I'm bad. Haven't posted, and haven't been keeping up with the garden. It's a jungle out there. Anyway, I did a bit of gardening today. I transplanted this lavender that I had had growing dramatically out of a sewer pipe.
Showing posts with label sidewalk crack plant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sidewalk crack plant. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2011
Catching Up
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Sidewalk
My sidewalk is very lush. This 1st picture is my terrace which has filled out completely.
Next to it is my feral tomato. I am glad that it is a cherry tomato.
My yarrow is growing in well, and so are the weeds. Hrmph. Everyday, I weed it a little bit.
You may have noticed that I have let my garden spill out onto the sidewalk. Most pedestrians seem not to mind though some plants get a little trampled. It's not as bad as some hedges on my street.
The sidewalk makes some things easier. I don't have to search in the dirt for these seedpods.
One plant I have growing in various locations is nasturtiums. After a while they go to seed and when they do they tend to die out a bit and drop these seed pods. I might save some to plant next year. They are also edible if you pick them early enough.
I will let the seedpods dry out then break them open for the seeds inside. That'll be one less package of seeds for me to buy next year.
The sidewalk makes some things easier. I don't have to search in the dirt for these seedpods.
I will let the seedpods dry out then break them open for the seeds inside. That'll be one less package of seeds for me to buy next year.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Artichoke Bloom, Eggplants, and my Sidewalk Crack
Yesterday my artichoke started to bloom. I had forgotten how long it takes to open. It is only beginning to open.
Today I harvested 2 ichiban eggplants. This one is shown still on the vine. Under the ichiban I have siam queen basil, leeks, and lemon gem marigolds growing. These underplants are one reason why I have pruned the extra leaves and offshoots.
I believe that in most browsers that these Turkish eggplants below are shown slightly larger than life. I cannot wait until I can harvest one. When will I know that these are ready? They are starting to show green stripes. They are supposed to turn orange. I've never seen an orange eggplant. What will it taste like? I know that white eggplants are sweeter than purple ones.
I have offered a couple nice neighbors that walk by eggplants in the future in anticipation of an eggplant overload. Really, the 1st year I grew them I both came to appreciate them much more than I ever had because homegrown eggplants really are much, much better than store bought, but I also got tired of them. One neighbor seemed scared by the prospect of eating a non-large purple egglant.
I will assure anyone out there that if you like regular large eggplant you will LOVE ichiban. I think today I might do eggplant Parmesan. I think I will try many eggplant recipes this summer. Hopefully I will find recipes that correspond with the variety I am growing. Any good Turkish eggplant recipes out there?
My test recipe for new eggplants is to simply slice, salt, and fry in olive oil which has some onions and garlic browned in it. Last year my eggplants were not as productive but this year looks much better.
These 2 planters already look very productive. I have them rigged to be self-watering. I consulted How To Make A Self-Watering Container from video jug. If you go to that link you'll see that I had a comment. Nobody there addressed my questions, ahem! Uh, anyway, I ended up doing things a little bit differently. The watering tube is unnecessary and if your pot is outdoors you need a drainage hole that sits where the reservoir meets the soil, or perhaps slightly below that line. In the United States we don't call things 'LECA', I found 'hydroton' though I suppose that plain pebbles or sand might do instead and cost considerably less. I used hydroton though it took some research to find it and to even find out what I was looking for.
That is a problem with international things. Even if you are speaking the same language, some things are not the same and I do strive to be understood by everyone speaking English. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will try to answer them. Anyway, I think self-watering containers work well with eggplant.
As long as I am going off on tangents I feel I oughta mention a website that helped guide me in my eggplant pruning. AVRDC Extension Materials has a lot of growing information for vegetables I have never heard of. Like I never knew that cleome was eaten in any way.
Here is my next sidewalk plant, love lies bleeding. Last year many passersby loved this plant. I am glad that purchasing seeds has been unnecessary.
I have offered a couple nice neighbors that walk by eggplants in the future in anticipation of an eggplant overload. Really, the 1st year I grew them I both came to appreciate them much more than I ever had because homegrown eggplants really are much, much better than store bought, but I also got tired of them. One neighbor seemed scared by the prospect of eating a non-large purple egglant.
I will assure anyone out there that if you like regular large eggplant you will LOVE ichiban. I think today I might do eggplant Parmesan. I think I will try many eggplant recipes this summer. Hopefully I will find recipes that correspond with the variety I am growing. Any good Turkish eggplant recipes out there?
My test recipe for new eggplants is to simply slice, salt, and fry in olive oil which has some onions and garlic browned in it. Last year my eggplants were not as productive but this year looks much better.
These 2 planters already look very productive. I have them rigged to be self-watering. I consulted How To Make A Self-Watering Container from video jug. If you go to that link you'll see that I had a comment. Nobody there addressed my questions, ahem! Uh, anyway, I ended up doing things a little bit differently. The watering tube is unnecessary and if your pot is outdoors you need a drainage hole that sits where the reservoir meets the soil, or perhaps slightly below that line. In the United States we don't call things 'LECA', I found 'hydroton' though I suppose that plain pebbles or sand might do instead and cost considerably less. I used hydroton though it took some research to find it and to even find out what I was looking for.
That is a problem with international things. Even if you are speaking the same language, some things are not the same and I do strive to be understood by everyone speaking English. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will try to answer them. Anyway, I think self-watering containers work well with eggplant.
As long as I am going off on tangents I feel I oughta mention a website that helped guide me in my eggplant pruning. AVRDC Extension Materials has a lot of growing information for vegetables I have never heard of. Like I never knew that cleome was eaten in any way.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Lazy Man's Way
It isn't readily apparent here, but these lettuces are growing in the shade of an artichoke. None of my lettuces have bolted but it is early. Lettuce is great for growing under plants, especially those that like cool roots. They aren't heavy feeders and with so many varieties, they are quite pretty. I tend to start with seedlings from a nursery for faster gratification then later I start some in a small tray to plant out. Usually I do a mesclen mix for variety.
Lettuce is like a little firecracker that goes off all the time while you wait for the bigger bangs. A lot of greens are like that as well as chervil and cilantro, both pictured somewhere in this picture.
The lazy man's way to keep these going is to just let a few of them go to seed. This leads to chaos but it is my approach to many of my plants. Decades ago, somebody signed my yearbook, "The lazy man finds an easier way to get the job done." I can't say that any better.
This artichoke looks pretty spiny to me. I think it won't be the best eating so I am going to let it bloom. I am sure my neighbors will be impressed. They get pretty confused by a lot of my plants and yet they cannot deny their beauty.
Sometimes I think I should talk more in detail about what I am doing here. After some thought I have decided that for the most part if you want to replicate what I am doing, you really need to read some books.
One book I recently read was the e-book "Double your tomatoes," which is actually one of my advertisers. I do not completely endorse the author's philosophy but I have taken away a few good points. He does not however cover as much as I thought he would. Again I say, read some books. Tomatoes are kinda complicated.
I do not grow tomatoes to be highly productive but I have experienced late blight on some of my tomatoes in the last 2 years. I think "Double your tomatoes," gives some good advice about that which I intend to use. I am experimenting with fertilizing my tomatoes with bokashi. Most of my tomatoes have the contents of one bokashi bucket buried beneath them. There's a few other quirks I threw in that I will not elaborate on until later.
Again, I say read some books. The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Ed Smith has some very good specific advice that I will always remember.
On the other hand if you do have specific questions for me, please feel free to leaves them in the comments or email me directly. I am perfectly willing to keep your identity confidencial if you are a 'private person.'
What was I saying about being lazy? Here is the perfect image of that. This chamomile grew here all by itself. I have weeded other plants out of the cracks but left these and a few other plants alone. However, I have found it necessary to trim this a bit. If I had done it again I would have trimmed this back earlier though I think that right now this looks rather pretty even though it is also untidy.
Lettuce is like a little firecracker that goes off all the time while you wait for the bigger bangs. A lot of greens are like that as well as chervil and cilantro, both pictured somewhere in this picture.
The lazy man's way to keep these going is to just let a few of them go to seed. This leads to chaos but it is my approach to many of my plants. Decades ago, somebody signed my yearbook, "The lazy man finds an easier way to get the job done." I can't say that any better.
One book I recently read was the e-book "Double your tomatoes," which is actually one of my advertisers. I do not completely endorse the author's philosophy but I have taken away a few good points. He does not however cover as much as I thought he would. Again I say, read some books. Tomatoes are kinda complicated.
I do not grow tomatoes to be highly productive but I have experienced late blight on some of my tomatoes in the last 2 years. I think "Double your tomatoes," gives some good advice about that which I intend to use. I am experimenting with fertilizing my tomatoes with bokashi. Most of my tomatoes have the contents of one bokashi bucket buried beneath them. There's a few other quirks I threw in that I will not elaborate on until later.
Again, I say read some books. The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Ed Smith has some very good specific advice that I will always remember.
On the other hand if you do have specific questions for me, please feel free to leaves them in the comments or email me directly. I am perfectly willing to keep your identity confidencial if you are a 'private person.'
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Garden Eyecandy
This might be obnoxious but I haven't been updating fast enought to catch up with my garden. Everything is just exploding!
This tomato is not in an ideal habitat but this isn't about perfect tomatoes, it's about fun and maybe sharing with the neighbors. It's a cherry, either juliet or super sweet 100. Don't be fooled by it's shady spot. I have plans to somehow train this against the railroad tie wall where there is plenty of sun. I just think I will have to tweak the balance of nutrients in its soil more carefully than a standard planting.
These feral chamomile have miraculously not been tread upon. Either my neighbors understand that this isn't a weed or they just think I am crazy and are afraid to damage this flower. I think that they somehow understand that I am up to something special.
The saladball is slowly filling out. I plant something else as if this were a sketch I sit with every few days. Always a work in progress. It already looks different than it did from this photo which is maybe a week old.
For some reason this little bay laurel makes me happy. It suffered so much this winter and now it looks alive.
These cascade hops are in their second year. What a difference a year makes! Maybe it will be worth harvesting this year.
This blur of plants are pretty much all greens and all edible. OK, a few aren't but they aren't weeds. I thin them pretty much everyday. It sorta forces me to eat my vegetables. There's mizuna, red cabbage, pansies, florence fennel seedlings, onions and probably something I have forgotten. Damn! I have surpassed the 20 item limit of things I may tag this blog with. Sure, I could have made it 2 posts but whatever.
This lacinato kale should be pretty graceful in this pot. I tucked in some allysum and some chervil thinnings from the salad bowl. There's even a basil plant, just basic basil. Now if I can find some red russian kale, I will be happy. I might have to grow it myself. hmph. One disadvantage of Pittsburgh is a lack of exotic stuff. Now if there were enough of a demand I WOULD put more effort into growing my own to share or perhaps sell with to other gardeners.
These wallflowers are nice, and half haven't started blooming yet. Tansy, monarda and calendula have yet to flower. This wall is built of found things. I am quite fond of thrifting, indeed, my latest project is the result of thrifting, actually a good find. More on that shortly. I don't know if I have said it here, but I sorta feel like recycling in whatever form is a very patriotic thing to do. I don't want to be preachy, but when I think about things coming from far, far away and using fossil fuels to do things when it's all in your backyard it kinda upsets me.
This cat always looks scared. here is a rare view of my backyard. It needs a lot of work. This was taken through my kitchen window. I don't think this cat is feral, she's just a scaredy cat.
These are my tulips at their best this year. Already more than half of them are done blooming. Just this yesterday I heard a very small child say very clearly "TULIPS" when he passed by with his family. This made my day.
These oyster mushrooms show a new direction I am going in garden synergy. If my experiments work out, I'll share them. Honestly for the most part if I show you something here I think you should try it for yourself. The stuff I am trying that I'm not sure about, I don't share.
These ants with amber distended bodies fed from my hummingbird feeder until I filled the ant guard with water. I really do not like ants but these look like jewels. These ants are actually, at least on my browser, a fifth of the size they are here. The black surface they are walking on is a cast iron shepard's hook which looks fairly smooth in normal vision.
I hope that in the future that I will stick to my goal of posting twice a week. I think the poison ivy set me back. Anyway, already I have a lot to document.
This tomato is not in an ideal habitat but this isn't about perfect tomatoes, it's about fun and maybe sharing with the neighbors. It's a cherry, either juliet or super sweet 100. Don't be fooled by it's shady spot. I have plans to somehow train this against the railroad tie wall where there is plenty of sun. I just think I will have to tweak the balance of nutrients in its soil more carefully than a standard planting.
These feral chamomile have miraculously not been tread upon. Either my neighbors understand that this isn't a weed or they just think I am crazy and are afraid to damage this flower. I think that they somehow understand that I am up to something special.
The saladball is slowly filling out. I plant something else as if this were a sketch I sit with every few days. Always a work in progress. It already looks different than it did from this photo which is maybe a week old.
For some reason this little bay laurel makes me happy. It suffered so much this winter and now it looks alive.
These cascade hops are in their second year. What a difference a year makes! Maybe it will be worth harvesting this year.
This blur of plants are pretty much all greens and all edible. OK, a few aren't but they aren't weeds. I thin them pretty much everyday. It sorta forces me to eat my vegetables. There's mizuna, red cabbage, pansies, florence fennel seedlings, onions and probably something I have forgotten. Damn! I have surpassed the 20 item limit of things I may tag this blog with. Sure, I could have made it 2 posts but whatever.
This lacinato kale should be pretty graceful in this pot. I tucked in some allysum and some chervil thinnings from the salad bowl. There's even a basil plant, just basic basil. Now if I can find some red russian kale, I will be happy. I might have to grow it myself. hmph. One disadvantage of Pittsburgh is a lack of exotic stuff. Now if there were enough of a demand I WOULD put more effort into growing my own to share or perhaps sell with to other gardeners.
These wallflowers are nice, and half haven't started blooming yet. Tansy, monarda and calendula have yet to flower. This wall is built of found things. I am quite fond of thrifting, indeed, my latest project is the result of thrifting, actually a good find. More on that shortly. I don't know if I have said it here, but I sorta feel like recycling in whatever form is a very patriotic thing to do. I don't want to be preachy, but when I think about things coming from far, far away and using fossil fuels to do things when it's all in your backyard it kinda upsets me.
This cat always looks scared. here is a rare view of my backyard. It needs a lot of work. This was taken through my kitchen window. I don't think this cat is feral, she's just a scaredy cat.
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