Kitchen Garden 2009

Kitchen garden for 2009 is underway although I have not posted anything on it. I seeded tomatoes and other vegetables over the past few months. I'll try to keep better records next year - but I think I seeded the plants in early March 2009. I used the plastic containers you gets with the apples you buy in Costco. The bottom already had a whole in it, allowing for drainage. I used an ice pick to make another hole at the top cover for ventilation. These made mini greenhouses for the seedlings. The key is keeping the mix moist. I use the soil block maker which I purchased from Johnny Seed last year to make soil blocks. Love them! Put them in flat that I kept from past purchases from nurseries. Reuse everything. Just make sure to clean out and sterilize everything. A little bleach and elbow grease is all it takes.


Costco Reruns!


This year I built bamboo tomato tepees . Love how them turned out. I am hoping for a bumper crop. I'll be ready for those tomato horn caterpillars this year!

See these chrysanthemum flowers ! Well, they are Thong Ho or flowers of the the Garland Chrysanthemums. I discovered you can also eat those flowers. They can be fried tempura style too. As a bonus, they look so fresh and pretty in a vase on the dinning table. The over-wintered and continue to thrive. I let them flower and self seed.

Actually, I am already harvesting and eating from my garden. The artichokes were beautiful and delicious. I am leaving some to flower and grace my garden. And of course, you already knew I had those Broccoli Raab for Mother's Day. The picture shows what they look like on 3/29/09, a little more than a month ago.







I am sharing my fruits with the fellow occupants in my garden. The slugs and the birds continue to demand their 50% of the strawberry harvest. I cannot really blame them. Those strawberries are out of this world when you pick them plump and fully ripe. Sweet and juicy from the warm sun. Heavenly. Those outside the plastic bag have already been tasted and taxed!! I am getting the first of the early blueberries - wonderful in my cereal and will make my dieting much easier!




The beautiful purple flowers adorn the sage plant providing beauty and flavor. Again, I am learning to use these organically grown flowers as a bonus for my cooking. The side garden is a buzz with bees feasting on the lavender blossoms. The persimmon tree has leafed out and fruits are just setting. Spring is a wonderful time in the Lim-Ooi garden.