Phaedra's Adventure

[Phaedra]

As more rainy days will come, I kept sowing, pricking out seedlings and transplanting them into module trays, redoing display pots in the greenhouse and at the front door.

Finally, the amount of seedlings increases a lot (and quickly) now. Most of the cold-hardy seedlings/young plants were all transplanted in March, whatever stay in the greenhouse prefers more warmth. This year, I am much more moderate in scheduling - so far, only two among the eight selves were occupied.

Besides seeds that need longer time to grow - peppers, melons, luffas, some tomatoes, and adzuki beans - other warmth-loving crops won't be sowed until mid-April.

Eight early potatoes are growing in bigger pots; all store-ordered/bought perennials were transplanted; crops for autumn/winter were also sowed - leeks, Brussels sprouts, kales, and scallions - I can see clearly where I did better than the past.

(Climbing) Nasturtium for the chicken coops

Today, I also sowed the second batch of sweet peas, perennial marguerite (Robinson's Mix), zinnia (blueberry cheesecake mix) for cut flower garden.

Some one-year-old lupines were transplanted today to the flower bed.

One of the six plum trees - it's the most beautiful one without doubt.

Another rooted snapdragon stem, that I cut back from the overwintered plant - I changed the water in the bottle and checked them carefully - most of the snapdragon stems are rooting.

Even one stem of young honeyberry plants (store-bought, but I pruned them before transplanting them to the permanent location) start rooting, so cheerful!

One purple rose that I dug out and transplanted to the new location - it looked like dead during the whole winter. But, look at those amazing new sprouts! More than 20 roses in the garden are sending new shoots like crazy, and I can't be happier to witness these beautiful moments.

I also did a small change in the kitchen - using IKEA Kallax shelf inserts to create a much more effective storage for many trays, moulds, small pans, and etc.

Well, it's spring, the season that brings so many energy and new lives.

 

[Phaedra]

Rainy day, I used grass shear to clean raised bed edges when the rain stopped for a while.

Due to some reasons, the big front flower bed needs to be removed. So I started preparations accordingly, including removing peonies, one of the last things I would do in such a wrong time of the year. However, moving them to the locations with much more sunlight might not be bad in the long run.

What I didn't expect is that the storage roots are so huge...and unfortunately, I broke the clump into two. Well, at least I have two plants now - but it might need some more time to recover.

Also two broken storage roots....

Each one with its own suction roots and eye(s) - the upper one has only one eye, and the lower one has two - it's not ideal, but I am not in a hurry to see them blossom right away, I can wait for another couple of years.

As a wrap-up and takeaway, I made this note and would like to share with you.

Last year, I also removed a lot of roses to their new places. They looked sad during the autumn and winter, but now, many new shoots are emerging.

The pre-sprout area also has some good news.

I got two hydrangeas from Lidl, each 5 Euros. As usual, I soaked such store bought plants immediately in a tray with water and a few drops of bio tomato feed.

This week, we will have to remove some more plants - the cool and rainy days are helpful for plants.

Food - homemade turnip cake - a savory dish that we love so much

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Thinking of your home country, Phaedra. My daddy loved that place back in the late 60's.

 

[Phaedra]

Thinking of your home country, Phaedra. My daddy loved that place back in the late 60's.

Thanks @Rhodie Ranch, I was so shocked when I got up this morning and read the news. Thankfully, families and friends are all safe.

 

[flowerbug]

@Phaedra turnip cake recipe would be appreciated. even just an estimated version...

 

[Phaedra]

@Phaedra turnip cake recipe would be appreciated. even just an estimated version...

No problem, I am going to make another one tomorrow so I will post a step by step version.

 

[Phaedra]

The day began with harvesting flowers and veggies.

I picked wild garlics, chives, and pakchoi from different corners, kind of foraging in the garden

Although it was raining, harvesting leafy greens in the tomato house is a pleasant task.

There are many chives in our garden, and now is a good timing for enjoying their first run of growth.

Dahlias from seeds - the young plants stay in the tomato house for weeks - it seems they handled the low temperature during night (might be about 5C) pretty well. I would change them into 9cm pots this weekend.

The only Lisianthus that successfully overwintered in the unheated greenhouse. I can't wait to see how it will grow for the second spring.

Overwintered (outdoors) pansy, looked like a scary face somehow

Bleeding hearts, they grow crazily in a short time.

It rains heavily in the morning, so I made a milk loaf and some lovely buns.

 

[Phaedra]

@flowerbug
For the turnip cake, please see below information. This savory cake is very popular in Dim Sum restaurants / Cantonese teahouses. I used the ingredients that are not too difficult for me to get, but divided them into two groups so you can see how you will like to arrange. I will write the step-by-step tomorrow in another post.

Ingredients

(please ignore the veggies, haha)

(A) Must-Have Items
1. Basmati Rice / or Jasmine Rice 300g
2. White Radish minimum 500~600g
3. Water 400~450g
4. Smoked pork belly or Bacon 150~250g
5. White pepper powder 1tsp
6. Salt 2tsp
7. Potato starch 30~40g

There is no fixed ratio of rice, water, and radish, and the texture will vary. If you prefer softer texture, you can add more water and radish. However, the cake has to hold its shape after 45~60 mins steaming (in steam or rice cooker).

(B) Nice-to-Have Items (should be easy to buy in Asian stores, but can be deleted if not your cup of tea. Traditionally, these two ingredients can add a lot of flavors/umami, so we always add them.)
8. Dried shiitake mushroom 30g
9. Dried small shrimps 20g


Utensils:
1. A frying pan or a Wok and a robust rubber spatula
2. A blender
3. A steam cooker or a rice cooker

 

[Phaedra]

The grey house area is turning into a piece of jewelry in the garden - the structure itself is done, and the plants are growing nicely. Can't wait to see it shines in some more weeks.

I can almost see how lovely the 'view' can improve when sweet peas and honeysuckles are climbing upon the trellis tunnel.

A wallet-friendly tool rack from Lidl

 

[Phaedra]

Busy weekend, and I also finished a lot of gardening tasks.

Toad (in our big pond): why are you human always busy? Isn't it good enough to enjoy a Saturday just like this?

Something old, something new...
We repurposed two shelving boards from the house in Cologne to create two foldable tables for the grey house.

Simple sanding and a layer of wood protection paint

It can be folded when necessary.

Another coffee corner, checked!

After mowing, the garden always looks tidier.

Bobo: Mmm, you'd better keep some grass for us, I'm serious.

Daffodil 'Green Eyes'

Japanese Weeping Cherry 'Kiku-shidare' just starts blossoming.