April 21, 2010
Bishop
Uncategorized
beets, cucumbers, peas, peppers, strawberries, tomatoes
Blossoms in the garden. I am looking forward to the fruit ……. already getting a few strawberries and we have been loaded up with the snap peas. I have seen some of the tomatoes beginning to set fruit. The Roma tomatoes and the Julliet cherries are going to be abundant pretty soon. Cucumbers are well spouted – I am trying squash again – it usually succumbs to the beetles. Peppers and cantaloupe are looking good! My experiments with potatoes under mulch and the hanging tomatoes are looking good….. I have so many blackberry blossoms that we may be overwhelmed! More photos to come.
Had some roasted beets at lunch today and then had snap peas and beet tops with my chicken tonight. It is really a treat to have the freshest veggies! I will need to eat well as I rehab from this pending knee surgery. Tuesday April 27th I get the left knee replaced. Could be 6-8 weeks of recovery to get back to 80% normal gait and strength. May have to use hired help in the garden.
TTFN
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April 10, 2010
Bishop
Uncategorized
balance, beets, gardening, log, rugby
So what is this photo doing in my gardening blog? Well that is me in my younger years balancing a log but not wise enough then to understand what balance in my life should have been. Balance then was just having enough money for beer, playing a little Rugby and maybe catching hold of a young lady or two.
Now that I have begun to figure it out, yes – I still have a few things to learn, I use my garden as a big piece of my balance! After I have been out on the road with my work I can't wait to get back and check on the plants, the compost pile and see how the worms are coming along on their job digesting the kitchen scraps.It is part of my chill out therapy. See dear, I am also happy to see you & Joe and I do appreciate you checking on the patch while I am gone.(I have to be honest and truthful because she actually reads the blog!)
Tonight for dinner I felt like I made some connections for others about my "gardening jones" – see earlier blog. I planned to roast some fresh beets from my garden and also prepare the tops as greens. As I was prepping dinner my good friend John came over to give some input on the height of the new mirror we were hanging and to try a bottle of the beer I had just finished brewing, bottling and aging. I was anxious to share this new ale with my friend.(another part of my balancing). John tried the beets and they were as good as he remembered from his youth but he wasn't too sure about trying the greens. It was a simple recipe but he couldn't believe how good they were. Now I had to convince my wife to try both the beets and the greens. She was a little too quick and ate the first beet before she heard me tell her to peel the skin off before eating. She ate it and did not seem to mind the skin. And, best of all, the flavor of the greens surprised her.
Now my favorite part …. John picked from my garden last summer when we were away and I had tried to convince him to plant a veggie patch at his house. He didn't bite on my suggestion but he did enjoy the fresh eating from mine. His yard is situated much better than mine when it comes to sun exposure. It is really perfect, in fact I would even manage it for him. After he ate both the beets and greens he said, "Bishop, I guess you can put a garden in my yard….. another convert, yee haw!
Now I can help put a some balance into my good buddy's life and yard….And maybe I'm a little closer to convincing my wife that I need something bigger to balance…. no, not bigger log but, maybe, just maybe a real acre or five!
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April 3, 2010
Bishop
Uncategorized
asparagus, beer, beets, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, smörgåsbord, swiss chard, tomatoes
I have been out pulling weeds, removing early berries on the strawberry plants, checking on the blackberries and I just loving seeing it all grow!!!!!
Here is a picture of a mixed bed. I have heard that there are some real benefits to utilizing the companion planting techniques. Problem with that is- there has to be a plan….. I sometimes just group stuff by height and width…. makes sense to me. So… if you look closely I have;
Swiss Chard, Romaine lettuce, garlic, carrots, asparagus ferns, beets,a few small weeds, potatoes way out in back and empty plastic jugs waiting to be put in service…. they will be mini greenhouses. I call it Smörgåsbord grouping. I can pick a salad without taking a step.
I was down at the farmers market this morning and saw Romaine lettuce going for $2-$3 per head and they didn't look nearly as good as mine. Swiss Chard- bunches of 5 leaves for $3 to $4 an bunch. People were carting out bags of the stuff. Makes me wonder if maybe I can have a fourth or fifth career selling organically grown veggies….. Hmmm. Maybe I should pull out the business plan forms I picked up a couple of years ago and give it a try. The booths selling eggs ran out by 9:30 AM except for one and the line was 10 back…. $3/dz. for white eggs and $4/dz for brown. Same feed, same pasture, same bugs to eat….. there is not an advantage to buy brown eggs, they taste the same …….. the farmer likes the perceived differences!!!
Check out my new photos from today's garden visit, Oh, by the way, my latest batch of beer is ready to drink – Farmhouse Ale…. go figure. Even my wife liked the finish, not too hoppy- just right.
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March 30, 2010
Bishop
Uncategorized
gardening, soil, transplants, vegetables
An obsession; a burning desire. The undeniable passion or love for someone or something.
"Basketball Jones, I got a basketball jones, I got a basketball jones ooh baby…"
Well, I got a gardening jones and just gotta have it, ooh baby…..!
The picture looks out of place relative to the title…. but just keep reading!
I have been traveling and have not been able to get my hands dirty in my little patch back home in Kingwood TX. I have called my wife to check on the plants, worms, rain/weather and – oh yeah – how she is doing and how the soccer match went and to tell her that I love her and miss her!
I spent a couple of days with my mother in Los Osos CA doing a few honey-do's around the house and in the yard. I trimmed some run away ground cover, repaired some sprinkler heads and tried to unclog the rain gutter conduit out to the street….. got some flow but it needs to be pulled up and properly flushed and reset. As I was working I couldn't help but notice some wonderfully bare ground ……….. That bare ground, let me tell that story and then I will get back to my jones for this bare ground.
June of 2009 my mother had a wonderful 80th surprise Birthday party that she had spent months planning – LOL – Her children attended with spouses, her grandchildren (15) and two of the three great grandchildren were in attndance. And yes, there were a few great grand children in the oven. She invited 100 or so of her friends from the park she lives in….. great bunch of friends that will always take a free meal and hope that Grammie Glo will entertain them… Well the family provided a very large work crew to do some clean-up at Grammie’s place the next day. Now the story….
My brother-in-Law Bill was on a chain saw massacre mission. I thought that maybe the nieces and nephews would get a chance to witness how badly flesh can be damaged by a chain saw… no such luck for flesh but before the chain bound up there was considerable damage to vegetation and the drip sprinkler system (well maybe he just added more drip locations????). Several months later the remnants of once healthy plants were removed, eg. The lush green juniper to the left of the chainsaw in the picture.
There is now a bare area just begging for seeds and transplants. It is deep sandy loam. I wanted so badly to get some carrot seeds and create an edible border coming up the walk. Those carrots would have had lush green tops and nothing to put those ugly forks in the roots like I have with the Houston clay that makes it so hard for me to grow carrots…( run on sentence). It just screams at me to create an edible landscape…. But, I left jonseing for a chance to give that bare spot some love – Mom said no and like a good son I resisted the urge. She said something like the deer would eat it…. I would share… wouldn’t you?
OK – next I stopped at my daughter Melissa’s house and she shares my jones….. I felt better after getting some Camarillo dirt on my hands, seeing the berry plants, checking out her new raised beds and the veggies taking root. I feel better now!!!! I may be able to hold off until I get back to my little patch now.
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March 20, 2010
Bishop
Uncategorized
asparagus, beans, cucumbers, first, lettuce, slugs, snails, spring, strawberries, sweet
Wow! The first berry of spring and I picked it the day before the official first day of spring. I was not expecting a ripe berry so early because of the wet and cool spring we have been experiencing. I noticed lots of blossoms in my sunniest patch but this was an early surprise.
I noticed something else after I picked it and took a closer look. See the heart shaped image of the berry. Pretty cool huh! I wonder if there is a message here? Hmmmm……
As with any good berry it meets the same fate. I did offer the first bit to my wife Kathy but she deferred that honor to me. – Thanks Hun…… it was so good. The home grown berries just have so much more of the "real" Strawberry flavor. It compares well to the wild strawberries I used to pick in the fields surrounding Fort Lee, Virginia.
Here is the first berry of the spring nestled in amongst the leaves, blossoms and the early berries that have set. It looks like it will be a good and sweet spring. I have found a good organically safe slug and snail deterrent so I hope to share fewer berries with the slimy little buggers.
On another note….The new June bearing varieties are doing very well. They are establishing themselves well and looking very healthy. The garden is beginning to hop now… The pole beans are up, potatoes looking good, the lettuce so good and lots of snap peas to munch on. The cucumber plants were slow showing through the layer of leaf mulch but I see they are now breaking through. My asparagus, first year, is spindly and needs staking – next year I may be able to get some spears!
Get out and grow something…..
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March 16, 2010
Bishop
Uncategorized
fish, garden, lettuce, salad, swiss chard, tomato
Ben, my oldest son, went off fishing on Saturday the 13th and landed this very nice Redfish. He is using the fisherman's trick of extending his arms to highlight the size ( I coached him on that). It was right at the upper slot limit of 28". Very nice fish. He also brought home a nice speckled trout so we will have several fish meals this week. Cooked up one of the fillets last night along with garden fresh steamed Swiss Chard and Snap Peas. What a real treat.
Today I built a very nice salad featuring 4 varieties of lettuce and some fresh snap peas from the garden. Bell peppers are store bought….. I am 5-6 weeks away from harvesting my own and by then the lettuce will have bolted. The freshness just can't be beat.
A little rain today for the garden but not so much that it turns to a quagmire. The hanging tomato plants seem to be looking good so my experiment for a cheaper "topsy turvy" planter may be successful.
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March 9, 2010
Bishop
Uncategorized
beans, chard, dinner, lettuce, melons, peas, salad
Fresh picked today…. It doesn't get any fresher than that. Romaine, Red Leaf and Butter Crunch lettuce. I will add some store bought cucumbers, onion and bell peppers… as much as I would like to be perfect I will have to settle for close! I have also gathered in some Swiss Chard, Red and White(green) as well as some snap peas.
They are still a few weeks from really getting going. I have two varieties….. in non technical terms – the flat and the more robust meatier type. If I was better organized I would have a plot plan listing the variety by genus and species. But, alas, I am just a good ole boy that just enjoys seeing it grow and getting some real flavor from my little patch. I do keep most of the seed packs and could probably match them up from the "purty" little pictures.
The cucumber seeds are in the ground but yet to emerge as well as the pole beans. I am getting anxious but will be patient for another week before I reseed. I have some melon seeds but will hold off a little longer for them….
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March 8, 2010
Bishop
Uncategorized
asparagus, blackberries, blueberries, carrots, chard, garlic, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes
Back into the garden today… wet and sloppy but I put my poorboy topsy turvy style tomato planters together. I bought two determinate patio style plants, cheap two dollar buckets and a left over bag of potting soil. The plant hanger is a bit wobbly so I will need to stiffen it up or secure it better.
I will provide some updates as the season progresses. I shot a picture of one of my mixed beds. The Swiss Chard is doing well and the Romaine is really starting to get big. The garlic is looking good but I have never been able to get good bulbs here in the Houston area.
What isn't seen is a few spindly spears from the asparagus crowns I put in last fall. I have heard they can grow here and do fairly well. I see three of the 4 crowns have put a spear up. The new blueberry plants are leafing out now. The new June bearing strawberries are taking hold so it should be a good berry season. Some of the ever bearing plants already have berries. The buds are swelling on the blackberries so I will soon see if I managed the canes properly last summer and fall.
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February 28, 2010
Bishop
Uncategorized
gardening, lettuce, strawberry, tomato
I put some replacement tomatoes out to replace the early ones that I sacrificed. This young guy is sharing space with some tender Romaine lettuce. I have several varieties of lettuce going now. Romaine, Buttercrunch, Red Leaf/Red Sails, Black Seeded Simpson as well as a little spinach and red Swiss Chard.
The chard does very well here in Houston. Kind of a surprise. In fact the red was still edible into mid summer Iast year so I decided to plant some more.
I have a lot of ever bearing strawberry plants and use and use them as ground cover. Over the course of the season I gather enough to make some strawberry jam. I made about 12 jars last year and just now finishing off the last jar. Can't wait to gather up some more and if it goes well the 50 new June bearing plants may offer up some more! I added some new blackberry palnts yesterday, a thorny variety to add diversity to my thorn-less 3 year old plants.
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February 26, 2010
Bishop
Uncategorized
compost, frost, mulch, tomato
Well did that title get your attention. Yes sir, aggressive gardener Bishop Decker in his quest to have the first home grown tomatoes on the block is guilty! He set two tender, young and innocent tomato plants out a week ago taking a big chance…. Alas, Celebrity and Big Boy succumbed yesterday.
They were observed early yesterday morning with a light coating of frost. They were bravely standing tall and erect but as the frost melted the injury became apparent and they passed quietly. They did not die totally in vain. They have become an important part of the compost pile so that their brief and tragic life can aid others. May they rest in mulch!
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