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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 29, 2007 - 02:42pm PT
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I just got some squash in the ground. Need some inspiration. Any gardners here? I have a brown thumb.
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Ouch!
climber
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Jul 29, 2007 - 03:03pm PT
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"I have a brown thumb."
Locker edit........use more paper
DMT edit..............Ask LEB..the farmer
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Crimpergirl
Social climber
St. Looney
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Jul 29, 2007 - 03:07pm PT
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Ouch! I was VERY apprehensive scrolling down to see this "brown thumb" Haha!
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Ouch!
climber
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Jul 29, 2007 - 03:09pm PT
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Sorry Crimpie. No graphics for this one.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jul 29, 2007 - 03:12pm PT
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I'm not the gardener, D is, but I do a lot of the labor, and I help eat what comes out of the garden, and I cook too.
We have a lot of fruit trees....
the orange produces from late December through May, this year we had so many that they are still dropping off the tree with the new crop coming on.
The lemons, two varieties, produce all the time. This last winters deep freeze caused a few problems, so we aren't into overproduction yet. I'm hoping this happens 'cause I have a sorbet recipe that I want to try out.
Figs, hmm, these are done but I love fresh figs off the tree.
Plumbs, we have a plumb left over from the last family who owned the house, they didn't know they had it... we unearthed it when we took out a lot of brushy plants they had planted. This year the tree is very happy, and I have to eat plumbs all the time (poor me).
Apricots, now coming on, though it's been cool this summer so far. Nothing like a tree ripened apricot.
The olive trees produce, but there is some fly that lays eggs in the olives. D hasn't figured out how to get the industrial solution in our yard yet... once she does, we'll be putting up our olive crop too.
There are three different grape vines in the yard. We eat the grapes and use the leaves to make various types of dolma.
Berry bushes, Blackberries, Loganberries, Tayberries (?), our freezer is full of frozen berries waiting to be made into berry pies..
Herbs: you name it, there is a bay tree, we don't need any from the store anymore... rosemarie, mint (different types), tyme, holy basel, regular basel, cilantro, parsley, lemon grass, are the mainstays.
Vegitables: several varieties of green beans, eggplant, tomato, squash; cucumbers too.
Last year we had wonderful cantaloupe... once again, so good when fresh!
We still have canned tomatoes from last year... we don't buy from the store anymore.
I'll see if I have a picture of the yard.
Hey Jerry, aren't you in Luther Burbank country? and you need inspiration!
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Ouch!
climber
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Jul 29, 2007 - 03:18pm PT
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Lois, how come you don't just plant seeds? Soak em overnight. They come up quickly and make stronger plants than you can buy.
Pickin' Maters. Check the bottom of the mater where the bud fell off. If you see any pink around the bud, pull em and set them on the counter. They will ripen quickly and taste exactly like fully vine ripened. Your plants will produce more and bigger ones.
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Ouch!
climber
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Jul 29, 2007 - 03:32pm PT
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Lois, just let the plants grow a bit, then leave a couple of the strongest ones and whack the rest.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jul 29, 2007 - 03:43pm PT
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ok, as Lois states correctly, it depends on where you live...
here in California, the growing season is very long, D starts most of her annual crop as seed because we are having warm days even in Feb.
When we lived in western Massachusetts, we had everything started in the basement under grow lamps... I lived in fear of a DEA raid as I'm sure the thermal profile of our house looked suspicious... "just tomatoes, officer."
In PA, or elsewhere not a glorious as CA, you do what you have to do... in general though, D sez she doesn't buy anything big for anyplant. She prefers to grow it all herself.
I don't have a picture, our yard has some beautiful bits hear and there.. but when it's in production it's not too photogenic... but it is beautiful in many other ways.
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Ouch!
climber
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Jul 29, 2007 - 04:45pm PT
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Lois, when I was a kid, we had this whole area in corn. Rows wound around about 1/4 mile to the Tenn River. Day after day of chopping out and thinning in the hot sun with 90% humidity. Plowed it with mules. We would ride the mules into the lake in the evening, get off and soap up and scrub off before supper.
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nita
climber
chico ca
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Jul 29, 2007 - 05:09pm PT
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Hey Ouch, I bought Okra at the farmers market yesterday, going to give it a try.
edit: I only have flowers in my garden.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jul 29, 2007 - 05:21pm PT
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I forgot to mention the peppers, Poblano, Serano, Jalepaneo....
...we grew ocra last year, best fresh... quick, hot fry with a good masala keeps them from getting gummy...
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Ouch!
climber
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Jul 29, 2007 - 06:15pm PT
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Who knows Lois, you may have been A. P. Hill or George Pickett in your earlier life. Ask Werner. He knows about these things.
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Ouch!
climber
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Jul 29, 2007 - 06:17pm PT
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Nita, you can bread that okra like shrimp and deep fry it whole.
Pan frying okra can take a little experience to get it right.
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Ouch!
climber
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Jul 29, 2007 - 06:30pm PT
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Lois, my grandfather fought for the Union. He was wounded and had two brothers killed. I hope you were not in the vicinity.
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Ouch!
climber
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Jul 29, 2007 - 06:44pm PT
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Well, I've always had a feeling that I was in the wrong century or maybe I have just been thinking backwards.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jul 29, 2007 - 06:55pm PT
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Back to the gardening
The Italian Green beans are done and what was't eaten imediately is in the freezer.
Boisenberries thankfully done also and about 10 gallons in the freezer. Not many Rasberries this year, but they are an every other year thing.
The Artichokes are coming back up for the fall crop.
Gave up on the Asperagus this year.
I think I've finaly got the summer squash figured out. Yellow Straight Neck! Not as overwhelming as Zuchini and heartier and longer producing than Crook Neck. A good compromise.
I had problems with blossom end rot on the tomatos this year. I'm gonna plow some gypsum in this winter to try to get the Calcium levels up for next year. I want to see if that's also why the letuce always turns out bitter also.
Plenty of Japanse Eggplant also.
No corn or winter squash this year, but there's still plenty of corn in the freezer from last year.
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nita
climber
chico ca
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Jul 29, 2007 - 07:16pm PT
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Where are the pictures- of the supposed gardens?
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jul 29, 2007 - 08:10pm PT
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and then there's the pomegranate tree...
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JOEY.F
Social climber
sebastopol
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Jul 29, 2007 - 08:19pm PT
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Jerry,
K does the growing here, there's some tomatoes ready today!
thats the green thumb around here.
I do the landscape maintaince mostly.
There is a plum tree breaking from too much fruit.(I
think it's at least 40 yrs old)
and a loaded pear tree too.
Bodega climate is dicy, here too,
But, a container of herbs isn't hard,
if someone waters it while you're off on those big walls!
Take it easy,
Joe.
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Euroford
Trad climber
chicago
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Jul 29, 2007 - 08:33pm PT
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i help farm jumps.
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