They put these classes on, and a MG can sign up to take them, with consent of his/her Extension Agent. I have a year to get in 12 hours of volunteer service, teaching about growing vegetables. I have taken several specialists classes by now.
I planted 18 more cabbages yesterday , and 12 broccoli plants. The broccoli is replacement, as the first dozen I planted didn't do very well. I pulled them out and started over. I planted 6 'Green Magic', and 6 'Packman', and they are all for my husband. I would never eat broccoli! Not in a million years, not even raw. YUK. But, I do love to see it grow.
The cabbages.....
I already have cabbages growing. I don't know what the varieties are, 'Early' something, is one. Six of the cabbages planted yesterday are red cabbages. We will not eat all this cabbage. I will not make sauerkraut. I like to make stuffed cabbage for New Year celebration, and steam some, stir fry some. And, of course, I like it raw, in slaw.
Most of my cabbage I give away. I give it to my kids, friends, family, neighbors, and finally, I give it to the cook at our county jail. I don't think it an odd choice of beneficiaries, the jail, as many of those incarcerated are trustees who help the Master Gardeners with the hard physical labor of our projects. Some of them are there for menial infractions, but because they have no money, they have to stay in jail...I am not a bleeding heart, I just think they should have good things to eat too.
Those are not weeds in this bed, They are onions.I love to grow Swiss chard, too. Not because I am going to eat it, but because it is sooooo beautiful! I grow 'Bright Lights', and how can anyone resist all those beautiful red, pink, yellow, orange, lime green, and white stalks?
I planted dill, onions, petunias, lobelia, garlic, radishes, lettuce, lettuce, lettuce, peas, and Asian vegetables. Also, parsley, both the curley and the flat leaf.
This, I have to show you. I have started some seeds of this plant anew, as I would like to grow it again this year. It is cardoon, a relative of artichoke.
This was 12' across! We called it dinosaur food! It was just gorgeous when it was only foliage, but when it put on purple thistle looking flowers, it was spectacular! (That in the next bed was artichokes, and the tall plant being RED hollyhocks. They were over 10' tall, and looked like a Christmas tree!)
We still have tomatoes and peppers, and beans. Herbs are beginning to pick up, with the cooler weather. And, the Laura Bush petunias are up. I always grow flowers with my veggies. It makes the veggies want to be more beautiful. Competition is a good thing.
19 comments:
Hi Janie,
Wow! What a garden! By the way, I do love broccoli, but hate cabbage...
Isn't it funny what vegetable we like and dislike?
Wow, your garden is awesome. I had that same variety of Swiss Chard a year or two ago. I love just about any veggie except Brussel Sprouts. I even tried growing them one year, but I still didn't like to eat them. I would love to start some asparagus. Unfortunately, I just don't seem to have time for a fall garden these days. I do manage a small spring garden.
Blessings,
Lorilee
So, Janie, do you actually eat any veggies, or just grow them? Hard for me to imagine anyone not wanting to eat Swiss chard. :-) -Jean
Wow, what a beautiful garden! That Cardoon is really a stunner! That cabbage looks perfect - we just made sauerkraut. We're using my husband's great grandmother's crock. I can't wait to try more veggies next year - you're an inspiration!
I do eat veggies, I just don't like them cooked. Or, at least not cooked to mush.
I love green beans, and I can be found at the trellis where they grow, grazing on green beans. My husband thinks I have lost my mind, eating raw green beans, but I love them. I also like them cooked.
I love beets, cooked, but not raw. I like turnips, raw, in salads, cauliflower, raw also. I do not like broccoli. and I do not eat that Swiss chard.
It seems to me that we used to have to ear rhubarb and strawberry pie as a kid, and I never got over it. I associate the chard with the rhubarb, I think.
Anyway, I don't like any veggies boiled and mushy. Or slimy, like okra. Fried okra is great, but cannot get that boiled okra down. LOL
I love to grow Brussels sprouts. Kids are fascinated with them, so I like to grow them. It is a good way to teach the kids. Kids these days don't know where our food comes from; they think Kroger or HEB is the source. I think that is too sad. I think we should give every one of them a bucket of dirt and a few seeds, and let them grow squash, or okra, or cabbage.
I am totally amazed at what you have growing. I can't get used to these southern gardens!
It just looks wonderful.
I share your dislike for chard!
What a great garden. It all looks very healthy. I want to grow tomatoes next summer.
Oh. My. Heck. Do you have radioactive soil or something? Your cabbage is huge! I am so freaking jealous. Enjoy your veggies. THanks for sharing,Janie!
Everything looks great, but the Cabbages are perfect!
Your veggies look wonderful.
Your vegies look very very healthy and green and organic. Looking at the pictures alone makes me want to eat more vegies. Cheers!
I agree with the others, your garden vegies look fantastic. I don't grow vegies on purpose. The birds have planted a few pumpkins which I enjoyed very much. A neighbor gave me a truck load of tomato plants that got blight and turned to black mush. I do buy ornamental cabbage every winter for the splash of color but have to keep them on the porch or they end up like the tomatos.
I think it's cool that you think to share with the local jail. First of all I think it's cool that you refer to it as the local jail and cook. Secondly I think it is pretty darn decent of you to remember that people are still people even when they end up in jail. (Really bad people excluded, I'm still mad at them.)
Love your pink flamingo - he's a bit fancier than the ones I see every once in a while. Your cabbage is beautiful as is your Swiss Chard. I can see why you chose cardoon with it being 12' across! Dinosaur food to say the least. We have soapwort that we call our monster plant because it will take over everything if we don't cut it back. But it's so pretty and has such a great smell we let it stay!
Thanks so much for faving my blog and I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner but was sick in the hospital, got out and overdid I guess and got pnemonia. Just can't seem to win lately. ;-)
I just love your blog! Excellent reading and a teaching blog too. They don't get better than this. Thank you thank you thank you!
Thanks everybody for the kind comments. I have to confess that I love doing this kind of post. It is my favorite. Not so much the veggies, but the teaching thing, I really enjoy that.
Your vegetables are absolutely magnificent! Very inspiring.
Janie, I'm green with veggie envy...especially your cabbage, really look stunningly healthy! Though I love eating leafy veggies, cooked or otherwise, I don't grow any at all.
Cheers!
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