My garden maze here at my Bedford, New York farm now includes a section of evergreen privets, Ligustrum ovalifolium.
I started this three-acre maze in the spring of last year. I designed the maze with a variety of interesting trees, hedges, espaliers, and shrubs that would all grow tall enough to prevent walkers from seeing the paths ahead. Each row would branch off with pathway options and dead ends - with only one correct route to the center. So far, I've completed about a third of the entire course. I've planted European beech, European hornbeams, boxwood, parrotias, espaliered apple trees, American sweetgums, barberry, London planetrees, and now these privets.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Recently, we picked up 58 privets from Select Horticulture in nearby Pound Ridge. I knew these shrubs would be great additions to my living maze.
Ligustrum ovalifolium, also known as Korean privet, California privet, garden privet, and oval-leaved privet, is a species of flowering plant in the olive family native to Japan and Korea. It is a dense, fast-growing, deciduous evergreen shrub or small tree.
Here is one side designated for this newest grouping. Chhiring and Ryan secured landscape twine according to our maze map. These plantings must be placed very carefully and precisely in order for the maze design to work.
The next step is to remove the sod from the designated area. This was done with our new Classen Pro HSC18 sod cutter. It cuts the sod in two strips, which are then cut and rolled into sections, so they can be removed. Sod is quite heavy. The sod will be used in another section of the farm, so nothing is wasted.
From one end to the other, Chhiring carefully removes about two feet of soil along the trench.
Here is the trench dug and ready for the privets. Digging a trench is not only faster when planting a number of trees in a row compared to individual holes, but it also allows more break up of the soil for new roots to grow and for better circulation of oxygen and water.
Chhiring removes the protective wrap from around each privet root ball.
And then he removes the cage around each root ball. Removing all the material is very important. Some gardeners will leave the wrapping in the ground, but I prefer to remove everything around any trees that are planted at the farm, so there is nothing blocking its root growth. Some burlap is also treated to prevent it from disintegrating.
Now the first privet is in place – the natural burlap will also be removed once all the privets are lined up in the trench. The burlap helps keep the root ball intact for easy moving and positioning.
One by one, the privets are positioned – 30 on one side and 20 on the other.
Chhiring manually smooths out the trench as needed. The entire process of planting these 58 privets takes several days.
To place them in the trench, Chhiring uses our Hi-Lo fork lift. It i s able to lift the tree and get it right into its designated space.
All these shrubs are in good condition, but we always position plantings with the best side facing inward toward the walking path.
The map also includes some plantings going perpendicular to this row in the center, so Chhiring digs trenches just big enough to accommodate four privets on each side.
The last four privets are carried into place. If doing by hand, when moving trees, only hold it by the root ball and the base of the trunk – never by its branches, which could easily break.
Here, Chhiring removes all the protective burlap from the privets already in the trench.
The shrubs are then backfilled. A good tip is to “plant bare to the flare,” meaning do not bury the tree above its flare, where the first main roots attach to the trunk. Tree roots need oxygen to grow. By placing the root flare at or slightly above ground level when planting gives the tree the best chance for survival, growth and development.
Chhiring also sprinkles fertilizer specially made for transplanting. Remember, “if you eat, so should your plants.”
Here is one side of the row planted and backfilled. When fully mature, these privets will grow 10 to 15 feet tall.
One can see that these privets are all equally spaced in the trench. They will eventually grow into a nice thick hedge.
The leaves of the privet are elliptic-ovate, glossy, dark green leaves and about two and a half inches long.
Small, tubular, dull white flowers in upright panicles up to four inches long bloom on the stem tips in June and July.
Once they’re all planted, the privets are given a very deep and thorough drink. It’s been very hot and humid here at the farm this week – we’ve been watering quite a bit.
And finally here they are all planted and mulched. The mulch is made right here at the farm.
Here it is from a distance. The maze will take some time before it is complete, but I am so pleased with how well it is turning out. It gets more interesting – and more confusing – with each row of plantings.
There’s so much to harvest in my new vegetable garden. We're all having so much fun watching these crops develop.
Most recently, we picked big bowls of peas - both shelling peas, which need to be removed from their pods before eating, and edible pods, which can be eaten whole. It’s important to plant peas as soon as possible in spring in order to get a bountiful harvest come summer. All our pea plants have been extremely prolific this season.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
We planted many peas along both sides of our long trellis in the center of my garden. On this side, our edible pods…
… And on this side, the shelling peas. All of them have been so prolific this summer, as with all our vegetables in this new space.
This photo was taken in May when all our pea seeds were planted. Pea seeds may be planted as soon as the soil temperature reaches 50-degrees Fahrenheit. Peas grow best at temperatures of 55 to 64-degrees Fahrenheit.
Peas can take as little as 54-days to mature, but they average about 60 to 70 days before they can be harvested.
Because of the weather and our very good soil, these peas developed quickly. And last week, these peas were plump, and ready to be picked.
The pea, Pisum sativum, is an annual herbaceous legume in the family Fabaceae.
Our peas are so fresh and green. The oldest known pea was found in Thailand – it was 3000-years old.
The pea plant can be bushy or climbing, with slender stems. The leaves are green, grow in pairs, and are generally oval shaped, sometimes with a point at the end.
Here, one can see the pea tendrils. Pea tendrils, also known as pea shoots, are the young leaves, flowers, stems, and vines of a pea plant – all parts are edible and taste like a cross between peas and spinach.
Because the pea plant is a climbing vine, the young tendrils have round hollow stems that allow it to climb easily up the trellis.
Here, one can see how the vines cling and climb. They are best grown on supports to keep them off the ground and away from many pests and diseases. We built the trellises using rebar and light metal fencing. They support our peas, as well as our cucumber crops. Elvira is able to pick the peas right off the trellising vines.
Picking is best done in the early hours of the day before it gets too warm.
Harvest green peas when pods start to fatten, but before peas get too large. Be careful to pinch peas gently from the vine without tugging because the vines are fragile and easy to break.
Shelling peas are also sometimes called garden peas, sweet peas or English peas. The pods are firm and rounded, and the peas inside are sweet and may be eaten raw or cooked.
The pods can range in size from four to 15-centimeters long and about one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half centimeters wide. Each pod contains between two and 10-peas.
Elvira also picked a bowl of edible pods. An entire pea harvest usually lasts one to two weeks. I hope your pea crops have done as well as mine.
Here is a bowl of the shelling peas in my kitchen after I blanched them in boiling water and then quickly moved them into an ice bath before draining.
Also in the garden – look at our potatoes. The potatoes aren’t ready yet, but our crop is growing beautifully. Potatoes are tubers, which grow underground. Without these tops, potato plants cannot perform photosynthesis, and the tubers will not grow.
Here’s a peek at our onions – we are growing yellow, red, and white varieties.
And the peppers are looking perfect. Sweet bell peppers are popular in the garden – all grassy in flavor and super-crunchy in texture. I love making stuffed peppers – so easy and so delicious.
We also grow hot peppers. Always be careful when picking peppers – keep the hot ones separated from the sweet ones, so there is no surprise in the kitchen.
This is our bed of fava beans. Vicia faba, also known as the broad bean or fava bean is an ancient member of the pea family. They have a nutty taste and buttery texture. I always grow lots of fava beans.
And of course, our growing eggplant. While I love to pick eggplants when they are still small, ours need a little more time.
There has been so much growth in this vegetable garden these last couple of weeks – there’s always something delicious to pick. Many of you often ask what I do with all these vegetables. I share them with my family and friends, and my staff at the farm. They are also used for photo and video shoots for television shows. And whatever is left over goes to my precious chickens, peafowl, and geese. Happy harvesting!
How are your tomato plants doing this year? Mine are growing excellently with just a little careful planning and maintenance.
If you’ve ever grown a vining plant, you know how important it is to provide strong structures to which the vines can cling and climb. Using teepee-like structures in the vegetable garden is an easy way to support these plants, and to add eye-catching texture to the garden beds. We used bamboo to build the supports. Bamboo is attractive, easy to find, and can be reused year after year. My gardener, Brian O'Kelly, worked hard to stake the fast growing vegetable crops, so the growing fruits stay off the ground.
Here are photos of the process - enjoy.
We planted our tomato plants at the end of May. Some I got from a friend, some came from one of our trusted vendors, and some were planted from seed in my greenhouse. We’re all very proud of the tomato crop we have this year. Tomatoes grow best when the daytime temperature is between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. They stop growing above 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Tomatoes also need full sun and warm, well-drained soil. Our tomatoes are thriving.
Here they are all planted. They are transplanted in the ground as soon as daytime temperatures are consistently above 65-degrees Fahrenheit. Two-thirds of the plant should be underground, meaning all but the two top most leaf sets should be buried. Planting deeply helps the plant to develop more roots, and more roots mean more ability to take up water and nutrients. If the seedling is already too tall and wobbly, dig a trench instead of a hole and lay the plant on its side. The stronger root system also helps the plant better survive the hot weather. This applies to tomatoes planted in the ground, in a raised bed or in a container.
With nutrient rich soil and warm days they’ve grown pretty quickly. Tomatoes, Solanum lycopersicum, have long been one of America’s favorite garden vegetables. Those bold red, sun-ripened tomatoes deliver the taste of summer with every bite. And, they’re filled with excellent antioxidants and vitamins. We plant many, many tomatoes, but just a handful of healthy plants can produce a bounty of delicious fruits within eight weeks.
Here they are after just a couple of weeks – so robust.
As they grow, Brian removes any suckers he sees — those vigorous stems sprouting in-between a “V” of the stem and side branch. He removes the suckers beneath the first fruit cluster so they won’t slow the development of the fruit. It also keeps the plant open, allowing for good air circulation.
Last week was time to support their growing vines. Brian and Ryan begin putting up the stakes for the tomato plants. I am always trying new methods for staking our tomato plants. Every year we try something new and better. This year, we’re making angled teepee-like structures for each bed.
Brian secures one stake into the ground next to each tomato plant. The plants will use these upright stakes as supports. Each one is pushed into the ground about eight to 10-inches deep. The important thing is to place them deep enough, so they remain secure for the duration of the season.
All the stakes are pounded into the ground at an angle, so they touch each other in the center. Here, Brian also secures a center stake at each end and ties twine along the length of the bed to use as a guide.
Brian checks that the tomato plants and the stakes are planted close enough – this plant is already tall enough to wrap around the bamboo.
Using the line of twine secured above, Brian ensures the stakes are all centered perfectly. Then, he ties the two stakes securely using the same kind of twine.
As with all our projects using twine, we use jute – everything is kept uniform and as natural as possible.
Next, Brian measures a couple of feet up each upright angled stake, so he can secure horizontal bamboo pieces across all the bamboo stakes. He will add more rows of horizontal supports as the plants grow.
Brian places bamboo along the bed, so they are all in place as he works. Bamboo canes are easy to buy in bulk, and can be found in a variety of sizes. These canes are about 10-feet long.
Next, he secures them with twine at each joint, so it is tight and strong enough to hold the fruit laden vines. Securing the tomato plants is a time consuming process, but very crucial to good plant growth and performance.
There is plenty of space to tie and support every tomato vine.
Looking through the center of the bed, there will be just enough space for someone to carefully walk through for any maintenance work or harvesting.
And then Brian secures each plant to the bamboo stakes where needed. He ties a simple figure eight knot to the bamboo. I teach all the gardeners and grounds crew members to use figure eights, so the stems are not crushed.
Tomato leaves have serrated, or wavy and pointed, edging along the entire perimeter. Tomato leaves are compound with multiple leaflets growing along a common stem, called a rachis. These leaves are also slightly fuzzy to the touch, which is caused by the trichomes, or multi-cellular hairs, on the plant. Never use chemically treated wood or other material for staking climbers, as the chemicals would likely run off and go into the soil.
Each plant is now carefully propped up next to its designated stake and secured. These supports really help to keep all these beautiful fruits off the ground and free of rot.
It takes about 50 to 90 days for tomato varieties to reach maturity. Planting can also be staggered to produce early, mid and late season tomato harvests.
Maintaining the plants and checking them regularly will go a long way in keeping them healthy. Another key to maintaining a rich vegetable garden is to rotate the tomato bed between a few spots in the garden to diminish the risk of soil-borne diseases such as bacterial spot and early blight. Since this garden is new, we won’t have to think about rotation planting until next year. Very soon, we will have many, many tomatoes to enjoy. I am looking forward to a wonderful harvest this season. I can almost taste them now.
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