Saturday Gardening and Puttering Thread, Almost June! [KT]

Hello gardeners, putterers and dreamers! It's almost June. Anything interesting going on in your garden? First up today, how about we visit Manny's garden on Kauai? Well, actually it's MrsM's garden. Above, a Lobster Claw Heliconia.

And below, a few of MrsM's orchids.

She grows them on the trunks of her Manila palms in the yard.

Wow. We have some indoor orchid enthusiasts in The Horde. How would it be to be able to grow those outdoors?

The Edible Garden

Manny also sent in some photos of edibles:

Here are two views of an habanero plant grown from seed in MrsM's garden. I used one last weekend to make a Thai shrimp recipe with lemon grass, lime leaves and basil, all also from her garden. It was *very* spicy (!!!) but excellent with coconut milk served over green "BamBOOM" rice

Hidden fire. Is that mint I see encroaching?

Anybody else growing super-hot peppers this year? Taking any safety precautions in the garden?

Lemon grass, between her mint and basil (in the background at left.)

Here in Central California, our Apriums made it through 107 or 108 degree heat this week without getting pit burn. Yay! And they didn't get stolen. Yay!

We did give some away. Didn't take any photos. Interesting how fruit of different species doesn't always bloom in the same sequence every year. The year I took this photo, the Apriums and Arctic Star Nectarines ripened at the same time. The little fruits with them are an old Plumcot that tastes sort of like perfume. Kind of mushy, not too sweet. Europeans tend to like them.

Farming, Farmer's Markets, Produce Stands

Sweet cherries are on here. First ones were outstanding. Second batch had some doubles (likely due to March rains). Getting better again now. What's on your local produce counters?

If you missed in the first time, Jim asked for some advice on larger than riding mower tractors. Got any recommendations or tips?

The fields up the road from us that had been planted in grapes, then put up for sale, seem to have been bought. There may be a nut grove still available. If anyone is looking for some land.

Gardens of The Horde

Here is my pineapple guava in bloom. It is a very unassuming bush/tree depending on how you train it. Mostly I see it in bush form. It is evergreen with silver green leaves. But when it blooms the flowers are gorgeous. The petals are eatable and have a slightly sweet and pleasant flavor. I haven't tried the fruit yet since this is the first year it will probably actually produce any. I have two of them about 10 feet apart on the west side of my house.

lin-duh

If they are hardy where you live, pineapple guavas are an attractive shrub. Quite easy to care for. The blossom petals have a mild, fruity flavor.

There are dwarf landscaping varieties. If you want fruit (best flavor where summers are not scorching), look for named varieties. There are a couple recommended for areas with hotter summers.

Thanks, lin-duh.

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

Include your nic unless you want to remain a lurker.

posted by Open Blogger at 12:09 PM

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