May Garden Update: Corn!

The corn has tassels!!

A lot can happen in the garden in just one short week.  I was going to post this collage last week, but was too busy.  Even though the corn has tassels, at the time I only saw one tiny corn emerge.  Take a look at the lower-right picture, and it can barely be seen.

Now take a look below!!  Not only do we have corn, we have a least one ear per stalk.  Some might say that doesn't seem very successful.  But for our very first time at growing sweet corn, Pat and I are tickled.  Not to mention, it's very hard eating this bounty, even when we do give it away!  One ear per stalk is very manageable.

That is one nice-looking ear!

We did get about 1.5" of rain since May 1, which is a true blessing.  We are beginning to lose the war against the drought since April rains were almost non-existent.  The rain outlook for the rest of the week shows a 20% Monday and Tuesday with temps in the 80's.  Come on double portion!

Beets, Beet Salad & Lettuces

Nothing like fresh!

This week marks the end of the lettuce-growing season for the Boney household.  We've cleared the row for okra and whatever else Mr. Pat will plant.  The beets are filling out nicely.  Last weekend I made some beet salad, and this weekend I will make some more.  Neighbors and friends will be surprised this week with a small harvest.  Next weekend is already very busy, but I know I'll have to make time to pickle some more beets. We have a lot of beets in the garden, still!!

Other weekend tasks:

1. Plant 2 more Salvias--Hot Lips and 2 more Guaras!  I am so excited to be planting some more Guaras, plus--the Guara I thought we had lost to the drought has come back!  We'll have 3 now!
2. Fertilize container flowers
3. Dead-head knock-out roses
4. Harvest some collards and squash for supper
5. Pick at a few more weeds and grasses

Beet Salad Recipe

Wash beets well, removing all the dirt.  To cook, I like to clip the greens off, leaving about 1 to 2 inches of the stalk.  I do not clip the root until after they have boiled. I boil the beets until fork-tender then toss into ice water until completely cooled.  The skins slip right off, and I slice right away.  Be sure to wear an old t-shirt because beet juice stains quite nicely!

Dressing


I make a type of balsamic vinaigrette.  I like 1 part red wine vinegar to 1 part balsamic vinegar.  Last time I used basil, but I think I like a little fresh thyme better--about 1 to 2 tablespoons.  Add some crushed or minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well. Whip in 1 to 1 1/2 parts olive oil (or more if you like...I like my dressings vinegary).  When I'm finished I have enough dressing to coat the beets well, but not completely covered.  Probably about 2/3 to 1 cup of dressing.

Pour dressing over beets and slice some onion into rings.  Put all into a bowl with a lid that snaps tight.  Shake over the sink until well-blended (when I don't shake it over the sink, it winds up on the floor or all over me!)  Put in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or into the freezer for about 30 minutes) to chill well.

This is good the first day, but fantastic after about 2 or 3 days in the fridge.  This will keep about a week in the fridge.

Weekend Lettuce Harvest: March 31, 2012

The garden is growing great, and the lettuces and beets are coming on strong!  Following is a harvest how to/what not to do when harvesting lettuces.

This weekend the lettuces are growing like weeds, so a large harvest is in order.  Here is what the row looked like before I started:

Dragon Kale; Radishes, Lettuces

When I had plucked my last lettuce out of the ground, Pat said:  "Don't pull it up by the roots, clip them so that they are easier to clean."  Okay, all I have to say is, where was he when I began???  Following was the method for this week...next week I'll try it his way.  We'll just see which is easier!

First bucket of lettuces

I gingerly clipped off the roots of each bunch.  Sadie helped herself to the discards, and then tried to eat the harvest!  Naughty dog!  What I should have done was go ahead and remove the long stems at the same time because after I rinsed everything, I found there were long leggy stems that still needed to be removed.  I'm so doing this differently next week!

Second bucket of lettuces

Sink soak to remove dirt

Finally finished after 2 hours!

Once the lettuces soaked awhile in the sink, I rinsed them again and laid them out on tea towels and paper towels.  Then I snipped stems again.  The snipped stems were composted.  Our harvest this week was 3.5 gallon-sized bags of cleaned lettuces; 1 bag of Swiss chard; some dragon kale, 3 radishes, and romain lettuce leaves.  We shared one bag of lettuces with the next door neighbors.  I will probably give mother a bag tomorrow.  Next week I imagine I will harvest about the same if not more!

If there is a better method of harvesting lettuces, please let me know!

Thursday Thrills

There is a lot to be thankful for this Thursday. 

1. It may rain a ton tomorrow
2. There are new flowers blooming and almost blooming every day
3. We picked our first squash
4. The "squash beetles" are confused
5. The Hydrangea may bloom soon
6. There are more tomatoes on the tomato plants
7. Life is good!

Here are the pictures...enjoy!!



 

Daylily.  Our Daylilies look a little on the spent side, but this is the first year in a long time that
we actually fertilized.  Looks like we need to research how to care for them, and they'll probably
rebound!

This Daisy mound has been in the circle garden since the boys were in High School--
2001 or 2002 at the earliest.  It is still going, although the blooms
are a little smaller than when they first were planted. 
Nevertheless, we must be doing something right...because they just keep
coming back!

This Hydrangea bush was given to me by Abigail last year for Mother's Day.
Look---it's going to bloom!!!

Well, I declare...you never know what nature has in store for you.  Here is our
Spineless putting on a spring show!!

Here is a beautiful cactus bloom---
but what's inside?  Pat thinks they are
squash beetles---could they be confused???

Finally, my favorite picture today--more tomatoes are growing on our bushes!!

May Blooms & Such--2011

May is turning out to be a better month than April--probably due to the rain and the winds calming down a little.  Among a few other gardening chores I turned the compost pile yesterday, and it is finally showing signs of decomposition--I started it in earnest at the end of February.  I'll update the progress next time I turn the pile. 

Because yesterday was most likely the most beautiful day yet of spring, I decided to take a few quick snaps.  Some of my pictures are probably bright because I still don't know what I'm doing with that fancy camera of mine, and I also experimented some.  Nevertheless...here's what the lens saw:

The spineless will bloom!!

I'll start with my favorite--our spineless cactus!  In an earlier post (don't remember when) I was fearful that the spineless wouldn't bloom because of the lack of rain and the setback it had suffered the winter of 2010. 

But happily I was wrong about that.  Our spineless is loaded with an amazing amount of blooms.  Updates will definitely follow!!

Oxalis--Granny's favorite

I think I was playing around with F-stops and such on the camera with this shot.  Seriously, I do not know what I was doing!  But despite my lack of knowledge, I think the picture turned out okay.  Or perhaps I should say...thank goodness for Picasa!!

Desert Willow in bloom

We'll need a little more rain to get more blooms on the Desert Willow, but it is looking lovely right now!

Easter Lily

When taking this picture, I was practicing resetting the white balance on my camera.  A friend of mine had taught me what to do this week.  I don't know if I got it right or not, but this shot was better than the auto shot I took previously!




Bee Station



When it occurred to us that the the drought was impacting our wildlife, I remembered an article I had read about bees.  It suggested putting out shallow water stations so they can get water.  Pat suggested I use pot saucers until I find something more decorative.  I put rocks in the saucers so the bees can ease in and get a sip.

Squash blossoms!!

Some kind of fly or hornet on the Kalanchoe



And finally, our tomatoes are doing so well this year.  Pat and I are so excited.  Today he plans to water them with compost tea again.  They are cracking a little around the top, but with our temps spiking up and down and everything else...we're not worried about that at all!



Tomatoes!!





May 2011 Garden Update

Pat is always on the lookout for a pesky squirrel grazing at the bird feeders.  Lately he's been adding birdseed almost daily to the feeders.  Then last night he had a frightening realization.  The squirrels aren't at the bird feeders...the birds are.  Additionally, they are hitting the birdbaths as soon as they are filled up.  The drought is impacting them, and the bad thing is we didn't realize it.  So, from today on we'll be checking the water in the birdbaths twice daily and filling up the feeders as much as possible.  We have a slight hope for rain on Thursday, but that is so far off, I'm not even counting on it at the moment.  The Farmer's Almanac holds out hope for decent rain chances in June.  If so, that'd be a great start to summer and dampen the drought we're experiencing.

Please feed and water the birds.  I know I also need to put out a few bee baths, too!

In other parts of the garden, the Basil and Vegetable Garden are coming along fine.  We even have some yellow squash starting.  However, the cucumbers aren't doing so well.  Perhaps it isn't hot enough for them.  Pat did say when I planted them that they haven't ever done very well. Maybe we need to toss that packet of seeds!

Zucchini, Squash and Cucumbers

Baby Yellow Squash!

Pat says he has 3 buckets of rainwater to use on the tomatoes this week.  That's impressive considering we're catching rain in 3 to 5 gallon buckets!  He's making compost tea with most of the rainwater.  I love how I get something started....and then he takes over!!  Isn't it great??







The Circle Garden is coming along nicely.



Basil...grow baby, grow!!





Veggie Garden Update



Pat plants some Peas

 

No, we are not planting a full garden this year.  Pat did win most of the argument for this year.  He decided to plant peas even though our soil sample wasn't back yet.  Our partial report on the soil fertility appears to indicate a good fertility in our soil.  However, there are deficiencies.  Nevertheless, Pat decided to go with what most experts agree upon and that is all soil is in need of nitrogen.  Planting peas will help nourish the soil with this most important nutrient.


Peas grow despite the shade!


Here is a close-up of the peas growing well.  As of this post, they are about double in size now.   We are not thinning the peas since we want them to be a cover crop.  The plan, as I understand it, will be to harvest this crop and then plant a fall garden.  Once the fall garden is harvested, we'll plant rye (seeds are already purchased) for a winter cover crop.  Then we'll be on our way to a full-producing garden!





Squash and Cucumbers



Squash and cucumbers grow in one row.  I get to prove my point that no matter the condition of the soil...during the first year...we'll have great success.  I've already thinned the plants to about two per mound.  However, on Easter Sunday, Pat declared that they have not been thinned enough.  Little did he know that his mother-in-law already approved the plantings and said that they will bump into each other, but they should be fine.  I don't know.  I think I'll give it a while and decide a little later.  In the meantime, it bothers me that our "full-sun" garden has so much shade during the morning hours.  Hopefully, the afternoon sunshine will be enough to give us a good yield.

Collecting a little rain water!

In the meantime, it is dry...very, very dry.  If I had been a little more knowledgeable about predicting weather, I think I would have accurately predicted a drought.  I have a teacher-friend who claims I am a hopeless optimistic.  I am beginning to believe she's right.  We have fires around Possum Kingdom, extreme drought in most of West Texas, and a severe drought in Central Texas.  The bucket you see in the picture represents less than a quarter inch of rain.  I was able to collect 2 1/2 buckets of rainwater, and I am grateful for that!  Since this collection, I have another 1/2 bucket to crow about!  Saturday, April 31st, Pat and I plan to go to Homestead Heritage to learn more about rainwater collection. 

With the drought were are experiencing and with the dreaded knowledge that we did not get rain in January until the 8th day (August), any rain we are blessed with needs to be harvested.  As of this post, we are expecting a 70% chance of rainfall Sunday, May 1st.  May it happen!! Please Lord, let it be!!









Garden Update--April 2011

Dianthus among herbs--2011

There is a reason my posts have been few and far between:  Internet---Internet---Internet.


The blessings of living in the country is you get to have a yard, and a garden, and your dog gets to run the neighborhood. 

The curse is the lack of high-speed Internet.  When the leaves grow--no Internet.  When the wind blows--no Internet.  When the rain falls--no Internet.


Nevertheless, there is still beauty all around.  And whether or not I can report it...I still get to enjoy it!!


Romaine Lettuce & Cabbage...were delicious!



Another shot of the herb garden.  This time in the foreground are:  Romaine Lettuce (delicious), Cabbage (so much better than supermarket cabbage), Parsley, Oregano, Chive, Arugula, Chocolate Mint.  In the background:  Thyme, Dill, Tarragon.



Pat plants a cover crop.

Pat plants a cover crop of black-eyed peas...the official legume of Texas.

Anyway, he wins most of the argument for planting a cover crop which is to feed our garden so we'll have many years of excellent crops.  Then the soil test came back and our soil is extremely fertile.   Who knew?  We are low in phosophorous and potassium?  We were  betting on nitrogen, but we don't have the complete results yet.

Yard wagon and spineless

Our spineless cactus is taking off as well.  After two harsh winters in a row, the solid, aged base is feeding the greenry and sprouting new pads.  I've been hoping for a few blooms, too.  But that may be asking for too much this year.  I'm glad it is rebounding.

What's this I see.  Another spineless cactus in the making?

Bees--The Gardener's Friend



Bee with Aster taken 2009

I have probably used this photo before, but it is one of my favorites.  It's a favorite because of the hot topic of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) regarding our friend the bee.  Pat picked up the March/April 2011 edition of Texas Gardner and inside there is an article about bees and what we as gardeners can do to help out.  I will hit the highlights with this post, but if you're interested in finding out more, click on the link.

No doubt we do have a problem in preserving our pollinator, the bee.  It has been widely reported that scientists do have several hypothesis regarding CCD.  However, those of us who do not have hives can still change certain habits that may very well help our friend survive this battle. 

According to the article we need to be proactive and provide a safe place for bees to feed, work and live:

1. Allow plants to look a little unsightly.  In wintertime, bees and other insects live in our dried out stems and stalks.  Who knew?  Leaving them until the last minute in springtime allows our friends to have shelter during the cold months.  Pat and I can check this one off!!
2. Do not use bug zappers.  Apparently they kill more beneficials than undesirables.  Check...never have owned one.
3. Manage pests without pesticides.  Most of the time we do this, but Pat will use 7 Dust from time to time.
4. Have areas with small rocks so the bees can "bask." Check.
5. Have a bee-friendly water source...a shallow water dish with rocks so the bees can drink without drowning.  Easily accomplished.
6. Provide diverse nectar sources with lots of color and various blooming periods.  Check.
7. And my favorite:  leave bare patches of ground so ground-nesting bees and mud daubers can make their habitat.  With as many trees and shade as we have on our place, we have tons of areas that fit this requirement.  Check and check.
8. I am adding this one:  Plant as many native and heirloom plants as possible.  Some suggested plants are:  Almond verbena; Anise hyssop; Basil; Beebalm; Borage; Chives; Lavender; Mint; Rosemary; Roses; Sage.

The article has many more suggestions on how to help our friends, and gives a detailed account on why the bee is in trouble.  It is also good to note that there are 100s of varieties of bees in Texas.  So take a look at your landscape.  If it's a little barren consider planting some nice natives this spring to help out!