our maine home – zone 5b
We went on a mission to get a bale of hay for mulch. Found one at Dean Young’s. They had a group of old rotting bales looking quite the worse for wear, but free for the taking.
A scenic drive up the Eastbrook Road in the pickup. The mechanic got the bale loaded easily with his tractor. At home Sam managed to unload it and position it with some difficulty, since it was close to falling apart. But now it sits in the soil amendments area, reminding me of Jabba the Hutt.
A big day in the garden! Sam set up the cattle panels and planted the tomatoes. 40 in that row and 19 in the row against the fenceline. Plus four cherry tomatoes in the sandbox near the house, for a total of 63 seedlings planted. The rows in the garden have drip irrigation this year, a new innovation. And they are planted 16 inches apart rather than a foot. Trying out wider spacing this year.
I really enjoy the garlic crop. It’s so reliable. I take the mulch off to give the sprouts a chance to develop and declare themselves. Then I tuck the mulch back around them. Like tucking them back into bed. Maybe someday I’ll interplant something around them, but for now this is working.
Here’s a view of the unmulched bed on the left and the mulched bed on the right. Just reused the same hay mulch, which has already broken down quite a bit over the winter. So it is easy to grab handfuls and tuck. I handle the green leaves minimally when I have to pull them out of the hay. They feel so fresh and new.
Regarding hay carrying weed seeds and therefore not preferred for mulch – I have heard this from many many sources, but I’ve never found it to be the case. We’ve put a lot of hay on the garden over the years. Maybe it’s because we pile it on pretty thick. But isn’t that the point of mulch?
Still working on the big section in the middle. Excess mulch is on the ground outside the bed. Maybe I’ll add more.
It feels a little early to plant these but they are outgrowing their pots and I need them in the ground. So here are my little vigorous Speedia brussels sprouts seedlings and a few Mammoth red cabbage. I never leave enough space between my seedlings. I think I like the idea of them growing companionably in a cluster. And I’m usually short on space in the garden. I know they would most likely do better with an adequate amount of space. It’s something I’m working on as a gardener.
On the left, half a bed of brussels sprouts and cabbage under row cover. In the center, peas and fava beans. On the right, a row of broccoli seedlings under row cover. Eventually, the garden will look greener.
I planted the new baby kale seedlings in the same patch as the hoary old grandpa kale stalks. This is not following principles of crop rotation, but I did it anyway. I liked the idea of sheltering the babies amongst the elders that are starting to grow new shoots from their stems.
The dazzling blue lacinato is looking especially dazzling. No flea beetle damage yet. I may need to put these under row cover. Flea beetles can kill them when they are young and tender. Last few years, some of my kale survived the spring onslaught and grew well into the summer and fall, and even survived until the following spring (as the two stalks above).
I posted on social media about having extra squash at the end of the year and requested recipes to use up squash. Eleanor sent one that was perfect. The recipe called for butternut squash, but I used a small butternut and a small red kuri. We polished this off in one meal – no leftovers, unfortunately. The kale came from the hoophouse, where it is growing like a champ.
Here’s the recipe. I didn’t use oil and the squash roasted just fine. I also didn’t have the fancy additions, so I just added some currants. The amounts for the dressing make quite a lot, so I mostly halved it.
Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad with Kale and Cider Dijon Dressing
Salads
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Servings: Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
FOR THE SQUASH:
4 cups cubed butternut squash (1/2 inch pieces)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
FOR THE SALAD DRESSING:
1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (strained to catch the seeds)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
FOR THE SALAD:
1 bunch lacinato kale, stripped off stems, rinsed and patted dry
4 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry)
1/3 cup roasted pumpkin (pepita) seeds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the cubed butternut squash in the oil, sugar, paprika, salt, coriander, cumin, black pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Spread out evenly onto a rimmed sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. No need to toss, just rotate the pan halfway through.
Meanwhile make the dressing. In a glass jar combine the mustard, honey, vinegars, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add in the oil, secure the lid and shake well.
In a large salad bowl add the chopped kale, cooked (warm) quinoa, roasted butternut squash, pepitas, dried cranberries and raisins. Season with a pinch or two of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Drizzle with 1/4 cup of the dressing or more to taste. Serve warm.
Source: https://www.simplyscratch.com/2015/10/warm-butternut-kale-quinoa-salad-and-fair-trade-giveaway.html
The row with the trommel at its head used to contain the legumes – peas and fava beans – which have been moved toward the house one row. For some reason, a lot of grass invaded the bed around the edges and it had to be removed. Sam hooked up the solar-powered trommel to regain the soil from the clods of grass. He’s sweeping dust off the solar panel to get it to function well.
It’s not exactly no-till gardening, but it is satisfying to look at the nicely prepared bed.
I needed to get the broccoli seedlings out of the tray and into the ground. For one thing, white thready roots were coming out of the bottom of the blocks. For another, I needed the fine mesh tray for my little tomato blocks. Apparently I have only one fine-mesh tray.
So today was devoted to getting these guys planted.
First, Sam dug the bed, removing the biggest rocks and roots. We added some compost, greensand, and azomite and raked it smooth.
I planted about 40 seedlings down each side of the row. They are a little close together but not bad. I watered them in with a splash of Sam’s special alfalfa tea.
Then I had to set up the wires and the row cover. I used wooden stakes laid along the edges on one side, and heavy metal fence posts down the other. Plus some rocks. This is reused row cover, with one big hole which needed a supplemental piece.
I’m expecting this broccoli to do as well as it did last year, but we’ll see. Feeling optimistic!
An exciting day at Cross Road Gardens. It really felt like spring, for the first time, I think. A burst of gardening energy, although I only really worked for a few hours.
If you were starting new food traditions, what should be served on Easter? Lamb and ham are totally out, as vegans. And in a pandemic, not sure an extra trip to the store is warranted. I should be trying to eat what I grow, right? So one of these four beautiful squash is headed for the chopping block. And this should be the same every year.
I chose the largest Red Kuri for our Easter meal. We also had an arugula salad, a sort of dip made from frozen peas and fava beans, and a chocolate freezer pie (with squash as a prime ingredient). Felt very virtuous – and tasty actually. Jeff came over for a small dinner party.
Sam is stuffing the pre-roasted Red Kuri with a mixture of quinoa, shiitake mushrooms, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, and flavorings.
