2016 Garden Photos

[Langley Ranch]

Jen, that is so interesting about your allergy experience! Thank you for sharing that.
What kind of carrots do you have there?

erin.

[salix]

Jasper is adorable, and Bella is absolutely beautiful! So nice that you can keep your root veggies stored in Mother Nature's refrigerator.

[jhp]

I think we're going to have an early spring this year. Everything is popping up early, first are the crocuses.





Garlics are sticking out.



Planted lettuce seeds March 8 outdoors under plastic. Last year, I did the same planting March 31. Thinking hey, let's see what happens. Last year's lettuce did well this way. So since we had a warm snap, I tried it even earlier. I even used seeds from last year's packs. What do I have to lose? Planted Rocky Top mix from Baker Creek and some Black Seeded Simpson. Pic is Black Seeded Simpson today.



I started onion seeds January 21, 2016. Here is one of two flats on March 12. I've been giving them field trips outdoors on nice days. Onions are not something I have pursued much. I'm mostly obsessed with tomatoes. However, last year, my father-in-law got some onion seeds and offered some to me. His plan was to just plant the seeds in the ground in spring. I thought that couldn't possibly get them big enough before they bulb. I started mine indoors as soon as I got the seeds, but sort of late for starting onions I think. Some February 27 and some March 4, 2015. I wasn't very nice to the onions once tomato time started. I didn't give them enough attention, let them dry out, never fertilized them, and put them out to harden on bad weather days. Most of my seedlings died. This is not typical for me. I don't know why I was so indifferent to the onion seedlings. Perhaps it was because it wasn't my idea to start them. I had ordered onion plants from Dixondale already. I did get good onions from the surviving seedlings however. They were as good, actually produced bigger onions, than the onions from plants I mail ordered. So this year, I decided to start them earlier and be nicer to my onion seedlings this time.

[jhp]

Originally Posted by jillian

Great pics of kitty's and carrots!! I have a very ordinary very fat orange tabby that I love dearly. He is king he rules the house.
Those carrots are incredible. I cannot grow root veggies to save my life, except for radishes. Tried growing kohlrabi and turnips last year and nary a root formed, only plants?!? The carrots were very tiny but the tops were lush. Everything else flourished. There must be a secret I am not in on lol.

I felt that way for years too, Jillian. I tried growing them in a block like my garden books said and even added more height to the sides of that raised bed so they would have deeper soil to grow in. They never produced very good carrots. I mean, I would get something, but not nice fat ones like I got in 2015. And actually, I grew some in a similar manner in 2014 and that made me want to do much, much more this way in 2015 because we eat a lot of carrots. Perhaps carrots do like tomatoes like that companion planting book title. As I said, I didn't do much with the carrots, just let them be. I think growing them along the soaker hose helped. The tomatoes get compost and mulch, but I don't think much of that made it's way over to the carrots, but who knows. There is the old adage that lots of green = too much nitrogen. Could that be the case with your carrots?

[jhp]

Originally Posted by kath

Happy New Year, Jen! Your kitties are so beautiful and those carrots are amazing! I've tried leaving them in the ground into the fall but have had trouble with them splitting/being nibbled by critters. Do you have a secret to keeping them safe?

Also, great idea ~ cat allergies. I'm allergic to most animals, not to mention pollen, etc. and have missed not getting more pets after ours had passed years ago. As of Jan. 1 I have quit all grains and sugars, so I'm very excited about the possibilies! Thanks for sharing this.

kath

P. S. Our carrot tops go to the neighborhood chickens- too many bitter alkaloids for me.

Thank you so much for your kind words. Happy Belated New Year! I have a 6 foot fence and also an electric fence around my garden. By the fall the electric fence is turned off once there isn't much in there to bother. We have a ton of deer here. I had a herd of 8 in my side yard this morning and that is typical. So if it doesn't have a fence, it gets eaten by the walking stomachs, I mean, deer. I do get some carrots that get too big and split. Yes, I do. I tried throwing them over the fence for the forest creatures to eat, and oddly, the deer don't like carrots. I also get some carrots that split just as I pull them out of the ground. I think it's a water pressure thing, like tomatoes splitting after a heavy rain. This doesn't bother me much as I tend to just harvest as I want to eat them. I go out in my apron grab some carrots and cook them up for dinner.

I think Bella was a dog in a former life, she chases the deer while out for her leash walks. This is a video from my iPhone from her first meeting with a young deer (link below)

Jen

https://vimeo.com/105696526

[jhp]

Originally Posted by Deborah

If you have any friends with pet rabbits they'd love those good tops. So would the dear wild rabs who must need some good food in winter. Beautiful kitties!

You know, we don't seem to have any wild rabbits. In 11 years living here, I've only ever seen one and it was in my neighbors yard. Might be they are too smart to hang out around cats. Chipmunks, not so much.

My niece has adopted a new rabbit. Her beloved Phoebe died last summer at 10 years old. She has called dibs on any future carrot tops for her new bunny, Quincy. This is a picture I took of Phoebe when she came to stay with us for a few days. She was a lionhead rabbit. RIP sweet bun.

Jen

[jhp]

Originally Posted by Langley Ranch

Jen, that is so interesting about your allergy experience! Thank you for sharing that.
What kind of carrots do you have there?

erin.

Hi Erin. The carrots are Burpee A#1 Hybrid and Scarlet Nantes (also from burpee). Both purchased at the local home depot. I think I got a great return for my $3.08 investment! I grew the A#1 carrots in 2014 as well. They seem to do well, but not uniform at all. That's okay with me, but thought I'd mention. I'm going to try some others this year in addition to those.

Jen

[Hunt-Grow-Cook]

Fantastic photo quality in your pictures, a pleasure to view them. That is a great carrot harvest as well. Thanks for sharing.

[jhp]

Originally Posted by Hunt-Grow-Cook

Fantastic photo quality in your pictures, a pleasure to view them. That is a great carrot harvest as well. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you!

[barefootgardener]

Beautiful pictures jhp!

Your kitty is gorgeous, and those carrots look really good! My carrots only did slightly well compared to yours. Well, your picture will be my inspiration to hopefully do better with my carrots this year..

Ginny

[jhp]

Originally Posted by barefootgardener

Beautiful pictures jhp!

Your kitty is gorgeous, and those carrots look really good! My carrots only did slightly well compared to yours. Well, your picture will be my inspiration to hopefully do better with my carrots this year..

Ginny

Thanks you Ginny! I'm hoping that I get good ones again this year too. If tomato growing has taught me anything, it's that each year is different. I guess that's why we gardeners tend to be optimistic. Each year is a new chance to do better.

Jen

[jhp]

So, lately we've been seeing a fox come running thru our yard. The first time, he was very close to my dining room window. I was able to get a great view of him. What a beautiful animal. No camera handy that time. Then one day there were two! Only saw 2 of them once. Anyway, it was rainy, late morning on Saturday when I took this. His fur was kinda stuck together from the wet. I was washing dishes when he came running thru the yard and I saw him from my kitchen window. I had my camera ready and waiting, but he comes thru fast. I only got a picture of him from behind. I'm still gonna try to get a better shot. He wouldn't turn around for me.



The very next day, snow! Ugh! I thought we were done with this. So many of my perennials are up and my apple tree was about to blossom. It has stayed cold below freezing most of the time for the past 3 days. I'm hoping things don't die. Should be getting warmer tomorrow.



I checked my garden today. I had planted peas on 3/12 and some of those are up, they are none the worse for wear, as expected. Checked my lettuce, planted 3/8, tucked in under it's plastic, it is alive and well. I also planted a short row of A#1 carrots, and cylindra beets on the same day. They also germinated and are doing fine in the hoop house.



Perhaps next year, I'll start my lettuce even earlier!

Jen

[jmsieglaff]

Thanks for sharing! Your pictures are beautiful!

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by jmsieglaff

Thanks for sharing! Your pictures are beautiful!

I second that. Good going, Jen.

[NoahYates]

Gorgeous fox! In fact, all of your pictures are superb!