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Our "Pumpkin Wall" inspired by @pallensmith 's "Pu

Our "Pumpkin Wall" inspired by @pallensmith 's "Pumpkin House" annually built on @mossmountainfarm.

Our wall is constructed from the pumpkins, squashes, and gourds that we grew: 'Howen' & 'Small Sugar' & 'Kakai' & pumpkin, an unknown pumpkin variety sprouted in class by our then kindergartner, 'Black Beauty' zucchini, Toisan squash + zucchini hybrid, 'Spinner/Spinning' gourds (dangling from the arch.)

There are a few #nedfirsts in this wall: (Photo 9) Two types of mini pumpkins grown from seeds saved from the mini pumpkins; given by my neighbor last year to compost. (Photo 8) Corsican gourd. (Photo 7) 'Connecticut Field' pumpkin. And 'Winter Luxury' pumpkin.

#regenerativegardening :
We also grew the straw used to line the wall. The straw and some of the pumpkins were grown on the front yard (Photo 10.) The vines act as living mulch and protect the non irrigated ground from hot dry weather. Our harvests are used as #falldecor and will eventually feed us, our chickens, and the soil. The collected vines have already begun to feed the soil.

#pumpkin #squash

Indian cuisine inspired #gardentotable aloo baing

Indian cuisine inspired #gardentotable aloo baingan and bean stew. Both dishes are tomato heavy because we are still working through our tomato harvests.

In the #aloobaingan, we used 'Orient Charm' eggplant, 'French' fingerling potato, 'San Marzano' tomato, 'Chesnok Red' garlic, and 'Granex' onions from our garden. The harvest photo included 'Yukon' potato that we didn't end up needing.

From our garden and into the bean stew went 'Jacob's Cattle' bean, 'Conservor' "shallot," 'Chesnok Red' garlic, and 'San Marzano.' (With lentils from the market.)

2023, the best paste/cooking tomato year to date f

2023, the best paste/cooking tomato year to date for us. Over 120 pounds harvested with more on the way. This year we have tomato weather as our tailwind. The rest was from: developing an intimate understanding of the likes and dislikes of each variety, soil building, and root knot nematode remediation.

This culmination has resulted in bumper crop (harvests); something that I am not used to experiencing per root knot nematodes. Moreover, we are experiencing not one but two bumper crop events.

In a #kitchengarden and/or small space and/or space efficient setup, the concept of succession harvest is crucial.

Pictured are 'San Marzano La Padino.' These are our late crop of #tomatoes. We had a satisfying harvest of filled out trusses-- some smaller plum size fruit from lateral growth that I didn't get around to maintaining and plenty of ones that are true to characteristics.

The cooking varieties that I grow yearly for succession harvest (in order of harvest):
'Principe Borghese,' 'Costoluto Genovese,' 'Oxheart (aka Cuore di Bue,' 'Blue Beech, 'Martino's Roma,' 'Italian Roma,' and '#sanmarzano.'

The tomatoes were grown from originally from @pinetree_garden_seeds. They also have many of varieties listed.

P.s. We sowed for a succession planting of 'Italian Roma' at the beginning of April. Those plants are now coming on and we're looking at a very good harvest.

#sanmarzanotomatoes 17.5 lbs harvested with more on the vines.
August 18, 2023

#nedfirsts 'Winter Luxury' #pumpkin. This variety

#nedfirsts 'Winter Luxury' #pumpkin. This variety description has it as "one of the best #piepumpkins."

As a pumpkin pie traditionalist, I enjoy making pie from pie pumpkins; even though squashes are better suited. Squashes have a denser texture compared with pumpkins. Again, according to the description, 'Winter Luxury' has a dense texture.

I hope to bake at least one of the two 6 pounders that we grew. These pumpkins average between 5-7 lbs.

Pies from the garden is one reason for growing them. I also enjoy growing pumpkins for their visual appeal. They range in size, color, patterning, texture, form, and can have very interesting stems that are unique to the individual pumpkin.

At this cured state, #winterluxurypumpkin maintains its pastel orange. It has texturing; as if someone went over it with a paint roller once and left it.

--
California has a pumpkin long growing season. From experience over the years, we learned to time them. We want a harvest for fall and late fall baking. For Halloween pumpkins, we want them to cure in time but not so early that they won't make it to the actual day.

Seeds from @pinetree_garden_seeds
August 14, 2023 #canonphotography 24-70mm at f/2.8

Gardening and photography share the same light pri

Gardening and photography share the same light principles. The result is derived from the amount of light at the given moment and how it is captured.

Last evening I walked by the plumeria in bloom and was awed by the coordination of sky and flower colors. I was a moment too late when I returned with the SLR (camera.) The synchronicity had just ended.

Nonetheless, I have some dusk photos to share. The last photo in this series was taken during the daytime; and serves as a comparison point.

The type of light and the way in which it is captured determines the outcome. In gardening we use plants to capture the light.

#nedfirsts bloom of an unknown cultivar; cutting acquired at a seed & plant swap.

August 15, 2023

#nedfirsts 'August Pride' freestone peach. We plan

Garden to bear box, 1090 miles, through 6 states.

Garden to bear box, 1090 miles, through 6 states. 'Mid Pride' peaches, 'Costoluto Genovese' & 'Principe Borghese' tomatoes, 'Granex' onions, 'Asapbroc,' 'Happy Rich,' 'Eastern Magic' greens.

10 adults, 4 children, 3 cars, 4 nights camping, 3 nights in hotels, and 2500+ miles roundtrip. Thanks to my brother and SIL, for having us along.
#gardentocamp
#gardentobearbox

#nedfirsts 'Mara du Bois' #strawberry. When I wen

#nedfirsts 'Mara du Bois' #strawberry.

When I went down the strawberry cultivation rabbit hole, I learned that Europe has a long history of breeding from wild strawberries. Mara du Bois is a French developed variety. In our #nedberries, we have a collection ranging from wild (Alpine) to early developed (Meize Schindler) to intermediary (Mara Du Bois) to modern (like Chandler et al.)

The wild strawberries are highly productive/better tolerating of environmental conditions. They have a unique pineapple and artificial candy flavor. They also tend to be more juicy-- making it not ideal to mass distribute. The added sugar and water content makes the fruit too delicate to shipping and handling; in addition to shorting their shelf life.

I earlier categorized #maradubois as "intermediary" because it has the shape and size of a modern strawberry; while the flavors, water content, and texture are in-between an early developed and modern. In other words, #maraduboisstrawberry is a softer juicy strawberry that bursts in your mouth after the initial bite.

Another #gardentocamp and I am noticing that the g

Another #gardentocamp and I am noticing that the garden is consistently providing 'Eastern Magic' broccoli, sprouting cauliflower, and tomatoes for the summer kitchen away from home. This year we have 'Granex PRR' yellow onions to bring along.

The weather this year has been cooler due to cloud cover for much of May and June. By "much" I mean it was cloudy for much of the day with much of the month being cloudy. This cooler weather has allowed for a heavy fruit set but the slicer tomatoes are still green and sizing up. We normally have a 'Cherokee Purple' for camp but a vine ripened 'Costoluto Genovese' tomato is just as good in a burger.

This was a nice weekend spent with friends and catching up with old associates. We camped in the local mountains. Camping is usually a practice in pioneering-- getting as far from home as possible. However, sometimes it is just as nice to stay local. Los Angeles is nestled in some beautiful wilderness.

Including campgrounds next to the amazing Pacific Crest Trail. This is a Mexico to Canada trail. The idea of trekking the entire thing is a dream of mine.

Speaking of the pioneering spirit, while on this narrow trail we ran into a couple of folks with backpacking gear. We said our hellos and I learned that they were on their way to Canada. They had started in Mexico and were a month in on their 6 month/2650 mile journey.

#pacificcresttrail

'Gypsy' broccoli. Warm climate growers often ask i

'Gypsy' broccoli. Warm climate growers often ask if I have grown this variety. I have tried in the past but haven't gotten a crown as big as this one. The difference might be garden grade vs farm grade seeds. I noticed that the seeds from the garden grade packet are not as big nor uniform as the "farm grade" seeds that I use for many of my broccoli harvests. As such, I feel there is a huge grade influence that resulted in the results that we got.

What grew the largest crown to date is setting many seeds and selecting the most robust looking plant. 3 seeds per cell, and six cells total. From that we ended up with one looking decent enough to plant.

For size and growth comparison, I place this 'Gypsy' crown next to an 'Eastern Magic.' With all being equal, the 'Gypsy' isn't as large. It remains to be seen how it does with sideshoot production. The cut-and-come-again sideshoot is where the magic is at. If 'Gypsy' is good at this, I'll put up a separate post as an update.

June 22, 2023

According to UCANR, #purpleraspberries are hybrids

According to UCANR, #purpleraspberries are hybrids of red and black #raspberries. Growth habits are similar to blackberries with suckers produced from roots like red raspberries.

Additionally, we are growing a #nedfirsts raspberry variety that UCANR recommends for California gardens. The 'Royalty' purple raspberry is living up to its characteristics as a highly productive variety.

As far as the taste, raspberry flavors and sweetness are somewhat subtle at the moment. It reminds me of the subtleness raspberry flavored seltzer. The current tasting does not match up with the described characteristics. It remains to be seen if there will be a flavor change as the weather warms and or the plant matures.

Watching it grow and fruit from this year's bareroot planting lets us know that it is a variety that will produce on primocanes (first year growth.) Some varieties will only produce on floricanes (second year growth.) This purple raspberry plant is also a handsome plant. The leaves are very pleasing and photogenic. The primocanes have a purple accent and the little thorns add a bit of interest.

Each year we concentrate on a garden goal. Last year was broccoli and this year is #nedberries. We sourced many of this year's additions from @burpeegardening (online) and are very happy with the quality of their bareroots. We ordered a 5-pack of this raspberry; shared a couple and planted the rest. We have one in the ground with the others in containers. After researching varieties that grow best in your climate/region, I recommend using Burpee as your bareroot source for value and quality.

#royaltypurpleraspberry #purpleraspberry

May 12, 2023. #nedberries #nedfirsts 'Camarosa' s

May 12, 2023. #nedberries
#nedfirsts 'Camarosa' strawberry, a University of California patented June bearing/short day/perennial variety. Extrapolating from the parent abstract, it appears that Camarosa was developed as a 'Chandler' for arid subtropical climates.

Physically, the plant is very tight and bushy compared to other California varieties like Chandler. I believe the compactness of the plants enables heat resilience. Weather-wise, this year has been very coastal-like.

As a result, this Camarosa plant has not cranked out too many large berries. Perhaps in a couple of weeks when the hot weather arrives will this variety ramp up. As a member of our succession strawberry collection, 'Camarosa' will probably shine as a hedge against the typical warm years.

Lastly, given the weather it shouldn't be a surprise that the flavors have been 'just okay.'

P.s. 'Chandler' so far is my favorite strawberry. It has excellent flavor, balance of sweetness and tartness, a hint of astringent (tannins), a nice al dente texture, and great production (comes on heavy, rests, and repeats.)

#camarosastrawberry #camarosastrawberries

It's been a while since I have posted a #gardentot

It's been a while since I have posted a #gardentotable dish. This #potatocrusted mahi-mahi with chives and brown butter came together after going to the garden for some produce shopping.The original plan when I took the fish from the freezer was to blacken it and have it with rice.

In the garden, I found 'Aspabroc' sprouting broccoli and remembered that we have a large 'Yukon Gold' potato from a recent harvest; along with some baby 'Bolero' carrots and chives in the garden.

Potato crusted fish, brown butter, and chives, these elements were learned from @jacquespepinfoundation .

'Blue Bedder' sage, gladiolus, sweet pea, silver s

'Blue Bedder' sage, gladiolus, sweet pea, silver sage, geranium, gailan, crown of thorns, carnation (dianthus,) 'Floristan' sunflower.

'Violetto' #artichoke. I am pretty sure #violettoa

'Violetto' #artichoke. I am pretty sure #violettoartichoke is not our #nedfirsts of this variety but somehow I couldn't find a post for it in our IG wall. Like the other varieties that we grow, leaves are a silvery sage. Unlike the other purple varieties, these are essentially all purple (as opposed to purple brushed.)
This is a very stunning purple artichoke that brings joy to the garden space. I definitely relish the time between formation of the buds until harvest. The remaining buds that we don't harvest will continue to hang out until they bloom into a flower that looks like a sea anemone with neon purple; and the bees come to swim in them like clown fish.

Note: this plant is particularly productive due to the amount of nutrients where it grows. At this spot there sat for many years a mulch pile. The materials that I trimmed from the hedge would accumulate there.

Artichokes are heavy feeders. We do not expend too much much compost when growing our artichokes. Instead we grow many plants with the expectation of harvesting up to four edible artichokes from each plant. These plants are grown to also act as a hedge. They are grown in native soil and are minimally irrigated-- harnessing their weed like growth.

'Gaviota' strawberry, a University of California p

'Gaviota' strawberry, a University of California patented June bearing/short day/ perennial variety. The patent abstract reads,

"produces greater quantity of late-season fruit than the cultivars 'Chandler' and 'Camarosa' when grown in central California."

In addition, "the plants are smaller and more compact, more open, more erect, and less vigorous than" the mentioned varieties.

While not the first berry produced, this one looked and smelled true to its potential. The berry is on the smaller side but was sweet and flavorful. We will keep an eye on it as we get into #strawberry season; with the expectation that we will see slightly larger fruit.

Be sure to follow #nedberries for updates. #gaviotastrawberry #gaviotastrawberries

This morning @armstronggarden I found a couple of

This morning @armstronggarden I found a couple of @montereybaynursery plants to add to the #nedpeachy collection.

1. 'Pink' #riceflower (#ozothamnusDiosmifolius)
This evergreen shrub will also be part of our cut flower collection.

2. 'Ruby Clusters' #strawflower (#helichrysumAmorginum)
I never paid too close attention to strawflower plants. When I walked by this plant, the coral-colored Chinese fabric button like flower buds caught my eye. The foliage is a furry silvery green-- reminds me of sage (another favorite of mine.)
At checkout, the customer service associate let me know that the flowers smell of maple syrup. I can confirm this.

'Chandler' strawberry, a University of California

'Chandler' strawberry, a University of California patented June bearing/short day/perennial variety. Its season usually starts in March. We have had some early samples but the weather was not sunny enough to properly ripen them. Today's harvest is very close to its described potential. Large berry with good flavor and sweetness.

We have six plants from a January planting as part of our tasting and succession strawberries trial. From what I can tell so far, this is a good variety to grow.

Follow #nedberries for my berry growing adventures. I hope to also harvest raspberries again after a hiatus of over several years. #nedfirsts #chandlerstrawberries

Goal: grow a cabbage for a St. Patrick's Day #gard

Goal: grow a cabbage for a St. Patrick's Day #gardentotable corn beef & cabbage.
Other garden items include 'Bolero' carrots and potatoes: 'Magic Molly,' 'French Fingerling,' 'Yukon Gold,' & 'Burbank.'

The cabbage variety harvested is 'Danish Ballhead.' Which coincidentally is aptly name for the story I am about to share.

Most years on this day, I am taken back to my middle school algebra class. Where on this day I learned from my teacher, Mr. Ball, that not everyone is excited about St. Patrick's day. Mr. Ball lost hearing on one side due to his proximity to the main guns of a battleship; in training and in the Korean War.

As an algebra teacher, he was effective. He cared in an 'let us get this over with' kind of way. Anything out of bounds of the classroom was meant by his crotchety persona. Including some small talk I tried to have with this man. Like saying, "Happy St. Patrick's Day, Mr. Ball--" believing that he may appreciate it since he shared that he was Irish.

In a Clint Eastwood kind of way but with less raspiness he said, "I am Protestant. We don't celebrate it."

I was too much of a kid to understand the context. I would realize much later in life that my interaction with Mr. Ball was in 1994; when there was a lot of turmoil in the United Kingdom between the sovereign government and the Irish Republican Army.

So this garden to table is for you, Mr. Ball. Thank you for your service to our country.

Fresh cut flowers from the garden for my Valentine

Fresh cut flowers from the garden for my Valentine. Fragrant hyacinths, carnations (aka dianthus), dahlias, gerber daisy, and anemone.

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