I’m a Pepper. You’re a Pepper.

Remember that Dr. Pepper jingle from the 1970s?  Oh, it’s stuck in my noggin. 

The heat has been turned up in the garden and everything is starting to pop.  Here’s an update:The Black Hungarian Peppers have started to develop.  This variety of hot pepper is definitely living up to its name – BLACK.  All the varieties of tomatoes have fruit.  Carbon won the award for most bashful as it developed last.  Now I need to decide if I want to prune off lateral branches to encourage vertical growth up the string.  Like thinning seedlings, this may take psychological strength. The Butterfly Bush is in full bloom.  It’s about a week behind where it was in 2009.  I guess it’s because of the mild spring weather that its schedule is slightly off.  This variety is Black Knight.  It’s deciduous and blooms on new growth.  In the fall, it needs to be pruned down severely.  If sugar was a flower, it would be a Butterfly Bush.  The scent is sugary sweet to me.Jaune D’Or Ovale radishes are taking off faster than I can eat them.  They will be distributed to friends and neighbors for their enjoyment.  The radishes were planted with a row of Mule Team tomatoes to ward off pests.  So far, so good.  As these are harvested, a new crop will be sown.  These radishes are mild.

More lavender has been harvested and hung to dry.  All the Candy Hybrid Onions have been harvested and are on the drying rack along with the garlic to be used throughout the summer.

Summer Savory was planted in the holes of the cinder blocks where the Borlotto Solista Beans are growing.  Insects are repelled by this herb.  The peppery taste helps flavor the beans.

I also planted some Italian Parsley.  The directions on the seed packet from Victory Seeds directs me to freeze the seeds for 3 – 5 days and to soak them in warm water for 4 hours before planting.  Phewy!  I just sprinkled the seeds in some rich soil and lightly covered them.  They are being irrigated with a drip line.  Hope my shortcut method works just as well.

As always, my supervisor was there to oversee all the work. Licorice had a sister by the name of Pepper.  Good Old Pepper is buried on the other side of the garden wall.  She was a good cat.

So with Black Hungarian Peppers, the peppery taste of Summer Savory, and thoughts of Pepper the Cat, I was humming the Dr. Pepper commercial from the 1970’s.  The video quality stinks; but the tune is just fine.  Enjoy the ride in my time machine.

Measuring Up

I’m adding a measuring stick today to record the progress of a few items in the garden.  Above is a Scarlet Nantes Carrot planted 10/05/09. Jaune D’Or Ovale Radishes planted 04/28/10.

 Evergreen Bunching Onions planted 04/18/10.

O’Henry Peaches planted 01/12/09.  This is the tree’s 2nd season.  Each season it has produced fruit.

Red Flame Grapes planted January 2009.  Like the peach, the grapes are in their 2nd season.  Each season fruit was produced.

Henderson’s Pink Ponderosa planted 03/01/10.  All the tomatoes are ready to be planted in the ground.  As soon as Farmer MacGregor finishes building the supports, the planting can begin.  Some of the tomato plants have buds on them.

Sweet Pinkie Strawberries planted 03/01/09.  This variety is really thriving in the cinder blocks.  During this coming winter they need to be thinned.

This evening’s harvest of Sweet Pinkies.  No chance of me being scooped up as a hand model.  Oh well.

Candy Hybrid Onions planted 09/20/09.

Here’s a seed head on a Candy Hybrid Onion.

Ladybug dining on parsley.

Rio Red Grapefruit planted 02/14/09.  The fruit seems to be staying on the tree this year although some are dropping off.

Variegated Pink Lemon planted in a pot fall 2009.

That’s how a few things are measuring up in the garden today.

Summer Crops – Part II

In the last post I highlighted the western most raised bed.  Now let’s move east.  There are still onions developing.  They were planted on September 20, 2009.  The heat has really pushed their growth.  You can easily see the location of the Candy Hybrid onions.  The stakes are placed to prevent garden kitties from littering where they ought not litter.  The bed is trimmed with lobelia, freesia, and strawberries.

From left to right I have planted seeds from Baker Creek.

Crapaudine Beets – are planted under the squash support (4/29/10).  Here’s the description from Baker Creek: In 1885, the French book, The Vegetable Garden stated this is one of the oldest varieties. Today some experts feel this may be the oldest beet still in existence, possibly dating back 1000 years. This unique variety is one of the most flavorful, with carrot-shaped roots that have rough, dark colored skin which looks like tree bark. Inside, the roots are very dark, with almost black flesh that is of superior quality and sought after by chefs who want real flavor. We are proud to offer this rare old selection.

 Beets are cool weather crop; but I wanted to see how they would grow in the shade of the squash as the vines cover the support.  This is a simple experiment.  There’s plenty of seeds to plant at the end of summer if this is a flop.

Lemon Squash – has a custom made support to climb.  Farmer MacGregor installed his workshop creation the same day the seeds were planted (4/28/10).  The idea is to have the lemon shaped squash dangle through the hog wire of the support.  They will stay out of the dirt and moisture and should be easy to harvest.  Lemon Squash has received great reviews at Baker Creek.

The description is this:  The shape, size and color of a lemon, it grows great here, has huge yields and the best resistance to insects I have seen in a summer squash. Very tasty, great fried! A favorite, this is a superb market variety and is very attractive. Our most popular summer squash!

Planting radishes with the squash will help to repel beetles.  I’ll just pick up regular old radish seeds for this purpose.

 

Malali Watermelon – from Israel rounds out the bed.  I picked these because they don’t grow to the size of Guinness Book of World Record prize winning melons and they can take the heat.  The seed company has a wide variety to choose from but these should be perfect.  A sugary-sweet watermelon from Israel; this variety is great for warm climates. Small fruit weigh about 10 lbs. Green-striped rind and delicious light-red flesh is really refreshing. A good little melon for small families and market growers.

I try to mark the date I plant seeds on each packet whenever possible.

Good luck with your Kentucky Derby wager.