BloominThyme - Page 65

08 Mar 2010 2 Comments

We have sprouts!!!

It’s working! Yahoo! And what a thrill.

Discovering your first sprouts is a great day – especially for the boys.

“Look mom! There’s a potato! And there’s another one! “

Wow. They really are growing. While it was exciting last week with the addition of transplants, the added greenery a major boost to morale during the throes of winter (oh, waah – as if Floridians actually knew anything about winter) but now we have proof positive Mandie has a green thumb!

Could be a simple example of Mother Nature doing her thing, but I’m willing to go with the green thumb imagery.

Not only the potatoes are rearing up, but the carrots are sprouting and so are the conch peas! Cute little things, they look more like “bird” peas, don’t they?

Either way, we’ve got action – and lots of it. Why, look at these sprouts – they’re everywhere! These baby carrots may seem more like baby hair, but they are THRILLING nonetheless. Like having your first baby. Sure, it’s red and screaming and covered in awful slime but to you, it’s the most beautiful creature in the world.

You see it now, don’t you? Yes. I see your smile. You see it, too.

But of course, as the earth spins, with every upward tick comes a downward tick. We have daylight, we have night.

Yes, you guessed it. Blemishes. Bugs. While admiring all the new sproutlings, eagle eye Mandie spotted a tiny black bug. Her eyes are better than mine.

Argh! Infestation. Panic. She turned to me, whom she has affectionately dubbed master, and asked, “What do we do now, Master?”

I smiled. (Not only because I like being called master, but because this is where the reality of organic gardening hits.) You get him.

She balked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you grab him, get him, pinch him – whatever you need to do to remove the dastardly invader from your garden — without using any awful pesticides.”

She promptly obliged.

You have to hand it to her, the girl’s a quick study!

I then mentioned the use of insecticidal soap, an environmentally friendly spray for her plants, touting it was a somewhat easier method of beast removal. She whipped her head around to her husband. “Gary, while you’re at the store, grab some of this stuff, will ya?”

Wonderful husband that he is, he agreed without protest. (Boy, do I love husbands. They really do make gardening easier.)

After a final inspection, we decided everything was good, perfect, save for the tomatoes. These pups proved a bit peaked after the close call with the mercury last week, but I think they’ll make it. Fish emulsion will do wonders for them, along with a well planned fertilizer program.

Mandie paled. Fish emulsion. “I forgot to pick up the fish emulsion!” (You remember, this is the busy gal — a lot on her plate? We weren’t kidding!) “Gary, will you grab some fish emulsion why you’re out?”

He smiled. “Sure.” Then to me, asked, “Can you buy that at the hardware store?”

Probably. If not, the seed and feed will have it. Fish emulsion is a wonderful organic fertilizer. While it won’t address all the needs of your garden, it does provide a solid foundation.

Satisfied all was in hand, he nodded. “No problem.”

I like a calm, cool and collected guy. Tends to mellow out my more hyper-tendencies. Uh, make that energetic. I’m energetic, not hyper. I have focus. Determination. Why, just this weekend I relocated a rose garden to make way for my new herb garden, and planted a blueberry patch to boot!

It is blueberry patch, right? I asked my daughter and she assured me it was patch, not orchard. But then again, she’s barely ten. Help?

More on that tomorrow. Until then, rejoice in Mandie’s success!

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: busy, fish emulsion, organic, progress, spring garden, sproutlings, sprouts, success

02 Mar 2010 No Comments

Sustainability!

Almost. My son and I prepared our first batch of black beans for dinner. We followed the traditional method of soaking before cooking. Actually, we boiled them for 2 minutes first, and then soaked them for about six hours. And if we hadn’t been so excited about cooking our first batch of beans, we would have realized our mistake.

“We need one cup of beans,” I told him, to which he vigorously responded by dumping the entire container of beans into the measuring cup. “No, no!” I exclaimed as beans scattered across the floor. “Make a funnel with your hands, like this–” whereby I demonstrated how to guide the beans into the awaiting cup.

He dipped his head into the container with the remaining beans, peering at them closely. ”What do we do with these?”

Spying the small amount, I decided, “Aw…go ahead and add them. We can put more water in the pot, no problem!”

We were so excited at the prospect of preparing our own garden’s beans for dinner, we thought of nothing else as we turned up the heat and watched our babies come to a boil.

“Do we have to have chicken, Mom?”

I gazed down into my seven-year-old’s eyes, eyes flowing with disappointment and replied, “But you love chicken and yellow rice with black beans.” (It really is delicious — see for yourself on my recipe section) “It’s one of your favorites.”

“No,” he shook his head. “I don’t like chicken anymore. Or yellow rice.” He made a so-so gesture with his hand. “I kinda prefer white.”

“Anymore? Since when? Thursday?” (I swear, my kids are more finnicky than cats.)

“Since whenever,” he said, as though I were unable to comprehend this simple concept.

Suddenly, caught between his changing appetite and the likelihood of whether or not I had white rice in the pantry, it dawned on me as I stared at the pot of boiling beans. “Oh no!”

Alarmed, he asked, “What happened, Mom?”

I turned to him and couldn’t help but laugh. “We forgot to save some beans!”

“So? It’s okay. We can eat them all tonight.” (Sweet love child that he is, he doesn’t like it when I’m upset. Unless of course, he’s the cause.

“No, baby.” I shook my head and smiled. “We forgot to save some for re-planting in the garden.”

Apprehension lit up in his eyes. “Oh…” he said. His gaze flashed to the hot pot of beans. “What will we do?”

In the old days, this is where the black and white movie takes a horribly sad turn. Uncle Ed and Aunt Mary are forlorn. No beans to plant? Ethel May is stricken. What ever will we do?

Nowadays? We go online and order more beans! That’s what we do.

And be grateful for the ability. A mistake like this on the prairie could have jeopardized the family’s survival, but not today, so if you’re like me and LOVE black beans, hurry! Now is the time for planting. Black beans are easy to grow, easy to harvest and easy to shell. Why, even a kid could do it! (And does, in our family.) Beans are one of the easiest plants to sustain in your garden, so long as you remember your goal of sustainability and save some for the dirt!

p.s. I would have taken pictures of our lovely batch of beans, but we were much too excited to even think of a photo shoot.

by gardenfrisk in Garden skinny - my personal scoop on gardening Tags: black beans, black turtle, cook, easy to harvest, prepare, soak, sustainability

01 Mar 2010 No Comments

So far so good

Mandie survived her first week! Okay, not a major feat at this point but it is encouraging. Cold temps, good rain, it’s been easy. See? I told you there was nothing to it. Literally.

Though she did install this nice trellis. When her conch peas shoot from the ground, they’re going to need something to grab a hold of and this is an easy, portable and reusable way to go.

Unfortunately, there’s not much excitement in an empty garden box. But it’s only the first week. Most plants don’t sprout until at 7 – 10 days. So what do you do for a little pick me up thrill?

Buy sprouts! Mandie picked up a few tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce and transplanted them this weekend. If nothing else, it does wonders for the overall appeal. Now, when she looks out her back window, there’s life out there!

Watering them in, she will maintain moisture by checking her soil with a dip of her finger. For a busy woman like her, she needs to make her time count. Watering deeply once a week as opposed to a spray every day will satisfy her plants needs and accommodate her schedule.

Then there’s the cold. We’re forecast for another spell of near freezing temps which is enough to send shivers of fear right up the stems of her tomatoes. Broccoli likes it cold and with most of her other kids still beneath the surface — and protected — she’ll only have to concern herself with the few in danger above ground and cover them the night before.

Covering your plants is simple. Using frost blankets made specifically for the garden or creating your own plant “castle” of your own, the goal is to keep them insulated from the cold, keep the frost off the plant. Otherwise, you’ll be headed back to the seed and feed, pronto. The peppers she bought will hold. These boys like it warm and won’t do well in these conditions.

Last freeze I lost a bundle of potatoes due to the persistent cold temps. My efforts worked for a few days, but hours spent near twenty degrees killed my gals, but good. However, didn’t your mother teach you there is always a silver lining?

She was RIGHT! Tilling the same bed this weekend to prepare for a new crop of onions, I discovered potato babies in the soil! Combined with the carrots I pulled it makes for great motivation. Nothing like giving her a taste of things to come to keep her working, right? And while nothing is growing wild and crazy today, she knows this is what she has to look forward. Fresh from the garden produce!

Stay tuned!

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: backyard garden, broccoli, carrots, Florida cold, garden progress, potatoes, start a garden, tomatoes

25 Feb 2010 1 Comment

Spring is in the air

I don’t know which I like better, harvest time or planting time. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love harvest time! Reaping the reward for all my hard work? That’s about as good as it gets when it comes to the garden.

Until you venture out after months of cold. Okay, this is an exaggeration, but darned if it hasn’t felt like months of cold in Florida this past winter. Locked up indoors all this time, you wander out to the garden and notice the buds sprouting anew. Actually, it was the bird swooping down upon my largest blueberry plant that caught my attention, but what a lift to the spirit! Especially after losing those gorgeous tomatoes to the freeze. And the potatoes, the beans… My peas are still touch and go, but let me tell you, when I first caught glimpse of my blueberry buds, followed by the emergence of their pink little blossoms…

I went light-headed. They survived! Sound the alarms! My blueberries made it through the winter.

Yes, I know. They grow wild in North Carolina where the mercury dips a tad lower than Central Florida, but the exhilaration is the same, I assure you. These sweet bushes had me convinced they were dead and gone–until these buds appeared. And blossomed! Yes ma’am, these pups will prosper, of that I’ll make certain. I’ve already purchased my anti-bird netting having learned my lesson after those hungry varmints, er, I mean, beautiful winged neighbors of mine feasted on the sumptuous berries last summer. Sure, I like to share, but not give away the farm! There are limits!

Limits these kids pay no mind to whatsoever. As though it were open season on wild fruit. Grrrr… Even the kids shoo the beasts off!

Eh, hem. Back to my original point. I love springtime! I’m back in the garden, tilling in my first batch of compost, affectionately referred to as black gold, something I’d sell, in kind, if I were able, but that’s another post. For now, I’m eagerly anticipating the boost in growth I am certain to witness. Once my seeds get a taste of black gold they will race for the skies, grow twice as big as before, three times – maybe four! My compost is so potent, I have sproutlings rising out of nowhere! I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure this little jewel is not the Lima bean I planted yesterday. After confusing this gem with the pole beans, I can IDENTIFY a Lima bean leaf when I see one.

The biggest reason to celebrate spring? I can eat all the Girl Scout cookies I want. Well, maybe once I’m able to fit into my jeans, again, but at this rate, with all the exercise I’m getting in the garden, it will happen in no time!

You see? Yet another reason to revel in spring! Warm sun on your skin (not your face — you don’t want any more carving than absolutely necessary), the pump of your heart, the flow of blood tingling down through your tippy-toes… Spring is the time to get active and I for one am whole-heartedly filled with the gusto. Already planned for crop rotation. A tricky endeavor for me, since I realized there was not quite the rhyme and reason to my fall planting I thought there was–but I’m good, nonetheless. So what if I extend my garden a few feet to accommodate the corn and watermelon, the sweet potatoes and pumpkins. I have the space, why not give em some elbow room?

And the sproutlings are too cute. Nearly as cute as newborns and a whole host easier to care for, they are gobs of fun. Kinda like a puppy. So long as it’s not me chasing the sweet pea through the house, slipping on splatters of excitement as my heart races with each near miss of the china cabinet. Oh, yes, those days are OVER. These days are HERE! Not that we parents don’t love every hair-raising minute, but I’m getting too old for that kind of thrill. Remember, I’m on schedule to achieve centenarian status. A bone fracture could take me out of the running.

As it stands, I plan to enjoy the moment. Line my rows with fresh hay, tend to my babies while keeping a steadfast eye on their elders — the garlic should be nearing maturity, along with my sweet onions – and focus on my aggressive planting schedule. Do you know how many bean bushes you have to plant to produce a serving for four? For one night?

More than I believed. Whew. Tons more. But this time, I’m ready.

And excited!

P.S. My cabbage have offspring! Look at these kids. Aren’t they darling? Not only did their mama provide me with a bowl full of cole slaw, but the kids promise more of the same. These are the result of scoring the base of the cabbage plant after cutting the mature head for consumption. Yum.

by gardenfrisk in Garden skinny - my personal scoop on gardening Tags: blueberry, cabbage, Florida, spring is in the air, sprouts, strawberry, zucchini