California Gardening: What's up?

[eje]

I'm a bit depressed, as it looks like I lost one of my lavenders this winter, too, to the excessive rain.

On the positive side, I plucked a couple of the Nintoku Giant fava bean pods, briefly blanched them, peeled, and served them dressed with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Oh, my gosh, they are the tastiest fava beans I have ever had in my life! Really looking forward to making more with these beans.

[Kouign Aman]

Yum.

I lost my lavender last year - now I know why.

[Toliver]

I found out the first tomato plant my brother planted for my mom was a beefsteak. She says it's going like gangbusters and already has flowers on it. Is it too much to hope for tomatoes by July 4th?

She also just planted an Early Girl, yellow pears and a cherry tomato and has two empty pots left over for later-in-the-year planting.

[Kouign Aman]

Duh - its a 'tuberrose' - that would make it a tuber. Still above ground tho.

Glad to hear about your mom's tomatoes.

Mine are flowering but the bees seem to be on vacation. None in the orange or lime tree, none on the rosemary. One Early Girl is succombing to nasty black spots caused by I dont know what. Soap-spray and quarantine are the order of the day for her.

The cilantro sprouted - hooray!!!!!! Now I'm reading it doesnt like as much sun as I've provided for it. Time to scout a new location.

Basil still alive, sage actually increasing. The peppers (orange mini's) finally sprouted too.

Are scarlet runner beans only eated dried, or are they decent as fresh beans? Anyone have experience? (I'm headed off to google).

The potatos are goners. I planted them too deep in the pot I think, so they arent getting enough sunlight. Will try again this weekend. Must have purple mashed potatoes again this fall. (makes an interesting gratin as well).

Mr KA is battling the dandelions. I'm looking for the courage to harvest and eat them. I am not brave when it comes to foraging. There are too many different things that I called dandelions growing up.

[Toliver]

Duh - its a 'tuberrose' - that would make it a tuber. Still above ground tho.

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I adore tuberrose! My brother grows it for my sister-in-law. It fills the house with a scent of the tropics. I'll buy a bouquet of it at Costco when ever they have it in stock.

One Early Girl is succombing to nasty black spots caused by I dont know what. Soap-spray and quarantine are the order of the day for her.

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Here's a website about common tomato-growing problems. It mentions black spots in the first entry which may be from a virus and how to treat it (as opposed to "blossom end rot" black spots, which are a different problem discussed further down the page). There's also a link at the end of the paragraph for a university's web site about the problem. It's treatable, so good luck!

There's a link at the bottom of the web page for another web page about tomato leaf problems.

[Kouign Aman]

Thanks. Sounds like the problem is Grey Spot. I removed all affected foliage ... so far, so good. There's new clean foliage on that plant and the others appear to have remained clean. One tiny tomato...

And..... :hooray!: I spotted bees in the yard yesterday. Appears they came with the sunshine.

Brusselsprouts up to 4" and ready to thin. Garlic a foot tall, peppers-cilantro about an inch, basil from seed, just setting the set of leaves after the cotyledons. (The munchkin covered them with sand which they did not like). Basil transplants doing well, ditto tricolor sage. Potatoes replanted and still a complete bust. We've just not had enough sun, Im thinking. Lots of buds on the mini-lime. Flowers on the apple tree. Hey, its a garden! As the weeds have also noticed... time to renew that little battle.

editted. the brusselsprouts are ready to thin, not thing.

Edited May 10, 2006 by Kouign Aman (log)

[Toliver]

The bee's have made a resurgence around here, too. Apparently the Chinese Mites that decimated the bees of the California wild these last few years have either been overcome or have gone elsewhere. There were four recent reports of bees taking up residence in residences around here. Not a good thing for humans but a good sign regarding the comeback of the bees.

As for the sunshine, it sounds like you have the typical May Gray for San Diego. Are you near the coast? My mom lives in Santee (inland San Diego) and usually gets sun by about 10 or 11am. My brother lives on Mission Bay and sometimes doesn't see the sun for a month in May or June (June Gloom).

At least if it's May Gray, then you should have more summertime sunshine after it's over. Better to get it out of the way earlier than later.

[Kouign Aman]

That's it - the marine layer. Keeps the watering down, at least! Does your mom want some brussels sprouts sprouts? I'm going to have to thin them this weekend.

[Toliver]

That's it - the marine layer. Keeps the watering down, at least! Does your mom want some brussels sprouts sprouts? I'm going to have to thin them this weekend.

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Thank you for the offer. I asked her but she said she is going to just stick to tomatoes this year. A little boring but what can you do? She is set in her ways.

She mentioned earlier this year about planting herbs but I guess she's forgotten about that. So no fresh basil with the tomatoes.

Ooh, unless I sneak some into a pot when she's not looking. Hmm, now there's a thought...

[eje]

[...]

On the positive side, I plucked a couple of the Nintoku Giant fava bean pods, briefly blanched them, peeled, and served them dressed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. 

[...]

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These did turn out to be very tasty favas.

The beans were near lima bean size, a little brighter green than regular favas, and quite tasty.

The plants were also enormous, and, as promised, heavy bearing. We had 4 good fava bean meals from my 4 plants and gave away quite a few to friends. Finally cut them down just last weekend.

My only regret is I did not stake the plants, and they sprawled all over my plot preventing some of the other winter crops from getting proper amounts of sun.

If you are looking for a winter crop, have some room, and like favas, I recommend you give them a try.

~Erik

[Kouign Aman]

Tomatoes still blooming their hearts out and still being mostly ignored by the bees. A couple small tomatoes have set. Sigh. I may move the plants over to my neighbor's yard, which is resonant with bees.

Bought beefsteak termaters at Trader Joe's and gave them an extra couple hours of sun in the kitchen windows. They did very well in BLTs for dinner. They'll help tide me over.

Basil tried to bolt this weekend! Lots of basil-flower buds drying now.

Time to reseed cilantro altho the first round isnt yet big enough to harvest.

The tricolor sage is very pretty. I sense brown-butter and sage pasta in my near future.

Any idea why my narrow leaf sage died off after a happy 9 months in a pot? Does it need lots of water? (It seemed like a dry climate plant to me).

Erik, thanks for the info on favas. Are they what the english call "broad beans"? If so, I shall stick some in dirt this fall.

Toliver, how are your mom's tomatoes looking for 4th of July? I wish you the best of luck.

[eje]

[...]

Erik, thanks for the info on favas. Are they what the english call "broad beans"? If so, I shall stick some in dirt this fall.

[...]

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Broad beans and Fava Beans are the same species, Vicia Fava.

Actually a species in the "Vetch" genus and an "Old World" legume.

I'm not sure about variety differences between various countries.

The next thing I really want to try is fresh Lima Beans. I hated these when I was younger, and am curious what they would taste like to me now.

~Erik

Edited June 1, 2006 by eje (log)

[Toliver]

Tomatoes still blooming their hearts out and still being mostly ignored by the bees. A couple small tomatoes have set. Sigh. I may move the plants over to my neighbor's yard, which is resonant with bees.

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If your blooms aren't setting fruit yet, you can always self-pollinate them without the bees. I'm assuming your plants are either staked or have a cage on them. You can always whack the stake with a mallet or give the cage a tap or two for each plant. The shake should be enough for the flowers to self-pollinate. Good luck with that! My fingers are crossed that your blooms take that next step soon.

Toliver, how are your mom's tomatoes looking for 4th of July? I wish you the best of luck.

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The good news is that she has two plants producing fruit like gangbusters. I'd be surprised if some of it doesn't start to turn a lucious red before the 4th. She needs to put up some sort of fencing around the pots, though. If the fruit turns, there are plenty of deer or other critters near her home that will make a meal of the tomatoes quicker than she can pick them.

The bad news is that May Gray seems to have turned into June Gloom. This morning she said it was actually foggy during her morning walk. Fortunately, she's far enough inland that the sun usually breaks out by about 10am but that's only on the good days. I'm hoping the run of June Gloom will be far shorter than the 18-day run of May Gray that San Diego had.

[Octaveman]

All these posts are from people who love to garden and take pride in the fruit it bears. There's also the freshness factor in growing something yourself and cooking with it. But there's another factor that I don't see being touched upon and that is growing something out of a financial necessity.

Kaffir lime leaves cost $30/lb at stores and $75/lb on-line. Then there's also lemongrass. Grocery stores are charging almost $1 per stalk and online retailers are asking about $1.50 per stalk. I've never been good at keeping things alive other than my cats and my family but I'm working toward turning over a new leaf so to speak and bought a kaffir lime tree to love and nurture. And I'm also considering planting a few stalks of lemongrass too. Anyone know the process for that? Can a pot be used? My mother who is an avid gardener brought me about 6 pots of various herbs to keep going and use on a regular basis. So I'm giving this gardening thing another shot.

Cheers,

Bob

[eje]

[...]

And I'm also considering planting a few stalks of lemongrass too.  Anyone know the process for that?  Can a pot be used?  My mother who is an avid gardener brought me about 6 pots of various herbs to keep going and use on a regular basis.  So I'm giving this gardening thing another shot.

[...]

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Lemon grass is easy. Get a few fresh looking stalks from the grocery store, preferably with as much root attached as possible. Put them in a tall vase in a sunny spot. Soon, they should start to sprout roots. When you start to see new green growth at the top, plant them in container with some loamy soil and keep them moist.

Not sure about sun; but, you may need to give them some shelter from too much direct sun. It's a tropical plant, so with plenty of water, heat and humidity, you should have a good size patch before the end of the year. Frost sensitive, though, so you will need to bring it in for the winter or keep it in a greenhouse, depending on your exact zone.

~Erik

Edited June 1, 2006 by eje (log)

[Priscilla]

[...]

Erik, thanks for the info on favas. Are they what the english call "broad beans"? If so, I shall stick some in dirt this fall.

[...]

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Broad beans and Fava Beans are the same species, Vicia Fava.

Actually a species in the "Vetch" genus and an "Old World" legume.

I'm not sure about variety differences between various countries.

The next thing I really want to try is fresh Lima Beans. I hated these when I was younger, and am curious what they would taste like to me now.

~Erik

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We are having very good luck with favas too, this spring here in Southern California, our first time growing them. I attribute the success almost entirely to the seeds, from Bountiful Gardens, who also sold a seed inoculant that I am sure helped a lot. Never had good luck with shelly beans or peas before.

Also growing Bountiful Gardens lettuce, from a mixed-seed package but I think one is their Bronze Arrow, perhaps the best lettuce ever, and of which I will get a discrete package. But, all good. Just now planting another round.

[Octaveman]

Put them in a tall vase in a sunny spot.  Soon, they should start to sprout roots. 

Put them in a tall vase? With water? Do I trim the top? If so, how far down?

When you start to see new green growth at the top, plant them in container with some loamy soil and keep them moist.

What's loamy soil?

[eje]

Put them in a tall vase in a sunny spot.  Soon, they should start to sprout roots. 

Put them in a tall vase? With water? Do I trim the top? If so, how far down?

When you start to see new green growth at the top, plant them in container with some loamy soil and keep them moist.

What's loamy soil?

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Yep, tall vase with water. Just like flowers. Keep it topped up with fresh water.

I've never trimmed the tops, I guess you could a bit, if they looked ugly.

RE: Soil. They like rich sandy soil and plenty of water. Regular potting mix is probably fine. When you get to the planting them part, you might want to stick some bamboo stakes or chop sticks in there and tie the lemon grass to them, to help keep them from falling over. They tend to be a bit top heavy until they get their root system more established.

Here's a good link from yougrowgirl.com:

How to grow lemongrass from a store-bought stalk

edit - added link.

Edited June 1, 2006 by eje (log)

[Octaveman]

Cool!!! Thanks.

[Kouign Aman]

Happy days are here again! :chortle: The sun came out, the bees came over, and there are swellings on the tomato plants (and a bazillion baby limes-to-be on the dwarf lime tree)!!! There was much dancing in the garden.

I transplanted the extra brussel sprouts sprouts.... I now have 28 plants. I may become the only person in SoCal history to take a bag of extra brussel sprouts into the office to give away

Planted some ancient little peppers - probably 300 seeds in the pot. Now waiting to see if any germinate (very low odds. These peppers were about 15 yrs old).

Lemon grass... what a great idea!

[Toliver]

Happy days are here again! :chortle: The sun came out, the bees came over, and there are swellings on the tomato plants  (and a bazillion baby limes-to-be on the dwarf lime tree)!!!  There was much dancing in the garden.

I transplanted the extra brussel sprouts sprouts.... I now have 28 plants. I may become the only person in SoCal history to take a bag of extra brussel sprouts into the office to give away

Planted some ancient little peppers - probably 300 seeds in the pot.  Now waiting to see if any germinate (very low odds. These peppers were about 15 yrs old).

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Congratulations on your swellings and transplants!

In regards to the peppers, my brother visited a chile pepper festival recently and discovered a lot of the dried pepper displays had "orphan" seeds at the bottom to which he surreptitiously helped himself. He's planted some and is now waiting to see what grows. Is there a time limit for dried seeds? Perhaps soaking them first might help.

[Kouign Aman]

Thanks!

Perhaps soaking them first might help.

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HEre's hoping! That out of season rain of a week or two ago is what inspired the planting. I was cleaning out the stuff stored outside, and found these little old dried up peppers swimming in their container. Fingers crossed.

And best wishes for your brother's efforts.

I used to have the parent pepper plant on my desk at work. First time I had sex with a plant was to keep those little peppers growing. It would flower like mad, but (go figure) no bees inside the building. So pepper production relied on me and my trusty pencil tip.

[Kouign Aman]

Was given cuttings of African basil a couple weeks ago. They've got roots and one has survived a week in soil so far. The other two will "go dirt" soon. The cilantro will be ready for a large batch of Independence Day salsa, tho I'll have to use Trader Joe's termaters. No red yet on 'my' babies.

Whats going on in your garden?

[Toliver]

My mom told me she had harvested some of her tomatoes that had turned a good shade of red. She said she was surprised, though, because the fruit is really hard. She is attributing it to the lack of sun thanks to the May Gray/June Gloom in San Diego. So her kitchen windowsill is lined with tomatoes finishing their ripening.

[Kouign Aman]

Caprese salad with home-grown basil on the menu for tonight. Im so excited. And in month, we can use our own termaters as well (tonight, they're Trader Joe's).

The cilantro is trying to flower. Its fascinating - this plant has three different leaf shapes: the cotyledons ("seed leaves"), the flat-leaf we are so familiar with, and a lacy leaf that comes off the flowering stalk. Im letting 3 plants go and harvesting the rest for salsa etc. I've never seen a third leaf type on a plant before. I guess after harvest, I'll move this pot into the shade to slow down round two of flowering.

Peppers and brussels sprouts survived transplant, altho' the ones still in the parent-pot are doing best. The garlic died back. This gardening stuff is fun, and its taking less time than I had feared. Next year I shall be completely out of control in the spring.