Friday, May 28, 2010

A thorny issue

Well, not quite yet. It's the fresh spring growth on some wild brambles, possibly blackberry, out in the margins of the vineyard. There are a lot of blackberry patches around and, depending on the year, I often see people out collecting berries in the late summer. They're rather small and seedy (the berries, not the people) and you need to gather quite a lot to have anything worth eating, but they're free!

Fresh thorns making their appearance in the vineyard.

I've been making slow progress in the vegetable garden. The weather has cooled down and it's overcast, so it's a good time to move seedlings out into their places in the garden. Yesterday I got twenty tomato plants put in. That means raking, setting up the stakes, digging holes, adding fertilizer, filling in, and watering. I still have about thirty tomato seedlings left. I'm saving some of them for a friend and I'll probably put a few more in the garden if there's room. The eggplant and peppers will be going in next, and I'm planning to plant a few rows of corn once the final plot gets tilled up.

I will also be planting some basil seeds in pots and getting them started under the cold frame. And cilantro and spring onions and chives... And I have to find a place for sunflowers!

7 comments:

  1. Very nice pic. I also saw spider's legs and two moths :)

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  2. Walt,
    Regarding sunflowers:
    I'm looking forward to the Tour de France on Tele here in Melbourne so I can watch the riders riding against a background of sunflowers amongst the fields. July is not far off.
    Leon

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  3. Fresh basil is always great in a salad. And home grown tomatoes have so much taste.

    I'm curious, how are the supermarket tomatoes in France versus the US ones?

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  4. It would be nice to have an herb garden, but sadly, I have the Black Thumb of Death when it comes to plants of any kind.

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  5. Diogenes, check out David Lebovitz's blog to find out about tomatoes in France (and get a delicious tomato tart recipe).
    Walt, I just saw something on TV today that you might already know. This woman planted seeds in an egg carton box. Fill it with dirt, water, plant the seed and place in a sunny spot (indoor). When it is time to plant in the ground, tear each piece and plant directly into the ground. The carton will eventually disintegrate.

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  6. i always love hearing about your gardens
    I very much miss growing sunflowers.

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  7. vtt: thanks! Interesting...

    leon, I look forward to it as well. I like the aerial shots, and they have a special commentator that gives historical information about what the riders are zooming by.

    diogenes, imho, supermarket tomatoes are pretty much the same here as there. Not particularly good. We tend not to buy them (except in cans because they're good and have many uses). Our home-grown in-season tomatoes are great. And we make and freeze sauce that lasts through the winter, and last year we oven dried a bunch of tomatoes. Yum.

    starman, start small! A pot of parsley or basil...

    nadege, we did that in elementary school!

    michael, I'm glad you do because I tend to talk a lot about it. ;)

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