Tag: Okra

Peas.

Planted some peas in west C, and some arygula in upper c. P got most of the other beds ready for 60 degree soil.

Roots and greens are sprouting well.

We have a few asparagus spikes poking through the soil- not as many as I’d hope, but a couple are quite thick.

The hops are already going crazy, p pulled the extra bits off today.

Raspberries are starting to bloom.

It’s been quite dry and warm here the last few weeks- so I watered today and a couple of days ago.

Starts are starting- okra and tomato plants are going first (:

Back

And starting seeds

update 4/15: I’ve transplanted a few, and added potting soil to the remainder. Next year use potting soil from the start- I think things struggled with the seed starter.

Is winter over yet?

It started snowing on Feb 3. We got about 18 inches in the following storms, which finally stopped dumping by Feb. 12. Today is 16 days later. That’s the state of the yard.

It’s practically balmy today at 47degrees, but you can hear chainsaws everywhere because so many trees came down. I’m still waiting on the snow to melt so I can see what survived.

I ordered a bunch of seeds today- unfortunately I can’t find onion sets, so I’ll have to try to find some locally.

I’m tempted to take a blade to the blackberry when the snow melts. It’s all crushed now so I wonder if I can murder it while it’s weak… (;

I’m excited to use the new path and soon to be finished patio out back.

Tear it out and plant Garlic

I actually think that tearing out the old plants is almost as satisfying as planting int the spring. I still have a couple of things going- kale, chard, Brussels sprouts, carrots, beets, leeks- but I’m ready to retire my gloves for the winter and focus on other projects.

That’s not too say it was easy. My hands hurt after a Saturday of cleaning and pulling.

But I did have some beautiful carrots, and a HUGE beet as my reward.

Cleared west c and d, planted cover crop.

Cleared South D and Upper B- planted garlic

Pulled okra plants, but left the peas carrots and beets in west e.

Pulled the peas support from lower bed.

Geeze. Surely I did more than that.

First day back in the garden

This was my first day harvesting since my surgery a week ago. (Might have overdone it… /:)

Lots of lovely nova tomatoes and peppers. Def doing those from seed again next year. We are now talking about our canning options, because… The kitchen is already full of ripe guys.

Also got a bunch of green and yellow beans. I went through and cleaned up the plants a bunch, pulling excess leaves off.

We’ve had some okra and peas.

This was the second-chance plant, and it has given us much

Everything else is a little overgrown, because I’ve not been able to harvest or eat much. I wish wish wish we had a larger freezer for this stuff.

Washing the smoke out

It’s been hot and very smoky here, but this morning we had a little rain and the air is almost breathable. The garden is looking a-ok

Got a good amount of food out today.

Cooked up a yummy low-fat lunch to starve my gallbladder.

Dude, I love arugula.

That was a few days ago at 4:30. So much smoke that the sun turned red

I fertilized the tomatoes, squash, and blueberries a couple of days ago.

MORE!

What to say… There is much food. The Arugula is delicious, I’m also growing it inside, in the Aerogarden.

Some of the onions are still going. The hops are GIGANTIC. I found one okra, and that is enough to make growing them from seed worth it. The tomatoes are doing well, ripening. P loves spicing the sauce ones up and cooking them down into sauces. I think we have enough that we might eventually tire of that and have to can some. Green beans are doing well. I think the squash could use more irrigation (note for next year) as could the blueberries. (I filled a pocket up of blueberries yesterday. Whimsical!)

Uhm, looks like I might have a couple of Brussels sprouts and some leeks this winter; raspberries are happy.

Strawberries are having a second (small) berry time. Yay!

All of this is perfect timing to make me little less aware of my health. My gallbladder went from warning me occasionally, to hurting whenever I have any kind of fat. I do have a relatively low fat diet as a vegetarian who mainly eats home cooked meals, but I am missing my cheese and olive oil something fierce. There is hopefully a cure on the horizon, but it will mean a short break from tending the plants.

In the meantime we are getting creative with proteins, and I have developed a snack I call “hand salad”, which is basically a handful of lettuces (kale, arugula, mesclun) and tomatoes which I shove in my mouth.

It’s like potato chips, except not at all.

Take that nutritionist!

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.