Garden Gleanings

Here’s an odd-lot of garden experiences from the past week. I can’t see any connection but each one seemed significant at the moment.

The first corn silks appeared in my small corn patch last week. That brought to mind the crops damaged in prior years by corn earworm.

Measures I used last summer worked well to prevent damage to the ears of corn. These included a drop of food grade mineral oil when the silks appear and weekly spraying of the silks with Bt. Read the details in this post Corn Problems and Solutions.

So where did this 12-inch purslane plant come from? It just showed up near the sidewalk seemingly overnight. I call it a weed and my husband removed it promptly.

Purslane is a treat for some. I saw it at a farmers’ market in Oregon a few years ago. If you want to read about the purported benefits of purslane check this article at Healthline. At the Specialty Produce entry for purslane you’ll find recipes and more info about the herb (weed). Maybe you’ve seen it in your garden.

I transplanted the last of my seed-grown ‘Jericho’ lettuce into a shady corner of the tomato bed. This romaine variety, developed in Israel is heat tolerant and slow to bolt. It also makes a remarkable Caesar salad.

Check my Cuttings: Selected Quotes page where I’ve just added some new inspiring/reflective/humorous garden quotes.

Recently I was sorting some plant tags I had stuffed in a sack many years ago. With the tags was the business card from Ledgerwood Seeds. It brought back memories of visits to the iconic business in Carlsbad to buy bare root strawberries and seeds. If you’ve been gardening or farming in San Diego County for decades you may remember Mr. Ledgerwood. Read more in my previous post Charles Ledgerwood’s Southern California Vegetable Planting Calendar.

What’s been happening in your garden?

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