The bitter cold that the spiders forecast all summer long is here and my garden is pretty much gone. With freezing temps well into the single and double digits, all the veggies are showing the signs of cold weather stress.
The remaining tomatoes have died and the fruit on the vines froze. The broccoli and cauliflower leaves are showing signs of freeze burn. The sugar snaps are still green and the lettuce and spinach seem to be enjoying the cold.
It is sad to see the end of the growing season and yet there are sugar snap peas starting to sprout in the grow boxes I recently replanted. Apparently, there is always a saving grace.
I had a great time this year with my garden and it successfully produced about 325 pounds of vegetables. I am proud of the garden's success.
All I can say is "Wait until next year, we will be onward and up the ante!"
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Home Grown Broccoli
We picked our very first broccoli last week and we cooked and ate it. It is amazing how different something fresh from the garden tastes versus something you buy in the grocery store. I never knew home grown tasted so good.
Broccoli from my garden, I can not speak for other gardeners, has a much milder taste than the grocery store's broccoli. I even said to the produce man at my local chain that my broccoli was bigger than his.
Look, I am not sporting for a fight, but I am a real good gardener and I now know that if I can control most of the elements I can grow great quantities of good vegetables. I am so happy with my 2010 garden because it really was fun.
Wait until next year, I have changes in mind that will make it a much better yielding garden and one of my changes involves the summer squash. Look out doxies, you may have to eat a lot more squash next year.
I really don't think they will mind.
Broccoli from my garden, I can not speak for other gardeners, has a much milder taste than the grocery store's broccoli. I even said to the produce man at my local chain that my broccoli was bigger than his.
Look, I am not sporting for a fight, but I am a real good gardener and I now know that if I can control most of the elements I can grow great quantities of good vegetables. I am so happy with my 2010 garden because it really was fun.
Wait until next year, I have changes in mind that will make it a much better yielding garden and one of my changes involves the summer squash. Look out doxies, you may have to eat a lot more squash next year.
I really don't think they will mind.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
The Day After
Thanksgiving is over and I have no idea what I will do with all of the food left over. We had way too much and we were all full.
The one area we had no problem "selling the items", as my father-in-law used to say, was the pies. They were a big hit and so was the squash casserole, sweet potatoes, turkey, dressing, etc. However, there is only so much of that stuff that you can eat.
We included some patty pan squash in our casserole as a symbolic offering from my garden. It was great to have the children home and it is also great to have the peace return to our abode.
I can truly say that having friends and family at our table is the best blessing of all.
The one area we had no problem "selling the items", as my father-in-law used to say, was the pies. They were a big hit and so was the squash casserole, sweet potatoes, turkey, dressing, etc. However, there is only so much of that stuff that you can eat.
We included some patty pan squash in our casserole as a symbolic offering from my garden. It was great to have the children home and it is also great to have the peace return to our abode.
I can truly say that having friends and family at our table is the best blessing of all.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Give Thanks
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. This is the day for giving thanks for all G-d has given to us, both good and bad. My friend Kurt Stone once gave the sermon to his congregation that sometimes we pray for something and we get it and other times we don't, that just means that G-d said yes or no.
This year was a resounding yes for me and my garden. Yes to being outside, yes to watching the young plants grow, yes to meditation time, yes to a very bountiful harvest,and yes to being a gardener again. I would love to be in the yes line again next year for a lot of reasons.
It was pointed out to me very early on that we can live and look out for ourselves and others or we can live only for ourselves. Trust me when I say that it is a lot more fun to share than be selfish.
I have always told my friends and family that you can throw dirt into that turned off fan and you can throw flowers. Someone will come and flip the switch and it all comes back to you. It is your choice whether you get flower petals or dirt in your face.
Make the right choice and you will find out giving is much more rewarding than receiving.
This year was a resounding yes for me and my garden. Yes to being outside, yes to watching the young plants grow, yes to meditation time, yes to a very bountiful harvest,and yes to being a gardener again. I would love to be in the yes line again next year for a lot of reasons.
It was pointed out to me very early on that we can live and look out for ourselves and others or we can live only for ourselves. Trust me when I say that it is a lot more fun to share than be selfish.
I have always told my friends and family that you can throw dirt into that turned off fan and you can throw flowers. Someone will come and flip the switch and it all comes back to you. It is your choice whether you get flower petals or dirt in your face.
Make the right choice and you will find out giving is much more rewarding than receiving.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
A Time For Thanks
As Thanksgiving draws close, as the cool weather sets in, I can't help but be thankful for all of G-d's bounty. All organic gardeners are believers in a higher power and if you listen carefully to the words that flow out of their mouths, you will understand.
If you have ever stood and talked to a farmer, the words will be something like this. "Yes, we had a good year and G-d or the Lord blessed us with ample rain, plenty of not so hot days and a good harvest." If the response is "yes, we had a hard summer with too much heat and not enough rain, maybe we will be blessed with a better crop next year."
My family always sits around the table at Thanksgiving and each shares what we are thankful for this year. One year, my daughter was proposed to by my wonderful son-in-law. My mother (mother-in-law in reality) turned to me and said "did he just ask her to marry him?" and I said yes with tears rolling down my checks.
This year, as we sit and tell what we are thankful for, I don't think they will give me enough time to tell all I want to be on my list. I have had the opportunity to be back in the sunshine, to watch young things grow, to enjoy the bounty the careful tending yielded, and enjoy eating what we brought to the table.
All six children of my children also reflect the careful tending and the loving touch. Bill and I have fought in one way or the other for all of them. I have fought the school systems, the teachers when wrong, and predictions for their future.
Sometimes it amazes me how flip teachers and administrators can be when a child is involved. They open their mouths before they engage their brains. My oldest daughter was told she would never be able to write and multiple published books and articles later that she has written, yes she can.
Our grown children bring to the table all that they have learned and all that they have been able to produce. Two of my daughters give of themselves everyday and teach school in most spectacular ways. My second daughter is one of the best AP teachers in Florida and my youngest daughter leads her fifth grade team at a Title One school.
My oldest son tries to treat his customers as he would want to be treated, my middle son gives his all to his teammates,his friends,and family and my youngest son is going to re-engineer the things the world needs and make it a better world. I am such a proud mother.
Without my husband, Bill, there wouldn't have been a garden this year. Like in so many years gone by, he helped with the preparation of the beds. This year, he diligently kept the grow boxes full of water and made sure the boxes had the room to grow properly.
My husband and I will share our fortieth anniversary in a few weeks and yet it feels like yesterday. Yesterday when there weren't any children,spouses or significant others, grandchildren or even a garden.
Our only grandchild of the human variety is our grandson,Eric, and he came as part of the package with my son-in-law Abe. It was a two for one and how lucky we were to get them. The forty year mark seems so easy when you write it, but it takes work like the garden to achieve the rewards.
So much sowing and so much reaping. So much to be happy and thankful for even in these troubled times. May peace come to all of us and bring with it a bountiful harvest in the coming year.
If you have ever stood and talked to a farmer, the words will be something like this. "Yes, we had a good year and G-d or the Lord blessed us with ample rain, plenty of not so hot days and a good harvest." If the response is "yes, we had a hard summer with too much heat and not enough rain, maybe we will be blessed with a better crop next year."
My family always sits around the table at Thanksgiving and each shares what we are thankful for this year. One year, my daughter was proposed to by my wonderful son-in-law. My mother (mother-in-law in reality) turned to me and said "did he just ask her to marry him?" and I said yes with tears rolling down my checks.
This year, as we sit and tell what we are thankful for, I don't think they will give me enough time to tell all I want to be on my list. I have had the opportunity to be back in the sunshine, to watch young things grow, to enjoy the bounty the careful tending yielded, and enjoy eating what we brought to the table.
All six children of my children also reflect the careful tending and the loving touch. Bill and I have fought in one way or the other for all of them. I have fought the school systems, the teachers when wrong, and predictions for their future.
Sometimes it amazes me how flip teachers and administrators can be when a child is involved. They open their mouths before they engage their brains. My oldest daughter was told she would never be able to write and multiple published books and articles later that she has written, yes she can.
Our grown children bring to the table all that they have learned and all that they have been able to produce. Two of my daughters give of themselves everyday and teach school in most spectacular ways. My second daughter is one of the best AP teachers in Florida and my youngest daughter leads her fifth grade team at a Title One school.
My oldest son tries to treat his customers as he would want to be treated, my middle son gives his all to his teammates,his friends,and family and my youngest son is going to re-engineer the things the world needs and make it a better world. I am such a proud mother.
Without my husband, Bill, there wouldn't have been a garden this year. Like in so many years gone by, he helped with the preparation of the beds. This year, he diligently kept the grow boxes full of water and made sure the boxes had the room to grow properly.
My husband and I will share our fortieth anniversary in a few weeks and yet it feels like yesterday. Yesterday when there weren't any children,spouses or significant others, grandchildren or even a garden.
Our only grandchild of the human variety is our grandson,Eric, and he came as part of the package with my son-in-law Abe. It was a two for one and how lucky we were to get them. The forty year mark seems so easy when you write it, but it takes work like the garden to achieve the rewards.
So much sowing and so much reaping. So much to be happy and thankful for even in these troubled times. May peace come to all of us and bring with it a bountiful harvest in the coming year.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Keep on rolling along
When this whole adventure with the Grow Boxes started, I tried it because of the guarantee that if I was unsatisfied with the boxes I could get my money back. These people must be joking, because it would take a Neanderthal with no brain and the inability to read to not be able to grow in these containers. Since I am neither, I have been greatly successful with my boxes so far this year.
Now, with 320 pounds 2 ounces of vegetables so far, the only question is if some of the 2010 garden continues into 2011, which year do I attribute the extra to. I have had a great time in the garden and enjoyed my own food grown by my own hands so much. It would be wonderful if the whole world could do something like this and participate in the fun.
My little great nephew got tremendous pleasure out of picking tomatoes from my plants this summer and hopefully we will pick more next year. As far as my garden, I have vegetables and spices to go through the winter thanks to a greenhouse and a cold frame.
You might be lucky enough and Santa will drop off a few Grow Boxes so you can try them. For me,my experiment next summer will continue on. I will try some new treatments for heirloom tomatoes like grafting and growing my own transplants instead one buying ones I was not happy with.
It amazes me that my daughter Kimmie, who ate only a few vegetables as a child, really loves Patty Pan squash from my garden. Better look out doxies, somebody wants to steal your stash.
Now, with 320 pounds 2 ounces of vegetables so far, the only question is if some of the 2010 garden continues into 2011, which year do I attribute the extra to. I have had a great time in the garden and enjoyed my own food grown by my own hands so much. It would be wonderful if the whole world could do something like this and participate in the fun.
My little great nephew got tremendous pleasure out of picking tomatoes from my plants this summer and hopefully we will pick more next year. As far as my garden, I have vegetables and spices to go through the winter thanks to a greenhouse and a cold frame.
You might be lucky enough and Santa will drop off a few Grow Boxes so you can try them. For me,my experiment next summer will continue on. I will try some new treatments for heirloom tomatoes like grafting and growing my own transplants instead one buying ones I was not happy with.
It amazes me that my daughter Kimmie, who ate only a few vegetables as a child, really loves Patty Pan squash from my garden. Better look out doxies, somebody wants to steal your stash.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sherry's Mediterranean Chicken
SHERRY’S MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN
One whole chicken cut-up
Whole head of garlic
Can of low sodium black olives
Jar of pimento stuffed green olives
Seven Seas Italian or Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
Small red new potatoes
Fresh Oregano
Fresh Basil
Wash chicken in cold water and place in deep baking dish or pan.
Break the garlic into cloves, leave the skin on the garlic cloves and distribute around the chicken.
Chop fresh oregano and basil and sprinkle over the chicken.
Put ½ of both types of olives onto the chicken.
Wash the potatoes. Cut small new potatoes into fourths or larger red potatoes into smaller pieces.
Sprinkle all of the above heavily with the salad dressing. If you are able, let this sit in the refrigerator for one hour or overnight.
Bake at 375 degrees for one hour covered, then continue to cook uncovered for 30 minutes longer. Take the chicken out and put on baking sheet. Return both pans to the oven until the chicken is browned. Serve the chicken with the garlic and potatoes.
This is a receipe that can be easily doubled, tripled, etc.
ENJOY!!!!
One whole chicken cut-up
Whole head of garlic
Can of low sodium black olives
Jar of pimento stuffed green olives
Seven Seas Italian or Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
Small red new potatoes
Fresh Oregano
Fresh Basil
Wash chicken in cold water and place in deep baking dish or pan.
Break the garlic into cloves, leave the skin on the garlic cloves and distribute around the chicken.
Chop fresh oregano and basil and sprinkle over the chicken.
Put ½ of both types of olives onto the chicken.
Wash the potatoes. Cut small new potatoes into fourths or larger red potatoes into smaller pieces.
Sprinkle all of the above heavily with the salad dressing. If you are able, let this sit in the refrigerator for one hour or overnight.
Bake at 375 degrees for one hour covered, then continue to cook uncovered for 30 minutes longer. Take the chicken out and put on baking sheet. Return both pans to the oven until the chicken is browned. Serve the chicken with the garlic and potatoes.
This is a receipe that can be easily doubled, tripled, etc.
ENJOY!!!!
Fresh Spices
We are going to be able to have fresh herbs all winter because we found another way to keep part of our summer garden growing. Last night, my husband and I were on a mission again. We frequent the local hardware and garden stores and we found the last cold frame available at one of them.
A cold frame, for the garden newbees, is a short version of a hot house. It has a lid that can be lifted up on warm days and closed at night to protect the tender vegetables or herbs. I currently have two herb boxes going into the cold frame because we have twenty degree nights in the forecast for Thanksgiving week.
It will be a nice winter if the herbs can continue to grow for the winter. I developed this wonderful Mediterranean chicken recipe that requires fresh garlic, basil and oregano. I had Italian friends that loved chicken and potatoes but they would never give out the recipe. It took a couple tries, but Sherry's Mediterranean Chicken is now a family favorite.
My own version of garlic blue crabs require fresh basil and Melissa D'Arabian's Lemon Tuscan chicken requires fresh thyme. (I will post my Mediterranean Chicken recipe and Melissa's recipe is on the Food Network site).
Fresh spices and warm food are as simple as it gets. And yet, it is always comfort food we want when the weather gets bad.
A cold frame, for the garden newbees, is a short version of a hot house. It has a lid that can be lifted up on warm days and closed at night to protect the tender vegetables or herbs. I currently have two herb boxes going into the cold frame because we have twenty degree nights in the forecast for Thanksgiving week.
It will be a nice winter if the herbs can continue to grow for the winter. I developed this wonderful Mediterranean chicken recipe that requires fresh garlic, basil and oregano. I had Italian friends that loved chicken and potatoes but they would never give out the recipe. It took a couple tries, but Sherry's Mediterranean Chicken is now a family favorite.
My own version of garlic blue crabs require fresh basil and Melissa D'Arabian's Lemon Tuscan chicken requires fresh thyme. (I will post my Mediterranean Chicken recipe and Melissa's recipe is on the Food Network site).
Fresh spices and warm food are as simple as it gets. And yet, it is always comfort food we want when the weather gets bad.
Me and the Prince
I never thought I would listen to the monarchy of England and like what I heard, but I was wrong. It turns out that Prince Charles is someone who thinks we need to work harder to save our natural resources and become environmentally responsible.
When we grow plants, they take the carbon dioxide out of the air and changes it into the oxygen we need to breathe, sugar and other organic elements. By growing plants we can lessen our carbon footprint, and Bill and I have certainly made a concerted effort to do so with our organic garden.
We cleaned up some of our lesser plants today and replaced them with seven Grow Boxes that we replanted with sugar snap pea seeds. If they take off like the other box of sugar snap peas, we should have a lot to stir-fry this winter along with the broccoli.
When I first started with the Grow Boxes I thought I would have a few tomatoes this summer and yet it has become an obsession with me and maybe my husband. We like the clean looks of our garden, we like being able to work from the seat of a garden cart, and we love working in the fresh air. It gives us a chance to get some Vitamin D from the sun.
The doctors are pushing Vitamin D and monitoring the element in our blood. Apparently as we age, the ends of our DNA gets frayed and our bodies break down. Vitamin D in proper levels keeps the DNA from getting frayed.
Well, I take my Vitamin D capsules and you can find me outside playing in the dirt. I intend being the best looking 90 year old in about thirty years.
When we grow plants, they take the carbon dioxide out of the air and changes it into the oxygen we need to breathe, sugar and other organic elements. By growing plants we can lessen our carbon footprint, and Bill and I have certainly made a concerted effort to do so with our organic garden.
We cleaned up some of our lesser plants today and replaced them with seven Grow Boxes that we replanted with sugar snap pea seeds. If they take off like the other box of sugar snap peas, we should have a lot to stir-fry this winter along with the broccoli.
When I first started with the Grow Boxes I thought I would have a few tomatoes this summer and yet it has become an obsession with me and maybe my husband. We like the clean looks of our garden, we like being able to work from the seat of a garden cart, and we love working in the fresh air. It gives us a chance to get some Vitamin D from the sun.
The doctors are pushing Vitamin D and monitoring the element in our blood. Apparently as we age, the ends of our DNA gets frayed and our bodies break down. Vitamin D in proper levels keeps the DNA from getting frayed.
Well, I take my Vitamin D capsules and you can find me outside playing in the dirt. I intend being the best looking 90 year old in about thirty years.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
We Have Broccoli
The garden has changed significantly this week. We have pulled out beans, squash, tomatoes, and cleaned up the whole garden patch.
Our greenhouse shows condensation on the walls and the tomato and pepper plants inside are putting out new growth in the warm climate. Even though this is an artificial climate in the greenhouse, it is what the plants want.
Our experimentation continues on with all of the cole crops we have planted this fall. Bill and I are surprised by the large baseball size broccoli head in our first grow box we planted the broccoli in. This part of the garden is some of my husband's favorite vegetables-Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, and sugar snap peas.
The lettuce is for me and I do not like Iceberg lettuce because it has no nutritional value. I prefer red leaf, Buttercrunch, and Romaine because the loose leaf lettuce is better for us. I do love most of the cole crops and maybe Brussels sprouts will finally make a breakthrough with my taste buds.
For Thanksgiving this year as in years gone by, we will make squash casserole. This is a family favorite and I plan to use some of my patty pan squash in it along with yellow squash from the farmers market.
I admit I did frequent my favorite market for fruit this summer and Rick's is my market whenever I need fruits and vegetables. He buys from the farmers and gets varieties that I don't always see in other stores. He also is my source for information about applying lime in the fall.
The problem with most people is they do not think and they know nothing. Although I have been an organic gardener for 36 almost 37 years, I read all the time and I learn new things everyday.
The garden teaches us to listen to our plants with our eyes and our hearts, not with words. Oh what peace comes from solitude.
Our greenhouse shows condensation on the walls and the tomato and pepper plants inside are putting out new growth in the warm climate. Even though this is an artificial climate in the greenhouse, it is what the plants want.
Our experimentation continues on with all of the cole crops we have planted this fall. Bill and I are surprised by the large baseball size broccoli head in our first grow box we planted the broccoli in. This part of the garden is some of my husband's favorite vegetables-Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, and sugar snap peas.
The lettuce is for me and I do not like Iceberg lettuce because it has no nutritional value. I prefer red leaf, Buttercrunch, and Romaine because the loose leaf lettuce is better for us. I do love most of the cole crops and maybe Brussels sprouts will finally make a breakthrough with my taste buds.
For Thanksgiving this year as in years gone by, we will make squash casserole. This is a family favorite and I plan to use some of my patty pan squash in it along with yellow squash from the farmers market.
I admit I did frequent my favorite market for fruit this summer and Rick's is my market whenever I need fruits and vegetables. He buys from the farmers and gets varieties that I don't always see in other stores. He also is my source for information about applying lime in the fall.
The problem with most people is they do not think and they know nothing. Although I have been an organic gardener for 36 almost 37 years, I read all the time and I learn new things everyday.
The garden teaches us to listen to our plants with our eyes and our hearts, not with words. Oh what peace comes from solitude.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Not Just Leaves Changing
The garden she is a changing. The overall complexion of the garden has significantly changed over the last week. The beans are gone and the tomatoes and peppers are next,that is except for the containers in my new greenhouse.
The grow boxes are now full of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, brussel sprouts, and sugar snap peas. My broccoli has some heads the size of half dollar or silver dollar coins. It is the very first time we have had a successful growth of broccoli.
Surprise, surprise! Yesterday, my husband and I trekked to one of the popular home repair and garden retailers to see if they had a bargain on a greenhouse. We had seen some that sat in waterlogged boxes last week and wondered if they wanted to get rid of them cheaply.
We were pleasantly rewarded with the fact the store still had one of the waterlogged boxes. We bought a pop-up plastic greenhouses that measured 5 foot by 5 foot by 6 1/2 feet tall. This is not huge by any measure but certainly big enough to hold two tomato boxes, one pepper box and maybe my herb box. It may be possible to get another box in if my son redesigns the supports.
It will be the first Thanksgiving I will be able to serve my fresh tomatoes from the garden along with the turkey. This year, like so many others, has been a learning experience beyond belief. I actually weighed in a 14 ounce Mr. Stripey tomato today as we roll along to the next mark of 310 pounds out of the garden.
I have been the teacher this summer and I have also been the student. Oh how wonderful to be back in the outdoor classroom.
The grow boxes are now full of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, brussel sprouts, and sugar snap peas. My broccoli has some heads the size of half dollar or silver dollar coins. It is the very first time we have had a successful growth of broccoli.
Surprise, surprise! Yesterday, my husband and I trekked to one of the popular home repair and garden retailers to see if they had a bargain on a greenhouse. We had seen some that sat in waterlogged boxes last week and wondered if they wanted to get rid of them cheaply.
We were pleasantly rewarded with the fact the store still had one of the waterlogged boxes. We bought a pop-up plastic greenhouses that measured 5 foot by 5 foot by 6 1/2 feet tall. This is not huge by any measure but certainly big enough to hold two tomato boxes, one pepper box and maybe my herb box. It may be possible to get another box in if my son redesigns the supports.
It will be the first Thanksgiving I will be able to serve my fresh tomatoes from the garden along with the turkey. This year, like so many others, has been a learning experience beyond belief. I actually weighed in a 14 ounce Mr. Stripey tomato today as we roll along to the next mark of 310 pounds out of the garden.
I have been the teacher this summer and I have also been the student. Oh how wonderful to be back in the outdoor classroom.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sad
I was out in the garden today and I could not help but be saddened by the frost burned plants and the frozen green beans. The tomato, squash, basil, and pepper plants my husband and I loving covered yesterday have survived. Hopefully they will live to give us some more veggies.
The sugar snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts are so happy to be in the cool weather they love so much. Unfortunately, the master design is that we eat some crops in spring and summer, and others in fall and winter. You do not go looking for citrus fruits in the summer and you wouldn't pay for watermelon in the winter.
Doctors who specialize in intestinal problems tell us to eat seasonally. That is what I am talking about. I love all kinds of fruits and vegetables and wish I could grow it all whenever I feel like it.
My plants just wouldn't or couldn't fight the coming of the darkness and the dying of the light.
The sugar snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts are so happy to be in the cool weather they love so much. Unfortunately, the master design is that we eat some crops in spring and summer, and others in fall and winter. You do not go looking for citrus fruits in the summer and you wouldn't pay for watermelon in the winter.
Doctors who specialize in intestinal problems tell us to eat seasonally. That is what I am talking about. I love all kinds of fruits and vegetables and wish I could grow it all whenever I feel like it.
My plants just wouldn't or couldn't fight the coming of the darkness and the dying of the light.
Winter becons
It is the 6th of November and we have our first frost predicted for tonight. We made the 300 pound mark today with 302 pounds 10 ounces. That has been the magic mark and it seemed impossible,and we have been sharing the last of the year's tomatoes with friends and family this week.
My husband is so into the fall season for the garden that we bought more broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce when we went shopping for an inexpensive green house. I found the greenhouse but I have to go back to pick it up because the box was wet. Bill did not want to put in the back of my car.
I absolutely can not believe that we made the 300 pound mark and we will be continuing our quest for the highest amount. It amazes me that when everyone's garden petered out in July and August, my garden continues to produce. Maybe it is my years of experimentation or just my unwillingness to say that the garden is done.
We covered as many plants as possible to keep the frost off of them. We used plastic drop cloths and miniature clamps to keep the cold out. The morning will tell, but I have twenty pounds or more of tomatoes still outside.
Come on winter, I am ready to fight.
My husband is so into the fall season for the garden that we bought more broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce when we went shopping for an inexpensive green house. I found the greenhouse but I have to go back to pick it up because the box was wet. Bill did not want to put in the back of my car.
I absolutely can not believe that we made the 300 pound mark and we will be continuing our quest for the highest amount. It amazes me that when everyone's garden petered out in July and August, my garden continues to produce. Maybe it is my years of experimentation or just my unwillingness to say that the garden is done.
We covered as many plants as possible to keep the frost off of them. We used plastic drop cloths and miniature clamps to keep the cold out. The morning will tell, but I have twenty pounds or more of tomatoes still outside.
Come on winter, I am ready to fight.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Celebrating Halloween
Tonight, we are celebrating Halloween and I wish we had planted pumpkins so that we could have been visited by the Great Pumpkin. Now we probably would be like Linus and never get the visit so we bought a couple of big bags of candy. Foolish Linus and Charlie Brown.
We are celebrating our new production number of 291 pounds 13 ounces because we know the 300 pound mark is definitely in sight and will be a reality. Three hundred pounds, three hundred pounds. I keep rolling that around in my mind and I know I can do much better next year. It also makes you want to rush the seasons and that is not fair.
With the fall season, we have seen great growth in our sugar snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. We also have had a renewed growth of bell peppers because of the respite from the intolerable heat we had this summer.
The newer tomato plants have also shown the coming of the cold weather. They seem to be ripening their tomatoes at a rapid pace in order to get the fruit grown and gone before the "dying of the light".
It has been a great summer and we have produced a lot of vegetables that we enjoyed with friends and family. We have tried new methods, plant cultivar and used old gardening ideas. We know we want to change a couple of things next year, will start earlier and put lime in the boxes this fall so that the good, old fashioned Dolomite lime has a chance to permeate the growing mix.
I can wish for more production, but I know I will probably get to the 315 pound mark with the cole crops. The broccoli is already starting to show the beginning of the heads that we will harvest in the next few weeks. I am happy that I have had the time in the garden and so glad to be back there. Many happy hours of meditation and joy at seeing my plants grow.
I can still say that I am one good organic gardener. At least in my mind and the proof is on my table and in my refrigerator.
We are celebrating our new production number of 291 pounds 13 ounces because we know the 300 pound mark is definitely in sight and will be a reality. Three hundred pounds, three hundred pounds. I keep rolling that around in my mind and I know I can do much better next year. It also makes you want to rush the seasons and that is not fair.
With the fall season, we have seen great growth in our sugar snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. We also have had a renewed growth of bell peppers because of the respite from the intolerable heat we had this summer.
The newer tomato plants have also shown the coming of the cold weather. They seem to be ripening their tomatoes at a rapid pace in order to get the fruit grown and gone before the "dying of the light".
It has been a great summer and we have produced a lot of vegetables that we enjoyed with friends and family. We have tried new methods, plant cultivar and used old gardening ideas. We know we want to change a couple of things next year, will start earlier and put lime in the boxes this fall so that the good, old fashioned Dolomite lime has a chance to permeate the growing mix.
I can wish for more production, but I know I will probably get to the 315 pound mark with the cole crops. The broccoli is already starting to show the beginning of the heads that we will harvest in the next few weeks. I am happy that I have had the time in the garden and so glad to be back there. Many happy hours of meditation and joy at seeing my plants grow.
I can still say that I am one good organic gardener. At least in my mind and the proof is on my table and in my refrigerator.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Rage, Rage
Like the poem by Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, I want my plants to continue to fight against the coming of the cold weather and the end of most of my garden. I want the plants to "rage against the dying of the light" and live longer, but in my heart I know this will not happen.
My husband and I have tended the garden so carefully this year, but we can do better. We planted Brussel Sprouts today to keep some of the buckets with cole crops in them, and still have head cabbage, more broccoli, more lettuce, and oregano to plant.
We have now reached 280 pounds, 4 ounces and that is a lot for a small backyard garden. It is .45 of a pound per square foot of gardening. If we reach 315 pounds, we will have produced a half of a pound per square foot and that is since late April.
The record keeping was part of the experiment that we conducted this summer to see what kind of production can come out of a small backyard garden. It was not a real experiment because there was no control group for comparison. It was a half baked experiment with spectacular results.
This garden showed me that I can continue to garden in a less physical manner and still provide my family with great food. Food that has not been manipulated with toxic fertilizers and toxic bug sprays.
And yet, I too will rage, rage against the dying of the light.
My husband and I have tended the garden so carefully this year, but we can do better. We planted Brussel Sprouts today to keep some of the buckets with cole crops in them, and still have head cabbage, more broccoli, more lettuce, and oregano to plant.
We have now reached 280 pounds, 4 ounces and that is a lot for a small backyard garden. It is .45 of a pound per square foot of gardening. If we reach 315 pounds, we will have produced a half of a pound per square foot and that is since late April.
The record keeping was part of the experiment that we conducted this summer to see what kind of production can come out of a small backyard garden. It was not a real experiment because there was no control group for comparison. It was a half baked experiment with spectacular results.
This garden showed me that I can continue to garden in a less physical manner and still provide my family with great food. Food that has not been manipulated with toxic fertilizers and toxic bug sprays.
And yet, I too will rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
It is time for cabbage
Well, as the season starts to cool and the nights grow longer, the summer crops are beginning to wane. I wonder it I can get the dogs to switch from squash to cabbage crops like broccoli ( I always want to digress to the SNL's "chopping broccoli"), cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel sprouts,and also spinach.
Not very interesting, is it? Then think of stir fry,corned beef and cabbage, stuffed cabbage, spinach casseroles or salads, and just steamed cauliflower with cheese or butter.
My sugar snap peas have started growing a lot faster and it is an unusual plant. Little known fact is that the leaves are edible as well as the peas are and taste just like the snaps.
We have pulled all of the cucumber plants because they have reached the end of their season. I will miss the sweet slice cucumbers and I intend to try the Japanese variety next summer. I also plan to inoculate the plants with beneficial nematodes (sold by Gardens Alive). The nematodes are supposed to be the best thing for fighting squash adversaries. Luckily, the sponge containing the nematodes are already in the syringe and all you have to do is add water and keep the syringes cold in the fridge until used.
I also plan to add Praying Mantis, Lady Bugs and Lace wings to fight the adversarial bugs. I also plan to utilize more companion plants like marigolds, garlic, and nasturtiums.
We have broccoli for one of the vacated boxes, brussels sprouts for another, lettuce, spinach, and cabbage. With almost 269 pounds of veggies accounted for, I think we will reach our 300 plus pound mark.
Who knows, we may get to 325 pounds. It is all in the planning.
Not very interesting, is it? Then think of stir fry,corned beef and cabbage, stuffed cabbage, spinach casseroles or salads, and just steamed cauliflower with cheese or butter.
My sugar snap peas have started growing a lot faster and it is an unusual plant. Little known fact is that the leaves are edible as well as the peas are and taste just like the snaps.
We have pulled all of the cucumber plants because they have reached the end of their season. I will miss the sweet slice cucumbers and I intend to try the Japanese variety next summer. I also plan to inoculate the plants with beneficial nematodes (sold by Gardens Alive). The nematodes are supposed to be the best thing for fighting squash adversaries. Luckily, the sponge containing the nematodes are already in the syringe and all you have to do is add water and keep the syringes cold in the fridge until used.
I also plan to add Praying Mantis, Lady Bugs and Lace wings to fight the adversarial bugs. I also plan to utilize more companion plants like marigolds, garlic, and nasturtiums.
We have broccoli for one of the vacated boxes, brussels sprouts for another, lettuce, spinach, and cabbage. With almost 269 pounds of veggies accounted for, I think we will reach our 300 plus pound mark.
Who knows, we may get to 325 pounds. It is all in the planning.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Remembering
We have now surpassed a new level in our quest for the best. Despite starting three months or a full season late, we have managed to get 253 pounds 6 ounces so far out of our small garden space.
After harvesting today, we had reached the new plateau. I think we may reach the 300 level if we get another fifteen or twenty pounds out of my tomatoes, ten or 15 pounds of broccoli, 10 or 15 pounds of cauliflower and anything else out of the squash, cukes, sugar snap peas, beans, lettuce, herbs, and peppers.
I am amazed and thrilled, and the only other honor that would really mean so much is to win the Garden Patch contest for the summer. That may never be,and I did not grow the garden for the contest. I grew the garden for me.
My daughter, Kimmie, told me about a lab mice experiment concerning the treatment of Alzheimers. The British scientists found that the mice do lose the memories, their DNA gets unwound. You might say they aren't wound too tight.
Then the scientist found that if they gave the mice a wheel to exercise on they were able to remember. You might say they needed to be rewound. They did some experiments on the elderly with dementia and found if they got them active with exercises they liked they could remember things they had forgot.
Well, I guess I have been like those mice on the wheel. I remember the joy of the garden and nature, but more important I remember the real me.
After harvesting today, we had reached the new plateau. I think we may reach the 300 level if we get another fifteen or twenty pounds out of my tomatoes, ten or 15 pounds of broccoli, 10 or 15 pounds of cauliflower and anything else out of the squash, cukes, sugar snap peas, beans, lettuce, herbs, and peppers.
I am amazed and thrilled, and the only other honor that would really mean so much is to win the Garden Patch contest for the summer. That may never be,and I did not grow the garden for the contest. I grew the garden for me.
My daughter, Kimmie, told me about a lab mice experiment concerning the treatment of Alzheimers. The British scientists found that the mice do lose the memories, their DNA gets unwound. You might say they aren't wound too tight.
Then the scientist found that if they gave the mice a wheel to exercise on they were able to remember. You might say they needed to be rewound. They did some experiments on the elderly with dementia and found if they got them active with exercises they liked they could remember things they had forgot.
Well, I guess I have been like those mice on the wheel. I remember the joy of the garden and nature, but more important I remember the real me.
Friday, October 8, 2010
New signs of fall
A couple of days ago, we must have had a slight frost overnight. I have definite evidence of frost burn on several of my tomato plants and a couple of the squash plants. It is a sure sign that fall is here and winter is not far away.
I hate that the garden is showing all of the signs of ending for the year. I love the solitude of sitting and picking beans or tomatoes or squash. I will miss the taste of my own vegetables on my plate because what I buy in the grocery store just does not compare.
I thought it was in my own mind, but I know different now. I have cooked two of the best pots of green beans I have had in years. The beans actually had flavor and was so much like the beans I used to pick from my garden thirty plus years ago. The flavor of Blue Lake beans, whether pole or bush, is exquisite. Nothing like some from a can or a freezer.
My Patty Pan squash and my light skinned zucchini have that buttery flavor that just is unbelievable. My new puppy, Maggie, loves the squash just like my boys do. They all sat begging for more a couple of nights ago.
All of these things do not compare with walking out the back door and picking your own vegetables. No bill to pay or anybody to thank but yourself. G-d has such a perfect system and we just need to use it.
Join me next year. Grow your own vegetables, either my way or yours. Give it a try and see how good you will feel when you have succeeded.
Grow an heirloom tomato and make yourself a Redneck sandwich. Soft white bread slathered with mayonnaise and a think slab of tomato. Salt and pepper will finish off the sandwich and you.
I hate that the garden is showing all of the signs of ending for the year. I love the solitude of sitting and picking beans or tomatoes or squash. I will miss the taste of my own vegetables on my plate because what I buy in the grocery store just does not compare.
I thought it was in my own mind, but I know different now. I have cooked two of the best pots of green beans I have had in years. The beans actually had flavor and was so much like the beans I used to pick from my garden thirty plus years ago. The flavor of Blue Lake beans, whether pole or bush, is exquisite. Nothing like some from a can or a freezer.
My Patty Pan squash and my light skinned zucchini have that buttery flavor that just is unbelievable. My new puppy, Maggie, loves the squash just like my boys do. They all sat begging for more a couple of nights ago.
All of these things do not compare with walking out the back door and picking your own vegetables. No bill to pay or anybody to thank but yourself. G-d has such a perfect system and we just need to use it.
Join me next year. Grow your own vegetables, either my way or yours. Give it a try and see how good you will feel when you have succeeded.
Grow an heirloom tomato and make yourself a Redneck sandwich. Soft white bread slathered with mayonnaise and a think slab of tomato. Salt and pepper will finish off the sandwich and you.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Pushing past the pain
My garden reached a new milestone today. We have now harvested 240 plus pounds of vegetables. We have plenty that will be harvested in the near future and the peas I was lamenting the last time have new vigor.
The okra has really waned and will be replaced tomorrow with the cauliflower transplants. I will harvest a bunch of the lettuce and I may replant some more of the lettuce transplants, except this time it will be Romaine lettuce. Adding some broccoli transplants to the squash buckets could be the ticket.
The new secret to squash beetles seems to be a more advanced version of the BT spray for crawling and chewing bugs. The bugs just hate the spray and it has helped a good bit. Next year everything is going to have companion plantings of marigolds, nasturtiums and any other companion plant that fights the bugs.
I am really proud of how much has come out of the garden. I have had other gardens that have produced more vegetables, but not in the limited space that the 2010 garden occupies. A garden with roughly 625 square feet is a relatively small garden by my standards, but this has produced fruit like a garden three or four times as big
If I was asked if I would use the Garden Patch grow boxes again, it would be a very loud YES. It is not to say they are perfect, and I have found a few things I don't like about them. I intend to change my stands in the garden and make much more substantial stands, and I know my youngest son will be happy to weld them together for me.
I also want some kind of circulating water system for next year and I don't want to have to go from box to box. I think a mosquito shield is needed and I will design and fit one for each of my boxes. I will also order some supplemental fertilizer from Gardens Alive for long growing tomatoes and peppers. They seem to need a little push at this time of year.
As my computer geek husband told me about software, if it does 50% of what you want it is good, 75% the software is excellent, 85 to 95 percent and the software is exceptional. No product works without bugs, be it software or plant grow boxes.
I would give these boxes at least an 85 to 90 percent and that makes them exceptional. Beggers can't be choosers, I am so glad I have had the time to commune with nature.
But wait until next year, and watch what I can do.
The okra has really waned and will be replaced tomorrow with the cauliflower transplants. I will harvest a bunch of the lettuce and I may replant some more of the lettuce transplants, except this time it will be Romaine lettuce. Adding some broccoli transplants to the squash buckets could be the ticket.
The new secret to squash beetles seems to be a more advanced version of the BT spray for crawling and chewing bugs. The bugs just hate the spray and it has helped a good bit. Next year everything is going to have companion plantings of marigolds, nasturtiums and any other companion plant that fights the bugs.
I am really proud of how much has come out of the garden. I have had other gardens that have produced more vegetables, but not in the limited space that the 2010 garden occupies. A garden with roughly 625 square feet is a relatively small garden by my standards, but this has produced fruit like a garden three or four times as big
If I was asked if I would use the Garden Patch grow boxes again, it would be a very loud YES. It is not to say they are perfect, and I have found a few things I don't like about them. I intend to change my stands in the garden and make much more substantial stands, and I know my youngest son will be happy to weld them together for me.
I also want some kind of circulating water system for next year and I don't want to have to go from box to box. I think a mosquito shield is needed and I will design and fit one for each of my boxes. I will also order some supplemental fertilizer from Gardens Alive for long growing tomatoes and peppers. They seem to need a little push at this time of year.
As my computer geek husband told me about software, if it does 50% of what you want it is good, 75% the software is excellent, 85 to 95 percent and the software is exceptional. No product works without bugs, be it software or plant grow boxes.
I would give these boxes at least an 85 to 90 percent and that makes them exceptional. Beggers can't be choosers, I am so glad I have had the time to commune with nature.
But wait until next year, and watch what I can do.
Fall is beaconing to my garden
It is obvious to me that the garden's days are numbered for the year 2010. It is now cooler outside and it is a pleasure to sit and pick beans. The new tomatoes are reaching maturity and the peppers love the change in temperature as they are blossoming again.
Officially we have now reached the 230 pound plus level. It is amazing that everything is pushing my numbers up to my hoped for level for the year. I don't know if I can reach 300 pounds but we are sure going to give the number a run for its money.
There are so many things growing now that I haven't tried before in my previous gardens. Broccoli and cauliflower are new for my garden and everything is a learning experience. I am trying Sugar Snap peas for fall planting and I am not delighted with the growth of the plants. Maybe the sugars need to mature as it warms up during the day rather then starting in the heat and the days growing cooler.
Whatever ends up in the garden is not up to us. We can pamper our plants, fight their bugs, fertilize the soil, but ultimately it is just not up to us.
Just look skyward, breathe the sweet, cool air and know a power greater than ourselves is in charge.
Officially we have now reached the 230 pound plus level. It is amazing that everything is pushing my numbers up to my hoped for level for the year. I don't know if I can reach 300 pounds but we are sure going to give the number a run for its money.
There are so many things growing now that I haven't tried before in my previous gardens. Broccoli and cauliflower are new for my garden and everything is a learning experience. I am trying Sugar Snap peas for fall planting and I am not delighted with the growth of the plants. Maybe the sugars need to mature as it warms up during the day rather then starting in the heat and the days growing cooler.
Whatever ends up in the garden is not up to us. We can pamper our plants, fight their bugs, fertilize the soil, but ultimately it is just not up to us.
Just look skyward, breathe the sweet, cool air and know a power greater than ourselves is in charge.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Autumn is here
As if I did not recognize the changes that have been happening, we have officially moved into fall. The tomatoes are slower to ripen even though we have a lot of them on the vine. The beans are growing and loaded with flowers as if they are saying the summer was just too darn hot to grow. The squash,cucumbers, and I are waging a battle with the spotted squash beetles in an effort to get more production. The buttercrunch lettuce is trying to bolt from the heat and the red leaf lettuce seems to be happy. Broccoli will soon be joined by cauliflower as the okra is beginning to wane.
There you have it. The garden is going through tremendous changes as we move toward much cooler and then cold weather. I too am distracted by the coming of Halloween and like Linus (from the Peanuts cartoons), I think I will need a great pumpkin patch next year. I love Halloween and have had an extensive fake graveyard in past years. I am going to try to put it out again this year.
I am also in the planning stages of next year's garden. It definitely needs to be moved to a better location that is not affected by the seasonal changes with respect to sunlight. I have a location picked out if we still have the house next year.
Bill, the dogs (we recently added a new puppy) and I do not need this large house. I need a house on one level and want a fenced yard for the dogs to play in. I will be better off in something without steps. I digress.
Next years garden will involve a modification to the boxes. I want some kind of circulating water throughout the system and that will mean we will have to connect the boxes with pipes and a pump for the water. We are convinced that the water sits still too long and a circulating system will make the boxes less prone to mosquitoes and enable us to keep lime and other stimulants for the plants moving through the water for capture.
One of the things I will add is another organic product called root blast. It is not as if these boxes need any help with that but roots mean healthy plants. If a plant is systemically healthy, it can fight bugs and diseases better and be able to come back.
I only wish that was true with people. On the 22nd,one of my life long friends lost her battle with breast cancer. Randi was one of my childhood playmates who I spent 13 years in school with. She was a special lady that made her cancer a reason to help other people. There are a good many women in the Atlanta area that have had the benefit of the Two Day Breast walk and her new endeavor, Breast Friends. I only wish her fight had been easier and she would still be here in twenty years.
Do what Randi did. Fight the forces that try to put everything down, be it bugs or cancer. Remember we all have a short time here on earth and we have to make an impact.
Fight for what is right, fight for yourself and fight for others who can not do it for themselves.
There you have it. The garden is going through tremendous changes as we move toward much cooler and then cold weather. I too am distracted by the coming of Halloween and like Linus (from the Peanuts cartoons), I think I will need a great pumpkin patch next year. I love Halloween and have had an extensive fake graveyard in past years. I am going to try to put it out again this year.
I am also in the planning stages of next year's garden. It definitely needs to be moved to a better location that is not affected by the seasonal changes with respect to sunlight. I have a location picked out if we still have the house next year.
Bill, the dogs (we recently added a new puppy) and I do not need this large house. I need a house on one level and want a fenced yard for the dogs to play in. I will be better off in something without steps. I digress.
Next years garden will involve a modification to the boxes. I want some kind of circulating water throughout the system and that will mean we will have to connect the boxes with pipes and a pump for the water. We are convinced that the water sits still too long and a circulating system will make the boxes less prone to mosquitoes and enable us to keep lime and other stimulants for the plants moving through the water for capture.
One of the things I will add is another organic product called root blast. It is not as if these boxes need any help with that but roots mean healthy plants. If a plant is systemically healthy, it can fight bugs and diseases better and be able to come back.
I only wish that was true with people. On the 22nd,one of my life long friends lost her battle with breast cancer. Randi was one of my childhood playmates who I spent 13 years in school with. She was a special lady that made her cancer a reason to help other people. There are a good many women in the Atlanta area that have had the benefit of the Two Day Breast walk and her new endeavor, Breast Friends. I only wish her fight had been easier and she would still be here in twenty years.
Do what Randi did. Fight the forces that try to put everything down, be it bugs or cancer. Remember we all have a short time here on earth and we have to make an impact.
Fight for what is right, fight for yourself and fight for others who can not do it for themselves.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Changes a coming
We removed one box of okra and we were amazed at how thick the okra plants had gotten. We replanted with broccoli seedlings. Broccoli is in the cabbage family and as such, it is a crop for the fall. Broccoli also can survive a frost when so much of the garden can't.
There is a method to my madness. If I plant broccoli in a few boxes and harvest that crop, I can plant the box in the spring with squash plants. Apparently, the squash borers and beetles do not like cabbage crops. It is one of those companion planting I learned about in an article in Organic Gardening.
I also took the time to spray for the squash beetles and hand picked and killed larvae and beetles off of my cucumber and squash plants. There has to be a better way to handle this problem next year and I intend to find it.
The harvest total is over 210 pounds and the beans, replanted tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, squash, cucumbers, and okra continue on. I don't know if I will see 300 pounds this year but I fully intend to experiment with a circulating water system for the boxes and tomato grafting. My only problem will be to find the grafting items that have to be used.
This year has been good and next year will be better. I HOPE.
There is a method to my madness. If I plant broccoli in a few boxes and harvest that crop, I can plant the box in the spring with squash plants. Apparently, the squash borers and beetles do not like cabbage crops. It is one of those companion planting I learned about in an article in Organic Gardening.
I also took the time to spray for the squash beetles and hand picked and killed larvae and beetles off of my cucumber and squash plants. There has to be a better way to handle this problem next year and I intend to find it.
The harvest total is over 210 pounds and the beans, replanted tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, squash, cucumbers, and okra continue on. I don't know if I will see 300 pounds this year but I fully intend to experiment with a circulating water system for the boxes and tomato grafting. My only problem will be to find the grafting items that have to be used.
This year has been good and next year will be better. I HOPE.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
We got beans a comin'
I finally have flowers on my beans. The summer heat played havoc with my garden and we are still at 200 pounds and counting, but one of the hardest hit by the heat were the earlier beans. Apparently, we just had too much heat this year and a neighbor stressed that she could not get any beans either. Even one of my doctors who is a weekend gardener said he got two potfuls of beans and then they died.
The sugar snap peas are dawdling like a turtle and a hare race. They rushed out of the ground only to go so slowly now. They are still very tender and young. The tendrils that the peas use to help them climb are very easily broken, not like the ones on my pole beans that could strangle somebody.
We now have lots of new tomatoes growing, the lettuce is getting closer to a salad bowl everyday, and much to my dogs' delight the zucchini and patty pan are giving us a bountiful harvest. Maggie, my 11 week old doxie pup, is enjoying squash like the rest of her family.
With each changing season, we can grow different things, but we can never have the really good things at the same time.
That's a gardener's life.
The sugar snap peas are dawdling like a turtle and a hare race. They rushed out of the ground only to go so slowly now. They are still very tender and young. The tendrils that the peas use to help them climb are very easily broken, not like the ones on my pole beans that could strangle somebody.
We now have lots of new tomatoes growing, the lettuce is getting closer to a salad bowl everyday, and much to my dogs' delight the zucchini and patty pan are giving us a bountiful harvest. Maggie, my 11 week old doxie pup, is enjoying squash like the rest of her family.
With each changing season, we can grow different things, but we can never have the really good things at the same time.
That's a gardener's life.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
TWO HUNDRED POUNDS plus
As of today, my garden has now produced 201 pounds, 4 ounces of vegetables and herbs. I thought it would do well if it produced 150 pounds of veggies, etc.
Now, now, you disbelievers. I have keep careful records of the production and have a good digital scale to measure the production. I, too, am sort of in disbelief.
The real measure of a person's gardening skills is not whether or not something grows, but rather how much you get in your harvest. I totally lost one of the seasons that I could have grown broccoli, sugar snap peas, cauliflower, lettuce, radishes, potatoes, and other vegetables.
We have now produced more than a third of a pound of produce per square foot and headed for a half. We have two more months of growing season and we have a lot planted for the fall.
I would like to try the broccoli and cauliflower transplants next. I want to see how cauliflower grows, because the way you get the white heads is you have to blanch the heads with their leaves. That means you keep the sun out to get rid of the green in the cauliflower.
The green is chlorophyll and without sunlight it ceases to produce the green color. Some of the methods we use in the garden seem a little bizarre but they work. Why should we try to mess with the perfection that our gardener forefathers and mothers have developed.
Go find something you can do better than some of the old methods. I have tried to and most of the time the tried and true is better than the new.
My oldest daughter always says, "I prefer the old and inferior to the new and superior." I couldn't agree more.
Now, now, you disbelievers. I have keep careful records of the production and have a good digital scale to measure the production. I, too, am sort of in disbelief.
The real measure of a person's gardening skills is not whether or not something grows, but rather how much you get in your harvest. I totally lost one of the seasons that I could have grown broccoli, sugar snap peas, cauliflower, lettuce, radishes, potatoes, and other vegetables.
We have now produced more than a third of a pound of produce per square foot and headed for a half. We have two more months of growing season and we have a lot planted for the fall.
I would like to try the broccoli and cauliflower transplants next. I want to see how cauliflower grows, because the way you get the white heads is you have to blanch the heads with their leaves. That means you keep the sun out to get rid of the green in the cauliflower.
The green is chlorophyll and without sunlight it ceases to produce the green color. Some of the methods we use in the garden seem a little bizarre but they work. Why should we try to mess with the perfection that our gardener forefathers and mothers have developed.
Go find something you can do better than some of the old methods. I have tried to and most of the time the tried and true is better than the new.
My oldest daughter always says, "I prefer the old and inferior to the new and superior." I couldn't agree more.
Everybody is waiting
As the summer draws to a close with the fall equinox coming in about 10 days, all of my friends and relatives are wanting more fruits from their gardens. The problem is the gardens are mostly gone from the heat of the summer.
I have one of the few gardens still in full bloom and my tomato plants have a lot of flowers and little tomatoes. My cucumber plants have small fruits on them and the lettuce is really growing. My beans look like they are getting ready to flower and have beans. My squash plants are loaded with flowers and tiny squashes.
However, the finality of the summer is evident in so many ways. The sunlight has shifted in my garden and I know if we are still in this house next year, I have to move the garden to a location where the sun is the same for the entire growing season.
It makes me want to move the garden to the hill on the side of the house and allow the sun to make the moves that it will inevitably make. I, like most people, never thought much about the earth sciences when I was in school. I was a biology, anatomy and microbiology person. I reveled in those type of things.
As the fall continues its path toward us, I know it is time to sit down and look at the production of this summer's garden. It is time to evaluate growing methods, seed cultivars, and other changes we have to make next year.
I know that I want to use the Grow Boxes again, I know I want my son Lane to design a better base for the cages (that will happen during winter break), and I know I can never go back to not having a garden again.
My garden is my Zen, my meditation, my peace.
I have one of the few gardens still in full bloom and my tomato plants have a lot of flowers and little tomatoes. My cucumber plants have small fruits on them and the lettuce is really growing. My beans look like they are getting ready to flower and have beans. My squash plants are loaded with flowers and tiny squashes.
However, the finality of the summer is evident in so many ways. The sunlight has shifted in my garden and I know if we are still in this house next year, I have to move the garden to a location where the sun is the same for the entire growing season.
It makes me want to move the garden to the hill on the side of the house and allow the sun to make the moves that it will inevitably make. I, like most people, never thought much about the earth sciences when I was in school. I was a biology, anatomy and microbiology person. I reveled in those type of things.
As the fall continues its path toward us, I know it is time to sit down and look at the production of this summer's garden. It is time to evaluate growing methods, seed cultivars, and other changes we have to make next year.
I know that I want to use the Grow Boxes again, I know I want my son Lane to design a better base for the cages (that will happen during winter break), and I know I can never go back to not having a garden again.
My garden is my Zen, my meditation, my peace.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Mary, Mary quite contrary
My friend Mary had a birthday on the 9th of this month. I sent her a birthday wish and she told me that she had been following the blog all summer long. She said she felt she needed something like this next summer for herself.
I understand the need to watch things grow. Mary used to teach kindergartners in an elementary school. She watched the careful development of the children in the same manner that I fuss over my plants outside. Since she retired a few years ago from teaching,the garden would be a great way for Mary to enjoy that growing.
Mary has two grown children, one of whom who will graduate next year from The Citadel. We are all proud of him, but I also know that the careful watching of children growing into adulthood is basically over for Mary and myself.
My hope is that Mary will get some of the Grow Boxes next year. She can then watch the little seedlings grow to plants. They will give her their love by providing her with some of the fruits of her labor.
Mary joked that then she could say "Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row." The silver bells can be squash and the rest is up to Mary.
Only problem is Mary is not contrary. She is as beautiful as her plants will be.
I understand the need to watch things grow. Mary used to teach kindergartners in an elementary school. She watched the careful development of the children in the same manner that I fuss over my plants outside. Since she retired a few years ago from teaching,the garden would be a great way for Mary to enjoy that growing.
Mary has two grown children, one of whom who will graduate next year from The Citadel. We are all proud of him, but I also know that the careful watching of children growing into adulthood is basically over for Mary and myself.
My hope is that Mary will get some of the Grow Boxes next year. She can then watch the little seedlings grow to plants. They will give her their love by providing her with some of the fruits of her labor.
Mary joked that then she could say "Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row." The silver bells can be squash and the rest is up to Mary.
Only problem is Mary is not contrary. She is as beautiful as her plants will be.
Jimmy is happy
Jimmy and Beanie have been watching the garden very carefully. They love their squash and they want to be sure that they will get their fair share. I am really trying to meet their demands and I have replanted at least four Grow Boxes with squash.
I agree with them on the quantity and I have plans to make next summer's crop better than this year's crop. I intend to order injectors that have a nematode sponge in it. Add water and then the mixture is injected into the stem of squash family plants because they are hollow. The nematodes are supposed to be a natural deterrent to squash bugs.
Tonight I fooled them with squash I bought in Charleston over the weekend. They anxiously awaited the cooking and then finally-the prize. Squash in a bowl for each one of them.
I had two dogs and two humans in heaven. Wait until we eat the cache of squash I have in the refrigerator.
It will be heaven. Or at least on earth.
I agree with them on the quantity and I have plans to make next summer's crop better than this year's crop. I intend to order injectors that have a nematode sponge in it. Add water and then the mixture is injected into the stem of squash family plants because they are hollow. The nematodes are supposed to be a natural deterrent to squash bugs.
Tonight I fooled them with squash I bought in Charleston over the weekend. They anxiously awaited the cooking and then finally-the prize. Squash in a bowl for each one of them.
I had two dogs and two humans in heaven. Wait until we eat the cache of squash I have in the refrigerator.
It will be heaven. Or at least on earth.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
"Nomaters"
My niece Shelley, my great nephew Landon's mom, sent me an email last night about her garden and how she will hate it when the time comes for the garden to die out. I fully understand how she feels. Part of it is that Landon loves his "nomaters" and he loves to pick them to eat.
You might find that strange but this little boy loves his garden as much as he loves to eat vegetables. He is a joy to have at a table and he is very articulate and smart.
I am a little bit prejudiced when it comes to Landon.
Next season, I intend to get him some little gloves for the garden and a small garden hat to protect his blond head and blue eyes. He is what everybody considers the all American boy and so was his dad, Jake. Jake was my first little blond, blue eyed boy that had my heart and his son Landon certainly has it now.
Next winter, yes winter, we will start tomato, bell pepper, squash and bean seeds. I want to be able to spend the first weekend after tax season planting the boxes in the garden. I have grow lights left over from one of my boys' science projects. I will start the seeds with warming units and use the light for the sunlight. That way I can control the amount of sunlight they will get.
I can create better transplants at a much more reasonable price and any of the extras can go to friends and relatives for their 2011 gardens. My sister and my niece will certainly be the recipients of some of the plants.
My recent foray into starting seeds has at last yielded some nasturtium, bean, tomato and sugar snap pea seedlings. The sugar snap pea seedlings will be planted over the next few days and a cage will be added for the seedlings to climb.
I am hoping to have beans and peas for Landon to come pick. I only hope that I have genetically passed my love of the garden to him. What I realistically know is that what he will learn at my hand and garden may be something he may take with him into his adulthood.
I don't love the growing of flowers the way my mother did, but I do love the process of watching the seed or plant grow. It is a marvelous process and something we can only participate in.
For all of the people that think you are the greatest gardener, you can grow a tomato but you can't make one.
You might find that strange but this little boy loves his garden as much as he loves to eat vegetables. He is a joy to have at a table and he is very articulate and smart.
I am a little bit prejudiced when it comes to Landon.
Next season, I intend to get him some little gloves for the garden and a small garden hat to protect his blond head and blue eyes. He is what everybody considers the all American boy and so was his dad, Jake. Jake was my first little blond, blue eyed boy that had my heart and his son Landon certainly has it now.
Next winter, yes winter, we will start tomato, bell pepper, squash and bean seeds. I want to be able to spend the first weekend after tax season planting the boxes in the garden. I have grow lights left over from one of my boys' science projects. I will start the seeds with warming units and use the light for the sunlight. That way I can control the amount of sunlight they will get.
I can create better transplants at a much more reasonable price and any of the extras can go to friends and relatives for their 2011 gardens. My sister and my niece will certainly be the recipients of some of the plants.
My recent foray into starting seeds has at last yielded some nasturtium, bean, tomato and sugar snap pea seedlings. The sugar snap pea seedlings will be planted over the next few days and a cage will be added for the seedlings to climb.
I am hoping to have beans and peas for Landon to come pick. I only hope that I have genetically passed my love of the garden to him. What I realistically know is that what he will learn at my hand and garden may be something he may take with him into his adulthood.
I don't love the growing of flowers the way my mother did, but I do love the process of watching the seed or plant grow. It is a marvelous process and something we can only participate in.
For all of the people that think you are the greatest gardener, you can grow a tomato but you can't make one.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Probably the final plantings
I have transplanted 18 lettuce transplants into the Grow Boxes. I will also plant the squash transplants I started.
I can already see the difference in the length of the daylight and the change in the sun's direction. The earth is turning on its axis and the seasons are starting to change for the fall.
I shared my garden today with a lady I met a Home Depot. Ruth liked the way it was set up and she liked the Grow Boxes, which are far superior to the Earth Boxes. They are easier to handle and the water wicks better in the Grow Boxes.
She took pictures to share with some people she knows who spend the summer on a house boat. She thought they could use the boxes for fresh vegetables next summer. I told her their applications were endless.
There is a certain finality to the fall garden, and it just does not have the promise that spring always brings to the season. As the cycle goes round and round, so do the things we plant for their season. Most vegetables run through two seasons and the spices can go three or more.
Take the tomato plant or as my great nephew Landon says the "nomator". Its season starts during the warmer second season and through the hot summer and into the cooler fall. Fall tomatoes seem to lose some of the flavor of the warm, delicious taste of summer tomatoes.
I will have the opportunity this fall to start tomatoes and herbs for my South Florida part of my family. My son-in-law, Abe, my grandson, Eric, and my daughter, Kimmie, will be the benefactors of the fruits of Kimmie and my labors. I sincerely hope that they will enjoy their garden as much as I love mine.
You are probably sitting there saying I just was complaining about fall tomatoes. The difference is the latitude of South Florida is much closer to the equator. South Florida is a subtropical area where you can grow fruits that grow in the islands and the like. You can grow magnificent mangoes, bananas, papayas, star frui, etc. in South Florida.
The growing season is September to May and they have the ability to do what Israel has given to the world of organics. Since Israel is also more or less subtropical, they discovered something called soil solarization. The Israelis water the ground and stretch clear plastic across the dirt. This is done at the end of planting season and the beds bake under the plastic during the summer months. The effect is to kill off all nematodes and increase the fertility of the soil by about 100%.
I have started Big Mama tomato seeds for the South Florida crowd and I am going to take a cutting off of my Purple Cherokee for large slicing tomatoes. I know my Kimmie loves homemade pasta sauce and the Big Mamas are a large Roma type tomato.
I can't wait to train the next generation of gardeners. I know it's in her blood, just got to reach in and pull it out.
Don't worry Kimmie, Mama is coming.
I can already see the difference in the length of the daylight and the change in the sun's direction. The earth is turning on its axis and the seasons are starting to change for the fall.
I shared my garden today with a lady I met a Home Depot. Ruth liked the way it was set up and she liked the Grow Boxes, which are far superior to the Earth Boxes. They are easier to handle and the water wicks better in the Grow Boxes.
She took pictures to share with some people she knows who spend the summer on a house boat. She thought they could use the boxes for fresh vegetables next summer. I told her their applications were endless.
There is a certain finality to the fall garden, and it just does not have the promise that spring always brings to the season. As the cycle goes round and round, so do the things we plant for their season. Most vegetables run through two seasons and the spices can go three or more.
Take the tomato plant or as my great nephew Landon says the "nomator". Its season starts during the warmer second season and through the hot summer and into the cooler fall. Fall tomatoes seem to lose some of the flavor of the warm, delicious taste of summer tomatoes.
I will have the opportunity this fall to start tomatoes and herbs for my South Florida part of my family. My son-in-law, Abe, my grandson, Eric, and my daughter, Kimmie, will be the benefactors of the fruits of Kimmie and my labors. I sincerely hope that they will enjoy their garden as much as I love mine.
You are probably sitting there saying I just was complaining about fall tomatoes. The difference is the latitude of South Florida is much closer to the equator. South Florida is a subtropical area where you can grow fruits that grow in the islands and the like. You can grow magnificent mangoes, bananas, papayas, star frui, etc. in South Florida.
The growing season is September to May and they have the ability to do what Israel has given to the world of organics. Since Israel is also more or less subtropical, they discovered something called soil solarization. The Israelis water the ground and stretch clear plastic across the dirt. This is done at the end of planting season and the beds bake under the plastic during the summer months. The effect is to kill off all nematodes and increase the fertility of the soil by about 100%.
I have started Big Mama tomato seeds for the South Florida crowd and I am going to take a cutting off of my Purple Cherokee for large slicing tomatoes. I know my Kimmie loves homemade pasta sauce and the Big Mamas are a large Roma type tomato.
I can't wait to train the next generation of gardeners. I know it's in her blood, just got to reach in and pull it out.
Don't worry Kimmie, Mama is coming.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
I just could not resist
Don't wrinkle your nose at worm compost because it is sweet smelling and a wonderful additive to starting seeds or keeping plants growing. Worms are accommodating little fellows who eat stuff that would normally end up in the garbage or down the disposal. If they are fed what they like to eat, they double their numbers every month.
That being said, I could not resist aggravating the woman who has the "organic grower" boyfriend. A year and a half ago, he had about two pounds of red wrigglers. That would be the equivalent of about two thousand worms. These two nuts thought a banana peel would fed the whole bucket of worms for a week and boy were they wrong.
To start with, worms are strict vegetarians who do not eat meat, fowl, citrus, onion or other root crops, or subtropical fruits like bananas. If their worms had been handled properly, there should at this time be about 262,144,000 worms. The woman's whole double garage would be full of containers with worms and bags of worm castings (compost).
Now I am nobody's fool and I know someone who absolutely knows nothing about a subject. When I had active worm bins before, I could not keep up with the growth. I finally got tired of sifting compost and decided to dump them in the garden of that time. I haven't had the inclination nor the back to do the sifting, but my new worm composter does it for me and I am sure it is the first of many containers to come.
Worm compost, vermicompost, worm castings or Super Soil (as it was sold)is a marvelous thing. Worm compost by any name will make your veggies happy and the soil more viable.
A rose by any other name is still a rose, and worm compost is black gold.
That being said, I could not resist aggravating the woman who has the "organic grower" boyfriend. A year and a half ago, he had about two pounds of red wrigglers. That would be the equivalent of about two thousand worms. These two nuts thought a banana peel would fed the whole bucket of worms for a week and boy were they wrong.
To start with, worms are strict vegetarians who do not eat meat, fowl, citrus, onion or other root crops, or subtropical fruits like bananas. If their worms had been handled properly, there should at this time be about 262,144,000 worms. The woman's whole double garage would be full of containers with worms and bags of worm castings (compost).
Now I am nobody's fool and I know someone who absolutely knows nothing about a subject. When I had active worm bins before, I could not keep up with the growth. I finally got tired of sifting compost and decided to dump them in the garden of that time. I haven't had the inclination nor the back to do the sifting, but my new worm composter does it for me and I am sure it is the first of many containers to come.
Worm compost, vermicompost, worm castings or Super Soil (as it was sold)is a marvelous thing. Worm compost by any name will make your veggies happy and the soil more viable.
A rose by any other name is still a rose, and worm compost is black gold.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Chewing the fat
I have known the man who runs several of the local farm stands near my home for a good many years and I have gotten friendly with Rick and his sister, Pam. We were talking about how stupid some of the "gardeners" are that do not hale from this area. Rick said that if you didn't include lime as a necessary element you "weren't gonna grow nothing" here.
Truer words were never said. I know that I am not the greatest organic gardener, but I also know that I am a pretty fair gardener with a fair amount of knowledge of gardening methods, fertilizers,and bug treatments. I experiment and keep track of what grows best in my area of the country and I am aware of how the seasons affect the vegetables we grow and when.
Rick and I laughed about my acquaintance's "organic grower" boyfriend who knows nothing about when we grow different vegetables and how we grow them. We also laughed about how stupid this man is that he does not understand that you don't plant over the septic tank and how you have to be intimate with lime, epsom salts, eggshells, and the other things Southern growers know from the years we have been taught these things by older Southern gardeners.
Little things like not putting vegetables out before the last frost in the spring, getting things covered before the first fall frost, when to put lime in the soil and when to harvest. Rick was telling me the current thinking for the farmers is to put the slow acting lime in the soil in the fall and it will be better than fast acting in the spring.
Now the dolomite lime is something I plan to do to my boxes this fall when the plantings are all done and it is time to plan next season's crops. Because I will be starting in February with sugar snap peas, cabbage family crops, like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. I plan to plant radishes, lettuces and whatever else I think I can grow.
Eventually, I hope to have a thirty or forty acre farm with some small amount of acreage for horses, a full fledged mushroom farm, a ten acre orchard of pecans, Hicans (this is a hybrid nut that is half hickory and half pecan) that taste like black walnuts, an experimentation for white truffles, and a ten to twenty acre farm with Grow Boxes and self watering facilities.
If that occurs in Georgia or South Carolina, you have to be certified as an organic gardener. If you sell more than $5,000 in Georgia, you have to be approved by the Department of Agriculture and your facility has to meet state standards. You are not allowed to sell without the approval and the Agriculture Department can make your farm off limits if you do funky things like the stupid boyfriend who pees in his compost pile.
I know I can get the farm and the certification in South Carolina, because I want to sell to the restaurants in the greater Charleston area. I want to be able to retire and practice my avocation of growing and not my vocation of being a CPA.
I sincerely hope I can make my dream a reality then I can spend my days meditating in the garden.
Truer words were never said. I know that I am not the greatest organic gardener, but I also know that I am a pretty fair gardener with a fair amount of knowledge of gardening methods, fertilizers,and bug treatments. I experiment and keep track of what grows best in my area of the country and I am aware of how the seasons affect the vegetables we grow and when.
Rick and I laughed about my acquaintance's "organic grower" boyfriend who knows nothing about when we grow different vegetables and how we grow them. We also laughed about how stupid this man is that he does not understand that you don't plant over the septic tank and how you have to be intimate with lime, epsom salts, eggshells, and the other things Southern growers know from the years we have been taught these things by older Southern gardeners.
Little things like not putting vegetables out before the last frost in the spring, getting things covered before the first fall frost, when to put lime in the soil and when to harvest. Rick was telling me the current thinking for the farmers is to put the slow acting lime in the soil in the fall and it will be better than fast acting in the spring.
Now the dolomite lime is something I plan to do to my boxes this fall when the plantings are all done and it is time to plan next season's crops. Because I will be starting in February with sugar snap peas, cabbage family crops, like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. I plan to plant radishes, lettuces and whatever else I think I can grow.
Eventually, I hope to have a thirty or forty acre farm with some small amount of acreage for horses, a full fledged mushroom farm, a ten acre orchard of pecans, Hicans (this is a hybrid nut that is half hickory and half pecan) that taste like black walnuts, an experimentation for white truffles, and a ten to twenty acre farm with Grow Boxes and self watering facilities.
If that occurs in Georgia or South Carolina, you have to be certified as an organic gardener. If you sell more than $5,000 in Georgia, you have to be approved by the Department of Agriculture and your facility has to meet state standards. You are not allowed to sell without the approval and the Agriculture Department can make your farm off limits if you do funky things like the stupid boyfriend who pees in his compost pile.
I know I can get the farm and the certification in South Carolina, because I want to sell to the restaurants in the greater Charleston area. I want to be able to retire and practice my avocation of growing and not my vocation of being a CPA.
I sincerely hope I can make my dream a reality then I can spend my days meditating in the garden.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Worm composting
I got one of the best birthday present I have ever gotten. I got a worm composter and now I have to find a source for about a pound of red wiggler worms.
Those of us who have experienced vermicomposting (worm composting)know that worms are not the culprits who eat crops. Generally the bug we are looking for is a caterpillar or beetle.
The worm is a poor soul who is always accused and never guilty. If a worm is eating the vegetable or fruit, it is rotten and unfit to eat. Worms are the best barometer for what is edible and what is not.
Now, it is time to plan for the next year's garden and I plan to order the worms soon. My husband reminded me that I need to get the worm composter started because he knows that worms love coffee grinds, tea bags, watermelon rind, cantaloupe rind, honeydew rind, apple and pear cores, etc. and fall is coming.
The worm composter will be kept in the garage and we also use shredded paper from the office as part of the bedding. This is recycling at its best.
My thought process is to mix the organic potting mix with some worm compost in the winter to aid the water retention in the Grow Boxes. Water retention is not a big problem with the Grow Boxes but worm compost holds six times more water than dirt or regular compost and it is a supplemental fertilizer that is also organic.
Worms are wonderful garden helpers and I proved that to my sister about fifteen years ago. Our mother had bestowed on my sister the Christmas cactus that was about 45 years old. Poor thing was sick and dying and my sister wanted to toss it in the trash.
Instead, I administered a worm repair kit (some worm compost and a few worms) and fed the plant a used tea bag. The plant revived and now sixteen years later, the plant has been split into two healthy plants.
What my intentions are is to get one of those beautiful plants and see if we can again subdivide it. It will be beautiful this winter and it will be a reflection of what the coming gardens will be.
A little piece of the beauty of the coming spring in the dead of winter. What a wonderful cycle we have been given.
Those of us who have experienced vermicomposting (worm composting)know that worms are not the culprits who eat crops. Generally the bug we are looking for is a caterpillar or beetle.
The worm is a poor soul who is always accused and never guilty. If a worm is eating the vegetable or fruit, it is rotten and unfit to eat. Worms are the best barometer for what is edible and what is not.
Now, it is time to plan for the next year's garden and I plan to order the worms soon. My husband reminded me that I need to get the worm composter started because he knows that worms love coffee grinds, tea bags, watermelon rind, cantaloupe rind, honeydew rind, apple and pear cores, etc. and fall is coming.
The worm composter will be kept in the garage and we also use shredded paper from the office as part of the bedding. This is recycling at its best.
My thought process is to mix the organic potting mix with some worm compost in the winter to aid the water retention in the Grow Boxes. Water retention is not a big problem with the Grow Boxes but worm compost holds six times more water than dirt or regular compost and it is a supplemental fertilizer that is also organic.
Worms are wonderful garden helpers and I proved that to my sister about fifteen years ago. Our mother had bestowed on my sister the Christmas cactus that was about 45 years old. Poor thing was sick and dying and my sister wanted to toss it in the trash.
Instead, I administered a worm repair kit (some worm compost and a few worms) and fed the plant a used tea bag. The plant revived and now sixteen years later, the plant has been split into two healthy plants.
What my intentions are is to get one of those beautiful plants and see if we can again subdivide it. It will be beautiful this winter and it will be a reflection of what the coming gardens will be.
A little piece of the beauty of the coming spring in the dead of winter. What a wonderful cycle we have been given.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Peppers, peppers, peppers
For years I have attempted every kind of sweet pepper and every kind of growing method, but I had no real luck with peppers. My friend Scott also had similar problems with all kinds of hot peppers. Frustration was the name of the game.
Now, I have tried a good many methods and the closest I came to getting a good pepper was the 3 foot square garden with 9 plants in it. That was a very unique method where the plants were three to a row, one foot apart, and three rows to the 3 foot by 3 foot square garden. The idea behind it is to allow the peppers to shield each other from the sun. It worked pretty well but nothing like my Grow Boxes.
The peppers felt the heat in June and July, and now in August the foliage is lush and the peppers are able to ripen to their bright red or yellow or orange. We have regular bell peppers and the little sweet peppers that usually come from Mexico. I have picked more peppers from these two boxes of peppers than all of my gardens' production added together. Scott has such an abundance of hot peppers he will have to can them to keep them.
I know for next year I will make some modifications for these boxes, like a piece of sunshield fabric or screening to protect from the super hot sun of June and July.
Scott and I have compared notes and he plans to add more boxes next year.
The amazing thing about my Grow Boxes is that I have been able to produce about 3/10s of a pound per square foot of garden space and that is actual production with roughly 2 1/2 months to go. If I had an acre of these boxes I could produce approximately 15,000 pounds of vegetables. That is a lot if you are not a commercial grower.
My love of sharing the goodies keeps me from selling the veggies. I just want everybody to taste and enjoy my garden.
Now, I have tried a good many methods and the closest I came to getting a good pepper was the 3 foot square garden with 9 plants in it. That was a very unique method where the plants were three to a row, one foot apart, and three rows to the 3 foot by 3 foot square garden. The idea behind it is to allow the peppers to shield each other from the sun. It worked pretty well but nothing like my Grow Boxes.
The peppers felt the heat in June and July, and now in August the foliage is lush and the peppers are able to ripen to their bright red or yellow or orange. We have regular bell peppers and the little sweet peppers that usually come from Mexico. I have picked more peppers from these two boxes of peppers than all of my gardens' production added together. Scott has such an abundance of hot peppers he will have to can them to keep them.
I know for next year I will make some modifications for these boxes, like a piece of sunshield fabric or screening to protect from the super hot sun of June and July.
Scott and I have compared notes and he plans to add more boxes next year.
The amazing thing about my Grow Boxes is that I have been able to produce about 3/10s of a pound per square foot of garden space and that is actual production with roughly 2 1/2 months to go. If I had an acre of these boxes I could produce approximately 15,000 pounds of vegetables. That is a lot if you are not a commercial grower.
My love of sharing the goodies keeps me from selling the veggies. I just want everybody to taste and enjoy my garden.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Planting seeds
My daughter called tonight to tell me something good was happening for her and my heart was so full because I knew I had helped in a small way. Children and seeds need careful tending. They have to be watched and tended and urged to grow.
It all sounds so simple, and yet it is not. It takes a careful touch and it takes tender loving words to make both grow. It may not seem important to tell a grown child that you think that they are doing something good, but a compliment makes everybody feel good.
I was not a person who had a mother who really loved me. I could not do anything right and it was unheard of to get an attaboy from her. My mother only loved one person in her life and she looked at her everyday in the mirror.
I love to tell my children that they are special. I don't care if they are human, animal or plants.
It all sounds so simple, and yet it is not. It takes a careful touch and it takes tender loving words to make both grow. It may not seem important to tell a grown child that you think that they are doing something good, but a compliment makes everybody feel good.
I was not a person who had a mother who really loved me. I could not do anything right and it was unheard of to get an attaboy from her. My mother only loved one person in her life and she looked at her everyday in the mirror.
I love to tell my children that they are special. I don't care if they are human, animal or plants.
We are back in business
Last night, Bill and I cleaned up some of the containers. We administered two cups of lime and two cups of diatomaceous earth. I mixed the two boxes and removed everything that needed to be thrown out so that I can replant in the boxes.
I planted one of the boxes with bush Blue Lake string beans. I have so longed for home grown beans this summer and I want to share them with Landon. He has my heart and I understand why grandparents feel the way that they do.
My sister, Ellen, has been so sweet to share that tow headed little boy with the sparkling eyes. His love of the garden only doubles my pleasure and the fact that he talks about me tells me that he loves me too.
I will be planting some more cucumber plants in the next few days and more bush beans. The sugar snap peas have started to make their appearance and we have lettuce seeds that have shown their tiny little bodies.
Whether it is children or plants, I love to watch them grow. When you do a good job, they reward you well. To date, we have harvested over 180 pounds of veggies and our replanting is starting to really show growth.
I planted one of the boxes with bush Blue Lake string beans. I have so longed for home grown beans this summer and I want to share them with Landon. He has my heart and I understand why grandparents feel the way that they do.
My sister, Ellen, has been so sweet to share that tow headed little boy with the sparkling eyes. His love of the garden only doubles my pleasure and the fact that he talks about me tells me that he loves me too.
I will be planting some more cucumber plants in the next few days and more bush beans. The sugar snap peas have started to make their appearance and we have lettuce seeds that have shown their tiny little bodies.
Whether it is children or plants, I love to watch them grow. When you do a good job, they reward you well. To date, we have harvested over 180 pounds of veggies and our replanting is starting to really show growth.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The seedlings
Well, there is nothing like learning you are wrong, and I have been given a lesson. The seeds I planted a couple of days ago are already coming up and I have realized that I too can make a mistake. My haste to get the seeds going and setting them in the sun definitely cooked them rather than giving them a boost.
The seedlings that are coming up are bush Blue Lake beans, cucumbers, lettuce, sugar snap peas and a few other Blue Lake pole beans. It is heartwarming to know I can get over a mistake with a replant.
After having my great nephew. Landon, over this past weekend, I think I will have his mama bring him over so that we can plant together. He is a great little boy and he loves vegetables. His mama and daddy don't spoil him and he is an absolute delight to be with. He eats like an adult and I am so in love with him.
To watch his delight at picking tomatoes and peppers was incredible. He loves coming to the garden and I love having him. We looked at the flowers on the tomato plants and I explained how they become the tomatoes he loves so much.
A garden like mine has produced about 180 pounds of vegetables this summer and we have months to go. If I had the 4 acre plot that someone I know has, this would equate to 50,000 pounds plus if the whole acreage was planted in these boxes.
That would make me a real farmer and I am debating the idea. It might not be as much fine if it was real work.
The seedlings that are coming up are bush Blue Lake beans, cucumbers, lettuce, sugar snap peas and a few other Blue Lake pole beans. It is heartwarming to know I can get over a mistake with a replant.
After having my great nephew. Landon, over this past weekend, I think I will have his mama bring him over so that we can plant together. He is a great little boy and he loves vegetables. His mama and daddy don't spoil him and he is an absolute delight to be with. He eats like an adult and I am so in love with him.
To watch his delight at picking tomatoes and peppers was incredible. He loves coming to the garden and I love having him. We looked at the flowers on the tomato plants and I explained how they become the tomatoes he loves so much.
A garden like mine has produced about 180 pounds of vegetables this summer and we have months to go. If I had the 4 acre plot that someone I know has, this would equate to 50,000 pounds plus if the whole acreage was planted in these boxes.
That would make me a real farmer and I am debating the idea. It might not be as much fine if it was real work.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Old things have new uses
I had to replant the bean seeds today because the last planting just rotted the seeds. We all make mistakes and setting the seed container outside in 90+ temps was just too hot and too much moisture for starting seeds.
While I was working with the peat pellets I needed a small tool to help better position the seeds. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. I now have a few garden tools that started their useful life with a different purpose.
A brand new clean nail file has become my seed rasp. It works very well to take the edge off of the squash seeds, in order to let more liquid get into the seed. I have found that the seedlings usually show grow within the first few days after planting.
The other great tool is a crab pick. With two small tines and the larger scoop end, it works great to get the bean and pea seeds down deep into the peat pellet. It also helped pick up the tiny lettuce seeds that I started for fall planting.
Another terrific item with additional uses is a torn stocking. Tying a knot in the stocking lets you know that once it is clean it can be cut into strips and used to tie tomato plants to supports. It recycles something that will end up in a landfill.
I am a practical gardener and whatever fits works well with me. The best part of something like the crab pick is that a dishwasher cycle will make it useful for garlic crabs when I come back from Charleston next month.
Don't worry seeds, worry crabs. Worry a lot.
While I was working with the peat pellets I needed a small tool to help better position the seeds. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. I now have a few garden tools that started their useful life with a different purpose.
A brand new clean nail file has become my seed rasp. It works very well to take the edge off of the squash seeds, in order to let more liquid get into the seed. I have found that the seedlings usually show grow within the first few days after planting.
The other great tool is a crab pick. With two small tines and the larger scoop end, it works great to get the bean and pea seeds down deep into the peat pellet. It also helped pick up the tiny lettuce seeds that I started for fall planting.
Another terrific item with additional uses is a torn stocking. Tying a knot in the stocking lets you know that once it is clean it can be cut into strips and used to tie tomato plants to supports. It recycles something that will end up in a landfill.
I am a practical gardener and whatever fits works well with me. The best part of something like the crab pick is that a dishwasher cycle will make it useful for garlic crabs when I come back from Charleston next month.
Don't worry seeds, worry crabs. Worry a lot.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Planting time again
Georgia gives us three distinct planting times each year. We are now in the third part of our planting and it should go to frost. That is if it is a normal fall and the spiders are wrong.
You see G-d has instilled in spiders, bugs, and animals the ability to prepare their homes for the coming season. This year, the spiders have been building extensive webs like they did last summer. The only difference is that they started earlier, which could very well mean that our fall and winter will be colder than last year's.
The hot summer follows a cold winter many times. When you have lived in an area for a long time, you experience seasons differently than people who have recently come to our state.
That being said, we should still have three months to grow more vegetables and I have harvested over 165 pounds of veggies this summer. That is a good amount for any gardener and I am extremely happy. I will probably break 200 pounds of fruit and hopefully closer to 300.
I have replanted beans, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, and I still want to add sugar snap peas, broccoli, some more tomatoes, nasturtiums, and a few other things. I have found peat pellets work enormously well and a way better method to start a transplant than the peat pots I paid so dearly for. A peat pellet cost about five cents and the seeds as much as ten or twenty cents a piece. That makes a transplant a total of thirty cents tops and that beats the fool out of three and a half dollars a piece from the local Home Depot or Lowes.
We have been extremely unhappy with the plants getting root bound in peat pots. I was amazed that the peat pots did not break down when they were planted and realized that the peat pot formula to make them has been changed so that they hold up longer for sale. My oldest daughter always says she prefers the old and inferior to the new and superior. Boy do I agree.
This is another one of those things that have to be watched and it will hit our list of changes that need to be made. Experimentation and change are the rule of thumb when you have a garden.
You see G-d has instilled in spiders, bugs, and animals the ability to prepare their homes for the coming season. This year, the spiders have been building extensive webs like they did last summer. The only difference is that they started earlier, which could very well mean that our fall and winter will be colder than last year's.
The hot summer follows a cold winter many times. When you have lived in an area for a long time, you experience seasons differently than people who have recently come to our state.
That being said, we should still have three months to grow more vegetables and I have harvested over 165 pounds of veggies this summer. That is a good amount for any gardener and I am extremely happy. I will probably break 200 pounds of fruit and hopefully closer to 300.
I have replanted beans, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, and I still want to add sugar snap peas, broccoli, some more tomatoes, nasturtiums, and a few other things. I have found peat pellets work enormously well and a way better method to start a transplant than the peat pots I paid so dearly for. A peat pellet cost about five cents and the seeds as much as ten or twenty cents a piece. That makes a transplant a total of thirty cents tops and that beats the fool out of three and a half dollars a piece from the local Home Depot or Lowes.
We have been extremely unhappy with the plants getting root bound in peat pots. I was amazed that the peat pots did not break down when they were planted and realized that the peat pot formula to make them has been changed so that they hold up longer for sale. My oldest daughter always says she prefers the old and inferior to the new and superior. Boy do I agree.
This is another one of those things that have to be watched and it will hit our list of changes that need to be made. Experimentation and change are the rule of thumb when you have a garden.
Monday, August 2, 2010
No GRITS, no glory
I am an organic gardener, and I have spent 36 years learning the ropes of growing vegetables organically. There are some very specific things that you will never find a true organic gardener or grower do.
With so many people jumping on the "organic" bandwagon, I sometimes marvel at what is put over on the public. An organic grower who thinks that peeing on his compost pile adds nitrogen is absolutely crazy. Organics never use human manure or humanure as we call it. Not to mention unsanitary, it certainly makes the man a certifiable lunatic and definitely ready for a straight jacket and a gag. I doubt anybody who eats his vegetables knows what his practices are.
If you are one of those people who purchase vegetables at roadside stands or weekend markets, you should always question where the vegetables came from and how they were grown. Commercial growers answer to the department of agriculture in their respective states, but these roadside or weekend market cowboys can definitely make you sick.
Worms are the answer to an organic fertilizer that is perfect. Some of my children gave me the very best birthday present I could have imagined. It is a worm compost hotel and it is just what the doctor ordered.
Now, do not wrinkle your nose and think that worms are slimy. They can take absolute trash and make it into the most beautiful, fragrant soil. They are truly G-d's perfect plan for man.
What my husband and I realize is that on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 the highest, my grow boxes are probably a 7 or 8. That does not mean that they can not be a 10, it only means that they need some tweaking.
We have already established a new routine as we replant. We add two cups of good, expensive fast acting lime, one cup of diatomaceous earth, a couple of teaspoons of epsom salts for the tomatoes, and when I have some good worm castings (poop), I will add that to the other items.
My friend, Scott, tried the Grow Boxes for his hot peppers and he has been amply rewarded with some of the best he has ever grown. He is absolutely so happy he has been all aglow. Maybe his glow is a reaction to the heat of his peppers, but whatever the reason, he is a convert.
Not only is Scott a convert, but his number of boxes will certainly continue to grow next summer and he is now on the bandwagon too. Our mutual friend, Mike, is our next victim.
With so many people jumping on the "organic" bandwagon, I sometimes marvel at what is put over on the public. An organic grower who thinks that peeing on his compost pile adds nitrogen is absolutely crazy. Organics never use human manure or humanure as we call it. Not to mention unsanitary, it certainly makes the man a certifiable lunatic and definitely ready for a straight jacket and a gag. I doubt anybody who eats his vegetables knows what his practices are.
If you are one of those people who purchase vegetables at roadside stands or weekend markets, you should always question where the vegetables came from and how they were grown. Commercial growers answer to the department of agriculture in their respective states, but these roadside or weekend market cowboys can definitely make you sick.
Worms are the answer to an organic fertilizer that is perfect. Some of my children gave me the very best birthday present I could have imagined. It is a worm compost hotel and it is just what the doctor ordered.
Now, do not wrinkle your nose and think that worms are slimy. They can take absolute trash and make it into the most beautiful, fragrant soil. They are truly G-d's perfect plan for man.
What my husband and I realize is that on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 the highest, my grow boxes are probably a 7 or 8. That does not mean that they can not be a 10, it only means that they need some tweaking.
We have already established a new routine as we replant. We add two cups of good, expensive fast acting lime, one cup of diatomaceous earth, a couple of teaspoons of epsom salts for the tomatoes, and when I have some good worm castings (poop), I will add that to the other items.
My friend, Scott, tried the Grow Boxes for his hot peppers and he has been amply rewarded with some of the best he has ever grown. He is absolutely so happy he has been all aglow. Maybe his glow is a reaction to the heat of his peppers, but whatever the reason, he is a convert.
Not only is Scott a convert, but his number of boxes will certainly continue to grow next summer and he is now on the bandwagon too. Our mutual friend, Mike, is our next victim.
Fruit or vegetable?
I have been asked if the vegetables are considered fruit or vegetable. Here is the down and dirty, if the item in question is a root crop, it is definitely a vegetable because it is a thickening of the roots of the plant. If the item is first a flower followed by a squash, cucumber, okra, tomato, bean or pea then it is a fruit.
We call a lot of things from the garden a vegetable, but in reality they are really fruits. Fruits can be savory or sweet and that tends to make the difference in a person's mind.
I really do not care what you call them, I call them vegetables for the ease of description. People are not really very educated about produce and the result is less questions.
The biggest question in my house is "where are the squash"? Beanie and Jimmy want their new found delicious veggie on a more regular basis. I am trying to comply with their wishes (and mine).
On Sunday night, I planted squash and cucumber seeds in peat pellets, covered them with a lid and left town Monday morning. I went to Savannah on Monday afternoon and forgot about the seeds.
On Wednesday, we packed up our youngest son and brought him home from his internship in Savannah. My husband looked at my newly planted seeds and could not believe his eyes. Everything had already sprouted.
Much to my dogs' delight, on Sunday morning, I replanted one of my squash buckets with new squash plants and Nasturtium seeds. The flowers really fight the bugs and that is a big help.
For my sanity and for the sake of my dogs, I sincerely hope the squash continue on their rapid growth. If they don't, I will be sneaking into gardens at night to procure squash.
My old dog has always had the philosophy of "bite off the leg and then ask friend or foe?". You can ask the air conditioner repairman about that, he has a beaut of a bruise from Beanie on his ankle (where he was bit).
I just don't want to be used for target practice for Beanie.
We call a lot of things from the garden a vegetable, but in reality they are really fruits. Fruits can be savory or sweet and that tends to make the difference in a person's mind.
I really do not care what you call them, I call them vegetables for the ease of description. People are not really very educated about produce and the result is less questions.
The biggest question in my house is "where are the squash"? Beanie and Jimmy want their new found delicious veggie on a more regular basis. I am trying to comply with their wishes (and mine).
On Sunday night, I planted squash and cucumber seeds in peat pellets, covered them with a lid and left town Monday morning. I went to Savannah on Monday afternoon and forgot about the seeds.
On Wednesday, we packed up our youngest son and brought him home from his internship in Savannah. My husband looked at my newly planted seeds and could not believe his eyes. Everything had already sprouted.
Much to my dogs' delight, on Sunday morning, I replanted one of my squash buckets with new squash plants and Nasturtium seeds. The flowers really fight the bugs and that is a big help.
For my sanity and for the sake of my dogs, I sincerely hope the squash continue on their rapid growth. If they don't, I will be sneaking into gardens at night to procure squash.
My old dog has always had the philosophy of "bite off the leg and then ask friend or foe?". You can ask the air conditioner repairman about that, he has a beaut of a bruise from Beanie on his ankle (where he was bit).
I just don't want to be used for target practice for Beanie.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Segregation isn't good, so it's integration for us
We have now replanted four of the Grow Boxes with two tomatoes and two marigold plants in each box. We are the proud parents of eight tomatoes that are ready to grow until frost in November. We should be able to get a lot more tomatoes, cukes, squash, beans and peppers for the next three and a half months.
I have also started a new variety of very light green, almost white, zucchini squash that originates from Israel. This is one of the seeds that came from Parks and it should do well in our extremely hot summer. The other Patty Pan type squash I planted tonight is from Scotland and what makes it so unusual is that it forms squash fruit on the plant like Brussel Sprouts do on the main stalk.
I have Nasturtium seeds that will be planted in the squash boxes along with the new transplants, once the seedlings have gotten big enough for the garden. This should make things go better for the squash and the dogs in the fall. They can not wait to get more cooked squash regularly.
The garden has reached a lull and maybe that is good. I think I need to rest for a little while and picking in the smoggy heat is just not for me.
I have also started a new variety of very light green, almost white, zucchini squash that originates from Israel. This is one of the seeds that came from Parks and it should do well in our extremely hot summer. The other Patty Pan type squash I planted tonight is from Scotland and what makes it so unusual is that it forms squash fruit on the plant like Brussel Sprouts do on the main stalk.
I have Nasturtium seeds that will be planted in the squash boxes along with the new transplants, once the seedlings have gotten big enough for the garden. This should make things go better for the squash and the dogs in the fall. They can not wait to get more cooked squash regularly.
The garden has reached a lull and maybe that is good. I think I need to rest for a little while and picking in the smoggy heat is just not for me.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Where is the machete when you need it?
My garden is in a state of flux. We have vines hanging above the seven foot tall tepees with their Blue Lake pole beans and cucumber vines on the other side of the garden growing more than seven feet high. It is an amazing sight.
We walk and work very carefully in the garden now because we don't want to disturb the growing process. We are considering removing the plants that are starting to reach their end and deciding what to replace them with.
We have mercifully put the Pink Brandywines out of their misery without one edible tomato and we have cut one box of squash plants out. However, the roots are magnificent and exceptionally large.
When I tried to pull the roots out of the box, all I could think of is where is a machete when you need one? If you are uninformed of what a machete (think of the name with a Spanish accent) is, it is the kind of knife that is used to cut sugar cane. It is a large, sharp blade and it can be as long as about three feet.
I have seen sugar cane cut and I have seen Agave plants cut and the process is similar. The outer leaves are cut off and either the large cane or main bulb are removed from the root system.
Both of these fine plants give some of the great booze of the world. Agave (Blue is preferred) juice becomes Tequila and sugar cane becomes Rum. Sugar cane helped develop the Caribbean islands, and some of the hot, muggy south like Louisiana. Sugar cane can be made into molasses and later refining gives us sugar and Rum.
It makes you understand how the Southern portion of the United States played such an important part in the growth of the country. We provide a great deal of fun with our beautiful beaches and majestic mountains, food from the vast farming that the region provides, and various kinds of great alcoholic beverages that come from Southern liquors (Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, and Rum-just to mention a few).
I am a Southerner through and through. Get my Pawleys Island hammock ready and mix me that exquisite drink called a rum and Coke. Southerner by birth and the grace of G-d.
We walk and work very carefully in the garden now because we don't want to disturb the growing process. We are considering removing the plants that are starting to reach their end and deciding what to replace them with.
We have mercifully put the Pink Brandywines out of their misery without one edible tomato and we have cut one box of squash plants out. However, the roots are magnificent and exceptionally large.
When I tried to pull the roots out of the box, all I could think of is where is a machete when you need one? If you are uninformed of what a machete (think of the name with a Spanish accent) is, it is the kind of knife that is used to cut sugar cane. It is a large, sharp blade and it can be as long as about three feet.
I have seen sugar cane cut and I have seen Agave plants cut and the process is similar. The outer leaves are cut off and either the large cane or main bulb are removed from the root system.
Both of these fine plants give some of the great booze of the world. Agave (Blue is preferred) juice becomes Tequila and sugar cane becomes Rum. Sugar cane helped develop the Caribbean islands, and some of the hot, muggy south like Louisiana. Sugar cane can be made into molasses and later refining gives us sugar and Rum.
It makes you understand how the Southern portion of the United States played such an important part in the growth of the country. We provide a great deal of fun with our beautiful beaches and majestic mountains, food from the vast farming that the region provides, and various kinds of great alcoholic beverages that come from Southern liquors (Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, and Rum-just to mention a few).
I am a Southerner through and through. Get my Pawleys Island hammock ready and mix me that exquisite drink called a rum and Coke. Southerner by birth and the grace of G-d.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Ants go home
I have started to transition the garden for the last three to four months of growing season. Two of the boxes have been cleared and I don't think I have ever pulled such extreme root systems.
I am used to seeing one main tap root, these plants had a minimum of two or three tap roots. A machete would have made a good tool for the replanting of the boxes. Then to add to the struggle of clearing the boxes, I was fighting the ants who decided to take up residence in my boxes.
Do not run for the Amdro. The best method for handling ants in the garden is diatomaceous earth and it is easily purchased at your local home improvement or pool store.
What makes diatomaceous earth or DE filter powder such a wonderful organic method to waylay the ants is that the ants can never get used to it. DE is the equivalent of climbing across glass shards for the ants and feels like powder to us. I know that diatomaceous earth is safe for humans because it is an ingredient in one of my face washes.
The newest modification that is being made to the boxes is adding two cups of lime, one cup of DE powder and a couple of teaspoons of epsom salts (not really salt) to help the tomatoes use the calcium in the lime better. That way the new tomato plants will be able to avoid blossom end rot and be productive through the fall until the first frost.
Once the boxes were prepped, I planted a marigold plant and two tomatoes in each box. The other new addition was Garden Patch's Tomato Trigger, a red plastic planting mat for tomatoes, strawberries and any other plants that prefer the red part of the color spectrum.
The red plastic was an FDA experiment about twenty years ago and tomatoes produced about 20 to 25 percent more tomatoes with the red plastic mulch. I don't have to look for the specialty plastic now that I can buy the Tomato Triggers.
It will be interesting to see if the experiment will work for the tomatoes and the ants. I hate throwing out my tenants but it is my garden and I don't like to be bit.
I am used to seeing one main tap root, these plants had a minimum of two or three tap roots. A machete would have made a good tool for the replanting of the boxes. Then to add to the struggle of clearing the boxes, I was fighting the ants who decided to take up residence in my boxes.
Do not run for the Amdro. The best method for handling ants in the garden is diatomaceous earth and it is easily purchased at your local home improvement or pool store.
What makes diatomaceous earth or DE filter powder such a wonderful organic method to waylay the ants is that the ants can never get used to it. DE is the equivalent of climbing across glass shards for the ants and feels like powder to us. I know that diatomaceous earth is safe for humans because it is an ingredient in one of my face washes.
The newest modification that is being made to the boxes is adding two cups of lime, one cup of DE powder and a couple of teaspoons of epsom salts (not really salt) to help the tomatoes use the calcium in the lime better. That way the new tomato plants will be able to avoid blossom end rot and be productive through the fall until the first frost.
Once the boxes were prepped, I planted a marigold plant and two tomatoes in each box. The other new addition was Garden Patch's Tomato Trigger, a red plastic planting mat for tomatoes, strawberries and any other plants that prefer the red part of the color spectrum.
The red plastic was an FDA experiment about twenty years ago and tomatoes produced about 20 to 25 percent more tomatoes with the red plastic mulch. I don't have to look for the specialty plastic now that I can buy the Tomato Triggers.
It will be interesting to see if the experiment will work for the tomatoes and the ants. I hate throwing out my tenants but it is my garden and I don't like to be bit.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Planting differences or how does the garden grow
My first garden was pretty much like everybody else grows or doesn't grow. In my early gardening, I was damn stupid. I had a 6 foot by 10 foot area planted with 20 different vegetables. The result was a waste of time and energy and we got nothing from the garden.
This led to studying the art of vegetable gardening. You may not think it is an art, but let me tell you it is. Gardening takes time,patience and the love of watching something growing.
Everybody has a new and better method. French intensive, Japanese ring method, grow bags, container growing, lasagna method, raised beds, and Topsy Turvy to mention a few. Some of the most productive methods are the old ways of growing.
However, my gardening is now restricted to the method that allows me to garden without stressing my back. I have to be able to sit and garden and a regular garden is out of the question. The only answer was the grow boxes from Garden Patch.
It is basically a great way to grow vegetables because to date we have pulled in just under 119 pounds of vegetables. It has some differences that I have to work out. One being the squash needs to have fewer plants and demands cages. The choice of cultivar (the variety) will be one of the criteria and so will prior production.
Production is foremost on my mind and the dogs' minds. They have been begging for more squash, but the plants have just about died out. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new seeds from Parks.
It is strictly self preservation that I am intent on. If I don't get some squash soon, I may end up assaulted by my own dogs.
It is like bringing an offering to the gods. MAKE IT SQUASH!!!!
This led to studying the art of vegetable gardening. You may not think it is an art, but let me tell you it is. Gardening takes time,patience and the love of watching something growing.
Everybody has a new and better method. French intensive, Japanese ring method, grow bags, container growing, lasagna method, raised beds, and Topsy Turvy to mention a few. Some of the most productive methods are the old ways of growing.
However, my gardening is now restricted to the method that allows me to garden without stressing my back. I have to be able to sit and garden and a regular garden is out of the question. The only answer was the grow boxes from Garden Patch.
It is basically a great way to grow vegetables because to date we have pulled in just under 119 pounds of vegetables. It has some differences that I have to work out. One being the squash needs to have fewer plants and demands cages. The choice of cultivar (the variety) will be one of the criteria and so will prior production.
Production is foremost on my mind and the dogs' minds. They have been begging for more squash, but the plants have just about died out. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new seeds from Parks.
It is strictly self preservation that I am intent on. If I don't get some squash soon, I may end up assaulted by my own dogs.
It is like bringing an offering to the gods. MAKE IT SQUASH!!!!
Squish Squash
One of the best methods for planting squash family plants(squash, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins) is to dig a hole as deep as you can go. In the greater Atlanta area, with all of the granite that lies beneath the soil, we can go down about 18 inches. That also happens to be the level that footings for buildings must be poured because it is the frost line.
Fill the hole to ground level with half a bag of composted cow manure or mushroom compost and mound the dirt that originally filled the hole. Take black and white newspaper (no colors because they contain lead) and cover the mound to avoid the necessity of weeding. If you are as lazy as I am, put an empty 2 liter bottle with a few holes punched in the bottom of the bottle into the hole before you put the manure in. Then you can water the plant at the root level by merely filling the bottle from a hose.
With the use of the Grow Boxes, we are able to grow beautiful squash plants and get production out of them. Squash is one of those plants that literally grow themselves to death. Ours are no exception and with almost 4 months left in our growing season, we will replant.
The seeds have been ordered from Parks Seeds in Greenwood, South Carolina. I choose Parks this time because my patty pan squash that I grew from Burpee seeds have been less than perfect. They have fought disease and have had a lot of blossom rot. Parks specializes in seeds for the South, the hot and muggy South.
Parks is a well known seed house and I have tried a lot of them over the last thirty plus years. As Bill and I refine, define and replant the Grow Boxes, we are making decisions as to what we want in additional veggies.
Jimmy and Beanie took a vote on what they wanted more of and they came to a 5-0 decision that they definitely wanted more squash. You say 5-0. Who said dogs could count?
Fill the hole to ground level with half a bag of composted cow manure or mushroom compost and mound the dirt that originally filled the hole. Take black and white newspaper (no colors because they contain lead) and cover the mound to avoid the necessity of weeding. If you are as lazy as I am, put an empty 2 liter bottle with a few holes punched in the bottom of the bottle into the hole before you put the manure in. Then you can water the plant at the root level by merely filling the bottle from a hose.
With the use of the Grow Boxes, we are able to grow beautiful squash plants and get production out of them. Squash is one of those plants that literally grow themselves to death. Ours are no exception and with almost 4 months left in our growing season, we will replant.
The seeds have been ordered from Parks Seeds in Greenwood, South Carolina. I choose Parks this time because my patty pan squash that I grew from Burpee seeds have been less than perfect. They have fought disease and have had a lot of blossom rot. Parks specializes in seeds for the South, the hot and muggy South.
Parks is a well known seed house and I have tried a lot of them over the last thirty plus years. As Bill and I refine, define and replant the Grow Boxes, we are making decisions as to what we want in additional veggies.
Jimmy and Beanie took a vote on what they wanted more of and they came to a 5-0 decision that they definitely wanted more squash. You say 5-0. Who said dogs could count?
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Organic or bust
What is really strange to me is the "organic" craze. So many people want organic fruit and vegetables now. Where were they when I went organic 36 years ago? Organic is neither new or innovative, rather it is the way many farmers grew their crops for years.
It absolutely boggles the mind that people actually pay upwards of $10 for a 2 liter bottle of liquid worm poop (Terracycle's liquid worm poop). Worms make the most perfect fertilizer that the world knows and guess who the genius was that thought that one up? It was G-d, not man.
I do not know why so many people think they have a better way to plant then what farmers have known for years. Farmers follow the path of generations past in their planting method.
I am not complaining about the Grow Boxes I used in my garden this year. It is the best method I have seen for people like me who have had to give up regular gardening. Let me change that, the boxes are G R E A T!!!!
The current tally on garden production is 98 1/2 pounds of produce. That is impressive with half the growing season left and starting late. I can not complain and neither can anybody who has had some of the fruits of our labor.
In order to succeed, you have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. Changes will abound next year, with transplants grown by me and starting earlier with cold weather crops like sugar snap peas and broccoli.
Sesame Street currently is in their 41st experimental season and I am in my 36th experimental season. One of these days both Sesame Street and I will get it right and stop experimenting.
It absolutely boggles the mind that people actually pay upwards of $10 for a 2 liter bottle of liquid worm poop (Terracycle's liquid worm poop). Worms make the most perfect fertilizer that the world knows and guess who the genius was that thought that one up? It was G-d, not man.
I do not know why so many people think they have a better way to plant then what farmers have known for years. Farmers follow the path of generations past in their planting method.
I am not complaining about the Grow Boxes I used in my garden this year. It is the best method I have seen for people like me who have had to give up regular gardening. Let me change that, the boxes are G R E A T!!!!
The current tally on garden production is 98 1/2 pounds of produce. That is impressive with half the growing season left and starting late. I can not complain and neither can anybody who has had some of the fruits of our labor.
In order to succeed, you have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. Changes will abound next year, with transplants grown by me and starting earlier with cold weather crops like sugar snap peas and broccoli.
Sesame Street currently is in their 41st experimental season and I am in my 36th experimental season. One of these days both Sesame Street and I will get it right and stop experimenting.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Cooking the GRITS
I don't know what I would do without my husband. He has diligently watered the plants so that we can continue to have veggies this summer.
With temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, the plants are wilting from the heat, not a lack of water. If I was standing around outside in 100 degree weather, I certainly would be wilting with the drenching back and brow sweat.
I mean sweating not perspiring as Southern women are taught to say. Women who grew up in the South, or as we are known GRITS, had manners drummed into their heads. The English influence in the South gave us the need to have good manners and polite speech.
Girls Raised In The South is one of the best descriptions for me and other women who grew up in the deep South. As a child one of my favorite pastimes in the summer was eating ice cold watermelon and spitting the seeds in the grass. My childhood playmate, Janet,could sit and spit with the best of them and we had spitting contests. We played in the pool we had in the backyard and then snacked on the watermelon, we did anything to stay cool.
Southern women or GRITS were expected to have gardens and they typically tended the gardens themselves or with a gardener, but they did work in the garden. My mother had beautiful flower beds and I did learn about flowers from her. She once remarked that maybe I had a little gardener in me because I just wanted to grow vegetables.
Men were always trying to impress my mother and one man asked what she would like to have. She said she needed compost for the garden and that is not exactly what she got.
I came home from school one fine spring day and there was a huge mound of manure, not compost. My experience as a CPA has taught me that the mound was about five yards of prime manure. I had clients in the sand and stone business and I know what a five yard payload looks like.
Well, a couple of weeks later, that man came into my mother's grocery store and wanted to know how well she liked her present. Since my mother was known for telling it like it is, she had a ready remark.
She drawled "I have received many presents over my life and I can truly tell you that this is the first time I have gotten a pile of shit for a present." Like I said, she always had a ready retort.
With temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, the plants are wilting from the heat, not a lack of water. If I was standing around outside in 100 degree weather, I certainly would be wilting with the drenching back and brow sweat.
I mean sweating not perspiring as Southern women are taught to say. Women who grew up in the South, or as we are known GRITS, had manners drummed into their heads. The English influence in the South gave us the need to have good manners and polite speech.
Girls Raised In The South is one of the best descriptions for me and other women who grew up in the deep South. As a child one of my favorite pastimes in the summer was eating ice cold watermelon and spitting the seeds in the grass. My childhood playmate, Janet,could sit and spit with the best of them and we had spitting contests. We played in the pool we had in the backyard and then snacked on the watermelon, we did anything to stay cool.
Southern women or GRITS were expected to have gardens and they typically tended the gardens themselves or with a gardener, but they did work in the garden. My mother had beautiful flower beds and I did learn about flowers from her. She once remarked that maybe I had a little gardener in me because I just wanted to grow vegetables.
Men were always trying to impress my mother and one man asked what she would like to have. She said she needed compost for the garden and that is not exactly what she got.
I came home from school one fine spring day and there was a huge mound of manure, not compost. My experience as a CPA has taught me that the mound was about five yards of prime manure. I had clients in the sand and stone business and I know what a five yard payload looks like.
Well, a couple of weeks later, that man came into my mother's grocery store and wanted to know how well she liked her present. Since my mother was known for telling it like it is, she had a ready remark.
She drawled "I have received many presents over my life and I can truly tell you that this is the first time I have gotten a pile of shit for a present." Like I said, she always had a ready retort.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Great for the date
As of tonight, I have pulled an assortment of almost 65 pounds of tomatoes, cucumbers, Japanese eggplants, zucchini, patty pans, and peppers. That is an impressive haul for so early in the season. You also have to take into account that I did not start my garden until late April and I was a full two weeks to a month behind my fellow gardeners.
I have battled some of the same problems that regular gardeners have faced, such as blossom end rot and some fungi on the squash. I lost the dill because I hate it and I think it instinctively knew I was not supposed to grow it.
I believe that with so much season left and a little careful planning, as to the timing of starting the seeds for transplants, I can have a garden that produces well into the 200 lb range of vegetables. That my not seem like a lot but there are only two people eating all of these jewels and whatever we share with friends and neighbors.
When organic gardeners were asked if they were religious, all of us responded that only some power greater than ourselves can give us such great gifts. We can grow 'em, but we cannot make 'em.
I have battled some of the same problems that regular gardeners have faced, such as blossom end rot and some fungi on the squash. I lost the dill because I hate it and I think it instinctively knew I was not supposed to grow it.
I believe that with so much season left and a little careful planning, as to the timing of starting the seeds for transplants, I can have a garden that produces well into the 200 lb range of vegetables. That my not seem like a lot but there are only two people eating all of these jewels and whatever we share with friends and neighbors.
When organic gardeners were asked if they were religious, all of us responded that only some power greater than ourselves can give us such great gifts. We can grow 'em, but we cannot make 'em.
Friday, July 9, 2010
It is time for a change
The time has come for changes to be made to the garden. The three new boxes I ordered (bringing the total to 27) have arrived along with new planting patches that the Garden Patch company make. We have four more months to grow veggies until our annual first fall frost, which is November 10th.
I have debated for a long time on whether or not to cut my losses and I have made my decision. The pink Brandywines have yet to produce an edible tomato. The Genoviese have only produced one or two edible tomatoes. I have had enough of the heirlooms except for the purple Cherokees.
I bought 4 new tomato plants yesterday and some Italian flat leaf parsley. My deceased mother has sent me a sign I do not need dill because I do not like it very much. This is another one of those mother versus daughter things. It was her favorite spice and I hate it in everything except for good old fashioned chicken soup. It is the only thing in my herb box that is dying and it will be replaced.
The parsley is a great replacement and next year will take its place in my herb boxes. I love to make Garlic blue crabs and that recipe calls for 8 to 10 heads of garlic. Parsley should be mixed with recipes requiring garlic because the real purpose of the parsley is to remove the garlic odor from our mouths.
I have decided to make my annual "science project" a rotation of crops. I am starting the seeds in peat pellets and then replanting the vegetable plants in some of the non-producing planters. Squash is definitely on the agenda to replant and also cucumbers. This time I will add Nasturiums to the boxes to fight the bugs and I will also need to add Marigolds to the tomato plant boxes. Companion planting is a good thing.
The plan is to add the cages at the beginning and not disturb the plants once they are already growing. I wonder if the cucumbers will grow to the sky or just continue to try to hang on to every other plant in the garden.
I have often said that Centipede grass (the kind they use on South Florida lawns) will crawl up your legs if you don't keep moving. Beware of the cucumbers in my garden because they will not only crawl up your leg but they are somewhat like Frankenstein when he walks, they have their tendrils out and they will get you!!!!
I have debated for a long time on whether or not to cut my losses and I have made my decision. The pink Brandywines have yet to produce an edible tomato. The Genoviese have only produced one or two edible tomatoes. I have had enough of the heirlooms except for the purple Cherokees.
I bought 4 new tomato plants yesterday and some Italian flat leaf parsley. My deceased mother has sent me a sign I do not need dill because I do not like it very much. This is another one of those mother versus daughter things. It was her favorite spice and I hate it in everything except for good old fashioned chicken soup. It is the only thing in my herb box that is dying and it will be replaced.
The parsley is a great replacement and next year will take its place in my herb boxes. I love to make Garlic blue crabs and that recipe calls for 8 to 10 heads of garlic. Parsley should be mixed with recipes requiring garlic because the real purpose of the parsley is to remove the garlic odor from our mouths.
I have decided to make my annual "science project" a rotation of crops. I am starting the seeds in peat pellets and then replanting the vegetable plants in some of the non-producing planters. Squash is definitely on the agenda to replant and also cucumbers. This time I will add Nasturiums to the boxes to fight the bugs and I will also need to add Marigolds to the tomato plant boxes. Companion planting is a good thing.
The plan is to add the cages at the beginning and not disturb the plants once they are already growing. I wonder if the cucumbers will grow to the sky or just continue to try to hang on to every other plant in the garden.
I have often said that Centipede grass (the kind they use on South Florida lawns) will crawl up your legs if you don't keep moving. Beware of the cucumbers in my garden because they will not only crawl up your leg but they are somewhat like Frankenstein when he walks, they have their tendrils out and they will get you!!!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Produce or die
In my garden it is produce or die. I am so disappointed in the heirlooms that I purchased this year. No amount of lime has been able to thwart the blossom end rot that has been plaguing the heirlooms this summer.
The rain and the heat have played havoc with the plants. I have already made my mind up that it is time to take decisive action. I have ordered new patches for the boxes and I intend to put the Genoviese and the Pink Brandywines to an end. As I said before, in my garden it is produce or die.
Neither of these tomatoes are anything to write home about and I can still get some transplants from the stores. I will chose hybrids, which have certainly produced more tomatoes and are more heat resistant.
I am also going to plant some more squash, cucumbers, and okra. I want veggies from my garden until the first frost, which is my husband's birthday, November 10th. There is a lot of growing time left and my children, neighbors and friends have all had some of the goodies. We even took some of the veggies as a gift to our fourth of July dinner host. He got eggplant, cukes, and tomatoes.
This garden has definitely been an experiment and I am the mad scientist.
The rain and the heat have played havoc with the plants. I have already made my mind up that it is time to take decisive action. I have ordered new patches for the boxes and I intend to put the Genoviese and the Pink Brandywines to an end. As I said before, in my garden it is produce or die.
Neither of these tomatoes are anything to write home about and I can still get some transplants from the stores. I will chose hybrids, which have certainly produced more tomatoes and are more heat resistant.
I am also going to plant some more squash, cucumbers, and okra. I want veggies from my garden until the first frost, which is my husband's birthday, November 10th. There is a lot of growing time left and my children, neighbors and friends have all had some of the goodies. We even took some of the veggies as a gift to our fourth of July dinner host. He got eggplant, cukes, and tomatoes.
This garden has definitely been an experiment and I am the mad scientist.
Friday, July 2, 2010
The dogs have a new food
We had no idea that our two Dachshunds would also enjoy the garden this year. My husband and I were enjoying our first of the season zucchini and the dogs started begging for a taste. An exchange of glances and we decided to let the dogs see if they liked squash.
We were amazed that both dogs continued to beg for bites of the delicious squash and we laughed so hard at their antics to get more. They would only stop when we showed the dogs that there was nothing left.
The Purple Cherokee tomatoes have finally yielded their first taste as have all of the other heirlooms, and my decision is that the Purples are the only ones that will get a place in my garden next year. I had a typical southern sandwich yesterday and it was spectacular.
For the uninformed, a typical redneck, or southern sandwich, is two pieces of fresh white bread, Hellman's mayonnaise, and a thick slab of tomato. A little salt and pepper finishes the delicacy.
Now, I know it might not sound like a lot, but it is a summer specialty. Summer in the south is hot and light food is always the order. Even some of our all time favorites, like fried chicken, does not always sit right on your tummy. One of the tomato sandwiches is always good.
It appears that Jimmy and Beanie are not the only ones who have a new favorite. I do too.
We were amazed that both dogs continued to beg for bites of the delicious squash and we laughed so hard at their antics to get more. They would only stop when we showed the dogs that there was nothing left.
The Purple Cherokee tomatoes have finally yielded their first taste as have all of the other heirlooms, and my decision is that the Purples are the only ones that will get a place in my garden next year. I had a typical southern sandwich yesterday and it was spectacular.
For the uninformed, a typical redneck, or southern sandwich, is two pieces of fresh white bread, Hellman's mayonnaise, and a thick slab of tomato. A little salt and pepper finishes the delicacy.
Now, I know it might not sound like a lot, but it is a summer specialty. Summer in the south is hot and light food is always the order. Even some of our all time favorites, like fried chicken, does not always sit right on your tummy. One of the tomato sandwiches is always good.
It appears that Jimmy and Beanie are not the only ones who have a new favorite. I do too.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The fight is on
Juliets are one of my favorite varieties for the garden. A sweet tasty grape tomato that is wonderful for picking and popping into your mouth. The ones in my Grow Boxes think that if they keep growing they will be Romas. They are so large that two of them cut into three slices covered an egg salad sandwich yesterday. Yum!!!
I can not believe the picture of the two Juliets side by side. If you are one of those people that need visual proof that one product is better than the other, the Grow Box is a superior product. Good organic fertilizer and a better medium for top quality production.
It does not mean that it is a perfect way to grow and this blog will be around to remind me of what needs "tweaking". I know that in my climate that we might have been a little overzealous about the squash. The next planting will be no more than three plants per box. It also means that I will grow my own transplants rather than using seeds.
The Topsy Turvy experiment is over and my husband is happily dismantling the darn thing. The plants have been laid to rest and I am sorry for any pain I caused them.
The fertilizer that the Garden Patch people use with their box is good for production and foliage. The foliage protects your fruit and vegetables (remember that tomatoes are fruits) and keeps the animals uninterested in your crop. That is the outside animals.
I sauteed two of the beautiful zucchini squashes last night with a small amount of butter and some garlic salt. The largest squash was almost 9 inches long and tender. My two Dachshunds, Jimmy and Beanie, were begging for a taste and I thought what difference would it make if I offered them a taste and the fight was on for the rest of that wonderful veggie.
Next time I cook squash, I will make sure there is enough for the four of us, my hisband, myself, Beanine and Jimmy.
I can not believe the picture of the two Juliets side by side. If you are one of those people that need visual proof that one product is better than the other, the Grow Box is a superior product. Good organic fertilizer and a better medium for top quality production.
It does not mean that it is a perfect way to grow and this blog will be around to remind me of what needs "tweaking". I know that in my climate that we might have been a little overzealous about the squash. The next planting will be no more than three plants per box. It also means that I will grow my own transplants rather than using seeds.
The Topsy Turvy experiment is over and my husband is happily dismantling the darn thing. The plants have been laid to rest and I am sorry for any pain I caused them.
The fertilizer that the Garden Patch people use with their box is good for production and foliage. The foliage protects your fruit and vegetables (remember that tomatoes are fruits) and keeps the animals uninterested in your crop. That is the outside animals.
I sauteed two of the beautiful zucchini squashes last night with a small amount of butter and some garlic salt. The largest squash was almost 9 inches long and tender. My two Dachshunds, Jimmy and Beanie, were begging for a taste and I thought what difference would it make if I offered them a taste and the fight was on for the rest of that wonderful veggie.
Next time I cook squash, I will make sure there is enough for the four of us, my hisband, myself, Beanine and Jimmy.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Physical and mental therapy
My back surgeon insisted on physical therapy and I insisted on mental therapy. Mental therapy is outside talking to neighbors, plants and my husband. Physical therapy is a 45 minute session with my physical therapist. My husband observed my Pilates session with my PT yesterday and remarked that my session seemed a lot easier than it had with my previous PT. What the man did not understand was that the small, controlled muscle movements were harder than the big ones.
In the garden, you look for spectacular results and when the results are disappointing you make a mental note that the particular method or plant is just not working and it will be replaced next go round. That is definitely the situation with the Pink Brandywines and the Topsy Turvy tree.
The Pink Brandywines use the most water and produce the least amount of fruit I have seen in 36 years of organic gardening. I am a great fan of good producers like Romas, Big Mamas, Park's Whopper, Beefmaster, and Juliets. Hybrids are plants that have been bred for better production and they are typically more disease resistant than heirlooms.
There is even a way to graft heirlooms to hybrid stock for the disease resistance and better production. I have no idea how to do the grafting, but I will find out if it creates better tasting, healthier tomatoes. As I say every year I have had a garden, it is always a science project and I am a scientist at heart.
Gardening requires a real interest in learning. New ideas, new flowers, new vegetables, new methods constantly bombard gardeners every year. A good gardener gets lots of catalogs and spends many quality hours in the throne room deciding what will be in their garden this year.
The Topsy Turvy tree has destroyed 4 perfectly beautiful transplants and the devastation is evident. The tomato plants are splitting and pathetic. A rapid death will be a merciful thing.
The physical reality is true for all of us as we grow older. My own PT sessions say I am getting older and not better unless I let Shannon, my physical therapist or terrorist, put me through the torturous small movements that make my muscles stronger and more willing to work better.
The problem is it is a tough world out there and if you are not a fighter and a producer, you are going to meet your own elimination either by your choice or someone elses.
In the garden, you look for spectacular results and when the results are disappointing you make a mental note that the particular method or plant is just not working and it will be replaced next go round. That is definitely the situation with the Pink Brandywines and the Topsy Turvy tree.
The Pink Brandywines use the most water and produce the least amount of fruit I have seen in 36 years of organic gardening. I am a great fan of good producers like Romas, Big Mamas, Park's Whopper, Beefmaster, and Juliets. Hybrids are plants that have been bred for better production and they are typically more disease resistant than heirlooms.
There is even a way to graft heirlooms to hybrid stock for the disease resistance and better production. I have no idea how to do the grafting, but I will find out if it creates better tasting, healthier tomatoes. As I say every year I have had a garden, it is always a science project and I am a scientist at heart.
Gardening requires a real interest in learning. New ideas, new flowers, new vegetables, new methods constantly bombard gardeners every year. A good gardener gets lots of catalogs and spends many quality hours in the throne room deciding what will be in their garden this year.
The Topsy Turvy tree has destroyed 4 perfectly beautiful transplants and the devastation is evident. The tomato plants are splitting and pathetic. A rapid death will be a merciful thing.
The physical reality is true for all of us as we grow older. My own PT sessions say I am getting older and not better unless I let Shannon, my physical therapist or terrorist, put me through the torturous small movements that make my muscles stronger and more willing to work better.
The problem is it is a tough world out there and if you are not a fighter and a producer, you are going to meet your own elimination either by your choice or someone elses.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Those Miracle Blade knives really work
Everything in the garden needs to be staked or tied up in some manner. I found the ideal secure manner to put up the tepees. I bought rebar stakes and they fight perfectly in the open space in the tepee legs. I will put two stakes into the ground for each tepee and the stakes will be about six to eight inches in the ground.
The last three cages from the Garden Patch people will go to the eggplants and two of the cucumber buckets. I was short one piece of the cage because I had used it when I fell in the garden.
I took the piece into the kitchen and got out one of those knives that is supposed to be able cut through metal. Well, it really worked and I improvised a part of the cage. How wonderful it is that those knives really work.
I have branches of the tomatoes that need some kind of tie up because they grew outside of the cage. This is the one that is really unusual. When I realize my stockings have a run in them and can not be worn again, I tie a knot in the stocking and run it through a wash. The knot lets you know that you cannot wear the stocking anymore. Then you can cut the clean stocking into pieces and tie up vegetable plants with the stocking strips.
The odd thing is that the nylon in the stockings attracts the nitrogen in the air when it is tied to metal. Nitrogen comes out of the electricity in the air during a rain storm. The nitrogen then enriches the plant with one of the necessary nutrients that it needs to stay green. For the novices, nitrogen is the first number assigned to fertilizer.
One of the other odd things that we use in the garden are pieces of yellow paper with a sticky substance on them. White flies love the color yellow and prefer the color of the paper to the squash plant. No bug spray works better. In California, they had a white fly infestation a few years ago, and the best deterrent was the yellow sticky paper.
You never know what other things can be used in the garden. It always brings meaning to the saying "necessity is the mother of invention".
The last three cages from the Garden Patch people will go to the eggplants and two of the cucumber buckets. I was short one piece of the cage because I had used it when I fell in the garden.
I took the piece into the kitchen and got out one of those knives that is supposed to be able cut through metal. Well, it really worked and I improvised a part of the cage. How wonderful it is that those knives really work.
I have branches of the tomatoes that need some kind of tie up because they grew outside of the cage. This is the one that is really unusual. When I realize my stockings have a run in them and can not be worn again, I tie a knot in the stocking and run it through a wash. The knot lets you know that you cannot wear the stocking anymore. Then you can cut the clean stocking into pieces and tie up vegetable plants with the stocking strips.
The odd thing is that the nylon in the stockings attracts the nitrogen in the air when it is tied to metal. Nitrogen comes out of the electricity in the air during a rain storm. The nitrogen then enriches the plant with one of the necessary nutrients that it needs to stay green. For the novices, nitrogen is the first number assigned to fertilizer.
One of the other odd things that we use in the garden are pieces of yellow paper with a sticky substance on them. White flies love the color yellow and prefer the color of the paper to the squash plant. No bug spray works better. In California, they had a white fly infestation a few years ago, and the best deterrent was the yellow sticky paper.
You never know what other things can be used in the garden. It always brings meaning to the saying "necessity is the mother of invention".
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Lasagna Gardening is the rage
The latest thinking is to not dig up the soil, no double digging, no breaking the surface. The scientists, that come out of the good agricultural schools, feel it gives bad organisms the opportunity to multiply. The rage is "Lasagna Gardening", a method described in Patricia Lanza's book, which allows the gardener to make a raised bed in layers and get the worms and other beneficial garden microorganisms to break down the layers.
There is never too much reading and there is always things to be learned. I read seed catalogs in order to know the proper picking size of vegetables, I read "Organic Gardening" by Rodale Press and "Mother Earth News" by Ogden Publications. There was a time that the prize for a subscription to "Organic" included great small books with helpful hints. The other thing both companies do is publish great books to read and learn about the garden or cooking the great fruits and vegetables you can grow.
There is no expert in gardening because there is always something new to learn. There are experiments tried by others and passed along.
There is never too much reading and there is always things to be learned. I read seed catalogs in order to know the proper picking size of vegetables, I read "Organic Gardening" by Rodale Press and "Mother Earth News" by Ogden Publications. There was a time that the prize for a subscription to "Organic" included great small books with helpful hints. The other thing both companies do is publish great books to read and learn about the garden or cooking the great fruits and vegetables you can grow.
There is no expert in gardening because there is always something new to learn. There are experiments tried by others and passed along.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Moving is hell
My husband just got so tired of trying to fill the reservoirs with water that he decided to expand the space the garden is sitting in. He has added fabric to part of the existing fabric that is already out and he will add more in the morning. He then made more space between the containers and wider rows.
The tomatoes now have more space and that is great because they are getting a lot taller. We have a lot of green tomatoes. The purple Cherokee is in the running for the largest tomato to date and the Romas are in the quantity lead. My Juliet grape tomatoes think they are Romas and are growing way larger than a "cherry type" tomato.
In checking the squash, the zucchini are starting to grow and it looks like we will be eating them some time this week. I have not seen a Patty Pan yet, but hopes are still abounding for their succulent little bodies.
I have to order some more of the cage systems for the grow boxes as the eggplants, peppers, and cucumbers need support. I am going to add some additional caging to the tallest tomatoes to help keep the tomatoes growing as high as the sky.
When the beans are moved a little, I will put up the tepees for them to grow up. I am in love with my little great nephew, Landon, and I promised that little man that he could come and pick beans when they start growing. It is amazing when young parents want something from their prodigy. Landon is one of the most articulate, nicely mannered young men I have met in some time and he is not 2 1/2 yet.
It will be nice to share with Landon my love of fresh vegetables and the beauty of the garden. He loves fresh veggies and he will get to pick what he will eat.
The tomatoes now have more space and that is great because they are getting a lot taller. We have a lot of green tomatoes. The purple Cherokee is in the running for the largest tomato to date and the Romas are in the quantity lead. My Juliet grape tomatoes think they are Romas and are growing way larger than a "cherry type" tomato.
In checking the squash, the zucchini are starting to grow and it looks like we will be eating them some time this week. I have not seen a Patty Pan yet, but hopes are still abounding for their succulent little bodies.
I have to order some more of the cage systems for the grow boxes as the eggplants, peppers, and cucumbers need support. I am going to add some additional caging to the tallest tomatoes to help keep the tomatoes growing as high as the sky.
When the beans are moved a little, I will put up the tepees for them to grow up. I am in love with my little great nephew, Landon, and I promised that little man that he could come and pick beans when they start growing. It is amazing when young parents want something from their prodigy. Landon is one of the most articulate, nicely mannered young men I have met in some time and he is not 2 1/2 yet.
It will be nice to share with Landon my love of fresh vegetables and the beauty of the garden. He loves fresh veggies and he will get to pick what he will eat.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Companion planting is like being married.
There is a whole science of companion gardening. Like the corn, tomatoes like marigolds and garlic. Tomatoes and beans are incompatible and should never be married.
Nasturtiums are an edible flower that complements squash and squash family plants. Another deterrent to squash beetles that drill little fine holes in the plants, the nasturtiums provide a peppery flower to put into salads.
I am so glad the Grow Boxes are working so well. I was telling my veterinarian about the boxes and he told me he would take two. I had to explain to him that I was not selling them, but I was enjoying the garden again. He told me he thought I was representing the company and maybe I am. If I am the kind of person that Garden Patch can give a little joy, then so be it.
Nasturtiums are an edible flower that complements squash and squash family plants. Another deterrent to squash beetles that drill little fine holes in the plants, the nasturtiums provide a peppery flower to put into salads.
I am so glad the Grow Boxes are working so well. I was telling my veterinarian about the boxes and he told me he would take two. I had to explain to him that I was not selling them, but I was enjoying the garden again. He told me he thought I was representing the company and maybe I am. If I am the kind of person that Garden Patch can give a little joy, then so be it.
Monday, June 14, 2010
What happened?
My husband came in this morning and said that he felt we might have placed the Grow Boxes too close. At the time we started the garden we thought we had good spacing. As is the rule with everything, it looks good on the front end and bad on the back end.
With the heat in the Greater Atlanta (Adlana as Southerners say) area, the back yard is beginning to resemble the rain forest of South America. The Purple Cherokee tomatoes, I estimate, are probably 45 inches tall. They are the tallest with the Pink Brandywines running a close second, and the Pinks are really strange looking plants.
The lime is doing the trick and we will continue to add lime during the summer to stop the blossom end rot. This is a problem when you have a lot of rain. I plan to add the eggshells to the peppers tomorrow and put up the bean tepees.
I had intended to tepee the beans over the weekend, but my husband insisted on priorities and he won. I now am back on track and it is critical that the beans get tepees. If I don't do it soon, the runners they are sending out might reach out and strangle us.
Since my husband has worked in the garden this year, we have made a concerted decision that this is our first and last year with the Topsy Turvy Tree. I have picked exactly two Juliet tomatoes and they weighed a mighty 1 ounce. That is pathetic.
In my garden, as with my children, if you are capable of producing results, then it is expected of you. Nobody told the Topsy manufacturers that it is against nature to keep a plant upside down when it is supposed to grow up. I think I could take those plants and put them in a Grow Box and they would be spectacular.
In my garden, it is produce or we will find another way to grow what we want to grow. Our discrimination is the same for a type of vegetable or flower. The Garden Patch people have a guarantee that their Grow Boxes will produce or you can return the boxes. That would mean I would have to hack my way through the growth and there is too much fruit on the plants to do that.
It is not that I did not research what grew best in the Topsy. I found that the people who were happy with Topsy had planted cherry type tomatoes. We did that and I know that some experiments just do not work. The garden is continually an exercise in experimentation.
So we have the perfect place for that darn Topsy thing and the trash pick up is in the morning.
With the heat in the Greater Atlanta (Adlana as Southerners say) area, the back yard is beginning to resemble the rain forest of South America. The Purple Cherokee tomatoes, I estimate, are probably 45 inches tall. They are the tallest with the Pink Brandywines running a close second, and the Pinks are really strange looking plants.
The lime is doing the trick and we will continue to add lime during the summer to stop the blossom end rot. This is a problem when you have a lot of rain. I plan to add the eggshells to the peppers tomorrow and put up the bean tepees.
I had intended to tepee the beans over the weekend, but my husband insisted on priorities and he won. I now am back on track and it is critical that the beans get tepees. If I don't do it soon, the runners they are sending out might reach out and strangle us.
Since my husband has worked in the garden this year, we have made a concerted decision that this is our first and last year with the Topsy Turvy Tree. I have picked exactly two Juliet tomatoes and they weighed a mighty 1 ounce. That is pathetic.
In my garden, as with my children, if you are capable of producing results, then it is expected of you. Nobody told the Topsy manufacturers that it is against nature to keep a plant upside down when it is supposed to grow up. I think I could take those plants and put them in a Grow Box and they would be spectacular.
In my garden, it is produce or we will find another way to grow what we want to grow. Our discrimination is the same for a type of vegetable or flower. The Garden Patch people have a guarantee that their Grow Boxes will produce or you can return the boxes. That would mean I would have to hack my way through the growth and there is too much fruit on the plants to do that.
It is not that I did not research what grew best in the Topsy. I found that the people who were happy with Topsy had planted cherry type tomatoes. We did that and I know that some experiments just do not work. The garden is continually an exercise in experimentation.
So we have the perfect place for that darn Topsy thing and the trash pick up is in the morning.
Friday, June 11, 2010
I could kill the bugs!!!
I went out this morning and saw there were a few broken squash leaves. I thought "oh no I have bugs". The problem was the "bug" stands about 5 foot 8 1/2 inches tall and really resembles my husband. With careful questioning, I found out he had broken the leaves while filling the base that holds water and just "forgot" to tell me.
I would have been angry, but I remember that I have this garden because he has been kind enough to help me. It irritates me that I can no longer pick up bags of soil or anything that weighs more than ten or fifteen pounds. My back will not allow it and I prefer not to aggravate my back, as payback is terrible.
I also see that the tomatoes need some calcium and I had read the lines on the Grow Box instructions too late that the Garden Patch people recommend you put two cups of lime in the potting mix. That still is not a problem and I will add the lime to the water well so that the roots can soak up that good calcium.
Gardening is definitely a science project. You need to know about chemical interactions with plants and the chemicals that they demand. I may even add some of the eggshells that I saved over the winter and add them to the pepper plants. You see eggshells break down into calcium and sulfur. That is the chemicals that peppers like. It doesn't take away the organic element, it is just the way that plants utilize what they are given.
The eggshells have provided a few laughs along the way. I have even called the local Waffle House on the occasional Sunday morning and asked if they had thrown out the eggshells. If you want a quantity of eggshells and don't know where to get them, this is the place. The short order cooks were laughing and thought I was a nut, but I got what I needed.
There are many elements that organic gardeners utilize for their gardens. It can be Epsom Salt for magnesium sulfate or lime for calcium. The one thing every Southern gardener knows that is the best thing for their gardens is lime. Our soil tends to be acidic and it helps to "sweeten" the soil. A $3 bag of lime is a Southern gardeners best friend.
You see some kind of natural element is a woman's best friend. Some women like diamonds, Southern gardening women like lime and some of us like both.
I would have been angry, but I remember that I have this garden because he has been kind enough to help me. It irritates me that I can no longer pick up bags of soil or anything that weighs more than ten or fifteen pounds. My back will not allow it and I prefer not to aggravate my back, as payback is terrible.
I also see that the tomatoes need some calcium and I had read the lines on the Grow Box instructions too late that the Garden Patch people recommend you put two cups of lime in the potting mix. That still is not a problem and I will add the lime to the water well so that the roots can soak up that good calcium.
Gardening is definitely a science project. You need to know about chemical interactions with plants and the chemicals that they demand. I may even add some of the eggshells that I saved over the winter and add them to the pepper plants. You see eggshells break down into calcium and sulfur. That is the chemicals that peppers like. It doesn't take away the organic element, it is just the way that plants utilize what they are given.
The eggshells have provided a few laughs along the way. I have even called the local Waffle House on the occasional Sunday morning and asked if they had thrown out the eggshells. If you want a quantity of eggshells and don't know where to get them, this is the place. The short order cooks were laughing and thought I was a nut, but I got what I needed.
There are many elements that organic gardeners utilize for their gardens. It can be Epsom Salt for magnesium sulfate or lime for calcium. The one thing every Southern gardener knows that is the best thing for their gardens is lime. Our soil tends to be acidic and it helps to "sweeten" the soil. A $3 bag of lime is a Southern gardeners best friend.
You see some kind of natural element is a woman's best friend. Some women like diamonds, Southern gardening women like lime and some of us like both.
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