I'd put off tidying up the garden vegetable plot until I could bear the sight of the mess no more. I'd ignored it since mid September and so it had got fairly weedy and ragged. The tomatoes were long over, killed by frost and blight and the beans were gone too. All the potatoes had been harvested and the peas were out months before. . .
In February I posted about the grelos seeds I got in Santiago de Compostela.
Well this is the grelos crop I've got from an August sowing and it has grown a lot more than I expected. It's a bit untidy looking and lacks the impact of other winter vegetables like sprouts and the blistered leaves of black tuscan kale have. But I didn't have to thin or transplant it so it was easy to grow. . . .
This past week has been a blur of events at work that left me in Burlington at the close of the work day yesterday afternoon. Until I dropped off a passenger in Montpelier on the way home and he wished me a good weekend, I wasn't even tuned in to the fact the week was over. Some weeks are like this, and that's why I enjoy gardening a whole lot more. . . .
I know that just about the last thing on anyones mind in December is gardening, no matter where you live. But just in case you need to get outdoors...
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to gardening
on Nov 30, 2007, 8:19PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening on 2007-12-02, 00:36:16
If you’re like me and have noticed a big drop in the number of spam posts on your blog in the last few days, this is probably why.
The FBI in the US estimates 1.3 million computers were infected with a virus and under the control of a New Zealand teenager. These computers were apparently used among other things to spam blogs.
INTRODUCING SIR's FIRST MAJOR MOTION PICTURE Sir would make a fetching hood ornament, don't you think?
Here's what happened. He was pigging out on so much birdseed, I had to move the feeder to a less accessible location. Sir arrived this morning right on schedule to discover his beloved feeder was not in its proper place. Instead, he was faced with the peanut feeder (pictured above): a device which frustrates him to no end. He can smell the peanuts but there is no way he can get to them. Hush, now. It's not that cruel. Really. The little furry man loves a good challenge. . . .
I'm participating in the Garden Blogger Seed exchange that Colleen organized and I was so thrilled to see that Trudi from wintersown.org had posted an offer to choose tomato seeds. I love tomatoes! Remember??. . .
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to seeds
Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to seeds on 2007-12-02, 00:35:12
This looks interesting:
Brooklynites know better than anyone the havoc that development can wreak on a habitat. So on Saturday, Dec. 8, the Kentler International Drawing Space in Red Hook will host an artist’s talk on “Observing the Edge,” the...
I heard this on Idaho Public Television the other night, at the end of Idaho Edens. It took my breath away. First, because I have loved e e cummings since high school. Second, because it fits so beautifully into my world view.
Love is a place
love is a place
& through this place of
love move
(with brightness of peace)
all places
yes is a world
& in this world of
yes live
(skilfully curled)
all worlds
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to whimsy
on Dec 1, 2007, 3:00AM
Posted by Mary Ann Reblogged by Old Roses to whimsy on 2007-12-02, 00:33:53
The personal phone call hasn’t come just yet. But it will. When they realize they need my help. Idaho Gardener. Yes, I can garden the entire state if someone would just ask me. No job too small. We need 2 MILLION pounds of sagebrush seeds. They are “smaller than cracked pepper.”. . .
reBlogged
to seeds
on Nov 30, 2007, 1:59PM
Posted by Mary Ann Reblogged by Old Roses to seeds on 2007-12-02, 00:33:42
Now that the hardscape , pond and pergola are in place it's time to address the very important structure of the garden - the " bones ". Just as your bones play an important role in holding your body together so do the evergreen and deciduous shrubs and trees in the garden. . . .
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to design
Posted by Carolyn gail Reblogged by Old Roses to design on 2007-12-02, 00:33:14
Skippy's getting his long winter coat now. Good timing.
That's the last of my garden parsley in front of him. The kale is to his left - and is just about ready for a good bowl of Portuguese kale soup. Yummy. That's about all thats still edible in my garden now. This past week I harvested the beets and escarole. The frozen peas are just above Skippy's head. They bloomed, but didn't produce any peas before the temperature fell. The chard and broccoli also froze before producing a harvest. I'll keep this timing in mind for next years plantings.
Our weather forecast is a little hard to believe right now. Six inches of snow are predicted for Sunday night. Its only early December. We didn't get that much snow all winter last year. Well, we'll see if it really comes and how long it lasts.
Just when I was going to give myself a good pat on the back for getting my spring bulbs in, I remembered that there are bulbs around the Redspire Pear (that is coming down).....There are Mondragon and Ice Follies Daffodils, plus several nice clumps of Cream Beauty Crocus. Okay, I could probably stand to lose the Ice Follies Daffodils, but really, the others are quite nice, so...weather permitting, I'll get to those very soon. . . .
Sara’s flower garden and my vegetable patch are mostly history. An incredibly cold Arctic air mass has descended on British Columbia, so our poor plants look frail and frozen. The ones that we haven’t yet cut or pulled out, that is. . . .
reBlogged
to flowers vegetables
Posted by Tim Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers, vegetables on 2007-12-02, 00:31:37
Our latest article in the Washington Examiner is out today. Read the article online here (Real Estate section - November 30 2007 edition - page 26) - or grab the print version at the red street boxes around town today. It is on Gifts for Gardeners -- and of course that list includes a gift subscription to Washington Gardener Magazine. :-) We send your giftee the current issue and a personalized gift charge - just attach a note to your order letting us know what you would like it to say. For those at a loss for words, we usually just say "Happy Gardening!" and at this time of year we add a "Happy Holidays!" You can fill out a gift subscription order online here or just send a check for $20 with your order details to Washington Gardener Magazine, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring MD 20910. As long as we get it by December 20, we can get it to your giftee by Christmas.
Mineral deficiency. No one wants that - it weakens the plant and makes it vulnerable to other diseases and pests. If you grow stuff in containers or hydrocultures it's particurlary important to be able to diagnose it, since you can't count on Mother Earth to provide what's needed via the soil. And since Mother Earth sometimes can be pretty tight-fisted I think we all can benefit from this homepage
I am glad I looked up this plant up before posting as I have always called it Senecio. A little warning on this plant is that it spreads rapidly, almost a little too much so. I have been corralling it right from the start and have enjoyed the cultivation of this groundcover. I haven’t propagated any in the last couple of years but previously I dug up some of the edges and planted them in some very inhospitable places and the funny thing was this plant loved it. In one spot I planted it in rocks and a few really big Oak trees and while that slowed its spread down a little it has done nicely (it is in pretty heavy shade). I was very happy to have something growing in that area. They also are growing in a very moist area that gets wet when the water table is high. That is the patch these pictures are from. . . .
This is probably the latest Gardener's Bloom Day post ever. It's only just made it into the right month. But I've just been busy. So here's what's been blooming on the balcony since the 15th.
Cyclamen probably aren't much of a surprise, and nor will these little pansies be. Babies of course, but they're already putting out their fair share of blooms. . . .
reBlogged
to flowers
Posted by Sue Swift Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2007-12-02, 00:29:46
It may be nearly December, but I'm still harvesting 'Rainbow' Swiss chard, 'Sungold' tomatoes, and 'Gold Rush' zucchini from the garden. They make a great stir-fry, along with Amy's Apple & Gouda Cheese chicken sausages. Yum... and yes, I'm trying to do a little damage control for holiday wickedness.
reBlogged
to harvest recipes
on Nov 30, 2007, 3:54PM
Posted by Angela Reblogged by Old Roses to harvest, recipes on 2007-12-02, 00:28:04
The garlic beds are performing as expected. Despite my careful inspection at planting time, the Montana Giants, a good sized rocambole, are sporting a few doubles. I dug them up, split them and replanted them. I felt a bit like a Siamese twin surgeon as I split the cloves ... but near the bottom all became clear as each sprout had its own individual root system. I was glad to see the roots had already wrapped themselves around big chunks of nutritional compost. This could be a good year indeed. . . .
reBlogged
to garlic
Posted by Leslie Reblogged by Old Roses to garlic on 2007-12-02, 00:27:23
Marie Iannotti's "Twelve Days of Christmas" from the garden features "easy to make gift ideas using dried herbs, flowers and foliage from the garden." About's Gardening Guide allays the fears...
reBlogged
to whimsy
on Nov 30, 2007, 12:04AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to whimsy on 2007-12-02, 00:26:57
Monthly Mean CO2 for the Past 50 Years. Credit: NOAA
This simple graph of the Mauna Loa Carbon Dioxide Record documents a 0.53 percent or two parts per million per year increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide since 1958. This gas alone is...
Sometimes, I get frustrated waiting for my plants to reach full size. Maturity takes time and requires patience. I recently encountered someone who has a completely different problem -- her plants grow too fast!
Aside from my mint and my weeds, nothing seems to grow fast enough for me. Visit La Gringa, an American transplant in Honduras and find out how the other half lives.
Every flower gardener has issues and questions about things in their garden, that they go around and around about... for better or worse, a lot of mine are documented in some detail in this blog. Take the issue of identifying my fall-blooming snowdrop; it's a minor problem (how could it be otherwise with a plant all of four inches tall), but a vexing one. . . .
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to snowdrop
Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to snowdrop on 2007-12-02, 00:24:08
Surely the most magnificent site in many Australian gardens at the moment is the beautiful Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta). The flowers can only be described as 'deep gold', definitely not yellow, and they are quite magnificent, especially as they can grow into quite large trees.
reBlogged
to trees
Posted by Alice Reblogged by Old Roses to trees on 2007-12-02, 00:16:31
via THE VILLAGE VOICE on 1969-12-31, 19:00:00
