The Time is Now

My Herb Garden

I've been wishing I had some sort of hobby.  Something useful like sewing or decorating.  Something enriching like writing or art.  Something profitable like photography.

I had forgotten gardening could be considered a hobby.  So that will be my hobby and I'll just do a little better at it. 

Learning to grow my own food could be the most important skill I have.  There will come a day when I can't just run to the store for a bag of carrots.  By that point, the time for practice is over.  It will be up to me and the dirt to make something to eat. 

(That's the other part of my hobby.... learning to actually go out and eat what I grow.)


I haven't written a lot because the truth is, this is my 7th garden and I still don't really know what I'm doing.  I wanted to be all-knowing by now and instead I'm just normal.  But, I figure now is a good time to make mistakes.  Now is also the time to learn to like the food that grows in a garden, even if it is a vegetable covered with dirt.

The time to plant is now. 

(Technically, the time to plant is within the next month, but "Now" sounds so much more ominous and dramatic.)

"Gotta Have It" Sweet Corn

The corn we bought this year was "Gotta Have It" Sweet Corn from Gurneys.  I have always been on the fence about whether or not to plant corn.  It takes up so much space.  (Space I could be using to grow more pumpkins!)  You need at least 4 rows of corn spaced 2-2.5 feet apart.  And it's never been that good... until this year.

 
This year we finally got it right and it really is so good you "gotta have it." 

What we did with it: Cut off the wormy ends and stick it in boiling water for 3 minutes. (My favorite cookbook says 2 1/2 minutes but I like 3 better.)  So far we've gotten about 25 ears from our small plot and there are a few more coming.  Not a ton for the space investment but it's worth every buttery bite.

I don't wanna talk about it...

If I had to pin down the reason for my gardening downfall this year I would say it was definitely the peas. They just kept coming and coming and I couldn't keep up. Tomorrow I will rip them out and start fresh with something else.

Other plants that don't make me feel guilty:

Dr. Suess Onions

Cherry tomatoes just turning red.  I've got big plans for them. 

Little eggplants.  Remember how I thought they all died?  I learned an important lesson; never put all your eggplants in one basket. 

Corn.  I planted it in two plantings this year so we won't have to eat 10 cobs a day to keep up. 

I remember reading somewhere that the corn will be ready ___ days after the tassels appear.  I should really look that up....

Gurney's Magic Pumpkins.  So far just one and it doesn't look too magical...

One Jack-be-REALLY-little

Fuji apple tree drooping from all the weight.  Doreen told me to pull some of the apples off but I couldn't do it.  I am too attached. 

Gala tree needs no thinning.

Aw look... they're blushing.

The Carnage

After six days in the ground, my poor little plants have taken a beating.  They were pummeled by the latest measurable snowfall ever recorded in Utah. 

Every day last week the kids came in to tell me it was snowing.  They think it's funny when I run to the window in a panic.  By Monday I was so used to it I didn't even react.  Too bad this time they were telling the truth.  "No mommy, it really IS snowing!"  Uh-huh, yeah, sure guys. 

I figured the tomatoes and peppers were lost and gone forever.  I covered the herb garden with little newspaper tents because they are right by my back door so I could do it in my slippers.  Then I ran out of newspaper so I told the tomatoes and peppers to stand strong in the face of adversity.  I think they must have heard me because they actually look okay.  They may need some extra loving care and possibly counseling but I think they will come through. 

Actually I am pretty sure they will survive because I chanced to meet a friend outside today who I found out graduated in horticulture at BYU, and she said as long as the plants didn't freeze they will recover.  I don't think she normally gets the reaction she got from me which was instant adoration.  And guess what else?  She is a Master Gardener.  And guess what else?  When I told her I have a garden blog she admitted she has one too!  What are the odds?  I invited her to this blog but now I am really embarrassed because I am not a Master Gardener.  If you would prefer to follow the work of a Master Gardener I understand. 

p.s. the eggplants are toast.  r.i.p.

Planting Tomatoes?

I have in my possession 4 Juliet (oblong cherry) tomato plants that anyone may have for the low price of $0.  (leave a comment or email me if you want them.)

If you are planting tomatoes be sure to bury the bottom two leaf sets.  That will be about 3-4 inches of stem under the ground and I know it will seem like a waste but you will be so glad when extra roots start growing out of the stem and it's always good to put down more roots.  Do it.  It hurts but in the end it's so worth it. 

Day 1 (Summer Boxes)

Box 3: Tomatoes (Celebrity, Big Boy, Juliet (a cherry type), Champion)

I know heirloom tomatoes are the best, but I tried them last year and they do taste a little better but they don't produce very many and I don't have a lot of space so sorry heirlooms!  Maybe when I have my own farm I will have room to grow you! 

I also tried yellow tomatoes last year which are supposed to be lower acid so people who don't like tomatoes will like them (BRIAN!) but I guess if you grow them right by red tomatoes they still turn red.  So... again... when I have a giant farm I will give yellow tomatoes their very own space and they can keep their yellow identities.  If you are going to be yellow you've got to be assertive, that's what I always say. 

Also in box 3 are my peppers: jalepenos and bell peppers.  I plant them closer than it says on the tag because they never really get as big as it says on the label.  One thing you should know about labels on any plant is that they are usually formulated for Oregon or some other place besides Utah, so things never really get as big as they say they will. 

On the left you will see a newcomer to my garden this year: Eggplant.  The girls are so excited to see how many eggs we get. 

Box 4: Bush Beans, Bush Cucumbers, Pickling Cucumbers, Zuchini and Summer Squash

This year for the beans I am not planting them all at once but instead every two weeks.  I did them in short rows across the back and left room for more rows so we won't be stuck with too many green beans all at once.  This was at the request of my husband who got a little tired of eating green beans every night for three weeks.  They are good but not THAT good.  And they aren't exactly the best neighbor gift, if you know what I mean.  Normal people just don't get that excited about vegetables.

I'm hoping to finish my last two week green bean rotation in the pea box but that would require the peas to finish growing and that would require some SUN which we are seriously lacking at the moment.

I am getting a little stressed that my corn and pumpkins aren't planted and all this nice rain is being wasted on a weedy patch of dirt with no seeds in it.  Our Gurney's Giant Magic Pumpkins won't be very giant if we don't get them in soon.  (unless they really are magic!)

Day 32

If April showers bring May flowers.....

What does April snow bring?