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A Week in Garden Photos – January 1st- 8th

By Mavis Butterfield on January 8, 2017 · 9 Comments
The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure

Last sunday we awoke to a blanket of snow. And darrrrrrling, it was marvelous.

Lucy’s favorite thing is to eat snow {okay, and chase squirrels and munch on chewy sticks as well}. She loves wearing her new coat and prancing around the backyard until we pretty much make her come inside. It’s like watching a little kid play in the fluffy goodness and it’s just the sweetest thing ever.

On wednesday the weatherman was predicting more snow. But I didn’t get my hopes up because hello, this is the Pacific Northwest and what do you know…. by saturday night the only thing in the forecast was rain. 🙁 Oh well. I suppose there’s always next year.

Garden wise, this year is going to be a bit of a tricky one. I have a lot on my plate and there are several things I won’t have control over timewise so I’ve decided to simplify how I approach growing/planting/harvesting the vegetables in my garden this year. Some years are like that. And you just have to go with the flow but getting ahead and making sure you have a game plan in place is crucial if you don’t want to drive yourself crazy and overspend.

So this year, in addition to planting seeds, I’ll also be buying a few plant starts. And that includes tomato plants. In years past, I’ve always started my tomatoes from seed because I could pick and choose my favorite heirloom varieties. But this year I plan on travelling during the prime “grow your own tomatoes under grow lights in the laundry room” time frame, and if there is one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that my husband cannot be put in charge of watering and maintaining seedlings. They will all die a horrible death. This, I know for sure.

So, I’ve decided to just let it go…. and hope I can find some decent heirloom varieties at our local nursery or farmer’s market later in the spring.  Fingers crossed. 😉

Fava beans though, they are pretty hard to kill. I’ll be planting a few packets of those just as soon as it’s time to get the peas in the ground. Right now the backyard is a frozen tundra. But I’m hoping to get the first seeds planted in the garden {under row covers of course} around President’s day. We’ll see.

For now, all we can do is drool over seed catalogs and make plans for the things to come. Keep calm, and carry on. That’s my motto for the garden this year.

Happy winter everyone. Enjoy it while you can.

~Mavis

Planting Guide – Starting Artichokes from Seed

By Mavis Butterfield on January 4, 2017 · 10 Comments
The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure

Believe it or not, if you plan to grow artichokes from seed this year, it’s time to get them started.  They are super slow growers, and need about a 12 week head start before they make their way outside.  I have always grown artichokes for the HH, because I am cool and accommodating like that, but it wasn’t until I strolled through Thomas Keller’s French Laundry Garden a couple of years back, that I was able to see them for a strangely beautiful edible flower that they are.  The garden had used them as an edible ornamental–and they were spectacular…in a weird, “Feed me, Seymore!” sort of way.  Ever since, I have planted them for the look–though, if the HH asks, I am still going to feign great sacrifice.

I usually grow Green & Purple Artichokes.  I’ve grown them several times, and found them to be fool-proof {which is a good thing for me}.  Even if they weren’t foolproof, since I do like the way they look integrated into the landscaping, I’d probably grow these ones anyway. They have a variance in color {green and purple…duh} that give them an even greater visual appeal.

How to Grow Artichokes from Seed:

If you plan on growing artichokes from seed, they will definitely need to be started indoors.  As I already mentioned, start them about 12 weeks BEFORE the average last frost.  Fill your planting containers with growing medium and water them well {watering them prior to planting seeds ensures seeds stay in place,and don’t get washed away}.  Push 2-3 seeds per container to about 1/4″ deep.

Place the containers under a grow light or in a sunny location.  Keep the soil evenly moist. Thin seedlings to one per pot when they are about 1″ tall.  When you transplant them outside, space seedlings every 4″-6″.  Keep rows at least 2′-4′ apart.

When are Artichokes Ready to Harvest?

Harvest the flower of the artichoke when it has reached full size, but the buds are still closed. To harvest, slice the flower off using a sharp knife, taking 2″-3″ of stem with you as you do.

Random Facts That Will Impress No One:

Women were prohibited from eating artichokes in many countries until around the 16th century, because they were considered an aphrodisiac.

California produces 100% of the United States artichoke crop…which is totally not true if you grow them this year and live outside of California.

An entire medium-sized artichoke globe will only set you back about 47 calories.  You get a pretty big bang for your buck on those calories though–they are high in fiber and folic acid.

Now get out there and grow you something,

~Mavis

P.S. For a complete guide on prepping and cooking artichokes, check out The Vegetable Butcher by Cara Mangini.  It guides you through the prep of veggies A-Z.

A Week in Garden Photos – December 25th – 31st

By Mavis Butterfield on January 1, 2017 · 6 Comments
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grass-lawn-edging

edging

lucy-garden-boxes-mavis

The thing I’m looking forward to most in January? Getting back out into the garden and tidying everything up. It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve dug in the dirt and it’s high time I get back to the business of gardening.

2017. Let’s make it a good one!

Happy New Year Everyone,

♥ Mavis & Lucy

How to Plant Tulip Bulbs

By Mavis Butterfield on December 28, 2016 · 2 Comments
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tulip-bulbsIn early November I picked up a sack of bulbs at The Home Depot for 50% off {yahoo!} and was totally planning on getting those bulbs into the ground in a timely manner. Then life happened, and well I totally forgot about those tulip bulbs until yesterday. 😉 Ooops! 😉

Ahhh but there’s something so awesome about planting now, knowing that there are beautiful things in store come spring. It helps me get through the dreary winter months! So if you’re like me and have totally forgotten to get your bulbs in the ground…. it’s not too late!

tulip-bulbsHere are a few tips to get you started:

Ideally, you want to plant tulips about 6 weeks before the first hard ground freeze {heavy frost}. You can find that date HERE. But if not, it will be okay. First things first: picking out bulbs. Make sure to pick plump healthy bulbs. Soft, shriveled bulbs are a crap shoot–potentially rotten inside with no promise of flowering.

planting-tulip-bulbsSecond, dig a hole that is approximately 2-3 times the height of the bulb. Put the bulb in the hole pointed side up, root side down and cover it with dirt.

parrot tulips

You do not need to water the bulbs, in fact, you shouldn’t. If they sit in water, they could rot before they have a chance to bloom. Over the winter, they will receive all of the water they need naturally from the elements.

Basically, they are a super hardy and forgiving plant. They require planting and then sheer neglect. Ah, if only all relationships could be so simple!

How about you? Did you plant any new bulbs this year? If so, what kind? I’d love to know.

~Mavis

Fall Clean Up

By Mavis Butterfield on November 7, 2016 · 1 Comment
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bean-trellis

mushroom

lucy-puggle-dog

vegetables

lucy

garden-boxes

The rain finally stopped! And so Miss Puggle Love and I went out to the garden to work on our fall garden chores yesterday. There were spent bean vines to take down, weeds to pull and root vegetables to harvest. It was lovely. And I want to do it all over again today. Weather permitting of course. 😉

Hello Monday. Let’s do this.

~Mavis

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