Posts Tagged ‘salad’
Written by admin on 09 February 2010
Discover How To Easily Build An Attractive And Affordable Greenhouse
November in the garden last year was a bit bleak to say the least. Early really cold weather finished off the annuals and the dahlias had to be put into storage. What a difference this year.
The weather did turn cold, the cold winds suggested a repeat of last year but instead the cold winds went away and unseasonal mild weather returned. The result is that the Dahlias are still looking good, the Cosmos are still stars in the border, Geraniums are still flowering en mass and Busy Lizzies (Impatiens) in sheltered spots are flowering their hearts out.
It is strange looking out of the window into the garden. There are trees that have completely lost their foliage due to the strong weekend wind, others with no foliage but have berries hanging like coloured baubles, Acers that are showing there beautiful autumn foliage, shrubs with autumn colour, roses still blooming and annual bedding still in flower. There can be no doubt however that we are well into autumn, the Sycamore leaves are thick on the ground with still more to come off this majestic tree. The leaves of most the trees in the garden are easy to gather using my Stihl Leaf Blower / Garden Vacuum but the shear bulk of wet Sycamore leaves make the job hard work.
I can report pleasing results from my summer containers this year apart from two bowls that sit either side of the steps down to my front lawn. Why I cannot say but they have just not looked good all summer and yet two other large pots a few feet away using the same compost and plants from the same sowing are still looking good. This weekend I removed them thinking that I may discover a problem at the roots but no, the compost was full of healthy root. I have replanted now with Winter Flowering Pansies that I sowed earlier this year so it will be interesting to see if they fare any better.
The one problem, if you can call it a problem, of summer bedding still doing well in containers is that I do not have the heart to uproot them as I know I should and the Winter Flowering Pansies really need to be planted out. Still, I am sure I will wake up one morning soon to see bedding that has collapsed and had enough!
The last of the cucumbers have been picked and eaten this week. What prolific croppers they have been. Just two plants have provided more than enough cucumbers for the family and there were plenty to give away. If you have not tried the smaller fruiting varieties that grow just big enough to provide one meal then I urge you to do so. Picked fresh, still crisp and used in a salad or put onto sandwiches, excellent.
Tags: container, containers, cucumber, cucumbers, flower, garden, garden diary, garden tools, gardener, gardeners, gardening, geraniums, hints and tips, leaves, plants, pot, pots, roots, roses, salad, shrub, shrubs, trees, wildlife
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Written by admin on 09 February 2010
Discover How To Easily Build An Attractive And Affordable Greenhouse
It is not so long ago that I made an entry in my diary giving an opinion on the tomato varieties that I have grown this year. At the time I stated that I would grow more of the same next year, this being Harbinger and the plum variety Red Alert. I have changed my mind and will only be growing Harbinger next season.
So what has changed?
Harbinger has proved to be the best cropper by far and in my opinion Harbinger has the better flavour. In addition Harbinger tomato plants have proven to be much healthier.
The blackbirds have disappeared as they usually do at this time of the year to moult. I spotted one in one of my rhododendrons and he hardly had a feather left on his head.
The great news on the bird front is that we have more sparrows this year that we have had for a very long time. They are doing their best to eat me out of bird seed but I have no complaints. Flocks of them arrive on mass and disappear together. I hear them in the bushes near the feeder waiting for a refill. Their numbers suddenly declined dramatically one winter and it has taken years for them to make a comeback. The funny thing is, last winter was the harshest we have had for many years and yet it is this summer that we have had the biggest increase in numbers. Long may it continue.
For the first time ever I have had problems with caterpillars on my salad crops grown under cover. I recognised the caterpillar of the cabbage white but I must confess my ignorance when it comes to identifying the other thug. Whatever it was it had a voracious appetite!
This autumn I must give some thought to my vegetable garden layout. I have already made some alterations that will help next years crops which has entailed cutting back shrubs and trees that had put on more than expected growth due to good growing conditions.
My begonia hanging basket is looking good at last. For the first time this year I have grown tuberous begonias from seed that are recommended for baskets and containers, having only grown the fibrous rooted varieties from seed. They have taken a while to reach flowering size but the wait has been worth it. Hopefully I can over winter the tubers and have earlier flowers and a cheaper hanging basket next year.
Tags: birds, container, containers, flower, garden, garden diary, garden tools, gardener, gardeners, gardening, hanging basket, hints and tips, how to vegetable garden, plants, pot, salad, salad crops, seed, shrub, shrubs, tomatoes, trees, vegetable, vegetable garden, wildlife
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Written by admin on 22 November 2009
Discover How To Easily Build An Attractive And Affordable Greenhouse
When thinking of learning how to vegetable garden, thoughts firstly turn to those vegetables that are sown in spring and eaten through the summer and in to autumn.
However, there are vegetable varieties that the vegetable gardener can grow for winter consumption as suggested by Sarah Raven in her column in The Telegraph.
Chicory and kale are the kings of the winter veg patch
More of us should grow chicory. It looks wonderful in the winter veg garden and makes some of the best home-grown meals. It’s good raw in a mixed-leaf salad and even better cooked when the leaves lose their bitterness.
Following close behind in edible plant, winter glamour has to be the kales. The upright crinkled slate-coloured leaves of cavolo nero look their best at this time of year. Even if your plants were devastated by cabbage white caterpillars in the summer, they will recover and look fresh and beautiful right through the winter.
Add ‘Red Bor’ kale, always the biggest presence in my veg garden, and you’ll come to love the kale family for life and they supply another whole series of delicious winter meals.
clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Tags: garden, gardener, gardening, how to vegetable garden, leaves, plants, salad, vegetable, vegetable garden, vegetable growing
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Written by admin on 20 November 2008
Discover How To Easily Build An Attractive And Affordable Greenhouse
Home Hydroponics for Growing Vegetable Plants
Grow your own vegetable plants indoors using hydroponics.
Growing vegetables year round can be a challenge in most of the US. The winter
months won’t support any type of outdoor gardening in most of the US, and
in the southern states many types of vegetables won’t survive the summer heat
and drought.
But Indoor Gardening can be a real challenge as well. Proper lighting is always an issue, as most vegetables want 8 hours or more of sunlight a day.
Of course many vegetables such as corn or large vining plants like cantaloupe are just not practical even if you could create enough lighting to support them.
But it’s not at all out of the question to grow small leafy vegetables for salads,
and many herbs can be grown indoors as well. These generally are not heavy feeders, so they are also well suited for a Hydroponics Systems.
One of the more popular systems for growing container vegetables indoors is the Aerogrow Aerogarden system. It includes room for several seed pods and a built in adjustable height grow light. With a microprocessor based controller, the flow of nutrients in the hydroponics system and the timing of the grow lights are optimized for the specific type of plant that you are growing at the time.
By varying the height of the grow light as the plants increase in size, you
are able to maintain the optimum growing conditions for weeks at a time.
Another advantage to the Aerogarden indoor garden system is the variety of seed
types available for the system.
You can grow a variety of lettuce, spinach, cherry tomatoes, herbs, chili
peppers and even petunias.
With this large a variety of plants, some folks find they need more than one Hydroponics system
to keep up.
Tags: container, garden, gardening, growing vegetables, plants, salad, seed, shrub, shrubs, tomatoes, trees, vegetable
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Written by admin on 03 November 2008
Discover How To Easily Build An Attractive And Affordable Greenhouse
It seems that every time I watch a lawn care or landscaping show on HGTV, the homeowner decides to have an herb garden planted somewhere near the kitchen. It’s just “the cool thing to do.”
Hints and tips on growing plants has to include herb gardening as it is becoming more and more popular every day, and for a good reason. Herbs have practical value, serve a purpose, and with herb gardening you can actually consume your plants. When most people think of herb gardening they automatically think of cooking, but herbs are also grown for their pleasant aroma and their beauty.
One important part of herb gardening is drying the herbs for use during the winter months, especially if you plan on cooking with them. First the tops of leafy herbs have to be cut, washed, and hung up for the water to evaporate. Then, tie stems together and hang up in a paper bag to dry. After two to three weeks they must be removed; crumble the leaves, dry them out in the oven, and store in a glass jar.
One of the most common herbs gown in herb gardening is basil. “Dark Opal” and regular green basil are beautiful additions to any garden and often used as decoration. Dark Opal has light pink flowers and dark red leaves. Basil isn’t just used for its looks; it is used for extra flavor in tomato juices and pastes.
Chives are very petite looking and resemble a blade of grass. They are much stronger than they look, however, and will grow well through a drought. Their toughness and sturdiness make Chives a perfect plant for herb gardening, especially if the gardener doesn’t want plants that require a lot of hassle. Chives are good used in salads, egg dishes, and many different sauces. Their onion-flavor makes a great addition to your baked potato or chips and salsa!
Mint is also very simple to grow and is good to use in mint jelly, mint juleps, lemonade, that wonderful Mohito recipe, and any other kind of fruity drink. Mint is also good in herb gardening for its unique minty smell. Two similar herbs that appear in nearly everyone’s herb garden are thyme and sage. Both of these herb gardening favorites are used for flavoring soups, chicken, turkey, pork, and other sausages. Sage is also grown sometimes for its beautiful blue spiked flowers.
Lavender is probably the best smelling herb in all of herb gardening and is often used in candles, as a perfume scent, and to improve the smell in linen chests. The light purple flowers smell absolutely lovely. The only concern with lavender is its propensity to take over your garden. It does require quite a bit of trimming to keep it in check.
Other less common herbs often grown by homeowners include borage (used in salads), senna and ginger (used for colon cleansing and IBS relief) chervil (used in egg dishes), sweet marjoram (flavors lamb, fish, salad, and soup), sesame (flavors crackers, cookies, and bread), and dill (flavors meats and used in pickles).
Herb gardening allows gardeners to use items from their own back yard for cooking, looks, and scent. Herb gardening will produce much fresher herbs with more flavor than store-bought herbs, and are a lot cheaper. Plus, it just makes Mom that much more proud to say that she has added fresh herbs to the salad on the table!
Tags: flower, garden, gardener, gardeners, gardening, herb garden. herb gardening, herbs, hints and tips, lawns, leaves, plants, pot, salad
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Written by admin on 06 August 2008
Discover How To Easily Build An Attractive And Affordable Greenhouse
We are that time of the year and garden season when hints and tips for the vegetable garden once more include the phrase “depending upon where you live”. In warmer regions you will be able to get away with late sowings while cooler regions may wish to take a risk or accept that there may not be enough warm weather to come to get crops to maturity.
Tomatoes
I make no secret of the fact that I am an enthusiastic grower and eater of tomatoes. Early in the season I can buy locally grown tomatoes from a market gerdener but there is nothing like that taste that comes from those freshly picked from your own vines.
Pick those tomatoes that are ripening quickly now and enjoy the abundant harvest.
Irregular watering can lead to problems with blossom end rot in tomatoes so it is advisable to water well during dry spells.
Keep up with potato blight control on outdoor tomatoes to prevent further infection of the crop.
Also keep your eyes peeled for ghost spot, blotchy ripening and greenback. Problems with ripening can be caused by heat damage, lack of feeding or water, or by a genetic tendency in some varieties. Tomato viruses are another problem.
Reading back over this it may not at first glance look like a good advert for growing your own tomatoes but with a sensible care and good housekeeping regime most problems are avoided.
Quick Maturing Crops
Here we go with one of those depending upon where you live:
In warmer areas you can still sow quick maturing salad crops such as summer lettuce, radish, rocket, sorrel, chicory and fennel. Continue to sow spring cabbage, turnips, Oriental vegetables and overwintering onions.
If like me and you have a greenhouse, try sowing salad leaf crops such as lettuce, matzuna, rocket, greek cress and golden purslane in seed trays on the greenhouse benching. Sow seeds thinly, grow to maturity in the seed trays and graze the young leaves so that they cut and cum again.
Remember to regularly pick fast maturing vegetables such as French beans, runner beans, courgettes and cucumbers which will prevent stringiness or toughness and encourage further cropping.
Read more Vegetable Garden in August – Hints and Tips
Tags: cress, cucumber, cucumbers, garden, gardening, greenhouse, hints and tips, leaf crops, leaves, pot, potato blight, runner beans, salad, salad crops, seed, seed trays, seeds, tomatoes, vegetable, vegetable garden
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Written by admin on 01 July 2008
Discover How To Easily Build An Attractive And Affordable Greenhouse
We have been eating our own salad crops this week. The tomatoes and cucumbers are not ready yet but are coming on well. The cucumber flowers are so decorative, the yellow flowers brighten up the greenhouse.
What an interesting mix of salad leaves you can put together when you grow your own. Our mix was Mizuna, Greek Cress, Rocket, Spinach, Beetroot and Lettuce. The Greek Cress went down well adding a very peppery taste to the salads. The only disappointment to date is the Purslane which has been very slow. However I have a second sowing which seems to be coming along much better.
I have started my tomato questions and answers page and still have many questions left to answer.
More at Cutting Hedges and Eating Salad
Tags: cucumber, cucumbers, flower, garden, gardening, greenhouse, hints and tips, leaves, salad, salad leaves, tomatoes
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