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.