What's in the Garden?

[GLC]

I've never heard them called tuna either, TL. We can get pickled and fresh nopales at the store here, love them.

Oddly, the fruit, the "pears," came to be "tuna," the Spanish term. The pad became "nopal" from the Aztec. There are at least three places in Texas that are or have been called Nopal. There are a number of places called "La Tuna," one of them giving its name to La Tuna Federal Prison at Anthony in El Paso County. And there was, up to sometime after 1935, a Tuna, Texas, so the popular stage comedy performances of Greater Tuna and A Tuna Christmas are not set in a wholly fictional town as is often said.

They were obviously of great importance. They kept cattle going when all other vegetation failed. Ranchers used torches and, by the 1950's, propane burners to remove the spines. Anyone who lived on a South Texas ranch then knows all about the burners. They had an unholy roar that could be heard for miles. Cattle came running at the sound. And anyone who had to operate one nursed facial and hand blisters for days. But the sound is mostly remembered because, to the ranchers, it meant hard times. They should have done what coyote does in the Mexican tales and brushed the spines off with his tail before eating.

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

I'm hoping that it cools down at least a bit(I doubt it will) so that my tomatoes will give me a few more before the end of the season. I've got several hundred limes just growing larger than my thumbnail now, the ruby red is flowering and a pineapple is blooming and prepping to be eaten

Jim up until a few yrs ago when my best mate sold his house in Kendal Dade( at the bottom end of Kendal Drive) we would spend up to six weeks there in Jan/Feb.
There is a fantastic pick your own farm just across the drive from Publix.When my wife was in the hairdresser I would go and spend a few hours with the owner just telling him how lucky he was with the climate compared to the UK.

On one visit my kid brother came with us, he is a Royal Horticultural Soc Gold Medal winner for orchids garden :: GOLD AT TATTON picture by Hvar2010 - Photobucket we visited a government Horticultural site in south florida that blew the three of us away!!!
He told them who he was and the gave us a private tour.I was shocked at how much my brother new. I was really proud of him.

 

[Constance]

We don't plant a garden anymore, but the asparagus bed I planted 20 years ago is still producing, and we are picking fresh asparagus right now!

 

[Leolady]

I worked like a dog all day today, but I got a lot of stuff planted.

Four grapevines
broccoli
cauliflower
cabbage
kale
beets
turnips
two types of pole beans
peas

Tomorrow I hope to have in: collards, swiss chard, mustard, mesculan lettuce, spinach, radishes, and carrots.

 

[lyndaW]

I just bought four English lavender plants that I repotted in real pretty pots so I can take them inside during the winter...............
I use lavender in cooking, so I want to make sure they are not sprayed

 

[Leolady]

I worked Monday, today, and maybe tomorrow, so I have not had a chance to plant the collards, swiss chard, mustard, mesculan lettuce, spinach, radishes, and carrots.

They will have to wait on the weekend, unfortunately!

 

[FrankZ]

YAY! Kathleen planted!

Last night we went over and she put in peas and white onions. We have to be out at sunset (garden rules) and the temperature was dropping and getting chilly so she didn't get the garlic in.

But we now have peas and onions in!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

When is she going to plant the radishes?

 

[CWS4322]

A friend in Rochester, MN has asparagus up. I checked, but I didn't find any hint the same is happening here. I have a hard time getting my head around asparagus up in MN already. Officially, we always went out to collect wild asparagus about the same time that walleye season opened (around May 15th as I recall). In Northern MN (about 6-7 hours north of Rochester), they are still collecting maple sap.

 

[FrankZ]

When is she going to plant the radishes?

Erma. I really couldn't tell you if that is on the list. I want me garlic, shallots and maters.

 

[taxlady]

What's in my garden? Well, this morning it's snow!

 

[Leolady]

My asparagus is not up yet because of the thick mulch of leaves and hay. It keeps the soil cooler and it has not warmed up enough yet.

That's ok because I will have asparagus later in the season.

 

[CraigC]

Not much will grow down here in the coming months. Gonna get way too hot.

 

[taxlady]

Not much will grow down here in the coming months. Gonna get way too hot.

Can you grow stuff in Spring or Fall? What about in Winter?

 

[Whiskadoodle]

A friend in Rochester, MN has asparagus up. I checked, but I didn't find any hint the same is happening here. I have a hard time getting my head around asparagus up in MN already. Officially, we always went out to collect wild asparagus about the same time that walleye season opened (around May 15th as I recall). In Northern MN (about 6-7 hours north of Rochester), they are still collecting maple sap.

I can report, at least in South Mpls, my asparagus is not up yet. I am just 2 hours or 90 minutes on a good day North of Rochester. I have a heavy mulch layer of mixed maple and oak leaves on my garden. I am not about to disturb yet. Due to still expected frost times and even an unexpected late snow. Well, I admit this year is different. I Really should get out the Lawn Mower IN MARCH ~~~!!. Just because it's one year I can say I did/ can-do so. I have Dandy lions in Bloom Already ( On the south exposures)

I suppose I better get my feet in gear and do a hike over to my "secret" place to look for wild asparagus growing. Even if it seems early this year. It's near Someone's family cemetary plot . I suppose they may have even planted this. I donno. I know we planted Lilac Bushes surrounding my parents graves. The bushes have since grown naturally. This was out on the prairies, so it was legal to do, expansive sort of. I don't know if this was a planted event, or the asparagus just grows wild. At any rate, come summer, the asparagus all gets mowed down. and grave sites gets supplanted with plastic flower "arrangements" by memorial day and beyond.

No. I don't consider this morbid. I always say " thank you for the gifts"

Does anyone else do Urban Gleaning or look beyond your back yard garden gate for the possibilities . ? .

 

[Addie]

My sister and I used to go into the woods looking for Jack-in-the-Pulpit. Sometimes if you look down into them, you could see the unlucky insect that was foolish enough to go after the sweet smelling liquid in the bottom. And we would often find wild onions. They are plentiful here in the Northeast if you know what to look for. I miss our trips to nowhere. We were never lost, we were somewhere. Just where, we weren't sure. But we always found our way back home. There are also a lot of wild herbs in this area. Up on the North Shore there is an Iron Works that used to make iron plows and hinges for the first settlers. There is an original log cabin on the site. Outside the door is a small garden planted with wild herbs and onions. It looks like a bunch of weeds. (Which they are) They are all labeled. I told my sister to put labels on her weeds and folks would think she was wonderful for saving our wild plants for prosperity.

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

The reason I have been quiet is the weather, since last week its been dawn to dusk sun with temps peaking each day at about 20c, usually at this time of year its about 11c.The veg patches are fully planted, all we have to do now is the Greenhouse which I pressure washed yesterday and the raised salad bed which we manured and dug on Tues.
We have never been so early, we should get our first new potatoes from the cold frame in about 5 weeks.
The best new pots in the world have just started to appear in the shops, The Jersey Royal has to come from Jersey and they are the "caviar" of pots costing at present $3.5 a lbs.

 

[Addie]

We don't even think of turning over the earth until May 31st. Last week, temps were in the 80's, tonight in the 20's. The ground may be soft, but it is still too cold to plant. And we haven't seen out last frost.

 

[CraigC]

Can you grow stuff in Spring or Fall? What about in Winter?

We can usually get started in late "fall". Haven't you heard, we only have two seasons, tourist and summer! Depending on our "winter" and "spring" temps, we may get stuff to grow through March and April. Of course, there are somethings that seem to thrive in 90F+ temps, like eggplants.

 

[CWS4322]

We forage. We collect high bush cranberries, wild grapes (and the leaves), maple sap, asparagus, wild blueberries. My dad collects the same, as well as morel mushrooms (when the weather cooperates). Last year wasn't a good year for morels where he lives. And, milkweed.