dried cowpeas

Took down the vines the other day. Got a few more dried pods I hadn't noticed before

It was a good amount of cowpeas (black-eyed peas) this year, in spite of my neglect 

My little jar is half filled, enough to make a few decent soups I think I still have yet to try them! 

Always find it amusing to see the tiny, undeveloped beans in a few pods- here with two regular-sized ones.

it's been a while

I kind of lost interest in keeping this blog going- I don't seem to have many readers, and nobody to talk about plants with. Didn't feel the need to track when things get started for the right timing to go in the ground and such (as reminders to myself) anymore. And then I had a setback, minor car accident, sprained ankle, on crutches for three weeks- so things got shoddy out there. Overgrown, neglected. 

However today I finally was able to go out again (my ankle strapped, I'm allowed to do "light walking" now) And there are things to note.

First, here's a picture from months ago. After our spring heat wave, it cooled off again and I actually got a decent amount of lettuce. We had fresh salads for weeks, plus I gave some away. The heads were beautiful thick green rosettes in the garden.

Where the lettuces came out, I planted the tomatoes. They had waited too long, some lower leaves were wilting so I pulled those off. And then remembering a tip from a gardener I read, removed more lower leaf petioles, planted the tomatoes deeply, burying half the stem. Watered on planting, then left them alone for ten days. This encourages stronger root system and what do you know, I think it worked. I have only been out to water once since (due to being laid up) and the rain has been enough- the tomaoto plants look fantastic. I tied them up once to some poles, they are sturdier than usual too. Either the deep planting and witholding water at the start helped, or the soil was richer than usual.

My turnips are also doing great. We've been eating them- made a new dish just last night. Turnips simmered until tender, mashed with onions and a bit of sugar, stirred w/eggs and baked in the oven. Surprisingly good. It's the first year I've actually had good turnips- not dry or tough. Even the bigger ones I pull are tender when I slice them up, almost buttery. And they're still not bothered by much, out in the garden!

Can't say the same for other things. I went out to cut greens for dinner and instead cut and heaped most of the entire bed of chard into the compost pile. It was all mottled pale sickly from leaf hoppers. (Why are such aggravating pests so darn cute? This year they're dark grayish purple with bright blue or red eyes). I could only keep the youngest unblemished leaves to cook with, but hope that a lot of the leaf hoppers got removed with the mass of chard foliage, smothered under leaf mulch and grass clippings in the hot compost pile!

My beets are swarming with whitefly. I cleaned up the worst pale and dead foliage, doused them with soapy water, but need to go get some actual insecticide. In the next bed over, garlics have all fallen over, and scapes are reaching tall. But I don't think they're ready to pull yet. Not enough watering? Too much heat? 

I removed all the pea plants- saving some for next year's seed. Of the shelling peas, there was only enough for one meal. However, they were really good! Into those empty beds today I planted out the cowpeas (to grow up the trellis), bush beans (only two, the rest succumbed to heat and neglect while still in pots), two yellow summer squash, and a third of the amaranth 'calaloo' seedlings. The rest are still too small for transplanting. 

Then planted out on the sunny sideyard my few tithonias for the year. And I only have three cardinal climbers, which is sad. A few weeks ago my husband saw a hummingbird come by and scout around the deck. But my cardinal climbers weren't planted out, and I think the black and blue salvia isn't flowering yet either, so there was nothing here for it.

It is nice to still see the wrens, robins, sparrows, cardinals, blackbirds and grey catbirds busy around the yard and garden. And the skinks! They come upon the deck. I only have one cucumber plant that survived the period of neglect, it's in a deck pot. My carrots aren't doing too great in pots, they keep drying out if I am not able to get out and water. My sweet peas died. 

But I am glad that the rosemary and stevia survived the winter, and this year the fenugreek I planted is doing well. I have it by the sliding door to the deck and often bend to catch its scent when going in or out. Summer savory in the deck planters is doing great, and parsley- have been using both. Most of the herbs have come back well- thyme came through the winter indoors, sculpit and tarragon out in the garden have grown, I did plant one new sage because the old two didn't survive the transplant when I added broken rock to the perennial bed. And my green onions all failed. The older ones never regrew this year, I started a few new but they died.

I like the catmint (not same as catnip) in the garden, so this spring when I had to trim it back (sprawling all over into the space where collards grow) I stuck a bunch of cuttings into little water jars to try for new plants. I had over a dozen cuttings, but only three actually grew roots. The rest just got moldy. (I did change the water out, but probably not often enough). Those three got planted today too- two against the fence between the patch of joe pye weed and the row of shiso (which is looking nice). At least I think it's shiso. Maybe this year I'll get brave enough to try eating it. The third one I put also against the fence but in the back, between the yarrow (tall and floweirng now!) and my kinda sad camellia. 

It was nice to see a bright glitter of blue skittering around- the small brilliantly colored wasps that frequent my joe pye weed, and are predators of japanese beetles.

One of my jacob's ladder plants has grown so much, doubled in height! and it had the most beautiful sky-blue/violet flowers. But the other one is overshadowed by yellow salvia spreading out from under the skirts of hydrangea nearby. I thought it had died but found it getting smothered. Pulled out some of the salvia to give it room. I'm going to have to start thinning that stuff more.

That's my update.

spring planting

Carrots and beets are sprouting. Yesterday I planted out into the garden beds shelling peas, yellow snap peas, the collard greens and half the leeks (rest are too small yet). Today planted out the leaf beet chard, swiss chard, arugula, tatsoi and tokyo bekana. Those last two shown here, crowding their seedling tray. Pricked directly out into the ground.

Almost all the beds have something in them, now. And there's a lot more still to plant! But I hope to stagger some of it- tomatoes will go in where the lettuces are, green beans and squash into the beds that have snap peas, amaranth greens where the shelling peas are, and so on.

Delicate little true leaves emerging on my parsley and chervil seedlings. 

The overwintered tokyo bekana in greenhouse bolted- I emptied the pots to re-use. Greenhouse stands empty now ready for the next round of plants- tomatoes, peppers, marigolds, amaranth . . . 

There's a robin been frequenting the messy bed between the pannicle hydrangeas, where salvia and wild chrysanthemum are emerging from leaf litter. He sang short bursts and poked in the litter and eyed me, came pretty close after a while, just across the bit of grass from the garden bed where I worked. Cheering. Even better was to see the perky little wren flit about, I just saw and watched it for minutes. Wren makes me feel happy. There's a cardinal appears to be nesting in the large holly shrub. I can't wait for the return of catbirds, and the skinks.

chilly

Cold snap today. All my seedlings are tucked into the greenhouse.

My parsley is up! Tatsoi and peas pictured here- 

Collards getting bigger! In a few days when the freezing temps are past, I'll consider planting them out.

up quickly

Snap peas, shelling peas, tatasoi and tokyo bekana sprouted in just a few days. Tatsoi pictured.

garden pics from today-

Second round of blooms on my clematis. Not as many, but still pretty.

My rue is doing very nice 

and the Lovage has grown a lot since I moved it- 

but I don't see swallowtail caterpillars on either one. Did they already pupate? or their camouflage is just so good.

My tomatoes are doing so much better! They have good color now- all but one which has remained yellowish and smaller-

and are growing fast. I've already eaten a few single cherry tomatoes.

A few of the cardinal climbers have gone up the trellis, many are flowering 

and the what-is-it maybe a wild-reverted coleus next to one row is grown huge. Is this a plant I'll regret allowing to grow in the garden.

I didn't expect the turnip/rutabagas to look so lovely, but the foliage is huge, quite blue, and even has an attractive scent, like a nice collard.

The rest of that bed is pretty full. We've been eating the beets and turnips but I haven't started pulling carrots yet.

I started cutting down the peas, today. The golden snap peas first, as they are kinda unruly.

Last lot of plants to go in the garden! Only two pots didn't sprout.

before the heat

My golden snap peas grew taller and flopped over. I stuck bamboo poles on one side to hold them up. Pulled a handful of beets for eating today- and they're beautiful. Helped my kid plant out his herbs, and I planted one of the beds with the benne and amaranth 'calaloo'. Nasturtiums went into planter boxes on the deck railings, and peppers into larger pots to sit on the deck. I carefully disentangled the cardinal climbers from each other and set them in place alongside the new trellis- will put them in the ground tonight. I've had to do most of this in the early evening, when the day cools off, it's getting too hot otherwise. 

Still in pots to be planted out (or moved up to grow more): asters, hollyhock mallow (zebrina), tithonia, a half dozen stunted marigolds I'm not sure if it's worth the bother to find spots for them.

peas and greens

First little harvest of snap peas. The golden ones grow taller. The sugar snaps stay shorter and look a lot more tidy in the garden. I'm not sure if I can tell the difference in flavor.

I pulled out lots of things that have begun bolting in the heat today- cilantro and arugula from either side of the peas. Realized I could have easily sown another row of peas- three abreast instead of two. I think next year I'll do that instead of putting herbs on either side.

Pulled most of the lettuce from the greens bed. Composted half, put the bibb heads to chill in the fridge. Simpson slo-bolt still in the bed- must eat them this week though. Spacing worked out- the collards are twice as high and look like they have room to keep growing now. Left in the stumps of chinese cabbage down the middle- I see new tiny leaves sprouting so curious if they'll regrow.

spring garden

Some of the snap peas are appearing!

The two types grow different- one side of the bed they climbed taller than the other, one side has white flowers and the other side there's pale blue, violet and pink flowers. I forget which are the sugar snaps and which the golden snap peas, though.

The greens bed is still very full. The few tatsoi, and all the tokyo bekana, are bolting now. 

Seed pods on older tokyo bekana are getting nice and fat

I've been eating sandwiches of honey, peanut butter and lettuce to just use it up-

I could start eating young kale leaves, now-

My pink clematis is fading, but the purple one is glorious. 

Other view. The still-empty beds will have tomatoes, zucchini and maybe cucumbers, benne and cowpeas. I've not decided yet whether to keep the peppers in pots or plant in the garden.

Roots bed is growing well- here's the end with turnip-rutabagas, some carrots, golden beets

the middle section red beets and more carrots

the other end with turnips

Found another cicada among them

I've seen a swallowtail butterfly flitting among the ferny carrot leaves, and I knew what it was doing. Sure enough, here's a bunch of tiny black bumpy caterpillars.

Don't want them eating my carrots, so I moved some to the rue and lovage

yard and garden update

Already some of the tokyo bekana are bolting, and the tatsoi. The seed pods of older tokyo bek are getting fatter, I pulled most of the tatsoi but left three that are still shorter rosettes. Maybe if I save seed from those, my tatsoi will last a tad longer in the garden next spring. Sugar snap peas are flowering, so is the arugula (which we ate only twice, ha) and the purple clematis!

Over in the perennial bed, one of the columbines I grew up from seed last year, is blooming now. Pinkish.

Most of the transplanted ostrich ferns are okay- 

and here are two of the strawberry begonias

next to the 'chocolate' joe pye weed.

My rhodies on the back fence are starting to flower-

and the older rose of sharons have grown twice as much. It looks clear through the fence behind them, because it is. My neighbors have cleared small trees and brush from most of their yard, making it all lawn right up to the edge. I suppose they like open spaces, or maybe are afraid of ticks (good reason). And here I'm trying to fill my yard with plants, ha.