Clubroot is the worst. This grotesque disease affects brassicas, and is generally the result of poor crop rotation practices. When members of the family brassicaceae (cabbage, mustard, broccoli, etc) are grown in the same land for years on end the tragic result is often the unwelcome appearance of Plasmodiophora brassicae. Infection by this organism, which [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Plants
- Published:
- September 30, 2010 – 3:42 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Animals
- Published:
- September 29, 2010 – 5:48 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
In late July I sowed some Arctic King lettuce into 4-inch pots. I kept the pots in a shady spot for about ten days, after which I brought them down to the main garden, where I kept a close eye on them, watering the pots almost every day. About three weeks after sowing I planted [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Plants
- Published:
- September 28, 2010 – 2:29 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
I find undersowing to be a valuable winter soil-protection technique for un-mulched plantings of kale. Jessica and I always harvest kale from the bottom up, eating the older leaves first and allowing the vegetative bud at the top of the plant to continue producing new foliage. This method of harvesting tends to result in fairly [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Plants
- Published:
- September 26, 2010 – 1:39 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
Earth stars are remarkable. Raindrops hitting their round convex surfaces (official term agreed upon by mycologists: “the nipple”) release spores into the atmosphere. The photo at right was tricky to take, as I had to hold and shoot my camera with one hand, while poking the nipple with the other. In the process spores covered [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Fungi
- Published:
- September 24, 2010 – 9:48 pm
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Animals
- Published:
- September 24, 2010 – 2:28 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
Pictured at right is a mixed bed of mibuna, tatsoi, and lettuce, direct-sown in early August. I am increasingly finding such greens to be easier to grow, and of much higher quality, in late summer and autumn than in spring.
Categories: Uncategorized
- Published:
- September 23, 2010 – 4:51 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Fungi
- Published:
- September 21, 2010 – 4:10 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
- Published:
- September 20, 2010 – 5:19 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
The summer was hot and dry until early September, when the rains returned with great vigor. Jessica and I went on our first mushroom hunt of the year this morning, to some older second-growth forest near Open Bay. We found some delicious chanterelles, and plan to go back for more soon. We may sell some [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Fungi
- Published:
- September 19, 2010 – 3:25 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
The frog pictured at right showed up one night to deposit a present for Jessica and I on our kitchen windowledge. Not wishing for it to become trapped in our cabin, I gently brushed it off the ledge back toward the lush undergrowth that resides just outside our kitchen window. I assumed that frogs are [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Animals, Wildlife
- Published:
- September 18, 2010 – 4:59 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
I have had great success with late summer plantings of bok choi this year – The image at right shows a small block of ‘Japan White’, direct-sown at the end of July into an area recently vacated by beets. The plants are about five inches apart, on centres, and have filled up all of the [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Plants
- Published:
- September 17, 2010 – 4:18 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk
Well that was an unpleasant experience. I started writing this blog shortly after my migration from North Vancouver to Quadra Island, some eight months ago. Eventually, a modest number of people started reading it and looking at my photographs. This was delightful to me, and I tried to upload something every couple of days. I [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
- Published:
- September 16, 2010 – 4:54 am
- Author:
- By Ryan Nassichuk