Over the Fence Urban Farm

Cooperatively farming small patches of Earth in Columbus, OH


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Field Notes: 7.1.2017

Here are some shots from the farm this past week.

Back in March or April, I planted a row of radicchio seeds I got through a swap. There were a taller variety than I usually grow. They leafed out just fine, but the early hot weather we got seems like it doomed them. This is one of the last ones I kept around, in the hopes it would form a head. It’s too bitter for the hens so it’s off to the compost pile for it. Bummer.

On a more positive note, this bed yielded a bounty of tight purple Leonardo radicchio alongside Red Russian kale. The kale is still producing – though it is slowing down – and has been joined by ginger and a few small heads of Sparx romaine which as on their way out already.

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The tomatoes are stretching towards the sun and beginning to produce a few small field snacks.

The apple trees out front received their solstice pruning. I mulched them yesterday (after this photo was taken) before the rain came. They seem to be liking the companion plants I introduced this year – borage, yarrow, and chives – as the leaf rust has kept away and I don’t see any of the aphids which a neighbor has been complaining about.

 

Lima beans are sprouting.

 

Garlic is curing in the garage….

…Leaving fresh spaces for the fall crops. I have some brussels sprout seedlings ready, I’m just a little worried about how they will do in the heat. Lemme know if you have any advice there…

Meanwhile, over at the Carolyn Ave. annex, the potatoes and sweet potatoes are coming up really nicely. And our hosts have some space to grow their own crops beside them.

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Growing (Great) Garlic

This all started when we planted our garlic back in November. Today that initial gesture came full circle as Melissa and I pulled hundreds of bulbs of garlic from the ground to cure. (We’ll have to go back and count them one of these days…)

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The bulbs vary in size from super-sized to puny. Add grading by size and appearance to the to do list.

While we harvested the bulbs today, we’ve already been enjoying garlic goodness for a few weeks. When a restaurant sale fell through, we found ourselves rich in short-season scapes and tried them in a variety of recipes – pesto with pistachios, guacamole, compound butters. (Check our Pinterest recipes board for details.) Not only were they delicious to eat, the were great to have around the house. DSC_0016

Our 4th of July fresh garlic and garden parsley chimichurri disappeared too quickly. Next time it will be even better as the garlic flavor matures and deepens over the curing process, which will take a couple of weeks. We’ll be sure to post some updates on that. For now, the gals are resting in the garage. Hope to get some braided in the next few days for our CSA members!

 

DSC_0067Postscript shout out for Ron L. Engeland’s Growing Great Garlic (1991).