A Sowing Frenzy

"The mere fact that you get a lot of seeds in a packet doesn't mean you have to plant all of them." - Henry Mitchell

Boy do I ever need to heed Henry Mitchell's this advice. If you've been reading this blog, you know that I'm a new gardener and have sowed seeds for the first time this year. I always love a challenge, and for me getting a seed to turn into a healthy plant is a good challenge.



My first time sowing back in March was full of promise... then anxiety... then annoyance... and finally (in some instances) jubuliance! Everything was a learning experience for this virgin seed sower. For example, I wish someone had told me that it was normal for the seed leaves to turn yellow and fall off when the true leaves show up (jeez that scared me as I thought all my seedlings were dying!).



There was also much worry as I tried to gage just how much water the seedlings needed, how to avoid dampening off, when to transplant, and when to harden off. My head was spinning. I was actually losing sleep over this as I tossed and turned at night.



I even had a recurring nightmare where all the seedlings died and I went to nursery to buy plants to replace them, but it was too late and they were all out! Imagine! How awful!

My anxiety finally turned into annoyance with the peas and with the tray of seedlings I fell on top of... *sigh*

Anyway, since I'm a glutton for punishment and figure I still have lots to learn (and the best way to learn is by doing), I decided to sow more seeds last night.

"The things we have to learn before we do them, we learn by doing them." - Aristole

I'm finding that sowing can be hard work! Especially when you don't know what you are doing. But thankfully, I don't have sow dressed like this....



I'm still amazed at how mobile woman were back then dressed in all those clothes.

The modern woman owes alot to the confident women who were brave enough to go against society's norm and get practical.

Bravo I say to them!

So, as I sit at the little make shift potting bench in our garage I can pay homage to the woman gardeners who came before me. For this much is true...

"Only God can make a tree, but I'm in charge of seeds and weeds!" -Author Unknown

In closing, in case you are wondering, here's what I sowed (I sowed lots extra for some friends as well as to cover me in case there are any casualties).

- 8 cells of zucchini squash (Cashflow, Johnny Seeds) - Plant 4 give 4 away.
- 8 cells of summer squash (Zephyr, Johnny Seeds) - Plant 4 give 4 away.
- 4 cells of Butternut squash (Waltham, Johnny Seeds) - Plant 2 give 2 away.
- 16 cells of cucumbers (Olympian, Johnny Seeds) - Plant 8 give 8 away.
- 16 cells of Green Beans (Blue Lake Bush, Livingston Seeds) - Plant 8 give 8 away.
- 8 cells of marigold (Burpee's mixed)
- 4 cells of marigold (Queen Sophia, Burpees

And if that's not enough to feed my sowing frenzy I'm going to direct sow some other annuals as well as caladium - maybe next week. Ambitous I know.... that'll teach me!

On the Street Where You Live

The clear blue crispness of day and streaming sunshine was enchanting me all day as I sat couped up in my office cubicle yesterday. So after work I kicked off my heels, grabbed the lease, and took Ellie for a long walk. As we walked a song from one of my favorite movies was echoing through my head.

My Fair Lady
(starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn)

"I have often walked down this street before
But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before.
All at once am I several stories high.
Knowing I'm on the street where you live.
Are there lilac trees in the heart of town?
Can you hear a lark in any other part of town?
Does enchantment pour Out of ev'ry door?
No, it's just on the street where you live! "

Although the song is about the elation a man feels as he falls in love, it sums up how I was feeling yesterday while soaking up all of this spring beauty.

Even Ellie had to stop and smell the flowers.

Mrs. Bradshaw Geum is blooming beautifully.

Azelea in full bloom.

My shade garden getting ready to burst with color.

A closer look.... the circle is where I'll plant the coleus.



Wild fern popping up in a wooded area.

A perfect spot for a toad to call home.

A calming shade of blue.

The furry buds of a clemantis getting ready to put on a show.

Pappa goose, mamma goose, baby geese.

Reaching for the sky.

A fairy hole.

Snowing petals.

...more petals... I know what I'll be doing this weekend.

Basil The Great!

Basil is one of the most loved herbs in the world today. Basils belong to the Lamiaceae mint family and there are many varieties out there, but sweet basil is best known. Although natively grown in India most associate it with Mediterranean cuisine.

The herb was so revered in ancient Greece that it was called "The Herb of Kings." Only a king could harvest it, and then must use a golden sickle. But, the Greeks also believed that basil was a symbol of malice and lunacy. They believed that to successfully grow basil, one had to yell and curse angrily while sowing the seeds. Even in French, semer le basillic, “sowing basil,” means ranting. Well I can certainly relate to that… especially with my recent seed sowing “experiments.”

I sowed basil seeds indoors on 3/31. They sprouted very quickly within a week, but then they stayed at the sprout stage with seed leaves for what seemed like an eternity (which is what caused my ranting). Finally about a week ago they started to get their true leaves and they’ve been taking off like gang busters ever since.

This picture was taken a week ago and the seedlings are probably twice the size (I’ve got 8 individual plants growing).

I’m Italian by heritage and basil, fresh tomatoes, and mozzeralla were staples in my childhood home. Growing up we called it basilico. But, some people call it BAH-ZEL…

…not to be confused with this guy….

Photo above: John Cleese as Basil in the British sitcom Fawlty Towers

Or, this woman.

Photo Above: Toni Basil 80’s pop star (Hey Mickey!)

Whether you call it BAY-ZIL or BAH-ZEL it’s always a deliciously fragrant herb to have in the garden and kitchen.

Try it as a cocktail (virgin or not)

Bloody Gazpacho

50ml Absolut Vodka (optional)
4 Basil Leafs
1/2 Inch of Cucumber
100ml Fresh Tomato juice
Dash Balsamic vinegar
6 Drops of Tabasco
4 Dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/2 shot Fresh lemon juice
2 pinch Minced garlic
2 pinch Ground pepper
2 pinch Celery salt

Or, for dinner.

Mix up some pesto and pour it over boneless, skinless chicken breasts and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes depending on how thick the meat is. (Quick Tip – If you can’t find fresh basil to make the pesto yourself or if it’s too early for harvesting, you can use Buitoni – usually found in the deli or dairy case).

The chicken is delicious cold the next day over a salad – Ellie’s Dad can attest to that!

Classic Pesto

2 tablespoons coarse-chopped walnuts or pine nuts
2 garlic cloves peeled
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups basil leaves (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation: You will need a food processor or strong blender. With the motor running, drop the pine nuts and garlic through the feed chute. Process until finely minced. Add the olive oil and pulse three times. Add basil, Parmesan cheese, and salt to the processor bowl. Process until finely minced, scraping down sides. Refrigerate leftovers and use within 1 week. Yield: 3/4 cup

Ice Cream anyone? Yum!

Basil Ice Cream from Epicurious

2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup well-chilled heavy cream

Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer; an ice cream maker

Bring milk, basil, 1/4 cup sugar, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring, then remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender (reserve saucepan) and blend until basil is finely ground, about 1 minute.

Beat together yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 1 minute. Add milk mixture in a stream, beating until combined well. Pour mixture into reserved saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture coats back of spoon and registers 175°F on thermometer (do not let boil). Immediately remove from heat and pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Set bowl in a larger bowl of ice water and stir until cold, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in cream and freeze in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours.

So as my basil grows by leaps and bounds I’ll be dreaming of upcoming warm summer days with the fresh scent of basil drifting through the air. In the meantime, cocktails anyone?

A Little Experimenting

The peas and snap peas are now officially an experiment.

What am I experimenting? Well apparently how best to neglect pea seedlings and see if they'll still produce.

It all started off with me sowing the peas indoors - MISTAKE #1.

Then it was leaving the pea seedlings outside in torrential rains for almost 10 days straight - MISTAKE #2.

(Ok, I'm exaggerating a bit, but suffice it to say it rained a lot.)

Finally, it was putting them in an ill-prepared bed that is only partially sunny for most of the day - MISTAKE #3.

Well... not actually the final mistake because that would be when I left the seed tray sitting in the middle of the grass where Ellie thought they'd be a comfy place to sit - meaning that now most of their stems are broken.

There she is sitting on some perennial shoots.... she's not on the peas yet... that was her next move.

In spite of all this, I planted them anyway (top view from my porch)... Notice my lovely brick laying skills.



And, I planted ALL of them... all 24 seedlings in a 4x6 rocky bed... HA... I'll show them! I figured maybe I'll get lucky with just one of the 24 and get a handful of peas. Anyway, since at this point the odds are low that they'll do anything I decided to plant them in a less than good spot - reserving the best beds for the seedlings that have a better chance of survival (actually the pic makes the soil look much worse than it actually is. It's been amended with lots of compost, manure, and peat moss for drainage).



To make matters worse, I didn't want to go through the trouble of setting up a nice vining system with string, so I just shoved in these green metal trellis that I bought at Lowes last year (these things actually worked great with the cucumbers). ...Can you tell I'm getting annoyed with these peas? Anyway, I didn't put much thought into how I'd put the trellis in there or how I'd harvest around them, so now I'll be playing my own version of the game Twister if these peas actually produce. I can just see it now... I'll try to harvest my first peas in the middle of the bed and fall flat on top of them thereby sealing any last chance they had a survival.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on this pea experiment. It will be a miracle if I get one pod!

On a happier front, here's a preview of the front perennial bed.

As you can see there's lots of things poking through and doing really well (thank goodness something is...). I did a lot of work here this weekend moving things around, fertilizing, weeding, and digging out the Asiatic lilies (I had no choice but to pull them since they were already infested with the lily beetle).

Notice the white petals that have fallen on the bed from a nearby flowering tree. It's snowing petals and I'll be busy cleaning that up soon too.

The empty spot around the tree trunk is where the lilies were. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to put there to replace them but I'm leaning towards day lilies. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Here's what's planted in the bed (sorry I only know the common names):

Montauk daisies
Lamb's Ear
Bearded Tongue (Penstemon)
Peonies
Shasta daisies
Phlox
Hardy geranium
Black-eyed susans
Delphinum
Jacob's ladder
Liatris
Mrs. Bradshaw Geum
American Dream Coreopsis
Russian Sage
Heuchera