The Proud Garden

2025 harvest totals: 59.7 kilos (131 pounds)

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 18:10:00 +0000

San Marzano tomato: 3.1 kilos
Cherokee Purple tomato: 9 kilos
Sunpeach cherry tomato: 5.1 kilos
Datterino cherry tomato: 2.5 kilos
Costoluto tomato (saved supermarket seeds): 900 grams
Potatoes: 1.5 kilos
April Cross radish: 2 kilos
Trombetta squash: 2.9 kilos
Custard White pattypan squash: 1.1 kilos
Gold Rush zucchini: 900 grams
Zuccurì pumpkin: 1.2 kilos
Butternut squash: 7325 grams
Round eggplant (purchased seedlings): 4150 grams
Tayberry: 1 kilo
Paw paw (1st fruit-bearing year): 800 grams
Sublima white grapes: 15.5 kilos
Uva fragola: 425 grams
Topazia white grapes: 300 grams

Not bad for a year of weather extremes. With everything else that was going on, there was never time to do a proper post, and I think we are very close to finding our next dream home with a large piece of land!

In late summer I experimented with winter crops that are still in containers which I'll share as they develop. Here's hoping for a great 2026!

2023 recap: not the greatest year, but not bad either

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 16:42:00 +0000

I've always regarded a year's harvest a big fail when the total yield doesn't measure up to my expectations. But, as they say, it is what is. When the Black Magic grapevine died in late spring, I calculated half of 2023's yield (in weight) gone. Why did the grapevine die? My hunch is that heavy and constant rains in May turned the clay soil deep under the substrate into a dense, heavy mass that impeded drainage. The vines put out some leaves but all of it yellowed and dried up within a couple of weeks. The Sublima white grapes located directly across the Black Magic faired only slightly better. We barely got a kilo of grapes out of them. Both vines will be dug up and replaced next spring.

A lone Thessaloniki, and Sunpeach and Sungreen cherry toms from the Oishii Project

Then arrived summer and those hot hot days, interspersed with humid ones when a different weather pattern blew in. Fortunately I had saved up quite a bit of rainwater, yet the conditions were never stable enough for the tomato blossoms to set fruit on a regular basis. The cherry tomatoes did best; the slicing toms not so much. On the other end of the spectrum, tayberries and strawberries did great as usual. The Hortblue petite blueberries and pink lemonade blueberries produced more than last year, and the mojo berries put out twice the amount (about 2 heaping cups) compared to 2022.

Tayberries and mojoberries

The best garden success though was the myoga. This year it put out 13 buds, and while they were on the small side, I now know that the plant will be totally fine outside with no protection except for a layer of mulch. I pickled the buds, some sliced thin, some left whole, in a simple vinegar, water, sugar mix. They are delicious! Cross my fingers next year for an even bigger yield. There's a recipe for myoga tsukemono that I've got bookmarked to try.

Next spring the plan is to split the clump, plant half in a larger planter and the other half in the ground. I didn't give them any fertilizer except for a healthy dose of compost tea in the spring.

Another success story - the shishimai pepper plants started from seed. Five bushes were either grown in pots and grow bags. The yield was smaller than expected but I don't know if that's from having a late start or not being grown in the ground. Peppers were thin-skinned, around 3 inches in length, not hot at all, and reminded me a lot of padron peppers. Seared in a hot skillet with a bit of sea salt they're very tasty on their own. I also stirfried some with minced veal to mix in with cooked pasta.

To get a headstart next year, I pruned the plants, shook off most of the soil, and potted them up in fresh potting mix to overwinter in the house with minimal watering.

To end this post, you know you've come far as a gardener when you can color yourself happy even in the less than stellar years. In spring I was excited to create a rock garden to spruce up a dry section of the yard that's always in direct sun during summer. Put in drought-tolerant santolina chamaecyparissus (cotton lavender), Hidcote Blue lavender, California poppy (sown), and phlomis russeliana (turkish sage). Gave a good watering and they have performed phenomenally ever since.

Below is the rock garden at the end of March this year, before pulling out the erica plants. Ironically, I impulsively bought 2 more erica (Picasso Blu to the left) - a small consolation for 2023 not being the greatest, but not so bad either.

Doing the splits, self-preservation, and the ol' switcheroo

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 19:46:00 +0000

In gardening parlance, that would be division (splits), propagation (self-preservation), and this is so not what I ordered. Let's start with the 'splits'. At first, dividing plants was a task that I never felt comfortable with for fear of harming the plant. But like anything else, do it several times and you'll get the hang of it. I dug up a daylily that was planted 6 years ago and divided it into 3 clumps to plant in other areas.

The daylily was in a tight corner in hard clay and I literally had to yank it out where the garden fork couldn't reach. Planted one of the clumps next to the iris (above). Gave them a good watering and frequently checked that the ground never dried out. They're all doing well but I don't expect they'll flower this year seeing how brutal I was at digging them out.

'Self-preservation'. Propagating by seed or purchased seedlings is the easy way to go as a novice, but then there are methods like layering and runners (strawberry stolons) that I'm beginning to really appreciate because they're free! The tayberry vine puts out new canes every year but this year it grew a baby tayberry through spontaneous layering or tip layering. I prune the canes in fall as they can go on forever, so I must've missed one, the tip made contact with the ground, and during winter roots began to form.

I was surprised to see such a good-sized root ball. Tucked it into a 4-inch pot with fresh potting soil, snipped off the attached vine, and watered well. This was on April 5th; today the tiny tayberry is more than quadrupled in size. No fertilizer, just compost tea and a sheltered spot outside. I'll update the progress to see how long it takes from a tiny plant to a viable and flowering one.

Okay, it must happen at least once to every gardener, twice or even more if you're that unlucky. A specific item is purchased or ordered, but when it comes out of the ground, it's definitely not what you paid for at all. It's a switcheroo! When this happens I just hope it'll be something that I will love, but more often than not...well, that's why I never purchase more than a few of one thing at a time.

I ordered a tulip named 'Red Dress' but got this banal imposter instead. Early-blooming, very short tulip. The fringed purple one to the right is a Negrita Parrot. My husband said it looked like a deformed purple cabbage. 'Red Dress' is supposed to resemble the one below (yes I pinched it from the seller!), only more of a red than burgundy. I should've trusted my gut on this one:

The truth is that mess-ups will occur; either from the supplier's end or the eventual seller that unintentionally did a switcheroo. The important thing is that it grows, because what's the point of having a cutting garden if you can't put together your own wacky bouquet? Negrita Parrot, Red Imposter, Sunlover.

Six on Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 15:24:00 +0000

I'm a half year late in making the crossover from The Propagator where Six on Saturday first began, but now that spring has arrived, I do hope to pop in more often at Garden Rumination's Saturday Six.

The first red bloom to appear - Anemone coronaria De Caen 'Hollandia' - is a complimentary gift from one of the usual online sources that I purchase from. Now I'm not wild about anemones but when something is for free...

As usual, aubrieta gracilis are the first purples to show up, so full of tiny blossoms and doing really well in the current cool weather. Yes they turn rather tatty when it starts to get hot, but usually around that time the cosmos are up and running.

In the fall I sow broad beans (fava beans) mainly as a cover crop but those out in the garden beds rarely make it through winter (they're not under any protection). I just work them into the ground. Those in containers are somewhat sheltered, yielding enough of a harvest for a few meals. All I need is liver and a nice Chianti.

Lamprocapnos spectabilis

Bleeding heart (pink variety) may soon have a red variety and a white lady-in-the-bath one for company. It's a pity that they don't stick around when the real heat arrives. Still, they're another spring bloom that never fails to show up.

Peonies popping through - March 21st

I've read that peonies don't like to be disturbed and was concerned that this one dug up from my in-laws' wouldn't make it. I transplanted the large clump of an herbaceous type into a 45cm terracotta planter last fall, watered it well and mulched with dead leaves. It's a pink peony (variety unknown) that my mother-in-law had for at least a decade. Last year (before it was dug up), I got about a dozen and a half sweetly scented double blooms.

Here they are now a week and a half later. Very happy to see them come back.

Today's high: 16°C / 61°F

What's in the works for the yard & garden 2023

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 15:12:00 +0000

Forsythia

Here we are again. The end of another month and the start of a new one. I missed not being able to garden last year so to make up for it, I'm leaving no flower pot, vase, or container unfilled. I want the bees and butterflies to think they've come across the motherlode of pollen and nectar! April is National Garden Month so to get a headstart on what will be a busy season, I think it's best to write down goals in order that nothing gets forgotten in the garden shuffle. There are 2 projects that need to be addressed, one of which is this area which I call the rock garden:

Rock garden started in September '22

It's the hottest spot in summer when the sun's rays reflect off the wall and onto the yard. The grass always suffers in that particular location, so I thought to mark off a section with rocks and see how it works with drought-tolerant plants. The lopsided curry plant and 'Hidcote' lavender will stay, but the 2 heather plants will go. The lavender was planted last fall and I hope to see it fill out this season. I'm considering santolina (lavender cotton) and phlomis russeliana (Turkish sage) as replacements, with california poppies scattered in between. All of those choices should do fine considering the conditions.

The 2nd project is the back part of the apartment that has a reinforced retaining wall. This wall keeps the sloped garden from tumbling down into us, but oh to look at that ugly thing when I wake up!

Initially I was convinced of a climbing vine (not ivy!), maybe a gloriosa lily? But that would mean putting in a trellis or some sort of support - not what I want to see (bare wall and trellis) in winter with the plant cut back. The northerly position excludes late afternoon sun but at least it's in open shade. The idea of a small shade-tolerant tree in a large planter does sound good though... Let's see what my better half thinks.

Today's high: 10°C / 50°F.

Year-end harvest totals; looking forward to 2023

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 19:02:00 +0000

Family matters have prevented any chance of maintaining The Proud Garden this year, so I end 2022 with the harvest count (which wasn't bad at all given the circumstances).

The 2 pumpkins above were volunteers from a mystery pumpkin that I had acquired the year before at my father-in-law's. I threw some of the seeds in the garden and up they came. Still have no idea what variety but the vines grew like crazy despite neglect. They made an excellent substitute for Libby's pumpkin puree though. Tasty pumpkin pie on the table and a Thanksgiving saved!

2022 totals: 111 pounds

Tayberry: 1 lb. 11 oz.
Bon Odori cukes: 3 lbs. 8 oz.
Cayenne peppers: 12 oz.
Yellow pattypan: 1 lb. 10 oz.
Clemson okra: 2 lbs. 13 oz.
Cherry tomatoes: 1 lb. 8 oz.
Tomatillo: 3 lbs. 1 oz.
Nashi pears: 10 lbs.
Mystery pumpkins: 19 lbs. 10 oz.

Grapes
Black Magic: 44 lbs.
Sublima: 10 lbs. 12 oz.
Uva fragola: 11 lbs. 11 oz.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 21:29:00 +0000

Heavy rains, violent storms, hail, temperatures in the scorching highs and then sudden lows - we've had it all this summer and it ain't over yet. It has been a real challenge in the garden, enough that I'm considering giving it a rest the following year. But knowing myself, that won't be 100% true and there will have to be something growing somewhere even if it's in a simple vase. Taking stock of what worked and what didn't, I figured it's time to come up with a strategy so I can work smarter, not harder.

The Good

Cucurbits. The pattypans, bi-color "Zephyr" summer squash, uchiki kuri and even the tiny cucamelons pulled through despite the wild weather, voracious slugs and constant presence of powdery mildew. As long as I can keep up with slaying the slugs, the summer squashes should be okay until the temperatures begin to drop. Pattypans are not well-known in Italy; my husband thinks they look like something a Hobbit would grow.

Blackberries, pattypan, cucamelons

Also doing good are the Sublima and Black Magic grapes. I pruned excess vines and leaves in early summer to allow for more sunlight and air circulation. I never have the heart to thin clusters (for bigger grapes) but I reckon more is better. What we can't eat will go into the compost bin.

Sublima Seedless and Black Magic

The Bad

Stinkbugs! They've become more of a nuisance as each year goes by. Last year they damaged the majority of the nashi pears, inserting their needle-like mouths into young fruit. This year they took a liking to the tomatoes and I've tossed more into the compost bin than onto my plate.

The damage is called 'cloudy spot'. Doesn't matter if the toms are still green or ripe, stinkbugs feed on both. It's time to throw in the towel on large tomatoes; they're harder to cultivate up here in the mountains and not worth the trouble anymore.

The Ugly

The stinkbug should've been the ugly poster child but the blackberries don't look all that pretty this year. It's very possible that I have the beginning of a problem with eriophyd mites. In short, they're itty bitty nasties not visible to the naked eye. At first I thought stinkbugs were the culprit but I found information regarding a commercial fruit grower in northern Italy who experienced mite (acari) damage in their blackberry bushes. The mites, for whatever reason, seem only to feed on thornless blackberry plants.

I should just stick with thorny berry bushes. They're a pain to harvest but nothing bothered the tayberries or gooseberries this year.

2021 totals:

Fava beans: 5 lbs.
Mara de Bois: 7 lbs. 7 oz.
Framberry: 1 lb. 14 oz.
Tayberry: 1 lb. 10 oz.
Red gooseberry: 10 oz. Blackberry: 1 lb. 7 oz.
Cucamelon: 1 lb. 4 oz.
Parisian Pickling: 5 lbs. 8 oz.
Pattypan: 4 lbs. 12 oz.
Uchiki kuri: 6 lbs. 10 oz.
Zephyr squash: 3 lbs. 11 oz.
Cherokee Purple: 1 lb. 6 oz.
Costoluto Genovese: 11 lbs.
Paul Robeson: 5 oz.

Grapes
Black Magic: 30 lbs. 11 oz.
Sublima: 10 lbs. 1 oz.
Topazia: 1 lb. 5 oz.
Uva fragola: 1 lb. 7 oz.

The garden in July

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 14:25:00 +0000

The second half of the year already! At this point in the season it is now a waiting game in the vegetable garden: waiting for fruits or vegetables to mature and ripen, hoping for much needed rain, and praying for the summer heat to be done and over with. We haven't experienced the heat like elsewhere in Italy at lower altitudes but I expect that to change in July and August. I took these photos yesterday during my morning inspection of the garden.

The blackberries (thornless variety) should be ready to pick from August to September. This year I'm freezing harvests for smoothies and mixed berry pies.

The row of Peruvian ground cherry/poha berry plants are really growing slow in this space. I have others growing elsewhere that are 3 times bigger but still no flowers. I've read that it takes 6 months from sowing to harvest so with a little good fortune, something will eventually come of them.

Patty pans and Zephyr summer squash (pictured above in top photo). Like last year, the patty pans are taking their time finding their groove. The bi-color Zephyrs on the other hand, are already producing. I have most of these growing vertically on stakes to maximize space, and I hand-pollinate new baby squash every morning for a better success rate (the bees are not so much this year).

Cherokee Purple and Paul Robeson tomatoes recently started to set fruit. I know we need rain, but thankfully the sparse precipitation means less chance of the plants getting fungal diseases. I always worry about this if it really pours early on in the season but so far, so good.

I predict that we'll be harvesting at least 50 pounds of grapes this year. The white varieties that we have (Topazia and Sublima) put out plenty of flower clusters; same goes for the Black Magic grapes that did very well the previous year. Grape jelly is on the list of things to make but the harvest is really so much that it's impossible to give enough of them away.

Lastly, the bed containing the mini-variety watermelons (Yellow Cutie and Piccolina) and okra. Both took forever to develop in the greenhouse but once it was warm enough and safe (no more slugs) to set them out, they do seem to have grown some. I'm experimenting with training the watermelons to grow on the wire fencing for the most part but also allowing some to sprawl on the ground.

Today's high: 29°C / 84°F

Super Poppy 'Heartbeat'

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 12:46:00 +0000

Is there such a thing as Poppyholics Anonymous? Apparently I can't get enough of them and here's another that I grew this year. 'Hearbeat' is bred from Oriental poppies and therefore comes back each spring. Touted a 'Super Poppy' due to its weather-resistant characteristics (they hold up well during inclement weather), I started it from bare root stock 3 springs ago. The first year nothing came up and I thought it was just bad stock. But then the year after it sprouted leaves and grew into a good-sized plant and put out a couple of flowers. This year it definitely found its groove, producing a half dozen gorgeous blooms.

The orange-red color in the photo is not true to Heartbeat's real hue. It's more like a red, brownish-orange and they really stand out in the flower garden. The flower stems are incredibly sturdy, as so are the petals when compared to other poppies with delicate, whisper-thin petals.

Above: before an impending rainstorm. Below: after the storm. I figured there had to be some truth to the claim of being weather-resistant but I wasn't expecting this. The salmon-colored Icelandic poppies received a beating but Heartbeat stands tall and strong. As a cut flower the blooms keep longer too, so this is another plus. Anticipating the garden catalogs in fall for next year's papaver fix!

Amazing Grey

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 14:40:00 +0000

All of the poppies growing in my flower bed (Oriental and Iceland) were started as nursery plants or rootstock, so growing Amazing Grey from seed was a nice little experiment to learn from. Honestly, if I had known how easy it is to grow this species of poppy (papaver rhoeas), I might've included them on my grow list each year.

Amazing Grey is simply gorgeous. The subtle shades of lavender, grey-lavender, grey-white, blue-grey of the petals are unique. Blooms range in size from 1 - 2 inches / 2.5 - 5 cm in diameter. I've seen photos of Amazing Greys that were maybe twice the size of mine so I can't be sure if it was an improved cultivar.

In late winter I scattered seeds in an 18-inch pot; seedlings quickly emerged but it took until mid-spring for them to really develop. Daily temperatures were beginning to warm up but it still got cool at night (around the 50's fahrenheit). Not willing to risk a sudden cold snap, I covered the pot at the end of the day with an overturned leaf bag.

Naturally I'm saving the seed pods for next year's sowing. The only change would be to sow in early spring to give seedlings a better chance at developing.

A whole lot of stuff going on

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Mon, 31 May 2021 14:48:00 +0000

The first ripe Mara de Bois strawberry

Sowing seeds, potting up, taking cuttings, weeding, transplanting starts, feeding, fertilizing, putting up protection on cold nights, digging holes and even drilling holes - May is always such a busy month!

Until I get everything into the ground and the irrigation system up and running, the most that I'm able to show is all in these pictures taken a week ago. Fortunately the weather has been cooperative with nights in the mid-teens and days in the low 20°s (celsius). Sunny to partially sunny days and light winds maintain these cool conditions, so I haven't seen a big growth spurt in the more heat-loving plants.

Mercado de Paris carrots (small, round, sweet variety) grown in an 18-inch container. Netting to keep out cabbage moths.

In the greenhouse: pattypan squash, Yellow Cutie and Piccolina watermelon, okra, pak choi, cucamelon (Mexican sour gherkin), and echinacea seedlings.

Like I said, I also drill holes! In 5-gallon buckets that is. There's something liberating about going into my husband's workspace and pawing through his carpentry tools. One day I will learn how to use the table saw, or better yet, chainsaw!

Cracked open a dried up passion fruit, threw it in some dirt and this happens.

Started way too many physalis peruviana (poha berry) from seed and hope they'll take to our mountain climate. I'd say the germination was 100% with all of the little seedlings that popped up.

This is Bartzella, my first Itoh peony grown from rootstock. Only in its 2nd year but it produced 3 blooms (last year I got only leaves). Now I understand why all the fuss over peonies; they're beautiful, elegant, and just breathtaking. This one has a lemony scent; I'll be potting up to a larger, permanent container as there is no space to put it into the ground.

Lastly, zephyr bi-color summer squash and Red Kuri seedlings. Waiting for them to fill out a bit before transplanting into the ground. I'll be staking and growing the zephyrs vertically to allow space for the Red Kuri to develop and sprawl underneath.

Next month: putting the last of the seedlings out and hopefully, the first harvest of fall-sown broadbeans.

Lawn renovation to start the new season

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Fri, 07 May 2021 16:02:00 +0000

Ready for hosting outdoor summer grilling

What a way to start off the growing season. Old grass, weeds, crabgrass, and dead spots (from the dogs peeing in the same place) had been gradually taking its toll on the front yard. We knew that spring would be the best time for a project like this, so the last week of April (typically a vacation week in Italy as April 25 and May 1 are national holidays) was spent getting down and dirty.

An order for 50 (16x60-inch) sod rolls was to be delivered on April 27th, but we didn't start tearing out the old lawn until a few days before. Using a flat-edged digging shovel, the MotH did the brunt of the work, shearing segments of lawn about a square yard at a time. Grass roots are more tenacious than I could've imagined. We also tried using a pitchfork to dig up clumps, but that resulted in more work to shake off the dirt. Hours were spent tapping chunks of grass with a trowel to get out as much dirt as possible.

After 2 long days, the major part of the yard is cleared and raked smooth. The last section was left temporarily for the dachshund to have someplace to do his business...

Delivery day. Weighing in at about 20 pounds each, MotH carried each roll up (they were deposited on a pallet just outside the garage). There were 37 instead of the 50 rolls ordered. Fortunately, after laying all of them down, MotH calculated that we only needed 2 more. Instead of making a fuss, it was agreed that we would pick up the rolls ourselves (and also the potting soil that they had forgotten), and be reimbursed for any rolls that we did not need.

Sod rolls: 50 x 7.50€
Potting soil (45 liters) for lawn use: 2 x 7.50€
Delivery: 55€
Total: 445 euros
Credit: 82.50€

A nice bonus of redoing the lawn: expanding the flower section even if by a few inches. Next project: digging up and repositioning bulbs, dividing the poppies and what the heck, maybe even clearing everything out and redesigning the whole flower bed.

Egg shell seed tray update, fall berry bushes, compost tea

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 15:01:00 +0000

Left image: So the egg shell tray experiment earlier this month was a partial success, with 9 out of 10 pak choi egg cells germinating. This isn't the most efficient way to grow seedlings, but I imagine that I'll have quite a collection of egg shells by the time spring rolls around next year!

And on the right, to get ahead of the fall online ordering rush, I sent for a Mojo Berry mulberrry bush and a yellow raspberry. When the pandemic had us all on lockdown in March, garden nurseries were either at full stop or backlogged for weeks in processing orders. I hope we never have to go through that again.

This year I also tried using compost tea for the first time. Take several generous scoops of compost, add water, allow to sit for a day or two, and pour off the liquid into a watering can. This.stuff.works! The amount of growth in everything that I used it on was utterly amazing. For instance, my potted kaffir lime tree. Note the leaves to the left: these are normal size, the same size when I first bought the tree. To the right are the leaves after fertilizing with compost tea. I gave only one application each to the kaffir lime and calamandino, and they look very healthy.

Cosmos varieties and Lilliput zinnia

The small harvests these days consist of the last of the tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, and Mara de Bois strawberries. Not a bad total yield for this year given a late start in June. Tuscan kale and kohlrabi seedlings are in the ground for winter, but the real stars now are the flowers as they continue bloom after bloom. I get so OCD about deadheading spent flowers that they don't stand a chance of reseeding until I say so.

Crimson Emperor nasturtium

August & September in the garden

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 14:44:00 +0000

Chopping down the mirabelle

Since my husband aka MotH does not read my garden blog I'm just going to come right out and say it: I'm glad he's back at work! It has been quite the extended summer what with his smartworking from home during lockdown and then the 4-day work weeks when the company finally reopened. But when the office issued a mandatory August off to use up accumulated vacation time, I knew I'd never have time to properly sit down and blog. I would never have my own space!

That's not to say August went by without incident. On the contrary, it was a big deal to get rid of the mirabelle plum. For several years it had been plagued with aphids each season and failed to produce healthy fruit, so we both decided it best to chop it down. I will miss the small yellow plums that reminded us of northeastern France (that's where we first learned of mirabelles), but what to put in its place is still up in the air.

The vegetable yields are off this year since it was only warm enough to transplant in the 2nd half of June: moderate crop of tomatoes, zero zucchini (lebanese), a handful of Parisian pickling cucumbers, and just over a pound of patty pan squash. There were loads of male flowers on the zucchini and patty pan, but hardly any females. I can't say if it had anything to do with the weather (which stopped being hot at the end of August), but all I saw was a lot of powdery mildew and slugs in the garden.

Large patty pan squash bushes. Spread is about 2' with vine length at 3'.

Now, in September, I'm in fall garden mode and hope to get good germination with some new (and old) seeds in my stash. These egg shell trays are something that I'd seen on garden blogs and am giving them a try. If the chard and turnip leaves don't come up (old seeds), the whole lot will simply go into the compost bin.

Mara de Bois strawberry stand

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 15:06:00 +0000

The Mara de Bois strawberries are doing so splendidly that Man of the House solved the problem of limited space by building a stand to start stacking up the planters. What's nice is that some of the wood is upcycled from an Ikea mattress support board, and the paint was leftover from last year's dog house color.

I am completely sold on Mara's. They do well in planters and so far haven't presented any health issues. I've already potted up 10 'daughters' out of 22 plants, and as you can see, they're already putting out blossoms of their own.

Information online says that you can sever the daughters from the mother plant at 4-6 weeks, but as I potted them with roots already growing out of the base, I cut them loose after 10 days. All of them did suffer (wilted) for a day or two, but after watering them well and placed into a cool, shaded area, they sprung back to life in no time. The daughters are putting out new leaves (I snip off the blossoms, it's pointless to leave them on at the current growth stage) and I feed them a weak solution of fish emulsion every week.

I thought Mara de Bois produced small to medium-sized berries and they do for the most part, but every so often I get a fairly large one like this. In shortcakes, turned into jam, or eaten fresh are the ways I've been using them. Picked when perfectly ripe (I actually smell them before picking), Mara's are sublime. If I can harvest at least half a dozen large ones at once, dipping them in a variety of chocolate will be the next thing to try.

June hailstorms and a visit to a berry farm

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 17:49:00 +0000

Black and red mulberries (left), tayberries (right)

It seems like the umpteenth time this month that I've had to push, pull, drag or carry potted plants and strawberry containers under protective cover in anticipation of yet another hailstorm. Late spring/early summer is proving to be a test of patience with relentless downpours and fluctuating temperatures. With weather like this, I won't risk doing any transplanting only to have the young veggies and flowers pummeled into the ground. Oh 2020, why did you have to be such a pain in the arse!

Rant over, now to these gorgeous berries that we picked up at a berry farm last week. Searching for info on mulberry trees, I came across Azienda Agricola Martina Biraghi and was thrilled to discover that the farm grows and sells not ony mulberry fruit, but a host of other berries as well. I got the 2 varieties of mulberries (top and bottom on the left) and a couple of tayberries to supplement the small harvest from my tayberry bush at home. I've never had fresh mulberries before and these were sweet and delicious. The tayberries taste like raspberries (they are a cross between a blackberry and red raspberry) so I cooked them down with a bit of sugar into a syrup for pancakes and ice cream.

And the mulberries? Well if there's one thing that immediately comes to mind, it has to be the famous granita served in Sicily! Gelso (mulberry) granita and brioche con tuppo (a sweet dough roll with a top) is a breakfast classic. I made brioche using my sourdough starter and it has been granita, brioche, and whipped cream at any hour of the day.

Mara de Bois: 13 weeks later

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Mon, 25 May 2020 19:09:00 +0000

First Mara de Bois strawberries

Actually 13 weeks and a day since the bare root plants were tucked into potting soil. These two could've stayed on the plant another day or so, but I didn't want to wait any further for our first taste test. Result? Very good! They taste a little bit like the tiny alpine strawberries that grow wild here, only sweeter and juicier. The size is small to medium, and the shapes range from heart-like to oblong or roundish. I'll try my best to wait for the others to fully ripen and see if there's much of a difference in the level of sweetness. I always figured these would be great for morning breakfast, but after tasting them in the late afternoon after a full day of sun, the warmth and sweet strawberry flavor made Mara de Bois, literally, melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Several days ago

Strawberry plants all along the railing (super easy pickings!)

Happy Iris Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Fri, 08 May 2020 16:57:00 +0000

Iris Day on May 8th

It's now day 5 of easing up on lockdown restrictions enforced since March 10th, but the reality of it all is that while some people get to return to work, others may not even have a job to go back to. My husband continues to smart-work from home (down to 2 days a week with the other 3 paid in Italy's version of unemployment benefits) and will do so until his employer has jumped through every single hoop to make the workplace environment as safe as possible. If all goes according to plan, he returns to a sterile office at the end of the month.

But enough of Covid-19 woes. As I said, restrictions have eased a bit, and now we can venture beyond the 150 meter limit from our home! I know, that edict was so maddening and frustrating for the past 2 months, but now we've got the go ahead to walk about as long as we're within the confines of our municipality. We make sure to have our masks ready as a precaution, in the (unlikely) event that a bunch of neighbors might get out for a stroll themselves.

It was a beautiful full moon the other night and having moon on the brain, I took some photos of white and violet lunaria annua (common name, honesty). They grow like weeds on the side of the road; can't believe my favorite garden catalog actually sells seeds. I was aware that the Latin name had something to do with the moon, but I had no idea that in other countries, the plant is associated with moola. Silver dollars? Money plant? Coins of Judas? Wikipedia: Lunaria_annua

Lunaria annua, known as honesty or annual honesty in English

Lunaria annua in the 1st week of May

Just mossing around

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 16:35:00 +0000

Moss in my yard

Oh how time flies when you've been sidelined by a pandemic. 🦠😷 One moment I'm planting strawberries and the next I'm checking statistics for COVID-19 like how I check the weather - every day and without fail.

But enough coronavirus talk. Spring has definitely arrived and slowly but surely, my store of bulbs, seedlings, and plants are either going into the ground or growing bigger. A few of the Mara de Bois strawberries have flowers on them, and the nashi pear tree is absolutely exploding in blossoms. No April showers yet, but early morning dew seems to be adequate in keeping the greenery lush and happy, and it couldn't be more obvious than by looking at the mossy patches around the yard.

My first kokedama project

Having maybe more than I care to keep around, I made a small kokedama to put in the bathroom. Such an easy project, and there are so many helpful tutorials online. I tucked in several pothos cuttings and a single monstera, but the pothos didn't take well to the constantly moist soil (the leaves yellowed). Now it's just the monstera sticking out of the top. Love that it's low-maintenance. I give it a brief soak in a bowl of rainwater when it feels a little light, allow it to drain, and back on the saucer it goes - that's it!

Mara de Bois strawberry chronicles

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 17:45:00 +0000

I have to confess, in previous years I buy one or two strawberry plants from the nursery, set them in the ground, and pretty much let them fend for themselves. There is no fussing over them, no diligent watering routine, and maybe only a sprinkle of guano if it happens to cross my mind. But after reading so much about the popularity of Mara de Bois strawberries, I figured it was high time I got serious about growing this luscious fruit. First plan of action, get ourselves to Ingegnoli (in Milan) where they had bare root Mara de Bois (an everbearing type) among the varieties on offer. I picked up 25 (19,50€) and a box of fertilizer designated for berries.

On the way home it occurred to me that those fancy french Maras might appreciate a potting soil specifically made for their kind, so we bought 6 (20 liter) bags at the next nursery on the drive back. The following day I spent all morning planting them in window boxes, along with a handful of Framberry runners that I saved from last year. I'm dreaming of berries all summer long but better to not get ahead of myself. I'll track their progress and update in future posts.

Houseplant Appreciation Day

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 11:42:00 +0000

My only claim to owning a true 'houseplant' is the pothos in the center. Everything else (the potted citrus) go outdoors as soon as its warm enough to set them out.

Happy belated new year! New year, new garden plans. And if you've arrived here via instagram, welcome to The Proud Garden. The blog used to be a place where I would document the harvests from the growing season, but seeing that I want to break out of the mold and cultivate different, if not unusual plants, the year 2020 seems right for that line of thinking.

These are just a few of the plants I have marked in the nursery catalog:

Miss Pink grapes: attractive and tasty seedless grape, with long, loose clusters. Medium pink-colored, crisp and juicy pulp, with an excellent aroma.

Akebia 'Chocolate Vine': semi-evergreen, rustic, cold-resistant climbing shrub with green leaves made up of 5 leaflets. It produces both female (fragrant) and male flowers on the same plant between April and May. The fruit's pulp has a sweet flavor, with a light melon aftertaste.

Passionfruit: would like to try this in a large vase that I can place in the greenhouse during winter.

Hortblue Petite® blueberry: The first double fruiting blueberry in the world! The first harvest is in July while the second in September. As indicated in its name it has compact growth, reaching a height of 80/100 cm. Particularly suitable for pot cultivation.

Cosmos 'Cupcakes White' 'Sweet Sixteen' and 'Sea Shells': this will be a first-time experience growing these.

And in the vegetable patch (along with the usual suspects):

Celtuce
Lime basil
Lebanese white zucchini
Okinawa bittermelon
Okra 'Blondy'
Uchiki Kuri squash
Yellow Cutie watermelon

Siamese twin dahlia?!

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 17:21:00 +0000

Recently from the flower garden... Where 'siamese twin' blooms are concerned, I think I might be the first to post such an oddity in the dahlia department. This Cafe au Lait variety looked like another big blossom until I made a closer inspection. After separating the petals, it revealed 2 individual sepals conjoined at the stem. Bizarre, but pretty cool as I've only been growing dahlias for a few years.

Paul Robeson and Cherokee Purple tomatoes, nashi pears

The temperatures are gradually lowering as the fall season progresses, but as long as there's a bit of sun every day, the tomatoes should continue ripening for another couple of weeks. I'm satisfied with our harvests this year (way too many cucumbers though), even if the pears suffered stink bug bites. The affected fruit have an ugly, bumpy surface and by the time you cut out the blemished areas, there's decidely less of it to eat. Italy's ag sector sustained serious damage from the brown marmorated stink bug - Halyomorpha halys - and there's talk of introducing a predatory wasp. How effective the wasps will be is what everyone is wondering, even if the predators might eventually do more harm to our ecosystem.

Maybe cafe au lait dahlia?

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 11:19:00 +0000

I know it's been quiet on the garden blog but not for the lack of a vegetable patch this summer. As usual, the growing season was delayed by a month, and what went into the ground this year was pretty much the same as previous years. The cucumbers were the first to come through and we've had so much coming off 3 vines that it's ridiculous. Cukes in all manner of salads (cukes with cubed watermelon and crumbled feta cheese is our favorite), with crab or tuna in rolled sushi, pickled whole with spices, and simply left plain and dipped in a sesame-miso dressing for a healthy snack.

The big deal for 2019 though is my attempt at growing Cafe au Lait dahlias...again. Previous attempts turned out some other variety altogether, but this specimen appears to be the real thing and I'm in love! The first half dozen blooms had a pinkish blush to them but now I'm getting more with a pale peach hue. I have another Cafe au Lait growing in a pot that hasn't bloomed yet, so it'll be good to compare the two. I am definitely saving the tubers for next year!

The cherry tomatoes are trickling in but the large varieties have another 2-3 weeks until harvest. What amazes me is how well the herbs did. Lots and lots of basil, mainly genovese, but I have a lemon and thai basil too. I've already done a few batches of pesto to freeze. The red and green shiso did extremely well and are extremely low-maintenance. Both came up from last year's crop and all I needed to do was pick out the healthiest seedlings for transplanting.

Herbs potted up on the terrace; more basil and shisos in the back

It has been another hot summer yet with intermittent showers in the evenings, there hasn't been any problem of stressed out plants. This year I put down landscape fabric before transplanting and it has kept the weeds at bay and lessened the need for watering. The temps are forecasted to drop come September with definitely more rain, but in a week we'll be trying to keep cool in Delaware on a short visit to relatives. My son says it's 90°F - ACH! I cannot wait to check out their farmers markets and step foot in Targets and Safeway, but we hope to stuff ourselves on great seafood. Happy summer!

Getting the most out of fall season

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 12:12:00 +0000

Harvests have been looking like this for the past 2 weeks, with an emphasis on Black Magic grapes and Golden Nugget cherry tomatoes. Summer flew by so quickly with lots of sunshine and hot weather - not blistering like last year but still very warm - and now it's just a waiting game for all the bounty that autumn brings.

Golden Nugget and Black Magic

What to do with more Black Magic grapes than you can eat? I've made grape juice for homemade jelly and syrup for grape ice cream - delicious! Two pounds of fruit yields about 2 cups of juice. A little sticky and messy, but it feels so good to be using my own organic produce!

Uva fragola/americana (Concord grape) - sweet musky flavor

Nashi pears and Thessaloniki tomatoes among the daily pickings

Man of the House redid the garden steps during his stay-cation. Plans in the works for the top part of the garden.

Received my bulb order yesterday for fall planting: Imperator iris and serpent garlic (allium sativum ophioscorodon). Hope to be able to report on these in the spring!

More Herbs, Less Salt Day

noreply@blogger.com (Rowena) — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 11:31:00 +0000

A vegetable garden isn't a garden without a few herbs tucked in here and there, and this year was no different than the rest. So in honor of #MoreHerbsLessSaltDay I put together a special head wreath with some beautiful aromatics grown for culinary or medicinal purposes. I'm surprised that my little garden helper didn't mind one bit!