Broccoli & Broccoli raab

Both are easy to grow in your garden. Broccoli Raab takes only 40 days. I like it because you can sow all summer and pick greens when you want to have a little to stir in with a quick dish. I'm a single person, so I don't need to grow much of each plant. The down fall of any of the Brassica plants (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, pac choi, rutabagas and turnips is that they get aphids, cabbage worms, loopers and root maggots. If you are an organic gardener you will spray off these critters with a hard blast of water, you can also cover your plants with netting so the moths fluttering near your plants won't be able to lay their eggs. Also you can spray with Bacilus thuringiensis.

Keywords: broccoli, broccoli raab, brassicas, insect control, stir fry

Children's Garden

Children love to garden. I remember as a child planting beans at school in Dixie cups. It was always so exciting to see the bean sprout and begin to grow. I also recall growing many sweet potato plants in my bedroom. To do this, take a sweet potato and stick toothpicks around it about midway between top and bottom. Balance it in a canning jar of water and wait for the sprouts to grow beautiful vines. This is a great project. And don't forget the sunflower seed, a child's favorite.

Keywords: children gardening, child gardens, pea patch, my kid loves peas

Lettuce

Loose leaf lettuce. Plant continuously so you have salads all summer. There are many varieties to choose from. Try red leaf, butter lettuce, a mix of many greens is fun too. Cut them when they are small, this way you will avoid bolting greens. And the more you water the less likely they'll turn bitter. I love a salad of fresh greens mixed with flowers from the garden, pansies, calendula, rose petals. If your kale has wintered over, you might have white or yellow kale flowers. Other flowers work as well. Look them up in an herb book so you don't mistake a poisonous flower for an edible one. Remember to never eat potato flowers, tomato or pepper. They are all of the nightshade family. Happy Gardening, Flower

Spring Snowshoeing

This was early April, and now in late April we could begin to plant our gardens--and many have. I'll probably wait until May. Someone said the other day that she never plants until Mother's Day. I think that may be a good rule of thumb, since often I get too excited and plant early and seeds rot. I love spring peas, so that will be my first item I'll put in. My friend Mike said he thought he'd go over and start pulling weeds. We did have several days of 60-70 degree weather, but it's colder again and even a prediction of snow. My friend, who's in this picture, said he was in sleet the other day. That was nearer to the Olympics, but there you have it. Late spring coming.

Ciao! Flower

Sunshine at Last

Yesterday and the day before, nice weather--between 60 and 70 degrees. Now I can get to the garden. I always think I should go earlier, but seeds rot when planted too early. I've had to replant many times and interestly enough, plants that winter over seem to thrive early, but seeds planted early seem to be stunted and grow too slow. So if you can wait, wait. I'll be turning over the soil soon and getting my starts or seeds in. I live in an apartment, so not enough room to start plants inside, but I used to do this--either in the sunny kitchen window or in the little greenhouse. Lots of times I use the cold frame to start early greens, radishes, and other starts that like cool weather.

Once it turns nice, the contrast with cold gray weather is so obvious, I'm always surprised I've survived the winter. Perhaps I'll go to Arizona next winter, get out of the wind and snow.

Have fun, Flower

Tropical Plants on Your Patio

Well, we're a long way from warm weather plants, weatherwise that is, plants to sit on the porch and enjoy during the summer, and we're a long way from St. Vincent where my friend shot this lovely flower on a winter trip to warm weather and beautiful blue seas. My sister had a nice hibiscus plant she kept on the back porch and all summer it bloomed large orange blooms. Each day she had to pick off the withered flowers, as they come and go just like that.

Add to your vegetable garden with blooming plants.

Ciao, Flower

Romaine Lettuce

Romaine is easy to grow. And if you plant early and harvest early, it won't be bitter. It needs plenty of water to keep from bolting and if you have a hot spell, it will be good if it is growing in the shade of other plants. You can plant later in the season for a fall crop too.

I love the dish they serve at the Hearthfire here in Bellingham. Whole leaves of romaine drizzled with blue cheese dressing and sprinkled with filberts. For some reason the combination of filberts and blue cheese is fabulous.

The nutrition of romaine is better for us than say, iceberg. Anything really green, such as kale and chard, is full of calcium. More calcium than you can get from milk products. I'm dairy intolerant, so a good source of calcium is important.

Raining hard here in Bellingham on Easter day. Can't wait to eat asparagus later with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandbaby. We'll have some ham and augratin potatoes too. Very good meal, and not one I have on a regular basis. The grandbaby is a little over two now, and has not a clue what the Easter bunny is, and what it has to do with the tradition makes little sense, but it's fun, I guess. And who doesn't like candy. Like my grandbaby says, "Canny, Mema, I love canny."

Best in lilles and Easter eggs, Flower

Time to Plant Potatoes

The old tradition is to plant potatoes on Good Friday, which is April 10th. April 10th is a big day for me, since I'll be reading poetry at Village Books in Bellingham. But that is neither here nor there when it comes to spuds. Spuds can be planted earlier than this, but this is a good time for us here in the Pacific Northwest as it has finally warmed up. We are expecting 70 degree weather in places. Here in Bellingham, maybe 62--I'm hoping for higher. It'll be a lovely day to cut the spuds so there are a couple of eyes on each piece and mound them in rows.

Some of the varieties you might try, yellow fin, russet, red potatoes. Buy them from you seed and feed store or do like I do and cut up the spuds that are going to seed in the cupboard or the fridge. The sprouts and the plant parts are poisonous, so don't eat them. I once thought the sprouts would be good to eat, so was ready to when I had a inner sense that it wasn't a good idea. I'm good at listening to my intuition, thank goodness.

Right now the grandbaby is banking on the brass bowl that I use for meditation and rituals. Perhaps a ritual in the garden is a good idea and we are close to the full moon. A ritual for the garden so it will grow well and the garden spirits will come and help the garden to thrive.

Spring Spirits,
Flower

Orange/White Narcissus

Here is a pretty spring flower and aren't we happy the bulbs are coming up, finally. And the flowering cherries are starting to bloom and even the wild cherries. The herons are nesting down by Post Point and everyone is out--because the sun is out. Now it is time to get to work, to turn the soil. I read once that it is better to not till too deep, you don't want to go beyond topsoil. If you have bad soil, like I do, just keep working on it. It will build with layers of leaves and food scraps, newpaper and manure. Be sure to bury the food scraps as the racoons and the rats will get in there and dig stuff up. I had a rat problem in the house I used to live in. And the racoons were out there every night trying to get in to the compost bucket.

Anyway, if you have crocuses and daffodils up, you'll be gardening soon. I have heard it is late for bulbs this year--still are having frost here in Bellingham. I haven't been to the garden lately, but will soon--with rubber boots so my feet dont' get too muddy. The soil is cold and wet still, not good for planting yet--but soon.

Have fun, Flower Power

Seed Starts

Well, we've had some nice sunny days which makes everyone want to get outside and play and maybe garden. The herons are making their nest down at the heronry at the slough and other birds too, getting ready for a new spring batch.

If you want to get some seeds started with your kids, you can buy these little peat pots that expand with water. A plastic greenhouse like storage pan you set in the window will make for a nice environment that will get the seeds to sprout. Once you have sprouts, you want them to have sun, but not too much heat. The temperature should be cooler so when they move outside, they'll be happy campers. Also if it's too warm they'll get leggy.

So put your peat pots in the flat container and then water them so they puff up. Then plant a couple of seeds in each pot. Your children will like to plant bigger seeds, such as sunflower seeds and beans. You might want to put in carrots and lettuce and onions and later transplant them to your garden. Later when there isn't a hail storm predicted or a new bout of rain showers--which is today. Ahhhh, spring--what a wondrous time of year.

Seed catalogues are a good place to look for new varieties and also just for inspiration.
Ciao! Flower

Spring Gardening

I suppose some gardeners have their plots ready to plant. They've added the chicken manure and had sifted out the roots clumps missed in the fall. I have done nothing--I admit it, I'm a bad gardener. I've been socializing, working on my writing and art, and learning to tango. But the truth is, when spring comes, the urge to get my hands in the soil becomes too strong to resist.

One of the first things to remember is, plant after the soil has warmed. If you plant too soon the seeds will rot in the cold, damp soil. You can plant indoors or in your cold frame. This will satisfy the early bird gardener. I've always found it interesting that the longer I wait, the faster the seeds sprout and the more quickly they grow.

Two early plants you might want to experiment with are peas and potatoes. Peas will need the soil to be warmed a bit too, as they also can rot. If you have trouble with birds nipping off the sprouts, cover your row with garden cloth, or you can cover the plants with upturned recycled plastic containers. I do this with zucchini so the plants aren't mowed down by slugs. The clear plastic makes like a little greenhouse for the plant to get off to a more flourishing start, too.

Okay, if you want to get out there--do. Have fun.

Ciao! Flower

Green Coral Lettuce

Section off part of your garden for greens. This might include spinach, mixed greens, lettuce, kale, chard, etc. I was always told not to use etc. in my writing, but hey, I don't recall all the names of greens and it's easy to look in the catalogue and pick out something new to try. Remember some are peppery and some are bitter. You could acquire a taste for bitter if you are a person who loves sweets. It's good to eat the bitter to counter the sweet--good for the body.

Well, my garden friend was heading toward the garden the other day and when I saw him I felt glad that he might do a little work on my plot--which he said he'd help with this year. I also felt the ongoing garden guilt I feel when I don't pay enough attention to my garden. My life is very full, as is yours, I'm sure. So unless gardening is something you spend all your time at, time in the yard may have to be scheduled. This seems ridiculous to say, but the weeks fly by with all the things on the list: groceries, work, kids, friends, husbands, lovers, etc. Oh, there's that etc. now. Yes, staying busy is good, but let's not forget how good it feels to get our hands in the soil. Grounding. And now, it may be even more important to substain ourselves at our own hands.

Order seeds now from seed catalogues and then, when the soil is warm, and/or when your newspaper pots or peat pots are lush with seedlings, go out there and plant. Preparation of the soil is hard if you're having lots of rain and the soil is cold and soggy. So don't get discouraged, just keep at it when you can. Happy spring--almost.

Ciao! Flower