Toy Box 3 (the charm)

Always great to hear from the the toybox
Are those carrot week carrots I see hiding there? If so, they look farther along than mine
We've been loving the red (bordeaux) spinach here too. The kids have been gobbling it up and even the wife who's not a spinach fan is eating it! I think it all comes down to how pretty it is. Obviously makes it taste better
Looks great debs. Thanks for sharing

I so enjoy reading about the Toy Box!

Hi Debs, I like how much fun you're having with your soil blocker. I grew a "backup" of each thing that I direct sowed in case of problems hardening off or transplant issues... Mostly in case my 1 y.o. got to them. I was able to use the extra broccoli after the ant attack. And my boy did get to one of the Roma's - completely bent the stem at a 90 degree angle right down at soil level. But the silly thing didn't die! So I still have an extra Roma and an extra Brandywine.

I think it might be helpful to newbies if you'd be willing to post a picture of your red spinach that you say has bolted already. (Unless it's just the flavor that's changed, and not the appearance yet.)

hi Debs

i was wondering since this is our first year of growing fava beans inspired by you friend how long after we start to see flowers does it take to see some beans?....we are so excited!!

i looked back at last years toy box and your fava beans got really tall!!....ours are about up to my hip.....they are starting to flower....do they continue to grow taller while flowering?

thanks

hugs

rose who has been visiting the music of rain and printing off a ton of recipes thanks deb!!

I always think of that infamous scene in Silence of the Lambs when anyone talks about fava beans....

Everything is looking good Debs.

thanks debs that helps a lot to be able to see what others plants are doing at the same time as ours

hugs

rose

so happy to see a video from the toy box!!!

everything looks great debs!!.....your dogs are so cute .....our dogs love our sugar snap peas as well .......the nuggets are looking happy too!!.....so glad to see an update from you

hugs

rose

Great vid! Everything looks lovely! Cute pups & nuggets too!

GG

Missed you being on lately Debs. What a great video! Everything looks so nice, healthy, and green. I had a pretty good laugh at the dogs eating the peas
Great to hear from the Toy Box again

Another day, another full rain barrel.



Sunset, yellow cauliflower from TSC. F1 70 days. For some reason I thought that I had the yellow cauliflower, "cheddar" which TSC offered last year. Wheew! Recently discovered that Monsanto owns cheddar. I was wondering why TSC dropped that one.



What a tease! These Rainer Strawberries look like they are ready to taste, but if you visit my garden please wait. Without any heat they are still sour. Sour is ok for gummy candies but not for strawberries. Even the crows will not eat these, though they keep plucking berries from unprotected plants (I know because they leave them where I can find them).



These heat loving "Rouge Vif D'Etampes" Pumpkins are growing! (Cinderella's Coach). The blue "pot" is the center of a barrel set on top of a space where the compost stood all winter. It is filled with compost and topped with Mel's Mix. There is no bottom on the "pot". The blue ring is part of a left over barrel Ray cut up to make an outdoor sink for me. My Knucklehead pumpkin has the same MM and compost mix but the pot has a bottom to it. Those pumpkins are not as happy.



Fall planted Fava Beans are just about ready. I had already posted a video about preparing and cooking fava beans by June 23 last year. One of these is ready to pick, can you see which one? (Hint, they lay out like corn when ready)



Waiting on sunny heat! Tomato Tuesday posted here -- Did I mention that it is cold and raining? 59/50 in Everett, Washington with 70% chance that there will be wet hair when you go outside.

Wow what a coincidence that you posted about your strawberries. We picked some of our homegrown ones yesterday and I was disappointed with how sour they were. Not terribly sour, but not as good as I expected homegrown to be. Now I know why - thank you so much! Hmmm... can't wait for heat though - they are so ripe they are beginning to rot. At least the kids still like 'em!

great update debs!

oh boy oh boy....i think we have a few fava beans that we could harvest.....they went from sticking up to sticking out to the side and they look plump

the rain has stop but the kids and hubby are not home yet.....waiting for them to harvest our first fava beans.....i think we will only have a few to start with...like maybe five of them.....should i toss them into home made soup? ( after shelling and taking off the outer skin of the bean) or steam and eat plain?....with some butter?.....can you eat them with out cooking them?....help....cant wait!

hugs

rose

Debs your corn is amazing!!!.....wow....

our dogs beg for our sugar snap peas

hugs

rose

Summer has finally come to Everett! WooT! Because of the long cold month of June I have a bumper crop of 4 different kinds of peas. In the shade of the peas the lettuce is on its 5th or 6th salad. I am not sure why I have always been told to replant, it comes back so quickly. Somewhere in this beautiful mess there are carrots and beets too.

The fall favas, garlic and shallots have all been harvested. It surprised Ray and I that we could move everything so quickly. Now to get that greenhouse up. We tried a couple of different places for the two 4x4 boxes we moved but settled on the open place in the center of the yard (we wanted to keep that open for the puppies). Suddenly I have space for my winter garden. That never happens. The two boxes were snugged together so that the chicken tractor can be set on this garden. They do such an awesome job of cleaning up the mix and making the bed extra rich.

So far, so good in the corn box. I bet they will be happier when the peas are done.

Look at all that kale needing to be used! I knew it was there because I was daily checking it for those green caterpillars that like cole crops (the nuggets like the caterpillars!). How did it get so big and healthy this fast? Been here most of the year but suddenly I have abundance. Black Garbanzo Beans in the foreground.
I am thinking about starting a petition to stop Boffer from wearing shorts. If his hot weather couture is why our summer ends than please, encourage him to choose the long pants! 77/57 today! The Strawberry Moon is waning. Sunrise was beautiful at 5:19 AM (Bomber had to pee is why I know). Will set at 9:08 PM

Debs everything look so lush and green
glad to here moving the box's was not to tuff......your kale is so pretty.....we are growing kale for the first time this year and it sat stunted for a couple of months....we planted starts from seed and they just wouldnt grow....now they to are starting to take off....im wondering if they like it a bit warmer then a cool crop does what kind of kale did you plant?....i like the look of your better then the one we have going....

hugs
rose....who so far hasnt found a kale she likes to eat but she sure thinks they are pretty

Rose....if you like smoothies, you can put your kale in, and put in fruit to sort of "mask" the flavor. Kale is considered a super food, it's soooo good for you! I wish I had so much! Nice job to LavenderDebs, wow! Jealous!!

More Tomato Tuesday
Only the first 5 minutes are SFG tomatoes, the rest are in pots in the Toy Box (they are in MM but still may not count as SFG)

looking good debs!!

our cats went crazy last night when i was watching your video..... ...my daughter yelled from her room and said that they were running around trying to hide..... because of your doggies barking for peas......

hugs
rose

wow Debs it was crazy wasnt it??
the storm hit us about 7pm tonight..... we also got large balls of hail ....did you guys get any hail?

hugs
rose