Plantings and Pressed Flowers – Growing Snow Peas

On November 20, 2013 By TimelessladyIn Planting, Pressed FlowersLeave a comment

This beautiful blossom is not a Sweet Pea blooming in Springtime, it is instead the bloom of a Snow Pea blooming in my Square Foot Garden in mid-November. I planted the peas near the end of August and they are still producing pea pods for me. I love the fact that anything at all is still growing in the rapidly falling temperatures. The flower of the Snow Pea is quite attractive, a beautiful lavender and deep purple combination.

What a bonus that the flower develops quickly into a tender, delicious peapod. They are such a welcome addition to my salad greens.

Another bonus: the twirling fronds the snow pea uses for climbing are a perfect foil for my pressed flower compositions. They press within three days inside the pages of a book. They add the perfect delicate touch to a Victorian Pressed Flower Card.

Follow Me On Pinterest

Projects – Square Foot Garden Update

On May 19, 2012May 19, 2012 By TimelessladyIn Projects8 Comments

This is an early morning photograph of my Square Foot Garden. I have to say, hopefully without sounding like I’m bragging, this method of gardening has been a major success for me. I have lettuce daily, my broccoli and bread seed poppies are ready to begin budding. I have cooked and eaten my kale and swiss chard, and though I have always loved fresh greens cooked in various ways, I can now feel a “fresh greens fanatic” point of view taking me over.

The Square Foot Gardening Website can be found here: Square Foot Gardens. Take a look and browse the information and photographs. Better yet, buy the book and create your own little area of vegetable heaven.

This is a view of the back of my Square Foot Garden. I know my pea trellis leaves a lot to be desired, but the peas come and go quickly, and I will be replacing them in a few weeks.

Because I didn’t want to give up too many of my squares to the dozen tomato plants I am growing I planted half in containers. These are doing very well too, the stems are beginning to look like tree saplings. I already have some flower buds on a few plants. O Happy Day…tomatoes in a month or two. Hooray!

I was honored to see one of my Square Foot Garden photographs was featured in a Mel Bartholomew Blog Post. Take a look: My Square Foot Garden Squares On Mel Barthlomew’s Website.

Plants – Update Square Foot Gardens and Swiss Chard

On May 4, 2012May 4, 2012 By TimelessladyIn Planting1 Comment

My Square Foot Gardens are doing great. Except for a few empty squares in the second garden, most of the space is filled with seeds or plants and growing well. I have harvested many servings of lettuce already. In fact, I can’t eat it fast enough and have been taking handfuls to family whenever I visit. The lettuce comes in a wide array of greens, pinks and reds and pairs perfectly with the arugula and water cress I have growing in the herb garden. A new sowing of mesclun is thriving and will soon be ready to begin harvesting. The bread seed poppies are magnificent and I expect them to send up budding stalks any day now. The peas in the back of the garden are in need of quick staking, they are growing a few inches daily.

Here is a closeup of the earliest sown squares. Last week I sauteed a few pieces of kale with olive oil and garlic powder. Ah, so amazingly good; I wish I had begun this type of gardening years ago. This week I tried several leaves of the swiss chard. I chopped the stems and ribs and kept them separate from the leaves.

I gently boiled the chopped stems, and after about three minutes added the leaves along with a little Adobo spice mix, and gently simmered a few minutes longer.

Wow! The taste was beyond my highest expectations. I sprinkled the swiss chard with a squeeze of fresh lime, and “oohed” and “ahhed” with every mouthful. The best thing about both of these greens is they are still producing. I can’t wait to try my hand at cooking and eating them again.

Planting – Microgreens Part I

On January 23, 2012February 17, 2015 By TimelessladyIn Planting1 Comment

Sowing seeds and indoor gardening seem to be dominating my January blog posts. I am starved right now for green, tired of the bare branches of trees silhouetted against the sky. I have been sowing seeds in hopes of harvesting Microgreens. Microgreens are harvested from seeds sprouted through the early leafing out stage. I am using seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds. This is my first attempt at this type of gardening.

I am growing the Microgreens on my windowsill in plastic throwaway containers from cookies and other snacks. To see how I went about the process, check out the photos below this paragraph.