A bright and sunny day saw me planting out more beans, green ones this time, and some flowering broccoli that we bought at the market this morning. Every thing is growing quite well now and the broad beans are fully in flower. I’ve had to shift some of the wild plants that we are not using for food in order to have space for planting out the oca which has become quite big and beautiful now (it’s a vegetable though :-)) The garden is producing so much wild food at the moment that I did not even sow or plant, just comes growing there, and we are using it all in soups and other dishes. I harvested almost the last of the spinach from last year. The English marigolds, also in their second year, are flowering absolutely amazingly and beautiful. I do recommend growing lots of marigolds, not only are they beautiful and vibrant but one can make marigold oil to use all year round. I grow them in between vegetables. The oca plants have to be earthed up just like potato plants, I did that too today, it is a big experiment, never grown those before. And finally the bitter gourd is doing very well and tomorrow they will be put in their permanent place for the summer, I believe they become very large and need to be kept inside as not hot enough here in this climate, so inside I will let them trail, I have decided on a pot and I am very curious what they will be like and if I will get fruit. Much to do in the next few days!
Above: Lady’s mantel early morning.
Above: flowers on my aubergine plant.
Above: Lady’s mantel and chives, and the flowers on the broad bean plants.
Above: A nice buttercup among the vegetables, but this is the only wild plant that I pull up from between the vegetables.
Above: The oca plant now earthed up, and glorious English marigolds.
Above: Newly planted out bean, broccoli and rhubarb. And one of the thousand dandelions finished flowering.
Above: The bitter gourd doing great, lovely to see it grow so well and holding my breath!
I did not know you could make oil from the English Marigold. Do you have a link suggestion for info on the hows and whys of that? They only come in yellow and orange yes?
Your photos are stunning. The aubergine flower is so pretty and sturdy. Your oca reminds me a bit of the oxalis plants we used to sell when I worked as a florist. Maybe I mentioned that before, having a bit of deja vu.
Your love for nature is obvious in your beautiful writings and pics of your garden, my joy to read.
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Hi, thank you for your kind comments. Here is a link to make the oil, it is easy to do and it is good oil. Down the line one can also make an ointment from the oil.
http://herbsandoilshub.com/how-to-make-a-calendula-oil-infusion/
I should have put the latin name beside the oca, but here it is and you are right it is an oxalis. It’s Oxalis tuberosa. I bought the tubers in a local garden centre and I am quite excited about seeing them grow. Hope that the slugs don’t feel the same way 🙂
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Thank you for all that info. Would you plant something sacrificial near the oca for the slugs to fill up on instead? They are greedy and I am not so sure how effective this plan is, but it is something we are considering.
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Yes I do work that way, it works sometimes that is why I added some organic slug pellets while planting out seedlings earlier today as I desperately do not want to see them eaten. Plenty of so called ‘weeds’ in my garden, hope they eat that rather than my plants, let me know how you get on with your slug problem 🙂
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I do the same thing with the organic slug pellets. They bypassed them, devoured my sunflower seedlings, then had osp for dessert. Both gone but not forgotten. Snails pain in the butt too. I can’t wait to hear how your oca come along. Take care and good night. Melissa
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Yes will do. And I am about to close up as well, time for bed. Have a good night too Melissa.
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Thank you World Organic news 🙂
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It must be so warm right now where you are! We are in for sleet and snow but I’m still going to plant beets tomorrow.
Is the lady’s mantle an edible plant?
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It has cooled down again today as the sky is totally grey, dark, high winds and some rain. Weather is very changeable in West Cork 🙂 I will send you a good link to lady’s mantel as I am not sure about the use of it, I would say that it is only a medicinal herb and I have not used it as yet for anything. I must add though that the flowers are beautiful and herby to bring into the home lateron in summer.
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I hope the cooler weather does not harm your bitter gourd and other tender plants. I’ve got my tomatoes out today in a sheltered spot from the wind but it is cool here.
I have a lady’s mantel plant growing under a small apple tree. It is an interesting plant but I’ve never used it for anything medicinal just here for its odd flowers. Thanks for sending the link on it!
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Here is a link which gives you more information.
http://www.cloverleaffarmherbs.com/ladys-mantle/
Have a restful Sunday.
Kind regards, Agnes
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You’ve been busy! Love the lady’s mantle shot in particualr. And also going to check out the marigold oil link too – the marigolds self seed in my vegetable plot and I love to see them coming but so far I only have them flowering in the polytunnel. Just shows how being in the south you are a few degrees warmer than us here in the west of Ireland. Just wish it would stop raining now!
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Yes I think we are a few degrees warmer because of the gulfstream coming from the bay of Mexico bringing warmth with it. But today was only just around 10degrees Celsius and rain and darkness! Roll on the sunshine 🙂
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Didn’t realise marigolds could be perennial. Mine are still only seedlings but if I have time I might do something about that tomorrow.
The aubergine flower is a beautiful purple. Again, mine are still seedlings, really.
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Helen I can hardly believe it myself but the aubergine plant I bought last autumn at the local market, the pot only every produced some very small aubergines, then I left it outside all winter long, we had some frost, it did not seem to matter, and now these flowers! I am waiting to see what will happen and I am very surprised that the plant survived 🙂
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That’s even better news!!
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