Pollinators

There are lots of bees buzzing around in the garden, and I managed to catch this one in the act.

May 7, 2011 - A bee ravaging my sage plant

Mint?!

I planted this crap over a year ago. Good job mint.

May 7, 2011 - This mint is slow

Peas All Over

I planted peas a while ago, and none of them ever came up. Then I started finding mysterious pea plants all around the yard, there were even a couple in the front yard. I'm still wondering what exactly dug up my seeds and deposited them elsewhere. I'm glad they came up, but I did not appreciate having to walk around the entire yard come meal time.

May 7, 2011 - Random peas

May 7, 2011 - Pea blossom

May 7, 2011

May 7, 2011 - The dill continues to grow

This Grasshopper is Screwed

I found this guy chillin' in my lavender plant. He hung around for a couple of days, I didn't have the heart to squish him despite the fact that his guts (?) were hanging out. He scared the crap out of my ex-roommate (who fled town when I went on my road trip) so I kind of liked him.

May 1, 2011 - Not a bad looking guy

May 1, 2011 - ???

Summer!

It's the best time of year again! The season when things grow faster than you can keep track of and there is always something new to eat. The garden now will be an entirely different entity in a matter of weeks. The early summer garden is still groomed, the late summer garden becomes a jungle.

May 1, 2011

May 1, 2011 - Chives and sage

May 1, 2011 - I'm a little obsessed with chive blossoms

May 1, 2011 - About 3 feet tall now

The Full Swing of Spring

Spring has really arrived, and by spring I mean, 90 degree weather, so the chard, kale and lettuce are going to seed. There is no inbetween place with our weather, it's either hot or it isn't. The carrots I planted back in winter are harvest-able, and the garlic continues to go crazy. Also worth noting, the dill I planted in fall grows several inches each week, and is almost as tall as the air conditioning unit. I regularly make herb bouquets for the kitchen as a way to use at least some of my herbs since I can't even begin to eat them all.

April 30, 2011 - Why hello a weird carot

April 30, 2011 - Garlic

April 30, 2011 - This dill gets MUCH bigger

April 30, 2011 - Kale going to seed

April 30, 2011 - Chard going to seed

Spring Has Sprung...oh crap, nevermind.

Usually spring is upon us by March, April at the latest. But this year sucked. It rained from January until April, and we had freezes well into March (usually the last real freeze is mid-Feb). The sun didn't even bother to come out for weeks at a time, and slowly almost everything in my greenhouse died. Outside, the cooler weather veggies were doing fine, and the garlic was going gangbusters. The occasional warm day was enough to confuse my herbs and start their flowering, which was much prettier than I imagined it would be, and also gave me another item to play with in the kitchen: chive flowers. If you like garlic, STRONG garlic, then chive flowers are up your alley.

April 3, 2011 - Sage blossoms

April 3, 2011 - More sage blossoms

April 3, 2011 - Chive blossom

April 3, 2011 - Chive blossom buds

April 3, 2011 - Kale, what a lifesaver I was really sick of chard by April.

April 3, 2011 - Want some? I'm sick of eating this crap

April 3, 2011 - Some corn coming in and shallots doing well

April 3, 2011 - Beans on the left, peas on the top

April 3, 2011 - Garlic and carrots coming in

Late Winter Garden

A late "winter" garden in SoCal, is a beautiful thing, if you enjoy your greens. The kale, chard and lettuce go crazy, and the herbs (except the basil, which lasted through January) continue their steady stream of producing way more than any one human can possibly use. The alliums tease you by poking their heads up through the ground, even though they won't be edible for months.

March 12, 2011

March 13, 2011 - Onions

March 13, 2011 - Swiss chard, can't keep up with it.