O/T Good Gardening

[BrownBagger]

This is a crummy cell phone shot, but this is about the fourth broccoli harvest this summer, with more on the way. I have about 30 plants, and they just keep producing. Sweet tasting, too. Those are pole beans behind me to the left.

[jortego128]

Nice harvest! I love broccoli, especially steamed and drenched in melted Velveeta cheese.

We made a small garden this year, did OK for our first garden, made a lot of cucumbers and carrots. Tomatoes did OK, sweet corn, not good at all.

Since finding out about my mom and her going through surgery and now chemo, it got neglected quite a bit. Seriously need to clean it up now.

[chrissyrice]

Gosh I sure wish I was your neighbor!

Love the fresh homegrown veggies.... yummy!

Of course a bowl full of that great broccoli in lemon butter would get my colon moving full force

Chrissy

[ams5796]

Very impressive! That looks delicious.





Ann

[pfCml73183]

I have been waiting for this post. I thought I must have missed it.
Looks great. I had the best tasting broccoli this summer so I can relate to your "sweet" comment. I never had such sweet yummy broccoli. It is the best when they are still younder aren't they?
There is nothing like stepping outside and gathering your dinner.
Great to see you and your harvest, Celeste

[Icesk8tr]

You look great BB and so does the broccoli

Hugs,
Christine

[kiwiinoz]

Eric

Been hanging out for a garden update, and was thinking of PM'ing you this week to see how you and the garden were going. Looks like you have lost most of your 15 lbs too by having the good stuff, and not too much of it.
I am always envious of the fact that you have a garden and a space for all that food. I would love nothing more than to have such a garden, and the time to nurture it.

However, at this point of time I am much better at eating than I am in growing so I'll post something that I made on Saturday night and had with a nice bottle of red (French Merlot to be precise) which I enjoyed. It was a dish of venison, beetroot, mint, raspberry with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.



First time I had meat in a long time so I made sure I enjoyed it, and of course had a salad with it but it would have gone really nice with your broccoli, some feta, some nuts and some more of that balsamic vinegar.

How was infusion 100? How many miles are you up to now?

Kiwi

[Lee]

I am so jealous.

I started a small garden this year (inspired by you and Belle). Had some good tomato plants until the heat kick in. Enjoyed strawberries, until we went on vacation. Daughter did not water plants as often as she should have, butt they were good till then. Still enjoying green peppers. BUTT my 2 eggplant plants did nothing except produce flowers. One of the 2 plants did produced a super small eggplant a few months back, but nothing since then. The other eggplant has produced nothing but flowers. I was told to wait until the heat kicked in. It's been super hot here and they are flowering, butt nothing beyond that.

I always love looking at your beautiful garden.

Lee

[carrie]

Just love your garden posts BB! Wait for them every summer! Still a bit chilly in Perth Australia but spring starts on Sept 1st and I am looking forward to planting a few things. Plants all do well ...but I suck at growing some vegetables. Hope your green thumb rubs off on me and my tomatoes!! Great photo Good to see you enjoying your summer. Cheers.....Karen.

[texazgal]

Good looking garden, guy! Reminds me of the only time I ever grew broccoli. It was northern Ohio in a little garden I started. Absolutely beautiful florets! Brought them in to wash before cooking and little bugs started coming out!! So many of them I couldn't get all of them out for sure. I finally gave up and threw them away. Broke my heart, but I was pregnant and couldn't bear the idea of eating a bug. And had no idea of any insecticide safe to use. I still garden organically, but it is a real challenge in hot dry Texas now. Lost almost all my peach crop in a single night to something, probably possum and coons. Tomatoes cratered in the heat and am just trying to keep the asparagus alive. If El Nino happens, we may get enough rain for a winter garden. Might try broccoli again, not so many bugs in the winter here.

[BrownBagger]

Tasty looking dish, Kiwi. I can see we have similar tastes in seasonings, etc.

Lee, I'm having the same experience with my eggplants. Got one fruit out of five nice, big, healthy-looking plants. I think the cool temps this summer, especially at night, are to blame. Lots of pretty flowers, though.

Texazgal--I had those worms in my first cutting, and none thereafter. I didn't use any insecticide this year (strictly organic), but I might try some BT next season. BT is an organic pesticide, but you still want to be careful with it. The way to get rid of the worms is by soaking the florets in warm, salty water before cooking. That gets most of them out of there. But as I said, the three subsequent harvests have been worm-free.

Everybody is complaining about their tomatoes this year, including me. Don't know what went wrong, but all my tomato plants are either pretty small, or dying. I'm getting a few cherry tomatoes, but nothing like most years. Again, I think the cool temps are to blame.

[texazgal]

BB, they weren't worms, I know cabbage loopers now. It was some kind of aphid looking insect, quite small and really in there! I know and have BT which I have to use for the catapillars that infest Texas mountain laurels every year. Little bit squeemish about using on veggies. Just planted 4 tomato plants for fall garden, but donno if they can make it in this 99º heat.

[CRguy]

Everybody is complaining about their tomatoes this year, including me. Don't know what went wrong, but all my tomato plants are either pretty small, or dying. I'm getting a few cherry tomatoes, but nothing like most years. Again, I think the cool temps are to blame.

We've had a heat wave/drought but even with careful hand watering I still hold the record for WORST looking tomato plants with the BEST tasting tomatoes !!!
Sadly while I was away I had to tell my kids to share them out as they ripened so I only got a few yesterday BUTT good .... damned good !
Basil is holding its own, oregano,rosemary,chives and sage are all great. Italian parsley is touchy but all the seasonings are ready when needed.

Had a bumper crop of blackberries as I let them flower to help the bee populations here. Have a freezer full and gorged on fresh all August. Now the problem is cutting back the Jurassic Park Invaders once the crop is done !!! These brambles and roots are indestructible.

I agree with Eric, kiwi ... that is a very tasty looking dish !!!

Cheers
CR

[BrownBagger]

Kiwi asked how my 100th chemo round went. I'd have to say, in all honesty, that it was my easiest infusion to date. Minimal side effects. Fatigue when trying to work hard, yes, that that's typical in the first week. If I don't try to work too hard, I don't notice (hard for me, though).

CRG--I've seen some really ugly tomato plants produce some very tasty tomatoes, so I know what you're talking about. I think the plant puts all it's got into the fruit, is the explanation. Oftentimes, smaller plants produce bigger fruit, for the same reason, I think. Big, healthy-looking plants can put most their energy into growing big and healthy looking, with mediocre fruit. That's why, with tomatoes at any rate, you want to lay off the nitrogen and hit 'em with phosphorus when they start to flower. As one gardener said to me early in my career, "For Christ's sake, don't put compost in the hole when you transplant tomatoes. What are you, nuts?"

[KWT]