Japanese Black Trifele Tomatoes

I planted some Japanese Black Trifele Tomatoes from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. It was from a mix pack of heirloom tomato seeds. I'll buy any tomato once to save the seeds for the next season or seed swapping. This tomato variety was great, I had a tremendous yield, the fruits were hardy and decease resistant.

Japanese Black Trifele Tomatoes - The taste is really sweet and strong in a good way.
Its fairly good raw, but cooked is where its at, musky, sweet, tangy, deep colour.

I just love the fruits deep red with this almost reflective black.
I took a macro shot of the lovely little sepal leaves, curled up like a little
whimsical instrument. 

My Ornamental Corn - Harvest Fall 2013

I just harvested my Indian corn, due to the threat of squirrel nibbles. I got a few larger ears, but many were kinda small, but cute. It already has me all excited to grow more next season. I want to grow a few varieties, but I worry about cross pollination.

During a trip to California, I bought some organic American seeds that don't ship to Canada. Botanical Interests, I really do love the illustrated seed package art. I've had really good success with those seeds.

Botanical Interests - Ornamental Corn (Dent) - Earth Tones

Despite some heavy chewing from my resident wild bunnies, this corn grew very well and I did get a decent yield of brightly coloured ornamental corn. It's going to look great, dried and places at the thanksgiving table.

Do you think it looks like the package?

These colours are amazing! I think I'll grow lots and make flour next year.

Growing this corn was pretty easy. I learned from years past, to soak the seeds until a tiny white shoots starts to exit the kernel. I then planted a single sprouted seed in a peat pellet seed starter. You have to protect the young corn from curious nibbles. Once they are about 2-3 inches tall I move them outside into a greenhouse and shelter them from the elements and squirrels.

I planted my seedlings in the mineral bed, off my deck. The soil is less organic and more a scientific blend of sand, soil, compost, and a top layer of mulch, egg shells and pine shavings from my chicken coop. I have photographed them as they grew, a nice visual journey from this corn.

July 6th - Earth Tones (Ornamental Corn). You can see how one side is much smaller,
from the rabbits chewing it down much earlier. They have come back nicely.

July 20th - They have made a big leap up, great luscious green
colour and hearty stocks. No signs of ears or tufts.

Big happy tassels, small silks and ears forming on August 3rd

August 11th - You can see a close-up of the ear. I should have known better and shaken the tassels together.

Second "Garden Club" Meeting

We met on Friday, and continued to weed. I had some of the kids work up the soil and pile the freshly fallen leaves. We had a few more tools and a few more kids. They've done such a great job so far, there might be a bit more weeding to do, but now we're ready to plant and spread mulch. Hopefully the weather will be just as nice as we've had these two times. I know we can't have all this sun, all these visits.

Hard at work in one of the garden's "problem areas".

They love to find things and ask me what they are,
where did they find come from? (Black Walnut)

The massive sunflower planted in the spring,
we'll definitely save his seeds! The thing is easily 12ft tall.

Our "Garden Club" Fall 2013!

First "Garden Club" Meeting

We had our first FA Hamilton "Garden Club" meeting at recess with some grade 4's and a few 5's. I had about 20 or so kids show up and I let them make a sign-up sheet for me. We gathered some tools and they did a remarkable job sharing them and rotating duties. They are way more excited about weeding than I thought they would be... I can't imagine the excitement when we start planting, making crafts and starting seedlings. The next few weeks look promising with some mulch to lay out, a composter and some spring bulbs.

There are a pile of grants I need to apply for, which is very exciting and then the kids and I will meet inside to plan some winter activities and spring plans. I think we're going to grow mushrooms and start an aquaponics system indoors. 

We made a "Weeds Point System" so the kids kept running back
over to me asking how much the weeds were worth. 

Eradicating the garlic mustard over in the future shed location.

Taking the bolted lettuce out of the raised beds,  these girls
wanted me to see every single plant they pulled out

Friendly ladybugs in the garden. We found quite a few worms and other insects.
 Even if some of the kids don't like handling them, they watch curiously
over the shoulders of the "brave" ones.

Picking some ripe tomatoes, we should have
enough to make 1-2 jars of sauce.

For now, its all about keeping it simple. My own garden is about experimenting and getting heavy yields of exotic vegetables in a rainbow of colours. What I've learned about this school garden, is that it's all about simplicity, crunchy orange carrots, red tomatoes and sweet green lettuce. Many of these kids have never seen any of these vegetables grow, let alone a rare purple hybrid. I'm hoping that this "simplicity" will inspire mirroring and small steps at home. Or when years have passed by and they recall growing vegetables at school, they'll grow their own, or ask their parents to buy from the farmers' market.

We meet again on Friday, more weeding to be done then.

Tomatoes! September Harvest.

It's the end of a glorious summer, and into an indian one, days still reaching the warmth of a beautiful day. The sun is hot mid day, and things are ripening in its rays. We're going to make some great winter spaghetti sauce and salsa for preserves this winter. My tomatoes are always so remarkably sweet and juicy. I think I might make tomato juice this year. I have some other tomatoes and great pictures... but I'll post those a little later. How are your tomatoes?

Beautiful "Red Beefsteak" Tomatoes from the garden.
The last of the harvest. 

One lonely "Green Zebra" left over on the
sad weather damaged tomato vine.