Tuesday, May 26, 2009

May


Garlic is here.


And strawberries.



Poppy seeds.



Bush beans.



Figs coming.


Persimmons coming.



Oh my, oh my, oh my, I can't wait. Tomatoes are coming!



Bees and flowers everywhere, and other babies are coming soon too.


Here's a hint about what's coming: making this late spring salad—arugula, stilton, the first nectarines, barely cooked eggs, and a sherry vinaigrette—will be a whole lot easier once they arrive and grow up.

17 comments:

GS said...

You making me very wistful...spring's six months away for us.

Meghan (Making Love In The Kitchen) said...

This all looks so beautiful. Most exciting, for me would be the figs for sure. Enjoy it all as it blooms and ripens!

ann said...

wow! I am so jealous! But I know (hope?) my patience will be rewarded. We're finally eating real food out of the garden, lettuces, radishes and some very early, incredibly tasty broccoli raab.

What is that last flower in the pictures? So pretty!

Rowena said...

Pictures! What a feast for a budding gardener's eyes. And I'm especially scrutinizing the persimmons because this is the first time we've grown one. I see the little green orbs with what looks like ruffles but they are not at the stage of yours. Good golly I have to run out with my camera now!

Anonymous said...

How odd; we live in the same town but must be in two different microclimates. Everything here is growing well, but fig and tomato aren't at all ready to set. Cherries are just starting, as are the grapes.

Lovely photos.

Kale for Sale said...

The persimmons are beautiful even in May. It's amazing. At the end of your photos I was sitting here thinking, Wow, that flower looks so much like an egg. You got me!

Unknown said...

Oh I know...so exciting! Gorgeous photos and they make my mouth water. Your garden is further along than mine. I better post an update on my raised beds.

I wish I had figs! I'll do better next year.

Love arugala. I planted mine too late so it may just burn up here in Sacramento.

Anonymous said...

And I just realized you're not on my blogspin. I was bad, now I'm good.

Christina said...

AOF: Yes, but you get the good, stewed, yummy meals that go along with fall right now. That's delicious too.

Meghan: Thank you!

Ann: Yum--I'm so glad your garden is growing. Hey, I'm going to try growing purple sprouting this fall. Have you or your mother ever grown it? I'm looking for advice. The last flower is Salpiglossis sinuata, a Chilean annual that is insanely gorgeous and should be grown everywhere. I can't get over how spectacular it is.

Rowena: Your persimmons sound like they're getting close to blooming. The flowers don't look like much, but I love the way the young fruit look. Let us know how the persimmons grow!

Altadenahiker: I have two fig trees--one is covered with fruit and one is still a ways off. The one with all the fruit is a Kadota; the one without, a Black Jack. Most of the tomatoes I started from seed at the end of February, and with a few exceptions, are now hip-high. They're in hot, direct sun, so that may be part of why they're growing so fast. The amount of fruit just thrills me, as last year at my old plot, I had a shitty-ass tomato year with almost nothing. My grapes are just baby plants started by cuttings this winter, so no flowers or fruits yets, and, cherries? Do you have the low-chill varities (Minnie Royal and Royal Lee), or are you growing something else? Because I'm dying to grow cherries, I must know what you've got. Thanks again for the delicious loquats.

KFS: It is an egg, and if all goes as planned, within a few weeks, we should have a few future-egg-producers of our own. We're almost finished building the chicken tractor . . ..

Melody: Oh, my arugula is LONG gone; this arugula is purchased. Figs are super-easy to grow and you can grow them from cuttings. If you have a friend with a fig tree you love, ask if you can take a few cuttings from it this upcoming late winter, just before leaves start to unfurl.

Altadenahiker: No worries, lady!

Amy said...

Jealous of your garden. Very.

My cherry tomatoes aren't doing a thing!

Bec said...

Beautiful photos. I agree with Meghan about the figs . . . our last home in Pasadena had an amazing tree with black mission figs. I'm tempted to go knock on the new tenant's front door and ask if they're really going to eat all those figs. My kumquat trees in pots are the only thing bearing any fruit right now in our new yard.

NerdMom said...

Yummy! I am so jealous of your green thumb and your garden!

ann said...

Purple sprouting broccoli? I haven't, but I'll ask my mom about it this weekend. If it's anything like raab, all you do is put it in the ground and wait. I can't believe how easy it is to grow! Maybe the pests just haven't arrived yet :-)

AJK said...

Gorgeous! What a prelude to bounty!

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure mine is Craig's Crimson. There are lower-chill varieties, but when you get fruit from this, it's the best in the world.

Wow, everything smells amazing right now after the brief thunder storm.

Christina said...

AJK: Thank you!

AH: Craig's Crimson, eh? It's now on my list. Also, I have a feeling that your yard ALWAYS smells good.

Soilman said...

What fabulous garlic. I'm SO SO envious. Rust ruins my crop every year.