Garden Update

What is this? ? ?

It's been a while since I have done a garden update.  Some of these pictures are even a few weeks old now!  Ooops!  :) 

Raised bed "kinda square" foot garden - before planting

So, here is a picture of my raised bed planter before I started getting things in.  You may remember it from a previous post.

I have been battling Keeled Treehoppers.  Little buggers are nasty and hard to get rid of.  They have already completely decimated one tomato plant.  I had to pull it out and get rid of it.  And with it . . . a few million of the nymphs.

I don't want to spray anything unless I absolutely have to.  I don't want to kill any of the good guys.  I have a lot of ladybugs, spiders, birds and a few lizards around.  I think I saw a green lacewing around recently also!  Go, team!  :)  The increased bird traffic has created a big decrease in my grasshopper population!  Yayyy!

My poor Sweet Peas are starting to get powdery mildew.  I think it is too early for that.  We really haven't been getting the heat yet!  I hope that doesn't mean this is going to be a bad year for it again!  :(  But, for now, they still smell heavenly!  

I think I am making headway now . . . but we'll see!  I'm definitely not out of the woods yet.  They are on my tomatoes, my peppers and my eggplants.  I am not sure how many of them I will be able to save!

A few years ago my mom got me an Argentine Giant cactus.  They get such big, pretty blooms.  

As big as they are, you would expect a scent to match, but alas . . . they just have a slight grassy scent to them.

This one reminds me of Little Shop of Horrors . . . I can just hear him saying, "Feed me!"  What do you think?

How about an alien?  Some strange martian, perhaps?

These cherry tomatoes have soooooo much flavor!  When you bite into them, you get a big burst of flavor!  Sooooo good!  I love them.  I should have taken a pic of the ripe ones!

I can't wait to start harvesting some of the Roma tomatoes.  I don't know what I am doing wrong with the tomatoes I plant in pots.  I see other people growing big, healthy plants in pots, but mine always look a little sad and scraggly.  For those of you who successfully grow in pots, please let me in on your secret!  I am not showing you the potted ones . . . they are just too sad!

Fava Beans

I planted my fava beans a little too late, but we had a little stretch of a little cooler than usual weather, so I got an ok harvest from them.  I need to remember to plant more of them and to plant them a little earlier next time so I get more beans on the darn things.  (Pssst, hey, Jules, see those leaves in the lower left hand side?  Those are my sweet taters!  THANKS! ! !)

For now, I am hoping to be able to save enough for seed next year.

I have 3 strawberry pots, but they don't really produce enough to give me any more than 2 or 3 berries at a time.  But, they are not quite fully planted either (I have some empty pockets! :), so maybe I will be able to change that one of these days!

I nearly killed my blueberries a couple of years ago and they are starting to recover, so I am hoping to get an even better harvest next year.  This year was MUCH better than last year, but the poor things have a ways to go to be their most productive!  I got a big handful of them this weekend and had them over ice cream.  YUMMMM!  :)

My lilacs  . . . well . . .  one of my lilacs did a little better this year.  Again, the unseasonably cool weather I'm sure helped quite a bit.  They are finished for the season now, but I had them for a few weeks.

And my tarragon is doing fairly well!  But, does anyone have any idea what this . . . bee(?) is?  He was just kind of lazily buzzing about and really seemed to like my tarragon!  I have never seen one like this and hadn't seen him around here before.

So, what have you all been up to lately? ? ?  :)

Spring in the Garden

Spring has sprung . . . and I am anxious to get going on my garden!

My raised bed "kinda square foot" garden!  The pots of mint and the rose will not
be staying up there once I get the garden planted . . . they will find new homes!

Have you heard that nervous tapping?  That was no woodpecker, my friend . . . that was my fingers impatiently tapping on the table . . .  

Fava bean sprouts

I have started a few trays of seeds, but they are getting a bit old and are not germinating like they should.  But, those that are coming up are looking good!  I took these pics a couple of weeks ago - you should see them now!  I'd show you, but it is pouring down rain out there right now and I'm not about to leave my nice snug spot right now!  ;)  The rain was coming down almost sideways just a little while ago and it is COLD out there!

My lilacs are starting to bloom!  :)

The tomatoes and lettuce are either not going to come up or are just taking their sweet time to make their grand entrance!  Same with the leeks . . .  I will try to plant a few more, just in case!  I want to have staggered plantings of the leeks anyway to be have a longer harvest.  But, I'm going to have tomatoes coming out of my ears if all my plants take off!  I ended up at the Fullerton Arboretum tomato sale last weekend and went a little overboard!  It was pouring rain last weekend as well, and a couple of the tomato plants I picked up were looking pretty ragged.  They all came out of it except one.  I am pretty sure it is a goner, but I haven't totally given up on it.  This rain is going to probably do it in, though . . . we'll see!  I have protected it as much as I can!

Garden visitor . . . I found him after watering and his poor little
wings had gotten saturated.   I put him in the sun to dry out!

But, the fava beans, cocozelle squash and sweet peas are going good and one lone Charentais melon is peeping out.  The favas are about 5 inches high already.  I would love to get them in the garden, but those darn pesky roly-polys would eat them right up.

My poor asparagus is under attack by the dreaded roly-polys!  The stalk
coming up in the center of the pic is now just a hollowed out stump.  :(

Well, more accurately, they would eat a ring around the base of the plant and kill it as they are doing to my asparagus.  I don't think the rhubarb is going to come back and the asparagus is struggling, so I don't hold out much hope for it either . . . but, maybe it will surprise me!  I will be picking up some diatomaceous earth this week in the hopes of deterring those darn pests!  They are absolutely driving me crazy! ! !  I know some of my family and friends would tell you that is a very short drive anyway!  ;)

Another welcome visitor patrolling the parsley!

I need to get a few more trays of seeds ready, and since I will be on a normal person's schedule next week, maybe I can get that done one night after work!  :)  

I nearly killed my poor little orange tree . . . but as you can see . . .
she's recovering!  She likes the new soil MUCH better! ! !  :)

I'm thinking I will forgo pumpkins this year, but am anxious to get the sweet potatoes and sweet dumpling squash my sister sent me planted.  They were absolutely the BEST sweet potatoes and squash I have ever tasted, so I am very much hoping I will have success with them!  I have had the sweet potatoes in glasses of water and they have rooted and vined out.  I should have gotten them in the ground (my raised bed garden) already I think, but they are all still sitting in my kitchen window.  Perhaps I can get them in the ground this coming week as well!  :)

The cocozelle squash is coming along and if you look really, really
closely, you can see a Charentais melon just starting to peek out!

This "last average frost date" is a little confusing for me, since we don't get frosts! ! !  So, I am never quite sure I am planting these things at the right time!  I should start a gardening journal to keep track of what works and what doesn't around here!

Remember the baby picture of the fava beans from above?  This is just 2 weeks
later than the first pic!  Notice the sweet peas coming up behind them!

Ok, the rain stopped for a bit, so just for you, I grabbed my camera and coat and dashed out to get a couple updated pics of those favas and squash.  Aren't they cute! ! !  If you look really closely, you can see a little Charentais melon peeping shyly out at you two photos above!  Shhhhhh . . . don't scare her!  Oh, my!  One thing about these close ups . . . you can see all the pesky things you hadn't noticed while snapping the pic!  Do you see them?  ** Quelle horreur! ** Aphids on my favas! ! !   Not to worry, I just ran back out there and took care of them!  Where are those lovely little lady bugs when you need them? ? ?   Phew, and not a moment too soon . . . it is pouring again!

One of my tiny blueberry bushes is coming on strong!
I'll be really happy once they get really established!

Maybe I'll be able to make some blueberry muffins one of these days from my own little blueberry bushes!  But, in the meantime . . .  it's cold and rainy out there.  It's time to bake!

So, I think it is the perfect time to bake up that Wild Huckleberry Muffin Mix I picked up on my last trip to Bryce Canyon.  Cold rainy days are perfect for baking! ! !  Come on, tuck your feet up and I'll get you a fresh one as soon as they're ready!  Coffee or tea to go with that?  Or, perhaps a hot cocoa?  ;)  See you soon!

Garden Bounty

Yummy, yummy, yummy I got my garden in my tummy, and it's really making me smile!

This was the first year that I had a garden that consisted of more than tomatoes, basil and asparagus.  I tried last year and the year before that, but didn't have a lot of luck with some of the things I tried.  But, this time, I got lucky.  

My patty pans and zucchini did well (aside from the powdery mildew I fought all season).  I took them out today.  I have had my fill of them for the year!  My asparagus is getting a good start.  I'm not sure what's going to happen with the rhubarb.  It started out gangbusters and looked great, but then it just suddenly up and died.  I hope it comes back next spring, but . . we'll see!  I'm afraid I've seen the last of it. :(

But, this was the first time I've ever tried to grow watermelon and cantaloupe.  And, oh . . . did I ever get lucky! ! !  I planted Moon and Stars watermelon.  I think I should have planted a couple of them to hopefully increase fertilization, so I get more fruit next time.  It's having another flush of blooms, so . . . maybe I'll get another one, but I think they need warmer weather to get sweet . . .

I only got one watermelon from the vine, but it was a nice-sized 10 pounder!  It was ready to harvest last weekend and man, oh, man was it good!  Super, super sweet and oh, so juicy!   Mmmmm-mmmmmm-good! 

And I believe the Charentais (French heirloom cantaloupe) melons do live up to their hype!  The first one, the bugs got.  The second one, my neighbor got because it ripened up while I was on vacation.  The third one, the bugs got again . . . dog-gone roly-polys!  But, the fourth one was mine, ALLLLL mine!  Mwaha ha ha haa  . . .  oh, sorry . . .  ;)  I can attest that they are the sweetest, most flavorful melons I have ever tasted.  They are on the small side, about 6"-7" diameter, but very big on taste! I may have to camp out in my garden with my knife and fork waiting for the next one to ripen up . . .  I.  CANT.   WAIT! ! !  *drool* :)  I wish you could reach into the screen and just help yourself to a piece . . you should grow it . . . really, it's that good!  I am in raptures!  I've got about 10 more in various stages of development . . . but, it is going to be a few more weeks before any of them ripen up.  I normally like to share, but I might be a little selfish with these!  :)

Looking at these photos, it looks like summer is still here!  

But, autumn is creeping in!  So, this will be my little transitional post between summer and fall.  As you can see here, I also had some luck with the pumpkins I planted.  I just got two of the white lumina pumpkins and about a dozen of these cute little Sugar Pie pumpkins.  I plan on using the luminas to decorate for Halloween.  They have been sitting around here for more than a month!  I planted a couple of months too early, though, so next time I need to make sure I wait a bit before I plant them!

The little Sugar Pies are just so cute you want to pinch their little cheeks!  These are my last two, and the smaller one has actually seen better days now!  I am hoping the other is still going to be good enough to eat!  :-)   Speaking of eating, my sister sent me home with some of her squash and sweet potatoes and they were soooooo good, I have been craving more!  They are going to be planted here next year also! I still have one of the Sweet Dumpling squash she gave me and when I get ready to fix it, I will be sure to save some of the seed for next year.  VERY good stuff!  And, she said she would send me another sweet potato for me to use to get a start for next year.  I don't remember what variety they were, but they were absolutely THE best sweet potatoes I have ever had!  Thanks, Jules!  

Oh, my, I just ate and this is making me hungry again!  :)  Can't wait for next spring!  So, there you have it!  I sure hope you enjoyed my little recent harvest!  I know I sure did!  :)  Stop back by again sometime soon!  See ya!  

Around the Garden

DANGER!  DANGER!  Will Robinson!  (Does anyone else remember that series? ? ? )  Long, wordy post alert!  I guess I am making up for the length between my posts!  And, BTW, cuz . . . mom and I were about to send out a search party for you over on your 9 Acre Farm!  I'm glad to see you are back!  I am envious of your garden!  It is soooooo pretty!  And, compared to mine . . . gi-normous!

          

One of my colleagues brought me some honey he had collected from his hives.  It was delicious spread over toast.  I had never before tried honey that someone I knew had collected, so it was a bit of a treat for me!  I am anxious to try it in other things as well . . . tea, baking, etc . . .  It was such a thoughtful thing to do, I was surprised and really appreciative!   How nice it would be to have the room to have a nice, large garden with enough space for all your vegetables, berries, flowers, a small orchard, a  compost area and a spot for a hive . . . or two . . . and maybe some horses, and a pool, and . . .  well, one can dream, right?  **sigh**  But, at least I have a little space for a tiny garden . . . which is, afterall, better than not having one at all!

Things are progressing pretty nicely with the things I did manage to get planted into my little garden.  I think now, it is a good thing a lot of the things I tried to start from seed didn't thrive!  (MY error, not the seed company's error.  I get too heavy handed with the watering!  I bought this seed a couple of years ago, and nearly everything at least germinates!  What I didn't drown was eaten by the darn roly-polys!) The things that did manage to survive me and the "bugs" (I know roly-polys aren't technically bugs/insects), seem to sprawl much further than I thought they would!  You can see I haven't done a lot of gardening in the past, because if I had, I would probably have known this would happen!  

I thought I could train my pumpkins, watermelon and squash to climb up a trellis and that they wouldn't take up as much room that way!  Well . . . that seems to be only partly right!  I needed taller, stronger trellises and a better idea of how much room they would still need diameter-wise when they send out their leaves!  Goodness!  My little modification of the square-foot garden didn't even come close to anticipating how many "squares" each plant would need!  It would seem they need my entire raised bed garden!  ;-)

I have planted a few things I have never eaten before, or have just recently been introduced to, as in the case of fava beans.  YUM! ! !   I have been buying them from my local farmer's market and making a spread for toast with them.  Sautee them in a little EVOO and garlic, add a bit of salt and pepper, puree them and spread over your favorite crusty bread toasted, drizzled with a bit more EVOO if you wish.  Delish!  I planted my fava beans a bit late . . . apparently they do not like hot weather, but so far, they are doing too badly.  I think our May Gray and  soon-to-be June Gloom are helping, not to mention a bit of unseasonably cool spring weather.

I only have two plants as I didn't have any idea what to expect when I first planted them.  One of them was nearly killed by those darn, voracious roly-polys!  I caught them encircled around the base of the smaller plant and chewing it to bits.  I can't bring myself to kill bugs on purpose, so when they rolled up into their little balls, I picked them up and threw them as far away from my garden as I could, knowing full well, within a few minutes, they would probably be back . . .  When I looked at the other one, I could see there was a LOT of damage to the main stem on it as well.  

I headed into the kitchen, grabbed a spray bottle, added a drop of dish soap and water and went out to spray my poor little favas, hoping to save them!  I also noticed they had developed a colony of black aphids, so I hosed them off and sprayed them down with the soapy water . . . That was a few days ago, and so far, so good . . .

One of the things I hadn't tried before was the Cocozelle zucchini.  It is an Italian heirloom variety, which I ordered from here.  I like zucchini, but I can't honestly say I LOVE zucchini, but I was anxious to try this one.  I got my first one last weekend.  I didn't even see this guy coming on!  I just happened to notice him peeking out from under the canopy last Sunday.  This time I went into the kitchen to grab a knife!  :-)  I cut off a slice and tasted it raw.  Very good!  I could tell it would be great in salads, on a veggie sandwich (grilled or otherwise), etc.  I sliced the rest of it up and tossed it into the skillet with some butter and salt and pepper.  My taste buds were very happy!  Yummmm, yummmm!

I have also planted some Patty Pan and Yellow Straight Neck Squash.  So far, the plants look pretty good and strong.  I think I am going to have squash coming out my ears!   I am rethinking the placement of these little solar lights, though.  I obviously wasn't thinking when I put them around my little garden . . .  now, what does light attract at night? ? ?   Perhaps things I do not want in my little garden!  I may just have to take these out and put them around my little patio instead!

I have also planted a couple of pumpkins, Lumina and Sugar Pie.  Both plants have some little baby pumpkins on them about the size of ping pong balls, but I was only able to get a decent shot of the Lumina.  By the way, I got all my seeds from Botanical Interests.  I love their selection and the seeds are pretty darn hearty!  Those that I don't drown, that is!  I am just learning to grow from seed, and there is a little bit of a learning curve involved!  But, just look at these lovely plants when I don't "care for" them to death!  Everything came from BI except the tomatoes, rhubarb and asparagus!  Those I started from plants purchased at a big box store or a local nursery.

I wish I had had my camera with me while watering a little while later, as I found an Alligator Lizard just hanging out, basking in a tiny patch of sunlight that managed to squeeze through all the squash leaves.  Pretty little guy, about 12" long, pale "tannish" skin who didn't move while I was talking to him and thanking him for making my garden his home.  I asked him to stay there and prepare for his close up while I got my camera, but alas, he must have had some other previous, very pressing and important engagement, as he was no where to be found when I got back.

Out of control volunteer Yellow Pear Tomato - nearly as tall as I am!

I also have about 3 varieties of tomatoes growing out there.  The volunteer yellow pear tomato seems to be hell-bent on taking over the tiny little back yard again.  I think he is secretly jealous of all the space the squash, pumpkins and rhubarb are taking up and is in competition with them.  My poor little Roma tomato just looks miserable.  I am not at all sure what to do with her.  I am thinking I should take her out of her pot and try a different pot/soil.  She is trying valiantly to produce fruit, but I was really hoping to be able to make her really happy so she would thrive and produce lots and lots of tomatoes for my pasta and bruschetta.  My lone slicing tomato, Big Beef, is happier than my Roma, but not exactly thriving.  Both the Roma and the Big Beef are in pots, while the volunteer is coming up in the yard (and not in the most convenient spot, I might add!).  Perhaps I will have to give in and try to find another spot in the yard where I can plant my other tomatoes directly in this obviously rich, previous farmland!

You can just barely see my poor asparagus fighting for dear life just behind the rhubarb and
right between the pumpkins!  Come on asparagus!  I'm rooting for you!  No pun intended!

My rhubarb is going great guns!  I was also surprised to see how much space it would spread out as well!  It is crowding out my poor little asparagus, which doesn't seem well prepared to fight for sun (and air!)  with the rhubarb.  I am now thinking I should have switched their placing with each other.  hmmmmmmmm . . .   I was hoping both would co-exist in a special section of my raised bed planter I had set aside just for the two of them, but the asparagus just doesn't seem to be able to stand up to the big bully leaves of the rhubarb.  I was a kid all those thousands of years . . . errrrr . . . , I mean . . . , a couple of years ago when I last saw it growing . . . somehow I don't remember it taking up soooooo much space!  What I have read says you should not harvest the first year to allow the plant to gather its strength . . . but  . . . it looked soooo robust and full, I couldn't resist picking some for the cake below!  And, if it is this strong now . . . what in the world is it going do next year!   I'd better run out to buy a machete . . . .

My mom had sent me this recipe for Rhubarb Cake and I was itching to try it . . . sooooo, I picked about 6-7 stalks and baked me up some cake and it was scrumptious!  (By the way, I really probably should have had 9-10 stalks to really do it justice . . . I only ended up with just over 2 1/2 Cups)  I topped it with some Fresh Strawberry Frosting and  . . .  well . . . you just have to try it!  Really! ! ! Thanks, mom!  I'll put the recipes at the end of this post if you do want to try it.  The amount of sugar in this thing is astounding, but honestly, we all deserve a little treat now and again, don't we?  I mean, I won't be making it on a weekly basis . . . for now, anyway . . .  ;-)  I have to wait until next year, when my rhubarb plant is stronger, right?  Then all bets are off!  I'd better run out and buy a treadmill, as well . . . 

I didn't get any pics of the cake . . .  sorry!  But, it really wasn't a thing of any extraordinary beauty, just a regular cake in a 9"x12"x2" glass pan, with a thin layer of frosting.  Just a cake . . . that was really, really tasty!  No special decoration, etc.

Anyway, here are the recipes!  I hope you'll try them and let me know what you think!  See you over the garden gate!

Rhubarb Cake - not sure of the origins of this one


Yellow Cake Mix - homemade or from a box (my grandma liked Duncan Hines, so that is what I used)
Rhubarb - 3 1/2 Cups diced
Sugar - 1 Cup
Condensed Milk - 1 12 oz can


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare baking pan - grease/flour.
2.  Mix cake mix according to directions on recipe or box (depending on which you are using!) - pour into greased/floured 9"x13"x2" cake pan.
3.  Sprinkle diced rhubarb evenly all over the top.
4.  Shake 1 C sugar evenly all over the top.
5.  Gently pour canned condensed milk evenly over the entire mixture.
6.  Bake at 350 degrees F until toothpick comes out clean - about 50-60 minutes
7.  Frost when cooled.


Strawberry Frosting - from this site


Strawberries - 1/2 pint - 8 oz
Sugar - 1/4 Cup granulated
Butter - 4 Tablespoons - softened
Powdered Sugar - 3 - 4 Cups


1.  Wash strawberries, then hull and slice.
2.  Put strawberries into a bowl, sprinkle with the 1/4 granulated sugar and mix well.
3.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
4.  Drain excess juices from strawberries (I used mine to pour into fresh squeezed lemonade for a very yummy strawberry lemonade!).
5.  Crush or mash the strawberries (I put mine in my little mini food processor for a few pulses)
6.  Beat butter until smooth.
7.  Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and the crushed strawberries.  Slowly beat until the sugar is blended in, then beat on medium speed until fluffy.  Add more powdered sugar, as needed, until the frosting is a nice spreading consistency.  (I couldn't bear to keep adding sugar, so mine didn't get fluffy!  But, it was still DE-licious! ! !)