Sounds like a sort of paradise. Husband keeps me quite tethered, and I’m usually, or at least often okay with.
Pictured is our sad little Concord Grape harvest. Maybe 2021 will be better. Let’s hope so & not just for gardening. Think we’re going to make 1-2 jars of jelly with them.
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The little pepper plants are going crazy, and the serranos are happy too.
Tomatoes are slowly dying, but several came back to life so I have to tend to the foliage slowly.
Harvested a few pounds of tomatoes before the weekend, another couple today.
Need to start saving seeds.
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Saregama, peppers and tomatoes are very good at outcrossing, pollinating each other to create mixed-parent hybrids, especially if grown close together. Many insects, some nocturnal, can carry pollen around, unless the plants are isolated or net bags used to isolate varieties.
I use large net bags to seal off unopened flower buds when growing varieties which can cross. The large bags cover branches, instead of individual flowers. The bags add weight, especially when they get wet. So, the net bags get tied to a bamboo stake, for support.
Of course, if you don’t mind random surprises, rogue hybrids are fine! It may be a bit of a toss-up with sweet and hot peppers-you’ll need to taste them first!
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You lucky leek grower! They look so fresh snd delicious
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Is there a point in their growth cycle when the tops are edible, like with ramps or scallions?
Gorgeous!
I think I’m going to abandon my few years old rhubarbs. Both plants are growing in big pots, with beautiful leaves in spring and summer but need a lot of watering, sometimes few times a day, especially the plant under direct sun.The stalks are mostly disappointing, half of the time, they are just tasteless or even bitter, even I feed them often. Too much work to keep something ornamental.
Lovely leeks! I use leek tops all the time, as long as they’re not too fibrous.
Naf, Rhubarb is a plant which needs cool weather to taste good. Ideally, it would be days around 65-75 F (18-24 C). Petiole (leaf stem) harvest is typically early, young spring growth. In pots, the root system will get warmer than plants which are in-ground. Their root system can get massive, too big for most pots. The bitter flavor you describe is most likely a result of stress, water and/or temperature.
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Does it need a lot of sun or fertiliser? Recent month, temperature has dropped a lot, around 10-18 C / 50-65 F range and it rains nearly everyday, we haven’t see sun for nearly a month. It seems the spring first crop taste the best. I think I will dig up the root and have a look, will give to someone that can grow directly in ground.
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I just got my shipment from Filaree Farlic Farm for some new stock!
Rose de lautrec and Aglio Rosso garlic, and Dutch red shallots .
I will also be planting some of my last year’s garlic harvest.
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Naf, Rhubarb should only be harvested early in the season, the spring “flush”. That growth is lower in unpleasant chemicals. You want young shoots/leaf stems, before the leaves expand fully. Later season growth should rejuvenate the plant
Finocchio is almost ready.
Radicchio is growing like mad. Here’s a 30 foot row, with Variegata di Castelfranco in the front and Rossa di Treviso in the back:
A rogue collards leaf is at the bottom. The chicory has smothered the weeds.
Each plant is nearly two feet across.
Edible Dahlia will appear in a separate topic!
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This is so nice - I love this place 
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Me too! 
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Agree, it’s a happy place! 
The vast, green world brings wonder and joy. The people amplify the effect!
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So true @bogman, and I’d like to thank you for sharing your vast knowledge and expertise with us! I find myself learning a lot, and sharing with my H and others too.
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