Happy Hump Day

We had a quick down pour of rain this week which helped move the veggies along in their growth. It looks like they had a growth spurt.


No tour is complete without a cameo by Basil. That's a raspberry plant next to him. They grow like wild fire, so I'm going to keep it in a large pot.


Pole beans are coming around. I staked them with a 6' pole which isn't enough. I just assumed it will go up and across the fence.


Broccoli plants are getting pretty big. They are about 10-12" across now.


My neat line of sugar snap peas. That's garlic in the very front of the photo.

Is it food yet?

They're alive! The carrot seedlings are appearing and the basil plants are growing.



The summer squash is showing blooms already! I hope that means we will get squash soon. They came sooner than the green zucchini did last year. These are male flowers so I hope the other one is a female 'cause ummm...well I hate to break it to you, but it takes a male and female plant to make baby squashes.


Radishes are growing fast now and peeping out of the soil.


Pumpkin plants with rows of Corn in the background.


Sugar snap peas and Snow peas are also flowering, so we'll have peas soon.

Veggie Bed

On Tuesday, I planted most of my veggie seedlings into the garden bed. In order to avoid some weeding this year, I laid down some "landscaping material" to suppress the weeds. It's pretty strong stuff, but also flexible enough that I can easily cut holes out where I want my seedlings to be. The material also retains moisture which is a plus.



I planted my tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, jalepeno, summer squash and chili pepper plants. I also started some radishes in a container and I'll work on starting some carrots in a container next. Last year, the carrots were a waste because the ground was too hard whereas you can amend the soil more easily in a container. This weekend, I'll prepare some other garden beds for the corn and pumpkins which are ready to go out now. I still haven't decided where to plant my watermelons and bottle neck gourds yet. In other news, the peas are doing really well.



It's going to be raining this weekend, so we'll probably be over in Our Place doing some home improvements... :)

Dao Miew

"Dao Miew" in Cantonese are snow pea leaf tips. The top part of the plant is harvested and used in cuisine. Often, it's more costly than other Chinese green vegetables because the plants are harvested young and then won't bare any peas. They are also only in season during the early summer and fall when conditions are cool.

I couldn't help myself and started some in a pot indoors. This way we have some tender greens to eat over the winter. My grandmother cooks dao miew sauteed with garlic and oil which is so simply, yet so delicious.

Today...


4 days ago...


Less than 58 more days to go and it's yummy in my tummy.

Pollinating Bell Peppers

This bell pepper plant had lots of little flower buds on it. Since there was the danger of frost last week, I couldn't bare to see it die and potted it. I brought it inside, but since they like the cold I kept it on my porch. When the flowers open, I took my finger and swooshed the pollen around hoping to pollinate them. Without the help of Bees to naturally pollinate them, I had to take matters into my own hands.

Bell pepper flowers


The flower to the left is beginning to swell already, so I hope that's a sign that I was successful. If we're successful, we'll have peppers for the winter!