More Bloggin' on the Garden

I planted the rest of my tomatoes Thursday. I'm not sure how many there were..more than 25 though. Mostly they were Romas, for making paste and sauces. I still need to transplant the peppers to the garden. I also transplanted the last of the basil to a box bed, and I cut the rest of the pack choi to make room for the peppers. It is a busy time. I spent about half the day Thursday playing with black walnut seedlings. I may try to sell some of them- I planted 22 walnuts on Tuesday with the Paulownias, and I still have almost 4 dozen plus whatever else happens to germinate out of that pile. Secretly, I wish it were pecans instead as I really, really, love pecans. Walnuts are okay, but IMO, the trees have more worth as timber and shade than for their nuts.

Yesterday, I cut my first Swiss chard leaves. I pulled up a garlic scallion and chopped it all together. I put some olive oil in the Dutch oven, added the garlic, sauteed it for a few minutes, added salt, some crushed red peppers for a kick and then added the chard leaves. Yummy. This morning, I made a chard lasagna with hot Italian sausage, diced tomatoes, mozzerella, cottage cheese, fresh eggs, fresh herbs, etc. It is in the oven now, so I will let you know how it turns out. I also planted okra (variety:Lee) and a seed pack (basically one 6x6 block) of Golden Midget corn. Both seed packs were from 2007, so it may not come in good. Next week, I'll plant the Bloody Butcher. I'm looking forward to that. Over the years, I had accumulated a lot of seed, but as I did not plan well from year to year, I have ended up with a lot of old seed. I don't want things to cross, so I am using up the seed this year and next year so that I can collect fresh seed from anything that germinates. It has been an interesting 'experiment' to observe the quality and germination percentages of old seed of various ages. Even for things that typically keep for years, it appears that 3 years old is about the limit. I think it is due to the fact that I heat with a woodstove and only have one window AC unit for the house. I try to keep the seeds at a constant, cooler temperature, but I can't control the humidity factor. The seed just doesn't remain viable for years and years. I suppose I have to live with that and adjust my long term garden plan appropriately.

My friend Ava noted that my tomatoes had not grown in almost two weeks. They do look the same now as the day they were planted. I'm hoping that it is due to the 6" of rain and the size of the tomato vines when they were planted. Everyone always wants to have that first tomato of the season, but I suppose I look forward to having the last one. Also, Most people buy nursery transplants and put them out. My toms are transplanted two or three times before they are set out, and even though the plant might be two feet tall at planting time, I plant the whole vine except for the top 6 inches or so. My tomato plants look puny compared to nursery transplants but soon they will catch up and probably surpass the others in size and fruit, because mine will have a more extensive root system and will hopefully survive the heat and drought of summer better.

I saw Star Trek Last night. It was the first movie I've been to see in the theatre in some years-I can't even remember the last time. I wouldn't call myself a die-hard Trekkie, but I liked the show, have seen all the movies, and I can say that I was not disappointed. It was actually rather amazing, well cast, decent storyline, and good special effects. If Sci-Fi appeals to you on any level, it is a must see. It was certainly a great distraction from all the drama and heartbreak
going on in our personal lives, but that is not for discussion here. I don't know who to credit for this saying, but it is ever so true; "You can bury a lot of troubles by digging in the dirt". I think the key word there is 'bury'. The problems will still be there, and may have even fruited if you don't tend to them head on. At the same time, out of sight, out of mind-it is good to not think about your troubles 24/7.

It rained a lot last night, maybe an inch or so, but I was able to putter around the garden a bit this morning, and I made a second sowing of carrots, as well as additional sowings of New Zealand spinach, radishes, chard, and lettuces. We are going to experiment with growing lettuce in the summer in the shade. Between beds #1 and #2, at the edge of the carpet and the north side of bed two in the strip shown, Skyguy planted his Mesclun lettuces . The ground is moist and shaded, so we are hoping it will work. My reasoning is that if the ground supports sweet violets and gill o'er the ground, it should be fertile enough and moist enough for lettuce. Bed #2 on the left, is all cauliflower-well, there are some companion herbs in there, too. The cauliflower heads are forming now, so in a week or so, I should be busy blanching and freezing cauliflower. I could eat roasted cauliflower at every meal.