Hello, Three Day Weekend

I love weekends. Three day weekends especially. No alarm clocks, no schedule, no WORK – complete bliss.

This morning we headed up to Evanston for the farmer’s market since the one in our neighborhood doesn’t start until next week. I was after morels. Unfortunately, I came home disappointed. I might’ve gotten some if we went early (we didn’t get over there until after 10:30) but I really needed to sleep in this morning. I spoke with my favorite mushroom vendor there though, and she confirmed my fears – this season is no good for morels. Just too cool. Morels like to grow in hot, humid conditions. Well, we’ve had the humidity this season but not the heat. The supply is incredibily limited, and a lot of foragers are just keeping them for themselves instead of selling them. And can you blame them? I’d do the same thing. At any rate, she said they’ll likely have a few again next week, but I’ll have to get there right when they open because they’ve been selling out of them almost immediately. The one bright spot is they’re not charging super high prices even though the supply is severely limited. They’re letting them go for about $30.00 per pound, which is a steal considering how rare they are this spring. So if I can hold onto a $20.00 this week and convince myself to wake up at 5:30 next Saturday… I might be able to get myself a little pile of morels for my once-a-year proper coq au vin.

Fortunately, the market had plenty of other goodies on offer that we availed ourselves of. Our mushroom vendor did have some fine looking criminis, so we got a quart of those. Some mushrooms is better than no mushrooms. We’ve been doing them on the grill a lot lately. We also picked up some green onions, Rose Finn fingerling potatoes and some beef kabob cubes. We looked at flowers too, since we’d like to get a couple of spots of color out on the deck, but we didn’t see anything that caught our eye. Maybe next week.

While in Evanston, we popped over to Market Fresh Books, which is having a killer sale this weekend since they are closing their second location. You can get a whole grocery sack full of books for only $20! I was able to pile in 42 before my husband cried uncle and had to drag me from the store. Apparently I’d been in there an hour – but it only felt like a few minutes! I got a few books for me, and a major haul for the kiddo – I scored THIRTY vintage Golden Books! I also got a couple board books, two of which are Dr. Suess, and some activity and learn-t0-cook books (for when he’s older). Each book came out at just under fifty cents each – what a score! You can’t touch vintage Golden Books for that price on Ebay. And they’re all in near-perfect condition. There are a lot left, so if I were you I’d head up there today or tomorrow! They are my favorite used bookstore of all time, and this is an unbeatable deal.

Once we got home from our Evanston adventure, we had some leftover Cincinnati chili for lunch and then I rearranged the deck and potted up the last few plants we’ve acquired in the last week – have a dozen strawberry plants and some hops. (Stay tuned for the pics of the deck, in it’s “finished” state). And then it started raining, even though all the weather reports called for a sunny, warm afternoon. I spent some time relaxing and reading and listening to the rain until it got to cool to sit out (even with a blanket) and then retreated indoors, where I now sit. It’s relatively quiet for a Saturday in the city – it’s still raining a bit, and the birds are chirping outside and it’s nice. I might work up the motivation to hit up the grocery store in a bit, but we’ll see.

Tomorrow I plan to make a big brunch – barbecued pork with jalapeno corn bread and breakfast potatoes – I’ve been craving something different. It’ll be the home version of what I usually get at our favorite brunch spot. Then we may head over to Andersonville to do a little thrifting – I’m always on the lookout for canning jars this time of year, and books and Saveur magazines as always, and now – baby things. Plus I’ve got a bag or two of things to donate myself. If it continues to be cool, I’ll bake some bread and do up a coffee cake or muffins. And I’m going to work with a whole duck this weekend – rendering the fat, confiting the legs/thighs, freezing the breasts for a later dinner and making a stock out of the carcass. Keep your eyes peeled for that post before the weekend is out.

And Monday, just relaxing at home. Spending some time outdoors as much as possible – hopefully the weather turns around! We’re going to grill some kabobs for Monday dinner. I might get started on cutting the quilt blocks for my son’s baby quilt too, especially if it remains gloomy and cool. All in all, a perfect weekend.

Deck Veggies – Part One

This weekend, we got all of the veggies into soil. Not all in the permanent homes since we ran out of potting soil (we still need enough to fill four seven-gallon pots), but we’ve got them all in some kind of dirt at least.

That’s our brand new rosemary and the window box. Oregano is in the center, flanked by thyme, cucumbers and chard. I know typically that cucumbers and chard need a lot more space to grow, but I’m going to give it a try here – after working at the rooftop garden last summer I’m amazed by what can grow in very little soil. So we’ll see what happens. The biggest challenge will be keeping it watered and fertilized.

An alternate shot of the deck railing, with the hanging baskets visible. Sweet peppers in one, hot peppers in the other. They’re super crowded with four plants each – when we get more soil, only one will be in each pot, with the remaining three getting transferred to larger quarters.

The spot below our deck railing on the patio houses the tomatoes on the left and cabbages on the right. I’ve got four plants per container right now due to the soil shortage, but I’ve got another four of these pots, so they’ll end up being two to a container. All six pots will be lined up here, in the sunniest spot. Still slightly tighter space than is ideal, but I’ve successfully grown produce in much smaller pots totally indoors in an east-facing window for many years, so to me this is like the Garden of Eden. I think I can make it work.

This is our one planter of non-edibles – a false spiria in between two creeping junipers. It provides a nice flash of color in front of our bedroom window. And you can see the spare pots just waiting eagerly for soil just off to the side.

Stay tuned for Deck Veggies - Part Two when we get our next batch of potting soil and get everything into its proper space.  We still need to hang our white summer lanterns (in between the hanging planters) and maybe get a few pots of flowers for our etagere (which lives to the left of the white planter above and is currently mostly empty) and then the deck will be “complete” for this season.

Plan C: The Transplants Have Arrived

Yesterday my husband surprised me with two new plants – a false spiria (the one with the lovely pale pink flowers) and a new rosemary for my first Mother’s Day. Excited by the new greenery, we decided to head over to Gethsemane, despite the rain and chill, to get the rest of the plants we wanted for the garden. Needing copious amounts of dirt, my husband also muscled home over 60 pounds of potting soil on a hand cart – a walk of over a mile and a half!

Our plant haul included -

1 Italian oregano

2 French thymes

4 ‘Red Express’ cabbage

4 ‘Bush Pickle’ cucumbers

4 ‘Rhubarb’ chard

4 ‘Gypsy’ sweet peppers

4 ‘Anaheim hot peppers

4 ‘La Roma’ tomatoes

1 purple mini African violet (for my desk at work – we finally moved into a room with a window)

If the weather ever warms up today, we hope to have at least half of it planted into containers this afternoon - we’re probably going to need another 40-60 pounds of potting soil, and after yesterday’s tiring jaunt, a return trip is likely going to have to wait until next weekend. But at long last, we’ve got some real live plants at Apartment Farm this season.

Seedlings Don’t Thrive on Neglect…

Well. Here I am on April 16th with exactly ZERO seedlings ready for planting. Why’s that? Well apparently, you need to water them daily and make sure their sunlight needs are being met. Now clearly, I know this. I’ve been starting seeds successfully for years, but this year’s pregnancy brain has really gotten the best of me. It’s a miracle I can get out of the house each day with my keys, wallet and transit card. Remembering to stop in the kitchen and open the curtain and water the seedlings… evidently that was asking too much of myself.

But, being the middle of April yet with another potential week of hard frosts outside still, all hope is not lost. I’m just back at square one. Wouldn’t be the first time. I clearly need to modify my seed starting routine to ensure success. I’m going to direct seed my scallions, cucumbers, zucchini and such outside. So the only ones I’m going to start at this late date are tomatoes and strawberries. Yes, I’m stubbornly going to try to grow alpine strawberries from seeds still.

The seedling tray can’t live in the kitchen. Space-wise, it’s the pefect spot, but I just don’t go in there in the mornings more than grabbing my packed lunch and breakfast from the fridge. I’m going to set them up on my sewing table in the living room, with a spray bottle of water sitting right next to it – I just won’t be able to overlook them sitting there.

I WILL have seed-started tomatoes this year! Stay tuned… again.

Powdery Mildew!?

Spring has barely sprung, and already plant disease has arrived. The rosemary has developed powdery mildew. It’s basically what it sounds like – a powdery white fungus that grows on the leaves of plants. It occurs most often in plants that don’t get good air circulation and are in humid, stagnant conditions. Which is why I am completely stumped as to why the rosemary has it – just a few weeks ago I pruned it, so it was getting more than enough circulation. And we don’t over water it, so who knows.

I’m trying to doctor it back to health. Since it was so warm outside today, I took it out on the back patio for some fresh air and the breeze. But that’s not enough to get rid of the fungus, so it was time for a treatment. There are apparently a lot of things you can do to treat it, including spraying the plant with diluted milk or chamomile tea, or rubbing the leaves with jojoba oil. Another method I’ve read about it spraying it down with a baking soda and water solution. Since that’s what I have on hand, it’s what I decided to try. So after the plant sat outside for a few hours, I sprayed it liberally with the baking soda solution and let it sit for a couple of hours. Then I sprayed it again, and tried to wipe down the leaves the best that I could. I then left it out to air dry for a few more hours.

It’s back inside now, isolated from my bay tree since powdery mildew can spread, and it looks okay. It’s a little wilted, likely because it was so hot out today, but no way am I going to water it. If the mildew looks like it’s still under control in the morning, I’ll give it a little drink then. Hopefully I can save the poor thing from this mystery affliction!

Will I Ever Have Tomatoes?

Nearly all of the onions have sprouted. No strawberries yet, but those are supposed to take forver. But the tomatoes, I should’ve seen by now. It’s been two weeks since planting and I don’t have a single sprout. Still too chilly perhaps? I didn’t use a heat mat and I still don’t have a grow light, so I had to move the greenhouse into the window so the onions could get light. But that window is chilly…

What to do, what to do? Should I take out the cell pack, plop it in a plastic baggie and set it up in the furnace closet? Or are these seeds hopeless? Should I just start anew? So much for getting a jumpstart on the tomatoes this year. I might stick them in the furnace closet where it’s overly warm as a last ditch effort. I’d hate to think those little seeds are dead…

I’ve got to get the rest of the seeds started soon as well – the snow is gone and the weather seems to be moderating so in about a month I’ve got to have the seedlings hardened and ready for transplanting. And if all else fails, I’ll have to buy some tomato seedlings this year to make up for the failed seeds… but hopefully it won’t come to that.

Repost: Container Gardening Vegetable Varieties

I’m not big on reposting content because I do like to keep things fresh and interesting, but this is one post that I thought might be of interest as we all start our spring gardens. I originally posted this in February 2010, but info like this never really goes out of style. Happy planting!

Small space gardening is a trend that has really taken off – from square-foot styled planting beds in small yards to window boxes, people are showing an increasing interest in growing their own food. But seed catalogs can be daunting – how do you know which plants are going to be suited for a container on your balcony? Being a small space gardener myself, I’ve been keeping track of which heirloom/old varieties are container-friendly, so I thought I’d share my list with all of you. It’s certainly not a comprehensive list, but it’s a good place to start.

- Pencil Pod Yellow Bush Beans

- Bountiful Green Bush Beans

- Arikara Yellow Bush Beans

- Black Valentine Green Bush Beans

- Tennessee Green Pod Green Bush Beans

- Tendergreen Improved Green Bush Beans

- Jacob’s Cattle Baking Beans

- Calypso Baking Beans

- Bumble Bee Baking Beans

- Vermont Cranberry Baking Beans

- Dragon’s Tongue Wax Beans

- Empress Green Beans

- Fin de Bagnol Green Beans

- Hutterite Soup Beans

- Ireland Creek Annie Baking Beans

- Envy Edamame

- Early Snowball Cauliflower

- Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch Kale

- Lacinato Kale

- Oakleaf Loose-leaf Lettuce

- Red Deer’s Tongue Loose-leaf Lettuce

- Amish Green Deer’s Tongue Loose-leaf Lettuce

- Tom Thumb Lettuce

- Lollo Rosso Lettuce

- Tennis Ball Lettuce

- Cherry Belle Radish

- French Breakfast Radish

- Easter Egg Radish

- Martino’s Roma Tomato

- Tiny Tim Tomato

- Principe Borghese Tomato

- Cream Sausage Tomato

- Czech’s Bush Tomato

- Green Grape Cherry Tomato

- Nebraska Wedding Tomato

- Silvery Fir Tree Tomato

- Tonda di Parigi Carrot

- Rossa di Chioggia Radicchio

- Red Marble Cippolini Onions

- Bianca Di Maggio Cippolini Onions

- Evergreen Bunching Onions

- Crimson Forest Bunching Onions

- Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes

- Rose Finn Apple Fingerling Potatoes

- Thomas Laxton Peas

- Lincoln Peas

- Tom Thumb Peas

- Blue Jade Sweet Corn

- Tom Thumb Popcorn

- Miniature White Cucumber

- Black Hungarian Hot Pepper

- Candlelight Sweet Pepper

- Chinese Ornamental Hot Pepper

- Fatalii Hot Pepper

- Fish Hot Pepper

- Garden Sunshine Sweet Pepper

- Golden Nugget Hot Pepper

- Jimmy Nardello’s Sweet Pepper

- Miniature Red Bell Sweet Pepper

Free Chicago Gardening Events 2011

It’s the time of year to start thinking workshops and events. Budget minded as always, I’ve highlighted a few things happening around town soon that are completely FREE.

Gardening Exchange – March 5th 2011 at Kilbourn Park & Organic Greenhouse. There will be basic organic gardening classes as well as a compost/plant sale.

Maple Syrup Festival – March 26th 2011 at North Park Village Nature Center. There will be a demonstration of making syrup from start to finish (from tapping the trees to boiling down sap).

Green & Growing Fair – April 30th 2011 at Garfield Park Conservatory. There will be take home planting activities, mini workshops, a seed/plant sale and demonstrations (including one on composting). The One Seed Chicago 2011 winner will also be announced.

 If anyone knows of any other free Chicago gardening events, feel free to share!

The Quest for the Perfect Planting Bed

Well, I wanted to start some seeds today, but upon consulting with my Old Farmer’s Almanac, it seems wise to wait another two weeks. Our frost-free date here in Chicago is around April 20th, but this spring is forecasted to be on the cool side. My tomatoes, onions and strawberries should all be started about eight weeks before the frost-free date, and I usually push it by starting them an additional two to three weeks early. But since tomatoes don’t like cold weather, I’m going to do it by the book this year. I want to make sure I can harden them off properly before getting them transplanted in beds.

Which leads me to my next dilemma. The planting beds. I mentioned in a previous post that I had my eye on the Gardener’s Supply Company Self Watering Planting Bed, which is nine square feet of planting space – at $170.00. With the next generation of Apartment Farmer on the way, it doesn’t seem prudent to drop that much cash on the garden. So I decided we could easily build our own with lumber – until I checked out the prices of cedar. $32.00 a board!? Not likely!

I was starting to feel discouraged. I don’t want a row of ugly five gallon buckets or mismatched random containers. I was sitting on the couch, staring aimlessly at the wooden trunks across the room…  the wooden trunks! We picked them up at Ikea years ago. We have two of them, one stacked on top of the other. They were unfinished pine when we picked them up and husband stained them a beautiful honey color. We store our board games in them. Now I’m not about to haul these lovely trunks out to the garden, but does Ikea still sell them?

As it turns out, they sell some trunks that are remarkably similar -

Ours don’t have the white panels, but it’s basically the same trunk. It’s a little over two feet long by a little over one foot wide, and a little over a foot deep. And they’re only $15.00 a piece. So for $60.00, I can purchase four. $60.00 wouldn’t even get me one bed building it myself. The dimensions will work as a planter, so I figure I can drill some drainage holes in the bottom and line them with landscaping fabric to aid in drainage (so the soil won’t clog the drainage holes) and extend the life of the container.

I plan to grow four tomatoes, two cucumbers, two zucchinis, and a pumpkin in these. Now I just have to get out to Ikea in the next month and stock up on them! The garden plan is coming together…

One Seed Chicago 2011

For those of you not familiar, One Seed Chicago is a project organized each year by NeighborSpace, a community organization that encourages gardening. Each year, Chicagoans vote on their favorite seed, and the winner is distributed free to those who voted and/or request the seeds.

This year’s contenders are eggplant, radish and swiss chard. I plan to cast my vote for the swiss chard – we actually just discovered chard this past season at the farmers market and fell in love with the flavor and color.

To cast your vote, head over to the One Seed Chicago site!