend, we enjoyed our first salad from the garden (greens only) with a side of Jerusalem artichoke pickles.

Guess what? While I was messing around with scrapers and not posting about food, the squirrels ate the lettuce again – all of it! Lettuce performed so well for us last year. This year, no dice. C’est la vie.

Urban Gardening 2.0 - Late March
Urban Gardening 1.0

Urban Gardening 2.0 - Late March

It doesn't feel like spring here in Philly, but I couldn't help myself the other day when I stopped in the garden center and saw gorgeous flats of cool weather vegetables and pansies, and, so, the second year of vegetable gardening in the tiny raised bed on the tiny back patio began this past weekend.

Plants are so expensive, but without a greenhouse or cold frame to start seedlings, the expense of buying starter vegetables is justified. A few extra bucks spent on starters instead of seeds, and I don't have to deal with bringing trays in and out of the house every day. The pansies weren't justified. I just couldn't help myself.We started by adding Organic Mechanics soil to the bed to raise the soil level – and add some love in the form of compost and worm castings.

With limited sun on the patio, lettuce and greens did really well for us last year. This past weekend we planted lettuce, spinach, kale, mustard, arugula, mizuna, cilantro, brussel sprouts, and celery. I know some of these crops will not mature (brussel sprouts and celery) before it's time to put in warm weather veggies, but we can't help ourselves. This is similar to the affliction of planting twenty tomato plants per person.We set the flats of plants outside, and damn it if the squirrels didn't decimate one of the kales and a six pack of lettuce. Don't know what it is about city squirrels? They're either desperate, or don't know better.And, so, the bird netting fortress went up. Take no chances!While we were at this whole spring cleaning of the patio, I had the boy divide a pot of mint and trim the rosemary. I tried to let him participate in the planting of the garden by having him do most of the work, while I just helped (I do this for a living, so nothing new to me).

I admit I am not the best teacher and lack patience – especially when I can do something faster than I can explain it. I did a fairly good job of letting him be in control (I said fairly), except, when it came time to trim the rosemary, I pried the scissors from his hands. Sorry. I'm a mini-shrub/topiary-trimming Nazi.When it was all done, this is what it looked like. We brought out the table and chairs in anticipation of warm nights and wine to come. We even grilled veggies on the world's tiniest grill. Come on spring! We're ready!

Urban Gardening 1.0

Urban Gardening - Ah, the Memories

Left: Early March; Right: Early April

Left: Early May; Right: Late May

Left: Late June; Right: Early July

Left: Early August; Right: Mid-September

Right: Early November; Left: Mid-November

This is my favorite part about taking pictures of the garden: looking back on the progress. I also like time-lapse photography, flip books, and boxes of chocolate. And boxes of chocolate.

I ripped out the garden this past weekend, even though we haven't had a killing frost yet. I'm tired, the plants are tired, and I prefer working outside when it's not 20 degrees.

Considering the mediocre light that reaches the raised bed on the patio surrounded by a three-story house on one side and a fence on the other three sides, I think the urban vegetable garden was a success. The tomatoes, with their light-seeking, vining habit, and the shade tolerant lettuce were the most prolific crops.

Whether or not we do it again next year is up to the boy, since it is "his" garden, after all. I would like to think that he enjoyed the produce and herbs just a few strides outside his kitchen. He has even taken to the sport of sneaking up on the rascally squirrels to snap their mugs for Philly's most-wanted lineup. Word on the street is one of them's a cop-killer.I noes eat toemater. I swearz.

Urban Gardening - Early March
Urban Gardening - Early April
Urban Gardening - Mid-April
Urban Gardening -Early May
Urban Gardening - Late May
Urban Gardening - Late June
Urban Gardening - Early July
Urban Gardening - Early August
Urban Gardening - Mid-September

Urban Gardening - Mid-September

It’s been over a month and a half since I snapped a picture of the Urban Garden. This is going to make me sound like a bad plant person, but, frankly, this is the time of year when I start to hate plants. While I can’t stand winter and all the bleakness, I just want the tired, played-out plants to die or get frosted so I can clean them up and put the garden to bed.

The tomatoes (‘Juliet’ and ‘Mr. Stripey’) are monstrous and still kicking. I’m giving up on ‘Early Girl’; she has disappointed two years in a row with minimal fruits.

The eggplant cultivar ‘The Fairy’ is tender and tasty enough, but the fruit is too small – fits in your palm – if you only have one plant like we do.

We just used all of the chard. Yay!

The 5 foot tall pepper plant finally decided to produce, as did the late-planted crook neck squash.

Unsolicited product endorsement: As a gardener by profession, I pack heat daily with Felco pruners and the little scissors in the photos above in a holster on my hip. I’d say I use the scissors as much, if not more, than I use my pruners. These scissors are actually grape scissors by ARS, and are my favorite small scissors (bonsai-type and other small scissors for plants) because the blades are pointed and short – about 1.5 inches long. These scissors are made to get into tight places (grape clusters), so fast and accurate cutting is easy. They’re also light weight, so are much kinder to my carpal tunnel-prone hands than pruners. Take them into the vegetable garden!

Urban Gardening - Early March
Urban Gardening - Early April
Urban Gardening - Mid-April
Urban Gardening -Early May
Urban Gardening - Late May
Urban Gardening - Late June
Urban Gardening - Early July
Urban Gardening - Early August

Urban Gardening - Early August

The dog days of summer are upon us, and the vegetables are relishing the heat. Unfortunately, there's a bit of a drought going on, so watering every day is imperative.The tomatoes and cucumbers have grown to the top of the fence and are taking up real estate in the neighbor's back yard.
Mr. Stripey Tomoto, Juliet tomatoes, cucumber, and jalepeno pepper.

The garden plot has turned into a cucumber factory; we've got more cucumbers from one plant than we know what to do with. We just started harvesting tomatoes in the last week or so. We waited patiently for the first large tomato, but we were not the only ones with greedy eyes on the tomatoes...And to think, I fed you bagels when it was snowing outside. Good ones from South St. Philly Bagels, too!

We'd come home to find every large, juicy tomato we were waiting on to ripen half eaten and left in ruins on the ground. Squirrels! (Said how Seinfeld exclaims, "Newman!") There are double doors leading from the kitchen to the back patio, which we leave open to catch what little breeze there is. One morning, I came down the stairs and caught one of those ballsy little effers on the kitchen counter eating a banana. He actually peeled the banana, and dug right in; that's how intrepid these South Philly squirrels are!Only hire trained professionals.

That was it! We had to go on the defensive. I brought in the vermin control squad to install bird netting over the garden.Jailed tomatoes.

Thai Hot Peppers, and Chard.

Veggies currently kickin' in the garden: tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers, chard, eggplants, leeks, and carrots.

Still waiting on: Sweet peppers (the plant is four feet tall, but aborting all the fruit; could be heat and stress), okra (late start), and squash (late start).

Second crop: Do we want to bother with a fall crop? If so, we need to start acting soon.

Urban Gardening - Early March
Urban Gardening - Early April
Urban Gardening - Mid-April
Urban Gardening -Early May
Urban Gardening - Late May
Urban Gardening - Late June
Urban Gardening - Early July

What's For Dinner?

I don’t know about y’all, but this is what dinner has been looking like around here. With all of the fresh, local produce from weekend trips to Headhouse Farmers Market, the yields coming out of our own little urban plot, and baskets of fruit and vegetables from friends with gardens, I’m working overtime just to eat all the fresh food, but I’m not complaining one bit.

I’m not doing anything fancy with the bounty, because it’s all so fresh and tastes so good. I wouldn’t dare think of covering up the flavors with sauces and such; that’s what you do in the winter with grocery store produce. Minimal cooking (if even; it's too hot), and minimal seasoning (salt, pepper, and vinegar) is all I do to prepare the veggies for dinner.

I’m currently trying to eat my way through cabbage (I eat it like candy), corn (try it raw if it’s truly fresh), tomatoes (the king of fresh summer veggies), okra (slime is fun), beets (it does funny things to your poo), cucumbers (slice, add vinegar, and refrigerate), and yellow squash (ok, this one I like to make into a cheesy baked casserole).

Philadelphia Urban Farms Bike Tour

Mill Creek Farms' mosaicked shed

This weekend I forwent my normal weekend bike ride and participated in a bike tour of urban farms in Philadelphia organized by Weaver’s Way Coop. The bike tour coincided with the passing through of a group from Washington DC that is touring urban farms in the Northeast via bike and documenting their experience. I learned about the ride at Straight from the Farm, a blog written by a volunteer at Weaver’s Way Farm who shares timely and tasty recipes for produce that is in season.Weaver's Way Co-op Farm

We started the morning at Weaver’s Way Co-op Farm, a one and a half acre, non-certified organic farm located on Awbury Arboretum in East Mt. Airy that supplies produce and flowers to the Weaver’s Way Co-op.

We then booked it over to visit Mill Creek Farm, a collectively run urban education garden on the site of previous vacant land in West Philadelphia that is devoted to sustainable living and the immediate community.Jade, co-founder of Mill Creek Farm, standing on the living roof of their cobbed shed.

Calendula and tomatoes at Mill Creek Farm

A quick stop was made at the Spring Garden community garden in Fairmount, one of the most beautiful of Philly’s many community gardens, just beyond the shadows of downtown Philadelphia. Residents in the area tend plots filled with ornamentals and vegetables which they bring home and donate to local charities.

Downtown Philly towering over Spring Garden community gardens

Perennials and vegetables co-mingle in a Spring Garden plot

A quick ride over to Fishtown and we arrived at Greensgrow Farms, an operation that sells produce grown in greenhouses on the site of an old galvanized steel plant to local restaurants and the community. Greensgrow is also one of the only nurseries supplying ornamentals accessible to those in the heart of Philadelphia.
Greensgrow Farms

The tour ended a few blocks away at Yards Brewery, where “Beer is the answer,” but if you read this blog you know that beer is never my answer. (It’s a shame Philly doesn’t have a vodka brewery.) A quick peek inside at the facilities and a break in their bar area with a beautiful high timbered ceiling, and I was ready for lunch.

Really?

Missed the bike ride, but still want a tour? There's a very similar tour during the Buy Fresh Buy Local week that takes off over at White Dog Cafe on Saturday, July 21.

Urban Gardening - Early July

I was afraid to come back to a crispy little urban garden after my vacation. Apparently, that rain dance worked. I'll keep up the tapping, jigging, and shuffling.A month ago, we had itty-bitty baby cucumbers, eggplants, and jalepenos. Now, those babies are all grown up and ready to eat. The cucumbers are making a run for the neighbors yard, so I snatch those delinquents back over and make vinegar marinated cucumber salad, a cool and refreshing summer staple that gets better as it sits – and even better with tomatoes.

The eggplant in the garden is a variety called 'Fairy Tale', which I've never grown. I don't like the traditional Italian eggplant, simply because the fruit is too big and more eggplant than I know what to do with. I usually grow the long, slender Japanese varieties because they are smaller and more tender. I couldn't find any Japanese eggplant starters this year, so gave 'Fairy Tale', a miniature eggplant, a try. The purple fruits striated with white are absolutely gorgeous.

The jalepenos will probably end up in salsa – once the tomatoes ripen. 'Juliet' (tomatoes in this picture are smaller than they appear), not so early 'Early Girl', and too young for his stripes 'Mr. Stripey'

In the last post I mistakenly wrote that we had baby cherry tomatoes; we actually have a variety called 'Juliet', a prolific grape tomato. Grape tomatoes are slightly larger than cherry tomatoes and smaller than plum tomatoes, and oblong instead of round. Like cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes are perfect for popping in your mouth or throwing on salads. We also have an early variety, 'Early Girl'. Apparently, girlfriend doesn't wear a watch. The boy picked out 'Mr. Stripey', a low acid heirloom tomato that I neither love nor hate. I kinda like acidic tomatoes; it's how it's supposed to be, but I understand that some people have problems with acid. Head on view of the garden. The walls are turning green.

We pulled all the lettuce except one – they all bolted and were old and bitter. The boy likes bitter lettuce, so he gets one – just one! – plant. We also pulled the beets that were growing on the shady side of the garden. Like the kohlrabi on the shady side of the garden, the beets never developed a bulbous base. In addition to the two existing basil plants in pots, three new basil plants (pictures taken before the deed was done) went into the raised bed for maximum basilosity.

Urban Gardening - Early March
Urban Gardening - Early April
Urban Gardening - Mid-April
Urban Gardening -Early May
Urban Gardening - Late May
Urban Gardening - Late June

Free Fruit

Heads up, city scavengers! No really. Turn your head skyward. Mulberries are ripening as you read this. Walking down a city alley this past weekend, I noticed that a mulberry tree in an empty lot was loaded with fruit. Mulberry fruit looks and tastes similar to blackberries, but they’re above your head and out of sight on the branches of trees with leaves of many different shapes – some lobed and some unlobed.

White mulberry (Morus alba) grows in poor conditions like those found in vacant city lots, and is actually a non-native invasive plant. If I had one in my backyard, goody two shoes here would do the right thing and cut it down, then replace it with a native red mulberry (Morus rubra).

If you find a tree, load up your Tupperware with the berries, and eat them raw on your front stoop, or use in recipes just like you would blackberries. Ah, summer. Just don’t sit on a fence post like a bird and spread these invasive seeds.

Urban Gardening - Late June

It’s been hot recently, and I’m very proud of the boy’s efforts in watering the garden and keeping things alive. (I only visit on the weekends to tidy the garden and lend my expertise.) Things are getting lush and full – not that filling this tiny space is hard. The sweet peas expired with the heat, and have been pulled out along with at least half of the lettuce. The rest of the lettuce will reach it’s demise soon. Remember the herb containers we planted back in May? They've filled in and look gorgeous, if I must say so. Herbs alone can be a boring mass of green. The addition of ornamental plants brings some color and interest. The tall container on the top stoop is full of ornamentals with lemon grass being the only herb in the pot. All the other pots are full of herbs with just a few ornamental red verbena trailing and weaving their bright heads amongst the green.The tomatoes and cucumbers are climbing the walls. Cucumbers do it on their own with tendrils; tomatoes need help with a little twine. Often there's more vertical space available in cities than flat ground, so use it.While tying up the tomatoes, I saw the cutest thing - the boy secured the tomato to the lattice by tying the twine into a bow. So cute! I just tie two half hitches and move on.The kohlrabi are ready! They're amazing glaucous purple globes with leaves radiating out like tentacles. The kohlrabi planted on the shady side of the garden were slow and never developed a bulbous base; they were pulled out to make room for a crook neck yellow squash that just went in. I know. There's no room for it.
Things a comin': purple eggplant flowers, baby jalepenos, baby cherry tomatoes, and baby cucumbers. Can't wait!

Not only is it the time of the year for vacations and weekend trips, the boy travels a lot for work, so the heat and absence of a person to water can take a toll on plants. We move the containers into the shade when out of town, and do a little rain dance. Of course, the containers and beds get a loving soak from the hose before we depart. So far, so good. Hope your garden and containers are looking good and surviving the heat.

Urban Gardening - Early March
Urban Gardening - Early April
Urban Gardening - Mid-April
Urban Gardening -Early May
Urban Gardening - Late May