Rainy days are here

It rained all day and may rain all week. My tomatoes are starting to ripen. Yum Yum!

Random Yard Photos

What's in your garden?

As the garden grows...

My Italian Roma Tomatoes are really flourishing. I did have to kill a little green worm and pick off a few ruined tomatoes, but I still have many.



Now my Big Beef and Mountain Fresh Plus tomatoes have a few tomatoes and a few blooms but the plants look a little yellow and weak. Only time will tell I suppose.


My squash looks awful. Look at this ugly bumpy squash.

It is going to get down to 39 degrees tonight here in Katy Texas....or so they say. It was 42 this morning.

Semi-green thumb in progress

I have new pictures of my plants. Look my pathetic peas have a bloom...who knew???
Bloomin' peas.

Joy, joy! Squash are getting bigger at last!
I have Roma tomatoes galore. This is the first one

So maybe I will have a "crop" after all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saffron bulbs /Paella

A few months ago I ordered Saffron bulbs (saffron crocus) and they just arrived. I am going to try to grow some myself and share a few with my father (this man can grow anything....really, he can take a twig, stick it in the ground and in a few weeks he will have a tree, ya, no kidding).
Anywho, I think it needs to be a container plant (how convenient) because you are not supposed to water or fertilize it at all during the summer months. It is a fall blooming crocus. I better get planting.

Saffron is one of the worlds most expensive spices by weight. Not to mention a pretty bloom. Saffron is hand harvested and hand dried. Each flower has three red stigmas which are used as spice and a coloring agent (this is what gives the Paella its distinctive taste and yellow color to the rice).
This is a saffron crocus bloom with it's little red valuable stigmas. Hmmm and all this time I thought a stigma was a severe social disapproval of personal characteristics or beliefs that are against cultural norms. Whew, all that with out exhaling.

I am from Spain so naturally I need Saffron to cook Paella. Paella is Spain's national dish. Of course it is because it is soooooooo yummy. Paella is a dish made in a special shallow pan with white short grain rice, usually Bomba or Calasparra. My family likes to add chicken, shrimp, muscles, chorizo, a few peas for color, artichoke hearts (not traditional, but we like them),roasted piquillo peppers, saffron, smoked Spanish paprika, chicken broth, olive oil, etc. When I make a large pan I cook it outside on an open flame on a special gas burner. I make a small pan inside on my gas stove. Open flame is best but it can be made in the oven with the door open. That is just too hot for me! .


This is a small quick Paella I made recently. I can email you the recipe if you leave a comment.

Click the banner below to get all the supplies and special ingredients you need.

Not so easy is it?

I am finding out growing vegetables is not so easy. I had to buy a vegetable safe pesticide to spray on my squash. The squash start out all tiny and cute but are being murdered by insects before they mature. I cut off the infested leaves and sprayed the bejebers (is that a word) out of the plant. I guess I will know the damage in a few days.

The peas are still looking pathetic and really growing. My tomatoes however, look wonderful and are starting to have numerous blooms. I am expecting big things out of them (I hope that is not too much pressure on the little darlings).

Semi green thumb

So I finally went out and took a picture of my "crops". Tomatoes actually have a few small blooms..hurrah! Squash have been growing like crazy with actual mini squash, but some how they are not maturing.......hmmmmm will have to research that. The predator bugs remain and the mature one are little monster looking things, yuck! But I guess they keep the aphids at bay.
Peas are pathetic!

Tomato in clay pot.

Tomatoe in self watering container. Nice.

Squashapalooza!!!!!!!!!!

Massive squash...Cage does not work to hold it up.

Getting back to gardening

Power is back and the yard is cleaned up after Ike. Plants have been moved back outside. My radishes seemed a little weak so I pulled them up. My peas are not looking so good. Tomatoes are tall but remain bloomless. Squash are everywhere and so are the ugly predator bugs. I am not so happy with the "cages" I chose for the vegetables. They do not seem very supportive as they were advertised to be. Chalk it up to trial and error. I need to go out and take a picture.

Ike is gone and the mess remains

Ike came roaring through here at about 4am Saturday morning. Heavy winds and driving rain. We were very fortunate to be just at the west edge of the eye. We did lose power very early in the evening Friday, but were lucky enough to get it back in about 18 hours. Hundreds of thousands of people are still with out. Stores have no supplies and very few gas stations have gas. Schools and businesses are closed and curfews have been set. We have running water but are being told to boil water and/or use bottled water. The devastation on the coast, just about 60 miles south of here, is incredible. We are still in the busiest time of hurricane season so we pray the Gulf is spared here forward.

Hurricane Ike!! Yikes!!

Hurricane Ike is coming..time to bring in the plants and batten down the hatches.

Coffee grounds make your garden grow

My husband and I drink coffee almost every day. Our coffee maker grinds the beans and makes the coffee. Every few days I have to empty the little pucks of coffee grounds. Just think of the millions of people around the world who drink coffee or tea and the millions of pounds of used coffee grounds and tea leaves that are discarded into the trash daily. This is so wasteful.

I started throwing my coffee grounds out into my flower beds but did not know the benefits. So I did a little "digging". Seems there are a lot of benefits from these used grounds. Coffee grounds are acidic with a pH between 3.5 and 5.0. Coffee grounds alone offer 3 percent nitrogen to the soil. Also, earthworms love coffee grounds.
*Sprinkle the grounds around plants before watering or rain for a slow release nitrogen.
*Using eggshell and coffee grounds to encircle a plant will form a barrier to repel pests.
*Mix into soil for houseplants and new vegetable beds. Vegetables enjoy acidic soil.
* Acid loving plants such as azalea, rhododendron, holly, juniper, mountain laurel, heather, creeping phlox, and lily of the valley. Trees such as pine, spruce, fir, and some oak species.
*Dilute your leftover coffee with water to use as a fast acting liquid fertilizer.
* Since earthworms love coffee grounds those of you who vermi-post can use it in your composting bin.
* Coffee filters and tea bags compost very quickly as well.

Spread the word and spread those grounds!!!!!!!!!

I have squash and bugs!!! Oh my!!!

Looks like my squash is growing well. This is exciting to see the "fruits" of my labor!
But there seems to be a problem. Bugs a million. Aphids and some weird larger orange bug with long black legs.My pictures are not too clear but I researched the mystery guests. They are some species of assassin bug which are beneficial predators. I also found a tiny ladybug which is also beneficial.

If you are not lucky enough to have nature, in the form of beneficial bugs, rid your plants of aphids:
* You can use blasts of water to knock them off of the plant.
* You can pick off the infested stems. You can also mix 2 teaspoons of dish washing soap in a spray bottle of water and spray the area.
* You can mix 3 parts water, one part vegetable oil, and a few drops of dish washing soap into a spray bottle and spray the area.
* You can use a purchased Pyrethrum or Rotenone, both insecticides derived from natural sources and safe on edible plants.

Guerrilla Gardeners

I heard a great new term: Guerrilla Gardeners. CNN did a story about it. Guerrilla gardeners green their city on secret moonlit missions.

Guerrilla Gardeners refers to people who plant seeds,shrubs, and flowers on land that doesn't belong to them. The result? Plants that beautify or yield crops in otherwise neglected or vacant spaces. It is covert beautification of neighborhoods and cities.

Green Guerrillas was one of the first guerrilla groups founded by artist Liz Christy in 1973 in New York. Since then they have been springing up all over the world.

Visit GuerrillaGardening.org a really neat blog.

Eat Chocolate - grow a garden

Want to try some delicious "organic" chocolate? You must visit Dagoba Organic Chocolate. What does chocolate have to do with gardening? Dagoba has chocolates infused with fruits and herbs.

While you are there sign up for free herb and flower seeds with their Seed The Day campaign.

You can also share a photo of your own urban farm, community garden or green oasis, and enter to win a free Dagoba® Organic Chocolate collection. I shared a photo of my squash and radishes.

They also have a place to fill in called Dig in the Dark where Guerrilla Gardeners can write about their nighttime planting. If you have not heard of this new guerrilla movement just read my next blog.

"DAGOBA was founded in 2001 by Frederick Schilling, who was then just 30 and on a mission. He was determined to create exceptional, innovative chocolate that would benefit people, planet, and industry." Read the story and peruse the site. I found it very interesting. Oh, and don't forget to try the chocolate. Yummy!

Squash are blooming!

I thought I would post a few pictures of my blooming squash. Wow looks like maybe I can grow something after all.

I am praying for anyone who is in Gustav's path. Seem's that so many people who lost so much with Katrina and Rita will be losing everything that they gained back and maybe more. It is such a terrible thing.

Prune Tomatoes - wikiHow

How to Prune Tomatoes

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

When growing tomatoes, the ultimate goal is getting the maximum yield of crops, with the best flavour possible. If you're growing indeterminate or "vining" varieties (Big Boy, Beef Master, most "cherry" types, Early Girl, most heirloom varieties) pruning your plants to remove unwanted shoots and leaves can be an important part of ensuring that all the nutrients are going to the fruit.

Steps

1. Remove all suckers and leaves below the first flower cluster.[1] The aim when growing a tomato plant is to have a single stem. This should ensure that the majority of the nutrients are sent to the fruits, instead of being wasted on the unwanted growing tips.To remove a sucker, grab a growing tip by the base between the thumb and forefinger, and bend it back and forth until it snaps cleanly. This should ideally be done when the shoot is young and supple. The small wound will heal quickly. This is called "simple pruning".Alternatively, you can try "Missouri pruning" which entails pinching out just the tip of the sucker, leaving one or two leaves behind for photosynthesis and to protect developing fruit from sun scald. The drawback is that suckers will develop from the stem that you leave behind, which will require additional pruning, but this technique is better when you're dealing with large suckers--if wound becomes diseased, it will be further away from the main stem, and leaving a few inches on the sucker reduces the shock to the plant.[2]
   
2. Allow four or five fruit bearing trusses to grow from the stem, then pinch out any additional side shoots, leaving the plant's top shoot intact, known as the terminal shoot.
   
3. Remove leaves. As the plant begins to mature, the lower leaves will naturally begin to yellow and wilt. This is perfectly normal, so pull these from the plant when they appear. It will keep the plant fresh, looking good, and help ward off disease.
   
4. Top the plant. To get the best out of the last growth of the season, it is necessary to "top" the plant. About a month before the first expected frost, or when the plant hits the roof of your greenhouse, remove the plant's terminal shoot. At this point in the season, the tomatoes currently growing will have a limited time to reach maturity, so all nutrients must be directed straight to the fruit.
   

Tips

• Determinate or "bush" varieties do not need pruning (or staking, for that matter). They are bred to grow to a compact height, produce one "wave" of fruit during a two weeks period, and then die, unlike indeterminate varieties also called "vining" tomatoes which grow as tall as people and produce and grow all season long. Common determinate varieties are Rutgers, Roma, Celebrity (called a semi-determinate by some), and Marglobe. Common indeterminate varieties are Big Boy, Beef Master, most "cherry" types, Early Girl, most heirloom varieties. [3]
  

Warnings

• To avoid infecting your tomato plants, always prefer fingers over blades for removing shoots (the resulting wound can be easily infected). However, for older, tougher shoots, you may have to resort to using a blade; if so, sterilize your cutting implement thoroughly for each use.
  

• If you smoke, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before handling tomato plants. Tobacco smokers can easily infect tomato plants with 'Mosaic Virus."

Things You Will Need

• Growing tomatoes
  
• Clean hands
  
• Sterilised cutting implement if using (hands preferred)

Tomatoes Planted

OK I finally braved the outdoor heat. I went outside and planted the tomatoes. They did not look so good. Hopefully I did not keep them too long before replanting. I also put out my new Veggie Tomato Supports on my peas, squash, and tomatoes. While outside I noticed that something is nibbling on my radishes............

Squash and radishes


peas and tomatoes

tomatoes

I also sprinkled some snake repellent around the patio and door.

Fall Tomatoes

I mail ordered my fall tomatoes from Garden Harvest Supply. Unfortunately, due to all the rain and now all the scorching heat, I have yet to plant them. I hope it is not too late.

I ordered 3 varieties : Mountain Fresh Plus, Viva Italia, and Better Boy but they substituted Big Beef for that. I also ordered Veggie Tomato Supports. It is actually not a cage but a spiral that is designed to extend to 7 ft. tall. You do not need to tie the plants, because it supports the plant without squishing, bunching or injuring either the branches or the fruit. It is made of garden-green uv protected plastic that never rusts and can be reused season after season. You do need to provide the center stakes. I need to get stakes for my peas, beans, and tomatoes.

Hurricane Gustav....here we go again!

A rapidly strengthening Hurricane Gustav could become the first major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Wilma in 2005!

Keep up with Breaking Weather News.

According to Expert Senior Meteorologist John Kocet, "The longer Gustav stays over the warm water in the Caribbean, the stronger it gets and the greater the chance that it will become a Category 3 hurricane by Saturday."

"If Gustav is able to thread the needle, passing through the Yucatan Channel into the Gulf of Mexico, it could intensify to Category 4 or 5 strength over the warm water in the Gulf."

"The storm will weaken if it moves close to Cuba, but it will strengthen if it tracks farther south across the Caribbean."

SNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

My husband spotted this snake on a bush just outside our back door.
Luckily it was only a Texas Rat Snake. These are not poisonous.



...

And just where do I find a Farmers Market?

In my last post I mentioned shopping at local farmers markets, but not everyone knows where to find them. I found a great place Local Harvest where you can search by zip code. They also have a nice mail order catalog of things you might not find locally.

If you end up with a successful harvest of your own you can always set up your own stand at the market............

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SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT

Have you heard of the Slow Food Movement? The Slow Movement first started when a protest against the opening of a McDonald's restaurant in Piazza di Spagna, Rome sparked the creation of the Slow Food organization. The Slow Food Movement opposes fast food and encourages the enjoyment of regional produce, traditional foods, which are often grown organically and to enjoy these foods in the company of others.

Slow Food organizations promote local artisans, local farmers, and local flavors through regional events such as Taste Workshops, wine tastings, and farmers' markets.

Involve the family in your gardening and harvesting of vegetables. If your garden is not yet producing or you would like more produce, take the family out to a farmer's market to buy some fresh local ingredients. Gather in the kitchen and let everyone have a hand in cooking up a fresh delicious meal that you can share around the family table. Maybe this can be a new family tradition.

Visit Slow Food International for more information or to join in.

Visit Slow Food USA for chapters in your area.

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Sow the seeds and hope they grow

I finally planted in my second Earthbox. I planted sugar peas and snow peas. Looks like I need a container for my green beans and one for my lettuce varieties. I have several empty clay pots and plastic pots I can use. "Recycle and reuse" However, they are not self watering so it will mean daily watering.

I still need to find a tomato plant or two. I will probably need to order those on the internet. I'll update you on that search soon.

Earthbox has been planted

Ok so the weather guru's were wrong...the hurricane made landfall 6 hours early and to the east of us. Basically we had about 1 1/2 days of needed rain. The past few days have been in the upper 90's with a "feels like" temperature of about 105 degrees. I pretty much stayed in until today. I ventured out and transplanted the squash and radishes into an Earthbox. I will be planting seeds into the other Earthbox soon.

Shelter The Veggies

...TROPICAL STORM EDOUARD CONTINUES TOWARD UPPER TEXAS COAST...

Looks like the storm will pass very close to the west of here. We will be on the dirty side with the wind and rain. I will need to bring the little sprouts in for a day. It's a good thing I did not plant the Eartbox containers yet. They have wheels but are still quite heavy.

I SEE SPROUTS!!

My recycled containers that I planted one week ago have started to sprout! So far my thumb looks a little greener. I still have not planted the Earthboxes. I am waiting a little longer for those.

Preparing The Containers

I prepared the Earthboxes for planting. I used Easy Gro Premium Potting Soil, this is actually a "potting mix" not a soil. I mixed in 2 cups of dolomite into the top 4 inches of potting mix.

I wet the soil and filled the reservoir. Now I am ready for my fertilizer strip and my seeds.

Fewer Garden Pests

One advantage to container gardening is less pests. This picture was taken this morning in the yard of a neighbor.
Possum stuck on fence.....Poor little guy!

Fertilizing Tips

It is best to use dry fertilizer granules or plant food for vegetables. Choose a fertilizer that has all 3 numbers between 5 and 15. Do not use slow release or water soluble fertilizer. You will need to cups per 2 cubic feet or 60 quarts of potting mix. If you choose organic fertilizer you will need to use 3 cups.

Fertilizer should not be mixed int to the potting mix or sprinkled around the top. Fertilizer should be placed in a strip away from the plants/seeds, between two rows or as far from the single row as possible. Create a slight mound with a trough in the center and pour in the fertilizer. Cover the strip with moist potting mix. You will not need to add anymore during the growing season. See the Earthbox diagram below:

Legend

The patterns shown below illustrate the best placement of plants and fertilizer based on the suggested number of plants per variety as listed above.

---

Single Row

(2 seedlings per row)(4 seedlings per row)

Double Row

(3 seedlings per row)(4 seedlings per row)

(5 seedlings per row)(8 seedlings per row)

A Few Vegetable Growing Tips

Vegetables require a higher pH level than is found in most potting mixes and they love calcium. Add 2 cups of dolomite or hydrated lime to 2 cubic feet or 60 quarts of potting mix before planting. This will prevent blossom end rot. However, if your plants do develop blossom end rot, mix 1/4 cup of hydrated lime to a gallon of water. You can spray it directly on the plants or add it to the reservoir.

It is best to use dry fertilizer granules or plant food for vegetables. Choose a fertilizer that has all 3 numbers between 5 and 15. Do not use slow release or water soluble fertilizer. You will need 2 cups per 2 cubic feet or 60 quarts of potting mix. If you choose organic fertilizer you will need to use 3 cups. You will not need to add anymore during the growing season.

Earthbox Has Arrived

The EarthBoxes have arrived!

The Earthbox comes with a screen for the bottom, casters, a water fill tube, two covers, a bag of Dolomite, a bag of fertilizer, and directions.Be sure to use POTTING MIX not Potting Soil. Make sure the Earthbox is in a location that will receive 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. Never let the reservoir go dry. You will need to add water every few days when the plants are young and daily as the plants mature.

Seeds, seeds, seeds

I bought my seeds yesterday, but no tomato plants. I was told that I can get those August 1st at Cornelius, a local plant nursery. I am going to start some of my seeds in home made self -watering containers made from milk containers. Cheap and easy. You need a milk jug or carton, florist foam (the kind that holds water), and scissors. Cut them as shown. I cut the carton shorter or it would be too deep. Push the spouts into the foam to create a plug. This is how the water will wick to keep the soil moist. Fill the base reservoir with water, enough to reach slightly above the foam plug. Fill container with dirt, plant your seeds, and sprinkle with water to moisten. Make sure all of the soil is moist.
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Check water levels daily in reservoirs daily. Never let soil dry out or you will need to add some water from the top to restart the wicking.