Butterfly Junction

Here is the Salad Bar in the snow.


Here's the kale and broccoli.

Snow peas.   

countrynaturals wrote:Snow peas.   

LOL
But really...are they?

CapeCoddess wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:Snow peas.   

LOL
But really...are they?

 No, but I can't remember what I planted. All I know is that they aren't giving me what I want. I wasn't paying attention and may have bought the wrong seeds, or else the weather hasn't been to their liking. What I planted last spring gave me plump, crisp, sweet, edible pod peas that I munched right off the vine as I gardened. These are flat, small, flimsy things that aren't even worth picking. Sometimes I do the dumbest things.

Sounds like snow peas to me. Snow peas for winter and peas for summer.

countrynaturals wrote:Here is the Salad Bar in the snow.


Here's the kale and broccoli.

The kale and broccoli survived the snow, beautifully. 

Yeah, snow peas are flat, flimsy, used a lot in stir fries.  The fat firm sweet edible pods are sugar snap peas!  My faves!  Sugar snaps and a good garlic hummus?  Heaven!

Scorpio Rising wrote:Yeah, snow peas are flat, flimsy, used a lot in stir fries.  The fat firm sweet edible pods are sugar snap peas!  My faves!  Sugar snaps and a good garlic hummus?  Heaven!

Well then, I guess the stupid things really are snow peas.  I guess I should destroy all of my pea seeds and start over.

My newest seed starts weren't getting enough light in the house, so I asked Katie to buy me a new plant lamp. She had this one at the shop from a donation and its' PERFECT (and free)! Now my new babies have warm feet and plenty of "sun" so 2017 is off to a good start.  (Excuse the big box -- donations are pouring in for our annual sanctuary charity auction and we're running out of space already. )


Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, sugar snap peas, & Thumbalina zinnias.

Nice!  

A lot of people really like snow peas...chime in?  I just like sugar snaps.

Scorpio Rising wrote:Nice!  

A lot of people really like snow peas...chime in?  I just like sugar snaps.

Me too.

Scorpio Rising wrote:Nice!  

A lot of people really like snow peas...chime in?  I just like sugar snaps.

Snow peas, as snacks or in stir fry. I also blanch and freeze surplus.

I've already planted twice as many sugar snap peas as I did last year. I planted them closer together, too. I want a wall of peas.

Last year my broccoli and Brussels sprouts got mixed up and I didn't know what I had. Also, I didn't realize how old my Brussels sprouts seed were, so I didn't think I got any, but look what I found among the broccoli and kale plants, yesterday. 

I've never tried to link to a video before, but yesterday a previously dormant underground stream bubbled up into the "Salad Bar" from the insane amount of rain we've been having, and a still image just didn't do it justice. Would you believe the butterfly/greenhouse, my SFG, and my compost area are all in the path of this watershed? 

Salad Bar Fountain

A spring!

sanderson wrote:A spring!

!?  Oh.. not yet. *sigh*
Seriously though, ugh. Is that water coming out of the ground-level ground, or is it coming up in the raised bed? How much damage is the water doing (or can't you tell until it subsides?)

Water flows down my driveway under the front garden gate and straight through the central path of my garden. All the woodchips I put on that path at the beginning of last season ended up fetched up on the back gate by mid-summer. I don't know how to fix it so I definitely have no idea how to fix a problem where it's not so much diversion, but an actual source of water that's the problem. Hmm.. have you tried just putting a cork in that thing?  Like the jug-sized ones?

Also - I vastly prefer young tender snow peas over snap peas. Snow peas do look similar to snap before the peas inside puff up the pod. It could be that the variety I had - and you have - had tough pods. I suspect that's one of the plants that continued breeding efforts have likely improved. Maybe try a newer named variety if your retry from the same seeds yields the same results. I think Cascadia, Super sugar, and Sugar sprint are newer than Sugar Snap and Sugar Ann. 

And I love your new plant light!  I think the photos didn't load fast enough when I flipped past the post earlier because I didn't see it before. Don't forget to keep track of which seedlings are the Brussels sprouts!

sanderson wrote:A spring!

Doesn't everyone have a water feature in their SFGs, hmmm? 

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:

sanderson wrote:A spring!

!?  Oh.. not yet. *sigh*
Seriously though, ugh. Is that water coming out of the ground-level ground, or is it coming up in the raised bed? How much damage is the water doing (or can't you tell until it subsides?)

Most of the water is coming out at ground level, but it is definitely moving under the beds, too, and eroding the soil. The "dirt" at the top is down about 7" since last year. The good news is that this kind of rain is rare, here. It should go away and not come back for another year at least (I hope).

countrynaturals wrote:

sanderson wrote:A spring!

Doesn't everyone have a water feature in their SFGs, hmmm? 

Today was a beautiful preview-of-spring day. I decided to spend it planning my new garden. I was in a quandary, since last year was not a gardening success. I did not want to spend any money on this one, in case it turns out to be another failure. Soooo, I went looking for stuff I already have on hand, and, VOILA! I found everything I need to make a cute container garden, in an area that already has shade (from the redwoods) and irrigation. This is the spot where I started the berries and grapes last year, with a metal framework that was part of a sanctuary donation. The fencing and containers in the pics were also donations, so that will be my theme. Dirt and seeds will be the only things I spend money on. Everything else will be re-purposed, recycled, or just plain used. Now I need a name for it that suits its origins. Any ideas?



The space is roughly 8x16 and it already has a winter survivor in residence -- an Oregon grape that seems to thrive on lousy weather.

This is just the beginning for this little "Rescue Garden" (YEE-HAH -- I JUST NAMED IT ). I'll keep posting as it grows and expands.

Just fought the first grand slam battle of the year with my compost pile. It went to 5 sets, but I won, even though I'm much older than my opponent (older than dirt -- that's me  ). My reward is to be a guilt-free couch potato for the rest of the day.

countrynaturals wrote:Just fought the first grand slam battle of the year with my compost pile. It went to 5 sets, but I won, even though I'm much older than my opponent (older than dirt -- that's me  ). My reward is to be a guilt-free couch potato for the rest of the day.

WRONG AGAIN! I had just gotten comfortable when Katie called and told me they were out front with a new donation of big ceramic and plastic pots for the Rescue Garden. I spent the last half hour rearranging. Now I have 5 more feet of ready-to-use garden area than I had yesterday. YEE-HAH! 

These little zinnias bloomed all through the winter. No more guilt about not having nectar plants ready for the early butterflies (saw a Gulf Fritillary this morning). I don't know for sure what variety these guys are, but I'm off to collect seeds right now. I plan on filling a whole bed with these happy little campers.

countrynaturals wrote:

WRONG AGAIN! I had just gotten comfortable when Katie called and told me they were out front with a new donation of big ceramic and plastic pots for the Rescue Garden. I spent the last half hour rearranging. Now I have 5 more feet of ready-to-use garden area than I had yesterday. YEE-HAH!

That's a lot of POT-ential growing space!

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:

WRONG AGAIN! I had just gotten comfortable when Katie called and told me they were out front with a new donation of big ceramic and plastic pots for the Rescue Garden. I spent the last half hour rearranging. Now I have 5 more feet of ready-to-use garden area than I had yesterday. YEE-HAH!

That's a lot of POT-ential growing space!

 Does that make me a POT-head?