Tuesday, March 24, 2009

A riveting garden update


Unlike some people, I've been having mixed luck with seeds this year. There's a tiny, tragic graveyard of onion seedlings out on my deck; I set them there to get some fresh spring air, and they keeled over dead. I was sad.

On the other hand, who cares about onions when you have asparagus? See above. Very intrepid and cute. They were the last seed to germinate and I'd despaired, but then they all shot up a few weeks ago and have been impossible to discourage. Also doing well are the tomatoes, eggplants, and artichokes. The cardoon crop has already failed -- I pulled up one of the corpses and it had an 8-inch root, so I think it was feeling cramped in the little pot. I'm going to try planting cardoons directly in the soil when I have found a place for a dedicated bed. You can hardly ever find cardoons at the farmers' market and they're delicious, though I've never figured out how to cook them right. 

Also, I'm worried about the worm box. Essentially, the seething masses of worms have ceased seething. I have theories about what's gone wrong, but it's too disgusting to describe in detail.  
 

5 comments:

  1. what are cardoons? and where have you had them tht they were delicious if you haven't cooked them deliciously yourself?

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  2. I had them at a restaurant maybe ten years ago, I think it was Oliveto. They tasted just like artichokes, but looked like celery and I have thought about them ever since. I bought them once and failed to make them delicious.

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  3. you've probably already figured out that adding extra shredded paper to the worms can help them seethe, help them get oxygen, get the moisture right..
    adding a little ground up oyster shells to the mix can help control other, non-worm, beings in there butcha prolly already know that too..
    (i miss my worms!)

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  4. Once my worms (now yours) seemed to die off. I never knew quite what happened but suspected there was too much water in the soil (are you draining off the tea regularly) or some pumpkins had become toxic. Anyway, they came back, as you know.

    I will try to get another tray to you when I next see you. Just need to get to work in the garden.

    Have you considered Jerusalem Artichokes. Not easy to kill, great soup or mashed. Worth a shot. You may remember them...

    Also, Sorrel was a ten year (0r more) keeper. If you find some, get me one. Also fantastic soup.

    Mom

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  5. things growing - we had snow fall today! I'm so happy to see something green in real time. It will come. Best of luck with the garden.

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