Ahhh like this one a lot. Grew up on the southeast side of Chicago. The mills were always dirty then and the snow was only white and clean right after it fell. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and just look at that white clean blanket. It covered everything with beauty. By the next day it would have black sprinkles all over it.
Being the 2020s... Will the gardening thread evolve to growing MJ?
Still going to do sweet corn this spring...
I was waiting in too long a line at the local grocery store a couple weeks ago. As often happens, I was balancing the goods because I didn't grab a cart on the way in. I added to the pile the Rareseeds catalog, "", runs about $13, beautiful catalog, inch thick "The Whole Seed Catalog".
So, this week my gardening adventures included starting a batch of sprouts for salads and sandwiches, and sorting through my two shoe boxes of seeds and thinning the herd!
Every few years I grow a ‘Patchwork Garden’ meaning I’ll use up the mish-mash of seeds I have left (that are within 2 years old) and not have to buy much for this season. I will grow out things just to use them up and give them to friends and/or donate them to a little Spring Fundraising Sale out teeny-tiny Library has in the spring. (Note to self: Get exact dates for that, so I can start planning/planting backwards!)
I have a list of 12 seeds I NEED, and just a 10-15 seed packet of each, so I’m hoping to bring my garden in ‘on the cheap’ this year. Of course, SOMETHING will catch my eye, but that’s already baked into the pie, so to speak. ;)
I’m also going to grow more Dahlias, so there will be some expense there, and rumor has it I’ll finally get the two raised beds around my greenhouse for roses and perennial herbs. At least I can keep the FOOD part of the garden in check...for a change! ;)
I did decide that instead of cutting back on tomatoes (paste and red slicers) I’m going to keep those numbers up and make and can homemade tomato soup this coming summer. I have no idea why I didn’t think of that sooner; Beau and I LOVE tomato soup!
And I am sticking with my PLEDGE of NO WINTER SQUASH this year. Fer Pete’s Sake! I always over-do that and we don’t have a decent way to store it, and by the time I’ve peeled and chopped the 20th squash - I’m ready to peal and chop anyone that comes near me, LOL!
So, those are my PLANS. What REALITY will be is always a surprise! ;)
The weather has been overcast, but very MILD. This time last year were were trapped in that bloody ‘Polar Vortex’ but this year we are above average. Sunny this afternoon - Yay - with a sunny day tomorrow and highs in the 40’s! Unheard of! I hope the rest of the ‘ready-to-landslide’ snow slides off the new metal roof, tomorrow.
Photos later of various garden ‘stuff’ past and present.
Sorry I was off to a late start today - I stayed at my Mom’s last night for a birthday party for my Sister, and then helped Mom make breakfast for her teen Confirmation class this morning. That was a LOT of fun! :)
This year I'm going to try to get a second crop.
We’ve gotten through another week of typical mid-winter weather here in Central Missouri. Snow, ice, melting, and mud. The groundhog saw his shadow this morning, but I’m not superstitious, and we’re one day closer to spring.
It’s nice out today. Might try to do some pruning on an orchard tree or two.
My pond is full to overflowing and covered with ice.
Planted 5 Romeo tomato seeds from 2013 (late 2012 harvest) last week...was hoping for one to come up, but ALL 5 came up! I am going to try some 2011 New Zealand Pink Pear seed this week while I still have the ‘touch’.
EVANSVILLE, Ind., Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Loved by some for its health benefits and disliked by others for its cardboard-like consistency, kale might be heading for a makeover.
After surging in popularity several years ago, sales of the dark green, leafy vegetable are beginning to plateau. One vegetable breeder hopes to change that by creating varieties of kale with new flavors, textures and colors.
"It's mainstreaming kale, to some extent," said Phillip Griffiths, an associate professor of horticulture at Cornell Agri-Tech in New York.
"Kale has become one of those health foods, and only certain people eat it," he said. "But there are a lot of people who eat leafy greens because they want something fresh and healthy."
To reach those customers, Griffiths is creating a whole line of new kale.
Some of his plants have a milder flavor that might appeal to those who dislike the taste of traditional kale.
And a kale offering in lighter green color could entice customers who shop with their eyes and are looking for a brighter salad.
Ultimately, the changes are meant to help kale appeal to a wider range of consumers without fundamentally changing what people already love about the plant, such as the curliness of its leafs or its nutritional profile, Griffiths said.
"You take a product that's become popular for some very good reasons and improve it based on market preferences, but still keep it very close to what it is," Griffiths said. "You have the potential to open it up to a wider range of people."
