Rescued Plants

After I harvested our garlic, there was a large void in the garden.  It was an awkward time to plant anything because summer was in full swing.  Plants that would enjoy the heat wouldn't have enough time to produce if I started them from seeds.  I needed starts--but the season for that had passed.

Behind one of my favorite organic garden stores I discovered some plant starts.  

The sign said FREE and there was a reason.  These were the leftovers...they were sad little plants, yellow leaves, root-bound in their containers, and hadn't been watered.

Free plants was just my bare plot needed--they wouldn't be any worse off and maybe they would grow.

Thanks to fluffed up soil, chicken manure, sunshine, and water---the neglected plants came back to life.

At the time of planting, I wasn't sure what I was even putting in the ground because the plants were no longer labeled.  I could tell generally that I was planting some kinds of peppers, eggplant and some vines...watermelon?  squash?  It was fun to discover what was actually growing.

Today the weather shifted; it is much cooler and we are going to have rain for several days.  It was time to harvest all the heat-loving veggies and fruit.

I also picked my flowers and made two lovely dahlia bouquets.

I'm so thankful for the rescued plants....

....and to have so much color to make the grey days cheerful.

Thank you Nanna for the gift certificate for the dahlia tubers.   And thank you Mom for the chicken manure.

What's Growing in the Garden

It won't be long before we get our first frosts here.  I've begun my final harvests of the warm season vegetables.  Because of our micro-climate by the river, it is pretty typical that I can be picking vine ripened tomatoes until the end of October.  

Indigo Rose Tomatoes - a new favorite!

I am trying to do a better job of chronicling what we plant season to season.  

Here's a list of the veggies I planted in early September, intended for winter and spring harvest....some of these are a bit of an experiment because I'm not sure how well they will survive a little snow cover.

Beets

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Chard

Collard Greens

Kale

Garlic

Lettuce

Peas

Parsnip

Rutabaga

Shallot

Spinach

I will admit that it was a bit much to try to run a full garden while simultaneously running (the other direction, of course) after young Jonah.  Nonetheless, we enjoyed great harvests and, with the exception of my spring cauliflower getting ravaged by aphids, there was little that went to waste.

Our first blueberry harvest from the bushes we planted last autumn.

The strawberry patch we have is a mix of both "June-bearing" and "Ever-bearing" plants.  

Jonah and I had a daily routine this summer of walking about the yard and picking a few berries and tomatoes each trip.

And, while we don't tend our neighbor's cherry tree, 

we certainly benefit from the overhanging branches!

These wild blackberries were ridiculously delicious and became filling in the best pie 

(yes, I said it) I have ever eaten.

Here's the complete list of what I had growing in the garden this summer.

Basil (both Thai Basil and Genovese Basil)

Bell Peppers

Blueberries

Celery

Carrots

Cosmos (attracts pollinators)

Dahlias (for cutting bouquets)

Eggplant

Figs

Italian Parsley

Jalapenos

Marigolds (attracts pollinators and deters pests)

Nasturtium (attracts pollinators and deters pests)

Onions

Pickling cucumbers

Pumpkins

Rhubarb

Squash

Strawberries

Sunflowers (to attract birds)

Sweet Alyssum (to attract predatory wasps)

Thai Chilies

Thai Long Beans

Tomatoes

Zucchini

Zinnias (for cutting bouquets)

Bring on the snow!...

Dahlias

Autumn is here, and with it comes the flurry of finishing up tasks that we abandoned while the days were warm and long.  We have been knee deep (literally) in trenches, sand, and concrete as we prepare to convert a carport-like structure on our property into a fully enclosed shed.  I'll update more on that once we get further along.

Personally, I'd rather be photographing my dahlias.....

Happy Autumn!

Itsy Bitsy Garlic

What happened to my garlic?  Last year, I decided that growing garlic was soooo easy, and this year half of my heads were itsy bitsy.  I guess gardening is like that.  I believe the size issues were a result of not enough water during April and May (because I didn't hook up my drip irrigation until the end of May).  I also didn't fertilize them.  They were already in the ground and growing when we added compost and tilled it into the rest of the garden soil and I forgot to give them a special tea elixir to help them plump up.  Oh, well.

I harvested our garlic back in July and while all the heads were a little smaller than I was hoping for, I did end up with a large batch of usable bulbs.  Not bad considering the degree of neglect!

You might remember from a previous post that I was going to compare growing garlic right from the supermarket to the special garlic sold at our local nursery.  As you can see from the photo above, even with my marginal growing conditions this season, the Safeway garlic did just as well if not a tad better than the nursery garlic and my garlic from the previous season.

One thing I am taking to heart when I plant my next batch of garlic next week, is that the size of the clove you plant is directly proportional to the size of the bulb it will produce.  Since my bulbs from this harvest are small, I opted to buy huge planting bulbs from a new local source called Grow Organic.....and I may throw in a few big Safeway cloves too for fun.

Farmer Jonah

A good farmer isn't afraid to jump right in, get a little dirty, experiment, and, of course, sample the fruits (and veggies) of their labor.  

Jonah and I were thinning the carrots when I paused to see what was keeping him so quiet.  I realized that he had helped himself to a mature carrot and was eating the root, dirt and all!  

I'm so proud of him. 

He was munching on a hybrid variety from the Territorial Seed Company in Oregon 

called Sugarsnax 54.

Nutritious and sweet.

We also planted a hybrid variety of cream-colored roots called White Satin.

Carrots for everyone!  

I love to see Jonah out in the garden, comfortably walking the rows, and foraging for treats.  Like hiking, gardening keeps me grounded to nature.  I'm very attentive to what's happening outside when I have plants in the ground.  Checking the sky, listening to forecasts, fretting over birds and bugs, fiddling with irrigation and fertilizers....nurturing little seed specs into tasty food for family and friends.  I think I'm often amazed at what is produced. Jonah's joy and wonder of nature echo my own admiration for plants in the garden.  I love being able to share this life with him.

xoxo

Our Hammock

Now, doesn't that look inviting?  
Summer is in full swing here and with it comes grilling outdoors, harvesting yummy tomatoes from the garden, and seeking shade beneath the trees.

We have eleven beautifully mature trees on our lot and it was their presence that made us fall in love with the property.  Our hammock is strung between two oaks.  The hammock hooks were inserted decades ago and now the trees have healed around them such that the bark has engulfed much of the hardware.

We have an arborist, Patrick, who comes to check our beauties every few years just to make sure that they are clear of dead wood and growing strong and healthy.

He does a wonderful job.

This is the view looking up.
Our indoor space is so small, that being able to live well outside is important.

And we do....we know these trees so well they are part of our family now.

This glorious canopy of summertime shade makes cleaning up autumn leaves totally worth it.

Refrigerator Pickles - Small Batch

I was recently inspired to make a batch of Refrigerator Pickles by my friend Trina.  We have had a few hot days here and it makes the cucumbers and zucchini seem to grow inches overnight.  I can't keep up sometimes and surprise, I have a giant pickling cuke to deal with.

After working so hard to have a happy & prolific garden, I loath to waste anything...but sometimes I don't have enough veggies to make canning worthwhile.  Getting a water bath going for a single jar is a bit much, especially in this heat.  So I love the idea of having a large vessel of brine in the fridge for pickling those rogue cucumbers.  Since our fridge was a little tight on space last week, I opted to make a small batch (one pint) which also worked splendidly.  I suggest Trina's approach if you have the room--here is her lovely blog post.  My modified recipe for an individual batch is below.   

Refrigerator Pickles - Small Batch

makes 1 pint

1 cucumber

1c. water

1/2 c. cider vinegar 

2 heaping tsp. of pickling/canning salt

4 small garlic cloves, peeled (I used my garlic from this season...isn't it pretty?)

I didn't have pickling spice on hand, so I used:

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon dill seed, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns 

Wash and slice your cuke into wedges or disks.

In a small pot, combine vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a simmer then turn off heat.

Put spices and peeled garlic directly into the empty jar of your choice.  Pack the cucumber into the jar.

Pour the brine into the jar to cover your cukes.

Apply lid and let the jar cool. When the jar has returned to room temperature, place it in refrigerator. Let it sit for at least 48 hours before eating.

If I don't put a sign on them, I get tempted to snack on them too early.

Ready to eat!  They are great!  The pepper really adds a bit of zing.

Enjoy.

Peony Blooms

Our peonies typically bloom at the end of May, right after the lilacs.  This bouquet was cut for my sister so she could enjoy the cheerful flowers while we were away from home on a road trip.

The petals are so deliciously vibrant.  

A few plants came with the house, and a few are ones that I planted.  They are in a bed that gets more and more shade with each passing year.  This year each plant only had two or three blooms so I really need to get them to a happier place.  Perhaps this fall I will have a chance to relocate them all to an area with more sunlight.

Spring Onions

We pulled this harvest of Spring Onions from the garden last week, right before tilling the soil under.  If you (like I have) ever wondered what the difference between scallions, green onions, and spring onions are....here's the progression:

Scallions are the smallest (green part and white part are equal in diameter)

Green Onions come next with more white stalk and a slight bulge at the roots

Spring Onions are last, showing more of a bulb of baby onion at the base

These were actually accidental Spring Onions.....they got planted late in 2011 and never rooted properly.....but after a mild and wet winter they took off again and have been delicious.  I think I may try this again in the fall, on purpose this time.  

Lenten Rose

Spring is beautiful here on our little slice of land.  And with each rain shower and sun break, a new plant comes into glory.  I enjoy strolling the perimeter with Jonah on a daily basis to monitor the astonishingly fast growth of the perennials & shrubs now that chill of winter is behind us.  The photos of the Lenten Rose are just two examples from the collection of Hellebores we have growing.  Often referred to as a Lenten Rose, the nickname is derived because of its blossoms are like wild roses and because its bloom time coincides with Lent.  And being that today is the last day of Lent, I thought it was an appropriate time to celebrate this garden beauty.

Hellebores are unknown to many gardeners despite their toughness, beauty, and wonderful habit of blooming in the winter when most other plants remain dormant.  I was only introduced to them a few years ago and now I have a collection of 6 different varieties.  I like their graceful nodding flowers and that the leaves are essentially evergreen (they stay green all winter and don't die back until the spring growth is there to replace them).  The two in these photos happen to be gifts from my Mother....who knows that I appreciate their early and cheerful presence before all the other plants have yet to wake.  Most Hellebores prefer dry shade, so they are the prefect plant to tuck into the corners of the garden beneath the oak trees.    

I'm really partial to this shot because you can see the mountains and river in the background.

Minnie's Plum Tree is also blooming.  

The ground around her grave is covered with a snow of white petals.  It is beautiful.

Allium sativum

Garlic, or allium sativum, was a new addition to our vegetable garden this year.  It turns out that it is one of the easiest things to grow.  I grew a soft-neck variety so I could braid the heads for storage.  If you can braid hair, then you can braid garlic!

For folks who have limited gardening space and love to cook, this is a prefect thing to plant in the autumn.  Just follow these steps: 

1. Buy a head a garlic
2. Break apart the cloves (but don't unwrap them)
3. Plant them 2-3 inches deep in late October or early November
4. Let them grow all winter & spring
5. When the stalks turn brown and flop over, you are heady for harvest (June or July)

Easy as can be!  I bought my first head of garlic from a nursery because I've heard that garlic from grocery stores have often been sprayed with growth suppressant.   Yesterday I planted 1 head from Safeway, 1 from my garlic this year, and a new variety I bought at a local nursery....so we'll see how the Safeway garlic does.  For more garlic information, including a sweet garlic calendar, visit Hood River Garlic.

Happy planting!