Two hours ago:
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
While the Blogger's Away, the Plants will Play
Even though I have been lazy with my blog posts, my garden has been doing some neat things.
Apparently, Bok Choy is a cool-weather plant, so it's already bolting (new term for this gardener: sending up flowers). We ate some in delicious fried rice the other night, and now I'm looking to give it away, as I've heard it gets tough once it starts to flower. They are not as large and compact as the ones in the store, but they are tasty!
The broccoli is going strong too, and I especially love the stems on the purple ones. I suppose I should thin them out, but it just breaks my heart pulling up plants that I waited for so long to sprout!
I have tasted tiny bits of the asian green onion, and it is true, it does have a slight spice aftertaste! So much fun! To the left of the green onion is a tiny thing that looks like it could be the top of a carrot, but I've been deceived before!
Here are two strawberries; the first one I photographed before, I waited patiently until it was perfectly ripe, and then when I went to eat it, I think a bird had snatched it because it was gone! Then I had two tiny ones as big as my pinkie fingernail that I shared with The Husband, though he ate the one that wasn't quite ripe. These, however, were delicious, though too small for me to imagine ever making anything with them!
My bush beans just appeared last week out of nowhere, and my peas are finally getting started now that I stopped the snails from munching on them.
My Acorn squash plant is forming buds.
My mint is out of control (thank you, brain, for making me plant it in a container!), and has apparently attracted a friend to my garden.
My chives and cilantro are humming right along, though there's been no sign of the basil anywhere. But I think I see the beginnings of parsley coming up!
My coworker asked as he was leaving the office if we had any tomatoes yet. "No," I begrudgingly replied, as he seemed quite proud of the fact that he had some already. But then I came home and found this!
Apparently, Bok Choy is a cool-weather plant, so it's already bolting (new term for this gardener: sending up flowers). We ate some in delicious fried rice the other night, and now I'm looking to give it away, as I've heard it gets tough once it starts to flower. They are not as large and compact as the ones in the store, but they are tasty!
The broccoli is going strong too, and I especially love the stems on the purple ones. I suppose I should thin them out, but it just breaks my heart pulling up plants that I waited for so long to sprout!
I have tasted tiny bits of the asian green onion, and it is true, it does have a slight spice aftertaste! So much fun! To the left of the green onion is a tiny thing that looks like it could be the top of a carrot, but I've been deceived before!
Here are two strawberries; the first one I photographed before, I waited patiently until it was perfectly ripe, and then when I went to eat it, I think a bird had snatched it because it was gone! Then I had two tiny ones as big as my pinkie fingernail that I shared with The Husband, though he ate the one that wasn't quite ripe. These, however, were delicious, though too small for me to imagine ever making anything with them!
My bush beans just appeared last week out of nowhere, and my peas are finally getting started now that I stopped the snails from munching on them.
My Acorn squash plant is forming buds.
My mint is out of control (thank you, brain, for making me plant it in a container!), and has apparently attracted a friend to my garden.
My chives and cilantro are humming right along, though there's been no sign of the basil anywhere. But I think I see the beginnings of parsley coming up!
My coworker asked as he was leaving the office if we had any tomatoes yet. "No," I begrudgingly replied, as he seemed quite proud of the fact that he had some already. But then I came home and found this!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Microscopic Strawberry
There has been good news today, as I discovered the very first strawberry of my garden.
The Bait Motel
I've been fighting a host of predators in my garden these past few weeks - primarily slugs and these little black bugs that are covering certain branches of the plum tree in the neighbor's yard. Ugh.
Now, I used to think I could deal with bugs in nature. Bugs in my home? Dead. Quickly. But bugs outside? That's where they're supposed to be! However, once they decided that my garden was for their pleasure, I became very unhappy.
Yesterday, I trimmed the branches that were bug covered and hanging over the garden, so I hope that takes care of the gnats (or whatever they are). But the slugs? I wasn't sure what to do with them.
When my teetotaling mother suggested I buy the slugs all a round of drinks, I figured that was a good indication that I shouldn't just ignore them anymore. I knew someone was munching away at my peas as soon as they popped their little heads out of the ground, but I wasn't sure exactly who it was. But in good faith I brought them home a bottle of beer (after studying the multitudes of slug bait that all seemed not nice for a vegetable garden, if I ever wanted to eat them).
Beer was poured into containers, buried in the garden so the slugs could easily access it, and of a depth that would cause drowning the instant they tried to taste.
This morning, however, my anticipation for drowned slugs was not fulfilled, as I had filled the containers to the brim, allowing everyone to just get tipsy before visiting the salad bar. And visit it, they did, as one entire lettuce plant was brutally devoured.
This afternoon, the gloves came off. No more offering slugs a drink to stay away from my plants - they are getting a full buffet of slug bait. It's supposedly safe for dogs and cats, in case any eat some while passing through the yard, so I didn't feel as unorganic as I might have had I gone straight for the poison. Hopefully, it works.
Now, I used to think I could deal with bugs in nature. Bugs in my home? Dead. Quickly. But bugs outside? That's where they're supposed to be! However, once they decided that my garden was for their pleasure, I became very unhappy.
Yesterday, I trimmed the branches that were bug covered and hanging over the garden, so I hope that takes care of the gnats (or whatever they are). But the slugs? I wasn't sure what to do with them.
When my teetotaling mother suggested I buy the slugs all a round of drinks, I figured that was a good indication that I shouldn't just ignore them anymore. I knew someone was munching away at my peas as soon as they popped their little heads out of the ground, but I wasn't sure exactly who it was. But in good faith I brought them home a bottle of beer (after studying the multitudes of slug bait that all seemed not nice for a vegetable garden, if I ever wanted to eat them).
Beer was poured into containers, buried in the garden so the slugs could easily access it, and of a depth that would cause drowning the instant they tried to taste.
This morning, however, my anticipation for drowned slugs was not fulfilled, as I had filled the containers to the brim, allowing everyone to just get tipsy before visiting the salad bar. And visit it, they did, as one entire lettuce plant was brutally devoured.
This afternoon, the gloves came off. No more offering slugs a drink to stay away from my plants - they are getting a full buffet of slug bait. It's supposedly safe for dogs and cats, in case any eat some while passing through the yard, so I didn't feel as unorganic as I might have had I gone straight for the poison. Hopefully, it works.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Mr. Miyagi
This is The Husband's garden. While at the garden show last week, I was going crazy hugging the beautiful plants that I bought. Almost out the door, The Husband stopped in his tracks to look at the tables full of Bonsai. We spent at least 20 minutes looking at all the different kinds they had. Finally, he settled on Mr. Miyagi, a 3 1/2-year-old White Oak. He was started from a seed, which encourages me in my seedly endeavors.
The only sad thing for us about him is that he wants to be outside. Which makes it very hard for us to find a place where we can see him, and where he's protected from strong winds and blazing sun. For now, he sits on our patio, enjoying his shadow.
Saturday Planting
So I'm hoping that this is Spinach, not orderly grass growing in a row. *fingers crossed!*
This morning I planted the most delicious cherry tomatoes in the history of man: Sun Gold. I have two plants, so that one can be just tomatoes I devour off the vine, and the other can actually make it inside for dinner. Seriously, my coworker brought me some of these last year and I had to struggle to save some to share with The Husband!
This other tomato is a Japanese Trifle. I loved it in the seed catalog that my FIL mailed me, both for its name (I'm a sucker for Asian sounding food), and that it is an heirloom tomato that has an "incomparable, almost indescribably complex and rich flavor" - whatever that means! Come on, catalog, you're supposed to describe these things, not just call them indescribable!
Here is my acorn squash that I stuck in a corner. I wasn't feeling squashy when I planned this year's vegetables, but I repented at the garden show.
Here is the Spearmint and Orange Mint that I also bought last week (left and right, respectively). They are in a pot in the ground, as I've heard they can be quite invasive. I love them so much!
And last, but not least, here's one of the Strawberry plants that my coworker gave me a few weeks ago. From the flowers, I think I can determine that it is doing well, and not being beaten up by the nasty slugs I see in the mornings!
This morning I planted the most delicious cherry tomatoes in the history of man: Sun Gold. I have two plants, so that one can be just tomatoes I devour off the vine, and the other can actually make it inside for dinner. Seriously, my coworker brought me some of these last year and I had to struggle to save some to share with The Husband!
This other tomato is a Japanese Trifle. I loved it in the seed catalog that my FIL mailed me, both for its name (I'm a sucker for Asian sounding food), and that it is an heirloom tomato that has an "incomparable, almost indescribably complex and rich flavor" - whatever that means! Come on, catalog, you're supposed to describe these things, not just call them indescribable!
Here is my acorn squash that I stuck in a corner. I wasn't feeling squashy when I planned this year's vegetables, but I repented at the garden show.
Here is the Spearmint and Orange Mint that I also bought last week (left and right, respectively). They are in a pot in the ground, as I've heard they can be quite invasive. I love them so much!
And last, but not least, here's one of the Strawberry plants that my coworker gave me a few weeks ago. From the flowers, I think I can determine that it is doing well, and not being beaten up by the nasty slugs I see in the mornings!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Growth!
So, this is either a Sweet Pea or just a regular old Pea.
I know that for a fact, because a plant exactly like it is growing next to one of the other stakes I set up.
But this, however, could be a photogenic weed, or, as I'm hoping, my Bush Beans.
I'm sorry some of these aren't quite in focus, for some reason my camera thinks that the dirt is the subject of these portraits.
But this is encouraging! Hooray!
I know that for a fact, because a plant exactly like it is growing next to one of the other stakes I set up.
But this, however, could be a photogenic weed, or, as I'm hoping, my Bush Beans.
I'm sorry some of these aren't quite in focus, for some reason my camera thinks that the dirt is the subject of these portraits.
But this is encouraging! Hooray!