Once again, I have been a delinquent blogger! I can not promise things will get any better, as I realized yesterday that I have three free weekends left until October 24th. But, on the bright side, 24 days to Penn State football!!!
The garden has done really well! My onions are huge and are so sweet. My basil is growing like mad. I'm going to dry some, freeze some and also make a ton of pesto to freeze. Thanks to Patti for the great pesto recipe! I've been told that if I keep pinching it back, my basil will blossom well into the fall. If you have basil needs, please let me know. I'm happy to share my bounty!
Late tomato blight hit our community garden in Boalsburg. So far, I have not had any problems. It is a horrible year for tomatoes - they love hot weather; we've had a ton of rain and have only hit 90 a few times this summer. My fingers are crossed that I'll be able to get some tomatoes from my plants.
I have one big project that I want to complete before the end of August. I'm not giving away details now, but I will take some before and after pictures, so you all can see my handiwork. Fingers crossed that it will all work out!
Lastly, allow me to make a shameless plug for the movie, "Julie and Julia." What a great movie! I highly recommend it. I plan to spend my winter cooking some of the recipes in Julia Child's famous cookbook. My mom is bring up the "Joy of Cooking" for me in late August, so I'm going to try a few of those, too.
Until next time, enjoy the fresh bounty of summer vegetables at your local farmer's market. Remember: eat local!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
My sister reminded me last weekend that I have been a bad blogger! I'm so sorry. I was so busy with my play and then the start of the summer. I'll be a better blogger from now on. I promise.
We have had a ton of rain this spring/summer. I seriously feel like I live in Seattle! The one up side to the rain? My onions are going to be the size of softballs! I was in the garden the other day and noticed how tall they are. The best part? They still have about another 2 weeks to go. I may have to consider entering them in a contest!
So far I've enjoyed broccoli, mesclun mix and red leaf lettuce out of the garden. I recently planted leeks, a banana pepper plant, basil and two tomato plants. The one tomato plant has a small little tomato on it. The banana pepper plant has a few small peppers growing on them and the leeks are growing like mad (which doesn't surprise me one bit, since leeks are in the same family as onions and they love, love, love the rain). I am going to pick up some more basil to plant in pots, since the one I planted isn't doing so hot.
I have to sing the praises of the black landscape fabric. It has made my life so much easier. I do need to weed out the back part of the garden that I didn't plant and cover that in fabric as well. I encourage anyone who wants to garden, but who doesn't have a lot of time to worry about weeding to invest in the fabric. Its well worth the $10 I paid for each roll.
Until next time, happy gardening!
We have had a ton of rain this spring/summer. I seriously feel like I live in Seattle! The one up side to the rain? My onions are going to be the size of softballs! I was in the garden the other day and noticed how tall they are. The best part? They still have about another 2 weeks to go. I may have to consider entering them in a contest!
So far I've enjoyed broccoli, mesclun mix and red leaf lettuce out of the garden. I recently planted leeks, a banana pepper plant, basil and two tomato plants. The one tomato plant has a small little tomato on it. The banana pepper plant has a few small peppers growing on them and the leeks are growing like mad (which doesn't surprise me one bit, since leeks are in the same family as onions and they love, love, love the rain). I am going to pick up some more basil to plant in pots, since the one I planted isn't doing so hot.
I have to sing the praises of the black landscape fabric. It has made my life so much easier. I do need to weed out the back part of the garden that I didn't plant and cover that in fabric as well. I encourage anyone who wants to garden, but who doesn't have a lot of time to worry about weeding to invest in the fabric. Its well worth the $10 I paid for each roll.
Until next time, happy gardening!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
And We're Back.....
Welcome back to my blog and to the garden!! I am pleased to say I am taking all of the knowledge I've gained over the last year and applying it in this year's garden.
I've consulted a lot of gardening friends about how to cut down on weeds. I decided to try the landscape fabric and straw technique. I bought two rolls of fabric and put it down yesterday before I put my veggies in. The idea is that the fabric will help cut off the supply of sun to the weeds. Here's hoping it works!
Yesterday, I visited Tait Farms, a wonderful farm in Boalsburg, and purchased a load of veggies to plant. I bought onions (only one container this year!), lettuce (two kinds), bok choy and broccoli. I'll put peppers and tomatoes in after Memorial Day, when the soil temperature is at a consistent 70 degrees and more conducive to growing them. I also plan to plant herbs in pots after Memorial Day.
While at Tait's, I was able to enjoy their open house and try some yummy local food. I wound up buying a hunk of sharp cheddar cheese made by a local farmer in Millheim. I am a sucker for good cheese and aspire to someday make my own. I probably need to find someone with a cow first, but I'll work on that.
I am really excited at how popular gardening has become. We started a community garden program in the Township. We sold over 20 plots with very little effort. The best part is that some of the gardeners are people who live in apartments and therefore wouldn't have a way to grow their own food. Its great to see a push toward sustainability and healthy living. I really hope this fad sticks.
In addition to my garden, I've been busy getting the yard in shape. Last year, I was totally overwhelmed by the flower beds and the yard. This year, I've decided to tackle things in chunks. I've focused on the Oasis first. I planted the "gutter" of the trellis (which is really a planter) with some pretty flowers. I also redid the bottom of the trellis - I added more stones and ripped out the cheap plastic border. In its place, I made a border out of the rocks that the old homeowner picked from the garden and stored in my cellar. I got over my fear of the cellar and harvested a ton of rocks. I still have a ton, so if anyone needs rocks, please let me know!
I'm in a play, so the next three weeks are incredibly busy. Expect more posts once my turn as Mandi McCoy is over.
Until then, happy gardening!
I've consulted a lot of gardening friends about how to cut down on weeds. I decided to try the landscape fabric and straw technique. I bought two rolls of fabric and put it down yesterday before I put my veggies in. The idea is that the fabric will help cut off the supply of sun to the weeds. Here's hoping it works!
Yesterday, I visited Tait Farms, a wonderful farm in Boalsburg, and purchased a load of veggies to plant. I bought onions (only one container this year!), lettuce (two kinds), bok choy and broccoli. I'll put peppers and tomatoes in after Memorial Day, when the soil temperature is at a consistent 70 degrees and more conducive to growing them. I also plan to plant herbs in pots after Memorial Day.
While at Tait's, I was able to enjoy their open house and try some yummy local food. I wound up buying a hunk of sharp cheddar cheese made by a local farmer in Millheim. I am a sucker for good cheese and aspire to someday make my own. I probably need to find someone with a cow first, but I'll work on that.
I am really excited at how popular gardening has become. We started a community garden program in the Township. We sold over 20 plots with very little effort. The best part is that some of the gardeners are people who live in apartments and therefore wouldn't have a way to grow their own food. Its great to see a push toward sustainability and healthy living. I really hope this fad sticks.
In addition to my garden, I've been busy getting the yard in shape. Last year, I was totally overwhelmed by the flower beds and the yard. This year, I've decided to tackle things in chunks. I've focused on the Oasis first. I planted the "gutter" of the trellis (which is really a planter) with some pretty flowers. I also redid the bottom of the trellis - I added more stones and ripped out the cheap plastic border. In its place, I made a border out of the rocks that the old homeowner picked from the garden and stored in my cellar. I got over my fear of the cellar and harvested a ton of rocks. I still have a ton, so if anyone needs rocks, please let me know!
I'm in a play, so the next three weeks are incredibly busy. Expect more posts once my turn as Mandi McCoy is over.
Until then, happy gardening!
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