Growing + Going = Gone Group Blog

Online Community for San Leandro Residents Interested In Sharing +Bartering+Swapping Fruits and Vegetables Grown in Their Own Backyards

Alien Zucchini Abducted By Small Child

Hunter
Well, it's that time of year again. Some of our summer crops have reached the height of maturity, while others have accepted their withering fate, and are awaiting the incoming freshman class of Autumn vegetables. Now that your "As Seen on TV" Topsy Turvy tomato planter has produced the last tomato you'll ever want to see, much less eat, it's time to ask youself, "So, what's next?" Most non-professional growers, like myself, go for the easy wins: summer herbs, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, etc... We add tending to our burgeoning gardens to our summer rituals, and we bask in the warm sun, taking credit for our vegetable's rapid growth, while giving little to resilent, mother nature. How many of us, however, are cold weather gardeners? You know, those of us who tread outdoors in inclement weather in order to grow and eat hearty, seemingly weather resistant vegetables? I appeal to thee, ye seasonal gardeners, that we should throw on a warm jacket and toasty boots in order to expand our tired repertoir to include more than the typical summer "homerun" fruits and vegetables.

Below, you'll find a loose autumn growing guide that can extend your growing season and also your life! I have the fortune of living in an area that's mild year round, so my zone 8 climate has a great deal of planting wiggle room. So, while you cart out the last zucchini from your garden, both misty-eyed and wistful of your bountiful summer; never fear. Another vegetable is always near.

  • carrots
  • garlic
  • brussel sprouts
  • beets
  • leeks
  • peas
  • turnips
  • kohlrabi
  • onions
  • radishes
  • chives
  • dill
  • endive

Happy planting and harvesting!

Great Examples of Home Built Chicken Coops

What I love about this “Hen House of the Month” page located on thecitychicken.com is that it demonstrates inexpensive, highly-creative, functional coops that people have made out of recycled and reclaimed materials. The coop with the green nesting boxes was made for about $60.00; and the other attractive coop was a repurposed mini storage shed to which the owners attached an inexpensively built run. Nicely done!

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How Does Your Garden Grow? Part II

Do you have any photos of your garden to share? I’ve attached a lovely photo of my artichokes and a young apple tree bearing fruit for its first full season. My son, Hunter, gladly helped cut the artichoke off its stalk and later ate a steamed one for breakfast.

Remi

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When Trees Attack

I was driving down a residential street last week, and saw  bunch of commotion at the end of the block. The street was blocked off and you could see city maintenance crews, police officers, a TV satellite vehicle and machines buzzing. Well, I drove by later, and saw that the city was cutting down some massive Lord of the Ring sized trees that had fallen in between two small homes. It’s amazing that they hadn’t fallen directly on either home, given their sheer size and number. What you don’t see is the man who must have owned the home that housed the trees, because I saw him outside a number of times looking at his home in disbelief, taking pictures and talking on the phone - presumably to his insurance company. Photos don’t do it justice… but just look at the size of the lumber!!! Poor guy was trying to sell that little house, too, and home owners insurance usually only covers fallen trees up to about $1,000*

 

*Ironically, I just learned that by reading a real estate Q&A in my local paper a few days ago.

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Available: Bags of Fresh Straw To Mulch Your Garden

Hi guys:

I purchased a large bale of fresh straw last week to mulch my garden. If you’d like some, I’d be happy to offer part of the bale for $3.00 a hefty bag. Let me know if you’re interested, and you can come by to pick it up.

Thanks,

Remi

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New Oakland Homesteading Organization

Hi everyone:

There’s a great local organization called The Institute of Urban Homesteading that offers classes in gardening, urban animal husbandry (everything from raising chickens, goats and bees to butchering), food preservation (jams& jellies), brewcraft (homemade alcohol), water harvesting and much, much more. I thought that this would be a great resource for the group. I encourage you to take a look at their class schedule. The organization is teaching many “lost” skills (used daily by our elders) that would help us live healthier and more self-sufficient lives.

Enjoy!

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