April 18, 2012 Gardening…

I divided more of the Portuguese Kale (from a crowded cell pack) and potted about seven of them into 3″ pots. There are still a bunch in the cell pack. They sure planted a lot of seeds.

Portuguese Kale Potted Up

I didn’t know where to plant the three Asparagus crowns I bought a month or two ago… so I temporarily placed them into a small pot with soil. They started sprouting and are getting tall, so I potted each one into a separate 5 gallon pot with lots of manure, compost, fertilizer and Azomite. I left about two inches at the top of the pot and will fill it in with more compost later.

Asparagus Roots

My Mom says that her Tuberose has never bloomed, so I am going to repot them and give them a good supply for organic fertilizer, compost and Azomite. Hopefully they will bloom for the first time this year!

Tuberose To Be Repotted

There were a bunch of Bloody Dock seedling volunteers in the Tuberose pot. I’ll divide them up and plant them in individual containers. I think I will donate some to the Vallejo Garden Club.

Tuberose Repotted

I didn’t think the Red Potatoes were going to sprout, but today I saw that they are starting.

Red Potato Finally Sprouting

Finally, I harvested more Red Giant Mustard and Swiss Chard. We seem to have a neverending supply of them (pretty good for a 6 cell pack).

Harvested Red Giant Mustard and Swiss Chard

April 2012 Bloom Day…

April 15 is April Bloom Day, so I went through our garden and photographed all the plants in bloom.

If you are on an iOS device (iPhone or iPad) the slideshow above will not work, so use this link:
www.flickr.com/photos/joeysplanting/sets/72157629464971744/show/

You can also view the photos individually on Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/joeysplanting/sets/72157629464971744/

White Citrus Flower Buds-like Things in Clematis Flowers?

I noticed that two of our Clematis flowers have a white thing in the center that resembles a white citrus flower bud.

Clematis

I don’t recall the other Clematis flowers looking having that.

Clematis

Anyone know what those white things are?

Cassava, a Euphorbia?

I was reading the Perennial Vegetable by Eric Toenameier and discovered that Cassava is in the Euphorbiacaea family. I didn’t know that!

When I showed my Mom the photo in the book, she cracked me up when she said it looks like Marijuana.

Wish List: Jungle Peanut…

I was happen to stumble upon a video from YouTuber Guenivere (The Frugal Gardener) on Jungle Peanuts (Arachis hypogea), which I never heard of before. After researching other videos and website, it sparked my curiosity.

These are an ancient Amazon heirloom peanuts which are likely the ancestors to the commercially grown peanuts today. The are striped like a tiger (a chocolately purple and orange tiger) and I heard the have a great flavor. Unlike common peanuts, they don’t contain aflatoxin and are usually eaten raw.

I’ve grown regular store-bought Peanuts before and think these would be interesting to grow.

New Rose?

New Rose?

As I was taking flower photos for April 2012 Bloom Day. I noticed this red old garden-type Rose which I do not recall having. I asked my Mom when and where we got this Rose and she didn’t recall. In fact, she didn’t remember this Rose looking like this. I’ll look at this Rose later, because I have a feeling it may be from the rootstock.

Lotsa Seed Sowing…

I know I’m late sowing my Tomato, Pepper and Zinnia seeds, but I’m going to plant them anyways. I know they can catch up.

Lots of Seeds Sown

Here’s a list of what I planted:
Continue reading

Ungrafted Scions and Cloning/Rooting Fruit Trees Cuttings?

I’ve been busy and haven’t been able to work in the garden as much as I want to. I especially haven’t grafted as much as previous years and I still have a bunch of scions that I got earlier this year from the CRFG Scion Exchange. Some may be too late to graft like the Cherries, Plums, Peach and Nectarines because our trees have already bloomed. The Pears are blooming now and I think those may be a little late to graft, although still maybe possible. Apples are the only fruit trees that haven’t bloomed and I can still graft those soon.

I happened to see a YouTube video where someone showed how to clone a pear tree. I’ve never thought of rooting fruit tree cuttings like Peaches, Pears, Apples, etc… I don’t know why I never thought of this… so I think I will try to root the remaining scions I have left and see if they will take root and grow… and maybe I can use them next year for grafting.

Has anyone rooted Peaches, Nectarine, Plums, Apricots, Pears and Apples from cuttings?