Gardening Fashion

That’s my grandpa with my cousin (circa 1961).  The setting could be Scotland or England.  I’m guessing England and My mother has informed me that the photo was taken in the back garden at 12 Moat Drive in Edinburgh, Scotland.  I’m guessing Lesley in one.  Look how he’s dressed in the garden.  Trousers.  Braces.  Socks.  Shoes.  Shirt.  Cap.  I bet his jacket had been removed because it’s warm in England in July. 

Let’s compare with what I had on today in the garden.  Linen cropped pants with a missing button and zipper that had a mind of its own.  Stained blue t-shirt (at least it had a collar and buttons).  Torn chambray shirt to keep the liver spots at bay.  Big straw hat to shade my sun damaged skin.  Please don’t forget the Crocs.  Oh yes, my Crocs are green in the backyard and brown in the front yard.  I’m the Imelda Marcos of gardening fashion.  Smokin’!

Stacy and Clinton, I need your help.

Garden Flowers

Here’s some flowers that are popping in the garden now that the weather have moved into bearable temperatures.  I’ll label the images as best I can.  Note: the images are straight out the camera.

Pansy – Mammoth Red Pansy – Yellow Pansy – Butter Yellow Lobelia – Crystal Palace LantanaEnglish Lavender – Munstead Marigolds Nastersium Texas Ranger – Green Cloud Rose – John Paul II Rose – Pink (unknown) Impatiens Oxalis Rose – Bakersfield Centennial Rose – Lucille Ball Duranta- Repens Geranium Stock – Vintage White Butterfly Bush – Pink Perfection (I think the label was wrong.) Gardenia Rose – Jaune Desprez

And here’s the more edible varieties.

Basil  Eggplant – Black Beauty Serrano Peppers Strawberries – Fern Bell Peppers Lemon – Variegated Pink Lemon (blossom) Lemon – Variegated Pink Lemon (fruit) Plum – Santa Rosa (This tree is crazy.)

That’s it for today.  I just wanted to chronicle how much better we (plants, animals, and people) behave when the weather is nice.

Fall Planting Part IV

  1. Peas    2. Carrots (pending)  Garlic   3.  Beets        4.  Carrots

February 6, 2010

October 5, 2009 – The fourth of four raised beds has been planted with seeds.  No seedlings to transplant this time.  I’m trying to use only seeds.  Not all the beds have been fully planted; but all four have been started.

In this bed, I planted on either side of drip line.  I’m supplementing by hand watering as needed.  I ran out of carrot seeds and will plant once I make a run to the hardware store.  I’ll try a different variety.  Crystal Palace lobelia will be planted in the holes of the cinder block.  Currently, marigolds, basil, parsley, thyme, and chives are growing in some of the cinder blocks.  They are welcome to stay as long as they behave.

My goal is to grow enough peas to freeze.  In the spring, most of the peas were eaten before they even made it out of the garden.

October 10, 2009 – Planted a double row of garlic.  This will really help when we make gallons of spaghetti sauce this winter.

CROP	MATURITY	USE
Peas	62 days	Thanksgiving?
Garlic	90-120 days	Winter spaghetti sauce marathon
Beets	57 days	Pickled for Thanksgiving
Carrots	65 days	Christmas party carrot cake! Basque carrots

 

The scarecrows were put out in the garden today to add to the feel of fall.  These were made years ago and they’ve lasted through many fall celebrations.  This guy is guarding the bed that was just planted. So far, the crows don’t bother the garden. 

This gal sports a denim jumper.  She refuses to give in to trends.  The scarecrows have been known to wear witches hats as well as pilgrim hats in recognition of the fall holidays.  She’s overseeing the remaining peppers and eggplant.

Behind the scarecrows are the beds used for camellias and azaleas.  I’ll chronicle that ordeal soon.

 

Fall Planting Part III

1. Brussels Sprouts         2. Peas           3.  Peas      4. Romaine/Bibb

February 6, 2010

On October 2, I planted the third of four raised beds.  This bed is located at the east side of the garden and receives full sun.  Fern strawberries were growing in the cinder blocks and have been transferred.  They were replaced with Crystal Palace Lobelia. 

I’m planting quite a few peas in hopes of freezing some.  Here’s how everything is supposed to mature:

CROP	MATURITY	USE
Brussels Sprouts	90 days	Happy New Year!
Peas	62 days	Thanksgiving – maybe
Romaine Lettuce	55 days	Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches
Bibb Lettuce	65 days	Christmas party salad

The temperature has finally started to cool.  This morning (5:30am), I could see my breath!  I love this time of year.  In Bakersfield, we can celebrate the fact that we survived another summer.  Now I can work outside without melting and baking. 

Delightful.

October 10, 2009 – This bed has most everything sprouting.

Brussels sprouts are sprouting.  It looks like every danged seed is up.

Lettuce (Romaine and Bibb) has sprouted.  This stuff is infallible.

Note:  The peas are up.  I just didn’t grab a photo. 

Harvest Moon

It’s harvest moon; so yesterday after dinner I harvested the pumpkins.

They are orange, green, brown, and yellow and combinations of all. Here’s probably too many pictures; but I love the fall and everything about it. These are Cinderella pumpkins that were planted on June 10, 2009 and harvested October 2, 2009.  On August 7, I accidentally plucked the 1st pumpkin.  It’s turned a nice, deep orange color and sits with distinction on the front step.

The aphids came on strong in August.  Ladybugs, dragonflies, and lacewings followed after them and began munching. At harvest time, only one pumpkin had rotted.  I wish I had thought to take a picture.  The inside of the Cinderella pumpkin is a deep orange with very few seeds.  I believe these pumpkins will be ideal to use as lanterns. There were 3 hills planted that ended up growing aggressively enough to cover the entire raised bed.  The vines wove throughout the bordering marigolds and basil.  The side plants may have also helped relieve the aphid infestation.  When I was pulling out the vines, I found that some had grown through the vents of the compost bin.  In the bin, the pale vines had tangled up and filled up the inside of the bin.

Cinderella pumpkins can be recommended to be vigorous vines that produce moderate amounts of squash.  I grew these in zone 9 with full sun – except for the vines that grew into the compost bin.

Nuts in the Garden

I’m not growing nuts in the garden.  My garden is going nuts.

The peach tree acts as though it’s in the Southern Hemisphere with its neighbor the plum tree.  Both are currently blooming.

The grasshoppers are invading me like a Mormon nightmare.  This sweet thing is affectionately known as Eileen (I lean.  Get it?!).  I’ve read that hot pepper wax is a good repellent and would like to read testimonials.  I would hate for my broccoli to taste like salsa.

Thankfully, the roses seem to be behaving.  The days are growing shorter and the temperature is bearable.  With that, I will be planting the rest of the fall crop.  Tomorrow Today, I plan to harvest harvested all the pumpkins and pulled out the vines.  This will be hard because there are still blooms on the vines.  I need the room to plant garlic.  Priorities.