Raab and rapine in the garden

I had some brassica drama within the last month in the garden. A few weeks ago I noticed some gray stuff on my broccoli raab. I washed it off, sauteed the tips and leaves in some garlic and chili flakes, and ate it. No problem. A week later that gray stuff was all over the broccoli raab. Looking closer I saw grayish green tiny bugs all over the poor traumatized plants. Bye bye broccoli raab. I ripped it all up, threw it out and proceeded to inspect the rest of the garden.

The imperialist bastards had colonies everywhere! All my brassicas had been affected. The collards, broccoli, and cauliflower were hit hard, but the largest malefaction was perpetrated on the mustard greens and kale. They were completely covered and unsaveable. I ripped out the greens, but on the advice of a fellow gardener I cut the kale down to stumps. I picked the damaged leaves off the rest of the plants, squished a lot of bugs, and took a leaf home to identify the offendants. My research identified the culprits as mealy cabbage aphids and what I read proved brassicas were their primary victims. I also read that lady bugs and wasps were both eaters of aphids. Another aphid fact: each aphid can lay 5 eggs a day. Terrifying.

This week I have seen lady bugs hanging out in my collards and broccoli. They must have found the buffet. With diligence and lady bug help I have managed to keep the aphids down to just a few here and there, showing no mercy as I find them. The kale is coming back strong since I top dressed it with some compost and here's a picture of some huge radishes I grew. Things are looking up.

Cauliflower and Tomatoes

Holy moly! Check out this sucker I got from my garden. I've been meaning to cook it but knew it would sit in the fridge for a little while and get old. So last night its time came and it had grown quite a bit. I also got some cilantro for a curry and some mint for a yogurt dish. When I washed it there were little water droplets shining like jewels and its almost a pretty upside down as right side up. I felt a little guilty cutting into it.
These green onions are wild onions that grow in a vacant lot. I know it's risky to eat wild foods but I was raised in the country and I know wild onions. If I saw mushrooms or anything I didn't 100% recognize I wouldn't eat it. When it doubt throw it out (or compost it.) Our horses used to eat wild onions and their already bad breath would turn truly horrible.



And here's it cooked and you can see the chives all over it. Spicy cauliflower, Yum.







These tomatoes were green two weeks ago and I put them all together in a bag and promptly forgot about them. I remembered just in time and they were all ripe and rosy. The bag trick works! They and the cilantro went into a curry and it was delicious. I should have gotten a picture of that too.

Feed me, garden!

Since I've gotten my fingers back in the dirt it amazes me how many plants weathered my neglect just fine! That's no excuse to neglect them more but it does prove the incredible resilience of plant life, I wish I could say the same about my house plants. The other day I was poking around in the garden and brought home quite a haul!

From right to left Broccoli Raab or Rapini or whatever you want to call it. Radishes (Daikon and French breakfast) Radichio on the right and out in front are peas which love this cool weather. I need to plant more.


Here are the salads I made. The red pepper and spinach wasn't grown in my garden but everything else was. Yum.I used the Rapini in a Broccoli and Rice casserole (I love this dish!) It wasn't bad and the leftovers are pretty good cold. The cheeses I used were Parmesan, Monterey jack and cheddar. Next time, I'll skip the jack and just go all cheddar with a little parm. The rappini is more bitter than broccoli and could use more of the savory sharp cheddar accompaniment.I made bread sticks, oooh la la.

And the piece de resistance! Black cherry jello served in wine glasses. Keepin' it classy.

Let's talk about the weather

Sprouts! The cucumbers are coming up! The plants I transplanted are doing very well, my zucchini which was valiantly fighting squash bugs seems to be improving. I planted a parsley near it and the vine has shifted towards it. They seem to be getting along quite well, they're both putting out new leaves. Perhaps a good companion plant for the zucchini? I've been careful to inspect it for eggs and squish the few I find. Dilligence is the key.

The basil babies I transplanted straight into the garden are doing alright, a few gave up the ghost and a few are putting on more leaves and growing. Of the basil babies I transplanted to pots, only the multiple plantings seem to be doing well, the individuals have given up. Onto the compost heap with them, the cycle of life continues. I transplanted the beans yesterday and they seem a little overwhelmed by the heat but I shaded them through the worst part of the day. They'll shape up, if not the next round of beans are coming up in the kindergarden. My oregano hasn't sprouted yet and the peas are growing. I am soaking some nasturium seeds to plant tomorrow. They're supposed to repel squash bugs and I need all the help I can get. Check out the package isn't it pretty? Sorry the picture is blurry, I'm having problems taking close up pics with the camera.

There's a chance of rain today. Only 30% chance. Ok, here's something I don't understand, if there's less than 50% chance of rain why do the weather folk use a rainy cloud icon. 30% chance of rain means there's a 70% chance of no rain. Is it because Texas is in a perpetual state of drought? Is it supposed to be optimistic? Perchance could it be that local weather folk would have nothing to talk about otherwise? Is this about ratings? Am I too cynical? Probably.

This is from weather.com

Tue, September 9

Time

Condition

Feels Like

Chance Precip

Dew Point

Humid.

Wind

Evening Commute

See Pollen Hot Spots

5pm

Isolated T-Storms 94°F

99°F

30%

62°F

41%

From ESE 3 mph

6pm

Mostly Cloudy 93°F

97°F

20%

63°F

41%

From E 4 mph

See what I mean?

Busy as a bee

There is a different feel to the air these days. In the morning the air is cooler and smells fresher. Fall is fast approaching, my favorite season. That's hard to remember by noon since it blazes up into the 90's everyday. No wonder this was an awful summer for growing stuff. But like Bermuda grass, hope springs eternal. This week I have sown cucumber seeds, cilantro, calendula, fennel, and oregano. I have planted a chamomile plant and an ornamental pepper. I also got a columbine plant thinking it was something else. I've been wanting to create a terrarium and I mistook the columbine for a slower growing tropical thing. Oh well.

I've also disassembled the plant kinder garden and put everything in individual pots. One of the bean starts I've transplanted into the garden (along with some baby basils from the kinder garden) the others are toughening up on our front walk. I have a ton of pea starts. Since the weather is so blasted hot I don't want to kill them by sending them out to bake in the hot sun. They are in individual pots and I'll give the weather a week or so before I move them. I also need to build the bed where they are to go. Some of the baby basils were transplanted to individual pots too. I'm hoping to give some of them away as gifts. And I started another round of peas and beans since the heat might not cooperate and may very well kill off my tender babies in the next few weeks. Oh well. So much for fall.

While I was working on all the transplanting in the kitchen, my cat, Lola, tried to jump on the counter 3 times! She was adamant to be involved and she knows she's not allowed on the counter. She's never so bold as to jump up while I'm right there, I don't remember the last time she was that pushy. I misted her in the face with water which pissed her off but she kept coming back for more and complaining the whole time. I've thought about growing some cat grass in a planter on the floor just for her but I'm afraid that will be an invitation to munch on houseplants. Some of the plants I have are cat-toxic but they're inaccessible to her. I don't want her to get the idea that all houseplants are salad. She was napping in a sunbeam the other day, so in the spirit of Cute Overload here is a Caturday picture of Lola.

I was hoping to plant potatoes this fall but everywhere I have looked online I have failed to find potato seeds. I have a tire especially for potatoes and I was hoping to do the trick where you keep stacking tires up and the yield develops vertically. I might just scrap that idea and plant carrots in the tire instead. I've flirted with the idea of posting on Craig's list for potato seeds but I'm not super fond of Craig's list. I bought some sand in preparation of carrots and potatoes. Forty pounds isn't that much, it sounds like a lot but the bag isn't very big. I might need to get some more, at least it's cheap. I already know I need more dirt to fill my beds.

I have a container with cucumber, thyme, and cilantro and it's coming along very well indeed. The cuke seedlings are putting on new leaves and getting tall. It's right by a railing so the longer they get I can loop them over the rail and they'll get even more sun.

I probably need to get my collard greens in the dirt while it's still warm. And I need to get some broccoli and winter vegetables started in the kinder garden. Fall is coming and sooner or later the temperature will dip, if we're fortunate. There's still a lot to do in the plot such as making a keyhole garden. I've been slowly working on that. Little by little. More on that later.

New plants

Newest additions to the plot: two kinds of parsley (flat and curly), "Black Beauty" egg plant, lemon verbena, "Celebrity" tomatoes, thyme, marigold, and mint. It seems criminal to pay for mint. In my experience it inevitably goes crazy and tries to take over the garden in a bloody coup. Once it starts sending out runners I'll need to pack heat to tend the herb bed. A few days ago I built a raised bed by the stakes that Babs and I thumped into the ground. Yesterday I finally filled it with dirt and compost and set up part of the bed frame as a support for beans. It doesn't look like a lot but my back tells me otherwise.

Last spring after I put in my initial plot at the community garden I realized my climbing beans needed support. Walking home I spotted the perfect item: a metal bed frame by the curb in our neighborhood. I watched the house for a few days, it was clearly being renovated and the bed was in the trash so I claimed it in the name of recycling. It's pretty heavy so Babs and I rolled it on its casters until the casters fell off. Then we just hauled it. It's amazing how distances seem to increase when you're carrying something heavy. What was a short distance seems to gain in distance proportionally to how heavy our load was.

There was a wooden bed frame too. Days later I was chatting with a fellow gardener and he and I went to rescue the wooden one. The renovators had placed a huge utility dumpster in the driveway so we climbed in, fished it out and carried it back together. Other gardeners have used the wooden one so I'm happy it's found a new purpose.

With the insane heat the beans never took off this summer. I have some bean starts for fall on my window sill. I have the perfect east facing window for propagating seeds and it’s right above my bed which is only fitting since I dream about the garden sometimes. I've a bunch of stuff started: basil (three kinds), two kinds of beans, two kinds of peas, swiss chard, "Roma" tomatoes and fennel. The fennel isn't doing much. It may have gotten too dry or I may have planted it too deep. Who knows? If I don't see anything in the next couple of days, it gets composted.

I also put in some hens and chicks. They're a favorite of mine. My grandma had a blue strawberry pot with them. Also I remember them in my best friend's mom's garden in Germany. I love it when they're tucked here and there so I started a little colony and we'll see how they do.

carrots

I went on a bit of a shopping spree at the nursery; you know how it goes, you go in for one thing and "discover" 5 more things you "need." I'll use everything no doubt about that. With the new plants I went ahead to the garden and began digging. While poking around in the dirt I found some left overs. Whomever had the plot before me left a few carrots. This blurry pic of dirty carrots is all I have the energy to post tonight. I'll chronicle today's adventures in more detail later.