Bad Inclement Weather?? What gives?

Okay, quick update. I know its been a while since my last post but honestly with the cold/hot/rainy weather we've had, growing veggies has basically been a disaster. However, about May 18th, thinks started to look up and although that's way late in the season to get started, so far, what I've planted has been catching up. All, except my Peppers.

For some reason, they appear to be in shock... I am hoping this week of HOT (90+) weather, will be just the kick in the butt they need to get going. I've gotten some Romas and Cherry tomatoes (a total in 10 so far) with so much more coming on the Cherry tomatoes. The 3 Romas that ripened were delicious and I used them the same day they were picked (makes the farmer in me go: woot! woot!).

But, those damn pepper plants are still small and shrunken (they were hit multiple times with 30+ degree weather) and there is one very small (pinkie size) poblano that is hanging off the side of the 6 inch plant (sad, just sad). I will pick it this weekend just to get something from that side of my garden.

Potatoes appear to be growing well. Both the Yukon and Blue Adirondacks have flowered but I won't know how much I've yielded until next month. I am hoping the potatoes does well, I'd like them to become a staple in my garden. I am growing them in black trash containers (33gal). If they grow well this year I will do them again next year.

The Shallots look good and I've dedicated an entire patch for these babies. I love shallots so I am hoping for a bumper crop.  I'm also growing carrots this year, something I didn't get a chance to do last year and they are finally shooting up.

The herbs are growing like crazy, the Thai basil is exploding but delicious! I've had to give some to my neighbors I've got so much... It also gets them interested in gardening. I've had two new "recruits" this year (probably tired of hearing me speak about my garden). I assisted them in clearing the land and starting their patch for veggies. Go Farmers!!

Next big project for the garden, is setting up my garage as a cool, dry place for my veggies to cure. Which should be fun since its jammed pack with junk! Could you hear the sarcasm in that last statement? Uh yeah... More pictures on the way and maybe even a youtube video.

I will keep you updated. 

Ciao!

Okay, I have most of my planting done. We have been having back and forth cold and then warm weather for the last 3 weeks and I may have planted my tomatoes a little too early but they are flowering, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I've also had great success (so far) with my Blue Adirondack potatoes. They have sprouted and their leaves have a darker purple/blue hue leeching out from the center. Its a beautiful leaf and they are growing. Which is good because now we are getting a lot of rain and most of my veggies are growing fine.

I have also planted Yukon Golds, and they are sprouting, just not as much as the Blues. I am also trying the trash can method for growing them this year. I purchased a 33 gallon, black trash can and divided the bottom into 2 sides. On one side are the Blues and on the other side, I planted the Yukons. Not sure if they will cross pollinate but I can't wait to see the results. I am hoping for two different kinds of potatoes but if they cross, not sure what I will get... I will have to research/ask someone for advice on this arrangement.

I still have two beds that need to be filled in the yard and 2 half beds in the garden. One of the half beds will be for my melons. Just waiting for a clear day (probably this weekend) to plant them. I plan on trying the sweet baby melons and hope those dirty little grubs in my backyard don't decimate the crop. The other is where I tried to grow artichokes and failed miserably. Not because the plants didn't grow, but because I never read up on them and didn't realize you don't get a crop until the second year... So I got beautiful buds and a nice artichoke plants but I pulled them all up when I didn't see the artichokes growing... DUH! Another one of my "if I plant it it will grow, so I don't need to read up on the plant, cause I am just that good!" NOT...!!!

I sometimes get carried away in trying new things but I also have a tendency to forget that planting is all in the details. A little knowledge goes a long way, but its a lesson I am continuing to learn (over and over).

I am also growing carrots this year, I didn't last year and I missed them. So I have an entire wine barrel devoted to my orange beauties. I like to harvest them when they are on the smaller side, they taste much better and makes the meals look prettier.

The orange and lemon trees are budding like crazy. All of the trees have begun to grow fruit. The limequat tree is a little slower. It is putting on lots of leaves lost through the winter and I don't expect buds for another two weeks but the limequat catches up to the other citrus trees and is usually ready for harvest in October with the rest of them.

I have 3 kinds of peppers, poblano (love these); red, orange and yellow sweet peppers and they are doing okay. Although I planted them at the same time as the tomatoes, the little cold snap we had doesn't seem to have harmed them any.

My strawberries are growing wild on one side of my garden. I will have to watch where I step when I am working in that area. Last year, we got a lot of large and very sweet strawberries so the plan is to allow the strawberries to continue to grow "wild" and leave them alone til harvest.

Now, I am waiting for my yard guys to come over and make my yard look pretty. The grass is greening up just fine but it seriously needs a mow. I am not lazy, I am allergic to grass but I can now appreciate this miserable allergy cause it gives me an excuse to hire someone to do it for me. I have the same guys doing my yard for 8 years now and they do a great job. However, with all of the back and forth with the weather, they haven't had a nice day to get it done.

I also found baby snakes in a pile of leaves in the yard and I have a big compost heap over in a corner in my yard and I have a feeling there is a mama snake living in my compost heap. I plan to clear the brush from the top that hasn't had a chance to decompose and hopefully the little critters will realize they can no longer nest here... Did I tell you I hate snakes??? Well I hate snakes, A LOT... But my local SPCA says they're rat snakes and non-poisonous (like that helps) but I am willing to ignore them if they will ignore me... <fingers-crossed>  I will update you once I get the courage to tackle the job.

More later as the season continues.

Garden Plan for 2013

It's PLANTIN' TIME!!  Well, we're almost there... Some items will be planted this weekend and others are being hardened over for transplanting in a couple of weeks. I am hoping for a high yield this year as the previous 2 years we've had numerous consecutive days of 100+ degree weather and most of my crops just burned under the Texas sun.

The "Plan" is a little ambitious for me, especially when summer hits and constant care is required. And, I've already ruined the first batch of saffron corms. It seems my darling daughter was watering the plants as well, so they were being over-watered which is a huge "no-no" for  saffron, so... yeah, a new batch will be planted this weekend as well as the following:

    Bought some "blue" potatoes, they looked really cool and they are supposed to be delicious. Anyway, the blues are going in this weekend as well as the Yukon Gold.

    I am also planting the shallots (used all of last years, so I am starting with new bulbs and keeping my fingers crossed.

    I am planting both hot and sweet peppers. I can never get enough of these so I am over-planting these this year for a bountiful crop. They don't go in the ground just yet, but I will put them in my terrace room to over-hardened before they're planted in.

    Onions are going in as well, those are a 'fingers-crossed" deal too. I will be more detailed on what's going in as I plant each vegetable. Expect an update on all items planted this weekend in proper detail. Please note, the plan depicts what I would like to see but as math gives me a headache, I don't formally measure anything out... Its more of a guide on how I see it in my head but reality is always a lot less forgiving. I guess I could be more accurate but I admit, I am "math lazy"... I can add/multiply/subtract and divide and since I am NOT an aerospace engineer, I don't feel so bad about dismissing geometry, calculus and trig. And when I do use this level of mathematics, I don't realize that's what I am doing and "voila" ~~ no headaches... see, it works out for everyone involved. Below are a list of my garden veggies going in this  year...

I've chosen this years 'experiment plant' to be the 'Saffron Crocus'. I ordered bulbs and planted them in December in a container inside the house. They have string-like green leaves but they haven't flowered. They produce a beautiful purple flower so it will be an added benefit in making my garden 'pretty'. I am hoping to use some of the filaments in cooking and preserving the rest for future use. This is a very expensive herb so grow it yourself instead and save a LOT of money.


Grow your own Saffron Crocus bulbs for harvesting and cooking.
[Info from: http://www.finegardening.com/plantguide/crocus-sativus-saffron-crocus.aspx ]

The saffron crocus blooms in the autumn, producing 1 to 5 rich lilac flowers with dark purple veins, held wide open above inconspicuous foliage.

Noteworthy characteristics: Plants may bloom well the first year, but sparsely thereafter. Generally will not flower in cool, wet areas. Saffron, called "the world's most expensive spice,"  is obtained from the long, conspicuous, deep red style. It takes about 14,000 stigma to make one ounce of saffron threads.

Care: Plant 3 to 4 inches deep in late summer. Likes full sun and gritty, poor to moderately fertile, well-drained soil. Prefers hot summers. Under glass, provide full light with gritty soil and ample water during growth. Keep dry during summer dormancy.

Propagation: Sterile, increasing only by division.

Problems: Mice, voles, and squirrels may eat the corms, while birds may pick off flowers. In storage, corms are prone to rots and molds.

Roma Tomatoes

NOTE: The following information was pulled from The Gardening Channel, [thank you, GC!] cause I've been too busy to do my own research but really needed to get back to my blog... Wait til you hear how this summer's record heat MASSACRED my garden! Over 69 days of 100+ degree weather. Pictures as well... Yeah, it ain't pretty...

Roma Tomatoes are the traditional paste tomatoes. With their dense and meaty flesh, low moisture content, and few seeds they are the ideal tomatoes for processing into sauces and pastes. Roma tomatoes have a cylindrical or plum shape, and feel heavy for their size. Their colors range from pink to orange to deep red. Veeroma, La Roma, and Sam Marzano are among the many popular Roma varieties.
New varieties of Roma are both flavorful for eating and meaty for cooking. These include Roma Napoli, Martino’s Roma, and Rio Grande Roma. Cherry Romas are small and sweet, perfect for snacking.

Growing Romas
You can start Roma tomatoes from seeds indoor two months before the last frost date for your area. Or, you can purchase seedlings (also called starts) from a local nursery or garden center and transplant them after the danger of frost has past.

Romas need the same conditions as other tomatoes—well-drained soil high in organic matter, full sun, and plenty of water. Plant them about 14 to 20 inches apart. They’ll be ready to harvest in about 75 to 80 days. Because Romas are determinate plants all the fruits ripen at about the same time, which is a big advantage if you’re making sauce.


Harvesting Roma Tomatoes
Harvest your Roma tomatoes when the fruit is firm and evenly colored. If the temperature reaches 90 degrees F it’s best to pick the fruit when it’s just started to color to ripen indoors at about 70 degrees F. Tomatoes won’t survive a frost, so if frost is predicted bring in the unripe fruits and ripen them in paper bags at 60 degrees or so.


Roma Tomato Pests and Diseases
Many Roma tomatoes are resistant to early blight, fusarium and verticillium wilt, diseases that plague tomatoes. Always choose seeds or seedlings that are VF resistant.

If you see a water-soaked area near the blossom end (bottom) of the fruit, your tomato may have blossom end rot, which is basically a calcium deficiency. To help avoid this problem don’t plant your tomatoes until the soil has warmed up and keep the soil evenly moist.

Tomato hornworms are big green caterpillars that camouflage themselves along the stems of tomato plants. The best thing to do is to pick them off—if you can find them!

Recipes to try:
Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes

Pasta with Fresh Roma Tomato Sauce No. 2

The Meyer Lemon Tree...



 This week, in NEWS YOU CAN USE, it’s all about the Meyer Lemon tree. Above are some YouTube videos about the Meyer lemon. I have two and they fruit year-round and are a lot larger and stay fresh a lot longer than the store bought kind (and have you seen how much they cost?). Their blossoms are extremely fragrant and keep my backyard smelling lemony fresh.  

They are grown in containers allowing me to control how big they grow and they are easily transported in and out of the house. I usually take them outside after the last freeze (around March) and over-winter them in the garage. They continue to bloom and fruit if I keep them in the house.

Some of the videos above, discuss growing a lemon tree from seed. Well, I am just not that patient...

It can take up to ten years before the first fruit is realized. Save yourself some time, you can easily purchase a small mature tree and with a small amount of knowhow, (like watch these videos), you can have delicious fruit that same year.

They can be purchased from a nursery but inexpensive lemon trees are available at your local hardware or garden store (i.e. Home Depot or Lowes).

So, if you use lemons by the ton, or just want to, these inexpensive fruit trees start bearing fruit and saving you money right away.

Cheers!

Then there are the others:

Blueberries

Blackberries

Grapes (White)

Raspberries

Strawberries

And, the rest of the garden

Yellow & Red Potatoes

Dwarf Pomegranate

Not pictured:

Herbs:

Parsley [Curly]

Pineapple Sage

Rosemary

Chives

Garden specifics...

A list of vegetables in the garden with pics:

Corn

Green Peppers

Romaine and Bib Lettuce

Cucumber

Green Onion

Snow Peas

Roma Tomatoes

Broccolli

Artichokes

Asparagus

Another pic of Penelope

Just cause I love to watch her...

HUGE Yellow Garden Spider

This big gal showed up and she is really beautiful in a weird creepy way... Hey I am from up North and give me a big rat, no problem... But huge creepy (albeit beautiful) spider gives me the 'heebee geebees' every time! I call her Penelope...

Citrus Trees...

I also have fruit trees in my garden. I have 2 Meyer Lemons, 1 Satsuma Orange, 1 Valencia Orange, 1 Golden Delicious Apple, and 1 LimeQuat [cross between lime and komquat]

The lemon trees fruit year round. The Satsuma is every other year and the Valencia is every year. Harvest time is around October for all except the lemons. You just pick them as you need them. Last year we have a much colder winter than in years past, so my lemon and lime trees seemed to into a sort of hibernation but kept their fruit throughout the winter... I garage them but I hope to have a greenhouse in my backyard to keep them in... I think that project is some time down the road as greenhouses are expensive and not in the budget for the next couple of years...

Garden pics...

I wish I had taken photos at the beginning of this project but its a pretty simple one as you can see. I used a little chicken wire, pvc pipe, loads of mulch, loads of soil and of course the plants. Some were started using seeds and some were purchased as seedlings... In this nice Texas climate, I haven't had any issues using both and getting great results.

I started a little late, as it took me a little longer to clear the land. I am hoping to expand even further next year.  This is the vegetable garden:  more pics to come

Okay, I suck but,...

Project "Closets" did not pan out... Guess you figured it out since its April and I have been back to this blog since January... Slacker??? Nay, I say... I have a perfectly good reason for not having followed thru with this grand plan to clean out my closets.

Don't get me wrong, its still on the agenda, its just been put on hold and there's a good reason...

Family... Yup! I've moved in some family members and honestly, compared to what my closets look like now, they were shining examples of organization before!! [uh, not so much...] Anyhoo, the closet project is back on the shelf (for now), but its not like I haven't been busy.

It's springtime and for me its the best time of the year. I've cleared a small part of my backyard for my vegetable garden and it has become my new obsession. I've always had plants around me, even as a kid. My great-grandmother had a garden in the back of her house and I think its thru her that my love for growing things first began.

So, instead of blogging about my mission to clean my closets [tentatively to be called, "things to do, 2.0"], I will blog about my 'Garden' Project. Pics and additional information on all of the vegetables and fruits I am growing will be posted shortly [I actually mean this... lol]

I am open to any and all suggestions... bye for now...

Closets, et al...

Okay, gotta admit, I've slacked off on the "Closets" project. BUT, I have been working long hours the past few weeks and quite frankly, the only thing I've done is: cook dinner <bleh!>, help my daughter with homework <bleh! bleh!> and then bed!  Exciting life I am leading, huh? And, I am no help with the homework, because it turns out, I am NOT smarter than a 5th grader!! And, she's in 8th grade... What the hell is this "New Math" crap, anyway?

Okay, now that my excuses have been aired, I did complete one closet... The "Holiday" closet. This closet contained wrapping paper, bows, boxes, ribbons, baskets, tissue paper, party bags, gift bags, a spare computer, a broken vacuum cleaner, etc. etc. [I think I've made my point...] And, this is a SMALL closet...

Closets

Okay, this site is supposed to be my efforts to complete projects and promises that I've committed to but haven't quite 'stepped up' to complete. And, as usual, I have been procrastinating even in the blog with weather issues, which by the way, has been resolved as we are now at a balmy 60 degrees. The death of one of my fav singers, Teena Marie and with holiday appreciation.

Well this week, its all about the closets and mine are just as bad as everyone else's. However, I have been doing my homework and some research and I've found a place that will purchase my old and broken TVs and the unused computers that are sitting in my closet.

Its Friggin' Cold

Okay, I am sittin' here listening to my current fav, Jazmine Sullivan! TRYING to stay warm in frigid Dallas... Yeah, I said it and as a New York native, I have a hell of a lot of nerve complaining about the cold when the East Coast has become Frosty the Snowman's current playground but shucks, let's face it, I've become accustomed to fair Dallas and the beautiful weather we usually enjoy year-round and with temps at 30 degrees [with a wind chill factor of 21 degrees, thank you], I am a-shivering in my boots!

Lady Tee - Teena Marie Passes Away...

Tina Marie has passed away:-The singer known for her soulful hits such as “Lovergirl” and her lengendary duet with Rick James has passed at the age of 54. [more]

I loved and still love her music! She will be missed.

Fire & Desire Replay

Christmas dinner was a success...

Christmas dinner was  a success, not because the family was on their best behavior [cuz, they weren't], nor were they helpful in any way, share or form [cuz, they weren't] but because nothing was burned, everyone ate at least twice and there are plenty of leftovers.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Blessed Winter Solstice.

May the New Year bring you renewed hope and true blessings.