The First Irises of Spring

I know I’ve written about irises before, but couldn’t resist sharing this picture with you.  They are our first ones to bloom this year!  As a matter of fact, the rest of our irises aren’t even close to opening up.  This batch was here when we moved into the house ten years ago and is set off by itself in a tangle of trees and bushes near the back of the property.  The kids and I have transplanted bulbs from this area closer to the house and they are flourishing – just not quite as much as these guys.  What a beautiful reminder of spring!

Prairie Hawk Farm: Seed Starting Old School Style - Carton Planters

Prairie Hawk Farm: Seed Starting Old School Style - Carton Planters: Do you remember those childhood projects using empty milk cartons to plant seeds in? Well, that practice is still in use at this homestead. ...

What to Plant - Late Winter/Early Spring

I have mesclun lettuce mix popping up in the garden!  I know that it's still a bit cold out, but since our soil doesn't usually freeze, there are many cool weather plants that you can get in the ground here in Texoma in late January and early February.  In fact many of these resent the hot temperatures that come with our spring and summer, and will wilt away once the really warm months arrive.  Here's a quick (and by no means complete) listing:

Baby meslun lettuce sprouting!

Lettuces
Swiss Chard
Onions (usually from "starts" bundles)
Pretty much anything in the cabbage family (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels, kale, etc)
Peas & Beans
Potatoes (starts or cut up your own)
Carrots
Turnips
Beets
Radishes
Cilantro
Parsley





You may have to cover the young plants with a tarp or a plastic bottle (with the top cut off) if there's danger of a sudden frost, but, believe me, that's hassle that you can live with to have fresh vegetables on your table as early as possible.

Cleanup Time!

Time to tame this mess for the winter.  Most of the bugs and butterflies are gone.  We've harvested all the rose hips. It's always a bit sad to see the flower garden bare, but making room for new spring growth will produce a more beautiful garden.

Roses - Mmm, Mmm Good

Although you have probably heard about rose hips many times in the past, I feel like a reminder is in order.  The roses on our place are blooming beautifully right now, and many years continue to bloom all through the winter.  Even with that being the case, this is the time of year that I will quit deadheading the roses and let the hips remain on the plant.  They are best when picked after the first frost of the year.  They’ll be a pretty red color by then and the flavor is best.  With our weather here in Texas, it might be a while before the first frost, but I’m preparing early – just in case!

Here are some good articles on rose hips that give you a lot more information about harvesting, preparation, and of course health benefits:

http://tipnut.com/rose-hips/

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/butler95.html

 Did you know that could eat the rose petals too?  How does rose petal jam or rose petal tea sound?  There isn’t much nutrition in them, but there is some vitamin C and it’s fun to be adventurous!  You can bring a new flavor to your kitchen.  Here are a couple of links with recipe ideas.

http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Flowers_Rose_Petals_252.php

http://www.food.com/recipe/rose-petal-iced-tea-290123

http://www.food.com/recipe/rose-petal-jam-3160

Have fun gardening and enjoy this beautiful fall weather!

Quick Tip - Don't Forget the Compost Pile

Don't neglect your compost pile in all this heat that we're having. They can dry out just as easily as your garden beds. While you're giving the beds a spray, be sure to include the compost heap!

Homegrown Tomatoes

We all know that nothing tastes quite like a home grown tomato.  For years, the consensus in my family has been that home grown just tasted better.  Guess what - it turns out that we're right!   It didn't take a degree in genetic engineering for us to make this determination, just a few taste buds - but now those scientists not only agree with us, it seems they know why.

Here is an article that explains it all better than I can:

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/June12/TomatoesRipen.html

The summary is that they decided to mess with mother nature and try to get the tomatoes to ripen uniformly on the plant and in doing so turned off 'flavor' gene.  That may be a little oversimplified, but it's close enough to convince me that once again, maybe we don't need to fix what isn't broken.

Happy Gardening!