Highalt's Other Growlist '12 (cont. from '11)

[highalt]

Here is a shot of everything I harvested today, both at the community garden, and here at the house.

 

[highalt]

These were taken down at the community garden plot today.

Canoe Creek Melon

Amish Melon

Early Moonbeam Watermelon

There are a couple of melon plants here at the house that are starting to set fruit. I'll try to get some pictures of them soon.

My husband built a pergola over the patio, and I planted a grapevine at the base of the posts. That was three summers ago, and today it is covered with bunches of bunches.

Reliance seedless grapes

 

[highalt]

Finally used up the basketful of ground cherries I harvested.

Ground Cherry Pie

It took 4 cups to make this pie, which is a LOT of ground cherries!

 

[highalt]

I decided instead of starting a new topic, I would just continue last year's thread.

So far the only non-peppers I've sown are lettuce, tomatoes, peas, and some herbs. All were done using the wintersowing technique.

Tomato growlist:

[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Amish Paste *[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Black Cherry [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Box Car Willie [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Carbon [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Caspian Pink [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Chocolate Stripes [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Dana's Dusky Rose *[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Earl's Faux [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Earl of Edgecomb [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Gold Medal *[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Marvel Stripe [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Matt's Wild Cherry [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Neves Azorean Red [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Rainy's Maltese *[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Romeo Paste *[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Striped German [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Stump of the World [/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Tasmanian Chocolate *[/background]


Peas:

Burpeeana Early *
Super Sugar Snap *

Herbs:

[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Basil, Mrs. Burn's Lemon[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Basil, Lime[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Basil, Red Rubin[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Basil, Super Sweet Chen[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]German Chamomile[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Lemon Balm *[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Lemon Grass[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Marjoram[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Thai Red Roselle[/background]

Lettuce:

[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Flame *[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Four Seasons *[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Rouge de Grenoblouse *[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Simpson Elite *[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Thai Green *[/background]


[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]* indicates germination[/background]

[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Oh, and I've also sown Okra, Red Burgundy.[/background]

[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]I was planning on direct sowing carrots and radishes this week, but we actually received a little rain yesterday, so it's a bit too wet to go digging around today. Good day for pulling weeds though ...[/background]

 

[stickman]

I have a suggestion... Have you thought about growing summer savory in your herb bed? it wouldn't need much space. A packet of seed would only plant around a square foot or a little more. It's not really choosy for soils as long as it get enough water, though I think it would prefer a sandy loam. As the name implies, it's excellent with savory dishes like eggs, cheese, dried beans, biscuits, etc. Whenever I have scrambled eggs or omelettes in the summer I always include it, and put it into quiche and grilled cheese sandwiches. If you put it into the pot when you cook dried beans it's supposed to reduce gas, like epazote.

 

[highalt]

I usually do grow summer savory, but haven't sown any yet this year. It's an annual where I live, so I grow it in containers. The herb bed is reserved for perennial herbs, and the rhubarb that I can't find any other place for. I sowed winter savory a couple of years ago, but made the mistake of planting it too close the the rhubarb, and it grew right over the top of it and smothered it. No sign of it this year : (

Here's a shot of the herb bed. This was taken a couple of years ago, but I've only added a couple of things in the empty spot at the bottom right of picture.

I noticed the other day that the sage is not looking very good this year, very woody, not much new growth. May have to replace it, and one of the thymes this season.

Here's what's currently in the bed:
Chives
Garlic Chives
French Tarragon - gets ridiculously big. May cut it back half way through the season this time.
Lavender
Oregano
Variegated Oregano
Thyme
Variegated Lemon Thyme
Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare)
Sage
Rhubarb - one is Victoria, and the other was given to me, no ID, but stalks are thinner and more red.
Plus some parsley that's reseeded, and a few stray garlic bulbs.

 

[highalt]

Direct sowed 5 kinds of carrots today:

Tendersweet
Pot O Gold
Lunar White
Imperator
Nutri-Red

Didn't get to the radishes. Hope to sow them, and transplant the wintersown lettuce and peas sometime this week.

It was very hot and sunny today ... okay it was only 81 degrees, but due to the high altitude, the sun is much more intense. Studies have shown that the UV radiation increases by about 4 percent for every 1000 foot increase in altitude, and I'm at over 5,500'. You can literally feel your skin cooking when you are in the sun here. What little moisture we got last week is long gone, and for some unknown reason the irrigation pump isn't working. Looks like I'll have to hook the sprinkler system up to house water for a week or two until the problem is resolved. Irrigation water = free, house water = $$$ Grrrrr ...

 

[highalt]

Well, didn't get to the radishes, but the lettuce and peas were transplanted today.

As you can see from the photos, I don't bother to separate the sprouts. I just grab a clump, stick it in the ground, and let them fight it out.

Flame

Simpson Elite - had to break into two clumps, because the irrigation tube ran right through the middle of where I wanted them to go.

Four Seasons

Thai Green

Rouge de Grenoblouse

Here's what was left - Pots O' Salad

I ended up with around 20 pea sprouts. Debating on whether to plant a few more or not. These are Burpeeana Early, and Super Sugar Snap.

It was a nice overcast day, perfect for planting, and I even had a helper, my 5 year old daughter. It feels good to finally have something in the ground!!! Now time to get started down at the community garden.

 

[kiddc]

nice selection of lettuce, All open leaf?

 

[highalt]

Yeah, I like being able to get multiple harvests off of each plant. Sometimes I grow Romaine types, and I like their crispness, but with the heat we get here in the summer, they can get bitter. Crisphead lettuce takes too long to mature, and I'd rather pick a few leaves off of several varieties, than to use a whole head of one kind of lettuce for a salad. Some of the varieties I'm growing this year came from a surprise bag offer last year from Seeds of Change.

We ended up getting a little bit of rain this evening, so all the plants should be settled in nicely by morning.

 

[kiddc]

here in the hot humid end of the world, the crisphead bolts easily and taste bitter as heck, so all we get to grow feasibly is open leaf.
Not complaining though, open leaf lettuces are great!

What are you using to prevent slugs?

 

[highalt]

No slug prevention is usually needed here. I'm not saying there aren't any slugs. I do see them occasionally, but the numbers are small enough that they don't pose a major problem. The advantage of living where there is no humidity I guess.

 

[highalt]

Finally got some radishes sown - Easter Egg II, and Early Scarlet Globe. Also sowed a few more peas, this time directly in the ground, in front of the ones I already planted out. So far the ones planted out are looking pretty good, but I have had a couple of bad years with peas lately, so just wanted the extra insurance.

Also, potted up a few of the wintersown tomatoes that were outgrowing their milk jug homes - a couple of Amish Paste, a Tasmanian Chocolate, and a Rainy's Maltese.

Bought some Walla Walla onion sets last week, and planted a row down at the community garden over the weekend. That's all that's in place down there so far, but it's a start.

 

[thecollegekid]

where in CO are you located

 

[highalt]

About 20 miles west of Glenwood Springs, so not on the Front Range, but not quite Western Slope either.

 

[stickman]

About 20 miles west of Glenwood Springs, so not on the Front Range, but not quite Western Slope either.

So that would be a little west of the continental divide? I spent a little over two years at Ft Carson just south of Colorado Springs when I was in the army. C4E... Charlie company, 4th Engineers.

 

[highalt]

Yep, west of the divide. When your heading west on I -70, you go through Glenwood Canyon, then just a few miles outside of Glenwood Springs, the terrain opens up, and the mountains are more spread out. We probably get a couple more hours of daylight than the folks in the canyon area, but my home is up on a mesa, which means lots of wind too. Used to live on the other side of the state, about 45 minutes north of where you were, in a town called Castle Rock. At the time, it was a rapidly growing suburb of Denver. Where we are now is much more rural, and I like the slower pace. Maybe a sign of age?

 

[stickman]

Yep, west of the divide. When your heading west on I -70, you go through Glenwood Canyon, then just a few miles outside of Glenwood Springs, the terrain opens up, and the mountains are more spread out. We probably get a couple more hours of daylight than the folks in the canyon area, but my home is up on a mesa, which means lots of wind too. Used to live on the other side of the state, about 45 minutes north of where you were, in a town called Castle Rock. At the time, it was a rapidly growing suburb of Denver.

Oh yeah, I remember passing through Castle Rock and the Black Forest on the way to see concerts at "Big Mac" in Denver. Do they still have outhouse races there?

 

[highalt]

Haha! I don't remember that, but it wouldn't surprise me. They have Frozen Dead Guy Days up in Nederland, so I guess anything goes around this place!

 

[highalt]

Well, I was out cutting the grass, and ran over a 2" x 4" and I killed the lawn mower. Actually, it wasn't in my yard. I plant pumpkins, melons, and sunflowers down the outside of my backyard fence in the empty lot next door. It was hidden in the brush I was trying to clear. I'll have to see if that handyman husband of mine can perform surgery on it and bring it back to life. So, since yard work is on hold, thought I'd post a picture or two.

Here is a Rovada Red Currant bush.

and a close up of the clusters of blooms.

This is what the clusters look like now.

The strawberry plants are starting to bloom.

Was going to try and get some pictures in the herb bed, but the bumblebees are lovin' on the chive blossoms, and asked me to leave ...