Peas for Fall

I haven't had a garden post in a while, actually I haven't had many posts this Summer at all, we've been having way too much fun for me to find the time to post recipes and gardening adventures.  Sowing peas in late Summer for a Fall harvest though, is one that I would like to document and record.  I've dabbled a bit in Fall and Winter gardening, but I'm excited to venture out a little more this year.  So, last week the peas were pulled, compost was added, and I planted seeds today (with high hopes for a Fall harvest).  Can't wait to see how they do!!

Strawberries

We are loving our little strawberry patch.  We are picking about 30 strawberries a day from our 20 square foot bed.   Right now we are picking mostly Hood variety, but we are also getting some Seascapes and Tristars.  The Hoods are June bearing, smaller and sweeter strawberries.  The Seascapes and Tristars are bigger and will produce all Summer long.  So, what are we doing with all of these strawberries?  If they make it into the house, we are slicing them up and topping our granola, french toast, and puffed oven pancakes with them.  I've also made strawberry shortcake and strawberry rhubarb muffins. I have plans to make strawberry lemonade and I want to try a strawberry salad too.  Hope you're enjoying strawberry season as much as we are. If you don't have your own patch, check out pickyourown.org for a local farm to go pick your own.

Peas and Beans and Cucs, Oh my!

We ate the first of our peas yesterday!  I love when my peas are ready, it's the perfect kick-off to harvest time.  I love that we can go out and pick and eat right off the plant, and still have enough for steaming or stir frying for dinner. 

Aside from the snacking on peas, I've been busy sowing in my garden too!  Last week, I planted my tomatoes starts, and sowed Black Beauty zucchini (which popped up a couple of days ago).  Yesterday I planted Lemon Cucumber seed, more broccoli seed, and my Kentucky Blue pole beans (which by the way, look just like Good N Plentys).

 My columnar apple trees have a few apples on them and look great, and a friend dropped off a Meyer Lemon plan for me yesterday, with two lemons on it...which I am incredibly excited about...hopefully I can keep it alive!

It's time to get out there and get your plants and seeds in the ground and play in the dirt and enjoy the fruit of your labor!

Patience is a virtue

Just a friendly reminder, to all my fellow Northwesterners, especially in the midst of all of this nice, sunny weather to wait to put in your tomatoes.  It's so tempting to get them in early, but it was freezing this morning (it was 32 degrees a few minutes earlier, I just wasn't up in time to get the picture).  I'll be putting mine in sometime between Mother's Day and the end of the month.  Have a great day and enjoy the sunshine!!

Things are coming up!

I so love this time of year, when my seeds start sprouting and popping up out of the ground.  My peas have been out for a couple of weeks now, I have some lovely onion starts in the ground, and my lettuce just peeped it's head out of the soil a couple of days ago.  I'm going out today to plant a few more seeds with my little guy.  He is very excited about his own garden bed that daddy made for him last week.  Today, we will be planting carrots, beets, broccoli, and kale.  It's been so fun to get him involved.  He helped daddy fill the box with soil, and yesterday, planted all of his peas by himself.  He is choosing the veggies that he'd like to grow, and can't wait to eat them.  I love that we are not only teaching him how to grow his own food, but also teaching him hard work and patience.

Deep purple carrots

I just pulled these babies out of my garden the other day.  I planted them at the end of the Summer last year and they were perfect months later.  These are the Deep Purple Carrots from Territorial Seed Company.  They are purple throughout and gorgeous.  They will turn your food purple if you cook with them, nothing wrong with festive food!  I will definitely be planting these again and also their Bolero Carrot too.  You can find both carrot seeds here.

They made it!

Through the snow, hail, sleet, rain, freeze, and sun....my peas sprouted today!!!

Columnar Apple trees

I've had my eye on apple trees for some time now.  With our sun and space situation, we decided that full grown apple trees wouldn't be realistic for us.  I've been looking into other options, and decided that the best for us would be columnar apple trees. They only get about two feet wide, because the apples actually grow out of the trunk of the tree. There is a local nursery that provides this type of tree, we went there last weekend and bought three apple trees!

My sweet guys put them in the ground for me, and I can't wait to make homemade applesauce/pie/crisp/cake/juice....and anything else I can think of :)

Real gardeners get their hands dirty...

 At least that's what I keep telling myself.  I actually hate getting my hands dirty, but sometimes, it just has to be done.  Anyway, I planted my peas today.  I can't wait to see my little sprouts shoot up!  I bought my seeds from Territorial Seed Company, which is a great seed company based out of Oregon.  Their seeds are all tested in our climate, so they tend to grow really well here.  I planted the Super Sugar Snap peas last year and LOVED them, so that's what went into the ground this year too!  If you haven't planted your peas yet, and you live in the Portland area...now's the time!