January 15, 2013

It's been a while since the last update but that doesn't mean things haven't been going on. I've been planting and harvesting a few things but the important thing is I finally got my beds finished!! Now I can concentrate on growing food without looking at pallets of concrete blocks and compost needing to be moved and built into beds.

Now let's take a look and see what we have going on in the garden. The first stop is along the East side fence. These are Everglades tomato plants. They are native to Florida and pretty much just grow like weeds and produce huge amounts of tiny but very tasty tomatoes. A friend gave me a plant a while back and the birds managed to scatter the seeds everywhere when the dined on the little tomatoes. Now they just start popping up and I let them grow. I never do anything for them other than pick their fruit and they just keep on growing for months all by themselves.

 Next we have some red Kale that we have been picking and sauteing. It has been wonderful. My wife has made several quiches with it and everyone has loved them.

A shot across the new beds I finished building last month.

A small bed I made strictly for herbs. Here is some Italian Parsley and Cilantro. We use a lot of it. This has grown well in an area that gets no direct sun in the winter. I planted some Basil in with the other herbs and it sprouted then promptly died. I think it needs a few hours of sun each day to thrive.

This bed has some Packman Broccoli purchased from Lowe's on one end and then some of the same I recently transplanted that I started from seed on the other.

Here is the newest crop of lettuce that is about to be transplanted this evening. Starting lettuce from seed is very easy. I put two or three seeds in each cell. Then when ready to replant if you are careful you can separated the little plants instead of wasting them by thinning out.

Next we have some Celebrity Tomatoes purchased from Lowe's. When buying the plants I usually look for pots that have two or three seedlings in them. Then carefully separate them at home and end up with several plants for the price of just a few. These were three pots each with two plants in them. Walla, six Celebrity plants growing well.

I did the same with an Eggplant I bought at WalMart the other day. I re-potted them so they can develop a strong root system before placing out in the garden.

Some more Cilantro and Italian Parsley just beginning to sprout. If you plant a little every couple of weeks then you will have a continuous supply.

Next I have some Brussel Sprouts growing along with some Pak Choi I recently transplanted that was started from seed.

A little caterpillar I found while taking the pics this morning. They aren't causing too much damage so I just pick them off by hand until they get to numerous. Then out comes the Spinosad.

Here are some Banana Peppers that are finally starting to look a bit better and produce some fruit. The leaves were all deformed and curly when I first planted them. I suspect it was some kind of nutrient deficiency which now seems to have been corrected.

The onions I grew last year turned out pretty good so I tried starting my own from seed this year. These are the same variety used to grow Vidalia Onions from Georgia. They were really easy to get growing. I just sprinkled some seed in a small container and kept it wet. After they sprouted I waited until they grew to be about six inches tall. Then I separated them and planted about 6 inches or so apart.

I decided to try Garlic this year and here it is. You just separate the cloves into the individual pieces and plant root side down about an inch or so deep. All of mine came up except one.

Here I planted Carrots and Beets. The Carrots are doing okay but the Beets have only a few survivors. A friend of mine started his beets in seed trays and transplanted them into his garden with great results. I think I will try that next.

Next we have lettuce that I direct seeded. I get better results when I start it in trays and transplant it into the garden. These are doing okay though.

 And here is one last head from the last bed of lettuce that is ready to pick. My favorite variety. Redsails Leaf Lettuce.

Here are some Green Bell Peppers in the same bed as the lettuce.Even these didn't do too well and I purchased them from Lowe's.

Here is what's left of some Tomatoes that got neglected. I am going to salvage what is left of the good ones and remove the plants to grow something else there. They are infested with caterpillars.It has been so warm here this winter again that the moths are out in force at night laying there eggs constantly. Usually the cold controls them real well in the winter.

The warm winters play havoc with the Peaches and Blueberries. They think it is spring and begin flowering. Hopefully I will get some Peaches this year. I don't think I got a single one last year.

The Green Beans are doing good and some are ready to harvest. I have noticed a few caterpillars beginning to show up on them but they are few and far between. No need for insecticide yet. Even though it is organic I don't like to use it unless needed.

In this bed I had planted some extra seedlings I had. There was Cabbage to the right and Broccoli to the left which all got harvested except one head of cabbage.Now I have Cauliflower growing where the Cabbage was. This is my first year trying it.

And here is that last head of Cabbage in this bed. As you can see it is splitting from being left in there too long. This doesn't ruin it or anything but it needs to be picked.

In this bed I planted some Peppers and left over Sweet Onion seedlings.

These Peppers are called Fooled You hybrid because they are a Jalapeno with no heat. People who like Jalapenos but not spicy foods should really like this Pepper.

Here is a pic of the Fish Emulsion I used to fertilize everything this morning. It is stinky but good stuff.

I picked up a bag of Red Seed Potatoes from WalMart when I was there the other day. I will be planting them in a couple days. Today I sliced them into planting chunks each with an eye or two. They now need to dry for a day or two and then we will plant them in one of the new beds.

 Lastly here are some Tomatoes we have been chowing on from the garden.

And Papaya which we have dried to preserve it. I have a 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator that does a wonderful job.

That's all for now.