Garden Update: February 10

 
 

I took a stroll around the yard today, checking on everyone's progress.  It's slow this time of year, with the cooler temperatures, but all my little garden babies seem to be doing okay. 

In the garden boxes:

I'm particularly excited about the Kohlrabi.  (See photo above.)  It's beautiful and healthy, and I have four large bulbs growing in one of my garden squares.  I researched the leaves the other day, and it turns out that you can sauté them like collards, or kale, which I also have, so I'm thinking that a collection of sautéed greens is in the near future.  I'm sure I'll be the only one in the family eating it!!!  (But that's ok with me)

  

 Beets are supposed to be very easy to grow, but I haven't had any experience growing them in the past, and this year has not been especially promising.  I finally have a couple that look healthy.  These are in garden bed #2, the one that I used compost and chicken manure in.  The beets that I planted in garden bed #1 never came up.  None of them!!!  Not sure why.  I KNOW I planted seeds.  (rolls eyes)





Here's the Kale and Mustard Greens, with a couple of Kohlrabi leaves in the background there.  The curly Kale is so pretty.  I harvested it once already, and it came back, along with some new seeds that I planted at the same time.  I'm thinking all of these greens sautéed with some onion and garlic and served alongside a nice piece of grilled chicken, or mixed into a pasta dish.  Yum-o.  I have a couple of nice recipes for Kale as well, so I'm going to try them out, and if they turn out well, I'll link them here. 

 Aren't these little heads of lettuce pretty?  They have a sprinkle of red in them.  I keep checking on them, hoping that they'll be big enough to clip, but they just aren't yet...  Taste testing has proved them to be sweet and tender, and I just can't wait to eat them!

You know what would be even better?  Eating them with tomatoes!  Isn't it a crime that lettuce is a cool weather crop and tomatoes are a warm weather crop?  Well look at this!!!! 



Depending on how fast this baby grows, I just might get a home-grown salad!!!  I'm pretty excited about that little guy.  He came with the plant, and I know I'm supposed to clip him off, to encourage leaf growth, but I just can't!!!!  Salad!  C'mon little guy!  Pace yourself so you're ready when the lettuce is ready and I promise to eat you! 

It's just so exciting.  It really is.  I guess that's a gardener's heart talking. 


I just read a really interesting post on Espaliered fruit trees at EVER GROWING FARM (http://evergrowingfarm.com/2014/02/espalier-fruit-trees.html), and I'm thinking I might like to try a couple.  I'll need to discuss it with The Guy first though, because, really, who's going to be building the trellis for them?  Not me, for sure...  She didn't post any pictures, but she did say that she had grafted varieties of apple, cherry and pear trees that had FOUR VARIETIES EACH on each tree!  I'm kind of excited about that idea. 

Well that's all for now.  See you soon.
Green Thumb Out

The Girl & Guy's Class of 2014

It's a new year, and one of my goals for 2014 was to update this blog more frequently. 

We're so fortunate to live in Southern California where gardening is a year round activity.  In Southeastern Pennsylvania, where we used to live, we'd spend from October to April dreaming about gardening, planning for gardening, and thinking about gardening, but not actually gardening.  Our planting date was May 15.  May 15!!!!  Here in So. Cal, my season is almost over by then!!!! 

In September, the Guy built me some really lovely raised planter boxes, and we placed them on top of an old picnic table and benches so that they are up off the ground, and this old body doesn't have to bend over to get to them.  We've had Kale, Collards, Mustard, Corn Salad, Radishes, Beets, Carrots and Kohlrabi growing all winter.  It's fun to keep up with.  It's interesting though, that in the cooler weather everything grows very sloooooooooowly.  It's all very healthy and looks great, it's just taking it's time. 
 



We've even hooked up a watering system for these boxes, and with a quick twist of the water spigot and a 5 minute timer, it all gets watered with minimal effort from me.  It's a win/win. 

I joined the "Seeds of the Month Club" this year, (https://www.averagepersongardening.com/seedsclub)* and it's been fun to see what gets sent out each month.  It's roughly $3.00 a month, and Gardener Mike sends out four packets of seeds each month, tailored to the zone that you live in and what you can get started, if you're in an area that can plant year round.  If not, I guess he stocks you up each month.  I started in September, and I have a nice variety of veggies and herb seed packets.  Some of them are in my garden boxes, and some are waiting for summer time, just because space doesn't allow for all of it right now. 

 

The Guy is going to build four more of these boxes, and we're going to put in a garden over there by the fence, right over the Pipsqueak's shoulder.  A little bit of fencing to keep The Trampler and the Fuzzy Digger out and we're golden.  I think this new location will allow for more air flow and more control of water and light.  I think that the side of the house that we used last year just didn't have enough light or air flow, since it was wedged in between the house and the block wall.  Also, everything was in pots last year, and I am eager to see how it will be different planting in garden boxes instead.  I have a feeling that we will have more success with "the ground" vs. "the pot".

 

So, on to the Class of 2014!  We have had some absolutely wonderful backyard weather.  That, of course, is a positive spin on things, because we have had high temperatures, low humidity and absolutely NO RAIN, which is creating a terrible drought for Southern California.  There are murmurs of water rationing coming soon, and reports that if it doesn't let up, food prices are going to soar because local farmers are losing their crops and water prices will go up.  So, if that's all going to happen, then I really need to get crackin at growing my own food.  Water rationing?  Fine, I won't water the grass, but I will water the vegetables! 

 

I saw the tomato plants at Home Depot, and I couldn't resist...  yes, I know that I joined the seeds of the month club so I wouldn't have to buy stuff...  but like I said, I couldn't resist.  They were calling me!  And so, without further delay, I introduce you to (the beginnings of) the class of 2014:

 

That's an Early Girl, a Supersweet 100, and a Bush Goliath.  Yes, they are Hybrids.  No, I did not grow them from seed.  I know, I know...  but truly, I thought that a couple of Hybrids might be a good thing this year.  Last year between blight, blossom rot, and pests, remember what happened to my beautiful tomato forest?  Hybrids are a bit hardier and more resistant to disease.  The Bush Goliath is a determinate variety.  What's the difference between determinate and indeterminate?  Well, according to Organic Gardening.com:

 

"The most simple explanation of the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes is that determinate tomatoes bear their crop all at once, while indeterminate tomatoes bear fruit over the course of a season. Indeterminate varieties tend to grow longer vines and will require more support in terms of staking or caging over the course of a season. Determinate varieties often (but not always) tend to be more compact and manageable."

 

So I'm thinking I may stagger a few determinate tomato plants in the garden this year.  If they produce and then die back, I might even get several yields from the same pot, depending on the time frame.  I've never done it before.  I like the idea that they don't send out those super long tentacles that interweave all of the plants together.  I like the idea of a compact tomato plant.  It might just be my new favorite!!!  We shall see.  That's what's fun about gardening.  Experimenting! 

 

There's one other newbie that I want to introduce to you, because I have quite a few in different growing stages, so I think they are going to be around a while.  Kohlrabi.  Yum-o.  Kohlrabi has bulbs that grow above ground.  You can slice them up and eat them in slaw, or put them in salads.  They have the consistency of a carrot and taste sort of like broccoli stems, but really, they are delicious.  I got my first taste of Kohlrabi when I belonged to a crop share association in Pennsylvania.  I've been hooked since.  These were grown from seed in my garden beds, and I can't wait to eat them!!!  They still have a little ways to go.  They will grow to be a bit smaller than a tennis ball.  Right now they are about the size of a golf ball. 

 

Aren't they beautiful?  I just love them.  The leaves are big and beautiful, and they just look so healthy and happy.  I have four growing in this garden square and several seedlings in other squares.  Hopefully we're going to have a great yield soon. 

 

Well, that's the start of this years' obsession.  The thumb is feeling mighty green again.

 

See you soon, gardeners!

Green Thumb Out

*If you think "Wow, that Seeds of the Month Club sounds great, I think I'll join!" Please, please contact me first.  If I give you a referral code that you reference when you join, I get a free year.  That would be so nice!!!