2011 Bucket Garden Update 2

  Everything is flowering and all things green are flourishing. What a beautiful time of the year.

Even our roses are blossoming.

The garden plants are no exception. We have had a few losses over the last few weeks, but overall I am pleased. The Chinese Five Color Pepper plants have sprouted up all over the original container they came in and I expect we will give a few of these away this year as gifts. These ornamental pepper plants are very colorful. It is very satisfying to watch all of these plants grow from seed and I can't wait to make some of my favorite summer dishes from our garden harvests.

TTFN

B

2011 Bucket Garden Update 1

  Well, seeds are planted, soil has been prepared and the buckets are being cleaned up for another round of container gardening. Actually, this photo is about a week old and the majority of the plants in the foreground have already been moved to larger pots and are coming along nicely.

  One of the biggest surprises so far are the seeds I saved from the sweet peppers we get from Costco. They have all germinated and so far are the only peppers out of about 10 varieties I started from seed that have done so. I didn't know much about these peppers (other than we really like them) when I saved the seeds. I didn't even know if they were hybrid or heirloom or even if they would grow from seed at all. They are so tasty that I figured they must be some kind of hybrid and I didn't really expect much from them. I have since discovered they are called 'Sweet Pickle Peppers' and they are an heirloom variety which means we will be saving seeds from these plants again for next year. They have germinated so quickly and they taste so good I wonder if they are disease prone or insect magnets. I guess we'll find out. :-)

  All of the basil has popped up as well and with all the pizza action going on around here lately, it is a good thing. Most of the tomatoes have done very well and we certainly look forward to eating some of the new varieties we have come accross this spring. I have several colorful dishes in mind for all the varieties of tomatoes and peppers we are growing this year. I can't wait ... :-)

TTFN

B

Update

  Wow, it has been many months since I have written an entry. My last entry corresponds with the failure of my laptop which is the computer that I had setup to do all my blogging. I haven't replaced it yet, so entries may not be as regular as they have been in the past, but I think it is time for an update. I haven't been completely idle though. I still have several entries from last year to finish and several new items from this year as well. Planning for this year's bucket garden has commenced, and I am excited to see if any of the seeds I saved from last year will grow into nice plants this year.

  The majority of my efforts since the beginning of the year have been spent on bread baking and the pursuit of the perfect (to me) home pizza. I have learned a great deal and have been rewarded with some personal successes. I can't wait to share my findings. Along this same line of discussion I have purchased two books that I highly recommend to anyone interested in artisan bread baking. The first book is the The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovens  by Daniel Wing and Alan Scott. This book is of great interest to myself for the detailed discussion on building bread ovens and for the stories of real artisan bakers around the country who make great life sacrifices to create real bread for people who appreciate such things. The second book should be a staple reference for any bread baker: The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. The Bread Bible is a good solid reference for all things bread related.
  As soon as I can get myself back in the habit of blogging on a regular basis there should be a small flurry of entries to get things caught up. :-)

TTFN

B