The first narcissus of the year at くノ一植物園：
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玉蜀黍
Corn!
Here is one of my rows:
Summary
also @ekg, did you notice my new name for the imaginary botanical garden in my back yard? Can you figure out what it means?
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fresh corn is super-delish! 
Many years ago now, as I was growing up, there was a farm some ways off, but still just a car-ride away, that let people pick their own corn in the field. It was a great experience as I remember it. You could literally eat the corn fresh as it was, it was that sweet! And you learnt to distinguish which corn was ripe and which needed more time. Too often, if you find fresh corn in the store here in Sweden, they’re not fully ripe (like quite a bit of the tip is not done and it should have been left for another week or two)
Anyway, I guess, you could make your own cornflakes from it! XD
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Wait, where is the sign? Was it in the pic just now? 
(goes to check)
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above the photos of narcissus
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Darn, I missed it! XD
くノ一植物園
Ninja Garden. Wasn’t that a game? Wait, that was Ninja Gaiden! XD But I like the vibe of a hidden away veggie garden! ^>^
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Actually, the official name for my garden is now くノ一畑.
If you write the three characters over the top of each other, you get 女! So kunoichi is the ancient code word for female ninja. My friend in Tokyo taught me this. She only has a small balcony, so I am growing a special garden bed for her with seeds she sends from Japan. So fun!
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Ooooh! I actually knew that about 女! Someone on here mentioned it, and the connection to female ninja! I think that’s super clever! ^>^ I love the name. Are you gonna make any carvings, like with the sumo wrestlers? :ninja_female: (darn, Discourse really need to extend their emojis! >: )
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I am glad you remembered the Sumo sign.
Yes, I have a big log with a flat face to carve the characters into.
Also, I am making a small sign on my friend’s special row in my garden. It will say “Mei’s Garden.” This is a surprise for her: I won’t send her a picture of it until flowers are blooming in the row.
I am planting a grape row this year too. It should fit about 10 vines. Also, I am expecting an order of 6 bare-root fruit trees this year, and I have big planning to do so the ground is ready for them!
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Those are all amazing sounding. Home grown veggs needs supportive home grown fruit! What fruits are you getting? My personal favs are probably pears and apples, though cherries are great as well. I wished you could grow more mediterranian stuff here, but alas. that being said, my late aunt used to have grape vines climbing a wall of her house, like in a sheltered corner facing south. She would actually get some grapes from time to time, but it’s a real struggle here in Sweden. ^^’
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We made some initial mistakes with fruit trees when we started this garden 10 years ago. I planted some random pears and apples from the store. They were not disease resistant, were not properly planned to fertilize each other, and were planted in bad locations to account for the vegetable garden. But, I do have a dwarf Asian pear and a standard pear that would seem to be headed towards flowering at the same time, meaning we will finally have fruit this year.
I ordered two pears on nearly full size rootstock, and two apples on semi dwarf rootstock. I also ordered two American persimmons (I am hoping that they turn out to be a male and a female, other wise no fruit!), a saskatoon serviceberry shrub, and a wild American Plum.
I have realized that fruit is such a big lacking thing in my garden. If I don’t start now, it will never happen!
I have an 80 foot row along the street for grapes. I am only growing native North Eastern US varieties. Some of these varieties would probably do well in Sweden too. I grew up on the Great Lakes, and my first job ever was working in the grape fields, starting in middle school. I am so happy to be starting my own grapes.
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There are some grape wine yards in Sweden, but they have to be situated in the south of the country. While Gothenburg isn’t that cold, I think it’s still too far up north.
As you say, fruit is a bit tricky and some require both female and male trees to get fruit. The best situation is if neighbors have fruit trees as well. At least in Sweden, apple trees are very common, so you’ll likely get fruit from just one tree. Other fruit, you’ll have to read up on it.
It sounds like the trees are pretty big, so you should be getting some fruit in just a couple of years then. That’s about the time it took for my parents apple tree (the old one died and they got a new one around 10 years ago. it’s had fruit in small and now bigger amounts for the past 5 years at least )
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I had a bunch of 〜畑 vocab in my review list, and now I think you might be growing female ninja in your garden??!
And I think it’s so cool that you carve those things!
Maybe I can make one for my tiny balcony. I have two tiny trees in pots, two green chairs, a square green table, and a outdoor rug that started out mostly white, but is now turning green, as well.
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The full name of my garden is the くノ一植物園. But that is too much to fit on my slab of stone! Also 畑 is more accurate. The name of my garden is the idea from my Japanese pen-pal. She taught me Kunoichi, and quickly started to call my garden the Kunoichi Garden.
Yes, think your balcony garden needs a Japanese name! Two-tree garden. 二木畑
Outdoor rugs clean nicely with soapy bleachy water. If you clean it once a year, it will not grow moss.
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Thanks for the tip on the rug cleaning! I’ll try it this weekend, if the weather is good. I’ll think on the name some more. I really like to sit there in the spring and summer, with a morning cup of coffee and a book (or WK reviews). I want to make it more welcoming to flying critters, as well. Thinking of putting up one of those insect hotels.
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To be sent to a friend in Tokyo.