Thank you! And yeah, probably helps that I’m growing them in an isolated bucket and babying them haha. I’ve never considered how radish seeds are produced, do you just wait long enough into warm season to let them flower, like you do with cilantro?
2 Likes
It’s probably possible, but might be rough on a van rooftop. You’d need to plant stuff that could handle extreme exposed conditions-- heat from the metal roof, and heavy wind/rain while driving?
Potential candidates that I can think of off the top of my head:
- Rosemary. I had a rosemary plant for two or three years at my old apartment that I basically just neglected. It only died when it finally outgrew the pot it was in. Should be cold-hardy to some extent as well (or at least it will overwinter here in Zone 6).
- Mint. Also thrives on carelessness. It can get out of control quickly though, you’d need a containment plan lol.
- Maybe Potatoes? I’m amazed at how well they do in growbags, you might be able to adapt them for vanlife. You’d need to make sure the potato part wasn’t getting exposed to sunlight though, which could be difficult with wind blowing straw/soil around.
EDIT:
If you wanted to try something in say, the front window of a van, an herb garden is always an option too. I used this kit last year and was pretty happy with the results starting the seeds in our north-facing apartment window. https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Organic-Culinary-Seeds-Collection/dp/B07QHX39YQ/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=organic+herb+garden&qid=1620319183&sr=8-2
1 Like
Yeah, for seed crops we deliberately let them bolt and flower, which is something we usually try to prevent in root crops and many vegetables crops. The tricky part is letting the seed pods mature enough to be harvested and deliberately shattered, but not become overly mature to the point where the pods explode at a touch (a trait common to mustards) and go everywhere but the harvester. That difference can happen very quickly, and the variations in field maturity can make it troublesome to make judgement calls.
With radish for seed, we additionally have to deal with the certainty of white rust and various moths here in the Pacific Northwest.
We also do sugar beet for seed, which is good interesting because those have distinct male and female plants, which are planted in rows of two male rows per several females. We also cut away the first bolting, which forces evenness across the field when they bolt again.
1 Like
A very professional frost protection set up. Industry standard buckets and paint dropcloth with sticks.
I’m hoping my zucchini, pumpkin and cucumber make it. This week was rough with the temp swings lol.
12 Likes
7 Likes
Garden Update May 28 2021
I got busy for a couple weeks and haven’t posted in a bit. The plants grow either way. Onwards!
On Their Last Legs
It is now FINALLY warm as we would expect for Spring. Most of my plants are enjoying the change, but the spinach and lettuce greens are beginning to wilt and bolt. We’ll probably only have them for another couple weeks.
Herbs & Potted Plants
My herbs are doing a lot better. I’ve got:
- Thyme (growing in yard, hopefully as an perennial)
- English Lavender (also growing in yard, near the thyme, as an perennial)
- Basil
- Rosemary
- Mint (growing on my front porch)
- Green onions
The annual herbs (plus celery that I’m trying to grow):
Almost time for salsa:
I also recently picked up a jalapeno plant from a local nursery. He’s doing… fine. No blooms yet, but appears to be growing normally.
A tale of two lavenders:
An update on the two lavender plants (are they herbs? We’ll say they are). I planted one up front next to my porch in clay soil, and another in my backyard in a sandy dry streambed, just to see which would do better, as a science experiment. I think one is starting to pull ahead of the other.
Pathetic virgin lavender in regular dirt.
Alpha chad lavender in sandy soil. (Also pictured: a creeping thyme plant)
Potatoes
Another science experiment update! This year I’m growing potatoes both in ground + in grow bags, to see which does better. Thus far the grow bag method seems to be producing more vines for me:
I’ve got five 15-pound growbags and all of them are sprouting beautifully. In a few weeks the vines should start flowering which means they can be harvested. Meanwhile, in ground…
The in-ground potatoes are just now starting to sprout up out of the hay. I was actually concerned that all the rain we had earlier this spring rotted the seed potatoes out, but they are hanging on it looks like. We can’t count these out yet but I still suspect the growbags will produce more food in the long run.
The Cardboard Beds
The good news: the cardboard beds do seem to be keeping (most) of the weeds at bay! The bad news: the edges of the beds are chaotic where the grass struggles to get through. I will likely need to rethink how I’m doing this for next year lol.
Zucchini and Cucumbers
This bed is growing zucchini and cucumbers. I lost a few plants to the late frosts (RIP in peace) but the rest seem to have recovered.
Eventually I’d like to add woodchips to the black fabric to make paths throughout this area and the entire yard; but that’s a longer term project. I did get in touch with a local arborist who needs to dump some chips (for free!), but haven’t gotten any just yet.
PUMPKINS, OMG PUMPKINS
I threw some pumpkin seeds onto a cardboard bed I set up a few weeks ago. I was not expecting this level of germination, but they are doing excellent:
We may end up with a small pumpkin patch in one corner of the yard if this continues. The spiritual successors of Lt. Dangle; may they be more fruitful. I have higher hopes for pollination this year considering the amount of bees and bugs I have around the yard:
Look at him he loves whatever this plant is
Orchard / Fruit Production
Established Apple Trees
I have five small apple trees on the back part of the property. I was told they didn’t produce much but I’m happy to see the beginnings of life on them this year. I have no idea what kind of apple trees they are, probably some kind of mini green apple?
Honeycrisp Apple Trees
More excitingly, I have ordered my first fruit trees: Honeycrisp Apples. This variety is supposed to do fairly well in our climate (Zone 6), per the University of Kentucky. I had originally wanted to do Liberty Apples which are more disease-hardy, but Honeycrisp saplings were available and are delicious. Hopefully they do ok; if everything goes well I will start getting harvests in the next 3-5 years.
Blackberries Everywhere
Step into my office:
The blackberries are EXPLODING. We have gazillions of them that have been in bloom for the past few weeks. The blooms are starting to fade away now:
To be replaced by BERRIES:
I am going out daily to check on these to check for ripening in an attempt to beat the birds to them lol. With any luck I’ll be able to grab a few cups to try my hand at making blackberry jam. (I made freezer jam for the first time last year, but I want to try the shelf stable stuff).
Next Projects
My husband and I are discussing picking up a small tiller soon; though it’s unlikely we’ll get as much use out of it this year. We want to planted corn and it’s a bit late now. I think the phrase is “knee high by July” and it’s almost June, ALAS.
We are also wanting to set up a support system for grapes soonish. My mom has some old posts we can use but I need to drive out and get them. Far more preferable to use her cast offs than to try and source new lumber right now lol.
I am also desperate for tomato plants but am only just now feeling comfortable with our temp range to put them out. I will need to get those planted soon.
MORE TO COME.
9 Likes
I have a crap ton of grapes that went wild and took over and is killing off the local ivy lmao i get so many last year was a pain to deal with em all
I will post about juice canning later it was a mess
Coffee grounds as a mulch helped us get cuttings growing on top of the hill in very clay filled soil
I hope to see more of your orchard posts
7 Likes
Wine when?
4 Likes
For real, this is low key a reason why we want to grow our own lol. My mom and I used to have some grapes growing along our fenceline, our neighbors made moonshine with it on the regular, 10/10.
4 Likes
hehehe its quite ez and wine yeast is cheap
when i made the juice i accidentally let it go to long and well its a sangria* (cooked the alot of the alcohol off and sweetened it up) didn’t have the yeast to get a good wine
NOT LIKE THIS YEAR !
i have some dandelion wine i need to bottle its finished its aging
4 Likes
If you happen to have any walnuts in the area, look into making walnut liqueur, also known as nocino. I haven’t looked at any trees lately, but the nut clusters should be forming.
5 Likes
we have one that fruits alot in the back yard about 60+ years old we gotta get all of the shits off the ground or we get trees like fuck
2 Likes
July 2021
Long time no see! An update. Everything is starting to come in nicely. We’re getting regular harvests of blackberries; and the annuals are getting to a harvestable stage as well.
Also I got a nasty tick bite and had to take a round of antibiotics to prevent Lyme, so I got that going for me.
Pics below. (No ticks tho).
Blackberries + blackberry jam.
The jam turned out to be pretty thick-- I think added pectin was likely not needed with our berries. I’ve still got a ton of plants producing out in the woods so I’ll likely do another batch. I go out every few days and gather more to freeze.
Pumpkins!
The twin sons of Lt. Dangle have been conceived and grow strong. Lots of pollinators around the pumpkin patch so hoping for more soon.
First cucumber
The best one I’ve ever grown, hands down. The ones I grew last year were weirdly yellow and soft.
Zucchini Struggle Bus
I transplanted these into a raised bed after waiting for them to really take off all spring. They look a little happier here but still not real healthy. Lesson learned: they likely need more space.
Tomatoes and Peppers
Roma tomatoes ftw. I’m waiting on nine large ones to ripen for delicious salsa/sauces. We also have a lot of cherry style tomatoes on the vine as well. Jalapenos are producing and were used on tacos last week; still dreaming of bell pepper!
An update on the Cherokee Purple: no signs of life. Some members of our twitch chat said they are disease prone, and I think mine may have fallen to the heavy rains. RIP in peace.
C’mon you fat fuck, grow already
Bonus Round
A real live mayapple! Sadly not from my property, found at a campground. The deer ate all mine before I try one. Maybe next year.
Neighbor tilled a huge field this spring, and I only walked by it again yesterday. I had assumed they were growing corn, but it’s actually oops all sunflowers.
Cryptic Last Image
Woodchips? Woodchips.
14 Likes
Compost pile ?
1 Like
Taters, precious?
1 Like
I have a small compost tumbler, but no pile. The wood chips are going to be used for weed management + soil building on some other parts of the property. If I can ever get them all moved lol. (I’ve made a decent dent in them since this pic was taken but hnnnggg).
I have some taters growing but no flowers/vine dieback yet, so not quite time to pull. Hopefully soon!
4 Likes
I tend to wait till the vine turns yellow allows a thick skin good for long storage imo
Im jelly of your tomatoes the heat and drought are not allowing mine to fruit tones of flowers no fruit
All my squash is going crazy though
1 Like
Im just here to make note of the fact that your first thought when it came to a size comparison with the cucumber was a lighter. 
8 Likes