Re: [gardeners] Re: Sunday in the garden [sic]

George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 25 Jun 2001 20:16:33 -0500 

Sounds like your garden is off to a good start Wendy. I don't grow corn either,
too cheap at the local market to bother with. Miz Anne, my wife of 40 plus
years, does grow a small stand and usually eats the entire crop at one sitting.

Hope your flu gets better, it's the devil being sick much less while pregnant.
At least I remember that from when we were still having babies. That's been
about 38 years ago come September. <VBG>

George

"W. Arons" wrote:
> 
> The day before yesterday we picked our first two RED RIPE tomatoes off the
> vine--June 23 in Zone 5 (NW Indiana!).  The variety is Matina, a German
> early fruiting variety I got from the Cook's Garden catalog--they're small
> fruits from a potato-leaf-type plant, and I can only imagine the reason we
> got such an early fruit is that I started my plants WAY too early this year
> under gro lights in the basement, and then set them out obscenely early
> with the protection of some Wallo'Waters that we picked up at a big
> discount during a closeout sale at the local Frank's Nursery.
> 
> Unfortunately, I was unable to enjoy the first tomato of the season as I
> was hit that same day by one of the worst bouts of flu ever--I've slept
> something like 36 hours in the last 48, and wasn't able to eat anything for
> most of that time.  I'm four months pregnant, so this is particularly
> grueling--I'm starving, and the lack of blood sugar gives me a roaring
> headache, but just the thought of eating makes me nauseous (and nothing
> stays down, anyway...)
> 
> For the first time ever, I've had success with lettuce in the
> garden--something I also attribute to starting seedlings early.  Direct
> seeding lettuce has never worked for me, I think I'm not good enough at
> discerning weeds from lettuces, and I forget to water the poor seedlings
> out in the garden (in the basement, they get all the loving care they
> need).  We've also got potatoes galore in the garden, and have already
> feasted on our first batch of new potatoes--I've got a couple of varieties
> of white, a red, and some blue ones (sounds like a dish for the 4th, eh?)
> I harvested a last batch of peas last week, and am letting the final pods
> dry on the vine-either I'll dry them for soup, or save them to seed next
> year's patch.  I've never done peas before either--my 2-yr old daughter, to
> my amazement, eats them fresh out of the pod, in the garden (it probably
> helps that I call them "garden candy").  So peas are definitely a keeper
> for next year.
> 
> We decided against growing corn this year--I guess I don't love it enough
> to make it worth my while.  I know it's a pretty easy crop, but we somehow
> ran out of space this year (we put in strawberries where the corn was last
> year).  Plus, I never seem to know when to pick it at the right time.  Last
> year's crop was a real disappointment, either I picked too early, or too
> late, or it was full of bugs--it didn't get enough water at a critical
> time, and all the ears were tiny.  Anyway, here in Indiana at the farmer's
> market corn is fresh and sweet and cheap, I'd rather grow stuff I can't get
> quality & organic.  Like tomatoes.  I feel guilty about foregoing corn,
> though--seems like I've failed as a gardener if I can't grow THAT.
> 
> We DO have carrots, and beets, and celery, and leeks, and peppers, and
> cukes, and eggplant, and melon, and the salad garden.  Plus brussels
> sprouts (I worry the weather is too warm for them now) and broccoli, and
> garlic & onions, and a variety of herbs.  And my partner is growing "bushel
> gourds" for some mysterious project.
> 
> One of these days I'll get into flowers, but for now my heart's in
> vegetables.  That's all for now, I think I'm going to go lie down again.
> 
> Wendy, South Bend IN