Progress on the food garden is slow and steady. I have big plans for the empty area in the back of my yard and hope I can share more progress with you all soon.
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Showing posts with label Food Garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food Garden. Show all posts
Friday, June 28, 2019
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Food Garden Friday - Fruits and Veggies
This update took me a bit by surprise. It seems I simply turn my back for a moment and food is sprouting up everywhere! These peppers from my salsa garden came up quickly and they're pretty big so I'll need to pick them soon. I also noticed quite a bit of growth on my Boston Cucumber plant - so much more than last year, it's quite a relief.
My berries are still growing like crazy! If I'm not out there picking a bowl daily, they'll go to waste. It's a good thing I like snacking on berries. Oh! I also found a few tomatoes here and there among the multiple plants I have.
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Homegrown, Homemade - Fresh Berry Topper
This morning I picked quite a bunch of berries in preparation for a visit from my granddaughter and her husband. She planned to bring over a chocolate cake which I thought would go great with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries.
And you know what? It did! What a wonderful desert we had.
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Food Garden Friday - Buncha Berries
Here's an update on an area of my yard that has an array of berries growing. They are already delicious, I've already picked quite a few.
Worth noting is the fact that, while the seeds I purchased claimed 'thornless', my eyes do not deceive me or you, since this video clearly shows thorns all up and down this plant!
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Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Challenge Accepted - Great Garden Experiment, Update 1
It's time to report on my success in the Great Garden Experiment Challenge. Carrots are sprouting! The seeds in the container are doing great and I'm even seeing life from the seeds in the ground, planted in my new raised flower bed. I am grateful for the heavy rain we've been getting here in Southern California.
I'm having a little more trouble with the Three Sisters method since I can't tell what is a bean sprout and what is marigold, but I'm confident that in just a few weeks I'll be able to figure it out and hopefully see even more growth. I'm pleased that the corn is showing the most growth. Again, thank the heavens for all this rain!
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Food Garden Friday - Bed For Berries
This was a recent project I started for my food garden. I cleaned up the area and created a raised bed with cinder block borders to plant my favored Golden Berries and a tomato variety. I haven't decided yet what to plant in the holes of the cinder blocks, but that will be figured out in the future.
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Saturday, May 11, 2019
Food Garden Friday - April Showers
Unfortunately my carrot and brussel sprouts are showing no signs of life, but the rest of this area is doing quite well, especially the radish. I've never been a huge fan of radish but I have read about a radish soup which I am ready to research and try.
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Monday, May 6, 2019
Food Garden Friday - Rabbit Hill
Existing strawberries and blueberries along with the new additions of Fairy Tale Eggplant and low-cost flowers helped spruce up this area of my food garden. I have renamed this area Rabbit Hill. I've also had these rabbit statues for over 15 years. I love outdoor decor that can withstand the elements!
Guest appearance in the video below by my dog, Mr. Peanut!
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Food Garden Friday - Springing The Heat
This week's feature in my food garden is this large container. There are a few purple viola on either side in the front and some yellow and purple snapdragons on either side in the rear, the cost of these flowers were less than a $1 since I purchased them in 6 packs at Lowe's. There is also cilantro, Ancho Pepper and radish which, when paired with tomatoes and onions that I'm growing elsewhere in my garden, will make up a very nice salsa.
These little sprouts are the radish making their way up. They're so cute when they're young. The grass clippings are here to hopefully keep the moisture in. Spring has just begun, but here in California, when the sun is out, it gets hot pretty quick.
These three characters are taking a trip down the lazy river in their make-shift leaf boats. I wonder if they're training for anything? I know last Summer they had a race - I wonder if they're up for it again this year?
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Food Garden Friday - New and Resurfacing
Here's a bit of an update on my Food Garden. I still have some cleaning up to do but I wanted to show the Poppies that have reseeded that will help me establish my Food Forest, as well as the new plants I put in. And stick around til the end of the video when I reveal my new contest through YouTube.
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Friday, March 15, 2019
Food Garden Friday - Rough Around the Edges
As I've said many times over the last few months, Southern California has received quite a bit of rain - much more than usual. This is absolutely wonderful for my garden but coupled with recovering from my surgery, I haven't been able to keep up with it!
Oh my, what a mess! There's so much over grown, dead and alive and so little time! However, now is the time I return to my garden. The dead things need to be removed, the live things need to be tamed and there needs to be some method to this madness!
The photos above are of the same area. The left is when I first created the area and planted so many lovely edible greens for salads back in January of 2018. The photo on the right shows what has died (they lived fulfilling lives) and also plants that reseeded themselves because I did not plant anything new in this area. As you can see, the swiss chard is thriving! I actually cooked up some of it for breakfast a few days ago and it was delicious - much better taste cooked than raw!
My plans for the food garden this year are to expand the area to include the many seeds I received from my Seed Bank Box subscription that weren't able to make it into the ground last year. I hope to share more of my home-made, home-grown recipes as well!
What are you planting in your garden this year? I'd love to hear about it.
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Friday, December 21, 2018
Food Garden - A Fast Fix
The idea for this project was found on YouTube and I decided that I wanted to try for myself. I began with a bag of potting mix and used the bag itself as a container.
To begin, I punctured drainage into the bottom side of the bag and then flipped it over to cut a flap in the top (leaving a few inches of plastic on either side) to create a contained garden.
I decided to plant these radish seeds I received from a Seed Bank Box delivery and these interesting looking carrot that caught my eye during a visit to a local nursery.
Once planted, the soil is covered in grass clippings as this has been working well for me in the rest of my garden. Hoping to have an update soon.
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Monday, November 19, 2018
In the Garden - My Fairy Crate - October 2018
I've had this fairy for a while but this wagon is a new addition thanks to My Fairy Crate subscription box. She is wearing a hat made from the fallen husk of a goldenberry from my garden.
The bridge is also a new addition that arrived in October's box. The natural color makes it blend right in to the natural scenery, as if the bridge has a long history of guiding travelers safely to their destination.
This fairy baby rests atop an acorn with a companion squirrel, wondering of it should wake the baby to achieve this massive feast. I was so happy when I saw this in my subscription box because I'm trying to collect one baby to represent each of the months for next year's new segment.
This market stand looks great in my food garden! I already had the apples, gourds and pumpkins, but the piece on the far left is a new addition to my decor (along with the stand).
If you'd like to subscribe to My Fairy Crate, I found them through a site called Crate Joy, where I believe anyone can find a subscription box that fits their interests.
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Sunday, October 14, 2018
Fairy Garden Class - Strawberry Patch
I recovered this plastic container (with drainage holes, small rocks on the bottom and some leftover soil) from a previous garden that died out. I cleared the top level of soil and added some fresh soil mixed with worm casting. I'm really liking the results I've been having since using worm casting.
These three transplanted strawberry plants were purchased at Lowe's for $3 each.
Purple Orach and Gold Mighty Mustard seeds are also planted in this container. For now, there is a lot of empty space. Once these plants begin to thrive, they will fill in the entire container. For now, we have an opportunity to fill the empty space with a fairy garden.
Grass clippings cover the soil to keep in moisture. A bright red strawberry house will soon enough be surrounded by budding fruits. A few more miniature decorative pieces and a fairy complete this scene and the container has been moved to the food garden area of my yard, nestled amidst young tomatoes. I plan to start doing more fairy scenes in my food garden.
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Tuesday, October 9, 2018
A Pop of Yellow
This lawn decor was purchased from 99 cent store. I bought it as a pair but did not like the black finish it came with. I decided it would look better in my garden with a coat of yellow, the same way I did my garden path a while back.
This photo shows the most recent appearance of them in the blog. They've been reused many times and remain in the garden without needing to be repainted.
They've been seen in my garden as far back as February.
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Monday, October 8, 2018
Food Garden - Fall/Winter 2018
(L-R) Dragon Tongue beans, Green Arrow peas, Blue Lake beans, Oregon Sugar Pod peas.
Blue Lake bean being planted.
Left: Dragon Tongue began to sprout a week later. I also planted Royal Burgundy beans to the right of them but they weren't showing signs of growth. I decided to pop in a few more seeds, this time I disregarded the instructions that said to soak them before planting. Whether that was the factor that caused them to grow, I do not know, but they finally showed growth a week later.
You can see a bean sprout popping up on the bottom here. These popped up in less than a week and I didn't soak these beans before planting, so I think I'm not going to worry about that step with beans in the future.
And here is the newest photo of the Burgundy bean sprout taken this morning. Quite a start.
Oregon Sugar Pod peas have done quite well. They look very similar to snow peas in the photo on the seed package so I'm hoping they taste similar because I love those.
Top row: Bibb lettuce, looseleaf lettuce blend, red and green Romain blend. Bottom row: Brussel sprouts, Black Seeded Simpson lettuce and Buttercrunch. I also purchased some garden labels to help keep track of what is where and they've proven to be very helpful.
I planted my Gold Mighty Mustard in this container which was already housing a sweet Lilac bell pepper which I purchased as a tiny plant at the Green Scene Expo back in April.
This is how the purple bell pepper looked in April. I've read on the internet that many people have had problems with bell peppers coming through this year, so at least I know I'm not alone.
Not long after planting the mustard, I noticed tons of plants popping up. I was so surprised and confused until I thought on it a bit and realized these are not all mustard sprouts. After a little more time (and a bit of a taste), I could tell the difference between the mustard seedlings and what I've determined are radish sprouts, reviving themselves from Spring. A tiny snail managed to sneak into this photo, on the right rim of the container.
I've also put these seeds in a container but they're slow to grow, so no progress pictures yet.
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Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Unboxing - Seed Bank Box - August 2018
August's Seed Bank Subscription Box came with 8 unique seeds spanning from hot, to sweet and even a drought tolerant flower! I love the variety they include every month! I took the liberty to copy the descriptions from their information cards word for word this month.
Big Jim Pepper - "The Big Jim Pepper was developed by New Mexico State University and has since become a favorite in green chilis and rellenos. The medium-hot fruits change from green to red and grow up to 12 inches long. These peppers are sure to impress your friends and your taste buds!"
Cream of the Crop Squash - "This creamy little acorn squash is a compact, bushy grower that belongs in every garden! Each plant can produce 10-20 of these delicious, nutty squashes. Whether you choose to pick them young and saute them like a summer squash, or wait for them to mature so they can be stored as a winter squash, you'll be happy to have made room in your garden for this vegetable!"
Siam Queen Basil - "The Siam Queen basil is a highly ornamental herb, with large, bright green leaves and clusters of tiny purple flowers. This Thai variety of basil holds up well in heat, making it an excellent choice for the summer garden. Enjoy this clove-flavored basil in curries and Thai dishes!"
Evening Primrose - "These pretty North American wildflowers come in a variety of colors, ranging from white and yellow to pink and red! The short, 6-12 inch tall mounding shrubs bloom prolifically all summer, practically hiding their own foliage. These wildflowers are drought tolerant and have extensive medical uses in homeopathy medicine."
Sakata's Sweet Melon - "If you have never tried an Asian melon before, you are in for a treat! The Sakata's sweet melon originated from Japan and only grows to about 3-4 inches in diameter. The real surprise here, though, is that the entire crunchy fruit is edible, even it's rind! Let your garden host this interesting melon this summer and enjoy the single-serving fruits, rind and all."
Long Purple Eggplant - "This delicious Italian eggplant grows up to a foot in length and has a glossy, deep purple skin. Long Purple eggplants are copious producers, yielding up to eight fruits per plant! For the best flavor, pick these eggplants when they are about six inches long and try them in an Italian dish like lasagna or caponata!
Emerald Okra - "Okra is a favorite vegetable in many different types of cuisine. This high-quality heirloom variety of okra produces tender 8-inch long fruits that, fortunately for the gardener, are spineless! The blooms of this heavy producer look like hibiscus flowers, making Emerald okra not only edible, but attractive as well!"
Sugar Pie Pumpkin - "These little 6-8 pound pumpkins are not only a superb variety for making into pies, but they also make cute jack-o-lanterns! The Sugar Pie pumpkin only grows to about 6-7 inches in diameter, making them easy to grow in your garden. We are already looking forward to one of our favorite fall treats; roasted pumpkin seeds!"
If you'd like to have non-gmo, heirloom seeds like this sent directly to your doorstep that will surely brighten your garden and kitchen table, please use my referral code!
I'm excited to see how many of My Fairy Folks are joining me on this journey. If you also subscribe, please feel free to send me progress photos of your Seed Bank Box garden!
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Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Food Garden - Cucumbers
This month's food garden spotlight is on cucumbers. I planted 4 varieties this year, one of which was just a basic cucumber from Home Depot.
The lemon cucumber does not share the flavor of it's name-sake's fruit, but it does share the visual resemblance. This cucumber is round, the yellow skin is thin and the flavor is more mild than most cucumbers. If you find yourself eating only half a cucumber at a time, putting the remainder in the fridge (and possibly forgetting about it), this smaller fruit is a good alternative for you. Bonnie suggests on their website to hollow out this fruit for a cold soup as a Summer appetizer!
The Boston pickling cucumber is also a good option for small cucumber portions and are a great size for home pickling! My granddaughter loves pickles so this will allow her the opportunity to try her hand at it.
The Parisian cucumber is also great for pickling due to it's size and thick flesh and has fewer seeds than regular cucumbers.
Cucumbers like to grow up so providing them a cage or fence to cling on to is a good idea. These red and blue supports are aiding the growth of my cucumbers. Look at those sweet yellow flowers.
One of the first cucumbers yielded.
Long and strong, did you know some cucumbers grow with little thorns on the skin? The things you learn when growing in your own garden. The lemon cucumber also had little spikes, so always investigate your harvest to see how best to prepare it.
Here is my first harvest! Be sure to wash and skin cucumbers that have rough skin. Have you grown any cucumbers in your garden? I'd love to see your harvest!
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