Monday Harvest Update
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We are enjoying beautiful spring weather in the Bay Area, if you edit out the horrible allergies. It has been very windy, and my face and eyelids are puffy, red, and angry-looking. I've been wafting through the last few days in a benadryl haze.
Robb cut down our volunteer live oak. I'm horribly allergic to the pollen, and we both finally admitted that this baby tree was eventually going to mature and devour out miniscule garden. Better to remove it while the task is relatively easy.
When we first moved into this house, I acted like a worried new parent, with regards to all our fruit trees. I'd wrap our lemon when overnight frosts were predicted. Eventually, I drifted to the other end of the spectrum, assuming that the tree was tough, and could handle whatever nature threw at it. This past winter had a few particularly cold snaps (for our region) and the lemon took quite a beating. Oddly, all of the fruits, regardless of size turned yellow all at once. They seem to be still growing, and the tree itself is putting out new spring leaves. I finally bought some neem oil, and have lightly sprayed the tree, in an effort to reduce the various infestations of insects.
This is one tough tree.
Our chard is doing wonderfully. Robb had to back the garden's picket fence with hardware cloth, because the hens were poking their heads between the fenceboards, and devouring the chard leaves. They striped all the leaves, and left behind colorful stems. I've been cutting the stems up with scissors, and feeding them to the chickens.
I've got some baby chard plants started, because the larger plants show signs of bolting.
The Italian dandelion/chickory is growing like crazy. It has a very sharp taste, with an undertone of artichoke. I think it would be fantastic in a quiche or other eggy dish. Last year, it got a bit out of control, and we fed most of it to the hens.
It also attracted more native bees than any other plant in the garden. As usual, the bees are totally ignoring most of the California natives that I planted in their behalf.
And speaking of natives, I found this last week when I was digging under the lilacs to prepare the flax plot.
One slightly tired morel. We're not really sure if it was an actual morel, or one of the look-alikes, and because we were busy with other tasks, it dried out before we could give it a very good inspection. We do tend to have quite a lot of mushrooms in our tiny yard, but this is the first time we've seen this variety.
If you are interested to read what other gardeners have to say, mosey on over to Daphne's blog.
We are enjoying beautiful spring weather in the Bay Area, if you edit out the horrible allergies. It has been very windy, and my face and eyelids are puffy, red, and angry-looking. I've been wafting through the last few days in a benadryl haze.
Robb cut down our volunteer live oak. I'm horribly allergic to the pollen, and we both finally admitted that this baby tree was eventually going to mature and devour out miniscule garden. Better to remove it while the task is relatively easy.
When we first moved into this house, I acted like a worried new parent, with regards to all our fruit trees. I'd wrap our lemon when overnight frosts were predicted. Eventually, I drifted to the other end of the spectrum, assuming that the tree was tough, and could handle whatever nature threw at it. This past winter had a few particularly cold snaps (for our region) and the lemon took quite a beating. Oddly, all of the fruits, regardless of size turned yellow all at once. They seem to be still growing, and the tree itself is putting out new spring leaves. I finally bought some neem oil, and have lightly sprayed the tree, in an effort to reduce the various infestations of insects.
This is one tough tree.
Our chard is doing wonderfully. Robb had to back the garden's picket fence with hardware cloth, because the hens were poking their heads between the fenceboards, and devouring the chard leaves. They striped all the leaves, and left behind colorful stems. I've been cutting the stems up with scissors, and feeding them to the chickens.
I've got some baby chard plants started, because the larger plants show signs of bolting.
The Italian dandelion/chickory is growing like crazy. It has a very sharp taste, with an undertone of artichoke. I think it would be fantastic in a quiche or other eggy dish. Last year, it got a bit out of control, and we fed most of it to the hens.
It also attracted more native bees than any other plant in the garden. As usual, the bees are totally ignoring most of the California natives that I planted in their behalf.
And speaking of natives, I found this last week when I was digging under the lilacs to prepare the flax plot.
One slightly tired morel. We're not really sure if it was an actual morel, or one of the look-alikes, and because we were busy with other tasks, it dried out before we could give it a very good inspection. We do tend to have quite a lot of mushrooms in our tiny yard, but this is the first time we've seen this variety.
If you are interested to read what other gardeners have to say, mosey on over to Daphne's blog.
Comments
I bet you are getting some fabulous eggs in return for losing all the chard foliage!