Snapshots of How It's Growin'

Overview

Elijah's Carrots

Cabbage


Salad Lettuce (looks like lunch for tomorrow!)


Green Beans

Peas Appease

Well friends, I am not going to be harvesting any broccoli.

No raw broccoli for my three year old (he doesn't understand what happened, but neither does anyone).
No fresh cream of broccoli soup.
No broccoli for my freezer.
The plants are large and healthy, but no stalks are growing. Nada. Nothing. Just leaves, leaves, and more new leaves in the center of every single plant!

I do want to show off my whopper broccoli, though (it almost covers a 4 square foot area). Here is one of nine gigantic leafed plants that's going in the composter tomorrow...



However, the peas are a-coming, and so it makes me forget my broccoli woes (momentarily). Very soon I will be popping fresh sugar snaps in my mouth. Maybe my three year old can be appeased with peas.

Got Turnips?

Looks like Lisa's got ladybugs, but I have turnips! :)

They aren't huge, but they are big enough to do something with.

The Ladybug Neighborhood

It has only been recently that I learned my great grandfather was an organic gardener. And honestly, when the big beautiful leaves of salad greens and zuchinni plants start to show signs of buggy diners, it is very tempting to try and find a "mild" pesticide.

Instead, I'm using ladybugs to fight my battle. I'm not sure how many lady bugs were in each container, but there were a TON! The store estimates 500 per container and 4 containers were released.

A friend jokingly told me the perferred method of releasing the bug: "On a windy day, walk three to four houses down and release them." I guess when enlisting lady bugs to combat the pest problem, the whole neighborhood can benefit. Lady bugs like to fly during the day. To keep my lady bugs in MY garden, I needed a few helpful hints:

1. Lightly water your garden area just before dusk.

2. At dusk, release the ladybugs.

The lady bugs wil not fly at night and are more likely to find food and decide that your plants are the perfect neighborhood to move in to and have children. :)

I went and checked the next day...sure enough. The ladybugs have found a new home in my garden!!!

Beautiful Bouquet of Spinach

My first harvest!

I think it's good enough to eat...

Wall O What?

Wall O Water.

It was almost as if I was speaking another language. I had just mustered up enough courage to approach the West Seattle Nursery Employee but when I asked my question, "Where are your Wall O Waters?", she just blankly stared before wrinkling her nose and asking, "Wall O What?"

"W-a-l-l Ooooo W-a-t-e-r. " I repeated.

"Never heard of them." She replied.

Great. My next door neighbor, who is also my landlord, brought over three b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l tomato plants that made my starts look like Jack next to the Giant. She started these plants from seed. She strongly encouraged buying a product called Wall O Water from the West Seattle Nursery.

Great. I have no idea where to get these. The garden expert thought I was speaking another language when I asked for them. And my land lord will evict me if I don't find Wall O Waters and the Giants die. Not really.

The internet search began. Oh great Google, tell me where and how fast they can get here. Found 'em and for a great price.

I guess they are also known as Aqua Shields. The shields trick the plant into thinking it's getting more sun than it is and it also keeps the air surrounding the tomato plant warmer.

Potage St Germain

I was looking forward to coming home yesterday because I had a recipe in mind to make. It was Potage St Germain, a French peasant soup:


2 T. butter
3 leeks, chopped
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 head of butter lettuce, chopped
30 oz. frozen peas
1/2 cup mint, minced

Sautee the leeks in butter over low heat until the leeks are wilted. Raise to medium heat and add the broth and water. Bring to a gentle boil. Add lettuce and peas. Cook until peas are tender. Add mint.

Either with a hand immersion blender or a food processer, blend the soup. If you find the soup is too thick, add water. Garnish with fromage blanc (soft white cheese) or sour cream. Serve hot or chilled.

My garden is only yielding radish at the present time. I had to buy all the ingredients except the mint. But as I started preparing this recipe, I realized that in a few months, I would be able to use peas, lettuce, mint and leeks from my own garden. I could make vegetable broth with leftover scraps of vegetables. The only thing I would have to buy is the butter...unless...I got a cow. Right.

The soup was ready to be served. I had even made bread the night before to go with the Potage, but then I heard a sound. I could NOT believe what I was hearing. Standing at the window, I finally had to face reality.

It was hailing.

Hail. It's May. It's Seattle. Thunder roared and lightening illuminated the yard just enough for me to see my vegetables covered in white.

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.