Gardens vegetable, flower or other?

[Puzzicato]

We decided to let one grow, just to see how big it could get. This was enough. I stopped his growth as he was becoming scary. Save the crudities for the pub.

bk

I've been trying to work something about crudities v crudité but I just can't make it happen...

We're trying a new variety of chilli this year, the Twilight, and they are amazing! Really slow to germinate but the most vigorous growth.

 

[John in Covina]

Well, the weather has still been stinking here so I am trifling with the idea of lighting some of my lanterns around the tomatoes so it will elevate the nighttime temperatures for them. This cold is really affecting them---especially the Green Zebra variety.
I set out the lanterns yesterday but forgot to light them in the evening. I'll try it tonight on a few of them to see if it makes a difference. [huh]

Two things you might be able to do is make some compost areas around them so the compost heaps give off heat and or use some plastic and wire to create a green house section to trap the heat. I also recall that someone had put plastic jugs full of water on black paper so during the day the sun would heat them up and they keep the area warm thru most of the night.

 

[jamespowers]

Two things you might be able to do is make some compost areas around them so the compost heaps give off heat and or use some plastic and wire to create a green house section to trap the heat. I also recall that someone had put plastic jugs full of water on black paper so during the day the sun would heat them up and they keep the area warm thru most of the night.

They are actually already composted. It is still not enough to combat the cold 50 degree nights. :eusa_doh: The soil is probably warm enough but the plants themselves are getting the brunt of the cold. I figured I could downplay that a bit as they do in the Florida orange groves.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Well, the Dorset Nagas have properly started turning colour. This pic is from Sunday. The plant got a long day of sun yesterday, and the orange is really quite striking now, and of course progressing down the fruit, sort of a wave of yellow spreading down the fruit from the stem and turning orange then red. I wonder if they know what causes it? Probably some substance released by the stem and diffusing through plasmadesmata. Not long to go now!

And I dug up my tatties last night. No flowers or buds on the plants. The leaves had started going brown and the stems were drooping a bit, so I dug into the haulm (sp?) with my hands and saw that they were at about the right size, so I went in with the fork. A small harvest, to be sure, but this is from 3 potatoes that had sprouted in the bag and were jammed willy-nilly into the ground. Not too bad. I can't remember the variety; i'll ask the Baroness. I remember them being quite nice - i'm quite picky about potatoes. Can't stand the ones that are very sweet.

bk

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Well, i'm informed that the potatoes are "Anya", and according to the Wiki page were produced by "the Scottish Crop Research Institute" and they are apparently "grown exclusively for Sainsbury's supermarkets by MBMG".

Not exclusive any more!! lol

bk

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Salade Espagnole

Those potatoes were truly fantastic last night in a potato salad (Elizabeth David calls it, predictably rather pretentiously, Salade Espagnole). They're skinny enough that they easily chop after parboiling into little rounds. With my meagre harvest of spring onions (tiny, grew very badly) chopped and mixed in with a clove of garlic finely chopped and a 3:1 olive oil:vinegar vinaigrette, a diced fresh tomato, and a little salt and pepper. And a large steak to go with. mmmmmm:essen:

bk

 

[Honey Bee]

With the cold weather we had in the spring, I kept putting off planting the garden until it warmed up...it hasn't yet, although today it may be 90.....hence no garden, so I shall begin preparing a fall garden today. Someone, do not know who, dropped off about 20 bags of compost in our road last May...(seeing as over 50,000 pot plants were hauled out again this year from our canyon, I am thinking 1+1=2!) so I have alot of compost to add to the garden area
Therefore, today, in my grubby jean capris, The Mister's old pinstripe shirt, my hair in a scarf...(whatta sight!)...I shall get started!
Anyone else putting in a fall garden?

 

[LocktownDog]

Anyone else putting in a fall garden?

Was thinking about it. However we usually skip fall here and go straight from triple digit temps to snow flurries. We should see our first snowflake in about 6 weeks. Will be putting up walls of water around a few of my summer plants that are actually producing, just to get a couple of extra weeks out of them this year.

My gardening efforts in the next couple of months will be to build three large raised beds with shades against the midday summer sun. One of those beds will have a temporary cold box lid for early spring.

 

[Puzzicato]

Those potatoes were truly fantastic last night in a potato salad (Elizabeth David calls it, predictably rather pretentiously, Salade Espagnole). They're skinny enough that they easily chop after parboiling into little rounds. With my meagre harvest of spring onions (tiny, grew very badly) chopped and mixed in with a clove of garlic finely chopped and a 3:1 olive oil:vinegar vinaigrette, a diced fresh tomato, and a little salt and pepper. And a large steak to go with. mmmmmm:essen:

bk

Sounds like a really perfect meal!

Our tomatoes are getting some momentum now - instead of one at a time, I'm getting to pick 2 or 3 at a time.

 

[Honey Bee]

Our tomatoes are getting some momentum now - instead of one at a time, I'm getting to pick 2 or 3 at a time.

I raised a tomato plant from seed and tried to keep it warm, nurtured it, fenced off from the deer just outside my kitchen slider..it had three nice tomatoes on it. I went out one morning and those cute little fawns had hopped my fence (ok it was only 3 ft. high, but it's next to the house!!) ate all three of the tomatoes on it, nibbled a few lavendar and hopped back over the fence.
I threatened them greatly with bodily harm if they crossed that fence again!
Needless to say I will bepurchasing 10 ft. fencing this weekend to protect the fall garden..it's a few yards from the house..not that it matters to the deer I guess!!

However we usually skip fall here and go straight from triple digit temps to snow flurries. We should see our first snowflake in about 6 weeks.

We have some friend in Susanville that have your weather!

 

[Mrs. Merl]

Finally getting a little out of the garden here. I have had a lot of greens, both salad greens and spinach and swiss chard. I pulled a turnip this morning and some peas. I have a few zucchini about five inches long and even if I never eat them I am proud...I don't know anyone else who has grown zucchini where we live!! I am also looking forward to digging up the potatoes that were a last minute thing - they look fabulous topside and I hope they will be fabulous down below too! I just looooove to grow things!!

On a sad note though - the bear that was drawn to our neighborhood thanks to the neighbors garbage destroyed my bees entirely. I will have to start from scratch next year and protect them like Fort Knox. Oh, well all things are a lesson. But hopefully my hens will start laying soon and I can at least be consoled that way!

How many people here plant heirloom varieties? Up until this year my gardening had been entirely heirloom, but in the hurry of the move this year I settled for Burpee. Though I am proud to say every single item in my garden was grown from seed a bit of a challenge for some items, but worth the effort and lower expense!

 

[jamespowers]

With the cold weather we had in the spring, I kept putting off planting the garden until it warmed up...it hasn't yet, although today it may be 90.....hence no garden, so I shall begin preparing a fall garden today. Someone, do not know who, dropped off about 20 bags of compost in our road last May...(seeing as over 50,000 pot plants were hauled out again this year from our canyon, I am thinking 1+1=2!) so I have alot of compost to add to the garden area
Therefore, today, in my grubby jean capris, The Mister's old pinstripe shirt, my hair in a scarf...(whatta sight!)...I shall get started!
Anyone else putting in a fall garden?

Not planting anything in this weather means you didn't miss much. My tomatoes are still looking at me like I am crazy for growing them in this weather. They are over six feet tall but I have gotten only two green zebra tomatoes out of the bunch of 8 plants! They have tomatoes but they just won't ripen.
The radishes are tough and mealy, the bush beans have a few puny beans on them and the chives are so think they look like grass rather than chives. :eusa_doh:
On a good note, the neighbor's artichokes in his front yard are doing fine. [huh]
Fall garden? I am too discouraged with this summer garden.

 

[Honey Bee]

Fall garden? I am too discouraged with this summer garden.

LOL! Had I got in a spring garden I would probably be feeling the same way!
I'll put in some beets, taters, onions, chard and maybe some broccoli.
My chives are huge, but I grew those in a wine barrell.
I am thinknig we live in the same general area..I am halfway between Sac and SF along the I-80 corridor.

 

[Puzzicato]

I raised a tomato plant from seed and tried to keep it warm, nurtured it, fenced off from the deer just outside my kitchen slider..it had three nice tomatoes on it. I went out one morning and those cute little fawns had hopped my fence (ok it was only 3 ft. high, but it's next to the house!!) ate all three of the tomatoes on it, nibbled a few lavendar and hopped back over the fence.

Those little menaces! My hanging cherry tomatoes are on a squirrel superhighway, but apparently the squirrels are more interested in my hazelnuts and walnuts.

How many people here plant heirloom varieties? Up until this year my gardening had been entirely heirloom, but in the hurry of the move this year I settled for Burpee. Though I am proud to say every single item in my garden was grown from seed a bit of a challenge for some items, but worth the effort and lower expense!

I loved the idea of heritage varieties, but after 3 years of spending quite a bit of money on fancy schmance seed to no result whatsoever, this year we bought new, probably GM frankenseed with blight and frost resistance etc. And it is wonderful.

 

[Mrs. Merl]

Hmmm, that is too bad you didn't have better luck. All of my varieties were wonderful with only one exception. My beans wouldn't sprout, but randomly they are now sprouting quite well (and they were the leftovers that I just rammed in the ground because I had the space and it seemed odd to just throw seeds away.)

I loved my tomatoes, but I loved my lettuce even more. I especially loved this one type which was a very miniature head lettuce. They came up so cute and were just the perfect size to put on a plate as a personal salad - even though it was a whole head. I should post a picture, I just loved that heirloom and will get some more!

 

[jamespowers]

LOL! Had I got in a spring garden I would probably be feeling the same way!
I'll put in some beets, taters, onions, chard and maybe some broccoli.
My chives are huge, but I grew those in a wine barrell.
I am thinking we live in the same general area..I am halfway between Sac and SF along the I-80 corridor.

I am about thirteen miles south of SF.
You could probably grow chard all year around up here. I used to grow Fordhook Giants and they were Giants! They looked like elephant ears. You could harvest them in garbage bags they were so huge and plentiful. I think I still have some seed handy....hmmmmm....
I am not that hot on beets or broccoli so.....
Call Al Gore. Tell him we want out global warming back.

 

[John in Covina]

Bruessel Sprouts are supposed to do well in cool weather. I am not partial to them but they are really good in the Phillipino Tamarind Soup called Sinagong.

 

[Honey Bee]

[QUOTE Call Al Gore. Tell him we want out global warming back. [/QUOTE]

I did call...maybe his internet is down

I like beets pickled only...not fond of them fried in butter or anything like that.
I had brussel sprouts once...I am sure they are good but when I had them it was at a restaurant that was such a horrible experience that we laughed as we walked out the door at the absurdity of that event and anytime someone mentions brussel sprouts, we get the giggles and shout, "Brass Lantern"!...that was the name of the pityful place....sorta reminded me of trying to dine with the Mad Hatter in Wonderland!

Chard does grow year around for us and I like it better than spinach for that reason...may try garlic as well, it did good a few years back.

 

[jamespowers]

I did call...maybe his internet is down

I like beets pickled only...not fond of them fried in butter or anything like that.
I had brussel sprouts once...I am sure they are good but when I had them it was at a restaurant that was such a horrible experience that we laughed as we walked out the door at the absurdity of that event and anytime someone mentions brussel sprouts, we get the giggles and shout, "Brass Lantern"!...that was the name of the pityful place....sorta reminded me of trying to dine with the Mad Hatter in Wonderland!

Chard does grow year around for us and I like it better than spinach for that reason...may try garlic as well, it did good a few years back.

Garlic should indeed do well. It does here anyway.
I don't mind pickled beets now that you mention it. Brussel Sprouts---eh, no way.
Swiss Chard is best for me raw. When they overcook it---forget it. *yucky*
Brass Lantern sounds familiar. Was that around here? [huh]

 

[PADDY]

First Blackberries appearing already here!

Out walking the boys and came across a patch where they are ripening nicely at the edge of a country path. More to follow!! Jam and Crumble to follow!!

And now is as good a time as any to share this lovely SEAMUS HEANEY poem with you all.

Blackberry Picking...

- Seamus Heaney

Late August, given heavy rain and sun
For a full week, the blackberries would ripen.
At first, just one, a glossy purple clot
Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.
You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet
Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it
Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for
Picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger
Sent us out with milk cans, pea tins, jam-pots
Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.
Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills
We trekked and picked until the cans were full,
Until the tinkling bottom had been covered
With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned
Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered
With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard's.

We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre.
But when the bath was filled we found a fur,
A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.
The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush
The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour.
I always felt like crying. It wasn't fair
That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.
Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not.