Gardening 2020

I remember seeing them Friday, but nothing now.

I blame Big Ag!

Damn I would really like to see them! <3 gardening pics

The pics have never showed for me.

Anyway, UK question, perhaps I need to say south UK question: when will you start leaving tomatoes outside?

Warning: fahrenheit reference

Tomatoes hate being under 54 F and I would not plant them out until the lows are reliably above that.

12c? We're way off that, aren't we?
(Ta)

Okay here's a little garden tour:

The view from the back porch:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DUwTbbVdXqKyTH2MCtboG9ddv_4FIEHB7nS8Hrb67I8NpHN6pocMmZdgWmxUk1ddDKt40DZ5acCnNebnJRkzJk17jNftvTE6VeoMlS53HoL-G1b_RQJTVi4xddrUgSYNg5AhYvkbfDE=w2400

Mustard greens, a first for me but my neighbor gave me the plant:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NGmkBpSmT1l-WxM_AtfUHoNFKsbrh-sqso2QBnGZlo5ny1iJQbZgUzzY-A_VYejUIGnEpVi9lNvZ7pDMdbxT6xLjwFSpU8tVyBRcRXSKEHfwkLfb457anJy6o8ktEqqdk83j-Bw9oL8=w2400

Chives about to flower!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cwG99uPvLx4ssuKJwvuq4q7kqX1iOcKLa928e45WIihvRAXWduldJyf2NTdKKtZFC9Dm_J-4infpHS-CgzYsPnV0S79R2RDUai6bAJTrRusKi2XjH6JPJdG1D_kvwCNbCIw5h-1bCI8=w2400

Peas in bloom! Last year I missed the, like, 2-week period that the peas needed to be harvested and after that they were inedible so by being here every day I might finally get to eat some peas.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HHcfj4RUz9tnpGQn4kkrbJAL5PDo6GeRLPeumH43NxIgP8wz3lMIK05oxcGp-JKKtLWWY4lHZovMwF-xKbb8P9MMkDxzbsoZlDbDlhdoEBKxl8GMN5Vo_0Ev_ERyGq0xGkxlBuWGea8=w2400

Two trellises for cucumbers that will also hopefully give shade to the lettuces behind them (and there's a mulched path in between which I like to walk on and pretend I'm strolling down a shady lane).

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bZIColusqxO2ZxdOTEQQYE8ORM5CJYc8Ophsw_spr2b69EnM38ERQrMnAr2sK26ktwa98-ziLq1BY_d9gffK1Kgm_XJMDVTiU-Pt_sKxmPJ9VK18b2OEwJ2WP_h8QgZ09oFi0seK6Y=w2400

Lacinato kale that I'm excited to have this year, grown from seed!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NZRfGlsKit5PQX9mxvypLwyaiDKrFAC56m9vLNfYQh6-kdovX7Z7J4i53rIc3QS7-cUXw3IZ5qAsI2J2QMXxt1J0DJ4N0StLR0GhBMF8lAFnC_5eVdTJG1pTYZ4gBlRml-0nJuo3WPY=w2400

The back porch where I'm sitting right now, now with new rug.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0fO6_bZWW1oN1D71v_eE9wK5KRdxMhFSLKQRtWqtkAi1z3k4KoUaOCbDTwRafRnmo_NO05vzk269zjF5j5YXRnl4Yhat09wglbZeMGw7EPvj7lLq0whGfnM7cfcmv1RuU_b9rT1L9UM=w2400

For reference, the outside dimensions are about 13 x 16', but inside the fence line is probably 6-8" smaller? I've pretty much packed it with plants. 8 herbs, two bell peppers, two hot peppers, kale, red cabbages (that are totally not going to fit where they are now as they keep growing), about 7 difft tomatoes, cukes, romaine, butter lettuce, mustard greens, radishes, arugula, peas, fabulous multi-colored corn (an experiment), edamame, and leeks and shallots and one garlic sprout that won't be ready until fall. The spinach and radicchio seeds never germinated, alas.

I want to grow watermelon but I just don't have enough SPACE.

We have salads out of the garden every day now :))))))

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RgGg71XU-VGffysa8PCi9GWyaNV5ce_WsWjCKvWfp2mr-LSDXkY-QsyaraJWT6uPBzb65cPpZWGMvs_Efk3pYMG--bk4GkNPtaYsMWKC1w2s4kxZ03qFpTmZCu6uCosbvnuD2l9DQTc=w2400

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/t_8im49aPU-elncqUTixT1ibggqZBJr9f49ZZBUtEkxR_7aNRKHUsuR4IDdhMk6YAUe95XUzguYjgFQjSH2XlxJj2NTcBDtqNB7uezSzuXDntuIxT0HCPzrapbbcer9BT8V5vDUbqhU=w2400

Oh, that's lovely.

I can't eat the lettuce fast enough! I have so much! This is a problem with starting from seeds--you don't know how many will germinate and I hate thinning/killing any of the shoots that come up. I just planted too much. Same with radishes: I'm literally googling "How to eat radishes" because they need to get eaten in a short window and I have 2 or 3 dozen.

Also I have two teensy tomatoes growing already! Omg omg

We planted a whole 4x8 raised bed of leafy greens and I’m already overwhelmed by how much has grown. Most of the spinach bolted though which sucks

The arugula has a really short shelf life, it bolted QUICK. I succession planted a second crop but tbh I'm gonna need a third one soon. I really need to plant fewer seeds at a time.

I think I'll make spicy tuna & radish wraps with lettuce leaves for brunch. I mean, what else am I gonna do?

get a pony

Do they like radishes?

I only tried radishes with one horse, who was not a fan. But salad greens? Those disappear in a hurry.

Can you pickle radishes? (and would you want pickled radishes?)

Yes, and I don't know! I guess you use them the same as raw? Like to top tacos, salads, rice or quinoa bowls, and etc.

I'd show more pics but tbh I can't be arsed, it's so difficult from Google photos.

My one attempt at pickling ended in failure (serrano chilies), they were soft, even mushy, after not too long in the vinegar. Radishes should be easier, though.

Alys Fowler does suggest pickling radishes:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/23/alys-fowler-pickled-vegetables

japan to thread

(UK question). Hoping to buy a plant for a friend who is having a shit time of it. I'd normally buy house plants as gifts but I'm thinking something more garden-y. I know she has yellow lupins and some salvias. Any ideas? In an ideal world, it would be something that could be delivered sooner rather than later (I'd looked on Sarah Raven but everything I'd clicked on was "Delivery in July").

There's a good web-thingy here to choose plants by garden type/season/colour/whatnot: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-form

I love digitalis, which blooms about now, and passion flower which is ravishing in a nice weird way, and blooms mid-late summer. Some alliums are late summer bloomers too.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0255/9760/8011/products/52629-00-BAKIE_20200213163555_960x960_crop_center.jpg

Something volunteered out back and we let it go for a while to ID it, and now we have a big sunflower partly blocking our walkway from the house to the carport. The bees are digging it.

Xpost - Echinacea too

Thanks Chuck. Went with an echinacea in the end.

For the first time in months, the windowsills only have houseplants rather than pots and pots of seedlings. Is there anything still worth planting? (UK)

Good time for salads and herbs, small tomato plants…

Have a load of squash planted in the garden (and next door's garden) - far many than there is room for. I'm finding it fascinating to see them almost visibly reach for things to climb.

Probably shouldn't have put a Tromboncino in the raised beds. It's the size of a medium child with flailing arms.

I don’t know if this is gardening per se, but has anyone else (in the UK specifically, but maybe it extends to other countries?) noticed an EXTRAORDINARY crop of acorns this year?

Like, not just that there are an exceptionally large amount of them, but they are also enormous? I swear I found an acorn yesterday that was nearly 2” long and shaped like a rocket ship. I can’t remember ever seeing acorns of this size before!

There are definitely plenty this year! We've got a few young oak trees hanging over our back fence and cutting the grass is lethal.

From what I understand, oak trees have 'mast' years, where they produce a bumper crop - the reasons for which are poorly understood.

Ah, thank you for the word / explanation. I looked it up and it makes sense now:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2017/10/autumn-is-back/

Seems like a supersaturation of acorns is generated by specific weather conditions, and the benefit is that there is too much mast produced for animals to eat all of them - so in certain years the trees all go crazy together.