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@Katie L -
YUMMY!
We grew strawberries for a few years, but had a hard time harvesting more than the critters around us. We not only have squirrels, but rabbits, opossums, raccoons, groundhogs, muskrats, skunks and deer.
Something happened to my rhubarb, but we have a large patch of the most wonderful Black Raspberries with berries already forming! They have a distinct flavor that I like even more than Red Raspberries.
We have 2 Serviceberry trees in bloom - their berries taste like Blueberries, but they are pretty tall now & the birds all feast on them.
We have a volunteer Apple tree that might produce good this year.
← Later, I have a Cornus Kousa Dogwood that will fruit with berries about the size & taste of a mild strawberry.
Btw, I have a fabulous 'No-bake Fresh Berry Pie' recipe that uses cornstarch & Jello, that can be used for any kind of fruit - and I have a 'Strawberry Quiche' recipe if you are interested.
I should've asked if you even like to bake, or would you have trouble converting our USA measurements if I gave you a recipe? I have a bit of a hard time converting to yours - but learned a lot when I converted some of my Sourdough recipes for BillyG (Scotland). (lol)
- Emily
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@Katie L Your strawberries look wonderful! Congrats on growing them!
This is the first year that I’m not growing anything. I always grow bell peppers, zucchini, a few varieties of tomatoes, and basil. And then a few other things. I did a couple years of cucumbers & broccoli. I did a year of cantaloupe. I grew a lot of tomatoes most years, and so I did canning. I decided to take a year off this year.
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
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Well, I DO have a garden...
Usually we have strawberries, peas, green beans, corn, tomatoes, squash, oranges, apples, peaches and so on in there. Not so much with the veggies this year, getting too old to plant and harvest. It seems like the ground gets further and further away every year so getting down that low is a tad difficult.
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They look excellent. I have grown tomatoes, and At one time I actually sold bonsai trees.
Cant beat a sunny day
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RDP that is great ! We have a huge plot it takes me ages to walk from one end to the other ! And stringy how cool is that growing bonsai trees! I have a couple of house plants but i’m much more into outdoor plants!
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I didnt grow them I sold them, I had a stall at park hall, wasnt much money in it so I stopped.
They were imported for me from china, and other parts of asia. I do grow them now, as a hobby, and I have a few that are almost ready for training, most people dont realise that they dont grow like that on their own, left to their own devices they would grow full size, they are kept small by various techniques which can be quite complicated, and then they are styled by pruning and wiring to mimic large trees, done properly its a very fine art.
There is also no such thing as an indoor Bonsai, in Britain anyway, they are outdoor trees which have to be protected in a greenhouse in winter, the only ones that will grow fairly well in this country indoors are Fig because of the climate they originally grew in.
If you ever wanted one get Chinese elm, they do alright outside in this climate, stick them in a cold frame in winter, beautiful little trees, that out doors in the ground grow to about thirty feet with 3 inch long leaves, when trained they make good 12 to 15 inch tall trees with leaves about a centimetre long.
Cant beat a sunny day
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@SharonC -
That's a GREAT set up!
We used to have more available sunlight - all the trees I planted have grown to maturity, so getting hard to find enough hours of sun for veggies now.
@stringy -
Bonsai are a lot of work! I've been in love with them since I was probably 12 years old, learned all about them back then - almost started into it, then got too busy! I've seen a beautiful Chinese Lacebark Elm. ...I lost a large Lacebark Pine out back from a couple of extra-vicious Winters - the bark was a beautiful, mottled camouflage pattern.
I went with Orchids instead.
Had 60 different ones - for many years. Used to go every month to our Orchid Society meetings & there were shows, too. Taking a trip to a large Orchid greenhouse was like visiting a living Art Museum. I don't keep any now - don't want to burden Kevin with anything extra these days.
@Katie L -
What will you be harvesting, next?
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Thanks Emily and mouse for letting me know this had been moved 👍
That is an amazing set up Sharon you have so much space but I know what you mean about having a break ! And interesting to see what you have been growing Emily I’ve never heard of Cornus Kousa Dogwood.
We will be digging up the onions garlic and potatoes soon but in the ground we have swede, lettuce , broccoli asparagus that’s just finished. Parsnips carrots leeks tomatoes loads of chillies and peppers in the green house. Need to get the sweet corn in the ground as well and the beans. We have lots of raspberries they are so expensive in the shops! Umm we have a plum tree two apples!! It’s hard work and this is only our second year ! So we are still working out what does well.
Also have had about three times that amount of strawberries now.. think they are coming to an end. Also we have two huge rhubarb … it’s full on !!
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We have our own indoor garden. 😁
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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@Fiddlerman Ok, I am trying to figure that out. Could you explain, please?
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Mouse said
@Fiddlerman Ok, I am trying to figure that out. Could you explain, please?
It's using hydroponics and the system is called "Lettuce Grow".
https://www.lettucegrow.com
We have 36 plants. 6 on every level in a circle. Unfortunately, the image keeps showing laying down and looks weird. Not sure why.
There is a circulation pump inside that pumps the water to the top and it flows down passing through the growth mass of each plant. We add high quality nutrients to the water and our plants grow SUPER fast. First harvest comes after 3 weeks and we can't keep up with the amount of greens that we get. We're able to share our greens with family and friends. 😁
You can either pick as you go, or you can grab the entire plant and order new seedlings.
Presently we're growing:
- Red Leaf Lettuce
- Tatsoi
- Classic Butter Lettuc
- Romaine
- Genovese Basil
- Thyme
- Baby Lettuce Mix
- Bok Choy
- Muir Summer Lettuce
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Oh, wow! That is fantastic. I love fresh lettuce and fresh herbs. Kind of a rare commodity here. Anything fresh is an odd commodity here, even though I live among farmers. They are either cattle or cattle crop farmers, no veggies.
That is right inside your house?
Oh, you should see my daughter's back yard. It is fantastic.
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@Fiddlerman -
Love your setup!
Bought my Daughter a smaller version for herbs, few years back - but you've definitely caught my attention with the Bok Choi! ...making a quick version of Won Ton Soup with Bok Choi & Pork Potstickers in the pressure cooker, today!
We eat quite a bit of Bok Choi, herbs & baby greens, too.
Trying to find a place where the 4-legged 'Boys' won't try to sample all the greens is whole other story! CRITTERS - inside is as bad as outside! 🙄 ...guess we could rig a cage.
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@Mouse -
No roadside stands, or Farmer's Markets?
We only have Chives & Thyme that comes back up every year - made the mistake of planting mint one year. 😳 We've gotten spoiled with fresh herbs always available in our grocery stores.
My Daughter likes Dandelion leaves, she also likes kale - I can pass on those, but she did take a bunch of my different Hostas to grow for herself, so she could harvest the tender young shoots to eat. Young Hosta leaves are edible and some varieties have fragrant flowers - all edible, too!
https://balconygardenweb.com/a.....or-eating/
- Emily
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Farmers Markets here, strangely, sell items grown elsewhere. Never was there when fresh local grown veggies were there.
We have seen the tractor trailer at the roadside stand about 3 miles away. That farm does not grow crop other than for cattle feed. So, they get it shipped in to sell. Since it is not in season here, it is not fresh. What they sell later on, when it would be in season, looks the same, not fresh. They look and taste like hot house grown. So they aren't buying fresh local to sell when it is in season. I stopped going.
Farmers around here are either dairy or growing for the dairies.
The only other roadside stand we know of was the one my brother-in-law had. He doesn't do it anymore. My kids used to walk two houses down and grab stuff for me, and also keep an eye on it when he was on a vacation. He had the garden out back in a lot. He actually moved about 1 1/2 miles up the street. I don't know how much he does now. I know it is not much. He has permission to use a little lot the farmer can't get his tractor into. I don't see him selling it on a stand any longer.
We can get fresh apples in the Fall and they do sell local apples in stores on the off season, that have been stored. They are really good. But veggies, forget it.
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Mouse said
Oh, wow! That is fantastic. I love fresh lettuce and fresh herbs. Kind of a rare commodity here. Anything fresh is an odd commodity here, even though I live among farmers. They are either cattle or cattle crop farmers, no veggies.That is right inside your house?
Oh, you should see my daughter's back yard. It is fantastic.
Yes, inside our bathroom. I know it sounds disgusting but we have a huge bathroom, serrate toilet room and all...... It's perfect there because of the humidity that you can get from having one of these inside your house.
We can seriously eat unlimited greens.
ELCBK said
@Fiddlerman -Love your setup!
Bought my Daughter a smaller version for herbs, few years back - but you've definitely caught my attention with the Bok Choi! ...making a quick version of Won Ton Soup with Bok Choi & Pork Potstickers in the pressure cooker, today!
We eat quite a bit of Bok Choi, herbs & baby greens, too.
Trying to find a place where the 4-legged 'Boys' won't try to sample all the greens is whole other story! CRITTERS - inside is as bad as outside! 🙄 ...guess we could rig a cage.
You wouldn't need the same system to buy seedlings from Lettucegrow.com
You can get the Bow Choi, or any other herbs you desire.
I'm with you on that by the way. one Bon Choi. We've tried so many different greens and I try to mix it up on every growing cycle. We usually harvest everything by the fourth month, clean the parts, and start all over.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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We are growing herbs outside on a plastic trolley, but every night slugs eat them all. Well, they eat all the basil, which is annoying enough.
I must devise a system of metals and/or beer traps. Except that the soil probably contains a load of slugs' eggs by now.
We had a rosemary tree 8' tall, but she* hates rosemary and chopped it down - claimed it had died anyway - and just left a small bush of the stuff. She also hates sage, so our herb collection will only ever be basil, parsley and chives.
* She doesn't want to be named on the internet. Maybe I'll call her Martha. If I've name her here before, I should try to edit it.
Andrew
Verified human - the ignominy!
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So sad, rosemary is amazing - especially paired with lemon, for everything from on buttered popped corn, vegetables, lamb, to dessert! ...wow, remembering a wonderful desert crepe I've had - with a brown butter, lemon & rosemary sauce - sooooo good. I can't grow it year round in our climate.
And sage! Where will you be without sage for poultry, pork or root vegetables? ...there's even an amazing pineapple variety!
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