You little rat.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Monday, June 27, 2016
Harvest Monday 6.27
Linking up with Harvest Monday at Our Happy Acres again. Lots of inspiring harvests every week.
It wasn't a very exciting harvest week around here. The heat is doing in my onions.
It's much too early, but several of them have already tried to flower, and they aren't going to last, so I pulled a few that definitely wouldn't cure.
The pictures are foggy because it was so humid when I took the photo that my lens fogged up.
I chopped them and threw them in the freezer. I just recently used the last of last year's cured onions. I won't be that lucky with this year's harvest.
The same day I pulled the onions, I picked the last of the peas and radishes.
The last thing I harvested was an accidental carrot. It came out with a big weed, so now it's chilling with my radishes.
It wasn't a very exciting harvest week around here. The heat is doing in my onions.
It's much too early, but several of them have already tried to flower, and they aren't going to last, so I pulled a few that definitely wouldn't cure.
The pictures are foggy because it was so humid when I took the photo that my lens fogged up.
I chopped them and threw them in the freezer. I just recently used the last of last year's cured onions. I won't be that lucky with this year's harvest.
The same day I pulled the onions, I picked the last of the peas and radishes.
The pea plants have been pulled...
and the peas blanched and frozen.
It only amounted to about a half pound of peas, but that's fine with me. Every little pea counts. |
| before |
 |
| after |
The last thing I harvested was an accidental carrot. It came out with a big weed, so now it's chilling with my radishes.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Failures
Sometimes you just have to call them what they are, and I've had a couple already this year.
The stick in the middle of this photo marks the spot where I planted a bareroot rhubarb on April 4th.
Nothing ever came of it. Clearly, the weeds grew well, however.
This one is supposed to be asparagus.
In fact, there were seven of them in this area.
I got one tiny little sprout, but never saw anything else.
I was more disappointed by the asparagus than the rhubarb. Truth be told, the rhubarb root looked a little moldy when I planted it, so I figured it might not do well. The asparagus, however, I expected to grow. I bought the plants at a garden center, so they came in a plastic bag. Several of them were sprouting in the bag. but that hasn't been a problem before.
The worst part about the asparagus is that I had such a promising start with asparagus three years ago. I planted a few crowns in my big garden, and they grew very well. They were huge. I would've had plenty to eat from them by now.
Unfortunately, then I set into motion a series of events that led to where I am now: sitting here with no asparagus. First, I decided to move those plants because they were hard to get to in the garden. After moving them to their own raised bed, most of them didn't survive. At that point, I bought some more crowns and planted them. They were growing slowly, and then we moved. It's possible that Lois will be eating asparagus from those plants next year, but it looks like I won't have asparagus from the garden for awhile.
In an effort to mitigate my failures, I bought a tiny rhubarb plant last weekend, and put him smack dab in the middle of what had been the asparagus bed. Take that, asparagus.
The stick in the middle of this photo marks the spot where I planted a bareroot rhubarb on April 4th.
Nothing ever came of it. Clearly, the weeds grew well, however.
This one is supposed to be asparagus.
In fact, there were seven of them in this area.
I got one tiny little sprout, but never saw anything else.
I was more disappointed by the asparagus than the rhubarb. Truth be told, the rhubarb root looked a little moldy when I planted it, so I figured it might not do well. The asparagus, however, I expected to grow. I bought the plants at a garden center, so they came in a plastic bag. Several of them were sprouting in the bag. but that hasn't been a problem before.
The worst part about the asparagus is that I had such a promising start with asparagus three years ago. I planted a few crowns in my big garden, and they grew very well. They were huge. I would've had plenty to eat from them by now.
Unfortunately, then I set into motion a series of events that led to where I am now: sitting here with no asparagus. First, I decided to move those plants because they were hard to get to in the garden. After moving them to their own raised bed, most of them didn't survive. At that point, I bought some more crowns and planted them. They were growing slowly, and then we moved. It's possible that Lois will be eating asparagus from those plants next year, but it looks like I won't have asparagus from the garden for awhile.
In an effort to mitigate my failures, I bought a tiny rhubarb plant last weekend, and put him smack dab in the middle of what had been the asparagus bed. Take that, asparagus.
Monday, June 20, 2016
Harvest Monday
I had fun joining in last Monday, so I'm doing it again.
I realized it was time, or past time, to pick cabbage, so I cut the biggest of the two the other day.
The slugs had definitely been enjoying it. I hope no one who ate dinner at my house last night is reading this,,,I was kind of surprised at the number of small spiders living in the folds around the bottom of the cabbage.
I peeled the buggy outer bits off outside and then finished cleaning it inside. It was almost 2.5 pounds. Some of it was made into cole slaw for Father's Day dinner, and now I'm trying to decide what to do with the rest. I'm tempted to give mason jar sauerkraut a try. I've never made sauerkraut, and that seems like a very easy way to try it.
Picked some more kale for smoothies. I really should start freezing some.
Even if I didn't eat kale, I'd probably plant it because it's so pretty.
The most exciting harvest of the week was peas. I ate the first peas fresh from the garden on Friday morning, and then picked this bowl full on Saturday.
I shared some with my brother because straight from the pod is the only way he'll eat peas. I picked another bowl full last night. I probably won't get too many more because the plants are dying already, but I probably have enough to freeze.
That's it for harvesting this week. I've got a fridge full of kale, peas, broccoli and cabbage.
I realized it was time, or past time, to pick cabbage, so I cut the biggest of the two the other day.
The slugs had definitely been enjoying it. I hope no one who ate dinner at my house last night is reading this,,,I was kind of surprised at the number of small spiders living in the folds around the bottom of the cabbage.
I peeled the buggy outer bits off outside and then finished cleaning it inside. It was almost 2.5 pounds. Some of it was made into cole slaw for Father's Day dinner, and now I'm trying to decide what to do with the rest. I'm tempted to give mason jar sauerkraut a try. I've never made sauerkraut, and that seems like a very easy way to try it.
Picked some more kale for smoothies. I really should start freezing some.
Even if I didn't eat kale, I'd probably plant it because it's so pretty.
The most exciting harvest of the week was peas. I ate the first peas fresh from the garden on Friday morning, and then picked this bowl full on Saturday.
I shared some with my brother because straight from the pod is the only way he'll eat peas. I picked another bowl full last night. I probably won't get too many more because the plants are dying already, but I probably have enough to freeze.
That's it for harvesting this week. I've got a fridge full of kale, peas, broccoli and cabbage.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
AAARRRGGGHHH
This is what happens when you ignore, or even deny, the basic nature of an animal.
When I left for work this morning, I had many little green bean plants, several inches tall and covered with leaves. When I came home for lunch, I had this:
Only a few plants with any leaves left. I'd been watching the beans, because I knew that nasty little rabbit was spending time in the garden. Hell, the little guy has a den in my carrots.
We've had temperatures of 90-100 for going on two weeks, and I'm sure laying in the dirt under the carrots was his version of sitting under a patio umbrella.
I've been wetting the beans with Liquid Fence every few days in the belief that rabbits don't like the taste of it. Apparently, today my rabbit had a taste and decided it was good, so tonight was emergency fence building night.
With a lot of help from D, the bed with the beans is now fenced with hardware cloth.
I bought enough fencing for two beds, but it was way too hot for us to work long enough to get them both done tonight. Tomorrow I'll plant some more beans.
I've been lulled into a false sense of security the past couple years. The old garden was fenced, but rabbits were in it on a regular basis. Strangely enough, I hardly ever noticed anything eaten. I certainly never had my beans destroyed.
Live and learn. As many times as it takes.
When I left for work this morning, I had many little green bean plants, several inches tall and covered with leaves. When I came home for lunch, I had this:
Only a few plants with any leaves left. I'd been watching the beans, because I knew that nasty little rabbit was spending time in the garden. Hell, the little guy has a den in my carrots.
We've had temperatures of 90-100 for going on two weeks, and I'm sure laying in the dirt under the carrots was his version of sitting under a patio umbrella.
I've been wetting the beans with Liquid Fence every few days in the belief that rabbits don't like the taste of it. Apparently, today my rabbit had a taste and decided it was good, so tonight was emergency fence building night.
With a lot of help from D, the bed with the beans is now fenced with hardware cloth.
I bought enough fencing for two beds, but it was way too hot for us to work long enough to get them both done tonight. Tomorrow I'll plant some more beans.
I've been lulled into a false sense of security the past couple years. The old garden was fenced, but rabbits were in it on a regular basis. Strangely enough, I hardly ever noticed anything eaten. I certainly never had my beans destroyed.
Live and learn. As many times as it takes.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
What's blooming
It's such a beautiful time of year, with flowers everywhere. I missed quite a few of them, but here are some of the many things blooming around here.
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| peas |
 |
| Kee's Gold Marigold |
 |
| a radish I forgot to pick |
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| red lilies |
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| these beauties on my deck - no idea what they are |
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| Shasta daisies - almost as prevalent here as the rudbeckia |
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| thyme |
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| echinacea |
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| yuccas - I haven't gotten around to cutting these down |
Monday, June 13, 2016
Harvest Monday
For the first time ever, I'm joining a blog hop, linky thing. I'm so technologically inept, I don't even know the correct term for it. At any rate, I'm going to share some pictures of what I've been harvesting lately.
During the past week, I have harvested all three broccoli heads.
Broccoli's 1 and 2 were chopped, blanched and frozen. Broccoli #3 was chopped and is in the fridge, ready for eating. I left the stalks from all of them, so I may get some side shoots later.
I've picked several heads of Winter Density lettuce.
With the heat we've been having, I assumed this handful I picked Sunday morning would be the last I'd get.
Heat or not, the rabbit has ensured I'll have no more lettuce. This afternoon, he nibble every remaining head. I know I need to get some fencing, but I've been lazy and indecisive about it, and after I scared him away last week, I hadn't seen any more damage. For the meantime, I sprayed more Liquid Fence.
I've also been picking a couple kale leaves every few days. I put kale in my lunch smoothies, but I also had some fresh in salads last week. That was a first for me.
To see all the wonderful things that other garden bloggers have been harvesting, check out Our Happy Acres.
During the past week, I have harvested all three broccoli heads.
 |
| #1 1 lb 7 5/8 oz |
 |
| #2 2 lb 7 1/8 oz |
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| #3 1 lb 6 3/8 oz |
I've picked several heads of Winter Density lettuce.
With the heat we've been having, I assumed this handful I picked Sunday morning would be the last I'd get.
Heat or not, the rabbit has ensured I'll have no more lettuce. This afternoon, he nibble every remaining head. I know I need to get some fencing, but I've been lazy and indecisive about it, and after I scared him away last week, I hadn't seen any more damage. For the meantime, I sprayed more Liquid Fence.
I've also been picking a couple kale leaves every few days. I put kale in my lunch smoothies, but I also had some fresh in salads last week. That was a first for me.
To see all the wonderful things that other garden bloggers have been harvesting, check out Our Happy Acres.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Feels like summer
We're forecast to be 90-95 for the next several days. The comfortable days of spring might be over.
I picked my first broccoli yesterday.
 |
| broccoli #1 |
I blanched and froze the first one, because the other two are not far behind.
 |
| broccoli #2 |
I probably shouldn't say this, but I found NO BUGS on the first head. I soaked it in salt water for about 20 minutes, and then blanched it, and didn't see any creepy crawlies.
Cucumbers are coming along. Japanese climbing on the left, Mexican Sour Gherkin on the right.
I have noticed that, between the cucumbers and the tomatoes, my garden is a veritable United Nations of vegetables (Japanese climbing, Mexican Sour Gherkin, Italian Heirloom, Mexico Midget, Nebraska Wedding).
The green beans are sprouting. This morning, there was nothing. Tonight:
I haven't seen the rabbit, or any rabbit damage, since I chased him away the other day, but I should at least spray some Liquid Fence on these sprouts.
The peas have a lot of blooms,
and some pods are starting to develop.
 |
| blurry pea pod |
We'll see what the high temperatures do to them.
The lilies and daisies that I transplanted are blooming.
The herb garden is really growing well.
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| sage, thyme, salvia and snapdragon |
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| basil, rosemary and dill |
I'm constantly amazed when I look around and see everything that is growing. I'll be watering regularly over the next few days, at least while we stay above 90.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
The state of things
It's that part of the season when every time you look at the garden, the plants seem bigger than they were a few hours ago.
The peas are starting to flower.
The heads of broccoli and cabbage are getting big.
The potatoes are out the top of their box and need more straw.
Squash has sprouted.
As have cucumbers.
One of the peppers looks like it's not going to survive.
The tomatoes, however, seem to be doing very well.
I trimmed bottom branches and pinched off some side shoots already.
I wish I could get rid of all of that rock. It's a real pain to walk on. I'm currently moving small amounts at a time to a different area of the yard, putting it along the fence in one of the steep areas. We will eventually have to get someone to haul some of it away, but that's a project for another day. For now I will garden around and over it.
The peas are starting to flower.
The heads of broccoli and cabbage are getting big.
 |
| something has been tasting it |
Squash has sprouted.
As have cucumbers.
 |
| Japanese climbing |
 |
| Mexican sour gherkin |
The tomatoes, however, seem to be doing very well.
I trimmed bottom branches and pinched off some side shoots already.
I wish I could get rid of all of that rock. It's a real pain to walk on. I'm currently moving small amounts at a time to a different area of the yard, putting it along the fence in one of the steep areas. We will eventually have to get someone to haul some of it away, but that's a project for another day. For now I will garden around and over it.
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