Herbs and veggies...what are you rocking in your garden?

[hulugu]

I've got several kinds of chiles growing year-round, along with basil, cilanto, and other herbs. In the garden, we also have carrots, chives, corn, cowpeas, chiles, tomatoes, and kale.

We tend to do well with the garden through spring and into the monsoons. And, winter stuff does pretty well because we've rigged up the garden to avoid our light freezes.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Picked up a sereno pepper and green bell pepper plant at the local nursery earlier. It was abustle with all the spring time gardeners. It used to be my goto SERIOUS BUSINESS nursery, but since I moved in November it's now my closest nursery. I could practically walk there. I'm pretty much a weekly shopper there now.

 

[Clix Pix]

A few weeks ago at the grocery store I picked up a Basil plant and it's been happy living here ever since! I put it in a window with lots of light and give it water as needed and it rewards me with fresh leaves to pluck off from time to time when preparing a meal which calls for Basil.

No place here to plant things outside as this is a condominium residence, and there's little point to trying to grow things on my deck, as the light and orientation to the sun doesn't work well there. Only sun I get out there is early in the day and after that it's all shade....

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

A few weeks ago at the grocery store I picked up a Basil plant and it's been happy living here ever since! I put it in a window with lots of light and give it water as needed and it rewards me with fresh leaves to pluck off from time to time when preparing a meal which calls for Basil.

No place here to plant things outside as this is a condominium residence, and there's little point to trying to grow things on my deck, as the light and orientation to the sun doesn't work well there. Only sun I get out there is early in the day and after that it's all shade....

I also got a solid basil plant from the grocery store once. On the rest of your post, grow lights! Or hydroponic setup.

 

[Clix Pix]

I don't have a lot of extra space in here for a hydroponic setup or grow lights, although that is an interesting idea!

 

[DT]

@Chew Toy McCoy

I saw in the POTD thread you posted a pic of an artichoke plant, ever grown those before? I love artichoke, just wondering if you had, did you get the, umm, choke

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

@Chew Toy McCoy

I saw in the POTD thread you posted a pic if an artichoke plant, ever grown those before? I love artichoke, just wondering if you had, did you get the, umm, choke

This is the first year I'm growing artichokes. I've heard they are fairly easy to grow. We shall see. I planted one in the ground and another in a grow bag. So far the one in the ground has been a big target for leaf eating insects.

 

[DT]

I don't have a lot of extra space in here for a hydroponic setup or grow lights, although that is an interesting idea!

Years ago I owned an older house (in area called Riverside), like originally built in the 1920s, had been through a few additions - anyway, the attic was trippy as it had part of the original roof, umm, like inside of it - but the most remarkable thing: the floor had been pretty finished and there was a bunch of 4 outlet power blocks on the rafters.

You know, like you might put something up there, like a plant, that needed lighting ...

 

[DT]

This is the first year I'm growing artichokes. I've heard they are fairly easy to grow. We shall see. I planted one in the ground and another in a grow bag. So far the one in the ground has been a big target for leaf eating insects.

Oh cool, so it's a surprise for you too

I've made an artichoke soup a couple of times, did it once with fresh, once with canned, the latter is quicker, but the fresh is pretty amazing, just extra prep.

 

[Clix Pix]

In the spring my late husband would prepare artichokes for us -- steamed or boiled, I forget which -- delicious, with drawn butter, slightly garlicky! We'd pull off the leaves and use our teeth to get the goodness, and eventually work our way to the Choke....

 

[DT]

There's a place J. Alexander's, that serves them like that at the Town Center:

(at the bottom)

Good place, we've eaten there a number of times, it's right next to the Apple Store

 

[Clix Pix]

We'd dip the leaves into the drawn butter, so it could get rather messy! I'll bet the fire-grilled ones with herb butter and remoulade are delicious, too!

 

[hulugu]

I also got a solid basil plant from the grocery store once. On the rest of your post, grow lights! Or hydroponic setup.

We've had a hydroponic setup in our kitchen for years. Works really well. In fact, so well that we've learned to remove the plants before they outgrow the system, overtopping the lights and filling the reservoir with roots. We've been taken the hydroponically-raised plants and then putting them into the bigger garden. Some die, but a lot of survived, creating a really great starter system.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

We've had a hydroponic setup in our kitchen for years. Works really well. In fact, so well that we've learned to remove the plants before they outgrow the system, overtopping the lights and filling the reservoir with roots. We've been taken the hydroponically-raised plants and then putting them into the bigger garden. Some die, but a lot of survived, creating a really great starter system.

My main reason for not perusing hyrdoponic so far has been small and affordable but small yield and then the prices really ramp up when you start going up in size.

Also at my apartment I had a decent size sun lit balcony what was enough room for my growth needs and now I have a backyard. It's definitely something I'd like to explore at some point though, maybe start with a DYI setup in the backyard. I've seen some nice setups made with PVC pipes.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Did some tomato pruning yesterday and I thought I removed a sucker branch but once I pulled it out of the bush I saw that at the end of it were actually about 8 flowers and the only tomato that was starting to grow on the plant so far. DOH!

Some tomato plants can be brats and would sooner start growing more branches and leaves instead of tomatoes. So you have to scare prune them into going “Shit! I better start making fruit!”

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

I started down the microgreens rabbit hole. These are from broccoli seeds I planted 6 days ago. If you’re a fan of quick results then microgreens are your jam and they’re super healthy.