I made it out to the garden today and I found a basket of onions. They sometimes Winter over, but, that's usually about it here in Iowa. Imagine my surprise when I found several nice cabbages and turnips and some herbs. The Parsley and Chives are a welcome sight, I was just lamenting running out of them. All I can think is that we had so much snow and it never melted..it must have insulated some of the plants. No Rosemary yet. I may have to replant that, it's my favorite.*
And so, for the first time in many months, I think about planting. I turned over some soil in the front garden and I'll work some more tomorrow. I don't know how much I can do this year, but, I can do that front bed of herbs and flowers and then start on the fence line and plant a few Tomatos. That might be enough this year, we'll have to see how I feel. It is not pretty out there, but, there's always hope, right?
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I think my gardening was wasteful last year. In my zeal, I planted too much food. It was so much fun to grow, but, in reality I don't need all that stuff...or the work. I need to plant more for the eyes this year. I also need some shrubs and trees. I tried to get a photo of Niki in the garden, but, he's so fast all I got was a black blur.
I think my gardening was wasteful last year. In my zeal, I planted too much food. It was so much fun to grow, but, in reality I don't need all that stuff...or the work. I need to plant more for the eyes this year. I also need some shrubs and trees. I tried to get a photo of Niki in the garden, but, he's so fast all I got was a black blur.
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I found some Cleome seeds this year, those are hard to get here. I saved everything else I had growing, I have mass seeds. And now my head is full of imagined color and smells. And so..it starts.
18 comments:
It is nice to read that you were out in the yard. I have a large pot full of chives that are already growing nicely. I pulled out all my pots to sterilize and I will probably start planting some stuff next weekend.
I want lots of flowers this year so i am going to do most of the veggies at the community garden and the big veggies here in the front bed.
I'm still pissed off about what happened last year, and I'm not feeling the best..but, damn, I just can't NOT plant anything. My mother has lost her gardener though. She has to hire someone this year.
rosemary is a fickle plant....it might or might not come back....hard to tell....
what are cleome? never heard of that....
I would not plant anything for your mother either. she burned you badly in your beautiful garden. The most she would get out of me is a garden full of dandelions.
I always plant so much too! especially tomatoes...those bushes yield a lot of tomatoes but every year I forget...last year I had to jar salsa and spaghetti sauce just to use as many of them as I could. It's starting to warm up in Utah too and I am excited to get my garden going I just tilled this last weekend.
YAY!!! So glad to hear you're planning!
What type of tomatoes make the best fried green tomatoes?
Something that looks like a pig snout is in the second pic, what is it?
Ditto on Frimmy's pig snout question.
How nice to find unexpected treats under all the snow.
Planting here in Ct. will begin soon - looking forward to it. This year we're going to try some starter plants of white eggplant. It's way less bitter than regular purple eggplant.
the pig snout in the picture looks like a emptied out walnut shell half.
I am going to try to grow okra in a pot this year also. we get good sun on the back patio, so i want to see if i can be successful at it. it will be a first for me. i live in CT also so that is why i wonder if the okra will be a success or not.
I can't believe those things made it through all that snow! Were they still edible.
I cannot wait to see how your garden turns out this year!
Naseem
I hope your mom misses her gardener this year. Stay focused on yours and let her figure out what to do with hers. If she asks for suggestions, you can always advise her to work really hard on it and then get someone to clean it up completely - works like a charm every time.
Thinking about planting more tomatoes this year - we tried last year for the first successful time to plant vegetables - we managed tomatoes and green beans, rosemary, basil. I know, all easy stuff but, for us first time planters, it was pretty thrilling to get to reap the harvest! Will try to "beautify" the garden with plants although it's hard for me to keep it up, not sure why. I would like to plant bamboos against the neighbour's fence. Any ideas which kind would work best against a 6 foot fence? Don't know anything about them other than they do a good job at covering up.
Hey, Naseem! Nice to see your name again. It's been a while. How are you?
Yeaaaa! Nothing is so much fun as planning and dreaming about the next garden!!
I have a new yard, nothing but rocks and clay, not even a tree to start with here in Utah. I miss my acre yard in British Columbia so much, and can't wait to get some grass and flower beds and a garden in!
I just loved your garden last year, and was horrified at what happened to it. You have such a green thumb and your pictures just made my day! Whatever you do this year will be beautiful!!
I'm so glad to hear you talkng about gardening again after last year's debacle. Anyone who reads here can feel the love you have for it and I'm so happy your mom didn't take away that pleasure from you. I love reading about what you're planting and seeing the photos you post as it all grows. We did some tomatoes on our deck last year but the dog went out and ate them - not sure if I'll try again this year or just garden vicariously through you.
It's wonderful to hear you talking about gardening again, DD. I was absolutely horrified at what your mom had done last year, and am glad to see that she didn't kill your gardening spirit.
It is pretty amazing that the onions, etc. made it though all that snow, but I am glad you had something out there to harvest.
If you were my neighbor, I would give you all the quality chicken poo for your garden that you could handle. You could either work it in the dirt, or leave it on your mom's doorstep. On fire. Your choice.
Please keep posting pictures as you plant and your garden grows. I love to see them (and I'm not alone).
You sound happier DD. What recipe & tomatoes do you use for your fried green tomatoes? It's amazing when the snow can insulate so well & you get a great veggie find like that.
Shrubs and trees are excellent idea --to maybe shield your view of the next door hedaches.
Amazing to me that the onions and herbs wintered over considering the amazing amount of snowfall you had.
I have a large pot of Chives. Because of my back problems for 2 years..i never emptied out the pot in the Fall. So the chives have been able to survive the cold winter with no ground to insulate. They are my first crop of the spring! I love them in deviled eggs for Easter so I am happy.
The pigs snout is a walnut eaten by a squirrel. They leave those flat "buttons" all over the yard.
Any green tomato will work for FGT's.
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