House of Roses

Harvest before the Hurricane

Notes from the Garden

The tomatillos have a million flowers and no fruit. (I can’t remember when those started coming in last year.) The tomatoes have about 6 fruit each and are not making any more flowers. I have no idea how to improve on any of that.

I should pretty much assume that the backyard box will have tomatillo volunteers next year and not bother putting any in the nursery.

Eggplants do better on the porch than the backyard box. So do the okra, the squash, and watermelon, but the backyard melon is valiantly taking over the verbena.

The peas were good this year. Figure out howwhen to plant more so I can have some for the fall.

Plant more green beans next year; the dozen or so we’ve gotten have been exceptionally tasty and more would be better.

The pattypan squash are surprisingly coming along. I mean, we ate one. They need pretty constant fertilizer or they’ll die off after the pretty flowers so I’m trying to remember that.

I’m hopeful about the eggplants.

Yesterday the okra put out its first blossom. That’s always wondrous.

Chili Salad

Inspired by Jenn Reese’s Quinoa Chili I invented Chili Salad. It tastes like chili but doesn’t require all the time on the stove and all the heat from having the stove on, so it’s nice for summer.

I didn’t have any quinoa in the pantry but still have plenty of barley and wheat berries, so used the former in place of the quinoa.

I cooked up 1 c of dried barley (in water) then tossed it with 1 can of beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 t of Penzey’s Chili 9000 spice, 1 diced jalapeno (from the garden), and 4 oz of cheese.

It was tasty but, as Reese points out, required the addition of salt. In this case, I put in a half teaspoon. In the future, I’d like to try her suggestion about eating it with corn chips.

Other additions I’d like to try include red and green bell pepper, corn kernels, raw rather than canned tomatoes.

It was surprisingly easy and a great way to eat up whole grains.

We Labored

Couldn’t Wait for Spring

So I planted seedlings:

Seeds (or, I Need Some Green)

The seed catalogs started coming in December. It’s been fun, though. I’ve spent the last few weeks going through the following, picking out seeds (and other toys) I know I want:

• Seeds of Change
• Seed Savers Exchange
• Park Seed
• R. H. Shumway’s (this is their 139th year)

I’d like to list the seeds I’m considering, though, even though I know I’m going to buy more than I can plant, because I’d like to make sure I don’t miss anything I do want.

Okay, starting with Seeds of Change:

1. S16652 Germination Station ($40.25)
2. S16820 Bag of 25 plugs ($10)
3. S17175 Nira Chives ($3.29)
4. S10973 Tatsoi Spoon ($3.29)
5. S21060 Orange Fantasia Chard ($3.29)
6. S14146 Rosa Bianca Eggplant ($3.29)
7. S10930 Sherwood Leek ($3.29)
8. S15084 Lisbon White Bunching Scallions ($3.29)
9. S17206 Row Cover ($15)
10. S22037 Row Cover Pins ($8.95)
11. S18256 Flower Vase ($20)
12. S11020 Tomatillos ($2.59)

Total: $116.83
Total (seeds + ground cover only): $46.28

Shumway’s:

1. 30146 Top Hat Blueberry Plant ($8.95)
2. 03295 (Pumpkin) Mini Mix ($2.35)
3. 03158 Sweet Pepper Gourmet Rainbow Mix ($2.75)
4. 08785 Garden Geranium ($2.95)
5. 07021 Nasturtium Jewel Mixed ($1.85)

Total: $18.85

Their catalog was hands-down the most interesting to read. Their website may not be much but they are really experienced at selling to the 1908 farmer.

(And I need to continue to remind myself that I don’t need to start marigolds from seed. All marigolds are beautiful; do I really need ones whose petals are tri-color?)

From Park’s catalog:

1. 1537 Black Velvet Scarlet Geranium ($3.95)
2. 3310 Mt. Fuji Morning Glory Mix ($3.25)
3. 5885 Provider Beans ($2.50)
4. 5239 Maestro Peas ($1.45)
5. 5630 Okra Lee ($2.45 - 2 packets)
6. 5194 Annie Oakley Okra ($2.95)
7. 5254 Sweet Banana Pepper ($3.95)
8. 5611 Cherry Pick Hybrid Pepper ($2.50)
9. 5295 Sunburst Pattypan Squash ($2.50)

Total: $25.50

From Seed Savers (in addition to the seeds I have left over from last year):

1. 1177 Tom Thumb Pea ($2.75)
2. 1396 Red Cap Mushroom Pepper ($2.75)

Total: $5.50

Things I’m still missing: the little round carrots, tomatillos, jalapenos… I need to fix that. Ah, Burpee’s has Thumbelina carrots, jalapenos, but not tomatillos. What about the others? Okay, Seeds of Change does. (Above amended.)

Okay, now to decide how much to spend…

(Note to self: plant multiples of the watermelon this year!)

Winter, By Bike

This week was our first time participating in the winter farm share (produce) from Enterprise Farm. They’re in a coalition with other small farms up and down the Atlantic and somehow deliver each other’s food (we got citrus!).

Additionally, ours gets delivered by bike, because we can’t make it during the pick-up time. But I’d certainly skip the pick-up just to know our food is delivered by bike.

I was very, very happy with the food in the share, which included:

• two ears of corn
• delicata squash
• two bell peppers
• four apples
• two navels and 4 satsumas
• 4 large white potatoes
• two heads of garlic
• two white onions
• kale
• arugala
• one cucumber
• two small perfect eensy heads of cabbage

It was all the perfect size for us and now I don’t have to worry (as much) about figuring out when to shop this weekend since I’m a bit short on time.

Garden Update

The dahlias have died; too much water.

The okra (surprise) and the bell peppers are struggling valiantly but it is too wet and the okra blossoms and the peppers rot in the moisture. Have I mentioned we’ve had a rainy November?

The flying tomato is still making teeny tomatoes, although I keep forgetting to water it.

The lime plant died; too little sun. If I try again, I’ll need a grow lamp first. We’re not in the tropics, Dorothy.

Two nights ago we ate Black Zebra tomatoes; I had pulled them off the plant while still green and they ripened on the window sill. Exquisite.

The parsley and hot peppers are fine.

I’ve already moved the Thai basil inside; I can see it doesn’t like the lack of light, though.

Before the frost, the parsley and chives have to come in, too. (The chives could stay out but I’d rather eat them from the comfort of the genkan that try to unbury them under porch-snow.)

The kale is perking up. I think the squirrels and birds have forgotten to pay attention to it. We’ll see if they decimate it again, once the leaves get to be about 2 inches long.

The sweet potato slips are growing new leaves.

I am looking forward to seed catalogs and planning as much as I am looking forward to hot chocolate and our first snow. I am looking forward to planting seeds in the nursery on April Fools’ Day.

Eaten

The blog just ate my post updating you on the garden. V. depressing.

(Old) Garden Update

Here’s the state of the garden back at the end of August. (Today the garden is full of rain.)