Next to pink roses, my favorite flower ever.
SATORI - Organic, sexy gardening
Earth Day Gardens
Started the new vegetable plots yesterday, Earth Day 2013. Staked them off for now; husband will till within two weeks, then I get to planting. Can't wait!
Hydroponics 2013
Basil, dill, spearmint, chives, thyme, all grown from seed in my hydroponic grower. This weekend, the spearmint will go out into the new herb potager. Hydroponics is easy and clean, and really works! One caveat: never use well water. Always distilled or spring.
Genovese Basil, Spring 2013
I have Genovese basil (Franchi seeds) germinating in the southern exposure window, and it's doing beautifully. Sowed it just a few weeks ago. Basil is among my favorite herbs, and there's no such thing as too much of it in summer!
Miracles in the backyard
Just a lovely bird's nest my husband found while clearing brush from the yard, long vacant. I plan to keep it as long as possible. One of Mother Nature's little miracles!
New spiral herb garden
The very start of the circular herb garden, side yard, at our
new home. The black plastic will stay down until next spring: after that, it
comes up and white pebbles will go down. Last night, I transplanted this
lavender and lemon balm from the East Windsor garden. Once this gets to a width
of about 25 to 30 feet and is established, I think I'll host the first garden tea party
here. I'm designing this one a la Carly Simon's spiral herb garden at Martha's Vineyard. Like hers, native rocks will form a spiral emanating from the center:
along that path, herbs will be placed. The center will allow a place to sit at
a table. The spiral path lets me walk through the circle without trodding on
herbs. I just love everything about Carly Simon, including her gardens! Thank
you, Mother Earth!
How to molest yellow squash
Yellow squash plants in our garden were first eaten to the ground by rabbits; now, this oppressive heat and dearth of rain is draining them. Not a good year for squash, but the tomatoes are doing well. Basil is already going to seed, and literally, overnight, flower heads appear. I'm constantly pinching! Afraid my beloved basil won't make it much longer, and it's only July. Parsley is coming back after being ravaged by the resident woodchuck. A very hot summer here. Good in some ways, and bad in others. But always grateful to Mother Nature for the chance to homestead. Thank you, Mother E!
New garden
Just a quick update. Trying to build new gardens at my second home in East Windsor, Connecticut. It's been a trying spring. Lots of rain, little sunshine. Cold, cold, cold. A woodchuck razed the lettuce and pea garden to the ground a couple of weeks back. Today, I'm replanting there - Brandywine and Cherry tomatoes, and yellow squash. An herb potager is taking form: chives, lavender, lemon balm, parsley, mint. Basil will go in as soon as it warms up. Some flowers - impatiens and pansies. There is a big pot of strawberries putting out fruit. Money is tight, so I'm revisiting the practice of herbs from seed. I forgot how difficult it is to start all over again! But the challenge is sweet. Thank you, Mother Earth!
Chick peas!
Found some old dried chick peas in the cupboard last week. Planted them up and put them under the grow lights. Growing like crazy - amazing! They go outside this morning. There will be plenty of fresh chick peas this summer. Thank you. Mother Earth!
'Frizzle Sizzle'
A new pansy hybrid this spring - "Frizzle Sizzle" has ruffled leaves and amazing bold color. Picked up a flat in Madison yesterday and potted them up! This little bloom broke off during transplant, so now it's in a vase on my kitchen windowsill. LUV!
Peace and Carrots!
Growing season has begun. All organic, no GE, no Monsanto! Sweet peas, parsley, dill, carrots, and lettuce. Long live the organic homestead! :)
Waste Not, Want Not
So mom bought tomatoes from the market in this HORRIBLE plastic carton, and when I spotted it in the fridge, I thought, "Ugh, more plastic in the waste stream."THEN I thought, "Wait, this is a perfect little seed germinator!" So I filled it with seed starting mix, punched holes in the bottom of each cell, watered, and added organic Italian parsley seeds (Franchi Semetti, the best seeds on the market). Closed it tight, and put it in under the grow lights. Voila! Three fat cells of organic parsley will be ready for planting in the herb potager in less than a month. And I'll use this little treasure over and over again. Thank you, Mother Earth!
Keeping Herbs Going Strong Through Winter
Three pots of fresh herbs procured at at friend's February 11 wedding are going strong under the grow lights, with a 12-hour on/off rotation and watering every other day. Just gave them a boost of iron. They're doing great, and hopefully, will go into the herb garden in spring! From left are spearmint, lemon balm, and thyme. Thank you, Mother Earth!
Hippeastrum, Early January 2012
This is the last bloom coming from the Christmas Hippeastrum, January 12, 2012. Sad days. :(
Here Comes the Sun
This is my little window of overwintering plants, November 2011. Scented geranium (rose), geranium, aloe, African violet, snake plant, chives. The sunniest window in the house. They get a little leggy after a few months, but they survive until next summer!
Play in the Dirt
One of gardener/artist Ned Vare's oils, "play in the dirt (full circle)". Ned, who died two years ago, was a gardener extraordinaire who taught me much of what I know. Thank you Ned! I hope you're having a ball with Hunter T.!
Overwintering
Beautiful lemon verbena
November – a sad, sad month for gardeners. This is it. Really no more room for excuses. Potted plants either have to be sent to glory (i.e., the compost pile) or overwintered indoors. Overwintering geraniums, scented geraniums, chives and parsley is pretty easy. The tough ones, and the ones I want so much to salvage, are lemon verbena and rosemary; two of my favorite herbs.
Two winters back, I successfully overwintered a large rosemary plant in our unheated garage. It still grows, and tonight, I’m going to bring it into the garage again for its winter rest. Last night’s frost might have already done it in; I’ll know when I get home. The lemon verbena was brought into the garage about 2 weeks ago. It’s a delicate herb, and herbalist friends of mine swear by overwintering it in a root cellar or unheated garage. I’ve had no luck with either. This winter, I’m keeping it in a spot in the garage, away from the windows, but where I can see it everyday, so I’ll remember to water it about once a month. Ditto the rosemary.
Wish us luck! There’s nothing harder than spending a summer loving your babies just to watch them wither when November arrives. Blast winter.
Irene, Spotted-Wing Drosophila Ruin Raspberries This Year
This has just been the worst food growing season ever in Zone 6. Tragic: http://www.theday.com/article/20110909/NWS01/110909573/-1/zip06&town=Guilford&template=zip06art'The Four Immeasurables'
It's easy to forget the measure of Mother Nature's power. Hurricane Irene (which was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached Connecticut) reminded me of Her great kindness as well as Her frightful muscle. Her force is beautiful and spine-chilling. Prayers of recovery to all those impacted by Irene! Stay well, my friends!
Four Immeasurables
May all beings have happiness and its causes,
May they never have suffering nor its causes;
May they constantly dwell in joy transcending sorrow;
May they dwell in equal love for both near and far.
- Buddhist Prayer of Recovery
Some beach somewhere, there’s a big umbrella casting shade over an empty chair. Palm trees are growing, warm breezes blowing. I see myself there...
Cucumbers are doing OK… It’s been a strange growing season here in Zone 6. Nothing has really done well, even the cucumbers, which usually thrive in my garden. Tomatoes are late and sporadic. Herbs are doing OK, and the flowers are blooming, although all the rain has encouraged some fungus. The cosmos are beginning to look like they’ve seen better days. I’ll be making pesto this weekend with all the basil, however, and am delighted! I freeze some of my pesto for winter dinners. It’s like opening a can of summer! A gardening friend of mine in Pasadena, California, just messaged that it appears that summer is ending. NOT! Anais, don’t say that! Summer will reign forever!
Chicken mushrooms!
Driving back from breakfast this morning when I spotted something very interesting growing on the trunk of a tree along the roadside.
Lunch! Or a potential lunch, courtesy of Mother Nature and a handful of rainy days.An edible mushroom common in this area, “laetiporus” is a genus of edible mushrooms that are not only pretty, but also wonderfully tasty.
The locals call it, “chicken of the woods” or the “chicken mushroom”. In no way does it resemble a chicken, but to many people, it tastes like chicken, hence the name.
Cut carefully from the tree trunk, brought home and sautéed, the chicken mushroom really takes on a smoky, almost spicy taste. And many vegetarians use the chicken mushroom as a meat substitute; a very delicious, satisfying one. It can be cooked much in the same way chicken is cooked, so is a popular meat substitute. Very yummy!
August Dinner!
AUGUST 11 DINNER: Tabouleh, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh garlic, fresh jalapeno, basil, parsley, lemon verbena, rosemary, onion, ALL (except the tabouleh) from the garden!
NOM!!!
I LOVE SUMMER! THANK YOU, MOTHER EARTH!!!!
Tree of Joy!
The Brown Turkey Fig Tree is putting out tons of ripe figs now. They’re falling from the tree daily. The poor tree branches are weighed down with them, and the tree looks goofy and inelegant. But who cares? We are eating ripe, warm figs off the tree this week. Thank you, Mother Earth!
Spearmint and Summer Song
Just a quick mid-summer garden update. Spearmint is flourishing, thanks to its amazing ability to root almost overnight in water. Since early June, I’ve been clipping spearmint from the Guilford and Clinton gardens, putting them in jam jars, letting them root, and then planting new clumps everywhere. We have spearmint far and wide! The other day, I made spearmint sun tea. It is mouthwatering. I also made a black sun tea infused with sprigs of lavender from the garden. Refreshing and sweet. Cucumbers are in abundance, tomatoes are finally turning red, flowers are blooming and need a little pruning now, the brown turkey figs are starting to weigh down the tree (can’t pick them until they’re ripe!), sunflowers are opening, the new bean plants are climbing the poles, jalapeno, cherry and banana peppers are plumping up, last winter’s geraniums are making a comeback (we lost one), and I planted 3 new San Marzano (sauce) tomato plants given to me by a coworker (thanks Jess!). Lemon balm is getting leggy in its pot, but the ground patch is thriving. Lemon verbena is radiant (I’ll try to overwinter it again this year), and pineapple sage smells heavenly. This weekend’s project: Lavender cookies! I cut a handful of lavender flowers last week and they’ve been drying. I’ll grind them up in the coffee mill and add it to a basic sugar cookie dough. The essence of summer. Finally, the crickets are buzzing their hot afternoon song. Thank you, Mother Earth!
Sweet Peas!
I really thought I’d missed the sweet peas train this year. We planted seeds in late May. Most recommend planting indoors 8 weeks before last frost, or outdoors as soon as the ice melts. But I got lazy this spring and bypassed an early planting. So, while I was sewing an all-from-seed flower bed by the side of the house (sunflowers, cosmos, zinnia, marigold, nasturtium, pink and red poppies), I made a spot for sweet peas, planted, and placed a trellis. Now, they’re blooming purple and pink! They have a lot more growing to do, but they’re in bloom. Joy! One thing, though – very little fragrance right now. Sweet peas are known for their heady fragrance. I wonder if it has anything to do with the timing of the planting. In any case, I’m delighted, and my next from-the-garden cut flower bouquet will include sweet peas! Thank you Mother Earth!
Kaleidoscopic garden
The colors really burst this time of year. Petunias and zinnia - petunias from plugs, zinnia from seed. The front garden is alive with color. Thank you, Mother Earth!
Planting beans in July? Yes!
Last night, I started two pots of Romano pole beans under the grow lights in the garden room. The bush beans we planted in May seem to be hibernating. I’m not sure what’s wrong, other than the excessive rain, which has yellowed the plants some. I wanted to plant pole beans anyway, so yesterday afternoon on my lunch break, I swung by the local nursery and picked up a packet of heirloom Romano pole beans. This is an old, reliable bean that has been around for generations.
Problem is, I’m planting in July.
Well, that may not be a problem. Many bean growers “succession plant” through summer – meaning they start a second or even third bean bed well into summer, for early to late autumn harvests. I succession plant basil and parsley through summer, and have fresh herbs well into October.
In our climate here, with such short summers, will it work with the beans? We’ll see. I’m giving them a quick start under the lights, so they should be ready to go into the ground in about two weeks.
On a less tentative note, last night’s dinner was fab. We boiled penne, and while it was cooking, we got out the food processor, threw in parmesan, raw garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and the following fresh herbs from the garden – lemon balm, lemon verbena, parsley, oregano, basil, pineapple sage and chives. Whirred it all up and tossed it with the cooked penne. Divine. I love summer.
Thank you, Mother Earth!
We have figs!
The Brown Turkey fig tree has suddenly decided to bear an immense amount of fruit all at once. I went out earlier to check the soil, and lo, it is covered with baby figs! It's been getting a high potassium diet and I think that explains the sudden explosion of fruit. Have you ever had a fresh, ripe fig, warm off the tree? Mmmmm........
Someone ate the baby mango trees!
Someone out there in the woods of Guilford loves to nibble baby mango trees. So they went ahead and ate both of them! I suspect chipmunks or deer, but my jaw dropped last night when I went out to check on them and they had been dug up and spirited away. Good thing I have another mango ripening in the kitchen. This time, I'm going to cover the baby mango with a wire basket or some such contrivance. Back to Square One!
Rooting Basil
A LOT of gardeners don’t know this: Like all the mints, lemon balm and lots of other herbs, you can easily root basil in water to produce more plants for your herb garden in much less time than it takes to germinate seeds, and less money than it takes to go to the nursery and buy more basil plants!
The trick to rooting herbs successfully is to take as long a cutting as possible remove ALL the leaves that would otherwise soak in the water that you’re rooting your basil in. Any leaves kept underwater will quickly get soused, bacteria-ridden, slimy, and eventually, dead.
So take your basil cuttings as CLOSE to the soil line as possible, gently remove ALL the leaves but the top sets, use a thin-necked bottle (so the cuttings don’t sag into the water), keep the water fresh by changing every few days, and in a week or two, you’ll see new roots sprouting from the submerged stems. When the roots are about an inch or so long, pot up your new basil plant and put it in the sun!
This is a photo of a coupe of basil cuttings I took this morning. I’m using an old glass medicine bottle with a thin neck, and you’ll note that there are NO basil leaves submerged in the water. I popped it on a windowsill in the bedroom and expect to see a new root system very soon.
This is how I keep basil going all summer. Thank you, Mother Earth!
Lemon Dreams
I'm germinating some grocery store lemon pits using the peat moss baggie method. Not sure of the variety - they're not Meyer - but let's see what happens. I'll probably try grapefuit and orange next, but imagine a lovely lemon tree! I really have to think about moving to the Mediterranean. :)
UPDATE: Baby mango trees!
About 3 inches tall now. They're both doing very well under the indoor grow lights in the garden room. When they've gotten a little more burly, I'll put them outside in the summer sun. I have no illusions about having a fruit crop, but they're green and exotic and it will be interesting to see how they mature! Thank you, Mother Earth!
Baby pictures!
Baby mango trees (top photo) and baby chickpea plants. It took less than a week for the chickpeas to germinate. So cute. :)
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