Garden Friday

The last week has provided us with ample rain,

so there were few days conducive to picture taking.

Here's a quick update on the "tin can garden".

Romaine and kale continue to be harvested,

as well as some of the broccoli leaves for salads.

The broccoli head that I harvested was a bit disappointing in size,

but the flavor was perfectly succulent.

We have another seedling started,

so we'll see if we get similar results in that pot.

These seedlings await new pots.

At this point, with our moving date set,

I am hesitant to repot them, 

as they will most likely be finding a spot in the ground in our new garden. 

The leek and tomatoes are both screaming for more space.

 

The peas got moved to an established bed,

so that the trellis could be stuck into the ground to support the vines.

This week flowers were spied on them.

That means that sweet, tender, delicious peas are on their way.

Hot diggity!

 

The cauliflower out front has appreciated the extra room.

I like the way they look as a border plant,

and I'll most likely repeat this type of planting in the future.

 

There are a few holes in the leaves,

but when organic practices are used,

 you sometimes have to deal with less than perfect aesthetics.

I can live with that!

 

The tomatoes have been drinking up this blessed rainwater.

The Arkansas Traveler is on the left and

the San Marzano (used for making gravy) is on the right.

Looks like I need to get out there and weed a bit.

I don't want those weeds using up all of that fertilizer.

If you've read previous posts about gardening here,

you know that my personal litmus test

is growing a fabulous tomato.

Well, I'm on my way, folks!

See the bitty yellow flowers?

If I accomplish this feat under these less than ideal conditions,

I will be duly impressed!

It just goes to show that God's abundance is never ending.

After all, I just planted the seeds, 

He did the rest!

How's your veggie garden faring these days?

"The glory of gardening:

hands in the dirt,

 head in the sun, 

heart with nature.

To nurture a garden 

is to feed not just the body,

but the soul."

~Alfred Austin

Garden Friday

It seems like it takes no time at all
for Friday to get here.
Every week is busy with house hunting, doctor appointments
and tooling around town, trying to get to know the area.
The garden isn't as far along as I had hoped,
but finding a homestead has naturally been a top priority.
We're making progress and I hope to be able to share good news soon.

The abundant rain here has done wonders for our crops.

The curly kale is finally looking greener.

No doubt the compost tea gave it a boost.

This is the first time I've grown this type of kale,

so I'm not sure how big it's supposed to get.

These small icing containers seem to be a good fit though.

Big news on the cruciferous front.

Our first broccoli head is forming.

Ya-hoo!

We are hoping to get a good-sized head 

and many, many, many side shoots.

We started this crop from seed.

This variety, known as Pacman, is well-known for it's generosity of edibles.

The leaves can be harvested as well, and added to salads or sandwiches.

And of course, broccoli is one of the most nutrient-packed veggies out there.

This is snowball cauliflower and it is just forming fruit.

These seedlings were acquired from a local farmer

at the market here in Denver (NC).

This is a new crop for me,

and I can hardly wait to sink my teeth into it!

I'm thinking roasted cauliflower, carrots and beets.

Speaking of carrots,

the bucket is bursting with carrot tops.

Hopefully, the butterflies won't be laying eggs on these,

so I can harvest them for garnishing.

Swallowtails, especially, enjoy munching on these green, leafy morsels.

Bigger stakes are needed for the snap peas.

They are growing out of their containers,

so I will most likely pick up a couple of bamboo poles

and set up a baling twine wall for them to climb.

I'm doing it.  

I'm really doing it!

I'm growing tomatoes!

They were transplanted into the front bed a couple of weeks ago,

and are now filling out the cages that I placed them in.

Tomatoes are something that I've had mixed success in growing.

I have kind of a deal going with myself,

that I will consider myself a true farmer

 if I can successfully grow delicious, juicy, flavorful maters.

So far, so good!

I'm feeding crops every three weeks with the compost tea

I made from the turkey poop gifted me by my farmer friends back in Florida.

They supplied us with enough fertilizer to last a while.

It looks like it's working!

As spring has awakened,

the ornamental plants around here are struttin' their stuff.

I have no idea what most of them are,

as they are very different than what I grew in my Florida-friendly garden.

It's a revelation to see these beauties come alive,

knowing that they have their own internal timer that triggers the brilliant display.

Fascinating!

I certainly hope you're enjoying your own spring wonder.
Take some time to find something new in your surroundings.
It'll brighten your whole outlook.
Enjoy your weekend, y'all!

Garden Friday

 With regular rainfall, things are turning green again.

 
Although our temperatures fluctuate from the 30's to almost 80,
the sunshine and rain are abundant.

It doesn't seem to affect the flowering bushes,
but the veggies, I think, are a bit confused.

 The broccoli is making some progress
and we have a couple of others started in tin cans.
The snap peas planted 2 weeks ago are starting to pop.

 The kale got transplanted into bigger pots 
and fertilized with some of our secret sauce turkey poop compost tea.

The cauliflower on the stoop is growing well,
probably due to the amount of sunshine hitting the front porch. 

 The Tin Can Garden is slow growing,
but hopefully, with more consistent temperatures
in the next few weeks, we'll see some improvement.

 The beets didn't germinate as I'd hoped,
so both varieties got reseeded.
We are hoping for a bucket o'
beets in another couple of months.

The need for sunflowers hit me,
and I decided to go ahead and get some started.
I used paper towel and toilet paper rolls for containers,
that way they can be transplanted directly into the soil when they are ready.

 With colder temperatures expected this weekend,
they will be kept indoors for another couple of weeks.
They have a sunny window near which to sit and stay warm.

Some Shasta daisies were planted here in the side yard.
I noticed them growing in a field across the street the other day
while on my daily walk. 
I also sowed some cactus zinnias in this same bed.

Someone who lived here before planted a lot of dianthus
and we've enjoyed seeing them come back to life after the winter cold.

 So many of the plants are unfamiliar to me,
and without blooms appearing yet,
it's hard to determine what is what.
This looks like it may be some type of lily or iris.
Time will tell.

 Some things will be a total surprise,
as growing here is new to me.

 These alliums planted around the base of a tree
are beginning to strut their stuff.

The other garden project was to make a few
of these suet feeders.
I will sell them along with my daisy totes
at my first farmers' market here next month. 
A new adventure to look forward to.

How's your spring garden coming along?