(Via washingtonpost.com - A Cook's Garden by Barbara Damrosch)

Posted by admin to Arizona, California, Grow, Native Seeds/SEARCH, New Zealand, Poolville, Robert Kourik, Scarce, Southwest (Washington, DC), Texas, Tucson, Water's, What, When, Willhite Seeds, Willits, to on 2007-10-31, 20:00:00

By East Coast standards, this year's drought is a doozy. Even if fall treats us to a few good gully-washers, it will be a while before the soil's natural cistern is full. Now's the time to take stock of the remedies open to kitchen gardeners, who struggle in dry weather.

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Herbs & Vegetables on 2007-10-31, 14:09:20

Forget your Delawares, Nadines and Red Pontiacs, when it comes to mashed potatoes there are far better varieties to grow.

The humble spud has come a long way since the Depression years and the ensuing one-size-fits-all-50's. While the staple Delaware is still one of the most convenient types found at the grocers - and unfortunately still the most popular seed potato found in nurseries across the globe - it is losing market share to better varieties.

The difference with growing vegetables as opposed to growing plants for their flower or foliage properties, is that their appeal extends past their growing season in the garden. Therefore, gardeners need to take more characteristics into account when considering the end purpose. There is no use growing a vegetable that you find distasteful and end up adding to the compost heap. If you're going to grow them then it may be preferable to grow ones you like to eat.

And when it comes to potatoes I can't go past a good plate of mashed spuds. Creamy, fleshy, not too starchy and melt in the mouth sensations won't be the experiences you enjoy if you've just harvested a season's worth of general-purpose potatoes.

So which ones should you be growing if you're a mashed potato lover? Here's some you can start with;

• UK Gardeners - Golden Wonder, British Queen, Maris Piper, Edzell Blue, Shetland Black.
• US Gardeners [PDF]- Maris Piper, Caribe, Irish Cobbler, Carola, Purple Chief.
• Australian Gardeners - Mondial, Royal Blue, Coliban, Toolangi Delight, Desiree.
• Canadian Gardeners - Russet Burbank, Century Russet, Goldrush, Shepody.

Once you've decided which spuds you're going to grow for some decent mashed potatoes the next step is to get some in the ground. The logical step is to prepare some soil and dig them in mounding the soil as they commence their growth.

Or you could do it the cheat's way and follow Bare Bones' instructions on growing potatoes in a no-dig garden.

Now, just because I've discussed the merits of some great mashing varieties it doesn't mean that the spuds you plant will be good for everything. And this is the reason why general-purpose potatoes like Delawares and Nadines have kept their appeal.

If you decide to plant some potatoes specifically for mashing then you may also need to plant some other variety crops for other cooking methods. There are spuds that are great for frying but useless for mashing and potatoes that are great for baking but are less than desirable in the mashing department.

If potatoes are on your vegetable to-do list, decide to grow a few different varieties. That way you'll have some to enjoy mashed, baked, fried or any other method you choose.

(Via grow this)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2007-10-31, 13:30:00

"I’ve lost everything! All of my beanie babies - gone!"

So, what’s sadder, that she lost the beanie babies, or that she collected them in the first place?

(Via gardenauthor)

Posted by admin to Irish cows, Irish meadow, poetry on 2007-10-31, 07:47:00

©Deb Lambert 2007
Photo: ©2007 S.R. Calef/Dublin, Ireland

(Via Snappy's Gardens Blog)

Posted by admin to Halloween, Pumpkin on 2007-10-31, 01:44:00

(Via Comments for Anne's Garden)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2007-10-30, 15:18:41

Your winged spindle has much the same fruit as my Turkestan burning bush which is also in the Euonymus family. I love it.

The silk tree is gorgeous and so is the rose. It looks as if you are going to have a lot of fun in your new garden. I hope the move went well!

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2007-10-30, 15:13:47

What an interesting discussion that has emerged within the gardening blogosphere! First, Debra Roby picked up on my Learning how to use your new gardening tool: The Web post stating that it "made me feel like I was living in the past." Then Amy from GardenRant picked up on the discussion and had an incredible number of insightful commenters offering their opinions and suggestions.

Now that the pot has been well and truly stirred it's time to watch what will happen as it continues to simmer. To skim a few points that have been raised, here's my view on what some have been saying;

• Most gardeners seem to be in the older stages of life and are therefore less likely to adapt to changing technologyies
• On the other hand, those that have adopted these changes continue to use them but find that they're only a tool and gardening remains the focus (Preach it, sister!)
• We're reminded that we should look at these technologies in the eyes of our readers. What features are they seeking - if any?
• And finally, we should be very aware that information overload is certainly not what most gardeners are looking for.

It's ironic that the last point was the catalyst that prompted me to write the post in the first place. The reality is that there is so much information out there that without the right tools at our disposal we will struggle to make sense of it all.

And who do we trust to get relevant, reliable information? Google? Certainly not. Even this monopolistic search engine is realising that groups (such as gardeners) don't take their lead from large corporations. We instead, rely on networks. Trusted people with trustworthy reputations.

There are more tools on offer for gardeners and I shall write that post at a later date, but for the time being the seemingly archaic web tools I pointed out earlier are a good place to start.

(Via grow this)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2007-10-30, 12:29:00

“This is how he grows;
by being defeated decisively
by constantly greater things.”
- Rainer Maria Rilke

My back yard is where I go to sort out my experiences in the world. Because the seasons require certain chores to be performed at certain times, gardening brings order to my otherwise disheveled life. In the garden, I’m able to gather the jumbled pieces of thought within me, and to update my head with the clutter of sensory things from without. It’s where my subjective mental landscape meets the objective awareness of the world. The other day, the spa finally reflected a clear sky, but you can see the ash on the water in this picture.

Returning from exile after the fires, we contemplate not just the damaged environment but how that damages us. (I should insert a disclaimer here that I lost nothing in the fire except some autumn-tinted mums that were halted in their tracks. I did not evacuate; I did not fall asleep in some strange place wondering if I’d ever make it home again.)

But I was metaphorically evacuated from the peaceful grove out my back door, and I was deprived of the meditative space where I escape from worldly cares. As if cleansed by the fires, I can see clearly how important my environment is not merely to contemplate life outside, or to seek inner peace, but to survive.

Our community rose to the fire’s challenge and we survived. Now, we have to rise to the longer and harder challenge: to recover.

(Via grow this)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2007-10-28, 11:08:00

"All the day
had been a dreary one at best, and dim
Was settling to its close, yet shot one grim
Red leer to see the plain catch it estray."
Robert Browning, Childe Roland

We drove from San Diego to Riverside on Friday 10/26 heading north on I15 which had been closed sporadically earlier in the week. Passing Rancho Bernardo, we could see the hilltops where houses once were. This picture is near Rainbow. You can see the active fire making smoke in the background toward the east. In the middle, you can see the house on the hill was saved, but it appears that the avocado trees downhill in foreground are gone.

J&K were able to pick up some mail in San Bernardino that had been held in the SB post office downhill, while their home in Lake Arrowhead is still closed. We went to Tio’s for dinner just as the sun was setting, reflecting red in the smoke from the active fires to the west of Riverside – presumably in Irvine.

Some of the more creative topiary in Tio’s is filled with bottle caps, recycled small metal hardware etc. Not sure if you can see this guy’s anatomy, but there’s a delightful chrome faucet hinting at anatomical correctness. This might be a good strategy for people who lost real topiary in the fires. Or not.

So, our exiles are still back in San Diego with us. I was hoping to work in the yard today but the smell of smoke is too daunting. We keep getting warnings about air quality, and we were reminded that the poor San Bernardino valley is trapping all the smog and smoke, further confirming the Riverside boast: "Air quality you can see!"

On our travels Saturday, we did notice a friendly attitude yesterday, whether it was in stores buying extra socks for K or in Starbucks buying fuel for J. People in San Diego are on their best behavior, showing genuine compassion when J tells people that her home isn’t in the fire zone but remains evacuated and thus well within the looting zone.

People in Orange County Fairgrounds, evacuated from the surrounding mountains are receiving neither the media attention nor the kindness of strangers: they’re without everything except bottled water and baby diapers. It’s hard to be clever or philosophical about all this right now. There’s the same sense of exhaustion in people that I see in my parched back yard.

(Via gardenauthor)

Posted by admin to fall poetry on 2007-10-28, 05:28:00