Square Foot Gardening 2011 Edition- Update 1

Last years square foot garden was a huge success! Kim and I learned a lot and we plan on taking the lessons learned and carrying them over to this seasons garden. What amazed us was how little work it took to maintain this type of garden and how much fun we had harvesting all our crops!

By far the two most helpful resources were the Mel Bartholomew's "All New Square Foot Gardening" book and the Square Foot Gardening Foundation website.

The book is a must have in my opinion. It outline's the soil mix and gives you planting layouts for your garden. I built 4'X6' beds instead of the recommended 4'X4' beds simply because I had the space for them. You choose what's right for you. Whatever you do however, don't cut corners on your soil mix ingredients!

Getting Ready for 2011

Winter was pretty harsh here as well as the rest of the country so the garden went dormant. The soil had settled a couple of inches in spots below the top of the frames so.......

Here's what I added to top them off:


1 bag of Black Kow brand cow manure



1 bag Black Hen brand chicken manure (rocket fuel!!)



1 bag mushroom compost


Sphagnum peat moss- some leftover I had laying around


Agricultural vermiculite- about 2.5 gallons

I poured all the bags into the beds and mixed them together by hand. It worked better doing it this way since the soil is so loose and rich.


Here's what it looked like when I got done. Mmmmm, pretty!



Rabbit Protection

The biggest threat to our garden last year was rabbits! They're everywhere and they like to eat stuff in gardens! So, in order to protect the crop, a barrier is mandatory. I researched putting up 1/2" galvanized hardware cloth but it was just way too expensive. I decided on using plastic hardware cloth instead. It's durable and only costs about $8.00 for a 25 foot roll. Plus it comes in a 36 inch width so I just cut it in half giving me 18" tall sections- plenty high enough to keep the rabbits out.




Here's the finished fence. Those are plastic garden stakes weaved through the cloth on all four corners. Bamboo stakes on the mid sections give extra stability and eliminates the fence flopping around. It works great!



Buying Seeds



Our favorite place to buy seeds and get local growing advice is from Renfro's Hardware Store. Having a local resource like this is invaluable.

So far we've picked up some Renfro Lettuce Mix, Renfro Spiniach Mix, Butercrunch Lettuce, Scarlet Globe Radish, Early Scarlet White Tipped Radish, and Derby Bush Beans.

We also plan on adding a couple varieties of tomato plants, burp-less cucumbers, and pepper plants.

I'm not sure why but last year our pepper plants did not take. I was really bummed about that. My plan is to get a couple more varieties of peppers and plant them in the other bed. Sunlight issues maybe?

Stay tuned for more updates.

Cheers!

FaceTime Won't Activate on New Verizon iPhone4 Solution

Well, my saga continues. I am one of the existing Verizon customers who got first shot at getting the new iPhone4 on the Verizon network. The pre-order process went well and the device shipped really quickly. Then the quirks began after I started exploring the phones functionality.

First off was the problem with the VZ Navigator. It wasn't available even though the feature was offered as a billable option during pre-order. Come to find out the application wasn't made ready for distribution at roll out time. Verizon quickly took the charges off my plan after informing me the feature wouldn't really be available until February 10th. Nice try, I'll think I'll pass on this one.

OK, a small bump in the road.

Next came the problem with the FaceTime feature not being able to "activate". I spent most of the day researching the Verizon and Apple support forums and discovered the problem is apparently impacting mostly former Alltel customers like me. So I began calling tech support.


First off-Verizon. They tried really hard but in the end transferred me to Apple tech support. There I spoke to a nice guy in Las Cruces, NM. We tried nearly everything- a hard start, soft start, recovery mode, pushing every button on the damn phone- nothing!

Then I got sent over to talk with an Apple Senior Adviser. He was nice but really only was able to make me an appointment at my local Apple Store Genius Bar.

At the Apple Store- I spoke to a young kid Genius named Pedro who quickly informed me he had already seen a couple of similar cases. Pedro said the problem stemmed from the fact that former Alltel customers (now absorbed by Verizon) cellular plans did not allow the device to attach to the existing cell towers correctly and I would need to contact Verizon to have them switch me to an official Verizon Wireless plan to resolve the issue. Pedro offered to walk with me to the Verizon store in the mall but it had moved across the street. Drats, I have to go on my own.

At the Verizon Store- I explained my problem to a fellow there who gave me that "deer in the headlights" look and was no help at all. I was not happy and left.

Back at home- I decided to call Verizon Tech Support from home and ended up speaking with a wonderful girl who actually listened to and understood my dilemma. She researched the problem on her end and confirmed the issue was due to my former Alltel status in their system. She offered me an array of options regarding similar cellular plans and took the time to help me make the best choice on a swap.

Once the switch was made the FaceTime activation problem was solved!

If you're in a similar situation you'll notice only "3G" appears on the device title bar next to the signal bar icon in the upper left corner of the screen. It actually should say "Verizon".

You may need to sync your device through iTunes and even perform a *228 then press number 1 to program your phone in order for the changes to take place.

Remember you must be on a wi-fi network for FaceTime to work.

Cheers!

VZ Navigator App Missing on New Verizon iPhone4?

That's right. There's a big problem with the new Verizon iPhone4 when it comes to maps. If you checked that you wanted the VZ Navigator feature on your phone during the pre-order event for existing Verizon customers don't expect it to be pre-installed on your iPhone4 when you get it- it's not. The app isn't even available on iTunes or the Verizon webpage for that matter. Why?

Well, it appears the mis-step is because the app isn't ready for the new Apple device. In fact, when I tried to download the app tonight off the Verizon web page I got an error message saying it wasn't available for my phone(?). Oops!

A quick call to Verizon customer service revealed VZ Navigator should be available on February 10th when the entire rest of the know universe will be able to order the phone from Verizon.

Sure this is a minor bump in the road for a roll out that has gone exceedingly well by any standard. I just wish Verizon hadn't dangled the carrot in front of me. Guess I'll just wait to see if February 1oth is the date this kink gets worked out.

Oh, the customer service rep took the feature off my plan so I wouldn't get charged for it. Good move.

Cheers!

Six Sentences Submission Fiasco

I've been following the Six Sentences blogspot for a while now and have always enjoyed it. However, I thought I'd let the uninitiated in on a a little secret regarding written submissions to the site- Don't expect a whole lot.

Read the instructions on the "Writers Guidelines" page and you'll see where Six Sentences guru Robert McEvily claims that "All submissions will receive a response within six days". Yeah right, don't hold your breath.

I can tell you that I submitted a story twice (with modifications) before the 2010 Christmas holiday season and have yet to hear back from Mr. McEvily. So much for the six day email response claim.

Screw Robert McEvily.............

Junior Brown- My Wife Thinks You're Dead

Go see him if you ever get the chance.........

Six Sentences: What Can You Say in Six Sentences?

UPDATE: Read about the Six Sentences Submission Fiasco HERE.

I've been following a writing blog called Six Sentences for a while now. It's a pretty simple premise- write down whatever you want in six sentences or less, submit it, and see if they publish your work. I like to read what people write and find it a refreshing break during the day.

Want to see a sample?

Here's one from Donald Jett titled: "Lot" . (click)

BP Oil Spill Sleight-of-Hand?

Is it me or has any one else noticed the flurry of news stories lately about the miraculous vanishing BP Gulf Oil spill? Seems like plenty of scientists have come out and announced the majority of the oil spilled in the Gulf by BP is mysteriously gone! That's right disappeared.

According to a Bloomberg article posted on August 4, a US Government report says 74 percent of the oil is no longer in the water. Amazing, considering an estimated 4.9 million barrels of the gooey substance leaked into the water. What's even more remarkable is the speed of the study. Heck, the government couldn't even tell us how much oil was being released during the disaster but they sure are quick to point out how much of it is gone literally days after the well was capped.

Hmmm...... I know bullshit when I see it.

Square Foot Garden Update 4

YEEHAW!!! The square foot garden went vertical this week. That's right, I built a trellis to support the sugar snap peas and bush beans that were planted last week and are really taking off.

I worried the wire cages wouldn't be high enough for them so I constructed a 5 1/2 foot tall trellis out of:

2- 10 foot sections of 1/2 inch electrical conduit
2- 4 foot sections rebar
2- 1/2 inch PVC plumbing T connectors
1- Nylon vegetable netting (5' x 8')

It turned out great!

The trellis (back) made from electrical conduit

I used 1/2" PVC "T" connectors to attach the upright

4 foot sections of rebar hold the posts up

Bush beans and sugar snap peas next to the nylon netting. Looking good!

I transplanted several cantaloupe seedlings around the raised beds this week

Squash!!

Corn!

More stir fry with fresh bok choy and edamame

Well that's it for this update. Thanks for following along!

Square Foot Garden Update 3

Well, it's been another couple weeks of low stress square foot gardening! I'm loving this stuff. The major activity this weekend was thinning radishes and leaf lettuce which have really thickened up due to all the great weather we've had lately. Very therapeutic....

Since the last update, I went to the local home improvement store and bought 3 tomato cages. I'll use the heavier/taller cages made out of the wire cloth material on the cucumber, beans, and sugar snap peas. I figure the taller cages will provide those climbing plants more space to spread out and grow.

I also managed to plant bush beans, sugar snap peas, and cantaloupe seeds in a plastic container tray. The seedlings have sprouted and should be ready for transplanting soon. YIIPPEE!


Seedlings are looking nice!


My gardening buddy- Tucker


Look! A tiny squash!


Corn stalks are coming along nicely


Thinning the leaf lettuce. I gotta bowl full!


Bok Choy!!!!


Kim and I decided to try a stir fry with the some of the fresh bok choy leaves from the garden. Hey, it turned out pretty darn good. Take a look.

Kim and Marc's Totally Improvised Wilted Bok Choy with Shrimp Stir Fry Recipe:

- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 or 2 cloves garlic minced
- Dash of fresh ginger grated
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1 small red pepper diced
- 4-5 mushrooms sliced
- 1 bunch bok choy, sliced crosswise into half inch thick slices
- 1/2 lb (+) peeled fresh shrimp
- Low sodium soy sauce
- Splash of water
- 1/4 cup (+) cashew pieces as topping

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, saute 1 minute. Add carrots and red pepper, saute 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and bok choy and cook until until bok choy stalks are tender-crisp and leaves are wilted.

Push all ingredients to side of pan and add shrimp to middle (add a splash of water or soy sauce if pan is too dry). Cook shrimp until pink then stir all ingredients well to combine.

Arrange over steamed rice on plates and top with cashews just before serving.

Wine pairing suggestions:
Fume/Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Chardonnay

Beer pairing suggestions:
Pilsner, Light Lager, or your favorite Hefeweizen
_____________________________

Stuff made from your own garden always tastes better..........

Enjoy your week.

Square Foot Garden Update 2

The weather was perfect this past weekend to play in the garden! What amazes me about the whole "Square Foot Garden thing" is actually how little time is spent tending to it and that's good news for the urban gardener.

Kim and I stopped by Roundtree Plantation Greenhouses on Saturday and picked up more plants. Kim got a variety of flowers and herbs for the yard while I focused on more vegetables. We were happy with our haul.

Building more cages for the tomatoes and cucumbers

Tucker (upper) had a friend over to visit. Meet Fritzy the collie!

New Big Beef Tomatoe, Burpless Cucumber, Yellow Squash, and Eggplants added (right)

Two Sweet Pepper Plants (The Pak Choi next to the Marigold is exploding!)

The Radishes are Growing Great!

Things to do:

** Repair leaky hose

** Seed bush beans, cantelope, and sugar snap peas for transplanting later