Strawberry Time!

Strawberries are the "unsung heroes" of the backyard orchard / garden. They take up minimal space. I use them as borders around the vegetable garden and fruit trees. They are very very cheap - a couple of plants will quickly multiple to dozens, if you allow the runners to root and grow. I probably have about 100 plants, but only bought 4. Currently I cut off all of the runners, because I have little use for more plants. At the Farmer's Market today, they were $2.00 per pint. We eat a couple of pints per day, and this will probably continue for the next month. They do take some maintenance, especially cleanup and weeding.

Border for the rose garden. Since the roses are organic, no issues with eating the strawberries.

Today's catch.

I've seen "Buddha's Hand" citron. This is the strawberry version. Tasted the same as the others.

Roses,Strawberries,Dumplings

This remarkable rose is "Evelyn"; a David Austin "English" rose. It's made a slow start, this is its 3rd summer. It's covered with numerous perfect appearing, highly fragrant, blossoms. If I didnt also have several other favorite roses, this would be my favorite. All organic, of course. My hand isn't dirty - those are wounds. I was weeding in a raised bed and the retaining wall gave way. I fell on the bricks. Ouch.
This is 'Gene Boerner'. I'll have to look it up. It's about 5 years old, has been moved twice, and looks quite settled in now.
The first strawberries. I'll eat them tomorrow.
The filling inside these dumplings is about 1/2 chopped chinese chives, and the other 1/2 is finely chopped tofu and scrambled egg. The use of the chives as a major ingredient, instead of just for flavoring, is why they are considered a vegetable instead of an herb. They were very good. But not as good as Ning's (He's in China for a few weeks). These are "slow food" at the extreme: grown from seeds from plants that were grown from seeds that were brought from china; in homemade compost-amended soil; fertilized with coffee grounds and leaf compost; and the dumplings hand made from flour and the ingredients as listed. Here's a similar (but not identical) recipe.

Back home.

Returned last night.

Tulips are in full bloom. Many have been multiplying, more than I realized. Amazing, extravagant color.

Apples are in full bloom.

First irises (miniature) in bloom.

Weeds are becoming more plentiful.

Ning moved seedling zucchinis into his garden plot. The roots were growing through the paper cups.

We had the first of the Chinese Chives in dumplings last night.

The straberries and raspberries are blooming.

Garden Log March 17 2007

Geranium Overwintering Experiment. These are scented leaf geraniums. The brown sticks were kept "dormant" in the garage. The smaller, but leafy plants were cuttings taken from the plants behind them, last fall, and kept in the bathroom windowsill with minimal watering. Unless the "dormant" ones start to do something, I think I know which method "wins" for these varieties.
Back Yard, Strawberry bed and Chinese Chive Barrel. The Chinese chives were fertilized wtih granular "Alaska fish" fertilizer, then about 1/2 inch leaf compost added. The strawberries were thinned to about 1 plant every 18 inches or so. The thinnings were planted elsewhere. The daffodils add character and in the summer, the strawberries fill in when the daffodil leaves die down. There are some iris bucheriana. Slugs love it. The white spots are Sluggo which claims to be safe and organic, and works very well. I added some overwintered Tradescantia pallida for color, and some variegated "society garlic" Tulbaghia violacia for color and in hopes of deterring pests (even in the truck that plant is stinky! like garlic only more so)
Some overwintered Chinese Celery among the heirloom potato onions. I think there are finally enough potato onions to start eating them in large amounts at harvest this year, instead of saving all of them. I though they were dead - only a few grew last fall. Now it looks like they are all alive.
Even more daffodils, These are in about their 3rd year. Next to them is a daphne - barely seen flowers, but they make the entire yard smell like fabric softener. Yum.

"Volunteers" and today's putteriing

This is probably 'golden nugget' tomato, an open polinated Oregon variety which I grew for three years. It popped up in the rose bed. I didnt notice until I saw the yellow tomato.



This is probably 'gambo' pepper, an heirloom variety that I grew last year. It popped up in a flower pot along with some Italian Parsley; not much room left for the Euphorbia that was planted in the pot.



This is a morning glory that I grew last year. It looks very nice sprialling around the cleome. It's excessively exuberant - and there are others around the yard.

I remember the concept of 'volunteer' plants from growing up in Quincy. The volunteer is a seedling that sprouted, without human intervention, from seeds that fell or were otherwise distributed (such as seeds spread by birds, or a fruit pit abandoned after eating the fruit, or seeds that survived composting kitched scraps). Around the yard are volunteer Rose of Sharon, and semi-volunteer rose bushes (from discarded prunings that somehow survived and sprouted). These represent the tenacity of life, growing without effort from me or any other grower (such as commercial outfits). As such, they are treasures.

Unless they turn into weeds (like ivy, but that's another story).

Today's puttering:
1. I planted a seedling ginkgo, to replace the slowly dying Monkey Puzzle tree. Who knows whether there is something wrong with that yard location (in which case I might have doomed the ginkgo). I hope it's not Sudden Oak Death - but as slow as this tree has been dying (over three years), it's not sudden.
2. Cleaned up the strawberries. Removed old leaves. Pulled out crowded strawberries, and planted at the edge of the tomato bed and blueberry border.
3. Deadheaded roses.
4. Mowed the brown but weedy lawn. Maybe this will be the year to try an eco-lawn?
5. I think I'm going to pick some grapes now.