Hello Spring 2021

What is growing in my garden?

Purple sage

It is planted next to my  snow pea vines. 

 

Tonda di Pargi carrots

My fall and winter garden did an amazing job of producing beautiful greens, violas, carrots, herbs and nasturtiums. 

The snow peas are starting to produce and I hope the will continue. 

First bouquet from my garden. 

The Sweet Williams are starting to finally bloom.  It took almost 2 seasons for them to bloom.  I started them from seed. 

A new variety of pansies called Rococo mix from Floret Seeds

I love to press flowers from my garden.  I need to get busy and do something with them.

These are being pressed.  The violas have self sown themselves in my garden.  Maybe next year, instead of pressing them, try to use them in my baking.

Thank you for visiting and hope to have more photos to share of the garden.

Have a beautiful spring season.

February 2021 In The Garden - Beautiful Lettuce

Late winter garden here in southern California has been beautiful for us.  So blessed indeed. The raised beds of lettuce, other greens and herbs have done a fantastic job.  The main seed mixes I have use this year are the  "sassy salad" mesclun mix and "Gourmet Baby" greens mix, both from Botanical Interests.  

Yes, I do add cilantro and a few nasturtium and pansy flowers into my salad.  

This bed here, I have some leeks (still in the baby stages), lettuce mix, carrots, larkspurs (I thought I lost them), Nero Kale and pansies.  

 

These beauties are from the seed packed called "carnival blend, Botanical Interests seeds. I do not have great success growing carrots, but I keep trying and what ever I get is good enough to me.  

This is what the red carrot looks on the inside.  So pretty.

Again, I love growing the mixes.  You get so many beautiful colors, shapes, textures and flavors. I will be sad to see the season end for growing lettuce, but I will start sowing them again in September.  

Nasturtium in a large container along with some scallions that just sprouted and a cilantro plant.  

Early in the morning I uncover the beds to get the nice early morning sun.  But once the sun becomes to intense I will cover them.  The covers also protect the tender greens at night from other pests.  

Thank you for your visit and hope to post soon.

Have a wonderful day!

 

February Gardening 2021

I do have better luck with sowing my seed into cells or peat pellets.

A few photos to share of what I am growing at the moment.

This bed has a lot going on but I love it.

I have one of my favorite lettuce mesclun mixes called "Sassy Salad" from Botanical Interest, cilantro, Lavewa Spinach, and snow peas in the background.  I had to take the peas out.  They were too tall and the winds we had last month pushed them over.  I should have done a better job of thinning the vines.  

Beautiful!  I also add some cilantro to my salad, not too much.  I love the extra layer of flavor it gives.

My new favorite greens to grow in the garden is the Nero Toscana Kale

Kale Ialian Lacinato "Nero Toscana" Botanical Interests seeds

Blanch or saute 

What do I do with excess cilantro?

I made a delicious sauce, Cilantro-Jalapeno Adobo Sauce

I found the recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, Christopher Kimball "Milk Street"

So good too and I have used over eggs and as a pesto for my pasta.  It freezes well too.

Bok Choy and Nero Toscana Kale

Another plant I love to grow is bok choy.  I like the baby choy because it grows in quicker. Here in my So. California garden it bolts so fast.  This year I have used garden shade cloths and seems to have helped.  It is very sensitive in warmer climates.

The garden cloth allows the plants to get filtered sun and also helps with the white moths and other things that like to nibble at your garden.

Thank you for visiting.  I hope to post more soon.

 

My Garden In October 2020

 

My first fall bouquet picked October 10th from my little zinnia batch.

What a beautiful color too.

I added some red yarrow and marjoram.

A nice bright mix of colors in this seed mix.

The weather is changing and I do see white powdery mildew on the leaves, but I will leave them for a little while longer and just trim away those leaves.  I do see a few ladybug larvae on the plans. 

SUNFLOWERS - Florist's Sunny Bouquet mix from Botanical Interests

A little strip of sunflowers put a smile on this girls face.

MESCULUM MIX - Sassy salad from Botanical Interests

This morning I just picked my first harvest of lettuce.  So far so good.  Every morning I do go out to check and pick off any worms or eggs of the leaves.  I love to plant seed mixes.  You get such a beautiful variety of lettuce.  

In between the rows of lettuce and sowed Spinach, cilantro and radishes. So far they look good too.  

The background you see the peas.  They are Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea pods. A beautiful little bed here.  

I hope to continue to sow seeds of lettuce and flowers for spring.  There is just not enough time lately. Lets see what November will bring.