Gardening: (2016– )

[Shelby]

Ready for my boring yearly garden pictures?    I just like to keep a little record here of what I've planted.  I hope this years gardenage is waaaaaay better than last year.

 

Radishes are plentiful

 

Green beans doing well so far--well the ones that Chum isn't sitting on are anyway.....

 

Red, white and yellow onions

 

Collard greens

6 cucumbers

 

Lots of yellow squash and zucchini (gotta guard that from @HungryChris

 

Lettuce

tons of beets

12 or so okra plants

 

a few bell and jalapeño peppers and a couple eggplant

 

40 some tomatoes

4 artichokes (never planted these before)

 

Not pictured--the Silver Queen is just barely peeking through and so is one spaghetti squash.  I've planted delicata squash twice now and it won't germinate...bad seeds?

 

[HungryChris]

6 hours ago, Shelby said:

 

 

Lots of yellow squash and zucchini (gotta guard that from @HungryChris

 

 

 

 

@Shelby, Not to worry. I transplanted my first zucchini from the cold frame today! Mine are nowhere near as far along, but they do grow fast. It's a little early for

tomatoes here, but the forecast is so hot that I took a chance on the first 8 plants. I am growing Burpee's Fourth of July tomatoes inside, but the have only just emerged.

Tomatoes near July 4th here would be outstanding.

HC

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I transplanted my tomatoes this afternoon.  Hope to do the same for the eggplants tomorrow.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

13 hours ago, Shelby said:

Ready for my boring yearly garden pictures?    I just like to keep a little record here of what I've planted.  I hope this years gardenage is waaaaaay better than last year.

 

Your garden saga is never boring to me. Many good wishes for a better year this year. Vaya con los dioses del clima (Go with the weather Gods). 

[Naftal]

My neighbor inherited a huge rhubarb plant (plants?). She did not want it/them, so now I have permission to enter her yard whenever my supply of that plant is low!!! I am set for the summer, rhubarb-wise.

[ChocoMom]

My Baker's creek orders arrived, and I started planting some things indoors. I've not yet finished tiling the porch, but darn it! I want my plants!!!  I've started pots of basil, parsley, green onion, sweet pepper, spinach, kale, lettuce, beets, purple dragon carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes.  Ended up with their sweet potato variety pack x 2.  Okinawa Pink, Korean Purple, Myanmar purple and Jersey Yellow. I love, love, love the vines on these....so....I bought large black storage tubs, put rocks and sand in the bottom for drainage, mixed up my soil varieties, and planted the little starts.  My son will carry the rest of them up to the balcony (indoors), and position them to grow through the balusters down into the living room. I am so excited to see them flourish!!!!   

[KennethT]

My dwarf lime tree in silhouette.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I sampled a few strawberries tonight on my balcony.

 

[pastrygirl]

Hi gardeners, I have a few questions about berries.  I love berries!  Gardening, however ... my thumbs are only green when I'm messy with food coloring 

 

Seattle is what, Zone 5?  The micro-climate here is favorable, things in my yard routinely bloom a week or two before my parents' yard 10 miles north.

 

I have some blueberry bushes that I should try to revive.  Can blueberries get too hot?  These are on the SW corner of the house and get full sun from noon to sunset, which can be intense.  Plus, there is a section of concrete foundation behind them that holds a lot of heat.  Would some shade cloth help, or do I just need to water them more?  They are 4 or 5 years old and I didn't take very good care to get them established, is it too late? 

 

I also have some raspberry canes, which have been here forever and manage to survive as long as I clear the morning glory off of them every now and then.  Since I can't do chocolate events in the summer  (well I could, but it's not worth it), I was thinking I should grow more berries - a little gentlewoman urban farming to keep me occupied.  Is there a good way to grow lots of berries with little maintenance?  Raspberries, marionberries, maybe a currant or something, strawberries in one of the raised beds ...  I have two rather old raised beds and plenty of space.

 

thanks!

 

 

Edited May 21, 2017 by pastrygirl
directions (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

My blueberries don't seem to mind heat.  But if you actually want to eat any, rent a trained falcon to keep the feathered friends away.

 

[Naftal]

Some of my lemon balm has black spots, which on closer inspection are actually opaque. Should I be concerned? Can I still use them for tea?

[David Ross]

I've always been amazed how my delicate chive plants come back every Spring after a harsh winter.  Well, this past winter was a doozy.  It kept snowing, and snowing and snowing.  But the chive plants are thriving, as every other plant and tree is in Eastern, WA.  The chive flowers are delicious, but I'll let them take the course of Mother Nature.

[HungryChris]

I have often thought the same thing. I planted these chives easily 20 years ago and every year they come back rock solid. Many of their neighbors need to be replaced each season. This year it was the thyme. The rosemary always comes inside for the winter, but never the chives!

HC

[chromedome]

I was surprised that my tarragon (which is Mediterranean, after all) over-wintered so well in frigid Alberta. In the spring it was waist-high before even my radishes had come up. 

[haresfur]

9 hours ago, chromedome said:

I was surprised that my tarragon (which is Mediterranean, after all) over-wintered so well in frigid Alberta. In the spring it was waist-high before even my radishes had come up. 

 

My french tarragon dies back to ground in the winter (we only get overnight frost) but comes back every year - unless a certain someone thinks it's dead and dumps its pot out. 

[ChocoMom]

Hubby plowed /disc'd the garden yesterday for the second and third time. Then he planted 7 90ft rows of heirloom corn to feed the critters in the fall. I'll get him some sweet corn to plant too. (I'm allergic, but no one else here is.) 

When all chances of frost are gone- next week I hope...I will start planting outside too. For now, its inside plants only. 

 

OH! Hubby surprised me with a Mr. Stackey last week.  Its a cool little doodad for growing strawberries. Kind of like a fountain, so the berry plants can grown their little runners, and plant new plants for 4 or 5 levels. Way cool! 

[chromedome]

I just set out my first plants, a few dozen garlic from the strain my father'd been hand-selecting for size. When plump and freshly harvested, individual cloves in the 20-30 g range (ie, about an ounce) are not unusual. 

[pastrygirl]

On 5/21/2017 at 8:42 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

My blueberries don't seem to mind heat.  But if you actually want to eat any, rent a trained falcon to keep the feathered friends away.

 

 

I'll try actually watering them this year.  It was a warm week, I've already watered them twice!  A couple of bushes still look good and have fruit on them, a couple have some new green growth so maybe will survive.  If I can be a responsible berry keeper all summer, maybe I'll get more raspberry canes in the fall. 

 

 

[Jacksoup]

Some basil about two weeks ago. I thought these looked weak, seemed like bugs were eating them, so the Italian boyfriend farmer graciously planted about 10 more.  All are thriving now and we'll have plenty.  Just some of the tomatoes too. The IB farmer planted 25 yellow cherry tomato plants because of a love for a roasted tomato sauce we had last summer.  Perhaps he'll tire of it this year...

[djyee100]

 

The lavender is blooming, my front deck garden is shaping up for summer. Since the last time I posted, I've added a pot of chervil to the mix.

[Shelby]

I love looking at our wheat fields this time of year.  Almost time for harvest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HungryChris]

A sudden crop of mushrooms in the asparagus bed.  I am too afraid of them to harvest any, however.

HC

 

[dcarch]

On 6/2/2017 at 11:57 AM, Shelby said:

I love looking at our wheat fields this time of year.  Almost time for harvest.

 

 

 

I am guessing, you are not living near NYC.

 

dcarch

[djyee100]

10 hours ago, dcarch said:

 

I am guessing, you are not living near NYC.

 

dcarch

 

Or the Bay Area. This plot of land in the Bay Area would cost over $1 million and it would be built over. Beautiful fields, Shelby. What kind of wheat are you growing? Do you grind your own wheatberries for flour?

[Thanks for the Crepes]

@dcarch and @djyee100,

 

Shelby lives in Kansas and has tenant farmers who grow crops on her land. It is a beautiful field of wheat isn't it? We can't build everything over unless we want to starve. Thank the Gods for the farmers who feed us all, right?

 

My little teeny planting of six scallion bottoms with roots on the deck are shooting up like weeds! Especially since I have to carry all my groceries on foot, it is so very cool to be able to grow food here at home out of stuff that would normally be discarded.