Saturday, January 21, 2012

Gardening Time!

Not that it ever really stopped here. What a HORRIBLE Winter! Yes, I would like to garden 12 months a year, but I'd RATHER have an icy cold winter. Here we are with the temperatures not dropping below 60 degrees for the forseeable future. I'm actually worried that my fruit trees (the pomegranate and meyer lemon) won't fruit this year because they basically had NO dormant time. The lemon tree never lost any leaves and it's starting to bloom again and the pomegranate started blooming again before it even lost all of it's leaves. We'll see what happens. I have daffodils and tulips and peonies popping up too! The first daffodil never flowered. Just big leaves :( Probably same problem...no dormant time.

The good side of all of this however, is that I got to play in the garden today. I planted two little volunteer tomatoes that popped up IN my pomegranate tree from when I composted it. So I just dug them up and transplanted them into the garden. That's all that's in the main garden right now. I tilled the soil today and will let it sit for a couple of weeks before getting ready to plant my transplants. I'm doing the whole garden from seeds this year! I planted thirty two and they're all starting to peek out of the soil now. Should have a fun garden this year :)

While outside today I noticed that the broccoli is actually starting to grow actual broccoli! I assure you this is huge news for me. I've never had broccoli grow succesfully before. Now if I can only get the cauliflower and brussel sprouts to do the same thing!

This is all I got out of my measly winter garden...it never does great. Got a couple of turnips and carrots that will be cooked with a pork roast tomorrow, and some salad greens. I planted the mini greens this year and I really love them! When I have my own house, might just do one whole bed of salad greens. I've never really had luck with lettuce though.



Anyone else able to garden yet? If so, I'd love to hear all about it :D I'm doing a seed swap with Jeane this year and I'm super excited!! Which reminds me I need to send her a list of seeds I have! If anyone else wants to do a seed swap just let me know! I love doing stuff like that :) Oh, and one more question...does anyone have a preference on whether they'd prefer to see gardening posts here or on tumblr? Or both? Just curious!

14 comments:

DesLily said...

oh my gawd... you have broccoli!!!!! I love broccoli!! and you are the only person I know to ever grow turnips! I love chicken and turkey soup with lots of turnip and rutabagah!

ok so now I get to see if it lets me back once I do this! lol

DesLily said...

IT WORKS!!!!!!! thank you for doing that!!! love you!

chrisa511 said...

Yay :D I'm so so so glad it works finally :D Pop up comments it is! I love broccoli too as long as it's cooked right :p I'm excited to see it actually growing! And I LOVE turnips!! I grow them mostly for my mom because she loves them, but I grow them every year...they don't do so well though :( My dad cooked a lot of them last year with the greens! He cooked the greens down in some bacon and onions...really good!

DesLily said...

bacon is one of the things I miss having high cholestrol dang it. Plumrose bacon.. man, I can smell it now! add those mini salad greens and tomatoes and I am one happy camper!... alas but no bacon for me *sigh*..

Debi said...

Doesn't matter where you post your gardening posts--I'll read them (with envy :P ) no matter where they are. I like how you've done it in the past--with bigger posts here and mini ones on tumblr.

As for starting our gardening? Um no. We don't start our seeds until March, which turns out to be good timing this year with the move coming.

That colander of greens looks soooooo yummy!!!

Amanda said...

Like Debi said, I'll read your posts no matter where you're at. I do think Tumblr seems to be a dying site. I pretty much only see reblogs on there, maybe 95% of the time...

It's really been a horrible winter. I agree. Our lemon tree did that same thing a few years ago, started spouting buds and lemons in mid-season, and then a freeze came through and killed the whole frickin' tree!! We had to cut it down the next year. Now, it's growing up again from another root (I think that's the most resilient tree on earth - it survived being felled by an ice storm a few years before that, and still grew up to produce lemons...). Too bad our clemntine tree isn't as resilient.

Jeane said...

Oh, your tomatoes and broccoli look so nice! I've always wanted to try growing brussel sprouts, but haven't tried it yet. And I never seem to get good broccoli heads :(. I used to move tomato transplants into my garden, but I think my beefsteaks crossed with my cherries and they weren't as good so now I don't do that anymore.

I've started lettuce and cilantro and broccoli seed- next week will start the peas. It's still too cold to dig the ground yet so I have to wait until mid Feb at least to plant beets, chard and carrots... the list goes on and on!

So excited about our seed swap! It was successful- I only have extra orange cosmos seed now.

Kailana said...

I couldn't imagine gardening year round. The trees here start dying the end of August. The grass did manage to stay green up until recently, but it has died now, too. I like snow, but we are having a strange winter. Last year there was so much we didn't have room for it all and this year we have hardly seen any...

Also, I am coming to visit and raid your garden. I don't have anywhere to grow one here. :( Bad sunlight and the ground is really hard. Hopefully we will move soonish and then I can grow veggies. I love fresh fruit and veggies. :)

Carl V. Anderson said...

That all looks delicious!

Boy I know exactly what you mean. I've been all mixed up because of the unseasonably warm temps that have dominated 95% of our winter season. I feel like I'm suffering from my own version of seasonal affective disorder. I crave real winter with snow and chilly temps but I want it during the months of Dec-Feb. and instead I have mostly Spring/Fall temps. I feel like I'm fighting against some unseen force trying to follow my winter routines because I feel like it should be spring. I really hope we all don't suffer for this when "real" Spring is supposed to be here.

chrisa511 said...

Pat, mmmmmmm....bacon...I did put bacon on that salad and it was DELICIOUS :p Sorry to rub it in :p

Debi, I like that idea of putting the mini posts on tumblr and a general update here! It's so sad that y'all can't even start planting seeds til March :p All of my seeds have sprouted except for the peppers and eggplant but if I remember right, those take a little longer to sprout anyway.

Amanda, I'm sad about tumblr :( Not that I have room to talk because I haven't been using it all that much either. But I really enjoy it for the most part! Hasn't this winter been awful? :( I hope hope hope that next year is better and we have TONS of snow :p Not likely in New Orleans though, lol. And I love how resillient your lemon tree is :D

Jeane, I got upset today! I went outside and one of my tomatoes got snapped :( This trio of doves have been enjoying sitting in my garden and my guess is one of them sat right on top of the plant, lol. I'm SO SO SO excited about my brocolli :D I've never had one actually form a head before!! I wish I could start lettuce now but it would be too hot for it in a month or so :( For some reason I always thought you were further south than VA!! It seems you get a pretty decent growing year there! I'm super excited about our seed swap too :D

Kelly, Oh I so hope that y'all get a place where you can garden sometime!!! It's so much fun and so worth it to have fresh veggies :D It sounds like it's been a pretty damn weird winter everywhere, huh?

Carl, Sorry to hear about the SAD :( I always loved how the acronym for that is sad, lol. I'm with you...I've never known snow, but I DO crave chilly temperatures. Really sucks not to have it :( BTW, do y'all ever grow veggies at your house? I don't remember you ever talking about it! If not, you totally should!!! It helps with SAD as far as it gives you something to really enjoy in those warm months :)

Amanda Roper said...

Chris! I need your expertise. I want to garden, but for some reason this basic skill seems to escape me. I get overwhelmed by all the choices and where to start. Do you have any book or website recommendations? Hit me up on the email if you have time amanda.l.addison@gmail.com

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

This makes me so excited to get Square Foot gardening! I'm sure I'll be bugging you lots on twitter. I also ordered a canning guide. YIPPEE!!

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

Oh, and I don't follow ANY tumblr posts because I just can't (already follow too many places), so please please post here. :)

Susan said...

OMG green things! this is really weird because I swear that on the bus earlier this week, I was wondering how soon you would post about your garden, and here is the post! I crave the sight of green things, and your pictures are fabulous, lovely earth and dirt to play in....oh my gosh,I think I really miss spring and we have two months of winter left to get through!! I'll have to come here and look at your pictures when I get depressed over it still being winter here. That salad looks so good, I want some now!! I love salad!!!!

I am worried though, I didn't realize that you hadn't had any cold days at all, so your plants couldn't go dormant. Fingers crossed they will be ok this spring. Look at your carrots and broccoli too! MMMM I love it all! We eat broccoli at least three times a week here. I;m going to go gaze at your dirt again :-D
Thank you for cheering up this Northern gardener! My soul is happy again!