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Sunday, October 07, 2007

Weekend Snapshot: Number 5

My first weekend snapshot post was about a trip to the garden center to pick up seeds for a fall/winter garden in my protected boxes. Today, I thought I'd post pictures of my first salad greens. I am thinning the lettuce almost daily now for salads.I think the thinned lettuce is the tastiest treat and a prelude to the mature larger leaves to come. It won't be too long before the spinach can be thinned to add a few baby spinach leaves in the mix. The lettuce and spinach are in my square boxes in front of the greenhouse. I'm glad I decided to plant a fall/winter garden. I've missed that the past two years. I'm so enthusiastic at the moment that I've started to tackle the swing set boxes (built around my daughter's play equipment when she outgrew it). I used to grow snow peas in those rectangular boxes in late winter through spring and about the time the peas were done, I would plant summer peas, cucumbers, and beans. Clotheslines are strung up vertically for the climbing plants to grow on. When the swing set seedlings are small and it's cold I can put the tops on them for protection. About the time they are ready to climb, if I time the plant date correctly, it will be past the last frost date which is April 14 where I live. I need to clean them up some and replenish the soil, but I did get the Virginia Creeper off the lines. I had let that take over and it was pretty but the drought has taken it's toll and I'd rather go back to having vegetables in the boxes. I have until late winter to worry about getting it ready. Lots of weekends between now and then and no doubt more WS snapshots will be shot as it progresses.Below is a picture of my asparagus that I didn't cut for the table. I have a mature bed and usually the spears start popping up late winter or early spring and continue into the summer. I cut the spears for meals but leave a few to grow to maturity and they form the ferny heads which provides the food and nutrients for the next year's crop. Once these ferny looking tops of the asparagus turn brown later in the fall; I cut them back to the ground
I am very excited about the first signs of fall and will end this rambling weekend snapshot, gardening post with the dogwood tree which is changing daily.
The shot above shows the dogwood's changing leaves and the one below shows the first berries which are maturing.
If you are interested in joining or visiting other participant sites please go to weekend snapshot . Some like me are early and then there are various time zones represented but Monday is the post day.

36 comments:

Unknown said...

Fall is a beautiful time of year! Nice photos!

SandyCarlson said...

This is a beautiful sequence! My fork and knife are ready for that salad! Thanks for continuing my education on gardening, too! Great WS.

SabineM said...

OH stop reminding me that my vegetable garden is left unattended! I have HAD ZERO time this year! I am waiting to plant for the spring! Hopefully more time then!
Lovely photos! I love gardens!!!! I have joined with my FIRST weekend snap shot entry! Thanks for pointing me into that direction ;-)

Anonymous said...

Wow, I love green salads and if I can only grow some, I would have no gardening skills though, LOL! This should be a challenge for me, I think.

Have a great week, Carver! :)

Joyismygoal said...

I love those baby lettuce and the berries are so pretty

Kero said...

Hi Carver!! another beautiful set of photos you have here. those lettuce looks so crunchy and yummy!! thank you for visiting and have a great week ahead!!

Anonymous said...

WOW! What a beautiful green colors! Love all of them:) And me love some salad!

etteY said...

oh greens love 'em!

Anonymous said...

wow! this is a real gardener. how fast those lettuce grow. now your harvesting.

about the gloves. they are new lol!
have a great week!

Anonymous said...

love leafy salad very much..nice green colors..have great week ahead.
mine is up now.

Anonymous said...

oh, your salad looks so delicious!
wonderful weekend shots

snowroses said...

Hello, nice blog you have. Nice pics!

Lynn said...

I've grown plants and flowers but not as elaborate as these. Great! I love the first picture, I love how green it is and it looks shiny.

Anonymous said...

have to try gardening too. at the moment it is mainly flowers n fruiting trees. vege i love to try but my dog :(

Theresa said...

wow a dogwood tree in your own backyard- how terrific is that!
enjoy your colors of fall.

janet copenhaver said...

We want to start a winter garden as well. Hubby just finished making a root cellar to store some goods.

Thanks for coming by my site and commenting! Love when I can go visit others who comment.

Anonymous said...

I thank you for letting me live vicariously through this winter gardening project of yours. And I delight in the idea that you are feeling well enough to tend growing things and plan for future climbers.
Carry on and take me on the journey with you! Mind if I bring a little glass of wine along?
Love, K.

Sublime quote o' the day:

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
-Genesis 9:3

Ridiculous Quote o' the day:
(I do so love that OscarCat.)

I was thinking of a plan to dye one's whiskers green.
-Lewis Carroll

Emmyrose said...

This is a refreshing lush green. Thanks for the visit.

Anonymous said...

beautiful salad straight from the garden :)

Jean Chia aka Ms.Yummy~licious said...

carver, you are so blessed! i wish i can have my own gardening space like yours!! nice plants!

Jean Chia

HartofDixie said...

Love the greens! The photos you captured this week are all wonderful!
Thanks for the visit!

**"Liza"** said...

This are great photos here.you like gardening huh..my mother love the same thing,glad you have a green thumb unlike me hehehehe..have a great week!

Carver said...

Thanks so much to each of you for visiting. I'm enjoying visiting the weekend snapshot pics again this week.

Kim, Do bring the wine and I'll enjoy it vicariously through your repartee. As always great quotes and the mixture this time made me laugh out loud.

Anonymous said...

I'm learning a lot about gardening from your site! Thanks for the terrific background to your photos!

MaR said...

You have a beautiful garden!!!
Thanks so much for your wonderful comment and bday wishes, you all made my day, thank you!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos! Makes me wish I had a veggie garden myself... :-)

Anonymous said...

Wow! You are talented in garden. Hope you get loads of greens for your many salad days.

Anonymous said...

Love the green salad. It's very healthy. Nice photos as well.

tanabata said...

I'd love some of those fresh salad greens! Have a great week!

Anonymous said...

Ooohh I love your garden, Carver! I love those baby lettuce and can't wait to see the spinach! ;)

Great shots! Happy WS

Irishcoda said...

Thanks for visiting my new blog! I enjoyed the pictures of your garden, silly me didn't realize that you must be able to have a winter garden somewhere or else where would all those veggies come from? We are seeing some signs of fall here, too, but the temperatures are still in the high 80s. There is just something too wrong about that!

Carver said...

Thanks again to all who visited and commented. I appreciate it. And Irishcoda, we don't have much in terms of year round farm crops where I live. It's further south from me where that's possible although greenhouse and protected boxes like I have do work for some crops.

Raquel said...

Too bad I don't have a backyard. Nice garden you have there. I like the first and last photos.

Mine is up at Photographic Memories.

Carver said...

Thanks Raquel and good to know when other WS post. I forget to check past Monday.

Diane said...

wow what a beautiful color!

Carver said...

Thanks Dianeskie.