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Did I Harvest or Kill My Lettuces?

Let me start this post by saying that I’ll be taking off for a week and a half. Going on a camping trip to the Grand Canyon and Utah. Try not to miss me too much. Now on to the post…

Last week, I harvested my lettuce for the first time and was pretty happy. This week, I might be able to substitute the word “kill” for “harvest”.

I think I clipped them too close to the roots and killed them. Dead. Done. No more life.

Lettuces one week after harvest and they don't appear to be lively.I had to add a support for tomato plant by recycling a mirror frame that I found on the street.Pepper is starting to flower.Lettuces one week after harvesting. Looks like they could use some CPR.

On a good note, I didn’t kill the tomato plant. It actually started to flower and get top heavy, so I need to give it some support. I wasn’t going to pay for anything, so I hit the streets and found a mirror and broke the frame off. It’s providing the perfect support.

The pepper plants are also starting to flower as well. They aren’t nearly as large as the tomato plant and don’t need a support.

Back to me killing…I mean harvesting the lettuce. At this point, I think it can be that it takes longer for the leaves to regrow or I actually did kill them.

What will the outcome be? You’ll just have to check back to find out (they only wish they could script stuff like this for TV).

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aroKWQSkCw

PS – Hope everyone has a happy and healthy 4th of July. Did you think I was going to say have a miserable one?

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The Woman Behind My Brooklyn Vegetable Garden

I spend a lot of time with my Grandmother. One day during the winter we got to talking and I expressed my interest in wanting to grow my own vegetables.

She offered up her backyard, which was great. As much as I wanted to utilize it, it wouldn’t have been fair to her because some of the responsibility would be on her shoulders.

Door to door Gram is about an hour commute from my Manhattan apartment. So making that trip 3-4 times a week would’ve been a bit much for me.

She just turned 90 a few months back, but she’s still as sharp as they come and ain’t nothing really slowing her down.

Back in the day when she was a bit more spry, she used to grow a lot of her own produce in the backyard. These days she just rocks a few tomato plants that she harassed me to plant for her.

So when I came across the self watering container idea, I thought it would be perfect for her backyard. She was adamant that it was to be my responsibility and didn’t want to have to take of it. That was fine with me. I didn’t want to put that burden on her.

Sure enough each time I visit to check in on things, she’s bent over and knuckle deep in some soil. She’ll be straightening things out and making sure things are ok. It’s good to see her showing interest in it too. I love it.

One of the great things about her is that she’s also not scared to speak what’s on her mind. When I completed my first harvest in her backyard, I brought it into her room to show her. Let’s just say that she wasn’t nearly as excited and amazed as I was. She was more concerned with some of the lettuce soiling her bed.

I shot some video of her as she rips apart my attire to attempts to figure out how old she is:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC0dZtfBwtk

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Some Pest Problems in My Brooklyn Vegetable Garden

After not checking in for a week, I was bit nervous in checking in on my vegetable garden in Brooklyn. Luckily with the ridiculous amounts of rain that we’ve been getting, things looked good, but some of the containers showed signs of pest problems.

June 19, 2009 - Some of the leaves of the collard greens on the left side were chewed.The first problem that I noticed was on the collard greens. Some of the leaves on the left side were a bit chewed through. Most of the bigger leaves were untouched. I didn’t notice any pests on them while I was there. At this point, I’m not seeing this as a huge problem, but just something to note.

June 19, 2009 - Close up of the bug ridden nasturtiumThe plant that had the biggest pest problem was the nasturtium. The flowers that bloomed were overridden by some tiny black bugs. I think the problem was that I let the flowers go too long and they died. Once that happened the bugs took over. To help combat the problem, I just picked off what appeared to be dead.

June 19, 2009 - One of the leaves of the pepper plant had a mysterious black funk on it with some ants and the basil leaves were chewed through.The container with the peppers and basil had some pest issues as well. One of the leaves on the pepper plant had some kind of black stuff of some sort on it. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was besides nasty. There were ants crawling all around it. The basil leaves were also slightly chewed through.

June 19, 2009 - I was still able harvest a good amount of lettuces and herbs.Despite the small pest problems, the rest of the containers looked good. I was able to harvest a boatload of lettuces, some herbs and should be able to get some more throughout the week. Check this video too see how everything is looking:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YhYvQHPk6Q

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Farm to Plate? My Produce is Traced Fire Escape to Bowl

Last month, I read the book Plenty. There was a passage in it about “food traceability” and how our food travels on the average 1,500 to 2,000 miles from farm to plate. That has stuck with me, well because that number is insane.

Besides the distance that it traveled, what about what else went into getting that food to me. How was it treated? Who are the people that worked to get it to me? How were they treated?

Even though I didn’t start from seed, I can tell you that I got the planter from Trina at Silver Heights Farm, which is a few miles outside of NYC. Then I planted it on my fire escape, harvested it and put it in my belly, which is part of me.

I also didn’t harm myself in the growing of my veggies. Though I did nearly bust my ass climbing out to and in from the fire escape. The risks I take for my food.

When I first started this gardening project, with my ingenious window garden idea, my goal was to get one salad out of this. Well, I stand (or type) before you now with that goal accomplished.

I harvested my first round of lettuces from my fire escape garden and made me a salad. Yes, I GOT MY FIRST SALAD.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZeJHQRjcAY

The feeling is difficult for me to put into words, but I’ll do my best to. It FEELS AMAZING.

You see, I’m a city boy. My gardening experience is non-existent. My gardening skills were picking produce from the grocery stores because that’s where produce is grown in the back of the grocery store, right?

This experience so far has made me realize and appreciate food that much more. Entire societies and civilizations have been built around areas where food can be grown.

Now here I am in my Manhattan apartment growing on my freaking fire escape. It’s crazy. Maybe I’ll start a civilization in my apartment. It should help with the expenses around here.

More importantly, what I hope this does is inspire at least one of you out there to take on something like this.

Go ahead you know you wanna. I’m here for you if you need any help.

Before and after picks of the self-watering containers:
June 16, 2009. Bucket of lettuces with tomato plant in the middle before (L) and after (R) I harvested them.June 16, 2009. Bucket of lettuces before (L) and after (R) I harvested them.June 16, 2009. Me with my first lettuce harvest.

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The First Vegetable Harvest from My Fire Escape

After being away for six days, I was shocked when I returned to see the growth of the lettuces in my containers. It was definitely time for my first harvest. Most of the leaves were at least 6 inches and didn’t want them to get much larger.

This brings me one step closer to my goal of getting one salad. Didn’t turn this into a salad because I had already eaten dinner.

Made this post abbreviated because still playing catch up from being away. I definitely wanted to get something posted though as it’s pretty damned exciting (at least for me).

Will definitely do a more substantial post later in the week. Hopefully, it’ll include some fire escape salad in it.

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How to Tell When a Self Watering Container is Full

We’ve been through how to build a self watering container, talked about what kind of potting soil to use and how to make it. Now I am going to tell (and show) you how to water them and how to tell it’s filled:

  • On my fire escape garden, I use a funnel and an empty juice bottle.
  • In my Brooklyn garden, I use a hose.
  • Fill with water (not Kool-Aid) through the pipe.
  • Once the reservoir is filled, it will start to come out of the overflow hole that was drilled into the side.

    • httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDpaMI6NEIQ

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    Start Growing an Herb Garden, Not Killing One

    It’s been a rainy week here in Seattle, I mean New York, so I haven’t been paying much mind to the vegetables out on my fire escape.

    When I finally checked on them, I was happy to see that the lettuces, peppers and tomatoes looked pretty healthy. Then I looked above them and noticed the sad, sad sight of the herb garden I started to grow in the upside down vegetable planters. They looked the opposite of healthy – dead.

    Here’s what I think contributed to my massacre of the herbs:

    My surgeon like touch. Much like planting vegetables, you need to be gentle when transplanting the herbs. Let’s just say if I was playing Operation, I would’ve lost and lost quickly.

    The soil was too heavy. I used the first batch of potting soil that I made myself. It might’ve been too heavy, retained too much water and over saturated the herbs.

    The planters just don’t work. I think this is the least likely of the reasons, but it still needs to be considered.

    I think it’s a combination of the first two that lead to the ultimate demise of the herbs. I am heading out of town later this week, for a few days (Bonaroo). When I get back, I’ll get some more herbs set up and planted.

    Hopefully, if any of you were thinking about starting to grow your own herb garden, this hasn’t discouraged you. Take this knowledge and use it to your advantage.

    Even though the upside down vegetable planters haven’t worked out so far, the self watering containers are doing real well. Peep this video:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOXgkHOoD4I

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    Making Potting Soil

    In a previous post, I explained the basic differences between coconut coir and peat moss based potting soils. Now I am going to show you how to make your own potting soil using a peat moss base.

    Here’s what you need to make your own organic potting soil:

  • Sphagnum peat moss – holds water and air; provides little nutriton
  • Vermiculite – provides minerals (potassium, calcium and magnesium)
  • Garden lime – provides minerals (calcium) and balances acidity of peat moss
  • Compost – provides the lion share of the nutrition to the plants
  • Large bin to mix it all in. Watch the video and you’ll know why you’ll need to use a large bin.

    • To mix it:

  • Add the mixture at a close 1:1:1 ratio of the peat moss: vermiculite: garden lime. You definitely want peat moss to be the dominant ingredient. Mix well.
  • Now that you have the peat moss mixture, add an equal part of compost. Mix well.
  • Add some water to dampen the mixture. Don’t want to saturate it. Mix well.

    • httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nbTWGoxJjs

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    Five Things I Learned About Planting Vegetables

    This whole experience is all new to me, especially the part about actually planting. Here’s five things I learned about how to plant vegetables in a self watering container:

    Be gentle. Pop the vegetable out of it’s cell. Push it from the bottom and gently pull out.

    There are many plants in a cell. A lot of the cells contain multiple plants, so you have to thumb around the soil line to see the separation of the plants.

    Pry apart with thumbs. Use your thumb to gently pry them apart. You’ll wind up breaking up some of the roots, but don’t worry. Be gentle.

    Plant deep enough to secure plant in soil. Once the plants are separated, dig a hole about 3-4 inches in the soil (depending on the plant) and insert the plant.

    Support plant with soil Cover it with soil and make it compact to support the plant.

    Check this video on how to plant celery in self watering containers.

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LrCc31i_OU

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    Checking in on the Gardens One Week Later

    It’s one full week since I’ve planted my vegetable gardens on my fire escape and in Brooklyn. Here’s an update on how things are progressing.

    Before I do that, I wanted to let you know that I decided not to garden at my parents in Staten Island and to move those containers to Brooklyn. Logistically, it makes more sense that way.

    My Fire Escape Vegetable Garden

    • The tomato plant started to bloom a bit and was picked. It was picked so that the plant can focus on growing as opposed to blooming at this point.
    • The pepper plant also started to bloom
    • The herbs in the upside down planters, especially the parsley and basil did not look so good. Need to take another look at what was done to remedy for next time.

    My Brooklyn Vegetable Garden
    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK78ClpiIp4

    • For the most part the plants looked good.
    • The cucumber looked pathetic. Watered it from above to try and wake it up.
    • It looks like there was some kind of critter that was digging in the containers, but didn’t harm any of the vegetables, yet.
    • The celery and greens look to be very productive.
    • The nasturtium has started to bloom.

    Fire Escape Garden - Anna aasa tomato plant started to flower, so I picked it off. Saturday, May 30, 2009.Fire Escape Garden - The pepper plant started to flower and was picked as well. Saturday, May 30, 2009.Fire Escape Garden - The parsley definitely looks like it's hurting. Saturday, May 30, 2009.Fire Escape Garden - The basil pretty much looks like a lossed cause. Saturday, May 30, 2009Brooklyn Garden - The onions look ok, but it looks like something was digging. Sunday, May 31, 2009.Brooklyn Garden - The cucumber plant looks pathetic. I watered it from the top to wake it up a bit. Sunday, May 31, 2009.Brooklyn Garden - The celery has seen some good growth in the past week. Sunday, May 31, 2009.Brooklyn Garden - One of the buckets of greens is looking productive. Sunday, May 31, 2009.Brooklyn Garden - The Nasturtium has already started to bloom. Sunday, May 31, 2009.