Thursday, June 3, 2010

Garden Snapshots - Part II

volunteer grain
Volunteer grain: I like the look and utility of straw mulch. The down side is that you do end up with some stray seeds that germinate before the birds get to them. Unlike some weeds, they are very easy to pull but then you do miss a few.

Top Hat Blueberry
My miniature Top Hat blueberry bush is setting fruit despite the fact that I don't have a second plant for it to cross-pollinate with. Hopefully the birds don't get to it before I get around to purchasing some netting.

thai basil
After weeks of doing nothing, the Thai basil is finally starting to grow a bit.

sweet corn
The rabbits are starting to take notice of my corn. How can something so cute be so annoying?!

Spacemaster cukes
The Spacemaster cukes are starting to flower. I have mighty expectations for this variety. Hopefully it won't disappoint.

purple tomatilloes
The purple tomatilloes are starting to flower as well. I only have 2 plants this year but have heard that they can be prolific producers.

oregano
Oregano - I don't think I'll have shortage of herbs this summer.

marvel of the seasons lettuce
Marvel of the Seasons lettuce - I had a terrible time trying to start lettuce from seeds this year. This is one out of a lucky handful that didn't damp off.

Imperical Artichoke 2
Imperial Artichoke - All five of my plants are doing well but growing very slowly. I should have moved them to a sunnier spot in the garden. Too late now!

ground cherry
Ground Cherries - Finally, after weeks of doing nothing, my ground cherries are starting to grow again. Some are even beginning to set fruit. Hopefully they will produce well into the fall this year.

22 comments:

  1. Thomas, have I ever told you your photography is breathtaking? You and Dan should team up and do gardening magazine/catalog photography.

    I had problems with germination of some of my lettuce varieties...which is probably a good thing, as my refrigerator is so full of lettuce there's no room for much of anything else! If all I planted had actually grown, it would have displaced us from our home ;-)

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  2. Thomas you really are gifted with a green thumb. Everything is just beautiful and looks happy and healthy. Good work my friend!

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  3. I grew tomatillo last year for the first time and was amazed how delicious and prolific they were. It was a salsa verde summer. Yours look great.

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  4. I had a blueberry plants, but they died. I think they are very specific about ph values in soil. Your blueberries are beautiful. It’s interesting that they have self-pollinated.

    I am happy to see that at the end you did get some lettuce growing.

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  5. I love the marvel of the seasons lettuce photograph!

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  6. It's all looking very good Thomas ...good enough to eat!!

    I notice that you've planted everything much closer together than I do. I think I'm terribly British in my planting style - it's all straight lines and large spacings, although I've been a bit radical and planted my courgettes and squashes in amongst my sweetcorn this year! :)

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  7. Go get that netting. Go get it NOW! As soon as they start turning color the birds will attack like there's no tomorrow.

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  8. The picture of your lettuce is beautiful! Some critter ate my blueberry bushes last year....now they are about 2" high! Two of the first batch of my artichokes are a little bit bigger then yours. I'm not sure how big they should be right now. This is my third year TRYING to grow them.

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  9. I just adore your garden. Everything looks so healthy. Your photo skills are great too! Thanks for sharing your talents with us.

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  10. My ground cherries and artichokes look just like yours! Kind of nice to have that reassurance when growing something new, LOL! Something really likes my ground cherries though, holes all over them. I gave my friend here in town 2 of my artichoke seedlings, and hers are like 4 feet tall right now, mine are like 9 inches?????? Can't figure it out!

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  11. Wow, your cucumbers are flowering at an early stage.

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  12. I agree with AG, your photos are gorgeous!

    I figure it is time to tell you if I have not already, that 'mystery seed' I sent you way back when is Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry. :)

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  13. Kelly - I figured they were! Thanks again!

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  14. Erin - You should ask her what she's been feeding them! I'd love to know!

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  15. you know what? I kind of forced her to garden, LOL... when I go over there I usually see steak knives (that's what she uses to dig holes with) and empty pop ice wrappers her kids leave in the garden... that's the kind of gardener she is... I'll call and say "how's the garden"? She'll look out the window and say "it's still there"... so I guess she is feeding them melted popsicles and no water, LOL!

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  16. Blueberries grow wild all over our area by Blue Hills Reservation in eastern Mass. so I wouldn't be surprised if your's were being pollinated by that means.

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  17. That is a beautiful shot of the grain. Annoying isn't the word for those darn bunnies, they are bad, bad, bad. . . Last year they just wouldn't stop eating my edamame until it was all gone. Funny how they zeroed in on that one thing in the garden. Two purple tomatillo plants produced more fruit than I could handle last year, prolific indeed.

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  18. Our artichokes have been in the ground for at least a month and haven't changed a bit until i notices the leaves getting serrated a bit and then last night one of the plants had mysteriously doubled in size. Some plants seem to be slow starters.

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  19. That red lettuce is cool! My basil is taking ages to grow as well. Some things really test ones patients :-)

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  20. I tasted ground cherries for the first time last summer, they are so good. I didn't see any at the greenhouses this summer, I guess I will have to order from a catalog.

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  21. Thomas, I LOVE your garden. The peas look so delicious. Hoping to start my own garden patch when I retire in two years (and counting).

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  22. Wonderful shots, Thomas! The groundcheries would produce in abundance when the temperature is warm here, but they hate dry soil and respond immediately.
    One great thing about them is they recover back if watered unlike the beans!
    Lovely berries! I'm looking forward to sowing seeds here...

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