Hi There Elizabeth! The curry leaf tree's leaves are used in Indian cooking, especially Dahl recipies (lentils). They are often fried with cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and garlic in a bit of oil and poured over dhoklas. Yum! I will bring some next party - but you can buy the mix in a box at the Indian store, it's good.

Here is a link that might be useful: Curry Leaf Tree info

Hi Elizabeth

I buy the hay in the feed store, since I don't know much about hay I told them that I needed for the garden and I did not want any seeds. They gave me the one I use I think they said coastal hay and they use for horses bedding.

I buy 2 times the hay in a year and I put one time just before the heat arrives, helps keep the soil moist and with the weeds. I don't disturb the soil, unless I am going to pick weeds or sometimes old tree roots. For that reason it is better to take out the grass before putting the beds but it is a lot of work so sometimes if there is grass they grow back in spots. When the harvest is done the hay is usually broken down and just add more organic material on top of that. I like to add organic fertilizers if I can that don't smell because they are either attractive to bugs or dogs. If I use any of those I have to add another layer that does not have any smell. I like black cow manure for that reason, no smell.

Depending on the crop I will use fertilizer, leafy veggies need more nitrogen let's say than root crops. Tomatoes in the beginning need more nitrogen than when they are having flowers and fruit so I switch. And always use very diluted amounts, it is like in a recipe you can always add more but you can not take it out, the same with sprays for disease or bugs.

The blueberries are Emerald and a pollinator that I don't remember the name and the majority are the Sunshine Blues.
I also have thornless blackberries that are producing heavy, they are together were I had the mints. If you go to Lowes they have the Sunshine Blue, when planting I used some peat moss and pine bark fines,espoma soil acidifier and azalea fertilizer.

Silvia

Thank you SO much Tina and Silvia!

Tina- so excited about this tree and the the recipe options. Any chance your family does Indian cooking classes for your good gardening forum buddies? :-)

Silvia - fabulous tips and input. SO appreciative of the detail of your response and the input. I think my next two garden motivations may be hay mulch and blue berries!

Happy spring gardening to all......

Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth,

I purchased a package of Ferry-Morse Pak Choi bonsai Hybrid from Lowes. The package produced about 75 heads. Cut the last heads today and gave them away. They were starting to bolt due to this hot weather we are having.

Now my raised bed is ready for my sweet potatoe slips.

It was nice meeting you and Ron. Altho I didn't get around to talking to everyone at any length.

Luther

Silvia,

Other than color and availability, is there a particular reason to use coastal hay over pine straw?

~dianne

Luther, I thought the same thing, we did not have the chance to talk to everyone as much as we wanted, we were all so excited that the time flew, the plants, the seeds, the food kept all our interest. Cheryl had a good laugh with your pictures!

Dianne, I do prefer hay for mulch because it decomposes quicker and adds to the soil. In the beds originally I use it as a filler, first I put newspaper or cardboard, then the hay, peat, etc.
Pine mulch might be too acidic for some veggies and might alter the ph unless you add lime. If you have it from your trees, I would use it especially around ornamentals or in a compost.
Like you saw in my garden, I don't have any big trees and 1 bale of hay is enough for the whole garden, if you notice certain crops that I grow them very close spaced like lettuce, swiss chard did not have the mulch because there is no need.

Silvia

Excellent, thank you Luther. Will be growing your Pak Choi next year as they headed so beautifully!

Now on the lookout for hay for mulch!

Elizabeth

I just noticed there is a post on the Florida Exchange for someone that had curry leaf trees and all the people who wanted them - who knew there were so many gardening Indian cooks?!

Tina, I forgot to mention your father in law, you are very lucky! He seems very nice, but can he cook? lol
I am looking forward to use my curry plant with my red lentils.

Elizabeth, do you remember the bed with the zucchini? before I had carrots and beets

When I took the big roots out, I amended the soil and the squash seeds were planted in the Starbucks paper bags that I get when I buy my coffee with a fresh soil in the bag, after a while I cut the handles, it was easy for me to protect them from the cold also, I could see the bags from far.

Silvia

Beautiful Silvia! I think my biggest learning of the past week is to plant earlier.... I just need more space so I can overlap my crops sooner.

So, on that note, what can we still be planting that won't get burned in the summer sun too quickly? Butter beans? Any other squash still?

Elizabeth

Thank you Elizabeth, sometimes when the bed is full but almost ready to be harvested you can have some other crops in mind started in cups. You can try some short maturing winter squash, butterbeans, lima beans, southern peas, yard long beans, sweet potatoes, of course, peanuts.

Purple Hull Southern Peas last June

Silvia