Buddy Morris Memorial Veggie Garden!
This picture was taken just a year ago! My lovely Buddy did enjoy eating his veggies around my patch, so this year I decided to grow a variety of 'Black' veggies in his name. A fitting memorial.
Courgette Black Beauty. Buddy adored eating cooked courgettes, he was a very calm and placid fellow, but he got a wild look in his eye if you were eating courgettes!
Shetland Black maincrop potatoes. Interesting to look at, fun to grow, but they fell apart on cooking and the taste was bland.
Japanese Black Trifele Tomato. A wonderful taste and extremely prolific. A wonderful discovery.
Croatian Black Bean. A climbing bean, beautiful mauve flowers. I think these are going to mature a month or so later than my other beans. Very useful to have a succession. Tender and tasty.
Salford Black Runner Bean. A bit of an iffy start, poor germination, but I am harvesting oodles of runner beans now from just 4 plants. Lovely and tender, great taste. I will be sure to keep seeds from these.
Blackberries, originally a wild pest at the end of the garden, now harnessed as a prolific fruit crop. Pruned quite heavily last year and has paid dividends. Huge, sweet blackberries this year.
Well, you can't win them all! Learning from failures is just as important. This was Cavalo Nero or Tuscan Black Kale. Looking pretty awful at the moment, hopefully will recover over the Winter and might give me some lovely tasty leaves next year. Damn those butterflies.
posted by Matron @ 7:58 PM
16 Comments:
Thats what happened to my kale...so much for organic gardening! Can you grow those tomatoes outside or do you need a greenhouse?
Aww so sweet and touching. I know how much you must miss him.
I'm with you about those butterflies! I bet it was that little white one that went all over the yard and garden. Some of my cabbage leaves look like your kale.
All your veggies look wonderful, and I don't blame you for saving the seeds on them..they all look like keepers.
A nice tribute. I'm growing the Japanese Black Trifele for the first time too but mine are still quite green (SE Michigan) Nice to hear you think they are worth growing. I've found them pretty disease resistant so far too.
I planted seeds of winter cabbages and kale a few weeks ago,transplanted them into individual pots keeping about 6 of each..more than enough.
The kale plants disappeared overnight!
Good to see a pic of Buddy!
Tomatoes look wonderful. We have had exactly the same problem with our Shetland Black potatoes, a shame as they look lovely.
I don't know if it's coincidence or not, but I planted all my brassicas in a bed where a cilantro plant had gone to seed last year. When this year's cilantro bolted I left it to flower out all around and between the cabbages and broccoli. I've seen cabbage moths in the garden but so far there's no evidence of their having laid eggs on any of the plants. I will repeat the experiment next year by strewing some of this year's seeds in the bed that I'll use for brassicas. But, I'm optimistic that the scent of coriander has thrown the little beasties off.
I'm surprised you don't like the Shetland Black, they are one of our favourites here but we do think of them as stew or soup potatoes and tend to cook them with other food rather than boiled separately.
Interested to hear about the Black Trifele too which is on my list to try eventually.
I'm so pleased you've have success with the Salford Black Runners - they're corkers aren't they!!!
As you said, an iffy start, I have one good plant that's not setting pods, so I replenish my seed stocks and fingers crossed have a bumper crop next year.
A warm and lovely tribute to your canine friend.
Celia
A shame about your tuscan kale. My seedlings of the same are in modules under 2 layers of mesh - planning on waiting as late as possible before planting them out. Are the Croatian Black Beans grown for pods or shelling beans?
Interesting - I've just put up a post about my Shetland Black spuds. I steamed them and they were waxy and lovely - great potato salad material (unless you are averse to brown - the colour wasn't attractive!)
Oh Buddy, I miss him. This memorial garden has been a huge success! Well done you (so what if the Kale is playing up, Kale always does in my world). Great looking produce I hope Leo enjoys them with you xxxx
Lovely stuff particularly those runners.
Those courgettes and runner beans look fab! Shame about your kale :-( Love 'n' hugs, Mel xx
Good harvests of the beans, tomatoes, etc... my kale is attacked by pests as well...
Your blog is inspiring.
I am struggling to grow fruit and veg in standard townhouse garden.
It is good to see what you are growing and your impressions, it has given me hope for expanding my efforts.
Thanks.
Post a Comment
<< Home