Past time to start thinking about the garden, not like I haven't been doing that since I tilled it in last fall. But now there are not only thoughts, but actions. and warm sunny weather YIPPY SKIPPY! 'cause winter was just too long this year.
This years lingering cold weather and persistent rains are really probably good things, the last few years have been really hot and dry. As I look up at the at the tall spruce trees near my garden I hope that the abundant water supply has made them stronger, perhaps they will live another 100+ years.
As yet I haven't started any seedlings, though this year it will be all flowers, perennial flowers, except for "Long Keeper Tomatoes", which are true to their name. This coming winter will be the year when I can retrieve fresh tomatoes from that old wooden box in the attic again. Oh My! may-be even in February we will have homegrown tomatoes in February!!! I , don't start Longkeeper earlier than May 1, and have even directly planted the seed in my garden. Thinking positive here.
I should note there that the tomato pictured above...big ain't it? is from a plant that was a volunteer starter on the compost pile...I did save the seed, but never grew another plant that had such tomatoes. It was also delicious.
How big was the world record tomato? Um, well, alot bigger than the one I grew.
Time was when I had a garden large enough for a family of 5 or 6, fenced to keep the edible pod peas, regular, peas, string and shell beans, cantaloupe, lettuce, strawberries, and on and on and on safe from deer and other munching critters. Now it is a much smaller plot, with out a fence.
A couple rows of potatoes, the 'seed' for which were grocery store potatoes that sprouted and/or got soft overwinter, in fact the plants are breaking ground already.
I am surprised how well those poor scruffy potatoes produce. Years ago I started growing blue potatoes, loved to give people a few blue potatoes, at first it was almost a joke. The flavor of blue potatoes is rich, and, well, other's started growing them.
and the some pinkish ones, see how I am.
Asparagus, my favorite veggie, and you thought it was tomatoes, is growing well this year. This is the 3rd year so, one of these days for sure and soon, my dinner table will be graced by asparagus. In fact if it ever stops raining, that could be tonight. Yummy, yummy. I have tried growing wild asparagus, it's very hardy, fun to go foraging for plants, but I never had as much success with it as I have had Martha Washington, even when I started my plants from seed....so that is what I have now, again and mostly will continue with it.
Okra, I should grow it only for the flowers, which are alot like hollyhocks. I like fried okra, and okra in soups, our growing season is short, and so it goes. Okra is more often a pretty flower than a veggie.
I like yellow crookneck squash for frying, tender when picked small, lightly breaded....oh, yeah. OOPs supposed to be talking about my garden, not cooking. Zucchini, best picked when it is small, same with the yellow crookneck, they are prolific, and excellent cut up, steamed lightly and put in the freezer. As you might have guessed used most often in soups.
I'm getting hungry.
