Harvest Monday 4/30

Finally into the spring planting, even got some rain on Wednesday.  Have been working on expanding the garden, put more potatoes in as well as more corn, beans, pumpkin, and cucs.  Have been harvesting spinach, lettuce, peas, beans, strawberries, a few oranges, and lots of herbs. The weather has been pretty warm, all of the greens are bolting.  The little farmer's have making fairy houses, now if they could just make them a little bigger.

My two helpers.

The citrus may be gone but the Loquat tree, pictured below, is getting ready to explode.  TPW has plans for lots and lots of jam.  Can't wait for the peaches to ripen.  Now it's a race againts the squirrles to see who will get them first.

I think that everyone is pretty much done with the turnips.  Every time I bring them in their eyes bug out of their heads!

We have been getting 3-4 berries a day, usually they don't make it inside, don't know how these guys slipped by the boys?  Getting a few carrots a week, however TPW informed me they are to bitter?  Oh well, more for us.

Harvest Monday 4/23

Still pulling some citrus off of the trees, probably only a few more weeks.  Things have been heating up out here, literally.  Hit 99 on Saturday, 95 Friday and Sunday.  Good for the seeds germinating, bad for the animals.  Speaking of the animals, we have a chicken that is brooding, if you have any experience, please post!!  Other than that lots of harvesting going on, spinach, beets, turnips, lettuce, and peas.  Have been putting all kinds of seeds in the ground as well as a few new plants. 

Both volunteers that have recently opened up, I'm amazed that the chickens didn't get these little guys.

Four new colors of Iris, TPW counted ten different colors in all.  The picture below is a view of a few.

Put in Tomatillo's this year, we'll see?

 Got some great advice from a post last week.  I had run into a problem of not enough space, one reader said, clear more space.  See picture below, cleared a small section.  Now what to plant?

The littlest farmer brought home two corn plants from school and asked "Why don't we have corn?"  Good question.  I put in three different varities of sweet corn.  The picture on the right is the first corn seed to poke it's little head up.  The left is the inspiration.

 

Herb section of the garden, still have a small section to plant.

Harvest Monday 4/16

Big week, we had rain on both Wednesday and Friday, both giving just over an inch.  Have been harvesting a lot of beets, turnips, lettuce, spinach.  wildflowers are up in force, and citrus are heavy with potential fruit.  Have been planting seeds: corn, pumpkin, squash, tomato, pepper, dill, radish.

Forgot to take the before picture, here's the after. I figure that I have 3-4 more weeks worth of juice on the Navel and Valencia trees. 

This morning I got a bucket of turnips.  As I stated in an earlier post, I went way overboard with turnips this year.  However, TPW made some great turnip soup.  Think carrot soup, but with turnips.  Pretty good.

 Carrots have been slow coming, as have the strawberries.  We got a nice fat one this morning, but before I could snap a pic it was gone

 Two new iris opening up, the one on the bottom is a dark purple, it's going to be awesome when it opens!

Had some extra cement from a project that we did last week, if you tilt your head to the left, it's straight.

One of the first flowers on the tomatoes

pineapple guava

Harvest Monday 4/9

Have been doing a lot of harvesting this past week.  Almost got  my summer crops in the ground, but the winter greens just keep on hanging on.  TPW has been cooking a lot of beets, as well as beet salad.  Turnips are almost gone, might not plant as many next year.  Looks like we might get some rain mid week and then again at the end, late in the season, but I'll take it.  Still getting lots of peas and herbs.

Two first and a last.  Got my first carrot, I can't believe it!  Seems like it has been forever since I put the seeds in.  We cut it up into spears and enjoyed it.  Also first strawberry, again cut up into 4 small pieces and enjoyed.  If all goes well, I just might get enough berries to have a bowl full.  Last Mandarin of the season, however all citrus have lots of flowers on them.

Saved up eggs all week so that we could use them for Easter.

 Just a few of the different varieties of Iris that are planted.

Started the summer planting, below are the rows, box, and trashcan of potatoes.  Have never tried them but figured I would give them a go.  French fries and hash browns could be in the future?

                                          Lemon cucumber and Straight Eight seeds planted, with the leafy greens in the background.

Harvest Monday 4/2

Spring is here, things are growing and I should be happy.  However this is a hard time for me as I am not ready to pull the winter crop, but I want to get my tomatoes in.  Every year it seems to take me longer to get the winter greens out and the summer crop in, and every year I say that I am going to organize my planting so that I can enjoy lettuce into June and have tomatoes to go with it.  Maybe next year? Made it out to Tomatomania this weekend at Descanso Gardens, picked up some pretty cool heirloom varieties.  Still getting oranges, Mandarin, Navel and Valencia, as well as Grapefruit, lemons and avocados.  Made a trip over to my brother’s place, his neighbor has two avocado trees that put mine to shame.  Came home with about 40 avos. 

Took this load of lettuce to the youngest farmers school.  It was fun giving it out, people first kind of look at me like really, for free.  Then they ask where did you get it? They seem pretty shocked that I grew it, not sure why.

Went up to the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens native plant sale.  Got some great plants.  We removed a Chinese Elm and have opened up a pretty big area.  Toyon bush in the shadow. 

 Recycled stone for a planter around out Apricot tree.  I might add a few more layers, then back fill it.
















Starting to pull out the lettuce that has gone to flower.  Still lots of spinach, cilantro, beets, radish and turnip.

Trying potatoes this year.  I have rows, as well as the wood frame that I will add to as the plant grows and I am going to try them in a trash can.  We'll see?  The boys have set up a watch post at the gate to the garden so that whenever I try to sneak out they can attack me and force me to feed them spinach and oranges.  I guess it could be worse?

 

Finally finished the coup, its more of a chicken run.

I know that in the last post I said that I do not like roses, but the first 2 or 3 blooms are awesome.