May 10 - Spring and Cicadas

Well it has been a hectic month since I last wrote.  We battled the onion grass that takes over the garden each spring (though it wasn’t as bad as last year, so I must be making some headway), composted and re-dug all the beds, and planted quite a few spring crops. So far in the ground we have peas, fava beans, fennel, beets, onions and shallots, celeriac, pac choi, radishes, salad turnips, lettuce and spinach. 

Spring planting in the Garden of Eatin'

The hoop house is planted with cucumbers and melons, and the first generation of cucumbers is already producing.  With all the cool wet weather we have been having, all the spring crops are pretty happy. A big difference from last year when it was already pretty steadily in the 90’s by now.

Full view of the cucumbers in the hoop house.

The summer crops are all waiting patiently to get into the ground, except for the first generation of peppers and tomatoes, which we had to re pot.  My plan was to get them out this week but then came the monsoon. In the end it was a good thing, as they are now predicting a possible frost for Monday night.  Now the plan has shifted to begin planting on Tuesday.  So next week will be big for planting, with not only peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes going out, but zucchini, cardoons and okra as well.  All of the herbs should make it in next week too.  We have added a few new herbs to the list -- I found nutmeg flavored thyme, and a ginger flavored mint, that I can’t wait to try. It will be a busy week, but well worth it when everything is in the ground and happy.

Hopefully the frost doesn’t happen, but just in case I will cover some of the more tender vegetables. The strawberries for example are all in flower, and we are pretty loaded with small green fruits, which I would hate to lose.

 I wanted to take a moment and talk about the 17 year cicadas that are emerging this year.  A lot of folks have been asking whether or not they will affect the garden.  The answer is no, though they may be so loud we can’t talk to one another. The only things they may affect are young trees and shrubs as small diameter branches are where the female likes to lay her eggs. If you are worried about some new plantings you can net your trees and shrubs to prevent the female from laying her eggs.

I saw my first nymph emerging the other day.  They come out of the ground when the soil temperature is in the 60’s, climb the nearest tree and then shed their exoskeletons. The males start their loud signature song to attract the females. The females make no song though they will gesture with their bodies and wings, and make small sounds with their wings during courtship. After this they mate, the female lays her eggs in a groove she has cut in a small branch.  The adults will all start to die off in mid-June. The egg later hatches, feeds on the fluid the tree is excreting because of the groove.  That larval stage then falls and burrows down into the ground feeding on roots. After a determined period of time (between 2 and 17 years depending on the species) the nymphs emerge and start the cycle again. What exactly is going on with them during this time underground is still a mystery to scientists.  Somehow they count the seasons, maybe through the roots of the tree, changes in nutrient levels, temperature etc. so that they all emerge together. It is thought they orchestrate these mass emergences to combat predators.  The thought being if there are so many of them, even if the birds gorge themselves, many will still get through. 

Birds are not the only ones to delight on this mass appearance; many people are already posting their favorite recipes.  You can eat them at the nymph stage, and many believe that they are a crunchy, tasty low fat protein.  They will not be making an appearance on our menu.

This year Brood II of the Magicicada periodical cicada is set to emerge.  This is a large brood, but apparently nowhere near the largest.  The reason this particular brood gets so much hype is its size, but also the fact that it is one of the few large broods that affects the New York metropolitan area. There are over 170 species of cicada in North America, and 2000 worldwide. Some have been reported to reach 120 decibels with their song. So, though they will not affect the vegetable garden for the most part, we need to prepare ourselves for the cacophony of sound for the next few months.

April 

So spring has finally sprung, finished and we are sliding into summer. At least for this week. Welcome to Northern Virginia. Just 2 weeks ago we had snow, and I was worried that peas were going to out too late. I dream of rain showers and days in the 60’s. Mornings when I still need my jacket, but can feel the warmth of the sun on my back. My spring crops share my dream. This is the difficulty with climate change. Our seasons will become more erratic, highs will go really high and lows really low.  If farming wasn't already a gamble, it surely will become one in the next few decades. I spent today running around and irrigating my poor peas. They finally started to come up yesterday, and they have had to face an 85 degree sun. I tried to plant my onions as well.  I got two beds finished before it got too hot. Luckily we will be moving into more seasonable weather in the next week, so if I can nurture everyone through is heat we should come out well.

In the last few weeks I have planted lettuce, Pac choi, radishes and Japanese turnips undercover. Outside, I seeded shelling and snow peas, fava beans, spinach and all of the potatoes. The potato towers went in well, and I can’t wait to see how they turn out. I’m prepping the beds as needed; I applied about two inches of compost to each bed, and tilled it under. The only plants up so far are the peas.

In the greenhouse I have a lot of veggies. Parsley, celeriac, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, fennel, beets, etc. the first generation of tomatoes went in two weeks ago, with the next going in this week. I like to do at least two plantings of tomatoes, about three weeks apart.  This spreads out the peak, so that we don’t get overloaded.  Also this week I am ordering my irrigation and supplies for the season.  I started planting onions today, and I’m prepping beds for fennel, beets and carrots. I took the winter straw off of the strawberries, though they will have to be covered if we get frost. 

More soon...