OC Gardening, Grow your own?

[Priscilla]

We garden, a little, and poorly. Have gardened with more enthusiasm in the past, but the vicissitudes of the canyon climate and the sycamore and oak tree canopies make it difficult.

We are gearing up to give it another go, what with the Trying Economic Times and all, and also because, well, we just want to.

There are some sizeable as-yet unripe blood oranges on the tree, gives one a little hope. Hope that will likely be dashed, but still, one hopes.

And gardening is ALL about hope, ain't it?

[Joan]

As you know, I am an eternal optimist, I mean gardener.

I just started a bunch of tomatoes in fact. I'll lob you a couple, if you're interested.

Right now, I'm growing a bunch of kale, some ssuk-gat (Korean herb), minari (another Korean herb), green onions, a bunch of fruit trees and some peas.

My favorite place for my garden needs is the OC Farm Supply store, in Orange. Things are cheap and they carry big bags of alfalfa meal, which is my fertilizer of choice.

[Priscilla]

OC Farm Supply... izzat the one near Mattern there on E. Chapman?

Alfalfa meal? Sounds mulchy! Do you use other fertilizer too or just that?

Have you ever seen the Bountiful Gardens catalogue? They are hard-case organic types. I have bought seeds from them, notably their slow-bolting hot-weather lettuce mix. Not that I have any going at the moment. But their cat, Emmer, is usually featured and that makes me like them even more.

Kale is one of the best crucifers... what do you do with it, not being able to dose it with bacon and all?

[Joan]

It's on W. Chapman, just west of Main St. Very cheap. I love the staff.

I just use alfalfa meal for fertilizer. Well, I also dig in leaves and vegetable peelings.

I put kale in all my soups. I also sometimes put it in fruit smoothies, strangely enough.

I can't wait to start the new year. This is going to be a very good year.

[samiam590]

I gardened a bit in the summer.

Grew some heirloom tomatoes whose name I can't remember. Sadly, I only tasted one as we had a low yield and I was out of town when they got ripe...but oh boy. The one I had was sublime. Almost meaty! Next year...
Anaheim chiles too. great roasted, and much fruiter than other chiles. Anaheims are a good chile to eat solo. Last was artichokes! We didn't think we'd get a harvest but hey, we got lucky and we got 3 or 4 big 'chokes. their texture was not as refined as the ones we usually buy (but they were globes, and the ones we normally buy aren't...they're another kind?), almost stringy, but their flavor was so much sweeter and even more corn-like. I'll grow them again. Nothing beats artichokes in summer!

[Joan]

Anaheims are great. I use them for kimchi, since my parents don't like very spicy kimchi. Nice flavor too.

speaking of which, if you come at the right time (when they get a shipment), OC Farm Supply sells six packs of Anaheim (and other pepper) plants for a dollar.

[Priscilla]

I love Anaheims too, so vegetal.

The $1 six-pack is intriguing... wonder if we will in fact do the raised beds filled with Gary Matsuoka's Laguna Hills Nursery proprietary mix like we keep threatening.

[Priscilla]

OK our new raised beds are coming together.

One could credit, or blame, Michael Pollan for our renewed interest in such things. With some additional help, or leftover blame, for Gary Matsuoka of Laguna Hills Nursery and his free seminars.

[DanGarion]

OK our new raised beds are coming together.

One could credit, or blame, Michael Pollan for our renewed interest in such things. With some additional help, or leftover blame, for Gary Matsuoka of Laguna Hills Nursery and his free seminars.

What is the advantage of a raised bed over just a normal in the ground garden?

[Priscilla]

There are a few intended advantages... some protection from ground-dwelling pests (although of course they can climb), being able to fill with and maintain good soil, and easier working when plants are a foot or so off ground level.

In our case too there is a large aesthetic component -- I like the way they look!

Lots of the best gardeners put everything right in the ground however.

Remains to be seen how they affect our gardening luck -- the shorter days and changeable canyon microclimate have made it much more of a challenge than it was in E. Orange, where we gardened previously.

[DanGarion]

There are a few intended advantages... some protection from ground-dwelling pests (although of course they can climb), being able to fill with and maintain good soil, and easier working when plants are a foot or so off ground level.

In our case too there is a large aesthetic component -- I like the way they look!

Lots of the best gardeners put everything right in the ground however.

Remains to be seen how they affect our gardening luck -- the shorter days and changeable canyon microclimate have made it much more of a challenge than it was in E. Orange, where we gardened previously.

Well this is my first attempt at veggie growing, since we just moved into our house (right next to Cambridge Elementary, whatever part of Orange that is considered). Our soil is full of rocks which was a pain while I was digging the holes for the plants. I added some "supersoil" so we'll see how well they do, I placed them next to the south wall of our house, so they should get sun most of the day from 8am till about 4-5 PM when the sun starts hitting the our west fence. It's all about learning, didn't really read much up on things like I normally do, I have a lot more experience with growing roses than anything else.

[Priscilla]

It absolutely is ALL about learning.

Sometimes it seems that things either grow or they don't, and it doesn't have that much to do with me.

Dan, your first house? That is exciting. The first garden, THAT is exciting! Congratulations!

Orange is a great place. We've lived there twice over the years... once in our first apt. near Main/Chapman, and then later in the hills near Canyon View & E. Chapman..

I attempt roses as well, but again the short canyon days limit them a little. But I do love them and in fact this recent garden redesign was to free up more space for more roses by consolidating culinary crops in the new beds.

[DanGarion]

It absolutely is ALL about learning.

Sometimes it seems that things either grow or they don't, and it doesn't have that much to do with me.

Dan, your first house? That is exciting. The first garden, THAT is exciting! Congratulations!

Orange is a great place. We've lived there twice over the years... once in our first apt. near Main/Chapman, and then later in the hills near Canyon View & E. Chapman..

I attempt roses as well, but again the short canyon days limit them a little. But I do love them and in fact this recent garden redesign was to free up more space for more roses by consolidating culinary crops in the new beds.

Yes first house and first garden. Next year we'll have more time to prep and get the garden ready, this year is the test.

[DanGarion]

Here are my tomatoes.







2 Beefsteak
1 Juliete
1 Sioux
1 Moonglow
1 Wild Cherry
1 Matt's Wild Cherry
1 Americana -something-

and then the two peppers. I thought I had got a brandywine, but I was mistaken.

[Priscilla]

OK, the venerable 20-year-old rosemary has been transplanted to one of the new raised beds, and the established marjoram and thyme too, around her feet. I do hope I haven't killed them.

Also the 10-year-old+ sage, in another bed, hope I haven't killed it. I love sage and use it a lot in cooking and had many many failures before this one kept growing. Nice big good-looking leaves, usually, and very good flavor, too. Think I'll plant chives around the perimeter of its bed, I miss having chives anytime I want 'em.

Ivan continues to tinker with his watering system, although it seems to be working just fine. We're on the Gary Matsuoka multiple 5-min./day to maintain that crucial 12" of moisture... since instituting this a year or so ago after going to Gary's Laguna Hills Nursery seminars all our plants have done SO much better, AND we've used considerably LESS water. Can't beat that combination, eh?

[DanGarion]

Got some more pictures of the Tomatoes! With actual tomato goodness not just plants anymore. It looks like the peppers are starting to sprout as well!





It's crazy to see how much they have grow in just 17 days.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dangarion1/Tom...feat=directlink - April 4th.
http://picasaweb.google.com/dangarion1/Our...feat=directlink - Today April 21st.

[Priscilla]

Dan, those are gorgeous healthy-looking plants. These freakishly hot days we've had this week should give them even more power.

What do you like to make with tomatoes? She said, anticipating maybe Dan'll post about it over ito the Eating In department when the time comes.

Looks like I lost my venerable rosemary, as I feared. Very old plant. But I will get a new upright Tuscan, hope it's almost as good as this one has been, and see what happens.

Earwigs are eating the first basil plants I've tried, but I mean to outdistance them eventually. That is always my plan, to grow enough for us AND the bugs.

Got some Swiss chard sprouting, and summer squashes, and corn, and radishes and scallions, and teensy lettuce sprouts, some of which are mesclun and will be harvested fairly teensy but others I hope will mature into actual giant Romaine and buttercrisp and I ferget what others.

The tomato plants, 2 of which were from our own Joan, are looking good. I'm trying not to look at them too much and draw the evil eye. They're in Ivan's bailiwick.

[DanGarion]

Dan, those are gorgeous healthy-looking plants. These freakishly hot days we've had this week should give them even more power.

What do you like to make with tomatoes? She said, anticipating maybe Dan'll post about it over ito the Eating In department when the time comes.

Honestly we eat them with everything or nothing at all. Tomatoes have a place in every meal if possible, especially home grown ones, I'm not a fan of store bought unless I have no other choice.

[Priscilla]

So true. When tomatoes are in, we have 'em at every meal too.

However, in the heat of summer, when I've got super flavorful home-grown ones in abundance, it's insalata Caprese all the time. I also like that raw tomato/garlic/herb sauce for pasta, ingredients cut up and left to marinade and meld at room temp, then tossed w/hot pasta and Parmigiano. Tomatoes and basil emphasized in both.

And BLTs, a staple of tomato season, if not plain old tomato sandwiches, which, esp. on Cream Pan sandwich bread, are pretty much perfection. Mayonnaise, tons of s & p, sliced tomato. Something to look forward to every year.

[DanGarion]

Although we've already had a bunch of the other ones, I wanted to share with you the picture of our first tomato which took quite a while to actually ripen, it was a beefsteak which I first noticed on 04/21/09 finally ready to eat today!



And here is the rest of our current bounty.