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Well this is a happy start to my day-- thank you so much! Many of us will never get the chance to see bamboo in bloom, so it really is a rare and special occasion when you happen across it.

We woke up to our first heavy frost yesterday. The rooftops were so white I thought it was snow at first. Then it was apparently a sunny day, but we had fog and and the sun was never able to break through. Frost again this morning and bright sunshine, which is wonderful. ☀️

We came home late last night and saw a short, wide skunk lumbering through a neighbouring garden. Maybe that's what's digging up our garlic and tulip bulbs. 🦨

Isn't it fun to do seedling experiments indoors in the winter? I just love watching the seeds germinate and grow into tiny plants. And if we can improve our seed starting process at the same time that's even better. Terminating the seedlings at the end is not always easy though. I'm getting...

For some reason I really enjoy growing squash, and Red Kuri is a nice size--about the same size as a large melon. The big orange orbs look beautiful in the autumn garden. This year one vine climbed up a Hinoki Cypress shrub, with the squash hanging from the branches like holiday ornaments. In...

Last night we cooked up a couple of pounds of ground beef for burrito filling. Included in the mix were home grown garlic, Basque peppers, and Rio Zape beans. Once the mixture has cooled we stir in cheese. Then we fold the filling up in 10" tortillas and freeze the burritos; makes for an...

Today in the garden was all about harvesting. I picked a gorgeous red Beaver Dam pepper and an immature green Chervena Chushka pepper from the hoop house. The plan is to save seeds from each of them; several more peppers are still maturing on the plants. I also picked the first of the Grandma...

We hand wash the lids and rings, and then dry them immediately so they last a really long time. Putting them in the dishwasher will result in rust almost immediately.

Thanks heirloomgal! My fascination with beans has definitely grown a lot in just a few short years. ;)

A warm welcome from British Columbia! :)

Almost all of the beans here are now packed up in seed envelopes or jars too. For some varieties there are large jars full of dry beans for cooking; those will go to the pantry so we can enjoy them over the winter in soups, chilis, hummus, and burritos. Each of the small jars are filled with...

Makes total sense. Your practical explanations of events like this are such a valuable education for a city kid like me. 😉

We rented a stump grinder once as well, with excellent results.

Hmmm...is there any chance that it is elephant garlic (which is not a 'true'garlic but rather a member of the leek family)? The cloves of elephant garlic can be absolutely massive.

Such beautiful cloves! I just spent the past two hours cracking bulbs in preparation for planting garlic, and like you I grow cultivars that came without a pedigree. One is a remarkably vigorous large garlic that has been grown by a friend for decades; he thinks it may be a Purple Stripe or...

Hopefully all of the mariners heeded the warnings and brought their ships to safety, since the intense low pressure system was located well offshore. Evidently we would have had massive damage had this bomb cyclone made landfall. Thankfully that was not the case. We lost power for about six...

You're brave. Yesterday I brought in some late harvested bean pods for drying, and tiny bugs were crawling and hopping all over my kitchen counter. After that there is no way I would consider bringing a potted plant in from outdoors. Too risky.

We woke up to our first dusting of snow! It'll melt shortly, and then we'll be hustling to unload a yard of 2-year old composted manure to top dress the garlic beds. I hate to be running a heavy wheelbarrow over our water-logged lawn, but there is no other option. We got 39cm(15") of rain in...

I found a couple of ripe orange cherry tomatoes on a volunteer plant growing in a pot on the north side of the house. They tasted pretty good, and there are still more green tomatoes on the vine. Hours later it dawned on my that this plant is still producing in mid-November located in one of...

This is definitely a big topic of conversation at the moment, with predictions of downed trees and power outages. Tomorrow is supposed to be fairly nice, so before this weather event hits I need to focus on getting my garlic planted. Then Wednesday we can hunker down and stay inside where it's...