Susan's Green Side

21/06/2025

Hi everybody! Wanted to let you know I'm starting the shift to perennials this week. Lots of veggies left but I had car space for some curly willow and perennial flowers :-) Also LOTS of flowers and a bumper crop of garlic scapes.
In a look to the future, this year's FUNDRAISING FLOWERS are up and looking very cute, will probably start coming to market next week. For the 4th year the pots with the duct tape stripes will be an all-proceeds fundraiser for World Central Kitchen, feeding people in war zones and disaster areas worldwide. This year in addition to the :sunspot" sunflowers in blue and yellow striped pots I have a dwarf single zinnia called Zahara in black pots with a green and white stripe. The base price is $5 but if you really like WCK's work feeding folks and want to donate over, it will all go to WCK.
That's all the news for now

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09/05/2025

SATURDAY 5/10!!! Tiny tomatoes in pots they'll need to grow into. I'll finish the load with overwintered potluck perennials, curly willow, sage and chives. Plus scallions and some dill started earlier than the tomatoes. Time got away from me, it was cold enough that nothing outside or in the basement grew as fast as you and I would want and that wasn't enough so I hurt an ankle and couldn't stand long enough to finish the repotting. But I miss you, so I'll be there in my new place, W-69, and hope to have a BUNCH more veggies including many kinds of peppers, next week.
If you'd like some sorrel or nettles this week, message by 3:00 Friday for Saturday market delivery. The scallions will come anyway, also flowers if there are any.
Over the next few weeks I'll be adding peppers, eggplant, basil, cukes and summer squashes. Think about whether you'd like to PRE-ORDER corn or beans - I don't seed them on spec bc I can't grow them at home if they don't sell, but I'd be happy to start them for people who want them, and make some sort of agreement that I'll message you when they're ready and either bring them to market or deliver to you.
See you Saturday with whatever I can muster for you, including tomato babies.

29/04/2025

I made this and it was great. Also can vouch for the anti-inflammatory trait; I use it for random yardwork itches but not poison ivy. You don't HAVE to order it from me, you probably have it growing around your place too. But if you want me to pick you some, holler, and I'll bring you a bag to the market next week or we can arrange pickup/delivery sooner.

💜🌿 Have some purple dead nettle growing around? Turn it into salve! Here are three recipes to try: 😊

https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/purple-dead-nettle-salve/

27/04/2025

I'm skipping the pepper specifics tonight in favor of telling you about some things you can order in the produce department. I will probably bring NONE of this on spec except the scallions, but right now and for a couple weeks ahead I have wonderful wintered-over scallions, new baby nettle tips for those who can't resist the soup, horseradish roots, new sorrel, and purple deadnettle by the bucketload. If any of this sounds like a sale, you can order for pickup or delivery. The unit for scallions is a bunch of five, for horseradish about 6" root, and everything else a gallon bag minus the space to put on a twisty. $2 if you come over and forage your own, $5 if I forage it for you, and we can arrange pickup/delivery sooner than my expected opening date of May 10. Think about it and DM me.

26/04/2025

Tomatoes this year: Roma (but of course), Independence Day (supposed to be a development from 4th of July, even faster. We shall see), and cherries: Sweetie, yellow pear, chocolate cherry, and a small group of Sungold. I think I also have black zebra cherries, but they were a late addition and they aren't up yet. I'll tell you about peppers tomorrow.

15/10/2024

EARLY GROWING: The last two years I've started a couple of varieties of peppers for customers along with my own seedlings, timed for market opening. I'm at my limit for that, using as much grow space as I have inside during that time. But if you have inside grow space and would like something for well-insulated delivery in March or April, I have midwinter space under lights with your name on it. Specialty varieties welcome as long as seed can be bought in small quantities. Message by Thanksgiving if you want to make a plan.

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15/10/2024

You haven't been seeing me around. There was a mixup on whether or not the construction was going to close the access road on the south side of the market, and I didn't do the prep to keep going into fall without flowers. Slight miscalculation there. But some people had been asking about stuff, so here's an update:
This is going to sound weird on a 35 degree morning, but if you wanted ground covers please reach out. Those li'l fellers are sturdy and if you're still up for working outside you should have time for a good outcome. Message for variegated vinca or ivy; the rest should probably wait for spring.
I also have potted curly willow that would take if you planted it now, and sage, chives and mint probably best for window now and plant in the spring. Message to make a plan. And have a great winter!

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07/08/2024

UPDATE!!!!!! I said last week that I was sold out of elderberries for the season, But I've had an offer of a sumptuous second picking site and will have a BUNCH of lovely berries to bring in on Saturday and/or to hold for you to pick up. Maybe even for me to deliver. Be in touch if you want to reserve some for pickup at my place or you want to pick up at the market, just so I bring enough.
$5/half peck basket, message if you want delivery.
Also this week, cherry tomatoes and lots of flowers, whatever other produce is fit to pick. Plants will depend on what kind of car I get to rent; long story, I'll update tomorrow.

27/06/2024

Another tip (I know it's been two weeks, maybe this is more realistic) for June 29: If you like your SPIDERWORTS, you may want to induce them (or some of them, anyway) to bloom again later. If the conditions are right (like if there's any rain in August for example) they will rebloom around Labor Day if you cut them back to the ground when they're done blooming. For me that's probably next week. For you.... look in the morning. If all or most of them aren't open at all, it's time to think about cutting back. It's pretty adaptive, if anything in this part of the world ate the flowers, but it doesn't seem like anything does, so it's an adaptation that's mostly for the eyes of humans who like something blue to go with all the hot colors of late summer.
This is if you like them, of course. I have no tips on getting rid of them except digging them out, which is probably not what you wanted to hear in a heat wave. But the cutting back can help with stand control, since the majority of the seed won't be ripe yet when you cut. Meanwhile, enjoy the cool blues while they last.

14/06/2024

Thanks for a lovely start to the season! I'm starting a hopefully-weekly series of little experience tips, so here's one for June 15: Basil is often sold as groups of 3-10 baby plants in not very big pots, mainly because basil seeds are TINY and it's hard to put them in seed medium singly. Some people just plant thick and thin them down to two or three; I tend to think some of you may see my habit of potting up whatever grew up in the same cell of the seed flat as a bargain. It does work to plant the whole clump in a (much) bigger pot, but I think the pesto crop is bigger if you split the plants up.
Try taking one of my groups, or even one of those 100-plant pots you can get in the produce dept. of your grocery store, and do this: put the entire root ball in a near-size container of water (think cottage cheese container or similar) and leave it to soak while you do something else. When the whole thing is really wet, it's pretty easy to separate the roots without damage (I use a pair of popsicle sticks for this) and plant them separately. Plant 6" or so apart in 6 hrs or so of sun, water attentively while they settle in, and watch them grow. This technique can work in the ground, raised beds, big square deck pots, or whatever imagination suggests, and should give you a LOT of basil.
The same trick can also work for those moments when you're shopping (any kind of) plants and spot three or four crowded babies in one cell of a four-pack, and is worth a try.
Photo for the algorithm, and also because, though not mine, it is a great clump of happy basil and may give you ideas.