Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Sweet Alyssum, a prolific volunteer

Lobularia maritima...nobody calls it that.
Alyssum is a classic garden staple. Available in any nursery all year in California, easy-to-grow is an understatement, mostly pest and problem free, ranges from white to pink to purple flowers, and re-seeds itself.

This is one of my garden favorites because it re-seeds itself readily. It will eventually revert back to its wild, somewhat leggy origins, so I re-seed myself every other year or so. Some varieties from the nursery are sterile so you may not get volunteers the following season. I usually buy a few different seed packs and sprinkle them about. The photo above is this year's garden and all the low white flowers are volunteer alyssum from last year's plants. 

As the older plants become leggy and over grown I pull them out and then shake them over the bed to drop any seeds. By that time there's already seedlings coming up to take their place. In the foreground of the photo you can see the starts coming up between the stepping stones. They will likely be flowering in the next two weeks.

I'm a huge fan of plants that re-seed themselves. Larkspur, Snap Dragons, Lobelia, Cosmos, tomatoes and well, all of them... If they start themselves, chances are they will survive. 


Bodie loves alyssum too

Sunday, July 20, 2014

The odd but likable Cucamelon...

Melothria scabra 

I'm not surprised this strange little fruit has many names...mouse melonMexican sour gherkincucamelonMexican miniature watermelon and Mexican sour cucumber...It's been a food staple south of the boarder since pre-Columbian times.

Slow to get started, I often worry it's not doing well in the beginning. This delicate little vine really takes it time getting established but then one day you discover it's one of the most vigorous and high yielding plants in the yard. Drought & pest resistant, it can grow up over 10 feet. 

So, what's the big deal? How do they taste? What do you do with them?
I often eat these right off the vine. The taste is a bit like watermelon rind and lemon cucumber. Crunchy & slightly sweet, they are great in salads, stir fry, can be pickled, canned and put into salsa. I pickled some whole last year and wasn't crazy about the result...the inside went soft while the outside stayed crunchy, making for a strange texture. This year I will try slicing them thinly, pickling and serving it like a slaw or sauerkraut. Stay tuned...

So tiny and yet...
If you are looking for something different to grow or a vine that won't take up a ton of space, try this (next year). Seeds are readily available from many good companies on line. Sew in April - May to harvest July - September.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

More notes from the garden

I mentioned yesterday that I like to grow my veggies with my flowers. I don't like the look of a raised bed, plants all rowed up, nothing but the same plant and soil. Give me texture, color, depth and chaos! Controlled chaos that is...The garden is a great place for a control freak; I'm like a god here. If a plant doesn't perform well, grows the wrong way or in the wrong place, I cut it or move it or pull it completely. My garden is exactly that, MINE. It looks the way it does because of the choices I make and the care I put into it. 

From right to left: Bee Balm, State Fair Zinnia, Gomphrena "Fireworks", Cucumber, Gazania, Portulaca, Sun Gold Tomato, Alyssum, Thyme, State Fair Zinnia, Coreopsis, Chive, Painted Tongue and a bunch of snap dragons that seem to blend in.
The cucumbers are being trained up the trellis. Last year I grew gourds this way with great success. I don't have room for trailing vines on the ground so vertical gardening has allowed me to grow some sprawling plants not possible before. Also on trellises: Cucamelons, Hops, Cherry Tomatoes and Thunbergia.

'Flora' is the sweetest hen

On the other side of the bed shown above, is the chicken run. The cherry tomatoes are trained to grow over the fence and into this space. The hens can't get enough sun golds and I can never eat them as fast as they're ready. This arrangement keeps everyone happy and the chickens out of my yard (always a heart breaker with their scratchy ways). Chickens are fun and easy to keep but they will turn every bit of land into a moonscape eventually. I toss weeds, plant clippings, bugs, worms and all manner of garden detritus into the chicken area. This makes for delicious eggs and content chickens.

Hops & Sunflowers on a perfect Oakland day



Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Let me tell you about my garden

Dear Sweet Baby Jebus...it's been quite some time since I've written anything here. I'm sure I warned you this could happen. Let's see if we can just pick it back up, shall we? 

My favorite thing about Oakland lately is my garden, so I'm just going to tell you all about it. Wild America is happening just outside my backdoor! There's a visiting oriole who likes to gulp from the hummingbird feeder. He is so very orange and a real exotic compared to the usual visitors. The male house finches think they're special but this guy shows up in a flash of orange that hits you like the sun. He's elusive and plans his visits for when my camera is elsewhere. 

The bees are out in full force. I see so few of them outside of the summer months, it's worrisome. The Borage is the first flower they show up for in any real numbers. Now that the Bee Balm is blooming they are all over it and seem happy. I'm going to say any bee that isn't on a stinging rampage is probably pretty happy...

Monarda (Bee Balm)

I like to stay organic in my yard. IPM (Integrated Pest Management) seems to work for me...I don't mind squishing a cucumber beetle between my fingers and tossing it to the chickens. Aphids are easily removed with a blast from the hose and if a plant doesn't do well or attracts pests, I toss it out. Insecticides just don't feel like the right option. Not because of any moral code or strong beliefs; just that they bring imbalance, they're not necessary and there's already too much of it being tossed around. I grow my veggies mixed in with my cut flowers; why would I apply poison?. Part of gardening for me is creating a full ecosystem...I want all the bugs and birds at the party; just as long as there's a balance. The wasps never bother me and I enjoy watching them hunt in the sunflowers and zinnias. I don't mind sharing some of my fruit with the bugs and squirrels and sometimes they do take more than their share. But for the most part, there is balance and place for all things. Even weeds...some produce seeds that draw Goldfinches so I let them grow in a wild corner of the yard. I feel like I'm drifting off point...but what is the point really? To share my happy Oakland experience with you, dear reader! (who is likely friend or family and can hear this prattle from me any time) Thanks for listening.

Gomphrena 'Fireworks'