Hort 2334 Food Crops,4-11-2013

This evening threatened rain, although it never did deliver.  We went out to the plot first.  We got to taste the first of the purple passion asparagus   That was an amazing taste, sweeter and more complex then any asparagus I had had before. There was a bit of talk about meat and the preparation of meat. Bryan and I did something funny.  People must have been punchy in class that night because everything was funny.

Carlo and I decided that the time for optimism was over regarding the cauliflower. We planted replacements between the ghosts of the last try. The kale looks great, the lettuce, leeks and beets looked encouraging.  Overall the plot looked quite handsome.  Tina is a weeding machine!

Back in the greenhouse we transplanted peppers for our team and for the class.  For the second week I harvested chamomile.  The chamomile has an aphid problem, I'm hoping the harvesting will help keep the aphid problem under control. I'd be really upset if it started to effect other plants. We washed the chamomile and Tina took some blossoms home to dry for tea.

Class finished up with a lab.  We tasted 12 types of tomatoes.  I'm afraid to say but winter tomatoes are always a disappointment to me, at least the slicing verities   Despite this there were two to add to my list of  out of season tomatoes worth buying.  The grape tomato "Santa Sweet" and the cocktail tomato "Amorosa".  The Amorosa was at least as good as my usual kamato.

the over winter survivor

Last Aug. I planted a few purple sprouting broccoli seeds, happily they all came up. Sadly I should have started them in July. As it started to snow in Nov. I made a note of it in my garden note book and put seltzer bottle Cloche over them. The weather was not kind at all but last month as the snow melted away I found I had one survivor.

April in my garden

Greetings,
This spring I was out earlier then past years and I planted cabbage; early jersey, bok choi, kale, radishes; French breakfast, and snow peas. The cliff flanking my yard is very beautiful its a wash of pastel flowers that I know nothing about. If you can't eat it, I don't plant it. The landlord put in perennials a while back so these are all his fault.