First harvest of 2012: Asparagus. This will just be the tip of the freakin' iceberg for this shit. Now that it has started, I will be cutting it every day.



We also have a ton of volunteer Dill up (to the point that I am going to have to spray Round Up on a lot of it) and some volunteer Cilantro coming in.

Hopefully getting plants in the ground next weekend.

4/5/2012 5:29:44 PM

I am jealous! How many plants do you figure you have in your plot?

4/5/2012 7:31:10 PM

^^ were those a little bit woody and fibrous? they look like they were harvested late

4/5/2012 7:52:54 PM

Well I checked the tree and can't see any obvious signs of infestation. Even dug around in the ground a bit to see if there was anything around the roots. When rubbed it's still green underneath. Maybe it'll grow a new set of leaves and it's doing this to piss me off.

4/5/2012 8:02:50 PM

I killed my rosemary plant Totally my fault too. When I transplanted it, it looked like it was going to rain, so I didn't water it. Then it didn't rain and I forgot to water it for a few days, so now it's good and crispy Guess I'll be picking up a new plant at the farmers market this weekend.

4/6/2012 10:04:11 AM

^^^, yeah a few of them will go in the trash. Definitely late. That's the problem with Asparagus. If you don't check them every day you end up with a bunch you have to throw out.

4/6/2012 10:44:22 AM

Frost Advisory Tonight!

4/6/2012 10:25:16 PM

And y'all thought I was crazy for not having my plants in the ground yet

Let's see who is laughing in a couple months

4/6/2012 10:33:36 PM

All mine are in containers, but they are getting pretty big, I brought in all the tall and/or expensive plants and then whatever else I could stuff in to the half bath so kitty wouldn't nom it. The others are outside under my flannel penguin sheet. The only thing that might get crushed is the cilantro.

4/6/2012 10:36:23 PM

transplanted some lettuce today. i hope I can get a month of it before the heat kicks up too much

4/7/2012 12:39:18 PM

Dear God the farmers' market was a ZOO MADHOUSE RIOT today. I have no idea how we even managed to find a parking spot.

I bought a new and improved (ie bigger lol) rosemary plant to replace the one I murdered. I got something they were calling summer tarragon. The internet says it's really Mexican mint marigold but the leaves taste like tarragon and it can withstand our humid summers so I hope the internet is right! Then I got some mint I'd never heard of but it has the most intense menthol taste I've ever experienced with a mint. You could use like one leaf to make a mojito lol. And I got a bleeding heart to throw in our alleyway of darkness since the only things that seem to survive back there are shade loving plants.

[Edited on April 7, 2012 at 2:08 PM. Reason : a]

4/7/2012 2:08:23 PM

did it end up going to frost in Raleigh?

if so, my plants are probably all dead. I've been out of town and had a neighbor watering them when needed.

4/7/2012 4:17:15 PM

My basil and cilantro looked totally fine and I didn't bother covering them so you're probably okay.

4/7/2012 9:29:48 PM

transplanted my lettuce yesterday

two out of the four already have chew marks

4/8/2012 11:55:49 AM

they survived!

my tomatoes have a few flowers now.

blueberries are starting to get bunches of what looks like blueberries developing. nice.

4/9/2012 1:29:04 AM

For all the gardening going on ITT, do any of you compost? My parents are very involved in composting and recycling. My dad has really taken to composting and his home made worm factory and everything they make is now truely organic. I swear I've never had such tasteful vegetables.

He has a youtube channel here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/gsmWF360

He'll be attending a lecture about composting/worm casting/worm factories/etc. If anyone's interested, I can gather more information. I believe it's next week on the 19th. You have a chance to win a free worm factory 360 or other various free giveaways for attending.

My parents also have a bokashi organic composter. It's really easy to use and really awesome for your garden. I'm thinking about getting one myself to start a raised garden in the back yard.

Info:
http://www.bokashicomposting.com/

http://www.amazon.com/SCD-Probiotics-K101-Seasons-Composter/dp/B004X5KB0W

[Edited on April 9, 2012 at 4:08 AM. Reason : .]

[Edited on April 9, 2012 at 4:09 AM. Reason : .]

4/9/2012 4:08:01 AM

I have been so surprised at our soil. We have earthworms EVERYWHERE. Digging up new garden space, and I came across an earthworm that I thought was a garden snake it was so big. I.. may have yelped.

4/9/2012 10:53:18 AM

Headed up to the prison farm to get our plants this afternoon. Garden is turned, so I will get out and give it a good tilling this evening. If I have time I will also go ahead and drag it. I will get the soaker hoses and garden fabric laid this week, so we will be ready to put plants in the ground this weekend.

4/9/2012 11:08:20 AM

What sort of plants do they have at the prison farm and where is it?

4/9/2012 11:58:43 AM

I compost my chicken manure and yard and table scraps. The chickens do the dirty work
of scratching and mixing the compost, at the expense of a few earthworms and other bugs.

When the compost is ready, it goes into the garden beds, that helps fertilize the plants that feed the chickens, and the whole cycle begins again.

4/9/2012 3:43:01 PM

^^I, too, am interested in this prison farm.

4/10/2012 12:08:01 AM

I've got three small loquat trees and one of them finally got some loquats on them this week. They are DELICIOUS. I think the other two are too young/small to get any fruit this year...but we'll see.

My jasmine is also starting to flower. Smells amazing in my back yard right now.

4/10/2012 10:29:38 AM

Quote :

"What sort of plants do they have at the prison farm and where is it?"

Guilford County Prison Farm, just north of Gibsonville. I think it's technically Elon. They have just about everything. We go there every year for our veggies and flowers. 4 full greenhouses.

Guilford County sends non-violent offenders there (usually DUIs and things like that). The prisoners maintain the farm, so everything is dirt cheap. I spent $100 and we filled up the entire back of a GMC Envoy. I think they charge $12 per flat.

[Edited on April 10, 2012 at 11:57 AM. Reason : a]

4/10/2012 11:50:17 AM

I might have to swing by there next time I go to Gboro.

4/10/2012 12:15:50 PM

Now is best time to go. All of the seedlings look really good.

We also bought a tomato plant that already has tomatoes on it. We just couldn't resist the possibility of eating fresh tomatoes in a couple weeks.

4/10/2012 12:56:01 PM

Frost Advisory again tonight!


My strawberry plant suddenly went from two little tiny strawberries to about 8! Woo! Everything else is doing fantastic.

4/10/2012 7:48:12 PM

We have about 2 lbs of asparagus in the fridge now, and more will need to be cut tonight. I am going to make this tomorrow night:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/neelys-asparagus-casserole-recipe/index.html

4/11/2012 8:38:49 AM

I was too lazy to cover the few seedlings I have with anything proper so I just threw pine straw on them this afternoon

4/11/2012 9:43:06 PM

anybody want to buy a mature, fruiting, loquat tree--9 ft tall? been nursing for 3 years now from a wee volunteer. vigorous grower!

4/12/2012 12:37:22 AM

^ You guys need to jump on this. I love my loquat trees. The fruit are delicious.

4/12/2012 7:12:01 AM

I wish I had a place to put one.



It'll be a few years before I get a real yard. I love this townhome but our tiny yard is ridiculous.

4/12/2012 7:37:41 AM

I'm interested. How much are you selling for?

4/12/2012 8:08:10 AM

Plants looked okie dokie this morning

4/12/2012 9:08:53 AM

110 dollar bucks, full sun, reg fert/irregation

4/12/2012 9:21:38 AM

I don't know much about loquat trees, other than they're generally warm climates. Have you had any trouble keeping them through the winter in NC?

4/12/2012 9:23:17 AM

i have not had any troubles yet. i dig a big hole and drop it in--to keep the container and roots insulated in winter. i have thrown king size bed sheets on it if its getting below ten degrees.

4/12/2012 10:44:03 AM

Bought okra, watermelon, and squash seedlings today. Next year I really need to remember to start stuff like that from seed.

Anyone notice any poblano seedlings at the farmers' market?

4/13/2012 8:15:04 PM

Found poblano peppers at Logan's this morning. They have an INSANE variety of tomatoes if anyone is still looking to buy some.

4/14/2012 11:56:05 AM

My pepper plants are blowing the fuck up. I don't know what I'm going to do with all of these things. Got my first tomato growing as well. Yay.

4/15/2012 10:25:22 AM

my sweet corn spiked over the weekend!!

4/15/2012 10:51:45 AM

I hope it actually rains tomorrow. My rain barrel is empty

4/16/2012 9:24:03 AM

I have a teeny little tomato and lots more blossoms, my strawberry plant is covered in tiny green berries, bay tree has tripled in size, dill looks phenomenal, and everything else is doing well!

4/16/2012 10:05:18 AM

Tried a fresh tomatillo for the first time this weekend and now I want to try growing some. Going to try and get one from this guy: http://nctomatoman.weebly.com/from-the-vine---2012-plants.html

4/16/2012 12:41:35 PM

Got everything planted yesterday and got some pics to share. We did several varieties of tomatoes, okra, corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, green beans, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, jalapeno, banana peppers, habanero, bell peppers (red and green), and probably a few other things I forgot about. Also planted some basil next to the house.

Soaker Hoses in place:


Landscaping Plastic over hoses:


Hard to see, but all the plants in the ground:


Bee Hives:

4/16/2012 1:04:50 PM

Nice!

I really need to redo the way I set out our soaker hoses. They're not really reaching the plants they're supposed to.

4/16/2012 1:05:53 PM

It's important for sure. Notice that I had to leave the back left corner open and unplanted. Apparently that was a low spot, and over the winter it just collected water and turned into a muddy mess. We decided to just fill it in and let it dry out this year.

4/16/2012 1:11:45 PM

I'd never heard of the Prison Farm plant sale, but it looks great. I'll have to head by there after work this week.

4/16/2012 1:16:25 PM

Just a heads up, I think they close at 4PM during the week

4/16/2012 1:20:25 PM

Thanks. I guess I'll head there this weekend then.

4/16/2012 1:24:14 PM

The inmates out there are really helpful too. We were walking out with a tomato plant and one of the inmates said "hold up dog, let me get you a better one." Then they took me out to look at their beehives. They have 8 hives and got 180 gallons of honey last year....makes me feel a lot better about my 2 hives.

4/16/2012 5:07:55 PM