Gardening: (2016– )

[heidih]

What different zukes? 

[TicTac]

5 minutes ago, heidih said:

What different zukes? 

Patty pan squash, early prolific straight neck squash, green zucchini, and a green/white striped heirloom variety.

 

So I guess not all TECHNICALLY zucchini!?  But that's what i call 'em!

 

[heidih]

Aawww - young patty pan are fun for stuffing. I've told the story before about my overgrown one  (hard as a rock) that I purposed into a dip cntainer. The guests were pacing bets on whether it was ceramic or real (no touching allowed). Oh and all those squash flowers fried - sooo good.

[kayb]

Well, in the grip of insufferable laziness, I let two perfect days get past me without clearing out the raised beds and putting down new compost. Fortunately, after today's rain, the next several days are supposed to be good, so I'll be moving on that. Think I'll go ahead and plant cabbages, sprouts, cauliflower and such like, along with lettuce and carrots and stuff. I'll wait just a bit on tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers. May go in with okra after the early stuff.

 

I also need to get back on building my herb stand and get new herbs potted. May wait until mid-April to put them out, or at least wait on the basil.

 

I'm pretty astounded at the cilantro, which survived the arctic blast and 18 inches of snow. The parsley did not.

 

[TicTac]

7 minutes ago, heidih said:

Aawww - young patty pan are fun for stuffing. I've told the story before about my overgrown one  (hard as a rock) that I purposed into a dip cntainer. The guests were pacing bets on whether it was ceramic or real (no touching allowed). Oh and all those squash flowers fried - sooo good.

Truth be told, as much as I love the squash/zucchini - it's the flowers that I truly love and adore.

 

I grew up with uncles who would grow dozens of plants and the flowers were the ultimate part of the plant!

 

Usually we would saute with Egyptian shallots, garlic, chili in olive oil and deglaze with white wine, some garlic chives in the end and eaten on crusty bread.  Though stuffed and tempura fried also sometimes made an appearance.

 

I also learned last year that the leaves of the plant when younger are edible and quite tasty!!!

 

 

[chromedome]

My grow light has just arrived...last year's seedlings were leggy and pathetic, because my lights weren't up to the task, but this year I should be in good shape.

To my delight I discovered a local purveyor of pepper seeds that grow well here in Atlantic Canada, and have ordered - among other things - seeds for piments d'Espelette, which was a pleasant surprise. Going to start a few melons shortly, and the peppers once they arrive, and I already have some summer squash (pattypan, yellow, and heirloom green) planted but not yet germinated. My windowsill lettuces are coming along fine, and contributing a few leaves at a time to my lunchtime salads now (there'll be more later).

I also had some onions and garlic that were sprouting in my cupboard, so I stuck them into a couple of planters. I have all the scallions I'll need for the next while, and will soon have new garlic to harvest and use (my own garlic is out in mulched beds at my two plots).

[dcarch]

The first spear, 2021. It says, "The hell with the lock down. I am coming out!"

 

Found this baby  in the garden. Spring is here!!!

 

dcarch

 

[KennethT]

7 minutes ago, dcarch said:

The first spear, 2021. It says, "The hell with the lock down. I am coming out!"

 

Found this baby  in the garden. Spring is here!!!

 

dcarch

 

What does one do with 1 asparagus spear? 😁

[dcarch]

5 minutes ago, KennethT said:

What does one do with 1 asparagus spear? 😁

 

You fight hard so you get to eat it all by yourself.

 

dcarch

Edited March 28, 2021 by dcarch (log)

[Kerry Beal]

22 minutes ago, KennethT said:

What does one do with 1 asparagus spear? 😁

Eat it raw! Growing up I lived adjacent to park land. There were a few spots we knew were always good for a stalk of asparagus. Never made it home

[lemniscate]

33 minutes ago, dcarch said:

The first spear, 2021. It says, "The hell with the lock down. I am coming out!"

 

Found this baby  in the garden. Spring is here!!!

 

dcarch

 

Use it as a swizzle stick in a Bloody Mary, then eat it.

[heidih]

29 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

Use it as a swizzle stick in a Bloody Mary, then eat it.

Nah that would adulterate it. Lovage with thick stem is "bloody Mary" swizzler

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, heidih said:

Nah that would adulterate it. Lovage with thick stem is "bloody Mary" swizzler

 

I need to remember that this summer. My lovage plant is massive, and never gets enough use.

[TicTac]

3 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Eat it raw! Growing up I lived adjacent to park land. There were a few spots we knew were always good for a stalk of asparagus. Never made it home

I was going to say the same.  Raw baby asparagus are akin to nature's spring sugar!

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I trimmed my blueberry bushes yesterday.  Not that I expect any blueberries.

 

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I trimmed my blueberry bushes yesterday.  Not that I expect any blueberries.

 

It'll be a miracle if you get them before the birds/squirrels do... When I was a kid, my parents had blueberry, raspberry and blackberry bushes...  needless to say that if I ever had just a few it was a lot.  The birds/squirrels always know when they're ripe the day before you do!!!

[kayb]

Tomorrow is gardening day! I have, sitting on my back porch, Better Boy, Beefsteak and Roma tomatoes; bedding seedlings of cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower, as well as romaine, butter lettuce and some herbs. I have seeds for leaf lettuce, carrots and radishes. I have 12 sprouting crowns of asparagus, and I have a roll of chicken wire to put over the top of that bed to keep the Godforsaken squirrels from digging them up and eating them. It was sunny and pretty today, and breezy, and thus should have dried out the beds enough to make the soil easy to work. I had already worked compost into three of them, and have the asparagus bed left to do.

 

Am thinking I will wait and plant squash (yellow and zukes) and cucumbers after the lettuce, radishes, etc., are through. I may follow up with potatoes after the cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts and cabbage are out.

 

Oh, and I bought flowers. Petunias and some tall purple-and-white things. I forget their name, but they're pretty. They're for planters on the porches.

[haresfur]

8 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I trimmed my blueberry bushes yesterday.  Not that I expect any blueberries.

 

 

Won't they kick you out of New Jersey if you can't grow blueberries?

 

I actually got a few handfuls from my bush this year. Feeding it some chelated iron made a big difference. After the berries were done I fed it some fertiliser for acid-loving plants and got enough new growth I'm planning on repotting it.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

50 minutes ago, haresfur said:

 

Won't they kick you out of New Jersey if you can't grow blueberries?

 

I actually got a few handfuls from my bush this year. Feeding it some chelated iron made a big difference. After the berries were done I fed it some fertiliser for acid-loving plants and got enough new growth I'm planning on repotting it.

 

Growing blueberries is no problem.  Eating them is the problem.

 

[haresfur]

17 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Growing blueberries is no problem.  Eating them is the problem.

 

 

For some strange reason the birds here seem to leave them alone. The parrots will strip all the pears from the pear tree but maybe blueberries are too small to bother.

[chromedome]

My parents always netted their blueberries. Enough branches grew through the netting each year to give the birds a fair share, but my parents got to harvest most of them.

Just about the last thing we did before she left the country place for the last time was to pick another couple pounds of blueberries. There were still lots for the new owner, of course. On an unrelated note, the young 'un who bought the house mailed her a letter recently inviting her to come out some day this summer at her convenience (COVID permitting) and see the changes he's made with the place. We both felt that was rather nice of him.

[KennethT]

My mint plant is getting old - I was going to clone it - do you think it's better to take a main sprig or root a runner?

[heidih]

I'd do both

[KennethT]

The curry tree is not looking forward to moving...

[kayb]

Planted most of mine Monday; then Wednesday night and Thursday night we had frost. I covered the tomatoes (bottom bed), but I fear I may have to replant them. It's warming up today and through next week, so we'll see. Other stuff (lettuce, carrots, radishes, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli) will be fine. Squash and cucumbers to go in behind the lettuce, etc., while potatoes will go in behind the crucifers bed.

 

But I'm guessing I'll have to replant tomatoes. We shall see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Counting on the landscape fabric to keep them neater looking.