Author: alisonml

Food!

We’ve been gone a couple of days, and came home to our first real harvest.

Which I fried and braised

Into this

Yum!

Includes beet greens, Swiss chard, kale, romaine, squash, peas, onion, and garlic from the garden; peppers from the freezer, and beans salt oil from the store.

Also

Strawberries a plenty!

Dead garlic

Ugh. A bunch of my garlic has bit the dust. I’m not quite sure what happened- it’s all soft neck garlic in two of the beds.

It looks like one of the poppies I planted last year came up in the lower bed.

I pulled weeds galore today- after a 3 day migraine

I could have summer squash soon!

The sugar magnolia peas taste good.

one of the onion beds is doing much better. Is that the one I acidified before planting?

Planted another butterbaby in the upper bed.

Things are starting to happen.

It’s been hot and sunny, and I had a nice looooooong day rearranging the studio today, then stopped by to water B’s lovely plants. Where our land is wild and jungly- hers has a polished garden feel. It was a nice change… and I may have eaten some peas, before I knew what I was doing. It was part muscle memory, part desperation.

Some of our jungle. It needs trimming and weeding, but boy are the bees happy.

We do have a couple of pea stragglers. I am most grateful for their sacrifice.

The purple peas do not taste purple.

Other things are starting to happen too!

Strawberries are happening for real. This was today’s haul.

First blueberry!

Summer squashes

The ugly duckling nova tomato has the first non-cherry fruit. I’m glad I made room for it.

There’s also the start of a healthy pepper.

Sungolds coming soon!

Okra buds. I hope I have enough plants for pollination. They make really lovely flowers too.

Green bean monster!!

Artichoke taller than me!! More than a dozen heads. (I did get up early to spray it with water and been oil, but I’m not confident we’ll ever get viable good out of it. I’m curious about cardoon since you eat the stem on that. I wonder if it tastes similarly.)

The huckleberries are larger this year, but the tree looks like it’s ailing.

The solal underneath it INSANE.

Its cooling down. The birds are singing.

Garlic Escape

The second best thing about planting “too much” garlic is an abundance of scapes.

I split them into 4 parts- trimmed and put some in the fridge in water, made basil pesto (basil, salt, pepper, hot peppers, garlic, vinegar, touch of sugar), oregano pesto (“), and salsa (cilantro, hot peppers, salt, pepper, lime juice, a few tomatoes). The salsa is definitely the winner.

P weeded and mowed while I did that- and discovered a treat- salmon berries hiding in the bramble!

Yum.

Fertilize!

It’s been raining for a few days, almost thunderstorming, and I’ve been busy/flaring to much to be outside. (dislocated neck?)

I planted a few more okra starts in south d and west e

After pulling a bunch of bolting radishes. I found some beets hiding under there, too.

And a lovely robins egg blue robins egg.

the green beans are growing!

I fertilized (acidizer) the tomatoes, except for one container tomato as a test.

Then I side dressed basically everything- lower and pots

Planted nasturtium along the new rock wall in the lower bed

And a couple of delicata on the slope- protected by copper and sluggo.

Asparagus progress

Volunteer Mullein

Okra progress.

Weedy weekend

(Please forgive my typos. I’m juggling kittens as I write this.) The weeds are really out of control, so I went after the ones on the slope on Sunday. Filled up the big compost bin- /:

Now you can see the hydrangeas and roses that are about to bloom, and this pretty plant from the buy nothing group.

Some delightful creature devoured all but one of my winter squash starts. Grrr. I put a couple more seeds in the ground, and am starting some more inside.

I also planted a bunch of things to eat as babygreens. We love the Swiss chard.

I transplanted some leafy starts in South A.

Progress

This is one of my favorite places in the garden. Jungle-like with artichoke plants as big as my car.

A little more

Yeah yeah. I know. Stop it with the planting, start weeding.

It all started with the lavenders that will eventually live at the studio and make everything smell lovely… I thought I needed 3, but they all get huge, so plant 3 went on the slope.

I also transplanted two more yellow squash and one zucchini by the huckleberry, and a handful of red Russian kale and romaine (in with the peppers in upper b and c).

Now I’m hot and tired.