Posts Tagged ‘Gardening Reflection’

5 Jun

First Harvest and Chive Blossom Vinegar

Posted by ellenkare51 in From Garden to Table. Tagged: , .

It’s been a slow, cold Spring but most of the beds in the garden have the beginnings of this season’s crops.  This morning I harvested my first lettuces, radishes, fresh dill, mint and  lovage.

Chives are blossoming all over the garden and now is the time to make chive blossom vinegar.  Harvest the blossom heads, wash and pat dry when you get them home.  Pack blossoms in a glass jar and pour warm (not boiling) white vinegar over the blossoms.  Put jar in a dark place to infuse for several weeks and then decant the vinegar and use within 6 months.  This makes a slightly lavender, lightly onion flavored vinegar.  Enjoy!  See you in the garden. 

 

 

 

 

 



26 Oct

Time to Reflect…

Posted by Lyn in Garden Tips. Tagged: .

A note from Ellen about the end-of-season gardening recap:

What will you do differently next year? Please let us know by commenting on this post!

This is a good time to make some notes about what worked, what didn’t and what you might want to do next year.  Believe me, it is a great idea to jot these things down now because you will forget by next season, take it from me.

 A case in point:  Last year I purchased enough tomato supports to stake all my tomato plants.  I stored them neatly in my garage to use this year.  But, for some reason, this year I “forgot” how important it is to stake my tomatoes and had to re-learn that un-staked tomatoes are a mess and very hard to harvest.  So number one on my list of things to do differently is:
  • Stake my Tomatoes!
Other things I want to remember:
  • When buying seeds and plants, pay attention to disease resistance.    Choose varieties that have some resistance to mildew and blight.
  • Add some kind of organic fertilizer to boost the nitrogen in my raised beds.  Since I mulch with leaves and hay I had too much “carbon” and not enough nitrogen and things did not grow as well.
  • Be more vigilant about insects.  Try to catch them before they become marauding hoards.
  • Keep a record of what seed (plant) varieties I plant and how well they perform.  It’s fun to try new things, but if there is something I particularly want I need to have a reliable variety.
  • Plant something new each season.
  • Did I mention staking my tomatoes?     Oh yeah, I want to remember to stake my tomatoes…..