Thursday, June 21, 2007

What's Growin' On: 6/21/07


Flowering Radishes In The Garden

Realization Of The Day:
I need to put up something here--anything. Even if it is just a picture of a couple of little radish flowers.

I have no idea how it got to be the first day of summer already. It seems like just last week I was covering up plants in the greenhouse and fretting about that nasty hard freeze in April. Okay, maybe not last week. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the flurry of passing time--and unflurry of activity in your garden--know that you're not alone.

I started InMyKitchenGarden.com in March 2006 as a personal online gardening journal, a sort of side dish to Farmgirl Fare, my food and farm blog, that would hopefully help me keep better track of my efforts in the garden. Last year was a definite success. It's wonderful to be able to look back at all the growings-on, especially since I have to admit I've already forgotten many of the details.

I'm also a little in awe. How in the world did I have time to not only do so much in the garden, but document it all as well? Lambing Season 2007, my biggest and busiest yet, had something to do with it I know, but that excuse only lasts so long. And it ended quite a while ago.

Nearly every day I've taken photos of the garden, had all sorts of realizations, and written up dozens of blog posts in my head. But they must have been rootbound because none of them ever made it as far as my typing fingers.

I consider myself incredibly behind in the garden this year (I actually bought tomato and pepper plants for the first time since I've lived in the country!), but at the same time, a lot has been happening.

In early March I seeded an entire 4' x 8' raised bed with spinach and had my best crop ever, harvesting scrumptious baby leaves for at least a month and a half.

I spent weeks and weeks picking all sorts of gorgeous lettuces that had so much flavor I often found myself shaking my head in disbelief.

I grew two types of radishes, ate my fill sliced in salads, then waited until there was enough to use in a recipe for braised radishes a Farmgirl Fare reader had suggested, prepped the harvest, and promptly forgot about it in the refrigerator--then learned that even baby chicks will turn up their beaks at aged radishes.

I put in a new strawberry bed.

I foolishly planted seeds of my two of my favorite varieties of skinny little bush beans in late March, Straight'N'Narrow and Masai, which all sprouted (something that rarely happens for one reason or another) and then all promptly froze to death, despite my covering them with floating row covers and old bedsheets.

I just got around to re-planting both types of beans this past week.

I did, and am still doing, a lot of bizarre experimenting, mostly due to running late and laziness.

I succeeded in having Swiss chard either ready to pick or in the fridge ready to be eaten almost every single day of last fall, winter, and spring.

I totally forgot to start any basil seeds.

I stopped long enough to notice just how pretty tiny radish flowers are.

I finally put up something on my long neglected garden blog.

It should only get easier from here. Happy first day of summer. And a big hello to all the new readers and e-mail subscribers.

Coming Up:
--How to grow your own gourmet lettuce--it's easier than you might think!
--How to grow Swiss chard from seed & why you should, plus two original Swiss chard recipes I'm now addicted to.
--More regularly scheduled posts--I hope.

17 comments:

  1. I know you are a busy woman but I'm thrilled you are writing here again. Your blogs are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am amazed you find time to blog at all. I get tired just reading about your life!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Glad to see you! I feel behind in the garden, too. Haven't started any beans yet and hoping it isn't too late!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm glad you're writing again, I was worried you'd abandoned the blog! But, then, I went a month without posting on my blog, too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Glad to have you writing again. My husband and I are working to someday buy some property that will host a variety of gardens. I'm learning alot from reading your blog. If you can, sometime, post a picture or write about the general layout of your gardens. Are they all raised, side by side, in one general area? Just curious.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What's up stranger?

    Thought I was going to have to go through this gardening season without the inspiration of everything going on at the farm! FRIGHT!

    Ok, I know, you say garden-ish things on the *other* blog, but still.

    Not to freak you out, but how are those berry bushes looking?

    Muhuahahahaha! It's almost blackberry picking time...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ohh, your blog always makes me hungry! I am without even a small plot of dirt right now, and for the first time in years, have no garden. But reading your posts inspires me so much that I feel the need to go and fuss over my windowsil herbs. Thank you for your beautiful accounts; I so look forward to new posts!

    ReplyDelete
  8. So glad you posted on IMKG, FarmGirl! I love to see what you're doing in your Missouri garden, which I bet is doing much better than most Georgia gardens right now. This drought is killer.

    (But my five heirloom tomato plants are doing well. Fish/seaweed fertilizer ROCKS!)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey, life happens. I'm going through the same thing. This year for the first time EVER, I bought tomato plants rather than grow them from seed. The same with my basil, beans and peas. I haven't started anything at all and I'm feeling guilty about it, but there just hasn't been time this year. Hopefully the tomatoes will do fine and I can get some of the other stuff in late and still have something come up before summer is over. As for the basil, grow it in pots and you'll have it any time!
    We've missed you!
    kath

    ReplyDelete
  10. It sounds like you've been incredibly busy. Looking forward to hearing more about that gourmet lettuce. I love the summer if for nothing else, for my garden.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Glad to see you posting here again. I look forward to hearing about your Swiss chard recipes.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  12. good to see a new post here, though I've often wondered how you manage it all?! I forgot to plant basil, too, and bought my peppers and tomatoes for the first time in years. Must be something in the air.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I was wondering if you'd get back to us dirt and veggie people. The chicken, cat and sheep people have had too much of your attention!

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's great to see what people grow in kitchen gardens in the US. Here in London,England. It doesn't seem much different. I loved reading your blog, I have put a link to mine! I'm looking forward to your Swiss Chard ideas. I grow lots, it's a lifesaver in the Winter months.

    ReplyDelete
  15. You made me feel so much better to know you are still putting stuff in this late - me too! Where does the time go?

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm a new reader and gardener--love your blog! I blog under a similiar name--sorry I didn't know your's was out there...
    about swiss chard--my favorite green...do you think it would be possible to freeze it--I have so much!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm looking forward to your post on how to grow lettuce. I planted some and it came up and I harvested some, but it stayed so small it was hardly worth eating.

    ReplyDelete

March 2013 update: My apologies for the inconvenience - I know word verification is a pain - but I've had to turn it on to help stop the ridiculous number of anonymous spam comments I've been getting every day. Thanks for your understanding.

Welcome to InMyKitchenGarden.com! Thanks so much for taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love to hear about what's going on in your own garden. I know, too, that other readers also delight in reading about your garden successes, failures, helpful tips, and lessons learned. Feel free to leave comments on older posts!

I try my best to answer all questions, but sometimes it takes me a few days to get to them. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your visits to my kitchen garden!