What's in the Garden?

[CWS4322]

We haven't had the problem of too dry of a summer lately. Since 2008, our summers have been a bit wet. We do mulch the small garden to keep the weeds down. We start with feed sacks, 5" of grass clippings, and then we top up with sawdust and grass clippings through the summer. The grass clippings return nitrogen to the soil, the sawdust depletes nitrogen (which is why it is the top layer). Why sawdust? Because we have a sawmill. We also use sawdust to store the root vegetables in the root cellar. I've used grass clippings since the early '90s. I don't notice that I have more weeds as a result.

 

[taxlady]

I just bought some thyme, basil,, oregano, Italian parsley, chocolate mint and dill, all in pots.

 

[CWS4322]

The beans we planted 10 days ago are up (they were starting to come up on Sunday). The winter squash is up, the sweet corn is up (that garden isn't fenced--hoping the hens don't notice it--the plan is to move them this weekend). Radishes are eatin' size. The kohlrabi is also up and about 4 inches tall. The weeds are up. I have to put in some tomatoes, peppers, and leeks. Then I guess I'll tackle weeds.

 

[kadesma]

The tomatoes are in bloom and have a few maters, sun flowers getting ready, strawberries going full tilt, all the herbs are producing,zucchini's have flowers and zukes albeit small ones,peppers are in and have taken root,lemon,orange,tangerines have flowered and have small tiny fruit in progress, pomegranate has about 4 fruits on it.corn is about up to my knees, cantaloupe and watermelons growing. We've used up all the lettuce and beansartichokes have about 10 more growing bigger and about ready to be picked and marinated then grilled. Need to go out and look and see what else is ready to harvest.
kades

 

[CWS4322]

In many ways, a garden is like a rooster--you have to feed it, care for it, and it takes time to realize a benefit.

 

[Somebunny]

In many ways, a garden is like a rooster--you have to feed it, care for it, and it takes time to realize a benefit.

Your right CWS, but thank goodness it doesn't attack you!

 

[Claire]

Your right CWS, but thank goodness it doesn't attack you!

Then you don't have one of the weeds I have. It's a vine that sticks to anything that goes near it.

 

[CWS4322]

Then you don't have one of the weeds I have. It's a vine that sticks to anything that goes near it.

What is that sticky weed?? I hate it--it is in the small garden--the one we mulch. I'm hoping the feed sacks under the mulch and staying on top of the weeding will help this year.

 

[Claire]

What is that sticky weed?? I hate it--it is in the small garden--the one we mulch. I'm hoping the feed sacks under the mulch and staying on top of the weeding will help this year.

Mine is in a patch of yard I've given over to wild-flowers -- mostly the tall version of phlox and what is called here "ditch lilies". I have a walk-way through the area and the darned things stick to everything. I'd like to keep the lilies and phlox, so Roundup is out of the question. They aren't hard to pull, and they don't hurt, they're just a p-a, and they do attack! Since the garden is one I prefer to let go a little wild (concentrating on my little vegetable, herb, and flower stuff), I really don't want to get seriously into mulching and weeding. When the stuff gets out of control, I pull it out. But it is as if it is magnetic and made of velcro!

 

[CWS4322]

Mine is in a patch of yard I've given over to wild-flowers -- mostly the tall version of phlox and what is called here "ditch lilies". I have a walk-way through the area and the darned things stick to everything. I'd like to keep the lilies and phlox, so Roundup is out of the question. They aren't hard to pull, and they don't hurt, they're just a p-a, and they do attack! Since the garden is one I prefer to let go a little wild (concentrating on my little vegetable, herb, and flower stuff), I really don't want to get seriously into mulching and weeding. When the stuff gets out of control, I pull it out. But it is as if it is magnetic and made of velcro!

I did the "cottage garden" look for my perennials. Sadly, my tenants did not do anything about weeding, so my flower beds are very overgrown. I've started tackling them but it breaks my heart how many of the perennials I planted got choked out by the weeds. Oh well, I can always buy more perennials. My peonies survived! And, here at the farm, I found a peony plant along the wind break. No idea how it got there or what color it is. I will transplant it next spring--now that I know it is there.

 

[sparrowgrass]

That weed is called goose grass or cleavers. I don't mind the weed so much, but it has little round sticky seeds that get into everything, courtesy of the dogs. Nothing like socks or underwear with scratchy stuff incorporated into the fabric.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galium_aparine

It is edible, and you can make tea out of it.

I am harvesting leaf lettuce by the bushel, a few strawberries, 5 or 6 heads of broccoli (and tons of side florets), and the asparagus is still coming strong. Cherries were all eaten by birds, blackberries are getting red already and I saw a marble sized tomato.

I bought a dozen bales of straw this week, and have been madly mulching. The weather has been perfect for gardening, not too hot, but we desperately need rain. Of course, farmers are in the hayfield right now, so they are hoping for dry weather til they get the baling done.

 

[Claire]

I did the "cottage garden" look for my perennials. Sadly, my tenants did not do anything about weeding, so my flower beds are very overgrown. I've started tackling them but it breaks my heart how many of the perennials I planted got choked out by the weeds. Oh well, I can always buy more perennials. My peonies survived! And, here at the farm, I found a peony plant along the wind break. No idea how it got there or what color it is. I will transplant it next spring--now that I know it is there.

I have to laugh about your peony thing. I have a spot where there was a peach-colored iris for the first few years after I moved here. Then nothing for one season. Was about to just plant something else, but then the next spring, blue iris showed up. Almost as blue as my beautiful Siberian iris patch. Huh? Still don't know. If my husband hadn't seen it I'd think I was going crazy. It looks to be the same plant, just in the past few years it's been blue. I can't help but wonder if iris are like hydrangeas in that the color can change based on the content of the soil?

 

[lyndaW]

A friend brought me several HUGE bunches of oregano, mint, lemon balm & thyme.................way more than I could use......asked friend if they wanted some, including two restaurants..all said too much trouble................

They are now in baggies filled with water..........how can I use this much ... its only Hubby and myself.............

Help! I hate to waste this gift................

 

[FrankZ]

Dry it and save it for later.

 

[Addie]

A friend brought me several HUGE bunches of oregano, mint, lemon balm & thyme.................way more than I could use......asked friend if they wanted some, including two restaurants..all said too much trouble................

They are now in baggies filled with water..........how can I use this much ... its only Hubby and myself.............

Help! I hate to waste this gift................

I can't help you. But I know how you feel. I too hate waste. So many times over the years I have received a gift that was totally useless to me and I could live without. But because it was a gift, I kept it beyond when common sense told me to get rid of it. I too hate to waste food. But sometimes you just have to toss it and tell a white lie. "Oh it was great. Thank you so much for it. I got to share it with so many friends and neighbors." Hopefully, they won't show up at your door with more.

 

[Addie]

I have to laugh about your peony thing. I have a spot where there was a peach-colored iris for the first few years after I moved here. Then nothing for one season. Was about to just plant something else, but then the next spring, blue iris showed up. Almost as blue as my beautiful Siberian iris patch. Huh? Still don't know. If my husband hadn't seen it I'd think I was going crazy. It looks to be the same plant, just in the past few years it's been blue. I can't help but wonder if iris are like hydrangeas in that the color can change based on the content of the soil?

Perehaps there was an old rizone there from previous years that was dormant and it came back to life.

Even though irises grow from rizones, they do have pollen and perhaps the wind carried it for a new plant to grow. Don't be surprised if your peach one doesn't show up in another year or so.

When I lived in Tacoma, there was a church across the street. There was a big patch of wild daffodils. Bright yellow. In the middle of this wild patch was several white ones with yellow trumpets. Upon closer look, you could see that the bulbs around the edge of the yellow ones had had devided and thrown out new bulbs that became the white one with the yellow trumpets. They were all the same plant. I dug up some of both and planted them in my yard. The next year I had some beautiful healthy daffodils growing.

 

[taxlady]

A friend brought me several HUGE bunches of oregano, mint, lemon balm & thyme.................way more than I could use......asked friend if they wanted some, including two restaurants..all said too much trouble................

They are now in baggies filled with water..........how can I use this much ... its only Hubby and myself.............

Help! I hate to waste this gift................

I have friends who chop basil and freeze for later use. Maybe you could do that. I freeze dill and chives and chop them frozen when I need them.

I found volunteer parsley. I planted some two years ago. It came back as 2nd year parsley last year. It went to seed. I have some brand new parsley plants showing up.

 

[Dawgluver]

A friend brought me several HUGE bunches of oregano, mint, lemon balm & thyme.................way more than I could use......asked friend if they wanted some, including two restaurants..all said too much trouble................

They are now in baggies filled with water..........how can I use this much ... its only Hubby and myself.............

Help! I hate to waste this gift................

These all dry really well. You can bundle and hang, use a dehydrater, or put in a very low oven. You could also freeze, chopped, in ice cube trays with a bit of water, bag up, then toss into sauces, soups, stews, etc.

Fresh or dried mint and lemon balm will make nice teas, add to lemonade, mojitos, mint juleps, you name it.

 

[Katie H]

Dangerously dry here and has been for the last two months, so we opted not to put in our usual huge garden.

Instead, we're trying our hand at container gardening and upside down planters.

So far, so good. Actually, so far....great!

We have 4 Roma tomato plants, 1 grape tomato plant, one each of red, green, yellow and orange bell pepper plants, an eggplant, three zucchini, two cucumber, three yellow straight-neck yellow squash, along with some thyme and tarragon and, tomorrow the Italian green beans will get planted.

There are lots of blooms on many of the plants and they're growing and thriving. We're quite pleased.

 

[Dawgluver]

Dangerously dry here and has been for the last two months, so we opted not to put in our usual huge garden.

Instead, we're trying our hand at container gardening and upside down planters.

So far, so good. Actually, so far....great!

We have 4 Roma tomato plants, 1 grape tomato plant, one each of red, green, yellow and orange bell pepper plants, an eggplant, three zucchini, two cucumber, three yellow straight-neck yellow squash, along with some thyme and tarragon and, tomorrow the Italian green beans will get planted.

There are lots of blooms on many of the plants and they're growing and thriving. We're quite pleased.

I think you will love container gardening, Katie. We're surrounded on 3 sides here by timber, so I have to run around and find the sunniest places, or be content with hostas and ferns! Been using containers for years, and the yields can be really good, especially for bush beans, toms, peppers, and cukes for us.