Sunday, April 30, 2017

April's Garden (2017)


Move along.  Move along.  There is nothing to see.  Move along.  That is the theme of this month's garden.  There is nothing to see.


It won't stop raining.  Bill has not been able to get the plowing done.  The grass is growing nonstop, which does not make him happy; but at least we can use the grass clippings to make walking paths.  Otherwise, I would not be able to walk into the garden to harvest the greens still growing from the winter garden.

The coffee cup is not placed for scale.  I put it down to focus the camera. Scooter was not around or he would have lapped it up.  He is not allowed in the garden when it is muddy.
I am allowing some things to go to seed and darn it, I have lost all the labels.  I don't know what is what...again. It was one of my resolutions this year, to keep up with the names of everything.  Epic fail.  I suppose I will do as I have always done, put all the unknown seeds in one bag together, then broadcast them on a windy day.  To quote my late father, " It will fun to throw them out and see what comes up!"  He was always experimenting and trying crazy things.  I inherited that trait from him.

Something blooming and going to seed.
This is the row close to the field which is still alive from the winter garden. I will be putting the cover over it to see if it will protect the new plants against bugs.  In the empty spots left by harvested vegetables, I have planted seeds from my bag of harvested unknowns.  We will see what comes up.


I do have a few success to share.  Remember the lonely savoy cabbage that survived the armadilloswinter snows, and hungry rabbits?  Just like the turtle that won the race against the hare, this cabbage has finally made it to the finish line.

A few bugs have munched on the edges.
It was planted last fall and SLOWLY grew all winter.  This is it, not very big to have taken all winter to mature. No wonder the price of food is so high.  The flavor was great but it would have taken an acre field to feed just one person.  It was cold weather hardy, but very slow-growing.


I sliced the head off above the root because I saw this little brussel sprout size heads beginning to grow. Perhaps they will be ready to eat someday.  This fall, I will again plant some of the remaining seeds to give this cabbage another try.  Maybe it was on top of a rock or something?  


I am still getting plenty of salad greens.


And the walking onions are happy.


These are parsnips and it is the first time I have grown them.  They were planted in the fall between the strawberry plants and survived the winter.  A long growing season is something they need and are supposed to taste better after a frost.  I have only eaten them once so I don't know what is a good flavor and what is not.  I will dig around the roots during the summer to harvest a few, then wait and dig the rest after cold weather.  I just love experimenting with new things.


Collard greens, my favorite, has grown into a huge success.  WOW!  Look how large even with me cutting and eating all I wanted.  They are beginning to bolt but still taste fine.  I thought they were finished during the winter but instead, they overcame all the obstacles mother nature threw at them.  I would like to brag, but everyone has seen the rest of my garden and would know the truth.  All I need is a few successes to keep me going and that is all I have, a few.  It will have to do.



8 comments:

  1. When I saw your garden pictures my first thought was:
    You should have some raised beds. These are great, particularly when
    the garden soil is wet and cold for a long time. And you can easily
    cover the beds when there are colder temperatures.
    Those collard greens are huge, so there must be a rich soil. How do you prepare these vegetables? That is new to me.
    Christel

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    Replies
    1. Raised beds do not work well here. Winter and spring are rainy then about the end of July, the rain stops until September and temperatures soar up to 100 degrees. The soil in raised beds heats the plants and burns them. You must water constantly or everything dies. We built one 4 x 8 ft raised bed and ended up taking it apart to make two short beds. We have strawberries in them now. I will show you pictures soon.

      Collard greens are similar to kale, or mustard greens but the flavor is milder. They grow great here winter and summer. Their flavor is best in cold weather. Bill likes them in beef broth cooked down to mush. I don't like it that way. I like them chopped, sauted in olive oil with garlic or sauted in butter with cheese.

      They are mild enough to add to salads. The leaves get tough when they get big but then I spray them with olive oil, sprinkle on garlic salt and bake in the oven on slow heat until they are crispy.

      If you like spinach, and I know you do, you will probably like collard greens.

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  2. I have a matching puddle in my yard! I still love looking at your garden patch and having hope along side you.

    I do have a few seeds up, from the one time it was workable. However, I cannot weed in there--too wet. This week is supposed to be nicer. Here's hoping!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a few days of less rain and Bill was able to do a little plowing. I got a few beans planted early this morning before more rain moved in this afternoon. If only we could have ONE of these rains in August it would make all the difference.

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  3. I love your garden. Someday I would love to have a nice big vegetable garden and several flower gardens. Two problems with that right now. First, I really don't have the time to put into it right now. The second problem is we have deer on our property that eat everything. I'm looking for ideas how to get rid of them if you have any. Putting them in the freezer isn't really an option since we live so close to our neighbors. Not to mention my husband is not a hunter.

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    Replies
    1. Jennifer, I don't have any answers. We have a fence around our yard but that will not deter deer. I have seen them hop over it flatfooted, I mean flathoofed. A few times they have nibbled but usually there is so much other greenery they choose other things. Every other critter in the world has chosen to move into my garden, so I guess it is too crowded for the deer. I have seen other people posting about their problems, I do know what works. So sorry.

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    2. TYPO: Do NOT know what works. Also, Do NOT know how to type.

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  4. I just planted collard greens. I love them! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!

    ReplyDelete