Blog – Millbrook Garden and Farm

Fall Garden 2020: The season you didn’t know you had

September 19, 2020

by Millbrook with No Comment Uncategorized

Finally some extra time

Most gardeners only believe there’s a three month window to grow their fair share of veggies for the year. I was certainly one of those people until I realized vegetables can be grown almost year around! You don’t need a greenhouse to stock your fridge of home grown produce, all you need is the right information and seeds to get you there! Fall gardens are a wonderful and surprisingly overlooked aspect of the home garden. If you are like me, some of your favorite vegetables actually do best in fall gardens. Here is what I am planning for this season.

The Lineup

+ Dwarf Curly Kale & Dinosaur Kale (my favorite veggie)

+ Broccoli

+ Lettuce: Butter, Asian greens, Romaine, Salad Bowl mix

+ ‘Short n Sweet’ Carrots & Scarlet Nantes Carrot

+Zucchini

+ Peas

+Green beans

+Pickling Cucumbers

Disclaimer: I did not go and buy all of these seeds. You shouldn’t either. Most of these were gifted to me as “here can you grow these for me?” presents. I recommend you start with a few (4 or less) vegetables and one or two varieties. Find what you liked about this seasons produce and improve the lineup for next year.

Riding the Wave

How am I growing these all at once? Good question. I’m not. Instead, I am doing a little thing called succession planting. What is succession planting? It’s when you divide your harvesting time by sowing your seeds in intervals. The kale, broccoli, and peas have succession planting about 2-3 weeks part. This allows me harvest continually throughout the season instead of a gigantic rush of produce for ten days then nothing until spring. Due to the wide array of lettuce varieties this season, I will not have to succession plant any because they have different maturation dates. The carrots can be pulled out of the ground when I choose and have a long shelf life. The zucchini, peas, and cucumbers will be a one-and-done plant for the season. The most important part of a fall garden, or any garden, is to space out the harvest dates for your vegetables. There’s only so much lettuce you can eat in a week.

Before you get started...

Find vegetables and varieties that work for you and your family. Grow favorites and popular vegetables that most will enjoy. I also challenge you to grow something you might not care for, you’d be surprised the difference a home grown veggie makes. Start simple and with a few solid varieties. Once you get comfortable and experienced with growing cool season crops, venture to more advanced produce.

Raleigh falls into zone 7 on the climate map for the US. If you don’t know your climate zone, find out your hardiness zone with this chart below. The dates to plant a garden vary between climates. For some, it might be too late to plant. For others, you might be able to get away with cold tolerant varieties or plugs from the local garden center.

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ – Link to the USDA website for climate hardiness ch

Flower and Vegetable Garden Survey Template

Flower and Vegetable Survey Template

May 26, 2020

by Millbrook with No Comment Uncategorized

As you may know, or soon will find out, staying organized is an important part of gardening. It seems you can fail way more than you can succeed in a garden. Knowing how your veggies and blooms did each year will allow you to pivot and grow better the following year. Make sure you are keeping track of those highs and lows with an easy, clear record keeping system. I use this template here that I designed for my veggie and flower garden.

Want to try this template for yourself? Download your template here. Flower and Vegetable Survey

This template allows me to write down how a crop performed this year compared to other seasons and what I could do to improve next year’s harvest. The best way to organize these papers is to print them out and put them into a binder labeled ‘Garden Record Surveys.’ I like to separate the veggies and flowers so I can return to them during the growing season and add new information. The best part about the binder is each year you can add to your collection and flip through previous seasons! Enjoy the template and shoot me an email if you tried this system or what could be added to make it better. I love to hear feedback from other gardeners like you!

xoxo,

Allison

Things to Consider When Starting a Garden

May 8, 2020

by Millbrook with One Comment Uncategorized

It's Not Your Fault

Many eager, newly-enlightened individuals have fallen victim to the wonderful mirage of gardening. I am certainly not excluding myself from this group. It has taken me four seasons of mediocre harvest to partially understand the iceberg of gardening. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the glamorous thought of nurturing your food from seed to fruit. Like you may know, it also doesn’t take long for good ole Mama Nature to snap you out of that green, luscious shovel-induced coma. Before you even buy that first packet of seeds, there are a few things to consider.

Sunlight

My first year of gardening I was set out to grow tomatoes. I didn’t even like tomatoes! But I knew a southern garden was incomplete without them. I placed one in the back of each of my raised beds that laid under a magnificent 40-year old oak tree. As the summer progressed, the tomato plants grew. They grew so beautifully that they are still the superb tomato plants I have grown. Yet, they never produced a single tomato, not even a blossom. So what is the moral of that incredibly dramatic story? Know what your plant needs before you plant it in the ground. A good rule of thumb is if it has a flower that will bear fruit (anything other than a leaf), needs full sun. Full sun is 6+ hours of sun. If your entire yard is covered in shade, don’t worry, there are plenty of vegetables to grow. I hope you like salad because leafy greens do great in shade. If you are planning a garden bed on the side of your house, a south facing garden will get full sun while a north facing garden will get shade from most of the day. An east facing garden will get morning and afternoon sun while a west facing garden will get afternoon and evening sun. Spend a day logging the amount of sunlight your intended garden spot gets. Giving your plants the required light amounts allows them to give you the harvest you worked hard to grow!

Soil

Repeat after me. Soil is not dirt. Soil is not dirt. What you put your plant in is just as important as where you put it. In home landscapes, good soil is hard to find, if not impossible. Ever been digging in the ground and hit red clay two inches below the grass? That is because when houses are built, the topsoil is stripped and the clay is firmly compacted in order to build upon. Once the house is built, instead of putting the topsoil back, sod is laid over the clay and it’s a done deal. While this gives your house a great foundation, it doesn’t do the same for your yard and garden. This means it’s important to give the plants the soil they need to grow healthy and strong (best part is you don’t have to sit at the dining room table for twenty minutes convincing them). The easiest and fastest way to amend your soil is to build a raised bed. Yet, that can get costly. The second option is to grow on the ground. That is the cheapest yet it will require time and patience. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages that are too long for a single paragraph. However, I encourage you to research and discuss what option would best fit your needs and situation. I have both and I can honestly say they equal out the same. As long as you have good quality soil, your plants will be happy.

So what makes good quality soil? There are two concepts that are critical for making superior growing medium. First, what type of soil is your soil. Is it loamy, silty, or clay? These fancy words just mean the percentage of sand, dirt and clay your soil is made out of. According to NC State Extension, Go Pack, the ideal soil is 60-30-10 clay, dirt, sand. For a quick test, take a mason jar filled 3/4th of the way with your dirt and water and shake it up. Let the jar rest and watch the clay, sand, settle completely before analyzing. Then pat yourself on the back because you now have a soil science degree. The second part is even more important and will require some professional help. What nutrients does your soil lack? To find this out, order a soil test from your local extension, in North Carolina it is free. Follow the instructions and send it to the lab to get tested. Once you have the results, amend the soil to their analysis. If you need any help please feel free to contact me and we will read the results together. The best time for small growers and farmers to get a soil test is in the spring. That is when the soil labs have finished their orders from commercial farmers.

Season

Despite what the grocery store tells you, most produce can not be grown locally all months of the year. Vegetables, fruit, and flowers have evolved to thrive in certain temperatures. That is where cool season and warm season produce comes in. Cool season vegetables and flowers grow best in the spring and fall. Whereas, warm season vegetables, fruit, and flowers love the heat and sun. Now keep in mind, this is all subject to where you live. Someone who lives in Main will have a very different winter than someone who lives in Arizona. Different areas have different climate zones. A climate zone will show a grower what they can grow and when. Find your climate zone by searching “plant hardiness zone.” Here in North Carolina, we range from 6b-8a. When buying annuals, perennials, fruit trees, veggies, that car you promise isn’t a midlife crisis, flowers, bare roots, you name it, make sure you have done proper research about where and when it will thrive. You will save yourself a lot of money and heart ache. The only thing more defeating than a sad looking plant is an expensive, sad looking plant.

Care

You’ve done your research, picked the perfect garden spot, sowed every seed with tender loving care and amended to soil to perfection because you have a soil science degree. But now its summer, and the excitement of the garden has now turned to another responsibility on your mile long to-do list. Gardening should be a joyous and relaxing hobby. Don’t let growing your own food be a stressful obligation. What do you think farmers are for? Before the trowel even touches the dirt, reflect on what you want this garden to be. Do you love the idea of picking your own tomatoes but don’t have the time to grow them from seed? Buy a seedling from the local nursery and plant it with drip irrigation and a timer so you dont have to water every day at 6am. Do you want fresh herbs but live in a studio apartment? Grab a container and some potting mix to put on a sunny window or your patio. Make the garden your happy place not a burden. It is a blessing civilization has advanced to where the majority of the population doesn’t have to spend their days growing food to survive. So be sure to thank a farmer, buy local, and get to planting!

xoxo,

Allison Nidiffer

Goals for the 2020 growing season

April 14, 2020

by Millbrook with No Comment Uncategorized

It’s the roarin’ twenties y’all. Even though we are four months in, I am so excited for what this year has to offer. By the year, I mean this growing year! The farm is at its busiest during this time. There are seeds to sow, weeds to pull, and projects to finish. Millbrook has a lot in store for this growing season. But before we get into all that, let’s talk about where we came from, where we are now, and where we are heading.

The Past

Last year was our first year growing cut flowers! Let me tell you; it was terrific. In 2019, we grew dahlias, zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, and vegetables in the plot pictured here. I highly recommend these flowers for beginners or casual growers. They will take a lot of mistakes and still produce (talking from experience here). Knowing I was no cut flower expert, I called 2019 “The Year of Seed Saving.” Which meant all the flowers produced were collected as seeds for next year. At the end of the season, I managed to pick the remaining blooms and make the bouquet you see here. Flowers brought so much joy and beauty to the garden, I started an Instagram page to share pictures of these stunning blooms. Once October rolled around, I knew we had to expand because the plans I had for Millbrook were not going to fit in this eight by fourteen plot.

The Present

I am calling 2020 “The Year of Flower Production.” This year, I really want to focus on the art of getting sturdy and vibrant blooms. Over the past few months, we built up the garden to what you see on the left. The long beds are where the cut flower trials will be. This year Millbrook will grow…get ready… Sunflowers, Sweet peas, Bachelor buttons, Zinnias, Cosmos, Celosia, Gomphrena, Scabiosa, Dahlias, and Chinese forget-me-nots. The arrangements made from the trials will go to local businesses and families for free this year! We want to get the word out and share the joy of our flowers with the community. The big plot to the bottom of the image is where the old garden used to be. We have since expanded that a few feet to make room for more veggies! For vegetables, Millbrook is growing Onions, Tomatoes, Lots of Peppers, Cucumber, Zucchini, Beans, Okra, Potatoes, and Herbs. We have also planted a few perennials around the garden for next year’s harvest.

The Future

It is no doubt there will be many more quirky names to call the years here at Millbrook. As of now, Millbrook is on track to start selling flowers in 2021 to the Raleigh area. We will continue to supply a steady stream of showy blooms on Millbrooks Instagram and other social media platforms. Be sure to follow us on our socials to stay updated with what’s new and growing! Part of our mission here at Millbrook to inspire a love of agriculture in others. We hope to spread our devotion in every way to the community both miles away and right here at home. I am excited to share this process with such a supportive and connected industry and fellow flower lovers.

Keep inspiring, Allison