Report Card for the Roadside Garden

5 10 2010

It’s report card time for this year’s  roadside garden.

(Roadside Garden, July 12)

Compared with many other edible gardens I’ve seen this year, my potted spectacle fared quite well. Although yields were low (a refrain I’ve heard from other gardeners in the area), we did manage to harvest handfuls of dessert-sweet cherry tomatoes, strawberries, a multitude of tomatillos and hot bell peppers, a few handfuls of basil, and enough Roma tomatoes to make a batch of sauce. The lanky Stevia plant still needs to flower to harvest the leaves. And a singular 3″ Japanese eggplant 3″ remains on the plant; I don’t have the heart to remove it.

The details:
Japanese Eggplant: Grade D for yield. It started off well, and produced two baby eggplants in double quick time. One disappeared, along with the neighbor’s almost ripe figs and a bract of tomatoes. The remaining fruit grew to about 3″ and no more; a very sad looking plant. I kept hoping it would gain some momentum.

Basil: Grade C  for yield. Grade B for flavor. The ice cube trays were readied for all the pesto I was going to make from the surplus basil. I got three small batches of basil pesto made and no more. I’ve heard from other local gardeners that it just wasn’t a good year for basil.

Strawberries: Grade D for yield and flavor. I would much prefer to go to one of the local U-pick strawberry farms and pick to my hearts content, based on this year’s performance.

Stevia: No grade. The jury is still out. Apparently it needs to bloom before you should harvest the leaves, and there are no sign of any blooms.

Tomatillo: Grade A for yield and flavor. I got one  batch of salsa verde made from the fruit and there are still a few left on the plant. Must grow again in multiples.

Cherry Bomb Pepper: Grade A for yield and flavor. Will definitely grow again.

Tomatoes:
San Marzano: Grade A for yield and grade B for flavor. Not sure how big these tomatoes are supposed to be but the ones I’ve harvested are small plum size.

Oregon Spring: Grade D for yield (1 medium sized tomato), Grade B for flavor. Is it worth it to nurture a tomato plant that only yields one tomato? I’m not so sure.

Black Cherry: Grade B for yield, Grade A for flavor and sweetness. Must grow again!

Sun Gold Cherry: Grade C for yield, Grade A+ for flavor and sweetness. Must grow again and hope that a more normal Summer will produce a higher yield.


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Who does these kind of things?

20 07 2010

It started last week when I found two very green tomatoes lying next to a pot out at the roadside garden.

Then on Saturday, the neighbor reported the disappearance of the singular fig he and his toddler son were waiting patiently to ripen, from the same location.

And yesterday, when I went to grab a bunch of basil, I found one of the flower bracts on a tiny tomato plant with the baby tomatoes cut off. The bract, still attached to the plant, is now completely flower and fruit-less; it’s purpose snipped away intentionally for some unknown reason.

Why?

Why steal the only fig off a tree that does not belong to you?

Why remove green tomatoes and cast them on the ground to rot?

Why snip off something with so much potential as the pea-sized green tomatoes?

I am more than a little p****d off.

If somebody picked and ate the fruit because they were hungry, I could excuse them, even though they were interfering with my property. But this could not be the case with the tiny, inedible green tomatoes. It defies a logical explanation.

What to do?

A sign with a plea or witty comment urging restraint seems too passive for my current state of mind.

A wireless video surveillance camera (if I had one), might “capture” the culprit if he/she returns, but then what? And who’s to say the camera wouldn’t be interfered with as well?

The neighbor mentioned he had material to build a fence around the little garden, if things got worse. (I’ve yet to tell him about the snipped tomatoes.) The fence may work, or it may just encourage whomever to make a return trip, scale the fence, and wreck some more havoc.

Do you have any bright ideas on how to deal with the situation?


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Categories : Garden challenges, Garden edibles, Status updates

Roadside Garden Update

13 07 2010

It’s time, again, for another update on the sunny roadside garden.

We’ve had warm Summer-like weather for the past 10 days or so, with nighttime highs mostly over 55 degrees and no rain. The containers are drying out pretty quickly so I’ve been watering them almost daily. I love that I can draw water from my neighbor’s faucet nearby, rather than carrying water from my nearest faucet, 250 feet away.

Considering the very slow start, things are beginning to shape up:

Ichiban Japanese Eggplant – Not one but two baby eggplants are dangling rather precariously from the tiny plant. There are more flowers yet to set fruit. I hope the plant is sturdy enough to support the weight of the fruit. This plant lives up to it’s name – number one/the best!

Basil – I had to replace the basil a few weeks ago due to the cool weather. Since then, I’ve harvested a bunch for basil and Swiss chard pesto, with pecans. I expect multiple harvests over the Summer and am readying the ice cube trays so I can freeze any surplus pesto.

Strawberries – They’re still producing fruit but too often the slugs get to the berries before I do. Not the sweetest berries I’ve ever tasted, I think the earlier cool weather is the cause.

Stevia plant – Yes, I stuck one in and never let on.  It’s an experiment. Not sure how I will use the leaves. Maybe mixed with mint in a mojito?

Tomatillo – This appears to be one happy plant. Glossy green leaves, tons of yellow flowers, but where is the fruit? The flower petals fall off and I expect fruit to form in their place, but nothing yet. (Patience Linda, patience!)

Tomatoes – Surprising things are happening in the tomato community. The sturdiest and healthiest plants (San Marzano) have flower bracts but no fruit, and the puniest looking plants (Oregon Spring, Black Cherry, Sun Gold Cherry), each have a few fruit set, with the promise of more to come. All are getting the same amount of water, exposure to sun, and fish fertilizer cocktail.

Cherry Bomb hot pepper – This plant is growing well and has multiple tiny peppers, with new flowers still appearing every day. Salsa, mmmh!


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Categories : Garden edibles

Roadside Garden

25 05 2010

With help from the Garden Hero,  my roadside vegetable garden is in place out by our mailbox, soaking up the sun’s rays as I write. Take a look:

This time around, I decided to plant everything in containers. I was severely tempted to stick in a zucchini and a butternut squash plant in the ground alongside the pots, but then I remembered how hard it was to keep them adequately watered last year, even with mulch. So, containers it is – all the way.

The “lucky” companions to the strawberries, rhubarb, and fig tree are:

  • Tomatoes: 2 “San Marzano” (for cooking), 1 “Oregon Spring” (for salads and general consumption),  1 “Sungold” cherry and 1 “Black Cherry” (for serious snacking).
  • Japanese eggplant: 1 “Ichiban”.
  • Basil: unknown variety, moved from the living room and liking it’s freedom outdoors.
  • Hot Pepper: 1 “Cherry Bomb”, recommended for growing in the PNW.
  • And a fruit I’ve never grown before.

I’m amazed how quickly the fruit is setting on such a small plant, despite the recent  cold, damp weather. Can you identify what it is?

(Hint: It will make a yummy salsa.)


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Categories : Garden edibles


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