Spring Seed Order

I finally got off of my butt and ordered my vegetable seeds on Valentines day!  After looking through catalog after catalog, I decided to go with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.  They are based out of Central Virginia and specialize in varieties that are adapted to my neck of the woods.  There were so many selections of each vegetable with tantalizing descriptions, it made it so very difficult for me to decide which I would get!  It literally took me a month of going through the catalog, researching the plants needs and putting together a simple garden layout to finally commit to the varieties I chose.  I think I will be quite satisfied!

The tomato and various pepper seeds have already been started in the greenhouse, while the rest will be directly sewn in the garden.  Our last average frost date is (depending on where you look) anywhere from March 1 through March 14.  The garden is ready to go now, but to be safe I won't be putting my seeds out for around another 2 weeks.  The anticipation is killing me!  In the mean time I'll be reorganizing my greenhouse and dreaming of a luscious garden!

So, would you like to know what I will be growing?  Of course!

• Hungarian Italian Paste Tomato -  I don't eat tomatoes straight, but wanted to grow some.  I LOVE a good tomato sauce, however, so I hope to be putting up lots this Summer!
• Chinese Five Color Pepper - My step-grandmother used to have these growing all around her yard.  At dinner time, she would pick a dish and eat them straight out of the bowl!  I don't know how they didn't burn the ever loving life out of her mouth, but she made them look so good!  Mostly, I got this variety for the nostalgia and beauty, but I'm also excited to see how a pepper sauce will taste.
• Jalapeño Pepper - My brother goes through gallon size jars of these like there ain't no tomorrow... we're kinda fond of them, too!  We also eat the rear end out of Banana Peppers, so I got some of those as well.  Last year I grew a hot banana pepper.  I really liked those, but didn't want to grow two varieties of the same pepper.
• Alabama Red Okra - I have a new fondness for fried okra and it grows like weeds in the Deep South!  This variety is said to be excellent fried and will add a little color to the garden with its red tips.
• Zipper Cream Pea - Jami's favorite pea.  'Nough said!
• Henderson Bush Lima Bean - My favorite veggie.  'Nough said!
• Tennessee Red Valencia Peanut - I LOVE boiled peanuts!  In the Summer, I'm pretty much the peanut lady... I'll make them almost every weekend, especially if we're going canoeing.  There's nothing better than floating down the river and washing boiled peanuts down with an ice cold beer!  If you've never had or heard of boiled peanuts, I highly suggest you try them!  It's a true Southern Heritage food.  This is a brand new venture for me and I'll probably not be able to grow nearly all that I will eat this Summer, but I think it will be something fun to try!
• Seminole Pumpkin - This variety has been grown in Florida for hundreds of years, but is quickly becoming an endangered food.  After reading a bit about the Seminole Pumpkin, I knew I had to grow it.
• Midewiwan Sacred Tobacco - According to the description on SESE's website, the dried leaves are good for making an insecticide.  I'd heard of this method before and decided to give it a try since I was already ordering seeds.  The tobacco will have to be grown in a seperate place in the yard, so I hope if nothing else, it will be a pretty plant!
• Cherokee Cornfield Pole Bean, Stowells Evergreen Sweet Corn, and Waltham Butternut Squash all chosen to build a Three Sisters Garden.  This will be my first foray into companion planting!  I love how the three veggies work off of each other.  The corn and beans were an easy choice, but the squash was another story!  After trying out a few different winter squash varieties, we chose the butternut for its sweet taste and good storage ability.

I also picked up the book Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth, which I have been wanting for over a year now!  I can say that my expectations were exceeded!!  Taking the leap and buying a bunch of seeds can be a bit pricey, but well worth it if I can turn that one purchase into a lifetime's worth of seeds.  Another step in our mission to become more self sufficient!

What will you be growing in your garden this year?  Be it in the ground or just in your head!

Another visit to O'Tooles Organic Herb Farm

Back in the beginning of December, my mother-in-law, best friend and I made another trip to Madison, Fl to visit O'Tooles once again.  The mission for this trip was to see a soap making demonstration with the owner of Magnolia Hill Soap.  She was running a bit late that morning, so we decided to browse the greenhouses.  There are two large greenhouses, one containing mostly herbs and the other veggies.

I can't tell you how tempting it is to just pick and eat! Ha!

There were also a few vendors on the grounds (it was open house at the farm), so after browsing the greenhouses we stepped outside to check them out.  It was early morning and they were just beginning to set up, so there were only a handful that we could visit.  One of them was the local Dreaming Cow Creamery from Pavo, Ga.  We spoke with one of the owners, Kyle Wehner, and learned about their sustainable practices on their farm and got to sample their more than delicious yogurt. 

We then stopped over to visit the Golden's who run Golden Acres Ranch in Monticello, Fl.  Bobbie and Fred are a lovely couple and are very happy to share any information they have with you.  They raise goats (you can order their meats) and have a huge lot of mayhaw trees.  We got to sample some of their homemade mayhaw jelly and the absolute best cranberry sauce/jelly in the entire world!  Mayhaws are more of a southern thing, so if you've never hear of them, I would seriously suggest you find yourself some!  To me, it is the best jelly you can get, hands down.

We spent a good bit of time talking with each of these vendors... so much so that we totally missed the soap making demonstration!  We walked up just as she was packing.  We did get to speak with Marge, the owner, for a few minutes, but didn't want to take up too much of her time since she had just gotten through answering those same questions.  I picked up a couple of bars of soap and some calendula salve.  The soaps are amazing and I have been using the salve as a moisturizer. 

Back in the greenhouses, I discovered a method of seed starting that I hadn't even considered yet.

Previously, I have been starting my seeds in a tray with individual cells.  The cells on each are pretty small and it takes a little bit of convincing to get the seedling out without damage.  I imagine just a little scoop in a tray like this will release the little seedlings with no harm and make for easier planting in the ground or larger pots.  If I can ever decide what seeds and which catalog to get them from, I'll be doing my Spring greenhouse seed starting just like this!

This was our last trip to the farm for a little while as she takes a break in January and reopens for the weekends in March.  I'll go back then to get some plants that I only want a couple of and not have to worry with starting difficult seeds!

Are you planning a garden for the Spring?  How about having a small container garden?  You can squeeze in a veggie, herb, or two even in the smallest of places!

Hoya Carnosa Krinkle Curl

There's not much blooming around the house here lately.  In fact, I can't think of anything other than my orchid that just started blooming!  Oh, I can't wait for Spring!

About a month ago I uploaded some pictures of my Hindu Rope Hoya to photobucket and forgot all about it.  So to help brighten the dreary days of Winter and make us long for warm weather all the more, I'm breaking out those old photos.

On several gardening forums I've read about people having big trouble getting their hoyas to bloom.  To me, the hoya is one of the easiest, low maintince plants to grow.  Maybe they're trying too hard, as mine seem to do best with a little neglect!

Hoyas like bright, indirect light and well drained soil.  I keep mine hanging in a western facing window, with white blinds that usually stay shut.  On occasion, and more so in the winter, I will open the blinds for a few hours to let a little extra light in.  The soil is a fast draining mix, similar to what you would use for an orchid, with a sphagnum moss and light soil mixture.  Hoyas like to be root bound so if you get a new plant you probably won't need to repot it for some time; mine's been in the same pot for 4 years!   I water it about once a week, sometimes less frequently, judging by the weight of the pot and the top of the soil.  It seems mine do best when I let the soil get almost all the way dry and then slowly add water, saturating the soil.  If you live in a dry climate, it's probably a good idea to mist your plant regularly as well.

The plant itself is beautiful, but the main reason I like hoyas so much is the beautiful and yummy smelling blooms!!  They bloom from Spring to mid Fall here, but colder areas will have a slightly shorter growing season.  The blooms can be born on new stem growth, or on older stubs where flowers have previously bloomed.  The following picture an example of the latter.

It only takes a few days for the flowers to open after you see them appear.  The little round buds you see in the above photo will start to take on a glossy, ballooned star shape and begin to spread apart into an umbrella. 

The petals then begin to fold back, showcasing the "inside" of the flower.

The center "star" is glossy, while the outer has a furry look!  This is when you'll be able to really smell them.  To me, they smell just like chocolate, but I've heard some people think they stink!  What?!?  You do have to get close to the bloom to smell their fragrance, though.  As the bloom ages, the smell with get fainter, until you really can't smell it at all.  For me, the blooms usually last around 2 weeks from start to finish.

This evergreen houseplant truly is beautiful and I highly recommend it!  Treated properly, it will bring happiness to you for years!  And, it is super easy to propagate from cuttings and air layering!

Update: Two days after posting this my I noticed a flower bud just starting to form on my hoya.  The entire process of budding, flowering and finally the blooms falling off lasted until February 25!

3rd Annual North Florida & South Georgia Farm Tour

Tomorrow Jami and I are going to the 3rd Annual North Florida & South Georgia Farm Tour!  I can't believe we've never heard of this until now and to be honest, I can't even remember how I found out about it.  I'm extremely excited!

The farm tour is being hosted by the New Leaf Market, a cooperatively owned grocery store in Tallahassee, FL.  I've only been there once, about a year ago, as it's a good 2 hour drive from my home.  It's a wonderful place, chock full of organic and natural grocery items, bulk goods, and herbal supplements.  I wish there was a place like this near home!  The Farm Tour consists of 36 local farms opening their doors, sharing their knowledge and offering their goods for sale.  This is an ultra exciting opportunity to see how these farms work and to pick the brains of those who run them!  There are also several workshops you can attend for free or a small price (the highest I've seen was a whopping $5!).

Our main focus on this trip is to visit O'Tooles Organic Herb Farm in Madison, FL.  There we will enjoy their vegetable, butterfly and secret gardens, have the opportunity to purchase fall plants, organic gardening supplies and herbal products, and most excitingly visit their two greenhouses and a shade house!!!  The greenhouses will be showing the entire process of propagation from plating seeds and making cuttings to mature plants ready to go!  There is also a labyrinth the owner built in memory of her husband.  How sweet is that?!?  It is said to "bring peace and harmony to all who walk its healing path."  Oh yea, I'll be walking it a few times!

Time permitting, we'd also like to visit a few other farms in the area....
Deep Roots Meats in Greenville, Fl is an all grass fed, antibiotic/grain/hormone-free angus beef farm.  They will be selling their beef products.
Kurtz & Sons Dairy, LLC in Live Oak, Fl is "an all pasture family dairy farm that harvests fresh Florida sunshine as fresh milk, meat and eggs."  I love the way these people think.   "In cooperation with Mother Nature” is the most healthful, safe and rewarding way to grow any crop, whether it is livestock, wildlife or children. We always believe that the way we produce food makes a difference in us, our livestock, our soil and our environment. Here we celebrate each season of the year as each brings its own changes to our practices and our products. With our farm tours we intend to share these ideas and give our visitors an experience that cannot be found at the theme parks and zoos."

If you are in the area, know someone who is, or just want to check out all the different farms, check it out go here!

I plan on soaking up lots of yummy information, taking lots of pictures, and hopefully I'll be able to video some of the grounds and lectures.  If I can talk a sweet friend into uploading them for me I'll share next week!  Either way I'm sure I'll have lots to tell  :)

Are there any exciting things going on in your area this weekend? 

Trying my hand at garlic

Late last fall I came across an article on growing garlic that really peaked my interest.  When I started looking for bulbs it was late October and everyone was sold out!  The Northern folks probably already had their garlic in the ground for weeks before I even though about ordering.  Generally speaking, garlic grows better in cooler areas as the bulbs should be planted in the Fall when soil temperature is at least down to 60*.  The bulbs need plenty of chilling hours before Spring to be able to form. We don't have a whole lot of cold weather and that makes me a little worried!  I have found several local farmers who are growing garlic with great success, though, so I do have hope!

This year I was a little more prepared and started looking through seed catalogs.  The garlic you get from the grocery store is usually sprayed with an anti-sprouting chemical and is probably grown with nasty pesticides!!   My first choice was to order from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange because I was planning on getting other seeds along with the garlic bulbs.  I decided to to nix the seeds to be able to focus more on the garlic and began searching for individuals offering bulbs for sale.  I hopped on one of my favorite websites, Local Harvest and found Bobbette's Naturally Grown Produce, a certified naturally grown small farm out of Liberty, KY.   I purchased  a softneck artichoke variety called Inchelium Red and Heirloom Cherokee, a hardneck variety.  I'm looking forward to seeing which will do the best for me!

For the bed I tilled up a 6 1/2' x 6 1/2' bed in a sunny spot and used old fence posts for the edges.  I added in top soil and mushroom compost, then tilled again to incorporate the different soils together.  Our soil is pretty sandy and drains well, but I wanted to add more organic matter.   My garlic has already made it in (I ordered on Tuesday and got it on Friday!!) but I am waiting for cooler weather to put it in the ground... it's been in the mid 80's all week.  After planting I will add a heavy coat of mulch to keep the weeds at bay and then fish emulsion for fertilizer in the Spring.  Wish me luck!!!  :)

Spring is Comming!

This beautiful Narcissus greeted me home Wednesday afternoon! It's the first bloom of Spring for us and there are several more about to come out.
You can see how the flower buds start in this picture. These are probably my favorite flowers! I love how big the trumpets are. They're bulbs and I've never had to move or mess with them since the day they were planted- very easy to grow.

The amaryllis' are starting to shows leaves again. You can see where the last frost got the tip of one leaf as it first came up! They'll start to grow the stems and bloom in about a month or so. These, too, are bulbs and again I do nothing to them. Ever. Well, I may push some mulch over the tops, but that's it. I don't have the time to mess with and store bulbs anyway!

The rose bushes are even starting to push out new leaves! This is probably due to the temperature reaching the 70's this weekend. They'll get a good trimming in the next weeks. The roses, narcissus and amaryllis are in the same bed.

My orchid that lives in the kitchen is also blooming!! I took this picture on Feb 24, just as it was starting to open. You can see the start of other flowers that will come out in the next few weeks.

This picture was taken four days later. The yellow really comes out after the flower opens. Treated right, the blooms will stay for a whopping four months!

A few weeks ago I took a walk around the yard and noticed some pretty interesting things!

This is a common cooter (yes, that's really what they're called) I found by the road in the front yard. He wasn't very timid at all and let me walk right up on him without tucking his head for cover!

The only draw back to having these little guys in the ponds is what they eat.... fish! While they are mostly vegetarian, they are known to eat a good deal of minnows and other small aquatic animals.

Our century plants have wintered over perfectly! We have these on the corners of our property lines as living markers. Let's just pretend that I've already cleaned up around this little guy.... They've even started throwing off babies! This plant has a total of five so far. They send shoots off through the roots.
Century plants got their name as they are said to only bloom once in 100 years. The mature plant sends up a shoot as tall as power lines with a bouquet of flowers at the very tip top. Once the plant flowers it's purpose is done and the plant dies. This is why it sends out many babies throughout its life. We found this century along the side of the road about a year back. By the way, I'm 5' tall!

This is our largest of six pecan trees we have in the yard. The girth of this thing is amazing! Did you know that, generally speaking, pecan trees produce pecans every other year? Sure they drop a few pecans every fall, but you'll get about five times as much on the good year. The gray stuff encompassing the tree is Spanish Moss. It's an air plant (in the bromilead family) that hangs from the limbs of trees. Since we're surrounded by water and have abundant wind, this stuff is everywhere! It seems to show no real preference to what kind of tree it's in around here- we have it in pecans, dogwoods, pines, oaks and any other tree it happens to blow into... even our fig! You can use this moss for all sorts of things from crafts to bedding. If you do happen to go moss collecting, I'd like to give you a warning first! When pulling it out of the trees, be careful for bats and snakes! If you just pull it off of the ground you should still be careful for those, but mostly you'll want to watch out for red bugs (chiggers)!! You won't really be able to see them, but give it a few minutes and you'll definitely be able to feel them!!

Even more things are beginning to come out now, so stick around for more adventures!

What do you having going on around you?

Just what I've always wanted!

If I'm looking for a sure fire way to relax, piddling with plants works like a charm. My favorite job ever was working for a local plant nursery. I never dreaded having to get out of my cozy bed to work in the hot summer sun or to freeze my tushie off in the Winter. Never did I tire of waiting on customers with endless questions. "I don't know what it's called, but I saw it in the mall parking lot." "Can you tell me what this is growing on my beloved roses?" "I'm no good at this, could you make a list of things that would work in my yard?" No question ever went without a good answer. It felt good sharing plant knowledge with people. I'd have to say that I learned more at the nursery than I did at any other job, possibly all of them combined. If I'm riding with someone, my eyes are constantly darting from yard to yard naming off the plants in my head. This is an excellent way to keep everything fresh and even to learn new plants!

I would love nothing more than to be able to pack up my things at this job and run back to the nursery! The sad thing is, that unless something miraculous happens in the plant world, I would never be able to survive on the wages that they pay. So, thanks to my daddy (whom I'm pretty well convinced is the best dad in the entire world) I now have that favorite job right outside my backdoor!!

I somehow neglected to take a picture of the outside, so this is from the manufacturers website!

She's slightly used (about 6 months worth) by my cousin's ex-wife (another plant enthusiast!). My dad and I have been trying to get this off of him for somewhere around a year and dad finally scored with an extremely reasonable trade! It's bigger than this picture makes it look with it being 12' deep and 10' wide. I'm not too sure on the height of it, but I'm 5'0" and can barely reach to hang a pot from the rafters! The outside is made of fiberglass that will have to be replaced over the years. The frame itself is constructed of galvanized steel which, to put it in Jami's words, will be there longer than we want it to :)

This is the inside of the green house, taken standing just outside the door. You can see how well the frame was built and the old plant hanging gives you a little perspective of the height of the structure. The built in selves are about a foot deep and go around both sides and the back. They're covered with wood which is OK for now, but when they're reading to go I think I'll cover it with something like chicken wire to allow the water to flow from the pots easier. I can also add a fan in the little square on the top middle of the back wall for more air flow if needed during our hot summers. Jami's dad was nice enough to haul in some clay/dirt and level the ground underneath. Since it doesn't have a floor in it, he also brought some old conveyor belt to put down so I won't be in the mud. He's such a nice pa-in-law; he also plowed the garden for me!

Looking out of the door you can see the bed liners we repurposed as bottom shelves. The footers on this thing have it raised up about 5" from the ground so there's an air flow around the entire bottom of it. By placing the pieces of bed liner from tailgates it totally blocks the air and makes for some mighty fine shelving.... even if it doesn't look the prettiest. For the front and rear open spots, we've temporarily placed boards to block wind. Of course I've already been told about 5 times that they will rot away in no time, but they're from an old deck that a friend tore down so I really don't give a flip if they do or not! I've got plenty more stashed out back! You can also see where it's wired up (the horizontal line running from by the door to the window). It's got the switch for the heat lamp (you can see that in the previous picture) and an electrical socket with a water proof cover.

This is looking to the other side of the door. You can see the gap I was talking about very well. This side also has wood blocking the wind for now because I have my pots sitting in the corner and a shelving unit with cover for my fertilizers and such in front of them. The black hose is a soaker hose that will probably come down since it doesn't allow for optimum watering. I don't suggest watering your potted plants this way (putting down a soaker hose in a flower bed is great, though) because not all of your plants are going to need the same amount of water at the same time. It's best to get a watering wand and water your plants as needed.

We moved in the outdoor plants this past Saturday as our first real cold weather came in that night (yea, the first frost for us was in December this year and it got down to 32*.... very chilly for us!!). I checked the temperature around 10am and it was holding a steady 70* inside the building! I'll definitely be planting some seeds early this year!!

Garden Bounty

I decided to try a garden this year, one project that's been on the list of things to do for quite some time! My pa-in-law came over and plowed up about 3/4 of an acre - waaaay more than any noob needs. Needless to say, I didn't plant the whole thing. I did plant about 40 eggplants (they were leftovers from the farmers next door. Do you know they throw the extras away?!? Ridiculous!!), 20 okra, 16 baby lima beans, 30-something cow peas, 16 black eyed peas, and about 40 English peas. I started all but the eggplants and okra from seed. Since we have very very rich soil (old cow pasture) I decided to try it without putting any fertilizer down. Things are going pretty dang good considering, but I am definitely going to put down some organic chicken fertilizer next time to get those big bushy plants! Also, the only pesticides I've put on them is Safer Soap and when the little buggies wouldn't go down with thatTriple Action +. The Safer is good for organic gardening, though I don't think you can technically call it organic, and the Triple Action+ is a lot more gentle on Big Mamma than other products out there. TA+ is also excellent for when you're not real sure what the problem is as it is a fungicide, miticide and insecticide in one!! (The Safer Soap is for the bugs only) Don't have anything on hand but noticed you've got bugs? Break out the sprayer and a little of you kitchen dish soap! Add a smidge of the soap to the water and spray, spray, spray. It'll make the leafs slippery and taste bad. Of course when you can get something a little better to spray on them, this is just a quick fix. You can also add the soap to whatever you're spraying on them to make it stick better! We used that method a whole lot at the nursery.... with 17 acres and 3 giant greenhouses those critters'll give you a run for your money!

These pictures are from a few weeks ago, but I don't have any more recent ones on my computer! Ignore the grass that's everywhere... I just can not keep it out! I'm devising a plan for next time, so maybe it won't be so much of a problem.


These are the cow peas


Baby Lima Beans


Okra


Eggplant (these aren't quite ready for picking in this picture, but they sure are now!! My Granny's already came and raided my garden since she's not doing such a big one this year! LOL!!)


I picked this basket of goodies right after I took the pictures! Mmmmmmm!!!


And since we were on the topic of gardening, my mom started her first garden this year, too, so for Mother's Day I made her a gathering apron. Sorry, no action shots, but take my word, she loved it!!


Isn't this just the cutest fabric?

Makin' Jelly!

This past Sunday I spent a very hot, very sweaty two hours picking blackberries. They're so plentiful this year! I'm sure it's a combination of all the rain we've been getting and the run off from the crop fields next door. Whatever it is, it's working! I ended up with a 9x13 casserole dish plum full of them, so we're making jelly! It's my first time making it, so keep your fingers crossed that we don't botch it!

I had a little helper cooking the berries. His name is Lyle and he's from Colorado. He's my Little Visitor from a swap over at Craftster.org and he'll be here until September. I think he's really getting into this!

Here we're sorting out the berries and getting them ready for the pot. We've already thoroughly washed them.

Lyle mashing the berries to get all the juicy goodness out of them (just before we let the pot boil over...ooops!!) Tonight we're gonna get on top of making the jelly.... dad gum it! We've been busy this week!