The vegetable patch
- Thread starter JLM
- Start date
I won't plant anything till end of april, unless weather
is unusually warm, but soil needs to be nice and warm for
veggies to germinate.
I have to make myself be patient, love playing in the dirt, and
have planted things too early many times, I don't do that any more.
A few potatoes, pole beans, corn, mixed salad, (can be
planted soon, or even now, and peas too, but I don't plant
them), carrots, a few beets, if I have room.
I am cutting down on garden work this year, so that my
sciatica doesn't flare up again, and I am retiling my
bathroom, and have some painting to do as well.
I'm kidding myself, cause the retiling of the floor is harder
than gardening, so I'm not being nice to myself at all.
Yeah, you don't gain much by rushing it. After April 1. I'll probably put in lettuce, SWiss chard, green onions, parsnips, turnips and peas. Those things can stand a little frost with no problem. Swiss Chard is one my favourite vegetables.
It's probably the easiest vegetable to grow, it's not fussy about soil conditions, you can break leaves off plants to your heart's content and it just keeps growing. You can eat it raw but I'm not fussy about it that way, much tastier boiled for five minutes. It's also one of the healthiest vegetables, much like spinach, but doesn't go to seed like spinach does.
I've never bothered much with spuds, they take a lot of room, and you can buy them cheap enough that it's hardly worth while. Netted Gems used to be popular, there's literally hundred of different varieties. I like red potatoes.
Yep, and I've heard peas do the same thing as far as improving the soil- maybe boost the Nitrogen.
My neighbor grows it. She said something about taking years (3 maybe?) for the plants to really start producing. Last year, they went on a cross-Canada trip and I was "in charge" of their garden. Her asparagus patch was 3 years old...jeez, I harvested fresh asparagus every day and it wouldn't quit coming. By the end of the season, I was full of it (asparagus, that is)...I've never seen anything grow like that in my life. Good stuff, but I think it takes patience for things to get started.
I am visualizing asparagus sticking out of every window
in your house, and piled up in the back yard, and boiling
on the stove, and a sign in the yard 'asparagus for sale'.
and you running back and forth, picking and piling.
lol
Yeah, I knew it took a while to get started, but forgot
just how long.
A strange side effect of eating too much asparagus is that you end up with very strong smelling urine (yeah, I know...a bit graphic)...another neighbor lady warned me about that, and she is quite up to speed on food...she claims it's due to the body becoming more acidic because of the asparagus. I'd say it's true!
I was giving it away to anyone I could find, but ended up blanching and freezing a lot of it.
Don't quote me on the 3 year "start-up", but I know it's quite a while. After that, stand back...it just won't quit.
The urine thing makes sense, just the type of veggie it is,
and the threadiness and flavour, it has attitude.
Sure does, but it is really delicious when it's that fresh...I overdosed on it but regained my taste for it about 2 months later. After it was all gone.
I think I prepared it every possible way in an effort to "get rid of it"...best and easiest way was a simple oven roast method with a bit of oil. Also steamed and chilled a bunch for salads, and even made a few asparagus and shrimp pizzas! I figure I likely ate about $500 worth of it during the season. Yum.
Up here in the frozen north, Ontario, planting doesn't happen until May. I grow potatoes, turnips, Swiss chard, peas, green onions, and tomatoes. I buy a seed potato from the grocery for a quarter and cut it in fourths. I got 16 potatoes that way last year. I'd like to try some beets this year.
I do believe that if the stinky hits the fan, like some say it will, I could survive on what I grow. With the occasional fish, of course. Otherwise, I just love eating food that fresh. It's the best.
I do believe that if the stinky hits the fan, like some say it will, I could survive on what I grow. With the occasional fish, of course. Otherwise, I just love eating food that fresh. It's the best.
Tell me about it. Several years ago my wife's niece gave her a jar of pickled asparagus. Well she opened it up and tried one (well the rest is history the wife not being too disciplined when it comes to delicacies she really likes). She woke up the next morning with excruciating pain in her foot. I had to take her into the doc and was informed he suspected gout. I don't remember whether it cleared up on in own accord or whether a prescription was necessary, but she's learned not to go chomping down pickled asparagus.