-
Garden in Full Splendor
The hard work of April and May is now bearing fruit- or vegetables and flowers- as the case may be. The garden is in full, splendorous bloom. Fava beans are already 5-6 inches long; the pods shiny, light green. Oddly, the pods are constrained to the mid and lower half of the plant stalks. I see immature flower-pod combinations near the top of the stalk but few are maturing, instead shriveling away. So there is definitely an issue going on, just not sure if it’s due to the previous damp weather and then sudden heat or its an insect. I’m leaning toward an insect issue, but it doesn’t diminish the…
-
Fava Beans
Fava beans are hidden gems – the beans within the huge outer covering are delicious, full of fiber and vitamins. They are well worth the prep work. The first thing that most people want to know is how do you select fava beans? The photo below shows them at their peak of ripeness: glossy, bright green and firm. It would, however, be rare to find them like this at market. This is not necessarily a bad thing as the important part of picking the beans is the condition and size of the bean inside. You want the hull to be full, I mean really full with at least 3-4 large…
-
The Summer Garden
The summer garden is thriving in the early July heat. Though there has not been any substantial rain, the vegetables and herbs seem content with my deep, but infrequent watering schedule. Tomatoes that I seeded outdoors in early June are now setting fruit. I am still feeding once per month during the active growing season with Dr. Earth organic fertilizer. Note: I do not receive any compensation for mentioning Dr. Earth fertilizer, it is just a product that I have used and like. After two years of having little to no pears, I am hopeful for some harvest. Even with a bit of fruit drop due to an excessively wet…
You May Also Like
Victory Gardens
