Black Swallowtail Saturday!

Seems like an eternity since the zinnias were blooming in late September!

This summer I saw far more butterflies (Monarchs and Black Swallowtails) and bumblebees than usual. It was a good year for pollinators at our farm.

Which of course means I couldn't help taking LOTS of pictures. So I have some new photo notecards on display at the Harlequin's Gardens Holiday sale which is going on today and the next few weeks.  Here is the link to the event times:https://harlequinsgardens.com/events/holiday-gift-market/

                                       and here's the link to view the gift catalog art section: https://harlequinsgardens.com/events/holiday-gift-market/art-home-accessories/

If you've never been there I encourage you to check it out. It's very peaceful and so wonderful to be surrounded with the beautiful things there made by local artists.

I'll probably be heading over there today in spite of the wind that makes me want to just sit near the woodstove all day. They've got Celtic music starting at 2. If you're looking for my notecards they are in the front area in a long wicker basket. Friends tell me it's hard to spot since the display is small.

I hope you've all had a good Thanksgiving and are finding some cozy time during our January-like season. This year I definitely did not follow my usual tradition of planting the last bit of garlic on Thanksgiving morning! Since I sold out of garlic very early at market (due to losing half of it due to a weather event) I was able to start planting in late October and finish between snowstorms. Phew!....

Garlic Report 10/28/19

Our last day of selling garlic at the Boulder Farmer's Market was September 28th due to the shortage caused by a weather event last February. We are sold out and are in the middle of planting. (Pausing for the usual October snowstorms) The good news -hopefully- is that half the garlic is already planted and it's not even November yet. Often we don't get it started til late October and finish the last bit on Thanksgiving day so it's nice to have time to plant at a more leisurely pace.

Me planting garlic last November

Today's cold shouldn't hurt the garlic that was just planted because the soil has been really warm and the snow insulates it from the cold. Generally, there is plenty of nice weather in the first 2-3 weeks of November to finish planting.  I consider December 1st the "deadline" because the ground can freeze pretty hard after that.

After planting if I have any leftover bags of smaller cloves or other garlic I don't have room to plant I will post here so you can contact me.

If you are looking for planting garlic Harlequin's gardens has some softneck garlic to sell, but get there quick because Wednesday Oct 30th will be their last day open until the Holiday Market. Boulder Farmer's market has some vendors with garlic. Be sure to look at my planting directions at the top right area under "pages" on this blog.

Thanks for a great Season and I look forward to seeing everyone in the Spring with plants and late summer with Garlic next year! Also check out  Harlequin's Gardens Holiday Sale in late November and December. I will be selling my photo notecards there. https://harlequinsgardens.com/events/

Big garlic this week and next at Boulder Farmers Market. Predicted last day Sept 28th.

Saturday September 21st-
Tomorrow we will have a nice selection of garlic, but in small quantities. Look for the Jumbo and Extra-Large size of Chesnok Red. Some garlic failed this year, but the Chesnok Red grew really big! There will also be some German Extra Hardy large size for planting.
Next week Sept. 28th will probably be our last day at market with garlic, with probably just Chesnok Red and a few variety bags.

Extra large bulbs

This week we will have-
• Jumbo Chesnok red and other big garlic for eating or planting
• 8 kinds of garlic in the regular bins
• Bargain bags for $5 or $6 with smaller bulbs
• Variety sampler bags
• Seed planting bags (plant garlic in mid to late October)

$6 Bargain bags

Returning to Market August 17th with Garlic!

The Garlic Report
We are in the last few days of garlic harvest and have a good sense of this year's crop.
The good news is that the Chesnok Red, Amethyst, Siberian Mild and several other garlics look great. The bad news is that a weather event in February ruined most of the "early" garlics like Inchelium Red, Tzan, Shantung Purple and many more. (Feb 1st was 67º, when the early garlics were poking up, followed by -14º two days later.)

Some of the best...

Chesnok Red harvested today

The Good, the bad and the ugly

Tiny Tzan rounds

All in all the crop is at 50 percent of the usual quantity. As a result we'll be selling fewer days starting August 17th and going to early October.
Stay tuned...

Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes, otherwise known as "curlies" are finally here!
We will have a few this Saturday, more next week June 22nd and June 29th.

Garlic scape in the field

Scapes ready for market

Check out the link to the Daily Camera feature on garlic scapes with a little about my unusual garlic year.
https://www.dailycamera.com/2019/06/11/boulder-county-farmers-markets-garlic-scapes/

Pepper Planting time!

Buy your Pepper Plants June 1st- June 8th!

 With cool ground temperatures we recommend waiting one more week to plant!

Sweet Peppers • Hot Peppers!

It's finally getting close to time to plant peppers!  We will plant ours around June 10th (they can often go in a bit earlier in Boulder). They do NOT like cool ground temperatures! (Peppers don't thrive or produce well if planted too early.) We have gotten a good crop of peppers almost every year for the last 23 years with the late planting strategy. Some will have to be covered when we get the first frost in September or October. Most of the green ones will turn red by September, some in August.  We have many kinds of hot and sweet pepper plants including our very favorites that grow well at WeeBee Farms.

Hot Peppers

For hot peppers we are growing Early Jalapeno, Anaheim, Ancho/Poblano, Serrano, Bulgarian Carrot chile, Santaka Hot Asian and Shishitos.

Bulgarian Carrot Chile
One of our favorite hot peppers. It has a pleasant sweet, fruity flavor that complements the heat. A very productive pepper plant that grows only 18” high but may have 40-55 peppers per plant. The peppers are 3” long and good in eggs, salsa, pickling, marinades, hot sauces or for roasting and cooking. Go easy because they are very hot!
5,000–30,000 Scovilles
About 68 days to maturity

Shishito Peppers

Small 2-4”, mild Japanese pepper for roasting, pan-frying and grilling.
Thin walls blister and char easily when roasted or grilled, taking on rich flavor that is delicious with coarse salt and lemon juice. Not hot but the occasional fruit may display heat. Typicallyused green, but eventually turns orange and red with sweeter flavor. Prolific!
2ft high plants may be planted in containers
Days to Maturity: 55-60 days green • from Organic Seed

Sweet Peppers!
The Sweet Italian peppers are our favorites and we have a few varieties this year including Jimmy Nardello, Lipstick and Carmen.  King of the North is a good bell pepper that produces well and early.

Jimmy Nardello
Jimmy Nardello is a longtime favorite of ours for salads and veggie stir fries- most don't make it into the house because we snack on them in the garden.
Thin-walled 6-8" long. Good raw, in stir-fries and fried.
Brought to Connecticut from the village of Ruoti in the Basilicata region of southern Italy in 1887 by Jimmy Nardello’s mother.
Tall plants should be staked.
76 days to maturity (red) • From Organic Seed

Carmen Sweet Italian
  In our search for good organic pepper seeds we found this extra sweet one. These large red Italian peppers are super- sweet, and the plants are really productive. Use them for salads, stir-frying, stuffing, roasting and eating fresh off the vine. These are definitely worth growing. They are 5-6" long with thick walls. The plants are leafy which helps prevent sunscald on the peppers as they ripen.
30" high plants need staking.
Days To Maturity- 60 green; 80 red ripe

from Organic Seed

Lipstick- Sweet Italian
Sweet, juicy, and thick-fleshed, these 4" long, heart-shaped peppers are not only delicious in salads and salsas but are also great for roasting. Dependably productive even in areas with cooler summers.
Plants need staking.
Days To Maturity- 55 green; 75 red ripe
From Organic Seed

1) How to deal with gardening in our cold, wet Spring. 2) Creekfest will not affect our market this year

Yes it's been cold and wet, but not to worry. The hot weather plants can be planted in a few days and will have plenty of time to produce tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, zucchini, melon and all the summer veggies. We plant no sooner than June 1st EVERY year and get a bountiful harvest.

Or Buy Next Week, June 1st
WeeBee Farms will have a good selection on June 1st- and it will all be hardened off and ready to put in the ground next Saturday. Tomatoes, tomatillos, zucchini a few cukes and LOTS of Peppers to choose from.
Of course lots of flowers for pollinators too.

Creekfest Update: We will have the entire street!! Yay!! We will not be displaced by Cotton Candy or Corn Dogs this year!!! Saturday morning at market during Creekfest is amazingly peaceful! Things don't get too hectic til Noon. Plan to park where we park- in the RTD lot at Canyon/ Walnut just diagonal from the market.

Tomato and Pepper Plants

Plant your Tomatoes Late May to June 1st
(Peppers Next Week, Plant June 1-10!)
 We recommend planting around memorial day to June 1st. We have gotten fabulous tomatoes almost every year this way. If you plant earlier, be prepared to warm the soil first and protect them from the cold weather and cold soil. Also prepare to protect them during the first frosts in September.
Make sure your tomatoes are hardened off and ready for full sun and wind. Plant tomatoes in good soil, preferably with good organic compost mixed in. Fox Farms sells a good potting mix with compost to amend your soil with. Dig a deep planting hole and plant the tomato as deep as possible with the bottom leaves trimmed off.

Water the planting hole deeply before and after planting. Tomatoes should be watered regularly thereafter. Irregular watering promotes blossom-end rot. We fertilize our tomatoes at planting time with organic compost and not after that. Too much fertilizer can cause lots of leaf growth and not enough tomato production.

Tomatoes from WeeBee Farms • All from Organic seeds

Carmello
      The All time Favorite at WeeBee Farms
EXCELLENT, sweet flavor! Has produced huge amounts every year at WeeBee Farms under all kinds of conditions. Medium to large tomatoes that are fabulous in salads and also our favorite for salsa-making.  An older French market tomato. Disease-resistant, and resistant to blossom-end rot. Open Pollinated.    75 days,  Indeterminate • Started from Organic Seeds

Paul Robeson
The most craved flavor at WeeBee Farms
This Russian heirloom tomato was named after the Musician who was an advocate of equal rights for Blacks. His artistry was admired world-wide, especially in the Soviet Union. This "black" beefsteak tomato is slightly flattened, round, and grows to 4-inches. Its deep, rich colors, a dusky, dark-red, with dark-green shoulders, and red flesh in its center. Very flavorful fruits with luscious,  earthy, exotic flavors and good acid/sweet balance. Has won MANY taste tests including at WeeBee Farms.
74 days, Indeterminate • Started from Organic Seeds

April 20th - Back at Market with Plants!

Flowers for Pollinators • Herb & Veggie Plants
Salad Bowls!

Beyond Organic Growing Practices

100% Bee- Friendly • Fully Hardened Off

________________________

WeeBee Farms grows plants that are completely safe for pollinators. NO chemicals from seed to soil to growing.
 (See more about our homemade compost and growing practices at the end of the blog)
 

WeeBee Farms Lettuce for planting

Bee on Milkweed plant at WeeBee Farms

"Lauren's Grape" Poppies, by Select Seeds

 We started seeds on Feb. 1st and have been hardening our plants off so they are truly garden-ready.

Our Veggies and Herbs Tested for success in our own gardens and many have been grown for 20 years here.

Veggie plants this week and next:  4 types of Kale, 20 types of lettuces, Arugula, peas, cabbage, collards, bok choy and colorful and delicious salad additions. Salad bowls with chives, garlic greens, lettuces and all sorts of edibles. Coming soon: chard, onions, leeks, cilantro, basil, tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, beans, Thyme & many more...

Our Flowers  Chosen for hardiness here in Boulder County and their attractiveness to pollinators. These will be sold starting in a week or two with Hummingbird Mixes, Bee Mixes, Poppies, Sunflowers and many, many types of flowering herbs, annuals and perennials. I am a beekeeper and have over 20 years experience with plants for bees and other pollinators. I also photograph pollinators on flowers and get to know the favorites of bees, butterflies and moths up close.