Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumWhat's happening in your garden?...
The herbs are doing well and we have a few tomatoes. It's quiet otherwise.
Spouse is thrilled with the stevia plant.
LOTS of chipmunks as usual. They are bold.
Viva_La_Revolution
(28,791 posts)apple blossoms have dropped. We had a real good flowering this year, I'll have to thin them a lot. plums are marble size, chives and sage are blooming. Just poppies and spring flowers in full bloom so far, and a few random others.
I'm most excited to see my first Iris bloom in the next few days. Everyone in the small town where I grew up had them, but I haven't smelled one in 10 years. I was gifted with them last year, and all I know is that they're purple. I cant wait!
Phentex
(16,334 posts)My iris have come and gone but we're almost in full blown summer here.
Sounds like you have some great stuff! Enjoy!
Worried senior
(1,328 posts)not much. Have radishes coming up, cukes and pumpkins are starting, garlic and onions are growing.
Have to still get some tomato and pepper plants. We tried just planting the seeds as an experiement but that didn't work so we will be at the garden center shortly hoping they still have plants left.
Phentex
(16,334 posts)apparently we have a few peppers, too, but the critters got them last year. You reminded me we had a stray pumpkin plant last year. I wonder if it will come back.
Nay
(12,051 posts)(age 5) cut off a head of broccoli - I steamed it lightly and we all had it, lightly buttered, for lunch. The kid loves broccoli and would have eaten the whole head if we'd let him...
The lettuces are almost too big, and the 2 of us just can't eat it all.
Phentex
(16,334 posts)I think there was an attempt at lettuce once. Now we get it in our CSA box, lol.
How fun for your grandson.
Lugnut
(9,791 posts)It should be safe to plant tomatoes this coming week so DH will be tilling on Monday. I won't have time for planting until Wednesday. I have all of the tomato and pepper plants but I'm still searching for pickle cucumber plants. Maybe I'll get lucky tomorrow.
I got two different varieties of heirloom tomatoes - oxhearts and brandywines. I had such good luck with the Mountain Magic plants from Burpee last year I got them again. It's a campari type of tomato which I like much better than cherry tomatoes. The herbs are all in pots and are looking good. I have basil, thyme, sage and Italian parsley. I love this time of year!
Phentex
(16,334 posts)Hoping our tomatoes don't get eaten before we get to them.
Critters in your garden? The biggest threat we have here are groundhogs. They will eat just about anything.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)I wonder where I can get Burpee plants? Most here seem to be from local nurseries.
My herb list:
greek oregano
thyme
basil
peppermint
I have no need to plant rosemary, as a neighbor has a hedge of it and the neighbors all take snips when they need some for culinary purposes. And I already have sage doing very well in a whiskey barrel planter.
Lugnut
(9,791 posts)I think Burpee sells some herb plants but I got my herbs locally. I can't find tarragon so I might just throw some seeds in a pot and see what happens.
I used to put all the herbs in a barrel but they never did really well. This year I planted them in individual pots. They thyme and sage are looking good but the basil is looking a little iffy. I still need to pot the Italian parsley.
eridani
(51,907 posts)WTF? I mean, that's really great!
Phentex
(16,334 posts)We get such a short spring if we get one at all. The leftover tulips sprouted in March. The roses are loving life and the butterfly bushes are six feet tall. Welcome to Georgia!
The neighborhood pool as been open for two weeks.
eridani
(51,907 posts)--and Big Early. And they all ripen at once on Labor Day, if you are lucky.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)year before last was terrible, and last year it was cold until June IIRC.
Phentex
(16,334 posts)my neighbor has tomatoes that are almost ready. She's also got a bunch of blackberries waiting to be jammed. Our winter was very mild.
eridani
(51,907 posts)--you might do better. We face north, and the maters just don't like 50 degree nights. I've given up and buy imports from Yakima, where there is plenty of sun.
Worried senior
(1,328 posts)is getting leaves on it, we are in zone 4-5 so they are iffy up here. I hope they find a variety that can take colder temps because they are really a beautiful plant. Almost have to start with a new one every year.
HopeHoops
(47,675 posts)Other than that, the potatoes are up and so are the onions, garlic, carrots, and beets. We've got lettuce and raddishes in the section of the herb bed dedicated to basil during its growing season. The rest of the herb bed is going great. Inside I've got beans, acorn, and summer squash that are about ready to go in and the peppers, eggplant, basil, catnip, and other stuff are well on their way to planting. So far so good.
Horse with no Name
(33,958 posts)some jalapenos, cilantro, squash is blooming, yellow peppers, and a few Hatch peppers.
Phentex
(16,334 posts)My neighbor thought she had crookneck but it turns out it's some mixture of zucchini and crookneck. (?)
Coyote_Bandit
(6,783 posts)that I procrastinated and never got anything planted in the garden this year. I suspect any effort to garden this year would have been a waste of time, effort and $$$.
May is typically the wettest month of the year here. As of today, we have had only 0.15 inches of rain for the entire month - and there is none forecast for the forseeable future. It isn't even June yet and the ground is dry and cracked. I'm already having to water to keep established trees and shrubs alive. It looks to be another hot dry summer here. I'll deep water the trees and some of the shrubs a few times a week. Everything else can fend for itself.
I did plant a garden last year - something which proved to be a money pit. It was unusually hot and dry last summer. One month my water bill exceeded my air conditioning bill. That will not happen again this year. There are no new plantings here - no garden.
I'll miss the fresh from the garden produce.
Phentex
(16,334 posts)last year the spouse planted everything too close together. The herbs did fin but everything else was squished or eaten by chipmunks. This year he kept it simple and we'll use the stuff we get from the CSA. I hope I can plan some trips to the farmers markets, too.
In the 90's today. Groan.
shanti
(21,675 posts)it's a better garden season this year than last here in Sac! I had ZERO tomatoes fruit last year, but this year i have four plants: beefsteak, black krim, sweet 100 and early girl. nothing on the beefsteak or krim yet (blossom drop on those two), but the other two are fruiting like mad. i've picked my first round of radishes already, and have gotten a few peas to throw in a salad. hoping for some zukes, i have 3 plants. last year, they fruited, but the fruits all turned yellow and died without harvesting any
Phentex
(16,334 posts)I use them in salad and some dips but I never know other things to make with them.
shanti
(21,675 posts)they are d'avignon "breakfast" radishes, an heirloom plant. i got them from that Seeds of Change offer last year.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home_garden/the-french-breakfast-radish-makes-a-handy-snack/2011/04/12/AF6E8uBE_story.html
pinto
(106,886 posts)Walk away
(9,494 posts)everything edible has to grow in pots. All of my herbs except the basil and cilantro came back because of the mild winter. I grew the basil from seed and they are thriving in pots too. I won't be planting the tomatoes until next week but I just found pumpkin plants growing in my front bed! Because we had a blizzard the day before Halloween I never recovered the Jack-O-Lantern and he left me his offspring.
The up side of the little dogs in the garden....no critters!
Phentex
(16,334 posts)it's like they have the yard all mapped out. They dash from one spot to another and back again. The dogs chase and dig around but they must be pretty bad at actually intimidating.
Walk away
(9,494 posts)emerge. He's a wise guy and doesn't have to run much...just bide his time. The rest of the dogs guard the fences and tree trunks. Birds are allowed but nothing else that moves!
cbayer
(146,218 posts)That and a bathtub are the two things I miss the most since moving on a boat.
But, I do have a healthy tomato plant and some basil. That will have to do for now.
Phentex
(16,334 posts)I'll go through a spell of wanting basil, cheese and tomatoes atop a garlic crisp and just eat them till I feel sick. I can eat that for a meal!
cbayer
(146,218 posts)I am totally with you on this!
pinto
(106,886 posts)Not much else at this point. My space is limited so I only grow stuff I'm sure I'll use. Plus, I trade with a neighbor...