Wet California Winter

Santa Rosa Plum Bud Break - February 12, 2017

It's been a beautifully wet winter in California.  Some moan and whine.  I delight in the rare, rich rain.  Dormant spraying failed this winter as opportunities conflicted with rain events.  Today, fruit buds are swelling with the leader of the pack, Santa Rosa, breaking today.  The buds are plentiful; so when the winds come - and they will come- there should still be enough strong fruit to develop and enjoy in June.

Cherry tomato from the 2016 season.

Cherry tomatoes from the 2016 season continue to produce.  Even though the quality isn't premium like in mid summer; there are still cherry tomatoes on the sheltered side of a plant.  They can be smashed up with some peppers that are still hanging on for some fresh salsa.  It's time to pull the thing out and make way for a bed of beets.

Waltham 29 Broccoli

Broccoli was planted in late summer from seed.  I simply threw the seeds out and walked away.  Remarkably, every single seed germinated providing an abundance of produce.  It's already starting to bolt.  The cauliflower started with such promise; but the rain spoiled it.  Only enjoyed one head of cauliflower.  Sad!

Iceberg Rose

Little to no maintenance has been preformed on the roses yet this year.  They should have been pruned and sprayed by now; but, again, weather has re-directed garden efforts to thumbing through seed catalogs indoors.  When the sun does shine, weeds grow to Jack and the Beanstalk size.  No lie.  This afternoon, Ajax and I tackled weeds.  Tomorrow morning may erase all our efforts.

Regardless of this wonderful bounty of winter rain, I must ask Californians to continue to conserve water.  Get used to it.  It's a way of life.  This bounty is going towards replacing the debt from the drought years.  Thanks for doing your part.

Freezing Broccoli

Bagrada bugs threatened the survival of broccoli a few months ago when the weather continued to be warm.  Diatomaceous earth was applied; but I know it was the onset of cooler weather that really brought them down.  Today, about a dozen heads were harvested with only one looking sickly (translation: compost bin). More is left to be harvested another day. This cold, foggy day is reserved for freezing the broccoli. 

Before freezing, the broccoli needs to be blanched.  Blanching helps green vegetables stay green and not turn brown.  Gross.

 1.  Start a pot of water to boil. (I used a pasta pot to easily remove the hot broccoli.)

 2.  Prepare a large bowl of ice water.

 3.  Rinse broccoli to remove any debris.

 4.  Cut flowerettes from stalks.

 5.  Add a pinch of baking soda to the pot of boiling water.  This punches up the green color.

      Chemistry.

 6.  Place flowerettes in the boiling water for 2 minutes.

 7.  Remove flowerettes from boiling water and place in ice water for 2 minutes.

 8.  Remove flowerettes from ice water and place on a towel.

 9.  Place cooled flowerettes on wax paper lined cookie sheet.

10.  Place cookie sheet in freezer 30-60 minutes.

11. Put broccoli in labeled freezer bags.

When fresh, cooked broccoli is needed, remove from bag and use. Only a brief heating time is required.  Use steamed, stir fry, or casseroles.  Blanched broccoli just won't work for Super Bowl dips. 

Calabrese Broccoli

The recent rains followed by fog are doing a world of good for this gardener, the garden, and the State of California as a whole.  I haven't had to irrigate for some time now.  I was worried that the Bagrada bug that decimated two beds of mustard would ruin my bed of broccoli and cauliflower before cold weather arrived.  They have done damage to seedlings that got a late start; but the mature plants are thriving.  It could have been the applications of diatomaceous earth or the recent cooler weather that has slowed them.  Probably a combination and the fact that there are very few seedlings that remain.

The Calabrese Green Sprouting Broccoli is an Italian heirloom brought to America in the 1880s.  It should produce many side shoots and produce heads 5" - 8". *

Waltham 29 Broccoli

I thought I also spotted a head of cauliflower. After checking some planting notes, this looks to be broccoli.  Waltham 29 is a standard type that produces 4" - 8" green heads that are nicely flavored.  Compact plants also produce some side shoots.  Introduced in 1954.*  It certainly is much different than the Italian variety.  There are two varieties of broccoli and two varieties of cauliflower planted in the far east bed. Cool, foggy/rainy weather is expected to continue this week providing ideal conditions in the winter garden.

Red-Cored Chantenay Carrots

At the head of this bed, is a variety of carrot that is suited for heavy soil.  It's a stubby variety that helps to break up the soil.  This bed was solarized over the past summer to drive out nematodes.  Don't know if it worked; but the carrots show no signs of the wee beasties.  One of the sweetest, this variety was introduced in 1929 and is a large stump-rooted carrot with a deep red-orange center, great for juicing or fresh eating. A good market variety that is smooth and refined in shape.*

The western most bed was also solarized this summer and then planted with a cover crop of mustard.  Unfortunately, the Bragrada bug destroyed the mustard.  I've used this opportunity to plant garlic.  Once the rains started, the garlic sprouted.  Hope this is a good sign.

Sunshine Blue Blueberry

Previously, I had mislabeled this potted blueberry bush as Pink Lemonade.  It's a product of Dave Wilson Nursery out of Reedley, California.  They describe this variety:  "Southern Highbush cultivar.  Great flavored firm berries.  Ripens May 10 through June 15 at Gainesville, Florida (?).  A semi dwarf evergreen bush with great fall color.  Showy hot pink flowers fade to white in spring.  Self-fruitful.  Estimated chilling hours needed 150 hours, but very cold hardy as well."

There is lots going on in the garden during the most wonderful time of the year.

*  Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

Scratch & Sniff with a Latin Flare

I would like to be more proficient with the Latin names of plants.  Right now there is only room for improvement.  There are plenty of scents in the spring garden.  The temperature is predicted to be 83° today; so there are many buds breaking and many bees buzzing.  I tried to associate Latin handles with some pungent scents in the garden today.  No way.  I had to cheat and look in my Sunset Bible for help.  See what you know.  I'll list the Latin name in the caption using the scientific name (genus/species) along with the plant family if I know it.  See if you know the common name.  Easy.  Cheesy.  Light & breezy.

Ready?  Answers below.

1.  Syringa Oleaceae

2.  Rosmarinus officinalis Labiatae

3.  Rutaceae

4.  Cruciferae mustard (or cress)

5.  Aloysia triphylla Verbenaceae

6.  Cruciferae mustard (or cress)

1.  Lilac.  This is one of my spring favorites.
2.  Rosemary.  Use the woody sprigs for kabob skewers by removing the leaves and soaking in water before threading you favorite BBQ stuff.
3.  Lemon.  Always a favorite and most always in bloom.
4.  Cabbage.  Ready for March 17th?
5.  Lemon Verbena.  I like rubbing my hand along the leaves to pick up the scent.  Adding some dried leaves in a card before mailing makes getting that piece of mail so much better.
6.  Broccoli.  It's bolting like mad and attracting so may bees and bumble bees too.

Garden Update:
All of the trees and berries (including blueberries) have received their 1st dose of fertilizer for 2013 followed by a long soaking.

National Empty Chair Day

Labor Day marks the end of summer (...not here in Bakersfield, California however.  We have a long, hard road to go.)  Labor Day weekend is a summer weekend with typical celebrations of barbecues and fun in the great outdoors.  In the garden, Labor Day weekend is just that...labor.

Farmer MacGregor has been busy preparing the shed for painting.  He dug out all the Celebrity tomatoes and their wooden supports.  The lawns have been mowed and everything is thoroughly irrigated.  The broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage seeds have been planted in a bed that had signs of Root Knot Nematodes on the beans but no evidence on the Black Beauty Zucchini.  I'm rolling the dice with an investment of a few dollars for seed to see if these fall crops succeed.  Peas will be planted in the Celebrity Tomato bed were there was evidence of nematodes on the tomato roots; but the plants produced well.

In a nod to the viral observation of National Empty Chair Day that was spurred by Clint Eastwood's speech at the Republican National Convention last week, Maybelline's Garden offers a version of the empty chair.  The chair isn't used much during time when work needs to be done.  Others are so much more creative. If you should see this one floating around the conservative interwebs, you'll know a bit more about the story behind the image. 

This is February?!

Today would have been a perfect beach like day IF it was July.  However, it’s February in Bakersfield.  I need some cold weather to kill the bugs, rain in the garden to settle the dust and clear the air, and snow in the mountains to use when it is July.

Can you believe ladybugs are already working in the garden?Here’s what’s growing on in the garden today:

The cauliflower has been bothered by aphids in this warm weather.  I was considering taking the plants out and getting the bed ready for summer crops; but there are 16 head that seem to be doing alright.  I’ll wait.Broccoli has also had aphid troubles.I’ve blasted the plants with a power stream of water from the garden hose and relocated some of the early ladybugs so they can help control this problem.Probably every seed of lettuce germinated successfully in the garden this season.  There is lettuce growing in a salad bed and lettuce growing in the holes of the cinder blocks that form the beds.  Another reason the hope for cooler weather is to extend my lettuce enjoyment.The discovery of Root Knot Nematodes* has led to a search for knowledge on the topic and a successful safe way to control the wee beasties.  At least I have beets and carrots successfully growing in beds that don’t seem to effected by nematodes.The carrots are coming along nicely and have been used in roast beef and pasta salad.  Of course, they have been snacks while out in the garden along with peas.  I can never seem to get peas past the garden gate because I eat them while enjoying the garden.By about 10:30 this morning the temperature was just under 70°F with clear skies and a light breeze.  By nightfall, the lights were visible out in Elk Hills, on the Grapevine, and Breckenridge where there is no snow.

*  If anyone has information to share about ridding my garden of damaging nematodes, I would appreciate it.

It’s Broccoli Blanching Time!

The weather has really started to get warm and the broccoli, along with other veggies in the garden, are starting to bolt.  Today, the broccoli had to go into the freezer to enjoy later.

• Harvest as much fresh broccoli as you can.
• Rinse the harvest.
• Clip into flowerets.
• Soak in cold water.
• Place in boiling salt water for 3 minutes.
• Remove with slotted spoon into ice bath to stop cooking process and retain texture and nutrients.
• Repeat in batches until complete.
• Drain.
• Pat dry.
• Place in freezer container in your freezer.

That should preserve a bit of delicious nutrition for the future.

 

Three varieties of broccoli were grown this winter.

• Calabrese
• Nutribud
• Waltham29

Since the summer crop is currently in seedling state and the last day of frost is only a few weeks away, this will give me time to clean out the beds and get ready for summer.

Cabbage Patch

  The cabbage patch is moving right along.  The broccoli heads aren’t grocery store big.  Rather, they are smaller, more tender, and plentiful.  Most will be harvested soon and frozen to enjoy later when the grocery store prices zoom.

The purple cauliflower heads don’t grow tight like the white variety grown last year.  It’s still tender and tasty.  It will be harvested and frozen if all of it doesn’t get eaten.

The purple cabbage is the prettiest in the garden with its pink veins and silver water drops.  They really glitter after the rain.

Pests have increased along with the temperatures.  Aphids and loopers have made their appearance.  So far, they have been kept under control with a spray of water or simply picking off the culprits.  Hope they don’t overwhelm me.

Brassicaceae Economics

 

This…

Plus this…

Equals this… 

How much does organically grown, fresh broccoli and cauliflower cost in the store?  I have no clue.  The broccoli seeds used this fall cost about $1.50.  A variety of Calabrese, Nutribud, and Waltham29 was planted.  I prefer the Waltham29 variety purchased at Floyd’s Hardware Store and planted in late September.  The buds are loose and plentiful.  They even seem a little darker and that translates to more nutritious to me.  I could be wrong.  It happens.  The Purple of Sicily Cauliflower cost about $2.50 for about 200 seeds.  I don’t even know if markets sell purple cauliflower. 

All seeds were sewn in place in September or October.  Most all the seeds sprouted with the exception of the Nutribud Broccoli seeds purchased from Baker Creek.  Pill bugs may have been responsible for fewer of those plants in the garden.

 

This is a pretty economical way to provide produce for your steam pot.

Do You Know What is Sprouting?

This final blast of heat was good for something.  All the fall seeds are up.  The broccoli pictured here came up in about 2 days.  BAM!  Not only did the seeds that were lovingly planted in straight rows successfully germinate; but clumps of seeds punched through the damp soil into the hot fall air.  An example is that stand of seedlings behind the dirt clod above.  Do you know what is sprouting?

Two of the vegetable beds have these seedlings coming up in random clumps.  Do you know what is sprouting?

You can submit your guess here on the comments or shoot an email.  Oh, there isn’t any prize except the fact that you know you’re right.  And sometimes knowing you’re right feels pretty good.

Garden Update

Here’s a few things that have been going on in the garden.

March 6, 2010 – The tomato seeds sprouted.  They were planted, along with pepper seeds, on March 1.

The lilac continues to perfume the garden air.

The broccoli has bolted.  The final harvest was made and the plants removed to make way for summer crops after the soil is amended.  Note:   the Lobelia in the background.  I have been unsuccessful in capturing how dark the purple is on this Crystal Palace variety.  Finally, the color shows when it’s not the focal point.

The beets are really starting to take off.  I usually thin out the smaller ones; but now they’re really starting to get big,

The Red Flame grape is starting to show signs of life.  The vine was fed today.

These little caterpillars along with their thug friends the pill bugs and earry wigs (earwigs) have been found guilty and executed for the damage they have done to the cabbage.

Most of the rest of the cabbage was salvaged.  The bed is now completely vacant awaiting amendments so the summer beans and savory can be planted.

Carrots continue to produce.  A bunch was recently harvested to add to a pot of mushroom/wine chicken.

Peas continue to go nuts.  Now that the heat is cranking up, the pods are filling out at an accelerated pace.  They joined the carrots in the pot with the chicken.

All the fruit trees have been fed:  plum, peach, apple, pear, nectarine, apricot, fig, grapefruit, orange, mandarin, lemon. 

Cabbage Aphid

According to UC Davis, my broccoli and Brussels Sprouts have been infected with Cabbage Aphids.  Bastards!  With the warmer weather come the insects.  UC Davis advises to giving these beasts a sharp blast of water.  Insecticidal soap is also helpful.  Lady bugs (Lady Beetles) are their natural predators.  Last year, the garden had loads of lady bugs.  It doesn’t look like I can expect lady bugs to migrate down to the valley floor until March.  Last year, I noted lady bugs in the garden on March 29. March 29, 2009    Lady bug patrolling tomatoes.

Whenever they decide to head on down the hill, I have a feast for them to enjoy.  Here’s a life cycle chart of Lady Beetles provided by UC Davis:

Lady bugs, come on down!    

Garden Update

There was a nice harvest today.  Romaine and Bibb lettuce was thinned.  The heads were used to make a salad.  The beets were also thinned.  The baby beets were pickled to add to the salad. The cauliflower is ripening all at the same time so a few heads were cut along with some broccoli to make casseroles.  This was the 1st day to harvest any cauliflower or broccoli.  Cauliflower and cabbage are in extreme abundance and are being shared to take advantage of the fresh, tender produce. The peas are continuing to mature.  Last weekend they needed to be staked up more to eliminate their sprawl.  They were beginning to overtake the garlic.  Now, the garlic has a clear shot at the sun.  I’m thinking about planting this entire bed with tomatoes next. With the beets thinned, they have more room to grow larger and are less likely to shade the garlic.

Note:  Do not plant peas on the east side of  a bed.  Their vigorous growth tends to shade anything trying to grow on the west side.