Harvest 2013 - Wildlife Gardeners

biigblueyes · 05-18-2013, 09:08 AM

I did some tilling this morning, and when I came in for a water break, made a zuchinni omelet.

This week I have harvested potatoes, snaps, parsley, squash & zucchini, scallions, radish, blackberries and one peach.

Equilibrium · 05-18-2013, 09:41 AM

You're kidding>>>? It was a real cold spring and things didn't start warming up around here until about 2 weeks ago. You've got all that already and up here all most of us have in the ground are onions and cabbage, and we've started spinach and lettuce. We won't be able to harvest the onions or the cabbage for at lesat 3 mos. The salad greens should be good in about 50 days. Everything else is waiting to go in the ground or just going in this weekend. I'm sorta jealous. I need to go back outside and start getting more seedlings in the ground since we're all getting a late start this year. There was no way we could start working the soil until about 3 weeks ago.... it was still frozen.

biigblueyes · 05-18-2013, 12:38 PM

Now's the last chance for us to plant lettuce, but I'm going to experiment with growing some in partial shade to try to extend the season. I'm also curious if I'll be able to grow it longer in the hydroponic setup since the roots will be cooler, being in water.

I found 3 varieties of bolt- resistant lettuce. I really enjoyed my lettuce this past year.

liquidambar · 05-18-2013, 06:15 PM

Bigblueyes: I worked at getting and keeping lettuce a lot last year. For my effort I got was two good crops in the spring and in the fall like always. I covered them with shade cloth and all that too, but with out success: so good luck and let me know how you come out.

So far: I harvested some lettuce - that actually made it through the winter (it was covered) -- but the other lettuce I planted this spring is up about four inches high.

The Kale from last fall has bloomed yellow. and I am getting seeds off of it for this Fall - I am tired of paying such a huge price for Kale seeds and then the shipping on top of that.

We have asparagus, and rhubarb to harvest.-(If I wanted it)
Oh and the strawberries - I had a few that were ripe yesterday. That will soon be all consuming task.

Dill weed came up in the garden from last year - enough to use in some recipe -about two or three inches tall, but I just don't have any thoughts on what to use it on.

Coriander seeded from last fall Is up enough to eat too, about three inches tall.
Fennel made it through from last fall and is huge and so pretty. What should I do with that?????
Mints are up- again not sure what to do with it except look at it and smell it as I walk by.

Onion chives and garlic chives are up very tall, and the onion chives are blooming all pink. I am in the process of getting rid of the garlic chives to give room to for more onion chives - we like them better. I will miss them this fall with their white blooms, but it will be a sweet miss. I will get over it.

My hot oregano did not come back up in the herb bed next to my house??? All the other kinds of oregano did though. The hot kind did come back okay down my ditch line next to my drive - Do you suppose it was warmer there? Does hot oregano have a limit on the cold they can tolerate? However; it did make it through last winter where it is sitting . I wonder if there is something else wrong that caused it not to spread out into the bed and die? It is all in one big dead clump.

biigblueyes · 05-19-2013, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liquidambar

The Kale from last fall has bloomed yellow. and I am getting seeds off of it for this Fall - I am tired of paying such a huge price for Kale seeds and then the shipping on top of that.

The extra bonus to that is, you know that particular variety did well, with the conditions you have. And if you save seeds from the best plants, you're improving the gene pool

Quote:

Originally Posted by liquidambar

We have asparagus, and rhubarb to harvest.-(If I wanted it)

I bought some rhubarb plants and am in the process of propagating them now to get more. But I've never grown, or even eaten it. Why don't you want it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by liquidambar

Dill weed came up in the garden from last year - enough to use in some recipe -about two or three inches tall, but I just don't have any thoughts on what to use it on.

Dilly beans! Even if you aren't into the pickling thing, you can lightly cook them, and add garlic, dill weed, vinegar and spices to make a pickled-type salad dish. very yummy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by liquidambar

My hot oregano did not come back up in the herb bed next to my house??? All the other kinds of oregano did though. The hot kind did come back okay down my ditch line next to my drive - Do you suppose it was warmer there? Does hot oregano have a limit on the cold they can tolerate? However; it did make it through last winter where it is sitting . I wonder if there is something else wrong that caused it not to spread out into the bed and die? It is all in one big dead clump.

As long as you still have some to take cuttings off of, you're in good shape. Dig up the dead clump and check the roots for deformities and the soil for insects. If you have either, you may need to treat the spot before planting it again there. Is the light different in the 2 spots? Moisture different? Is there perhaps a dog that uses it to pee on, or a tobacco user who spits in that spot? (yes, both happened at our house)

If that's the spot you want it in, try it one more time. Maybe it was just a fluke.

liquidambar · 05-19-2013, 11:00 AM

First of all Equil; thanks so much for the advice on the oregano. I will do that as soon as I get off of here - Sunday or no.
I like the hot one the very best -- in my cooking. It is my favorite to dry. I have been rather upset about that one.

Okay Rhubarb. I use to put it in with strawberries all the time and make pie. It makes my strawberries go a long way. Now though - I raise so many strawberries - I don't need the help from the rhubarb.

Plus after reading about rhubarb over the years -I am not so pleased with it. There might be healthier things to eat.

One thing I read was that back in WWII, the government encouraged rhubarb to be raised and eaten - leaves and all (did you know that?) - to save other greens being raised for the troops.
Well the leaves were full of oxalates, and that is how we found out - the leaves were not something that should be eaten. Poor people that listened to the government and wanted to help out with the war effort.

I know that all vegs do contain oxalates, including green tea, but rhubarb leaves are really full of it-- so it makes me wonder if the stalks are also rather high in it? I don't really know.

I also know that some of the old timers do believe that rhubarb makes their arthritis worse. Maybe it does?

We are suppose to have bacteria in our gut that breaks down a certain amount of oxalates -- however some people are low on this bacteria, and some people that are having trouble with Candida (yeast) fungus - jock itch- -- that microbe does not break down oxalates but actually "MAKES OXALATES".

Oxalates are certainly responsible for the formation of kidney stones, as it combines with calcium too.

Oxalate degrading bacteria: new treatment option fo... [Urol Res. 2005] - PubMed - NCBI

The Oxalate Connection at Candida Support Forum, threadID=1933241

But all that I have just said is all hay. We are suppose to have this type of bacteria and not so much Candida - and that goes back to not eating too many carbs and trying to help the hypothalamus maintain blood sugar.

Candida by the way is a microbe that loves and does well with lots of sugar.

Which gets me back to rhubarb -- I like it raw and sour but everybody else thinks it needs lots and lots of sugar. And how much artificial sugar should you put on it?

Dr. Atkins though - had a recipe in his book with rhubarb, so he was able to make it without spiking the blood sugar. Maybe I should look up his recipe and see how he thought it should be served up.

Sorry Equil; as always I am long winded.

linrose · 05-19-2013, 03:19 PM

I grow all my herbs in containers. If you don't know what to do with the dill and fennel why not just leave it for the swallowtails? My dill did not come back but my fennel did this year. I use a small amount of dill weed and fennel on fish from time to time. I refuse to plant mint after I let it go to seed one year and it escaped from the pot to the garden. It took a long time to get rid of it. If you don't want to use the rhubarb why not just compost it? Those huge leaves will add lots of greens to the pile.

liquidambar · 05-19-2013, 10:25 PM

Thanks Linrose; for the suggestions. I will leave the dill and fennel to the butterflies - I like the looks of it growing anyway.
I like the looks of the rhubarb too.

Mint?? confused on that one - I had it growing around our metal building and the geese left it alone and I hoped it kept out mice, now I find that the geese has eaten ever last bit of it. First time ever???

Equilibrium · 05-20-2013, 09:48 AM

"First of all Equil; thanks so much for the advice on the oregano." Not my advice.... biig's advice!!! I grow oregano in a 5 gallon bucket.
--
Rhubarb stalks should be fine in pies or cobblers... you just need to pull them at the right time, In Defense of Oxalic Acid, http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/438/438-110/438-110_pdf.pdf, and Safety Concerns about Rhubarb | Horticulture and Home Pest News, "The leaves of rhubarb do contain oxalic acid and soluble oxalates. Consumption of rhubarb leaves can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains, and even death. The concern expressed by some individuals is that the oxalic acid and soluble oxalates would move from the leaves to the stalks upon exposure to freezing temperatures. In fact, however, the movement of these compounds into the stalks is not a problem. Gardeners should examine their rhubarb and base their harvest decision on plant appearance. Cold damaged rhubarb leaves will shrivel and turn black. Damaged stalks become soft and mushy. Damaged rhubarb stalks should be pulled and discarded. Any new growth which emerges later this spring would be safe to eat. Rhubarb plants showing no sign of damage are fine and can be harvested."
--
Mint.... you might want to waste it if you're not doing anything with it except walking by it and smelling it.... non-native mints escape cultivation too much for my comfort level, PLANTS Profile for Mentha (mint) | USDA PLANTS and PLANTS Profile for Nepeta (catnip) | USDA PLANTS. Those I won't even grow in a 5 gallon bucket in the middle of my lawn anymore but.... check it out yourself and see what you think.

liquidambar · 05-20-2013, 12:26 PM

Sorry BigBlueyes:
Of course it was you, the owner of green houses for herbs!
And you of all people here would know that the hot variety if oregano is the best to eat!

Linrose - what mint reseeded on you so bad?
Was it pennyroyal - You do live in what they call the Penny Royal Region of the state. I have penny royal in one area in my garden and it comes back every year from seed in that area- but it is not everywhere -- just in that one area, - maybe only there are the right conditions. g.

Or is it Cat Nip - that is a mint and I see what Equil might be talking about - I find it growing in some unexpected places - where it reseeded.

Peppermint and spearment and even apple mint - I have never seen these reseed anywhere. I have been rather puzzled about that.

Catmint is another one that seems to reseed here I want it too but I have not found it anywhere else except where I want it.

Come to think of it - is not oregano and sage a mint? Not sure about that?

05-18-2013, 09:08 AM	#1
biigblueyes WG Facilitator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cajun Country, Louisiana, USA	Harvest 2013 I did some tilling this morning, and when I came in for a water break, made a zuchinni omelet. This week I have harvested potatoes, snaps, parsley, squash & zucchini, scallions, radish, blackberries and one peach. __________________ My yarden and I lean a little to the wild side.

05-18-2013, 09:41 AM	#2
Equilibrium Official Plant Nerd Join Date: Dec 2008	You're kidding>>>? It was a real cold spring and things didn't start warming up around here until about 2 weeks ago. You've got all that already and up here all most of us have in the ground are onions and cabbage, and we've started spinach and lettuce. We won't be able to harvest the onions or the cabbage for at lesat 3 mos. The salad greens should be good in about 50 days. Everything else is waiting to go in the ground or just going in this weekend. I'm sorta jealous. I need to go back outside and start getting more seedlings in the ground since we're all getting a late start this year. There was no way we could start working the soil until about 3 weeks ago.... it was still frozen. __________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

05-18-2013, 12:38 PM	#3
biigblueyes WG Facilitator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cajun Country, Louisiana, USA	Now's the last chance for us to plant lettuce, but I'm going to experiment with growing some in partial shade to try to extend the season. I'm also curious if I'll be able to grow it longer in the hydroponic setup since the roots will be cooler, being in water. I found 3 varieties of bolt- resistant lettuce. I really enjoyed my lettuce this past year. __________________ My yarden and I lean a little to the wild side.

05-20-2013, 09:48 AM	#9
Equilibrium Official Plant Nerd Join Date: Dec 2008	"First of all Equil; thanks so much for the advice on the oregano." Not my advice.... biig's advice!!! I grow oregano in a 5 gallon bucket. -- Rhubarb stalks should be fine in pies or cobblers... you just need to pull them at the right time, In Defense of Oxalic Acid, http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/438/438-110/438-110_pdf.pdf, and Safety Concerns about Rhubarb \| Horticulture and Home Pest News, "The leaves of rhubarb do contain oxalic acid and soluble oxalates. Consumption of rhubarb leaves can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains, and even death. The concern expressed by some individuals is that the oxalic acid and soluble oxalates would move from the leaves to the stalks upon exposure to freezing temperatures. In fact, however, the movement of these compounds into the stalks is not a problem. Gardeners should examine their rhubarb and base their harvest decision on plant appearance. Cold damaged rhubarb leaves will shrivel and turn black. Damaged stalks become soft and mushy. Damaged rhubarb stalks should be pulled and discarded. Any new growth which emerges later this spring would be safe to eat. Rhubarb plants showing no sign of damage are fine and can be harvested." -- Mint.... you might want to waste it if you're not doing anything with it except walking by it and smelling it.... non-native mints escape cultivation too much for my comfort level, PLANTS Profile for Mentha (mint) \| USDA PLANTS and PLANTS Profile for Nepeta (catnip) \| USDA PLANTS. Those I won't even grow in a 5 gallon bucket in the middle of my lawn anymore but.... check it out yourself and see what you think. __________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

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05-18-2013, 06:15 PM	#4
liquidambar Heron Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: South central Kentucky	Bigblueyes: I worked at getting and keeping lettuce a lot last year. For my effort I got was two good crops in the spring and in the fall like always. I covered them with shade cloth and all that too, but with out success: so good luck and let me know how you come out. So far: I harvested some lettuce - that actually made it through the winter (it was covered) -- but the other lettuce I planted this spring is up about four inches high. The Kale from last fall has bloomed yellow. and I am getting seeds off of it for this Fall - I am tired of paying such a huge price for Kale seeds and then the shipping on top of that. We have asparagus, and rhubarb to harvest.-(If I wanted it) Oh and the strawberries - I had a few that were ripe yesterday. That will soon be all consuming task. Dill weed came up in the garden from last year - enough to use in some recipe -about two or three inches tall, but I just don't have any thoughts on what to use it on. Coriander seeded from last fall Is up enough to eat too, about three inches tall. Fennel made it through from last fall and is huge and so pretty. What should I do with that????? Mints are up- again not sure what to do with it except look at it and smell it as I walk by. Onion chives and garlic chives are up very tall, and the onion chives are blooming all pink. I am in the process of getting rid of the garlic chives to give room to for more onion chives - we like them better. I will miss them this fall with their white blooms, but it will be a sweet miss. I will get over it. My hot oregano did not come back up in the herb bed next to my house??? All the other kinds of oregano did though. The hot kind did come back okay down my ditch line next to my drive - Do you suppose it was warmer there? Does hot oregano have a limit on the cold they can tolerate? However; it did make it through last winter where it is sitting . I wonder if there is something else wrong that caused it not to spread out into the bed and die? It is all in one big dead clump.

05-19-2013, 11:00 AM	#6
liquidambar Heron Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: South central Kentucky	First of all Equil; thanks so much for the advice on the oregano. I will do that as soon as I get off of here - Sunday or no. I like the hot one the very best -- in my cooking. It is my favorite to dry. I have been rather upset about that one. Okay Rhubarb. I use to put it in with strawberries all the time and make pie. It makes my strawberries go a long way. Now though - I raise so many strawberries - I don't need the help from the rhubarb. Plus after reading about rhubarb over the years -I am not so pleased with it. There might be healthier things to eat. One thing I read was that back in WWII, the government encouraged rhubarb to be raised and eaten - leaves and all (did you know that?) - to save other greens being raised for the troops. Well the leaves were full of oxalates, and that is how we found out - the leaves were not something that should be eaten. Poor people that listened to the government and wanted to help out with the war effort. I know that all vegs do contain oxalates, including green tea, but rhubarb leaves are really full of it-- so it makes me wonder if the stalks are also rather high in it? I don't really know. I also know that some of the old timers do believe that rhubarb makes their arthritis worse. Maybe it does? We are suppose to have bacteria in our gut that breaks down a certain amount of oxalates -- however some people are low on this bacteria, and some people that are having trouble with Candida (yeast) fungus - jock itch- -- that microbe does not break down oxalates but actually "MAKES OXALATES". Oxalates are certainly responsible for the formation of kidney stones, as it combines with calcium too. Oxalate degrading bacteria: new treatment option fo... [Urol Res. 2005] - PubMed - NCBI The Oxalate Connection at Candida Support Forum, threadID=1933241 But all that I have just said is all hay. We are suppose to have this type of bacteria and not so much Candida - and that goes back to not eating too many carbs and trying to help the hypothalamus maintain blood sugar. Candida by the way is a microbe that loves and does well with lots of sugar. Which gets me back to rhubarb -- I like it raw and sour but everybody else thinks it needs lots and lots of sugar. And how much artificial sugar should you put on it? Dr. Atkins though - had a recipe in his book with rhubarb, so he was able to make it without spiking the blood sugar. Maybe I should look up his recipe and see how he thought it should be served up. Sorry Equil; as always I am long winded.

05-19-2013, 03:19 PM	#7
linrose WG Fundraising Coordinator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Kentucky	I grow all my herbs in containers. If you don't know what to do with the dill and fennel why not just leave it for the swallowtails? My dill did not come back but my fennel did this year. I use a small amount of dill weed and fennel on fish from time to time. I refuse to plant mint after I let it go to seed one year and it escaped from the pot to the garden. It took a long time to get rid of it. If you don't want to use the rhubarb why not just compost it? Those huge leaves will add lots of greens to the pile.

05-19-2013, 10:25 PM	#8
liquidambar Heron Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: South central Kentucky	Thanks Linrose; for the suggestions. I will leave the dill and fennel to the butterflies - I like the looks of it growing anyway. I like the looks of the rhubarb too. Mint?? confused on that one - I had it growing around our metal building and the geese left it alone and I hoped it kept out mice, now I find that the geese has eaten ever last bit of it. First time ever???

05-20-2013, 12:26 PM	#10
liquidambar Heron Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: South central Kentucky	Sorry BigBlueyes: Of course it was you, the owner of green houses for herbs! And you of all people here would know that the hot variety if oregano is the best to eat! Linrose - what mint reseeded on you so bad? Was it pennyroyal - You do live in what they call the Penny Royal Region of the state. I have penny royal in one area in my garden and it comes back every year from seed in that area- but it is not everywhere -- just in that one area, - maybe only there are the right conditions. g. Or is it Cat Nip - that is a mint and I see what Equil might be talking about - I find it growing in some unexpected places - where it reseeded. Peppermint and spearment and even apple mint - I have never seen these reseed anywhere. I have been rather puzzled about that. Catmint is another one that seems to reseed here I want it too but I have not found it anywhere else except where I want it. Come to think of it - is not oregano and sage a mint? Not sure about that?