Phaedra's Garden 2022

[Phaedra]

I also planted the potatoes plants, which grow from the stems. Although our latest frost date is mid-May, those plants have already started producing mini tubers.

It's a fun experiment - the stems rooted just for several days (in the water) and gradually became lovely and robust plants.

The overwintered purple broccolis are flowering now; I can't wait. This is a variety recommended by Charles Dowding = RHS Broccoli (Sprouting) Claret F1. They are really hardy and need almost no maintenance from late autumn. The only protection it needs (at my place, where pigeons are not expected) is insects-protection net from May to October.

They are multi-heads instead of a giant one in the center. I guess I can start harvesting in another week.

Bleeding-hearts is impressive.

 

[digitS']

I would be a little late with sowing some more broccoli seed for summer/fall harvest but maybe it would make sense to start some in July.

Phaedra, your variety appears to only be available in Europe (I'll include the UK, whether it knows where it is or not .) However, I've read that "purple" broccoli is the most hardy. Maybe there is something special about the pigments.

We often have broccoli at the table. It would be great to have it from the garden in May.

For several years, I pulled out the center bench of the greenhouse, cultivated the narrow 18' bed at floor level, and had fresh Asian greens during February with a few in December. It was a bother covering and uncovering during the coldest weather but it worked well. The biggest hurdle was carrying out (and in) that very heavy bench. Also, it's very limited in growing space but still amounts to quite a few greens for 2 people for about 6 weeks .

Right now, it's kinda nice to have the Scotch kale kicked into high gear with the temporary hoop house over those plants. Protected growing makes for more tender greens .

Steve

 

[Phaedra]

I would be a little late with sowing some more broccoli seed for summer/fall harvest but maybe it would make sense to start some in July.

Phaedra, your variety appears to only be available in Europe (I'll include the UK, whether it knows where it is or not .) However, I've read that "purple" broccoli is the most hardy. Maybe there is something special about the pigments.

Yes, and it's majorly available in the UK. I got the seeds before Brexit. Now everything from the UK is much more expensive than before. I also tried several different varieties of purple broccoli, which are available in Germany, but they are for the summer/autumn harvest. I tried this variety first-time last year as their color (which should be much deeper purple later) is really amazing in the videos from whoever planted them.

We often have broccoli at the table. It would be great to have it from the garden in May.

We are the same; we love broccoli. This one is popular in the UK as a crop for the "hungry gap" in spring.

For several years, I pulled out the center bench of the greenhouse, cultivated the narrow 18' bed at floor level, and had fresh Asian greens during February with a few in December. It was a bother covering and uncovering during the coldest weather but it worked well. The biggest hurdle was carrying out (and in) that very heavy bench. Also, it's very limited in growing space but still amounts to quite a few greens for 2 people for about 6 weeks .

Right now, it's kinda nice to have the Scotch kale kicked into high gear with the temporary hoop house over those plants. Protected growing makes for more tender greens .

The Asian greens I had here are quite hardy. Most of them grow slowly during the coldest months, but some will grow very quickly with longer sunlight hours and higher temperatures. Last spring, I planted a lot of purple Pak Choi - they are really candies for the eyes.

I just ordered two Crambe plants (kind of perennial kale) and hoped they would be tasty.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I love most Kales and especially Swiss Chard.

 

[Phaedra]

Okay, anyway, it's done.

No matter how it's still a milestone.

I harvested some wild garlic, chive, lamp lettuce, and overwinter purple broccoli - this is not the variety I planted for overwintering. It's the summer harvest variety; however, I didn't remove the plant. It survived the winter and produced a lot of tender side shoots recently.

Purple Pak Choi and purple asparagus

green asparagus

Toads are back in the lotus pond

Offsprings are waiting to meet this world.

Fresh eggs and more lamp lettuce

Waiting for meeting these beauties

 

[Phaedra]

I cleaned the pots in the greenhouse. They look ok, but I know it's time to tidy them up.

Also, the container is cleaned.

All flower bulbs are dug and buried into another pot, receive some fertilizer, and stay in a corner without direct sunlight - until they naturally die back.

This is the one with the best condition; however, a bit more trimming and clean-up will still help.

After two days of effort, they look neat again. I added some young plants that I sowed from the seeds.

I don't know how many times I want to praise bleeding hearts - they are gorgeous.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

My three year old Bleeding hearts just popped up. I also love them. They are at the base of a potted red japanese maple that I planted over a decade ago.

 

[baymule]

I think the bleeding hearts are gorgeous too. In my climate, mild winters, can I plant them outside and just leave them there to come up the next year?

 

[flowerbug]

I think the bleeding hearts are gorgeous too. In my climate, mild winters, can I plant them outside and just leave them there to come up the next year?

i'm not an expert on them, but it looks as if you plant them in a shady and cooler location they will be ok. well drained area, no standing water, give them a shot of water in the really hot dry spells.

 

[Phaedra]

It's also my first time planting it - from the local gardening center website, the root can survive winter here, but the foliage and flowers can't. So I assume they can stay outside, but the spring frost would damage both foliage and flowers (from April to June). I have several plants grown from the bare roots, so maybe it's good to plant one outside as a trial.

I found some information about bleeding hearts.

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WHERE SHOULD I PLANT BLEEDING HEARTS?​

Native bleeding hearts, and their many varieties, are best planted in part shade. In areas with cooler summers, they can be planted in full sun as long as they are not allowed to dry out. Some newer varieties will take more summer sun.

CAN BLEEDING HEARTS SURVIVE FROST?​

Plants of most bleeding hearts are frost-hardy down to zone 4 and perhaps even zone 3. Only in areas with the very coldest of winters is there a risk that the crown or roots might be damaged.

Varieties of Dicentra spectabilis have new spring growth that is very soft and juicy, and a light spring frost might kill it. However, new shoots soon emerge from the crown of the plant, and in a few weeks the damage will not be noticed. Native and ground covering varieties are less likely to suffer damage from spring frost; if they are caught, they soon recover.