Vegetable Gardening

[Photoflygirl]

We also have basil, sage and lettuce in some waist-high planters near our patio. The basil absoutely LOVES this location, because it gets so much sun everyday. It grows to at least 3.5 ft. tall every year. I make tons of pesto to give away and freeze each year.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Your lettuce bed is very pretty! And I love the strawberry runners being sent out in all directions.

I want to put some strawberries in my upcoming new vegetable garden too.

Today I bought some seeds to sow for a Fall harvest, hopefully in my new big garden supposedly getting dug within the next week or two. I 'could' have waited to buy the seed, but the seed racks at the stores are slowly getting emptied so I figured I better get some seed while they still have some choices left.
I bought seeds for spinach, kholrabi, turnip, carrot, beets, bunching onions, bibb lettuce, leeks, and chinese winter radish.
I didn't get cabbage or kale because... we just don't care for it!

[OakLeaf]

I didn't get cabbage or kale because... we just don't care for it!

You definitely need to try some of that red Russian kale. I'm not a huge fan of ordinary curly kale either, but I like black (lacinato) kale in soups and stews, and the red kale is just plain delicious and really, really tender.

[GLC1968]

You definitely need to try some of that red Russian kale. I'm not a huge fan of ordinary curly kale either, but I like black (lacinato) kale in soups and stews, and the red kale is just plain delicious and really, really tender.

I have to second this! I like the curly Kale - but it would not be my first choice in terms of veggies. I wanted to grow Kale just because it's different and it grows almost year-round here. I bought red russian seeds because it looked pretty (and figured it would taste the same). We've been harvesting it like mad and I made my first big batch of sauteed kale and sweet corn the other day. I've made this 'recipe' before with curly kale and it was good. With the red russian? It's amazing! Sooo tender and slightly sweet...no bitter bite like the curly stuff. I'm a new fan (and super glad since I've got mounds and mounds of it)!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Ok ok I will try some red Russian kale! (If I can get the seeds around here in the boondocks).

They broke ground for the new 40' x 18' vegetable garden in our back yard today- so exciting! They are coming back tomorrow to do some more digging and bring in some new topsoil and compost to heap in the middle. After that it's a matter of waiting for the fence to be installed around the perimeter (to keep all the marauding varmints and deer out), then lastly laying out and sculpting the beds and paths inside. I can't wait to starting planting! (but I'll have to).

Here are a few pix- I'm in the last two shots, after the guys went home for the day.

[tulip]

Lisa, that is going to be one wonderful garden! Congratulations!

EDIT: Wait, do you have TWO new gardens? Looks like another one over to the right.

[GLC1968]

Very nice!

(but I think you should have dug that by hand )

[Photoflygirl]

Your lettuce bed is very pretty! And I love the strawberry runners being sent out in all directions.

I want to put some strawberries in my upcoming new vegetable garden too.

Thanks! This is the first time I've grown lettuce so I tried several varieties to see what we liked. I did a third planting of 'Black Seeded Simpson' in between the strawberry rows, but something (birds?) ate all the sprouts when they were a few days old! I did try Arugla last year and it didn't come up. It doesn't seem to be doing too well this year either, and I planted in a different bed to see what happened. I don't know what it is needed.

I was surprised to find out the strawberries will perform better if we pick all the blooms off during the first two years! Oh well, it will be well worth the wait.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I'm so excited!!
Even though the ground is wet and the rain never seems to stop, the excavator says he's coming anyway tomorrow to lay out and dig my vegetable garden! He'll come back with topsoil a day or two later. He has to remove the sod and dig out about 6" of nasty shale/clay as well. YAY!!!
I'll have to take pictures of the process.

[tulip]

My spuds are blooming, which means I'll soon have new potatoes. I picked a bowlful of fresh peas, which are so good straight from the pod. My tomatoes are picking up, and my cucumbers, zucchini, and watermelons are blooming.

My onions died, I think because I mulched them when I should not have. I still haven't planted beans, but I'll do that his weekend for a late crop.