Startup 2009

A pleasant 68F (20C) here in Oklahomegrownvegland.
The happy gardener's day starts off with...................

....a delightful breakfast of poached eggs on toast.
Then a quick look out at the garden reveals...............

.....the first tiny spring flowers in bloom.
The garlic I planted late last year was supposed to hibernate over the winter.
Apparently, nobody told the garlic this and.........................

.....it's continued to grow throughout the winter.
When I'd finished with the Swiss Chard I cut it right back to the ground and mulched over it.....

Well, it's back, or at least trying to make a comeback.
I've made a few purchases.................

......peat pots to replace those eaten by the mice in my shed.
The chewed remains were consigned to the compost heap.
I also treated myself to a few onion sets and seed potatoes.

I may try an early start with some of these, weather permitting.
Of course I couldn't resist starting a few seeds, old stock from last year.

Catnip and Kohlrabi started in a moistened soiless mixture and placed on top of the fridge.
This years seeds are ordered from www.heirloomseeds.com and should arrive in around 30 days.


It's good to be back!!

A little Summer Sunshine in Winter

Oklahomegrownvegland is now firmly in the grip of Winter and
temperatures are barely getting above zero F some nights.
Ice storms, freezing winds and snow are regular visitors.
Those green Summer days seem so long ago.

The veggie plots sleep on....................

..........as do the flower beds and the few remaining potted plants.
As I walk around the house taking these few pictures the grass.........

.....crunches like broken glass beneath my feet.
Our firewood pile.....................

.............is shrinking.
At times like these it's good to reach into the freezer and pull out
a little of that preserved sunshine.
Remember this?..............................

.......one of the many Spicy Globe Basil plants, grown from seed
then transplanted into almost every corner of the garden.
Such great companion plants.

The Onion patch which kept on producing (and still is).
And these?.........................

.... the hugely successful Yolo Bell Pepper plants with their bountiful harvest.
And who could forget these....................

....boxes and boxes of delicious Heirloom Tomatoes.
Again grown from seed and my best ever crop.
Lots of wonderful flavours, and they're all in here.........




.....waiting to be enjoyed with warm, crusty French Bread.
Now where did I put those seed catalogues?

Bedding down and gathering the final harvest

Saturday 13th December

Rising late to the sound of high winds blowing from the south.
Our flag..................

......is at full stretch.
I'm going to clear out the plots and bed them down for the winter so I wont be posting every weekend as usual but will be updating from time to time.
I'm saying this because I don't want either of the two people who read this blog to worry about me when I don't put a new post up :-)

I ask Alvin and Wilson if they'd care to accompany me in my gardening efforts.................

........but they politely decline.
Tommy Ticklemouse, Man of Mystery (or Mousetery)...............

.........is always up for a spell outside.
On the way we pass the selected rhubarb patch for 2009........................

.........which I never got prepared.
I pull up the only cauliflower that I have managed to grow...........

and take it in to the kitchen.
Then all the plots get a thorough mulching.

Plots 3 and 4

Plot 5 gets an extra deep cover as I know that there are at least 2 toads wintering it out in there. I must be careful next season when I come to dig it over.

Plot 6 has been the home of my most successful tomato crop yet but next year I will be growing something different in here. What that will be is yet to be decided on.

I've left the Brussel Sprouts growing in Plot 2.................

......but I doubt that anything will come of them as they were severly attacked by catapillers and grasshoppers from the start.

The onions in Plot 1.........................

.......should hopefully survive the winter.

The garlic may be another matter but it's all a learning curve.

Temperatures are due to fall dramatically on Sunday and Monday, highs of 20F (-6C) are being mentioned. Not good for the happy gardener but all I can do is make sure that the few remaining plants I have are protected to the best of my ability.

Late afternoon skies of beauty and wonder.

Time to go indoors and decide what to do................

..............................with my poor lonesome Cauliflower.
If anyone out there has any recipes.................................

Thanksgiving weekend

Sunday 30th November


Thanksgiving brought a welcome long weekend break.
On Thursday we had our meal of ..........


Roast Lamb......................

Roast Potatoes and........................

Yorkshire Puddings, along with Cabbage and lashings of gravy.

This was followed by dozing on the sofa.

The garden is quiet......................

This tree is, as usual, one of the last to lose it's leaves.

It's pretty cold, the temperature never getting higher than the low 40's during the day and below freezing at night. I disconnect the hosepipes for the winter.

A brisk walk around shows that even the dense weeds in the copse..............

.....are rapidly dying back, and the 'mums................

....are done for this year.

I checked the veggie plots and cover up everything thats left growning.

Tommy Ticklemouse...............

.......keeps watch as I work.

The skyline has signs of impending bad weather.....

I have the feeling that snow is coming. Not many birds flying around unless.....................

.....you count this type.

Sure enough not long after I enter the house...............................

....the first light flakes begin to fall. Time to get ...........

....some of this in.

And enjoy!!

Tidying up

Sunday 23rd November

Rising at 8-30am.
A pleasant sunny start with temperatures in the mid 40's.
Today will be a day of tidying up with general house chores to be faced and completed in the run up to the Thanksgiving break.
I am assigned bathroom and window cleaning duties after which I take out the kitchen waste for the compost heap.
Amongst it I notice these...........................

.....sprouting red potatoes. I have nothing to lose so I plant them in Plot 5.
Although we've had some very low nighttime temperatures and heavy frosts..........

...the Garlic in Plot 1 is still standing.
Here's something that's not been standing since last year.................

....a large tree limb, brought down by the last ice storm. It's unsafe, untidy and annoys me.
I call in.............................

.......the heavy gang!!

..........and transform it into something more useful.
Then add it.................

.....to the pile.
On the way back to the house the sky is filled.........................

......with thousands of migrating Starlings or "Shebbies" as we used to call them back in England.
When they land at the bottom of our property the ground becomes a mass of movement.
I've never seen so many on the move before.
As I enter the house I'm greeted by a delightful aroma wafting from the kitchen.
My wife has also been busy. Baking...................

Cranberry and Walnut Bars and writing.......................


......Christmas cards for mailing to friends and family back in England.

Evening skies.
Enough!!