Author Topic: Thinking about doing a Garden?  (Read 78081 times)

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Dorine

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #60 on: April 23, 2025, 04:31:51 AM »

Some of the joy and fun (and not so fun) of gardening:

My daughter and I have been working hard redoing our beds in the greenhouse. There are two beds two feet deep and each one is 10 feet long and 30 inch wide. Bottom is filled with logs and pieces of wood then filled in with seaweed and soil. Over the winter a rat dug under the logs and made tunnels all through the bed. We decided we had to empty the whole thing and put galvanized wire down so they could not tunnel underneath. When we got down to the logs we found a rats nest with 3 newborns in it. That put an instant stop to our work. We hate rats but neither one of us want to see them suffer in any way. We didn't know what to do. I put some leaves over them and we left them. Through the night the mother took them to another place.

Spring is slow for us this year. 3 inches down in the garden bed is solid ice. In spite of that the garlic is up 4 inches and the rhubarb is starting to show.  Looking forward to some stewed fresh rhubarb with frozen strawberries from last year and some Stevia to give it some sweetness. Delicious on toast or just as it is. Mom always called it our spring tonic. Of course I love to break off the new stocks and eat the raw tart rhubarb. My son-in-law and I are the only ones in the family that raid the rhubarb patch each spring for the raw tender juicy stocks. We both love 'tart'.

Has anyone tried Hosta shoots in a stir fry? We have 4 plants that are quite mature and last year I cut some shoots to try. They are lovely. I'm watching for some to poke through to have again. We also enjoy the fresh new bulrush shoots that come up each spring in our pond. They are eaten raw and taste something like cucumber. As the grass and weeds start to grow there is wood and sheep sorrel that adds a delicious lemon taste to any salad. I'm still looking for ways to use the Dandelions that grow profusely on the property. Anyone have experience with that? So far I haven't acquired a taste. Soon the Fiddleheads will be coming up and they are good in a stir fry.

Each night my daughter and I have to lather ourselves with our homemade Comfrey Salve that I make. It relieves the pain and discomfort from the strained muscles that haven't been used all winter.
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press  toward the mark. Phil. 3:13,14

rahab

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #61 on: April 23, 2025, 05:13:35 PM »
Love working in the garden!!

My green onions are up already!  I cut a bunch, dried them, and made them into green onion powder!

Made comfrey salve too and use it daily on a bad knee. 

A daily dessert with raw pineapple keeps the aches and pains away!!  Yay! 😁

In may we plant tomatoes, peppers, and a whole lot of herbs and spices!  I’m thinking a new sage bush would be nice 😊.   My last one was destroyed by replacing our deck with a patio.   Oh well.

Love spring

The arugula is coming up and the newest leaves are the most tender.   Old ones have a bite to them.


Dorine

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #62 on: April 25, 2025, 05:06:17 AM »
What a great idea Rahab of drying your green onions and grinding them into powder. Ours are up also so I must try it.

I grew Arugula one year and enjoyed it but no one else did so I didn't bother anymore. We have a patch of garden Sorrel that is poking through the ground. Still waiting for signs of Asparagus. Oh spring is so exciting.

I have a tiny 'envy' spot in my heart for the Artichokes that Richard grows. I tried growing it last year for the first time. It was a variety that could be grown as an annual in colder climates. Grew lovely at first but then it became overwhelmed with aphids that I could not keep under control. They stopped growing so it looks like I will have to be satisfied with the canned ones in water that I do enjoy.

Happy Gardening everyone. 8)
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press  toward the mark. Phil. 3:13,14

rahab

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #63 on: April 25, 2025, 04:06:21 PM »
Dorine

I only use arugula because it’s the lowest in oxalates as my husband’s kidney’s like to make stones.  Actually I think it’s the cysts that make the stones as I have no cysts and make no stones.

Richard Myers

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #64 on: April 25, 2025, 11:00:05 PM »
It is a blessing to listen to those who have much experience in the garden. The greens that I find do the very best are the chards, but they like spinach are high in oxalates.  The bugs tend to leave them alone while all other greens are always being eaten or covered greatly. I have never had kidney stones, and I want to keep it that way, so I eat less of the chard than any other green.

Raw pineapple? Is that a fresh pineapple? They must cook canned pineapple. Never thought about that. But, now that I compare the two, there is no question they do not taste the same.  :( 

Never heard of Hosta shoots.

Chard and artichokes have never been attacked by aphids like my other greens. My chokes are all ready for harvest. God has blessed and I am giving many to my friends. They all come at the same time. Some get a second harvest in the fall, but I never do. From the first 4" pot I have now have 16 or so from seeds or from them spreading themselves. Never seen anything on the chokes except for earwigs. So far they do no damage. They are not in my garden. I have them growing in an area where there are deer. They do not eat or scrape their horns on the plants. :)  Because they are not near the greens, I guess they are not getting the aphids like the greens do. I am trying find out if we can grow them at 5,000 ft where there is heavy snow. I get lemons and artichokes before anything else except for the winter garden.

Last summer my elephant heart plums damaged my two young trees the crop was so heavy. My joy turned to sorrow. One tree split down the main trunk of the tree. I had removed more than half of the plums, but it was not enough. Actually it was way more than half. Like peaches they have to be thinned out so branches will not break. I think I need to place supports under the branches.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

rahab

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #65 on: April 26, 2025, 06:03:03 PM »
Yes indeed raw and fresh pineapple carry the bromelian that reduces toxins and inflammation.
When we can’t get fresh raw we use frozen.

Have never eaten hosta shoots but we have plenty of hostas and lots of varieties.

JimB

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #66 on: July 11, 2025, 04:01:25 PM »
I have never had kidney stones, and I want to keep it that way, so I eat less of the chard than any other green.

Brother Richard, trust me from experience you do want to keep it that way. There is nothing about that experience that is pleasant. I'm not sure how people endured kidney stones before modern medicine. Maybe they didn't :(

Anyway.... I have green beans going again this year. Looking forward to their harvest. My experiment with corn last year did not go well so I'm not doing that again. We will purchase the sweet corn to process. Just so much better than corn from a store.
By communion with God in nature, the mind is uplifted, and the heart finds rest.  {DA 291.1}

Richard Myers

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #67 on: July 14, 2025, 07:36:31 AM »
"We will purchase the sweet corn to process." Does this mean you are not growing corn?
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

JimB

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #68 on: August 07, 2025, 07:51:55 PM »
I did not attempt to grow corn this year. My friend's land where my garden is, is surround by hundreds of acres of field corn and it would have cross pollenated.

I did grow green beans and have canned some and we bought corn this week and now we will have sweet corn of the cobb even when its 5 degrees outside.

Not sure if my bees will produce enough honey this summer or not for me to harvest any but if not. I will be able to next year.
By communion with God in nature, the mind is uplifted, and the heart finds rest.  {DA 291.1}

Richard Myers

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #69 on: August 22, 2025, 05:39:06 AM »
It is time in many areas of the northern hemisphere to plant a winter garden. In the past I have kept my greens growing for more than one season. It does not work well with a large garden. When all bolted, I could not keep up with the desire of the plant to produce seed.  I saved a few plants, but it was not worth it.  I experienced a failure in my irrigation system and think that I may have lost the germination of most of my seed. We have 100 degree days. Still have time to get my greens started before the days are short.

Collards, kale, mustard greens, and chard make it through winter and provide a healthy diet winter and summer.  Eating two meals a day we find out now through science that it is very good (intermittent fasting). It would be good to eat one meal with fruit and the other with greens and vegetables.  For those who have not developed a love for greens, try cooking in a cream sauce made from cashew nuts.  Blend 1/2 cup of nuts with water and one cooked potato, one cooked onion, salt to taste.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

rahab

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #70 on: August 22, 2025, 04:31:54 PM »
Thanks for the recipe

Richard Myers

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #71 on: August 22, 2025, 09:10:16 PM »
:)  The same recipe can be used for a salad dressing by adding dill and lemon juice or what ever herbs you like. And, the same base can be used fore a gravy using different seasonings.  Raw cashews and they must be washed.  Sunflower seeds can be used to reduce the amount of nuts. I use half cashews and half sunflower seeds. The price of nuts has gone very high.  I lightly toast the seeds first then blend them with the cashews.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

rahab

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #72 on: August 23, 2025, 03:26:11 PM »
Yum 😋

rahab

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #73 on: November 20, 2025, 12:00:14 PM »
I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m busy harvesting my herbs!  Drying them and making some into powder and others saving as dry leaves.
Sunday I will pick the last batch of arugula!!

Richard Myers

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #74 on: November 26, 2025, 07:20:27 PM »
Rahab, share with us what herbs you grow.  We all ought to be growing some. The day is soon coming where we will be blessed to have them.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

rahab

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Re: Thinking about doing a Garden?
« Reply #75 on: November 27, 2025, 05:29:08 PM »
Lemongrass
Sage
Rosemary
Oregano
Onions
Garlic
Arugula
Cilantro