I had some time, I had some seeds, so I decided to sow those seeds for a fall harvest in my vegetable garden. I put them all in one bed, the bed where squash plants met an early demise at the first sign of those awful squash bugs. By putting them all together in one bed, I figured I could cover them easily enough if we had an early frost. But we didn't have an early frost. In fact, we've only had one morning where there was even a hint of frost. Overall, the weather has been mild all fall and … [Read more...] about I had some time, I had some seeds
vegetable gardening
The Ritual of Shelling Peas
I've picked peas from my little pea patch twice this week. Then I sat down and shelled out the peas. I shelled out about three quarts of peas from the first picking and about two quarts of peas from the second picking. If you've ever grown shelling peas, or English peas as some call them, you know it takes a bit of time to shell out that many peas. And there is no way to hurry it up. Well, there is one way. Someone once told me they cooked their peas in the pods and then shelled them … [Read more...] about The Ritual of Shelling Peas
The Great Tomato Question: Seeds or Plants?
A 'German Johnson' tomato almost ready to pick Now is the time to answer The Great Tomato Question. Should I start my tomato plants from seeds or buy tomato plants at the garden center? I've done both. If I start my tomato plants from seeds, the world is my oyster, or rather my tomato. With just a few clicks on the Internet I can order seeds for the exact varieties of tomatoes I want to grow. I can grow old favorites, like 'German Johnson'. I can grow heirloom tomatoes. I can grow … [Read more...] about The Great Tomato Question: Seeds or Plants?
Why I’m a No Show for the Kale, Cabbage, Cauliflower and Broccoli Club
Kale is a popular vegetable these days. Everywhere you go, people are clucking about how good it is for you. I see it in salads in restaurants and who doesn't like a little kale mixed in with their smoothies? Cabbage and broccoli? Close cousins of kale, they are quite good for you, too. Oh and don't forget one of the best of the family, cauliflower. I do love cauliflower. They are all cole crops, as some old-timers refer to them. No, not cool crops, though they do grow best in cool … [Read more...] about Why I’m a No Show for the Kale, Cabbage, Cauliflower and Broccoli Club
It’s the soil temperature that matters
I stood in the doorway and zoomed in to take this picture It's the soil temperature that matters when one is deciding if it is time to sow seeds in the garden for cool season crops including peas, radishes, lettuce, spinach, etc. For peas especially, the soil temperature should be 40F or higher, preferably just a tiny bit higher, for them to germinate. So how does one determine if the soil temperature is 40F or higher? One uses a soil thermometer. I was going to use my soil thermometer … [Read more...] about It’s the soil temperature that matters
In one month…
In one month, give or take a day or two, I'll be out in the garden planting peas. I know it doesn't seem possible that it will be warm enough to sow peas in a month, given today's high temp of around 7F and the snow that blankets the ground right now. But it is always this way. No one will believe me when I tell them in mid February I'll be out planting pea seeds in a month, right on St. Patrick's Day. I believe me, of course, because I grew up with a father who gardened, who knew when to … [Read more...] about In one month…
