[gardeners] Sunday in the garden
Shirley,George (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sun, 03 Dec 2000 11:54:44 -0600
Although it is bitterly cold out to my thin blood Sleepy Dawg and I have gone
out to the gardens at least twice today. Here's a report on what's going on.
Greenhouse - Everything seems to be doing well in there with the exception of
the lemon verbena. For some reason that plant has lost about half its leaves.
Might just be too cool where it was sitting so moved it more toward the center
isle. Time will tell. The Corno di Toro chile plant is still blooming so I
helped it out with a cotton swab, pollinating all the flowers. I know, I know,
it's self-pollinating but it does seem to do better with some help and I do like
those meaty sweet chiles.
Vegetable garden - Everything is doing very good in there. Cabbages are heading
up nicely, broccoli and cauliflower aren't making heads yet but are fine and
healthy looking. The bunching onions are doing good, I picked some yesterday for
a friend and, if I had the time, I would pick more today and chop them for
freezing. Chard, carrots, kohlrabi, and florence fennel are progressing nicely.
I've never been able to grow Florence fennel as a spring/summer crop but it is
doing well in the fall/winter garden. This sowing of radishes is about done and
we've never had a better radish crop. Most of them are/were as big as hen's eggs
and still sweet. The green beans appear to be frozen in place with blooms but no
beans. A few warm days and they will begin producing.
The kumquat trees are loaded with fruit and we're certainly enjoying it. A nice
handful of sweet kumquats whenever you pass by a tree is a good treat. the other
fruit trees are approaching dormancy and, I hope, building up energy to produce
fruit in the spring/summer. The chiles are still producing albeit somewhat
slowly with the cool weather. The lemon tree has been producing mightily again
this year and currently has ripe lemons, green lemons, small lemons, and blooms.
As the Ponderosa lemon is supposed to bear year-around I guess it's doing what
nature programmed it to do. I know we are certainly enjoying the lemon juice we
keep in the refrigerator to top off glasses of water and for Miz Anne to add to
her (gag) hot tea.
The yard needs mowing to start picking up the leaves but we're in no hurry as it
is pretty cold what with the wind chill factor. Miz Anne has an upper
respiratory problem and my angina prevents me from spending much time out when
it's cold.
Hope all are doing well, recovering from a bounteous Thanksgiving, and preparing
for a wonderful Christmas or whatever you celebrate at years-end, mid-winter.
Life is good.
George, Miz Anne, and Sleepy Dawg Shirley