Posted on 04/17/2015 1:08:22 PM PDT by greeneyes
We also harvested the first of our asparagus of the year today. About 15 nice stalks (I guest that’s what they’re called.) I’ll buy some from the grocery to blend with to get a nice dish with burgers on the grill tomorrow.
I broke down and went looking for veggies in the garden. And with everything, I'm counting calories. So the volunteer asparagus and cilantro and green onion was only about 20 calories.
After I cooked it tender (no teef) in water, I sautéed it in 1 tablespoon of butter. Cough... that was 102 calories. So that little plate was about 122 calories. And very satisfying. I wish I had more asparagus.
/johnny
Every thing is better with butter (or bacon grease)!
I agree with greeneyes - sounds like too much nitrogen. That will get you leafey greens, and not much else.
Have you ever done a soil analysis, like thru Co-Operative extension ?? (N/P/K or soil Ph {acidity/ alkaline}}
Also , do you germanate seeds indoors , or do direct seed planting , or start with established plants ?, or plants from the store ?
Before you remove all the soil, do a study on the soil first, and minimize your investment expense.
Those are beautiful pictures on your home page. I grow some things in front of my patio doors which face south west.
That gives me lemons, peppers, cherry tomatoes, spinach and herbs during the long winter - just a few fresh things to add to meals gives me a positive mental boost.
That works too. I am always in too much of a hurry to get them in the freezer, hence I just wash, quarter, vacumm pack the bag and freeze. Slicing into strips and olive oil comes later as I am using them.
I can not stand stuffed peppers. TOO MUSHY. I like the stuffing, but not the texture of the peppers. I like my peppers raw in salads or mixed into Asian stir fry or fajitas. I even like to dip peppers into various dips and eat them that way.
I chop them up very small to put into chili where I like the extra flavor, but again, don’t like to chew detectable mush. Small just slides on down.
We made our first salad with lettuce from our raised beds. Just transplanted some various mints and herbs into the beds. Forgot the sage, so it goes in tomorrow. I have another couple of trays of herbs, perennial flowers and tomatoes doing well. The toms were from last year’s seed so I planted them heavy in the starters and I swear they all germinated. Have to thin them out tomorrow.
Lost one transplanted blackberry to the wind. We live at the Northeast end of a valley and the wind is brutal. The other one looks awesome though!
All the fruit trees came back well. We planted an almond seedling last year. It is incredible. Never seen any tree take off like it has.
It is no longer springtime in Florida. It is now official SUMMER! LOL!
I have grown spaghetti squash and found them to be easily grown.
I would reccomend them to ANYONE who enjoys pasta (but not the calories) , and wants to loose weight .
The squash interior fibers are long and elongated, and can be easily separated after cooking ,by using a dinner fork .
The vegetable fruits lack any specific squash flavor, taste bland by themselves, but take well to whatever well-seasoned spaghetti sause you use.
I averaged 3-4 squash per wandering plant,sometmes more, and found them to be reasonably productive depending on rainfall. A good source of vitamins and minerals.
When I tired of them or ran out of sause, we used the extra squash, split, uncooked, and then forked the interior as a supplement to chicken feed,
and the chickens loved the fibers , and the seeds.
Is there a way to balance out the nitrogen? Or is this something that can’t be fixed?
I throw a bag of mushroom compost in about a month before I start planting. I turn everything, put in slug b’gone and then when I am ready to plant I turn the soli again. No fertilizer.
My gardens started with Mel’s mix. Nothing ever came from it. I planted roses on the side of the house, hoping to attract bees.
I hear ya .. But.. It just brings back memories.. It took a while for my taste buds to catch up.
I’ve tried it that way but they come out too soggy somehow. A light saute gets some of the moisture out and the oil helps seal.
Sometimes I add onions in with the peppers. I also do this with extra banana peppers, the ones I don’t pickle.
I would suspect the most likely problem is nematodes in the soil, as the curcubit family are notoriously impacted by them.
Absent a soil test, I would consider Johnny's method of soil sterilization this summer in a 20 X 20 foot section of tilled soil ,
covered with 6 mil transparent plastic until the soil hits 140 - 160 degrees. That would eliminate nematodes in time for a late summer planting.
Thanks! Will have to give them a try .... it would be nice to grow my own instead of buying them.
I don't like artificial methods that can damage the beneficial microbes. The peanuts seem to work. And rotating crops is biblical. ;)
/johnny
Nitrogen will leech out with an abundance of water
Personally , I would add compost and organic matter such as leaves , even wood chips as the nitrogen would be absorbed and would assist in the breakdown of the chips.
Wood chips would elminate this years use for root crops as they would ,in all likelyhood , be deformed growing around the chips.
Plants that demand high nitrogen such as corn , soybeans, leeks , and large green leafey vegetables like lettuces, do well in a high nitrogen envireonment.
Also , consider buying already well established plants like tomatoes, peppers,borcolli from a garden store, although you may have to remove 'sucker growth' as the plant matures.
Please let me know how it is working out for you as the season progresses as it is rare that someone has too much nitrogen in the soil .
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