Hello Messy Garden!

Its been an entire month since I’ve last blogged, here’s what’s been going on since my last post..

I came home after a painful two week break from my garden, expecting the worst, I found it relatively the same, except  that the garden was very messy like a jungle; there were bamboo sticks everywhere and there was an aphid party that was going on on the underside of mustard leaves.

The person I left responsible did a great job taking care of the garden, except when it came to actually turning over the leaves and checking under them. This is why it is very important to look under the leaves.

All of the leafy greens were still doing great, basil seed pods were ready to harvest so I removed the plants and started collecting seeds

Before I Leave

I am leaving my garden for 2 weeks. I cant expect everything to be the same when I get back. This is why I did some very heavy pruning/harvesting to get the most out of it now.

Collecting Basil Seeds

When basil flowers start to drop and the flower pods turn brown, it’s time to collect seeds. Only pollinated flower pods will have seeds in them so dont expect to find seeds in every pod. This is why having bees and beneficial insects in the garden is important.

Cut away the browning stems, and start unwrapping the pods to find the seeds.

It doesn’t get easier than this. Now is great time to plant basil seeds, so start collecting!

Sautéed Swiss Chard

Today I found myself with a large harvest/pruning of rainbow swiss chard, so I decided to make something with it.

You’ll need:

1 bunch Swiss chard, washed

7 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt + pepper

A handful of nuts of your choice

Procedure:

1.) Cut off the hard spines of the leaves and toss them in compost.

2.) Chop the chard leaves into pieces, however way you like.

3.) Heat the oil and then add the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for about 20 seconds.

4.)Add the leaves and continue to stir the chard. You’ll want to cook the chard until it is tender. Add your choice of nuts.

This was a really easy, very delicious side dish. I will try the same recipe with kale soon.

Winter Success

These are the vegetables and herbs that have done very well in our Kuwaiti winter.
Plants like Swiss chard, kale, and rocket in my garden are 7 months old and are still producing beautifully.

This is a nice long season, so when planning next year’s winter garden, be sure to have these in mind.

I’ll be sure to plant most of these again next September.

As these delicate greens start to wilt under the returning sun, I will start working on my spring garden which starts from March until June, or whenever it gets scorching hot.

The summer is the golden season for composting, so make sure you collect those garden and kitchen scraps to make rich compost for next season!

Behind the holes

It was only yesterday, I was admiring my colorful Swiss chard.

It’s pretty obvious, I wasn’t the only one enjoying the colorful leaves.

Ive got Cabbage loopers, which are small caterpillars with big appetites. They can be one of the most destructive pests in the vegetable garden. The bugs love plants in the cabbage family, including cabbage and kale. This insect will also attack potato, tomato, spinach, and cucumbers.

They leave behind nice gifts for me to hose of the leaves too. I used my regular Espoma insecticidal soap to spray on the underside of leaves. And every cabbage looper I found I hand picked and disposed of the compost bin. Not a fun process.

Did cabbage loopers eat holes through your garden?

Very Giving Rainbow Swiss Chard

This nutrient rich leafy green has been giving since september! Six long months and it hasn’t lost its gorgeous colors..

This is a plant perfect for the Kuwaiti winter, I’ve harvested baskets after basket, and it keeps producing!
It’s been a great addition to my garden, if you plan on growing one thing next winter, grow rainbow swiss chard.

Early carrots

Bolting into vases

Putting bolting rocket flowers into use..

Morning Sun

My garden looks the prettiest early in the morning..