drmiller's Backyard Vegetable garden
Garden Type: Vegetable | Sun: Full Sun | Soil: Loam | Established: 2008 | Organic ARCHIVED
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Welcome to my Backyard Vegetable Garden for 2011! My resolution this year is to really keep this site up to date, because I heard from both family and Myfolia members about my virtual disappearance last season.
This year will see much that is the same, but also some new stuff. We have given up on shallots, so we expanded the garlic planting. We are also going back into Bed 1 with the tomatoes, so wee expect a larger crop this year, which we will need because we plan to eat down the canned goods from the last two years.
There was no winter garden this year because we were simply too busy finishing a remodel in our house.
After last year, Evelyn is really confident about her seed starting abilities, so we are going to plant more seeds to get the exact varieties of plants we wish to grow, freeing us from the local nurseries that seem to all carry the same selections.
We are looking forward to this year, and I am looking forward to reconnecting with the Myfolia community.
Garden Layout
The main garden facility are three newly constructed raised beds, which can be seen in the second photo. Each bed is 18" deep, and roughly 5′ × 10′ (W x L). I say roughly because the shape of the space required that the two outside beds be somewhat trapezoidal in shape, rather than rectangular. We have 172 sq. ft. planting space in total between the three beds.
We installed paths made of gray fines 6" deep on each side of the beds, allowing us to access plants without walking on the beds.
Irrigation is necessary in Northern California because we typically receive no rain from late April to November. Dry years have even longer dry seasons. Water has been plumbed into each bed, and a timer controlled valve feeds drip watering systems in each bed.
The last three photos show the beds being filled with dirt, clean top soil. We used extra 2×6 boards to strike the dirt off level with the tops of the beds. We did not immediately amend this dirt, and that proved to be a mistake. Evelyn thinks it was “cooked” to kill weed seeds, but in so doing it did something to the soil. Our first plants failed to thrive, and we eventually pulled them out, and amended with a bunch of steer manure. The rest, as they say, is history.
The primary virtue of the garden location is the sun. As can be seen in the second photo, all beds receive full sunlight from noon till approximately 7 PM in the summer. Numbered 1 to 3 from left to right, bed 3 will be in total shade during most of a fall and winter day, so our fall and winter gardening will be limited to the two other beds.
Located in Los Gatos, CA, United States, drmiller's Backyard Vegetable garden is an outdoor organic garden that currently contains 0 plants.
This is a Vegetable garden that is known to be in USDA Hardiness Zone 8b. It has mainly Loam soil and receives Full Sun light.Photos
Plantings
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Jalapeno TAM ARCHIVED
Capsicum annuum longum group
Purchased on 17 Apr 10 We went to the Palo Alto Master Gardeners plant...
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Piment d'Espelette ARCHIVED
Capsicum annuum longum group
Purchased on 17 Apr 10
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Gaillo d'Asti Bell Pepper ARCHIVED
Capsicum annuum var. annuum (Grossum Group)
Purchased on 17 Apr 10 Another pepper we got from the Palo Alto Master...
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Carmen Red Bell Pepper ARCHIVED
Capsicum annuum var. annuum (Grossum Group)
Purchased on 17 Apr 10 The fourth pepper we bought at the Palo Alto Ma...
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Celebrity Tomato ARCHIVED
Solanum lycopersicum
Transplanted on 20 Mar 10 We planted two transplants of our go-to product...
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Super Marzano Tomato ARCHIVED
Solanum lycopersicum
Transplanted on 20 Mar 10 We are going to try these indeterminate Roma-ty...
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Super Steak Tomato ARCHIVED
Solanum lycopersicum
Transplanted on 20 Mar 10 We always like to grow one beefsteak variety, a...
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Yukon Gold Potato ARCHIVED
Solanum tuberosum
Sown on 20 Mar 10 We broke apart the potato tower, gleaned out th...
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Lettuce ARCHIVED
Sown on 20 Mar 10 This is a cut-and-come again leaf lettuce mix. ...
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Stupice Tomato ARCHIVED
Solanum lycopersicum
Sown on 02 Jan 10 This is Evelyns first attempt at sprouting seed...
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Jack's Pepper ARCHIVED
Sown on 02 Jan 10 We have a friend, Jackson, who has been a garde...
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Brocolli ARCHIVED
Transplanted on 20 Sep 09 First planting of the winter garden. And anoth...
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Okra ARCHIVED
Abelmoschus esculentus
Sown on 24 May 09 Planted one of our favorites form last year: ok...
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Zucchini - Not Volunteer ARCHIVED
Cucurbita pepo var. cylindrica
Sown on 24 May 09 We deliberately planted 3 zucchini in Bed #2. ...
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Blue Lake Bean ARCHIVED
Phaseolus vulgaris
Sown on 24 May 09 This is a follow-on planting of beans, intended...
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Sweet Corn - Incrediable ARCHIVED
Zea mays
Sown on 09 May 09 We have had poor luck with sweet corn so far. ...
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Habanero Pepper II ARCHIVED
Capsicum chinense
Transplanted on 09 May 09 After giving up on my Habanero seeds, Evelyn bo...
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Ancho Pepper ARCHIVED
Capsicum annuum longum group
Transplanted on 09 May 09 Along with the Habanero, Evelyn bought three An...
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Carrot ARCHIVED
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
Sown on 09 May 09 We had a small patch of open cirt, so we plante...
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Leaf Lettuce ARCHIVED
Lactuca sativa var. crispa
Sown on 09 May 09 This is a blend of Little Gem, Tango, Outredgeo...
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Volunteer Celebrity Tomato ARCHIVED
Solanum lycopersicum
Transplanted on 27 Apr 09 Two weeks ago Evelyn noticed two tomato plants ...
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Volunteer Butternut Squash ARCHIVED
Cucurbita moschata
Transplanted on 12 Apr 09 There were two plants that came up with the bee...
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Eggplant ARCHIVED
Solanum melongena
Sown on 04 Apr 09 These were planted in medium pots for sprouting...
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Yolo Wonder Sweet Bell Pepper ARCHIVED
Capsicum annuum var. annuum (Grossum Group)
Transplanted on 04 Apr 09 Transplanted two Yolo Wonder sweet bell peppers...
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Jalapeno Pepper ARCHIVED
Capsicum annuum longum group
Transplanted on 22 Mar 09 We got the seedling at Orchard Supply Hardware ...
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Yellow Bell Pepper ARCHIVED
Capsicum annuum var. annuum (Grossum Group)
Transplanted on 22 Mar 09 This is another plant we got from Orchard Suppl...
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Habanero Pepper ARCHIVED
Capsicum chinense
Sown on 22 Mar 09 These have been planted in a pot on the Patio f...
- 1
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Super Marzano Tomato ARCHIVED
Solanum lycopersicum
Sown on 21 Mar 09 These plants came from the Love Apple Farm in B...
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Stupice Tomato ARCHIVED
Solanum lycopersicum
Transplanted on 21 Mar 09 Another plant bought from Love Apple Farm. E...
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Wild Bill's Big Red Tomato ARCHIVED
Solanum lycopersicum
Transplanted on 21 Mar 09 Another Love Apple Farm seedling, and an impuls...
- 1
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Jade Bush Bean ARCHIVED
Phaseolus vulgaris
Sown on 21 Mar 09 Planted two 5 foot rows of Jade bush beans. ...
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Celebrity Tomato ARCHIVED
Solanum lycopersicum
Transplanted on 14 Mar 09 We did so well last year with this variety we d...
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Beets ARCHIVED
Beta vulgaris
Sown on 14 Mar 09 This year we are going to in-fill the areas aro...
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Spinach ARCHIVED
Spinacia oleracea
Sown on 14 Mar 09 This is another in-fill vegetable planted betwe...
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Italian Basil ARCHIVED
Ocimum basilicum
Sown on 14 Mar 09 This is a pure companion plant to the tomatoes....
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Kennebec Potato ARCHIVED
Solanum tuberosum
Sown on 14 Mar 09 We have planted Kennebec potatoes using an unus...
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Bok Choy ARCHIVED
Brassica rapa (Chinensis Group)
Sown on 26 Oct 08
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Leek ARCHIVED
Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum
Sown on 26 Oct 08 Two rows sown in middle bed.
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Green Onion ARCHIVED
Allium fistulosum
Sown on 26 Oct 08 One partial row. Ran out of seeds.
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Early Italian Garlic ARCHIVED
Allium sativum
Sown on 25 Oct 08 We planted two varieties of garlic today: Early...
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Shallots ARCHIVED
Allium cepa var. aggregatum
Sown on 25 Oct 08 Planted two rows of shallots next to the garlic.
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Nootka Rose Garlic ARCHIVED
Allium sativum
Sown on 25 Oct 08 We planted two varieties of garlic today: Early...
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Cauliflower ARCHIVED
Brassica oleracea (Botrytis Group)
Sown on 12 Oct 08 Six Early Pearl cauliflower seedlings.
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Sugar Snap Peas ARCHIVED
Sown on 12 Oct 08 Two rows sugar snaps peas, sown 3" apart in row...
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Brocolli ARCHIVED
Brassica oleracea (Italica Group)
Transplanted on 24 Aug 08 Six Marathon F1 broccoli transplanted into Bed 1.
- 5
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Habanero Pepper ARCHIVED
Capsicum chinense
Transplanted on 30 Mar 08 This is a temporary entry. I am attempting to ...
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