Technically this isn’t the time for pruning raspberries (major pruning is best done late winter/early spring).
But if you find your self in an over grown patch of berries I’d like to give you some tips.
Jun 262012
Jun 172012
Despite my dogs best efforts my fig tree has begun to flourish! I planted it back in March and shared my adventures in Fig Planting. It’ planted in the rhubarb bed that I tried my best to disperse (but failed). I dug out four huge plants but ran out of room and couldn’t find unsuspecting people anyone to give some too. So the fig tree has been fighting off the rhubarb. I’ve been helping by pulling all the stalks that cover the leaves.
Google+ This is what it looked like then:
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| see the little rhubarb stubs? much bigger now… |
Jun 022012
Another garden project! This was originally a guest post over on White Lights on Wednesday but I thought I’d share it over here too.
Google+  |
| See that tiny plant in the pot? That horseradish is now 1.5 feet tall! What a difference a month makes |
May 312012
I’m going to tell you something you already know. I have a problem with ‘control’ when it comes to buying seeds. Actually, I don’t think it’s a problem. But some people do. You know what? That’s their problem.Ahem. So by some standards I went overboard.
I bought (approximately) 10 types of squash and 3 melons.
I went with my old standby, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
Seriously? Their catalog is like vegetable porn.
I dare you to flip through one without digging up your lawn for seeds you haven’t bought yet.
Google+ I bought (approximately) 10 types of squash and 3 melons.
I went with my old standby, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
Seriously? Their catalog is like vegetable porn.
I dare you to flip through one without digging up your lawn for seeds you haven’t bought yet.
Back to me, as my regular readers might have realized, I’m getting married this fall. I’m incredibly lucky to have childhood friends who own a pumpkin farm, we’ve already discussed ‘renting’ pumpkins to dress up the barn we’ll be using for the reception.
Even with that to fall back on I knew I still wanted to grow some of my own stuff. That way I don’t have to bug my friends to write 9-29-12 on a dozen pumpkins (do you know how hard it is to find one pumpkin in 5 acres of pumpkins? That is assuming the deer didn’t eat it).
So after some random clicking and info-hunting* this is what I ended up with:
(all pictures and descriptions from Baker Creek)
95 days (C. maxima) Our friend, Mac Condill, found this great squash in Cape Town, South Africa. Originally from Australia, this variety first came to the USA in the early 1930s. Stunning, turban-shaped fruit are light blue in color and weigh about 12 lbs. The flesh is bright orange, sweet, and of good quality. Great for pies, baking, and soups. Blue squash can be traced back for more than 150 years in Australia and are among the best for eating.
(I just like the shape and color, no real insight here) Continue reading »
May 282012
This weekend marks the real start of garden season here in Central New York. I’ve had tomatoes out on the deck for almost a month (where I could bring them into the house when the temperature tanked) but now it’s finally time to tuck those babies into beds.
Despite my best intentions I ended up with 14 pepper plants and six basil seedlings (beds space isn’t ready for the tomatoes yet, lets not count those!) that needed to get planted. While I was rummaging around the garage for a trowel I found my bulb planted.
It worked so well I had to share! Continue reading »
Google+WW: Around the Garden
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May 232012
It’s been a busy week so far (but when isn’t it?) so here are some old garden updates I never got around to posting
The two mullberry trees (here when we moved in!) are covered in little spiky baby mulberies
Concord grape vine seems unaffected by my heavy pruning, lets hope we get the fruit before the chickens do!
The new currant bushes have a few flowers here and there. I’m making some deer-deterring cages later this week and I’ll be sharing them soon.
Make sure you stop back tomorrow! Party goes live at 4 pm EST
May 152012
Welcome to Part one of my Frugal Gardening series!
When we moved in there was one sad, sad garden in the front of the house. Of course I immediately decided that I needed to turn my entire property into a BHG-worthy garden paradise.
Unfortunately I’ve yet to win the lottery.
For those of you not familiar with landscaping, it can get really expensive, really fast. Especially with perennials and shrubbery.
I’ve put together a few tips that I’ll be sharing over the next few weeks on frugal gardening.
This tip may sound misleading.
After all, shouldn’t big plants cost more?
Yes, but…
The key is to buy one big plant that can be divided into several small ones. Continue reading »
May 112012
It seems like everywhere I go I see tomato plants.
I told my self I wouldn’t be growing tomatoes this year, we don’t have the garden space (yet) and there are several places around here with U-Pick tomatoes.But then something in the air (anyone else love the smell of tomato leaves? Smells like summer to me!) made me bring home these guys:
Google+ I told my self I wouldn’t be growing tomatoes this year, we don’t have the garden space (yet) and there are several places around here with U-Pick tomatoes.But then something in the air (anyone else love the smell of tomato leaves? Smells like summer to me!) made me bring home these guys:
A six pack of Roma Tomatoes.
A little leggy but nothing hard to fix.
Rhubarb Muffin Failure and some Rhubarb Tips
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Apr 282012
I’ve got tons of rhubarb around my house.
I dug up and divided 4 plants and the 3 remaining ones are still providing enough for a small country.
I dug up and divided 4 plants and the 3 remaining ones are still providing enough for a small country.
I love cooking with rhubarb. It’s very tart and has a unique flavor. It’s very rare to eat something with rhubarb that isn’t full of sugar or other fruits. It actually bakes with a texture similar to apples.
Some Rhubarb Tips:
*When picking, pull out and down to remove the stalks, don’t cut
*Pick stalks thicker than your thumb, leave the small ones to fuel the roots for next year
*Pull off the flower ‘balls’ when they appear, there is no need to let the plants make seed
*Don’t bother with a knife. Use scissors to cut the rhubarb into pieces
*DON’T EAT THE LEAVES
*Don’t discriminate – Green and Speckled varieties are just as good as red stalked types
*Do: Eat Rhubarb
On to the failure:
Last year I made a delicious sour cream rhubarb cake.
It was amazing.
I decided to try a similar recipe for sour cream rhubarb muffins.
Only I tried to use yogurt instead of sour cream and replaced the white sugar with honey.
Giant Chunks of Rhubarby Goodness
Unfortunately my rhubarb muffins failed to… rise to my expectations.
I think they were too liquidy due to the substitutions, plus I over filled the muffin tin.
They were yummy though!
You can see all the thick slices of rhubarb after they baked.
Give Your Flowers a Boost
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Apr 222012
I L-O-V-E having cut flowers in the house.
In the spring I’ve always got daffodils, tulips and lilacs in the house.
If I don’t pick them, the ducks will eat them!
So I pick them.
In the spring I’ve always got daffodils, tulips and lilacs in the house.
If I don’t pick them, the ducks will eat them!
So I pick them.
But it doesn’t always work out for me:
Sometimes the stems break off too short and it’s not a good look.
I set out to solve my problem and I thought I’d share.
All you need is a stick (I’d imagine a straw would work really well) and some string.
You can buy flower picks that are basically wire attached to sticks.
But I like the more-or-less free DIY versio.
Make sure you add enough water to reach the stem.
Like the new spring colors? The buffet is almost done and I’ll be sharing ASAP
