Ultra Dwarf Nectarine Harvest

I promised that I would tell you whatever happened with my nectarine.  Well, here it is. I got about 10 mini nectarines. They were DELICIOUS.  They were ready and falling off the dwarf tree about two weeks ago.  It was such a surprise how tasty the were.  I am so very pleased with this little guy.  I cannot wait to see what he will do after I prune him back in the fall.  I can already see little nodes developing on all the branches (actually, I am not sure at all what that means-- maybe I should do some research soon on when exactly and how I am supposed to prune this guy).  I wish this photo could really show off how small the nectarines really are.  The dimensions look funny. But that glass bowl they are sitting in is pretty tiny.  Not even really the size of a regular cereal bowl.  I'd estimate that the fruits were a bit larger than a golf ball.

Am I nuts?

Probably.  I got this big pot from Costco (under 50 bucks!) and wasn't sure yet what kind of dwarf tree I wanted to plant in it.  I am thinking pomegranate so I can have two matching blue pots with poms.  Too cute, I know.   Unfortunately, I haven't found any of the dwarf variety for sale and am not ready to make another online plant purchase.  But, I couldn't just leave the big lovely blue planter empty could I?  I needed a one season veg or fruit that would be big/tall enough to look normal in the giant planter.  Corn, obviously.  I planted some corn kernels (under 2 bucks) I bought from Walmart and then a 6-pack of already sprouted corns from Armstrong's (under 4 dollars).
Corn, in a pot?  Will it produce?  I have no idea.  Corn pollinates by wind, so I hope that having so many plants in one small space, that the pollen will make it to the right places.  We will see.  I know of folks that have planted corn in their backyard plots and only reap a couple heads of corn.  I hope I get something because I have heard about just how amazing it is to eat corn picked fresh.  They tend to lose their sweetness a mere minutes after picking.
These guys grew fast.  They are about 3 feet tall already.  I have no idea if they will make it to their full 7 feet height, but if they do, i will certainly update.
I also just stuck some green bean seeds in with the corn.  I thought perhaps they will grow up the corn like a trellis.  They only just sprouted yesterday.

Ultra Dwarf Nectarine

About a year ago Sandra and I went to Lowes browsing the veggie seedlings.  There was a sale on dwarf and full size trees.  I snagged this ultra dwarf nectarine for 5 dollars.  Seriously, 5 dollars.  I have no clue whether a nectarine will thrive in a pot in San Diego, but I guess we will all find out.  I potted it in a lightweight pot from Walmart (cost 20 bucks) and it did nothing.  It just chilled with its leaves until the fall when it dropped all its leaves and just looked like a few sticks-- a few sad sticks.  Then about a month ago I noticed it was growing some nubby things.  Well, those nubby things, it turns out are flower buds.  I snapped a picture this morning of the first flowers and you can even see the little leaves that are about to explode.
I cannot wait to see the whole tree full of these delicate pink flowers. I will just die if I open my curtains in the morning and see hummingbirds poking around the flowers.  Then I would just die again if it actually gives me some nectarines! I have pretty low expectations since I haven't ever seen a stone fruit tree anywhere in my neighborhood.  Time will tell.
Oh, and just to be extra adorable, I planted four June-bearing strawberries at the base of the tree.  It would be ridiculous to see big red strawberries living next to ripening nectarines.  Don't worry, if that happens I will definitely post some pictures.

Mini Pomegranate

The dwarf pomegranate is a-thrivin'.  Though I was not expecting any fruit on the little guy for another year, this dwarf tree/bush bore three mini fruits this season.  It really couldn't be cuter.  Here is a picture of the fruit that was cracked open on the branch today.  The seeds are hardly the red jewel color I'd expect from a pomegranate and they were extremely tart and tiny.  Maybe it is because that plant is still so young.  But, the flowers keep coming on this plant.  I would really encourage anyone living in So Cal to find one of these dwarf plants for their house/apartment.   It is so easy to care for; the flowers are pretty and attract hummingbirds.  AND, as a benefit, the pomegranate fruit is so beautiful and so perfect. I am considering ordering another one of these plants because I don't think one is nearly enough ;) 

PS.  I bought mine at Gurneys.com if you are curious, but I think this time around, I'd just ask my local nursery for suggestions on where to buy it locally.

Growing Garlic- Boo

Since its Halloween tonight, it's totally appropriate to blog about my little garlics.  Let me be up front about where I am coming from:  the only reason I am growing garlic is because the other seedlings at the store looked really pathetic and I wanted to start my fall garden from seedlings and not bother with seeds.  So, I was not overly enthusiastic about growing garlic.  I mean, why would be?  Garlic is pretty cheap at the store and available year round.  So what is the point of "wasting" garden space with garlic?

I have no answers yet.  This garlic won't be ready for a few months.  The little plants are certainly growing on me.  Here is what I've learned about them:

As you probably have already figured out, each garlic clove is like a seed.  Plant the little dudes (or just leave a garlic in a cupboard for too long and it will sprout) and there you go.  However, there is a rub.  You really shouldn't just plant what you get from the store because often the garlics are treated with stuff so that they don't sprout and because they may not be adapted to grow locally.  But, if you have a sprouting garlic clove, what the heck, it never hurts to go ahead and stick in the dirt.

So, garlic is part of the onion family and is a cool weather crop-- hence, the fall garden.   Garlic needs a bit of a cold season in order for it to split into multiple bulbs.  Since I bought my plants from a nursery, I am unsure of whether it already had its cool season, but I am guessing, no.   Usually, you plant the garlic in the fall, the ground freezes and then in spring, it grows like crazy.  Now, I am totally confused because, there is very little chance that my garlic will freeze, also, it is already sprouted... hmm.  So perhaps they already did have their freeze.  According to my Internet search, you can trick the garlic by placing the clove in the fridge for 40 days, and then plant it.  Perhaps that is what the nursery did.  So many questions.  Oh well, if the garlic dies, I am out 4 bucks.  Time will tell.
I will be waiting anxiously for when at least 50% of the leaves turn brown.  Then I dig them up.  Then I dry them (yes, very important step).  So people braid garlics together by their brown leaves and hang them in a cool dry place for at least 2 weeks.  The garlic needs to be cured to allow some membranes to shrink and hold in all that yummy juice.  And here, I thought the braided garlics were just for show and vampires.  Silly me.

Here is an interesting fact.  The young garlic shoots can be harvested and made into a pesto!  What?  I don't think I've ever seen/heard of this.  Yeah, they will grow back up to 2 times.

One more thing, according to the Internet, home grown garlic is supposed to be far superior to store bought.  I am very skeptical.

Fall Gardening! Whoo Hoo!

Its been rainy and cool here in San Diego.  When I got back from my trip for Carina's wedding, my mom had done a fabulous job of watering and keeping everything living.  Unfortunately, she let an army of caterpillars destroy all my spinach, lettuce, and snap peas.  They also attacked my mint plants.  Ugh, I really hate caterpillars.  So, it was time to do some major garden overhaul.  I cleaned everything up and did some shopping.  No more starting from seed for me for the rest of the year.  I think the caterpillars just adore it when I plant seeds because they pretty much destroy my seedlings! I think next spring I will concoct some kind of ghetto green house to start all my plants.  Think plastic comforter bag and pvc pipes. I digress.
So, I went to Armstrong's to buy a pot for my African violet (the one I grew from a sucker) and walked out with a 6-pack of beets, a 6-pack of bunching onions, and a semi dwarf Meyer lemon tree.  It is full of blooms, so cross your fingers that the re-potting didn't cause too much trauma.  Then the next day, I hit up Lowes and bought a 4-pack of red leaf lettuce,  two 4 packs of garlic, and a 4-pack of collard greens.  Yes, it was kind of pricey for all the seedlings-- seeds are most definitely cheaper.
I also bought two houseplants!

I will post some picture of the garden as soon as the sun peaks out.  I couldn't be any more pleased with how things are going.
My thyme and parsley are so well established, my mints are going strong (I dried a whole bunch before I left and used it to steam my face when I had a cold, it did wonders!).  My ginger is growing, gingerly.  And my chives are very full.  So, yay.  Additionally, my 4 pomegranates are still hanging on and the kumquat is starting to bloom.  Now, I am on the hunt for some amaryllis and paper white bulbs to force as lovely holiday plants.

New Plants for Free!

There are so many plants out there that are just so easy to share.  Sometimes I really really want a new plant, but just know it isn’t a good purchase budget decision.  Many cacti are easy, you can just break off a leave and stick it in the ground.  It takes months, sometimes, for the cactus to get its own roots. 

Some other plants set off shoots during certain times of the year.  Strawberries, for example, send out shoots that grow their own roots and, in turn become their own plant.  It is easy to share plants with your friends by taking advantage of the plants own desires to have baby plants. 

In the past several months, I’ve practiced propagating plants in this fashion.  I’ve dabbled with chocolate mint, strawberry, (so far it sounds like I am making ice cream!), African violet, lemon verbena, and wandering jewel (also known as wandering Jew, but that just sounds wrong, so I will call it wandering jewel). 

Here is what you do for plants that send out shoots, like the strawberry and chocolate mint.  Just fill a small container, with holes for drainage, with some soil, or soil-less medium.  Then find the shoot, and ease it onto the dirt in the new container.  Do not cut it from the mother plant yet.  Grab a couple hair pins, or paper clips (first unfold them so they are in a u-shape) and use them to loosely anchor the new shoot in the dirt.  This way, the new roots can grow into the new dirt without moving around all the time and damaging the roots.  Keep it nice and moist.  Check for new root growth in a week or two.  You can gently tug the plant, if it comes out of the dirt there will likely not be any roots.  Once your plant has a decent number of roots, you can snip the new plant from the older plant.  All done!  You have a new plant. 

For other plants, such as the wandering jewel, you don’t need to do all that.  Just ask a friend for a few snippings.  Snip off 3-4 inches of the plant (by the way, pruning the plant like this is a good thing.  It encourages the plant to grow bushier rather than spindly).  I’d suggest, getting 3-4 different cuttings from different branches—not sure if that is the right word.  So, strip off the last two inches of leaves.  If you have rooting hormone—I don’t, use it now.  But if you have rooting hormone, why would you be reading this instructional?  So, now, stick your shoot into some moist soil, or soil-less medium.  Keep it moist and it should grow its own roots.  In a couple months, look for new leaves.  Then you know it is all ready for re-potting. 

Hopefully, next year my plants will be mature and ready to propagate.  So I’ll be ready to share ;)