watermelon

04 Jun 2012 No Comments

Maintain Vigilance

One thing to keep in mind about gardening is maintenance.  Not only do things go “bump in the night,” they go chomp in the garden.

Tami’s lettuce have gone to flower, now taller than her okra, and the bugs are in hog heaven–sans the swine.  Ick.  At this point, Tami need only remove the plants and put them in the compost pile–her new compost pile!  Yep, she’s decided to join the organic ranks and start her own compost pile, beginning with the pile of oak leaves she recently raked up.  Smart.  Very smart.  Best of all, it’s mere feet from her garden.

The okra are growing gangbusters and spitting out “cobs” all over the place.  One thing to keep in mind when you’re growing okra, is these guys are fast operators.  Once they begin producing, you’ll want to visit every day.  This will ensure you harvest your okra at its most tender because trust me, large cobs of okra are tough and NOT delicious.  Great for seed saving though!

Always a silver lining (if you know where to look).  Moving right a long… Tami has her first watermelon.  Isn’t it adorable?

Won’t be long before this little guy is burgeoning from the vine.  Note on watermelon harvest:  in Florida, these babies have a tendency to explode during hot summer days, so while you’re visiting each and every day, keep an eye on the melons.  Give em’ a tap and when you hear the nice dull “thump” sound, pull that rascal from the vine and haul it onto the picnic table.  Another good indicator is to check the curly tendrils.  Light green = not ready.  Brown and dry = thump it baby, thump it!

Another technique is to press your thumb nail into the skin.  If it makes an indentation, not ready.  No mark, you should be good to pull.  Tomatoes are a much easier fruit when it comes to harvest detection.  Red, they’re ripe.  Green they’re not–unless you’re a Southerner and like your tomatoes green.  Tami’s are looking mighty fine.

Her basil could use a little pinching.  I prefer to pinch the budding blossoms from mine before they reach 1/2 inch, then toss them into my lunch salad.  Mmmm…  Aromatic and delicious.  Did you know that basil eases digestion?  Wunderbar.  Nothing like making my roughage go down “easier.” :)

Have you seen the recipe for my favorite summer salad?  Strawberry and goat cheese and oh-so-delicious!  Add basil for an added delight.

And since we’re speaking of maintenance, these squash need some attention.  Fungus.  Very hard to rid the Florida garden squash of fungus, what with all our rain and humidity, but we must. 

This plant wants to survive and produce more squash.  It simply needs a helping hand.  So Tami will remove the diseased leaves and allow the center healthy green ones to thrive.   Remember, your plants want to produce and sustain you.  They just need a little help sometimes!

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

20 Mar 2012 No Comments

Tami’s Plants are Moving IN!

It’s moving day at Tami’s garden and the leaves are a wavin’ (very exciting day).  You remember those glorious beds she prepared?  She’s filling them!  The first bed will be home to okra, aloe and lettuce, with okra providing the needed sun-relief for delicate lettuce leaves.  In Florida, we like our salads, but tender lettuce leaves don’t like the blast of Florida heat.  Enter okra and their lovely canopy of shade.

Next bed over we’ll find tomatoes, basil, bell peppers and squash snuggled together in a wonderful example of companion planting.  These plants all get along well and it’s even believed that basil will improve the flavor of nearby tomatoes.  Hm.  Perhaps even sweeten our peppers?  We’ll keep you posted!  Note:  No, your eyes do not deceive you.  She has yet to fill this bed with dirt.  It’s still in the layout stage. :) )

Along the fence line we’ll find green beans (and soon to be cucumbers).  These folks love to climb so why not encourage them?  Saves on space!

Tami also picked up some blueberry and strawberry plants (because gardening is SO fun and a gal can get carried away with little or no effort) at the store so we’ll place those together off to one side.  Why together?  Because strawberries and blueberries both like it acidic (think low ph) so they’ll get enjoy the same growing conditions.  An easy way to acidify the soil is with pine needles–or bark.  Either work and they both make GREAT mulch material for our sweet baby berries.

But Tami will need to get another blueberry plant or two if she wants fruit because these guys and gals need cross-pollination for best blueberry production.  If they’re self-fertile, they can produce on their own, but she’ll get better results with more bushes and different varieties.  Others are self-sterile (like Rabbiteye) and require cross-pollination in order to produce blueberries.  Who knew?  So check the varieties best suited for your region and make sure you have the necessary number of bushes and varieties to produce fruit.

Tami’s on her way to the plant store now!  To round out her lovely backyard garden plot, she’ll transplant her tender watermelon and cantaloupe sprouts, both of which need plenty of room to roam–which is why she planted them OUTSIDE her planter beds.

They’ll thank her later (with plenty of delicious fruit!).  Since it’s the vines that will spread, she’ll confine her energy and organic soil to the sprout area, and line her border with weed paper.  This will eliminate some hoe work (no need to remove all that grass out there) and keep her vines happy and weed-free. :)   A good thing!

And in her neck of the woods, rabbits tend to pose a problem, so she’ll attach these white tubes around her beds and line them with screen.  No sense in going to all this effort to have the rabbits turn around and eat you out of garden and greens!  Nope.  No sense at all.

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , , , , ,

06 Jul 2011 4 Comments

Garden Gals Share the Adventure!

What an inspiration these gals are, what with their fabulous green gardens and baskets of veggies–and you should see their thumbs.  They’re totally green!  After watching Ashley’s glorious experience in the garden, her father decided to start a garden of his own.  Isn’t that great? 

Me?  I LOVE sharing the adventure.  It’s too easy not to and brings such joy to those who partake, how can I not?  Remember:  Ashley’s already planning on adding another planter box for next season!

Back from vacation, Julie was momentarily distracted by the beach…and Fourth of July celebrations…but don’t think for a second she isn’t back in action!  Yes, there were casualties.  She lost most of her squash and zucchini while she was cavorting and carrying on, though this fella seems quite determined to stick it out.

Go zucchini, go!  And her tomatoes are holding on, sprouting as though she were never gone.  Didn’t I tell you Mother Nature will make allowances for the gardener with all the exuberance and none of the time (or talent, for some of us :) )?  You bet she will and these ruby reds are proof positive!  

Now I will be honest with you.  When I photographed this melon, I thought he was doomed.  A goner.  Small and covered in green, I thought for sure he’d been overcome by a mold of some sort.  But alas, it’s not the case!  This is a special breed of melon (one I’m not familiar with which is no big stretch–I’m as green as they come and sometimes that pertains to know how).  Good thing I’m an eager student!

It’s called a Sugar Baby melon and it’s supposed to look like this.  Whew!  (Almost fainted when I saw her reach in and pick it up bare-handed.)  Gardening can get gross.  Exhilarating, but gross.

Her herbs are loving life.  In Florida these will thrive without full sun.  Actually, from what I’ve seen, full summer sun is NOT an herb’s friend.  No, ma’am.  My basil is not nearly as plump and luscious as Julie’s.  Though hers could use a pinch. 

Nearby, her cilantro has grown wild and wooly and is now flowering, soon to produce coriander seeds.

Did you know that cilantro and coriander stem from the same plant?  They do!  First you’ll harvest the flat wide leaves of cilantro–perfect for any salsa–and then you’ll wait and watch as they produce pretty white flowers which will then produce seeds.  Once the seeds turn brown, you’ll have yourself a fresh supply of coriander for the kitchen.  Doesn’t that sound delightful?

More than delightful, it’s YUM.  This gardening thing is so rewarding.  From basket to belly we gardeners really do live the sweet life.

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , , ,

11 May 2011 1 Comment

Stake Those Tomatoes

They’re heavy and need the support.  One look at Julie’s prize reds and it’s easy to understand why they must be staked.  There are so many!  (Yay, Julie!)

 

You can also use a trellis for support and attaching the vines with soft green tape (this avoids injury which can be an invitation to disease/bacteria).  I’ve gone with a modified version for my tomatoes, running a type of garden wire through posts, accentuating the support system with bamboo. 

 

I used to rely solely on bamboo until I realized my plants were too heavy and the wind too strong.  Add a little rain and my stakes were sagging. 

You don’t want sagging stakes.  Not only do they look pitiful, they provide no support.  And for anyone considering the use of pantyhose in lieu of ties because of its soft texture—think twice.  I tried that last year and it only led to mildew and ick. 

Then, when it was time to clear the stakes for next season’s crop, I couldn’t get the darn things off my bamboo!  They don’t cut well with scissors.  Best to avoid it altogether if you ask me.  Now, meandering further into Julie’s garden, I noticed this contraption. 

Yes, that’s a watermelon housed within a tomato cage.  On the one hand, this is smart logic.  Watermelons are vines that will climb if given the opportunity, and their fruit is heavy…

 But this is a “no-no!” :)   A wire cage will do nothing (but get in her way!) for her watermelons.  Perhaps one of the children snuck into the garden on a whim of helpful elf-like behavior and mistook it for a tomato?

 Never know.  What I do know, is that placing her squash, zucchini and watermelon near the edge of her planter box is SO smart.  Talk about best use of space, this is it! 

  

With limited dirt area, she’s allowing her vines to sprawl out onto the grass where they will blossom and grow; a feat that does not require dirt.  Ashley has done much the same with her zucchini.  As you can see, this one is quite content hanging out on the ground outside its planter box.

 

She’s added some lovely wooden trellis support for her cucumber and beans.  Though I have some doubts as to the identity of this particular fellow.  What is that thing?

Reminds me of the zucchini I grew last fall that dwarfed into a pumpkin.  Must have been another case of “seed escapees,” or in my case, amending my soil with “not quite ripe” compost.  Hmph.  Sometimes you simply cannot overcome the excitement factor.

 

Keep up the green growing, girls—you’re on a roll!

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , , ,

19 Mar 2011 No Comments

The Last Hurrah before Spring Break!

The kids are antsy and itchy and not because of anything in the garden, oh no–it’s almost spring break!  Try corralling that kind of distraction for an afternoon of weeding and you’ll get dips and dives in enthusiasm–until they spot the strawberries.

“Can I have one!  Can I have one!” 

Zeroing in on the plants in question, I do the quick math in my head:  5 strawberries, 10 kids…  And this is just the first group out for the day!

“Please, can we pick them?”

What could I say?  This is the day they’ve waited for, the one I promised would come and fill them with more excitement than they could contain.  Glancing between kids and berries I had no choice.  “Yes”–hands flew outward–”but not before I get a picture!”

Talk about the difficulty of delayed gratification–you’d a thought we were on a ten-hour bus ride with no stops for bathroom breaks the way these kids were bouncing, bobbing, bursting for release.  But the berries were worth it.  :)  

Upon our return, these cucumbers will be great fun.  They’ll climb right up this fence–ours for the grabbing!  (Someone sense a pickling lesson in our future?)

The kindergarteners joined us this week for the honor of planting the ever popular watermelon seed, dropping several into each hole.  They have no idea how much space one watermelon plant needs, let alone five in each hole.  But they had fun and each had a turn (THE most important factor in gardening with the wee ones).

While weeding, we noticed this little guy–another near catastrophe in the making.  Poor thing had no idea what was going on, what, with all these little hands darting in his direction! 

And speaking of things flying at high speeds I leave you with this note of caution:  when gardening during Science Olympiad week, keep your eyes peeled.  While supervising the garden activity, I was surprised by a splash on my ankle.  Turning, I spotted the group of middle school boys–laughing.  Never a good sign.  Apparently, their project was some sort of water balloon launch and I was in range. 

Eyeballing the little pumpkins, I thought, it’s all fun and games until the garden coordinator gets wet!  (Though I had to admit, they’re distance and precision were pretty good.) 

To his credit, the young man came over and apologized to which I promptly accepted.  He’s just lucky it was my leg and not my lens.

p.s.  The upper elementary kids surprised me with this wonderful shamrock filled with limericks about their *fabulous* garden coordinator, yours truly.  Each and every rhyme is a true creative gem–I wish I could post them ALL here for your reading pleasure–you’d love them.  I will cherish it and the salt and pepper snail shakers (my favorite kind of snails–the pretend kind!). 

Thanks kids and have a GREAT spring break!

by gardenfrisk in School Garden - follow the kids as they grow! Tags: , , , , , , , ,

15 Jun 2010 No Comments

Gorgeous Melons…need I say more?

Look at these beauties.  Actually, it’s should be singular, as this in ONE melon, but a picture speaks a thousand words — or two!  — so why not go with it?

Yes, for all you skeptics out there, this indeed came from my garden and with little or no effort on my part!   Beautiful.   Nature at its best.   The watermelons are a different story.   Big, beautiful, glorious and green, we picked them with great anticipation, but to our dismay, they were pink, not red.   Okay, deep pink, but must we dwell?   It’s disheartening enough.   The kids were looking forward to a summer snack of watermelon on a hot humid day by the pool (is there any better?) and were discouraged to learn the one they picked wasn’t ripe.  

My daughter, bless her heart, dared take a bite.   ”Just in case, Mom.   Maybe its supposed to look this way.”

My son knew better.   The scrunch of her nose sealed it for him.   No good. 

“But they look like they’re ready!   How are we supposed to know when to pick them if these aren’t ripe?”

It’s a good question.   Is there a sound I should look for when I tap the melon?   Will it feel ripe?   “Smell” ripe?   Cantaloupes do.  Why not watermelons?

They should.  It’s not fair a kid should work so hard, raise their expectations so high, simply to be dumped into despair.  Wait a minute.  Did I say that out loud?  Whipping my head around, I scan the vicinity.  Whew.  No children within range.  Of course it’s good for them! 

Every once in a while, anyway.  Teaches them strength, endurance — dares them to give up — qualities they’ll need throughout life.  Not to mention a garden!

by gardenfrisk in Garden skinny - my personal scoop on gardening Tags: , , , , , , ,

17 Nov 2009 6 Comments

An experiment in neglect

I’m a busy lady with two small children, volunteer activities, after school sports and an up and coming career in writing.  Neglect is no stretch of the imagination for me which made my experiment all the more enticing.  Easier — considering the fact that overhauling my summer garden drained me to the bone.

And so it happened.  One afternoon, after a full day of tilling and mound shoveling, I spied my leftover watermelon rows and thought, there’s no way.  The tiller is due back at the rental store, my back is aching, and my husband is staring at me, the question clear in his eyes, Are we through here?

Yes.  We’re through here.  I have no desire to weed and till another inch let alone a ten by seventy patch of garden!  Besides, I’ve nothing to plant in these last rows, so why bother excavating when all it will mean is more maintenance?  Come spring, if I want to expand, we can scrape these weeds clean with the tractor – a much easier prospect.  So it was settled.  I’d ignore this end of the garden until spring. 

Over the next week, tiny shoots of watermelon broke through the ground.  Admittedly my first thought was more grunt than anything, but I quickly put the annoyance aside and admired the little cuties, reminding myself I was NOT weeding that section.  No problem.

Next thing you know, the vine is meandering into my peanuts, flowering, and out pops a miniature watermelon!  The kids noticed it first, with hoots of excitement (apparently, they find this sweet and delectable fruit more enticing than the cabbage and broccoli we were currently planting).  Not wanting to spoil their fun, I joined in and exclaimed my admiration, “Look at those beautiful stripes of green!”

It wasn’t until my son’s family birthday party when the real excitement broke out.  Everyone was in attendance, kids running wild in the backyard – we have plenty of them, ages five to fifteen – whereby my little “authority on everything,” intent on extolling his knowledge and know how to the others, led them to the garden.  Much to his delight — success!  Not only were they amazed he knew the name of each plant, bean and herb, he was also growing watermelon.  Watermelon! 

Well, grab the basket and run tell your parents, this kid’s got his own watermelon patch!  Unbelievable!  Indulging the children’s enthusiasm, the adults trailed after to see what all the fuss was about and sure enough, my son had already clipped and claimed a pretty good-sized watermelon for the harvest basket. 

Everyone oooohed and aaaahed over the specimen, and a nephew asked me for instruction on how to clip basil.  Pleased by his interest though surprised by his choice, I began to explain – until suddenly, my heart stopped.  From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of another nephew leaping over rows as if he were running an obstacle track! 

I hollered at him, “Stop!” while at the same time, my niece called out for permission to cut another melon.  My attention duly divided, I couldn’t respond until — thankfully – my son took over the job of teaching his cousin how to correctly traverse the rows. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned to see her ripping the fruit from the vine.  “Take it,” I murmured.  It’s yours, now.

Returning to the task at hand, I showed him how to pinch the basil, the only part he wanted.  To our left, kids were swimming for sweet potatoes and to our right, they were snipping okra.  It was an amazing scramble of activity.

“Can I have this green pepper?” asked my sister-in-law.

“Sure.”

“Sissy, what’s this?”

I looked up to see her holding an eggplant.  Glancing up from the basil, my nephew ventured, “May I have a watermelon, too?”

Pleased everyone was enjoying the harvest, I replied, “Of course.”  But I can’t make any promises as to quality.  By the warm pleasure that swamped his expression, I’m not sure it mattered. 

He doesn’t know it isn’t watermelon season!

by gardenfrisk in Garden skinny - my personal scoop on gardening Tags: , , , , ,