It has been a week since I last posted about my garden, and everything is taking off real fast. In my pond, I’ve the Lily pads, they come up every year, and I repotted them this year, after reading up on it I realized that I had too much dirt in there and used the wrong type of pot. I’ve the Water hyacinth, and also added another free-floating perennial aquatic plant that I purchased at the nursery, I’m hoping that they won’t take over my pond like last year.
It’s nice and sunny today, I might go strawberry picking this afternoon. Ira farm is closing down his strawberry farm and this would be his last season, kind of sad to see him go since he has been there for over 31 years, and I think he is either a 5 or 6th generation farmer, I’ve to check again to make sure.
My string beans along with the English Ivy start to climb up the trellis.
This is my first year growing peas and they look very healthy, but next time I’ve to plant them outside the A Frame, it’s kind of hard for them to climb up, and I have to go out there every day to make sure they are doing okay.
I’m going organic this year, and my Thai eggplants have little holes in them, other than that they look very healthy.
My sweet basil, the more I break off the bigger they get, I really enjoy eating them but it’s a different breed from the one that I buy from the Hmong store.
My pickling cucumber plants start to climb up the A Frames, at the rate that they’re growing I think they’d cover the A Frames in no time.
I’m not sure if these mushrooms are eatable, I have several patches here and there. When I was little growing up in Thailand, my mom would take the wild mushrooms and boil them with rice to see if they’re eatable, and if the rice turned yellow, then it’s poisonous. I don’t know if any of you have heard or did something like this as well.
Amongst these rains that we’ve been getting, not everything is happy, my garden nearly flooded and the parsley didn’t do too well, you can say part of it drowned. I have to clear some area out and put down new seeds.
I did get to try the watermelon treat, it was good but I think I put too much limeade in it and made it too sour. The mint tea recommended by Cambree is great, I think I’ll be drinking more mint tea from now on.
15 comments
Comments feed for this article
May 30, 2009 at 12:31 pm
PaNoy
Since you mentioned the ‘mint tea’ recommended by Cambree, my brother and I have been making drink from the penny wort that has been expanding rapidly in my garden. We made four bottles last week and I’ve been drinking a glass a day. I’m considering making some to freeze for the winter, wonder how this will go…I’m sure you have this drink before growing up in Thailand. I’ve read many good things about it lately…some call it ‘The Elixir of Life.’ It’s very easy to grow, just like mint. Maybe you could add some to your garden?
Also, I read in the ‘Tomatoes Love Garlic’ book that rain drops contain bits of nitrogen, and in heavy thunderstorm with lots of lighting large amount of nitrogen are fixed and fell to the earth…this is why plants spring up so lively and quickly after rainfall:))
Your sugar snap peas look good. We have a blend of snow peas and sugar snap peas, and they are at the top of the trellis now. This is my first year planting them and they are delicious steamed or lightly stir fry. My mom planted more cucumber below the peas, so when they go away in a few more weeks, the cucumbers will climb the trellis.
Can you take closer pictures of the swing stand your father made for your garden? I want to make one just like it for garden. Thanks.
Planning on adding 2 cherry trees, an almond and an olive trees to my back yard this fall. By the way, cherries have a natural Cox-2 inhibitor (kind of like aspirin, but does not upset the stomach), good for arthritis and back pain relief.
May 30, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Nye
PaNoy, long comment, I’ll get back to you on this, but I did post the A Frame that you requested.
June 1, 2009 at 3:10 am
Cambree
I love pennywort (also call Gotu Kola or Tiger Grass). It has an interesting taste and very refreshing as well.
My mom grows some in her kitchen garden. It’s doing well. I dry them in the sun and make herbal tea (for the winter time). Taste just as great.
Right now in California, it’s cherry picking season.
I love the Rainer variety. And yes, I’ve also read that cherry juice helps with arthritis pain (and gout).
June 2, 2009 at 2:49 am
Nye
My younger sister has pennywort that come up every year, she is giving some to me. I think the drink is supposed to be a cooling agent also, great for the summer, I’ve never tasted it before and often wonder what it would taste like, I’ll give it a try when I get it from my sister, she grows them because she said they are pretty.
May 30, 2009 at 3:42 pm
julie
P’Nye, your garden is so nice. I’d love to go visit out there one day. It seems like it’s a good place to do farming. I don’t know much about gardening. But can’t wait to see how your water lily’s come into bloom.
May 30, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Nye
Thanks Julie, if you’re in the area just look me up. It’s a bit different from where you’re, our Lao community is more scattered, unlike where you’re, they are more concentrated in few areas, and we don’t have pretty Wat like over there.
I will update my garden, my dad’s garden and the rice paddy until the end of this season, so lots of pictures.
May 30, 2009 at 7:51 pm
A Frame That my Dad Build « Nye Noona
[...] post is for PaNoy, I told my dad when we were putting up the fence that I wanted a swing set but my budget was real [...]
June 1, 2009 at 3:21 am
Cambree
Glad you love the mint tea. I can imagine peppermint herbal tea as a face toner too. Or maybe even as a cool body spray too. As long as it’s refrigerated.
The sweet basil is great on pasta. Also great with hot & spicy Asian soups. And your garden is looking well. I love the updates!
June 2, 2009 at 2:56 am
Nye
Thanks Cambree, the sweet basil is also good for Thai red curry soup, I didn’t prepare it as much in the past years because it calls for coconut milk and I was afraid that it might clog up my artery, but I experiment with Silk soy milk for kids, it’s sweeter and tastes good and can be used as a coconut milk substitute. I love my garden, it keeps me busy in the evening and weekends.
June 1, 2009 at 3:42 pm
seeharhed
Nye, I been meaning to ask you about your garden box. Did you use pre-treated woods? How high above existing ground did you fill with dirt? Did you use existing soil? or did you buy the garden soil from Lowe’s? or OSH?
June 2, 2009 at 3:04 am
Nye
Hi seeharhed, I used pretreated wood for the raised beds. I didn’t have the tiller so I manually till up the existing soil, then fill the beds with top soil that I purchased from the landscaping place, it was $25 for 1 truck load. I did fill it up to the top, but the rains had packed it down some, it’s somewhere in the middle of the raised bed now. I need to add more soil, might get some garden soil from Lowes.
June 2, 2009 at 10:39 am
seeharhed
Thanks Nye!! I’ll give it a try this coming weekend.
June 3, 2009 at 12:01 am
Nye
seeharhed, you’re welcome, and sounds like a fun project ahead.
June 4, 2009 at 6:03 pm
mozemoua
Ginger, your garden is looking sweet! The hard work truely paid off!
June 5, 2009 at 4:42 am
Nye
mozemoua, It’s definitely paid off. I’m thinking of expanding more planting area, and one of my niece might come and stay with us some during the summer, so I can start doing rock art as well.