brunosdream

  

A couple of weeks ago I moved things around in the herb garden because my basil and rosemary were being shaded by taller plants. Everything seems to like their new location in the garden now.

 June 27th:

Asparagus; other veggies

Zinnias; herbs; yard

Everything is in the ground and doing well! This year I planted 4 types of tomatoes (pineapple, black krim, cherokee purple and yellow plum), broccoli, yellow and red bell peppers, Swiss chard, jalapenos, a variety of onions and two types of zinnias for color (state fair mix and dreamland mix).  I sprouted butternut squash from seeds and they’re now large enough to put in the ground. A new rosemary plant and purple and green basil were added to the herb garden.  I also built a better fence and put marigolds around the edges to deter the rabbits and squirrels… we’ll see how well these methods work! The photos above were taken a couple of weeks ago and everything has grown substantially since then because the weather has been much better than last year. The photos below were taken on May 31st.

Happy Gardening!!

Bruno

Tilled and ready to grow!!

Wow, 4 days ago when I did my first garden post of 2009 there was nothing but brown. Yesterday I was sniffing around out back and there they were, beautiful stalks of asparagus!! I took these photos today, and as you can see some grew over a foot in less than 48 hours. I’m amazed at how fast they grow! I planted the root crowns only last year so I have to be restrictive about cutting the stalks until next year, however I did cut a few to take to a friend’s house to grill on the BBQ this evening. I can’t wait to taste them!!

May your thumb be green this year!

Bruno

… stay tuned and find out!

Happy first day of Spring :-)

Bruno

I beat the squirrels and rabbits this time!! It’s taken me awhile, but I’ve learned that I have to pick my tomatoes while they’re still a little green, otherwise the yard critters snatch them off the vines before I do!!

Notes for next year: marigolds, bone meal and a better fence:

Someone reminded me that the scent of marigolds is a natural repellent for rabbits and squirrels. So is bone meal. (So is urine, but I’m not going there!) Next year the fence will be higher, stronger and extended below the surface. The squirrels have learned to jump over the current fence to get what they want, and the rabbits have either dug under the fence or crashed right through it!! These are the lessons learned in my first year of gardening, so squirrels and rabbits take note, I’m on to you… but I will share my bounty if you cooperate :-)

I’m having a caprese salad for lunch today…

Bruno

German Queen Heirloom Tomatoes

The rabbits and squirrels got the rest…

Bruno

I now realize a lot can happen in a garden in a short amount of time. When I arrived back in town last weekend I noticed that my zucchini plant had rotted from all the rain we had while I was gone. I’m not sure how to avoid this next year. Veteran gardeners, any suggestions?

Also, my tomato plants have become so loaded down w/ fruit that the stakes I’m using this year are having trouble supporting the plants. Solution – I used twine to tie the stakes to the fence for added support. Next year I think I will use tomato cages to contain the plants more effectively. I harvested my first ripe Lemon Boy tomato and it was delicious!! The heirloom tomato plants are loaded, but no ripe ones yet.

Much to my surprise, the broccoli plants (one of my favorite vegetables) are still producing so there’s no need to buy any at the grocery store this week! My first butternut squash has grown so tremendously that I may be making a home grown butternut squash dish next week!

My orange bell pepper plant died and my other bell pepper plant has yet to start producing. The hot banana pepper plant dropped the only fruit it had on it and no new fruit is appearing. Possibly this due to their location in the garden – the plants are being crowded out and overshadowed by the gargantuan tomato plants! Lesson learned for next year – better plant placement and spacing according to potential size and height (how was I supposed to know how big or little things would get… after all, I’m a novice). Veteran gardeners please don’t hesitate to share your knowledge… I would love to hear your pearls of wisdom!

July 17th photos:

First Lemon Boy; more broccoli; baby butternut

Heirlooms; lone banana pepper; more Lemon Boys

July 27th photos:

Rigged tomatoes; yet more broccoli; rotten zucchini

Adolescent butternut; newborn butternut; thriving zinnias

Happy gardening…

Bruno

Two years in the making, but well worth the effort…

In the summer of 2006 I put up a retaining wall to keep the ivy from taking over a corner of my yard. I then tried to kill it w/ regular Roundup but the ivy won that battle. The following spring I mixed a batch of extra strong Roundup. It took 3 or 4 applications but the ivy lost this time! Fast forward to 2008… It was an exceptionally rainy and cool spring in St. Louis so the planting of my garden was delayed by a few weeks. I had a brief window of opportunity in mid-May to get my plants in the ground, and I do mean brief! As I was getting the trenches finished for the asparagus it started raining again, but I pushed on and was able to finish. The weather remained cool and wet until early June. As a result, my plants didn’t prosper very well. The tomato plants were dropping their flowers, the squash plants remained small, the bell pepper plants were wimpy and the asparagus struggled to pop out of the dirt! I thought I was doing something wrong, but as the weather became drier and warmer things started happening – the broccoli ripened, the tomatoes started appearing, the asparagus ferned out, the squash has gone crazy (so much I’ve had to cut back the leaves so they wouldn’t block out the sun for the other plants!), and my wimpy bell pepper plants are starting to get bigger and flower. The zucchini is flowering like crazy but is not producing much fruit yet. As you can see in the photos, two of the zucchinis rotted before ripening. I don’t know why, so if any of you veteran gardeners have any answers please share them w/ me.

Below is a photographic chronology:

June 2006

June 8th, 2008

June 22, 2008

July 4, 2008

Broccoli; Lemon Boy tomato; zucchini

Hot banana peppers; butternut squash flower; herbs

Things are looking good, and the broccoli and first banana peppers were delicious!! I will keep you posted as the summer progresses.

Ciao for now…

Bruno

I was in San Francisco recently and was fortunate enough to have time to stop by the farmers market. It was an incredibly beautiful day so I took many photos (I was thinking blog post, blog post!). Let me share a few of my favorites w/ you:

Lovely and fragrant, fresh cut lavender

Tierra Vegetables – this is where I get my pepper jam (they specialize in chile peppers)

We bought some of the best fresh feta cheese I’ve ever tasted – I can’t remember the vendor’s name but he’s always in the booth that’s next to the guy who sells baba ghanoush

My brother-in-law buying some bread at Acme Bread Co. and posing w/ “the goods”

Beautiful mushrooms

Cowgirl Creamery – they make awesome cheeses – one of my favorites is “Pierce Point” which has a rind coated in local dried herbs (unfortunately this cheese is only sold in the fall so I couldn’t buy any…bummer!)

The End…

Hope you enjoyed my quick tour of this fabulous market!

P.S. – Sam at Beck’s & Posh recently did a post which surprisingly discovered that some items are cheaper at the farmers market than at Safeway (the large grocery chain in California)… so support your local farmers, the planet and sustainable agriculture!

P.P.S. – I just found this great farmers market icon – “Blush the Sweet Tomato” at A Veggie Venture. Alanna invites bloggers to use the icon on posts to signify farmers market fresh veggies. Thanks Alanna!

Bruno