Going into hibernation for thesis defense: T minus 30 days

UPDATE: I actually passed! I got out of school - finally and forever! Other new things:
1.I got a scientist-track job at my favorite research institution
2. I got a dog: the spunky, hilarious and cuddly Bueno
3. I bought a house. Really, I bought a yard. More gardening space! Stay tuned as I completely overwhelm myself yet again :)


To the thousands of adoring fans of this blog (note overload of sarcasm per capita), I want to say that there won't be any more posts for about a month. I have ~30 days till I defend my thesis; on November 13, apparently, hopefully, probably, so They* say, They will give me a Ph.D.** Till then, all non-essential systems are powering down, including this blog.

When I return, newly officially over-educated, I have tons to post about fall and winter gardening, row covers, cold frames, indoor HID grow lights, a recap of original season goals (see 1st post) I achieved, and tons to say about grafting (I'm at 100% success rate now). Too late for this season, but maybe they'll be helpful to people next season.

bye for now...



*my thesis committee of 5 awesome, amazingly-intelligent scientists who unfortunately are probably above bribery
**at which point the phrase "crazier things have happened" will no longer be true. Going forward, this phrase will be universally known to refer to my degree.

Goodnight Garden

In the little green garden
there was an impending frost (~35F)
portending the season's end
and on every branch-
so many tomatoes not ripened.

And there were 3 little eggplants hidden behind other plants
and tons of tomatillos
and half-ripe serranos
and my first ripe green zebra.
and chocolate bells and squash that all need a wash
and the habaneros I totally forgot to pick!

Goodnight upside-down tomatoes...

Goodnight tomatillos...

Goodnight Blue Heaven morning glories...

Goodnight giant sunflowers...

Goodnight cucumbers...

Goodnight eggplant...

Goodnight habanero, serrano and hungarian wax...

Goodnight green zebra, on same day as your first harvest...

Goodnight striped cavern, you were prolific...

Goodnight mystery tomato, one who produces only rock-hard green 2lb-ers...

Goodnight Better Bus h, I'm sorry you fell over without support and got taken over by slugs...

Goodnight papaya squash...

Goodnight patty pans...

Good night delicata...

Goodnight Sungold...

Goodnight pasilla and poblanos and chocolate bell peppers...

And goodnight to all my perennials - raspberry, thyme, black-eyed susan, bee balm, lavenders - I expect to see you all next year!!

Goodnight garden.








(end bad cheesy ripoff of children's book)

I don't want the season to end! No!


Post-frost assessment: All things curcurbit completely died. Amazing how leaves can go from green and turgid to black and shriveled in one night! Tomatillo plant also gone, but I managed to harvest about 40 that were ripe or almost ready. Most tomatoes suffered - some lost only a few branches, some are in pretty critical condition. Eggplant was protected enough that it is still trying to make more eggplants.. oh, so futile... Everything will fully die this weekend when we're supposed to get snow. I took cuttings of a couple of the tomato plants, hoping to grow new plants this winter under lights. The cuttings are doing great, so hopefully I'll have Sungolds all winter!

Saving tomato seeds

The cherry tomatoes in my new garden plot - sprawling and unkempt as they are from the last guy - taste fabulous. I really haven't liked raw tomatoes, but these are like candy! Since I don't know what specific variety they are, and they are prolific, I am designating them the subject of my trial attempt at seed saving.

(Apparently seed saving only works with heirlooms, since hybrid seeds might produce a tomato with different qualities. These cherries might be hybrids, unfortunately, but at the least it's good practice for when my black krims are ready!)

I've read up a bit on the method to save tomato seeds, and it looks like a simple process. The point is to remove the germination-inhibiting goo from around the seeds; this is usually done by fermentation:

1) scoop seeds and gel (goo) into a small container

2)add a bit of water, either same amount as goo, or a few tbsp

3)cover loosely so some air can get in/out

4)let it ferment for a few days in a warm location (not too long, though, or seeds will start to germinate). Good seeds should sink (per Patrick)

5)scoop off scum
(5.5 some say keep rinsing out scum/bits)

6)sieve seeds out

7) dry the seeds on paper plate or coffee filter (per Patrick)

There's some differences between sets of directions, but overall the general process is the same.

Here's some links to good directions:

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/seedsave/2002084456024410.html

http://gardening.about.com/od/totallytomatoes/ss/TomatoSeeds.htm

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/23/

Here's my goo. I used about 10 cherry tomatoes. I ate what was left of most of them :)

I poked a bunch of holes in the saran wrap, and put the container on top of the fridge.

We'll see!

Update 9/26: an coherent, opaque film has formed on the surface. I added a bit more water since the goo seemed really thick, like a lot of the water had evaporated (we have 15% humidity here)

Update 10/1: Was it supposed to grow mold? Grey and black fuzz quickly covered the film. But, when I tried to take off the filmy layer, it and the mold came off in one piece so I guess it was okay. The pic below shows a bit of the mold and the seeds after I drained all the liquid.

I spread the seeds to dry on a coffee filter. Hard to unclump them!

Green Thumb Sunday: practice with macro

Here's some pics I took yesterday with the macro setting on my camera. When I had to get a new camera after my old one broke, I made sure to buy one with manual controls and the ability to get within a few cm in macro mode. I really haven't explored most of the options yet, but it's fun to take simple close-up shots.

Squirrel BYOC party at my plot

I think I now have a pretty good circumstantial case that the squirrels come to my plot to sit and eat the corn they steal from other plots. Here's the clues:

1. Thoroughly-knawed corn cobs left on the bricks surrounding my compost pile
2. Watching vigorous rustling in my garden neighbor's corn patch, and then watching a squirrel burst out of the patch with a cob and take off
3. Happening upon them hanging out, looking guilty:


and running like the little looters they are :)


(by the way, BYOC means Bring Your Own Corn)

I have no corn in my plot this year, but I grew a few last year in my first little plot. I planted the corn before I realized I had no idea when to harvest it. With no one to advise me, the internet was a vague guide, so what the weevils and ants didn't get was mushy and no good. Oh well, always worth a try! And in the garden area I have plots in this year, I'm glad I don't have any corn - the squirrels and raccoons feast and plunder under the cloak of night, leaving the plot owner to find complete wastage come morning.

Makin' it happen: Artic gardening

I don't have anything new to post, because nothing new is happening: almost all my tomatoes are still green, the squash is still producing, the new plot is still weedy (although a lot less so!)

But this article on MSN made me happy: greenhouse gardening above the Arctic Circle. I'm surprised that the greenhouse doesn't need any additional heating! But, that makes it a perfect example of how much one can do without artificially changing the environment: simply make a room with a clear ceiling and let the 24hr sun do all the work. Too bad it is commercial and not a community garden, but it sounds like they do a lot of educational outreach.

The lady interviewed in the article commented on how 24hrs of sunlight sped up the growth process, allowing plants to grow/mature faster than normal during the short 59-day season. But what about photoperiodism? Doesn't night length signal flowering (either short or long night length, depending on type of plant)? If there's no night, how do plants know to flower and produce fruit?
Also, I've learned from indoor grow lights that different wavelengths of light cause different types of growth in plants. Doesn't the sharp angle of the sun up north influence the relative amounts of different wavelengths of light?

Dream acreage here I come! You might have to squint

I just calculated that I now have approximately 1.48 hundredths of an acre!

1 acre = 43,560 sq ft
1/3 plot: 15.75ft x 10.3 ft = 162.225 sq ft = 0.00372, 0.372% or 3.7 thousandths of an acre
new plot: 15.75ft x 30.9ft = 486.675 sq ft = 0.0111, 1.11% or 1.11 hundredths of an acre
Grand Total: 1.48% of an acre

I've always believed in rampant baseless extrapolation so here we go:

I started out with a plot last year in another garden (on the other side of the city), that was about 100 sq ft (I gave up that first plot for my current 1/3: 100->160sqft). This gives me 3 data points, or garden acquisitions, total. Plotting my total square footage at each of these changes (y axis), by how many months had elapsed since I began community gardening, gives the line to the right.

Extrapolating linearly, at this rate it will only take me 76 years to acquire an entire acre. Wow. I have some good longevity genes on my side, but that's still pushing it. Not to mention that the community gardens only allow you 2 plots total (which is why this is baseless extrapolation - merely an excuse to graph something).

Clearly I need another plan.....