Raised beds, for vegetable, herb and fruit

Raised beds, for vegetable, herb and fruit, at our daughter's house, created out of Douglas fir, peeler cores. What a great job!! Love the way they turned out; the seating area and the octagon bed are fabulous!!

Morel Season is finally here!

Most years we can start hunting (not always finding) for morels in late April, sometimes as early as mid April. Usually have a few good harvest by at least mid May. This year has been so cold, with late snow and lots of rain, that the season has started late. Hopefully that means we will still be picking in July!  Oh, and the huckleberry bushes are starting to bloom! Looking forward to a good season for them.

We did beat the storm, yes were headed right into those clouds!

These were 4 inches long and 3 1/2 inches across at the base

Goji berry, or wolfberry

Since the first goji berry plant is now 2 years old and has not yet bloomed, I've added a 2nd goji berry plant to the landscape. The new addition already has blooms on it and hopefully will bear fruit this year. The weather has not been the best as the night time temperatures have been below freezing several times over the past week. Plants for the garden are chosen for their hardiness and fruiting. Grow what you eat, eat what you grow.

Goji berry, or wolfberry, is the fruit of either Lycium barbarum or Lycium chinense, two closely related species of boxthorn in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Both species are native to Asia, and have been long used in traditional Asian cuisine. 

And then there were... New raised beds!

Finally! The weather has been very uncooperative but we have the two raised beds/cold frames built and in place. They have chicken wire tops to keep the stray cats and birds out and, when needed, we can add plastic covers for the tender plants.

Bed #1, has rutabagas, turnips and garlic planted so far. When the weather warms a bit more, the pepper plants will be planted.

Bed #2, has 3 varieties of carrots and beets. Planning to add garlic to this bed as well as a companion to the root crops and to the tomatoes that will be added later.

Garlic reseeds in the walkway every year, so handy when you need some fresh garlic leaves for cooking! It's the tall grassy looking plant in front of bed #1

And the Ginger is coming up!

After the ginger went dormant, I withheld water for two weeks to let them rest. Last week I started the once a week watering again and added a very small amount of liquid fertilizer. This week there are little green sprouts!!

It is very exciting to have the new growth on the ginger and hope that this means I can have a sustainable supply for my home use. It's doubtful that I'll get enough to sell, ever, but now that I know it can be grown successfully indoors the possibilities are endless!

This season I will get pictures of the ginger and turmeric as it's growing!! Still can't believe there isn't one picture of them from the 2018 season!! How did I manage that?

Signing off for now! Happy gardening!!

Are we there yet? Still freezing at night!

With all the late winter snow, ice and colder than normal temperatures, I was beginning to wonder if it would ever be warm enough to start planting seeds. Thinking that I was way behind had me a bit worried, but looking back to 2017, I was just starting to plant seeds on March 12th.

Now that the snow and ice has somewhat melted away from my storage area and I can get to my planting trays and pots it's time to start some of the hardier crops!

The plan this year is to expand the raised beds and move some of the flowers (crocus, tulips and such) to other garden beds. Guess time will tell just how much we can get done.

The daffodils and tulips are up, but not yet blooming. That said, here is a peek at some daffodils from a few years ago just to cheer us up!

Growing Turmeric indoors

Last spring I discovered some turmeric rhizomes (root cuttings), at a local market, and decided to try growing them! I tried a few in water and some in soil, ultimately planting all of them in soil. At first I was very disappointed, thinking that they would never grow. The rhizomes stayed hard and healthy so I just kept watering them and waiting. Be patient! It took a couple of months to get them growing. 

Here we are about 9 months later and the beautiful plants are beginning to go dormant. Time to remove them from the pot, separate the rhizomes and start again. Before starting this years crop I need to get some larger/longer containers that will still be narrow enough to fit in the windows. 

After looking through all of my garden pictures taken in 2018, there isn't one picture of either the turmeric or the ginger plants!! How did I manage that?

On to the steps for growing Turmeric indoors & outdoors...

> Start them early in the spring, indoors. They take 8 to 12 months to mature to a good size.

> Use a rich, good quality potting mix, that drains well but retains moisture. Be sure your pots have good drainage.

> Plant rhizomes 2" (two inches) deep with one or two buds on each piece. Break up the rhizomes to get more to plant! The larger the pot, the larger the rhizomes, so don't over crowd your pots.

> Stagger your plantings for a continuous supply of rhizomes. 

> Keep soil moist but not wet/soggy, needs good drainage. Water every few days to once a week, depending on the temperature of your home, or if outside, the temperature and weather. Water less if it's cold.

> Likes to be warm, so if you plan to set your plants outside in the summer be sure the night time temperature is above 60 degrees F.

> Prefers a sunny location but will tolerate some shade.

> Fertilize with an organic fertilizer twice a month

So, 8-12 months have passed, your turmeric is going dormant. Now what? Time to dig up, or tip the pot out and retrieve those wonderful rhizomes! Select the ones for replanting and begin the repotting. 

You have several beautiful rhizomes left to use in cooking, teas, or other uses, and you want to dry them for making into powder. Below is one of the many suggested ways to process to go from fresh to dried.

To process turmeric:

Boil the rhizomes for about 45 minutes.
Let them dry on a drying rack, in a cool, dry place for about one week.
After the rhizomes are completely dry, peel them. You might want to wear gloves, as the dried root will turn your hands orange.

After peeling, grind up the root into a fine powder to use as a spice or as a tea. 

For more information on using turmeric, please search the many websites available!