My Thoughts and Garden Ramblings

I guess they not sun dried, but were ripened in the sun. I found myself with a sudden glut of tomatoes. Two bowels this size that were so ripe they would not last more than a couple days. Some ...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/08/vine-ripened-dried-tomatoes.html

I first got my French Grey shallots from a local farmers market in 2013 after an extensive search. A couple years ago, I nearly lost them, when I accidentally threw out my seed shallots while...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/07/french-grey-shallot.html

Well, with the last 2 weeks hot weather, I have eventually got some ripe tomatoes. Usually I get these the first week of July, so we are a full 2-3 weeks late this year. The cucumbers and beans...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/07/tomatoes-cucumbers-beans-and-garlic.html

This cool wet spring has my garlic is looking really good and the scapes have been part of my meals now for about two weeks and nearing the end. Garlic 20 June 2019 - a few scapes left I lo...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/06/garlic-onions.html

I remember when I was about 20 years old, someone I knew discovered mustard and turned half their garden into a mustard farm. I discovered it about 8 years ago and now grow about 6 types. di...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/06/mustards.html

My Lovage plant after about 5 years I read that during the middle ages, most gardens had a lovage plant. Yet somehow this plant fell out of favour. It may not be quiet as refined as celery. ...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/06/lovage.html

This years sage in the garden Sage is a relatively new plant for me to grow, and it has rapidly become a favourite. As usual, I grew it from seed, but showed my lack of experience. Sage is a...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/06/sage.html

This year is particularly late. With a flower moon this weekend, the cherry and plum and pear trees are in full flower - some 3 weeks after they normally are. With the forcast looking up, I hope ...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/05/late-start.html

Well I used natural, untreated wood for the beds, and they lasted about 10 years, but the oldest bed rotted away. I liked the wood for the somewhat more natural look and I wonder how much nutrien...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/05/new-raised-beds.html

Well every year I plan on posting more. The blog started more as a diary of things I had learnt, but the"gap" between out there in the garden and the PC makes it not the ideal medium for recordin...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/04/springing.html

Well it is a beautiful spring day and I want to get outside ASAP, but wanted to share a few things I have learnt on starting seeds 1) LABELLING Far too often I have lost labels and had no idea ...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/04/some-notes-on-gear-i-love.html

Well, I always start the season planning on keeping the Blog up to date, then spend more time in the garden and not on the PC. But its the 3rd March and I got to start my planting. Onions, pepper...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2019/03/started.html

We in the 7th April and had snow on Friday and a high of 2 degrees Celsius expected today.  Frost last night froze the ground and everything is way slower than normal. Th greenhouse is cramme...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2018/04/whats-with-this-weather.html

I have a few guests, that I never invited. The first is a cutiest little chipmunk. Well I have only seen one, but my neighbours saw a pair. Last summer I was surprised a how little fruit I got fr...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2018/04/its-wild-life.html

So now that I have a greenhouse, how can I get warning if temperatures in there drop near freezing?  What if I wanted to have supplementary heat kick in if it nis getting close? Enter the Xiao...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2018/03/xiaomi-aqara-intelligent-smart-home.html

Ok not a very fair test... But then its more about my obsession to grow different varieties than anything. This year, I planted 3 cells of each type of pepper and each type of Tomato seed I had (...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2018/03/grow-light-test.html

Well, I have not being as active on my blog as I should and was doing a little reading and clean-up when I took a look at the stats. 13,173 HITS! Wow, I have no adds, only a couple other garden...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2018/03/blog-maintenance.html

Wow, am I impressed with my little Ghetto greenhouse. Its early March and 2 degrees Celsius outdoors as our high today. The greenhouse automatic window is slightly open and its 26 degrees Celsius...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2018/03/greenhouse-update.html

Its about mid December when the itch starts. Relentless research and googleing for seeds. What will 2018 harvest be? Soo many things I want to try, soo little space. Every year I try have a the...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2018/02/seed-hunting.html

I have for some time wanted a greenhouse. Although I tried a few small glass or plastic cold frames, I wanted a doubled walled walk in to putter in. I also had a fig and a few plants that could ...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2018/02/ghetto-greenhouse.html

This cool wet summer has really made everything green (except perhaps tomatoes), and the leafy greens are loving it. But the amount and size of fruit is drastically lacking.  Peppers

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2017/08/green.html

One of my favourite things in the garden is fence panels. They galvanized and don't rust and strong enough to hold squash and pumpkins on them.I bought them at TSC stores on sale for about $35. ...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2017/08/fence-panels.html

Well as I mentioned before, I am more included to follow permiculture styled gardening than any other. In fact I found myself thinking I follow a 18th century diet - eating only fruit or veggies...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2017/07/toadaly-stoked.html

Toronto first half of summer has being far cooler than usual and with far higher rainfall.  The garden has responded with masses of lush green, yet lower than normal fruit for heat loving plants...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2017/07/july-update.html

Potato in front, zucchini behind Well I have being less than great at updating my blog. Yes, busy at work and in the garden... But this blog was more about a journal of my growing and a reco...

http://elfordblvd.blogspot.com/2017/05/may-24-update.html