The Miller's Harvest ~ Trials of a Novice Gardener

Different Day - different blog

2011-08-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

Helloooo out there! *echo*

For those of you still popping over here - I wanted to let you know I am writing a more generalized blog: My Regular Life which will include some gardening, but it is not the overriding subject matter of the blog. Please feel free to join me over there :-D

Holy Moly it has been a while!!

2009-06-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Don't you hate it when a pretty consistent blogger stops writing for a bit with no explanation?

Me too.

So I apologize. :-)

I had a bit of an emergency with my small dog, Killer. I ended up taking some time out of work - and I have been playing catch up ever since (I usually update at the end of my work day before I go home) and then when I am at home - well, the sun is shining, it is the time of year to get outside and get wet! LOL.

You know I love to share pictures - so here is my poor little puppy and his booboo.

Poor thing is so sad because he is not allowed to be up on the couch with me.

In case you are wondering why he needed this - weeellll - the hubby tripped on him on the stairs, and while the hubby landed on his butt and bounced down a few steps, he is no worse for wear. Killer, was not - he was under the hubby when he bounced and ended up breaking his left pelvis bone - and his right leg/hip. They left the pelvis alone, as it isn't a bad break, and there isn't really much they can do about it - but they did have to go in and repair his hip.

I do have some garden news - I harvested my first few cherry tomatoes.

No I haven't tasted them yet (be giving them to the little one) because they smell a little too tart for me - but I will. :-D

I need to take some more current pictures of the garden, since the last ones I took were of a couple weeks ago. I will get on that!

Mimima's Garden Graphic Intensive

2009-05-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have been mentioning here and there - perhaps just in comments when admiring other's gardens - that I wanted to doa picture post of my mother garden. The time as finally arrived! (and Mimima is what my daughter and her other grandchildren affectionately call her)

Just a couple of notes about my mother's garden:

It was originally professionally landscaped, but my mother keeps it up - and the plants have been changed out several times since it was done. So - imagine the concrete and such as what the landscapers contributed - everything else was her. (or her neighbor - who helps her when she is out of town)
The water ficture is clorinate - she did used to have a koi pond there - but the upkeep was tremendous - so she gave away the koi and converted it to a chlorinated bond. Less maintanence, and less frogs - so she is happy.
The top part of the waterfall is very dry - the rest of the garden stays moist. This has presented special problems when deciding what to plant.
None of these pictures truly do the garden justice. One of these days I will figure out how to do a panoramic view thingy in windows (that darn 6 year old on the TV commercial knows how!)
Please click on the pictures below if you want to see a larger one.
Yes - that is my daughter in one of the pictures. She loves to help Mimima in the garden.

Beautiful Moth

2009-05-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

I really don't like moths for the most part. I don't dislike them - but I don't like them swarming around me when I am trying to get into my house at night - or when one gets inside and gets the cat all worked up trying to catch (so she jumps all over everything).

But I left my house the other day and I found this beautiful moth. It had markings like a butterfly, but was dusty brown everywhere else, so I knew it was a moth. And it was HUGE - bigger than even any butterfly I have seen. The moths I normally see are the small ones that are kind of a khaki or tan color.

I told my mother about it (I was heading to her house when I saw it) and she said this is becoming an endangered species. (I don't know how accurate that is - as I don't even know what kind of Moth this is) So I went home, found it still on my door, and was feeling all nice and eco-friendly by allowing this moth to perch on my front door.

Then a bird (bluejay I think) landed on the same door - and a I watched, horrified, it gobbled up the poor critter. My husband was laughing at me by this point (MEN! hehe).

Anyway - took me down a peg or two! I SHOULD have shooed it away instead of admiring it and leaving it on my door. Had I shooed it away - it may have found a less conspicuous hiding place.

Ah well - the circle of life I suppose.

Master Gardener Program

2009-05-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

To explain how I came around to find out about this group, I have to start with Meetup.com. I am a member of a local gardening group that is just now starting to pick up - and through them I found out about a couple of upcoming classes being help by Extension Education Center for our county. I will go into that more later - probably when I take the classes.

Anyway - I was nosing around the site and came across the Master Gardener Program. Now here is what is is about:

Mission of the Master Gardener Volunteer Program:
To train a core of volunteers to assist the county agent in delivering information to residents on how to design, plant and care for their plants and landscapes in an environmentally friendly way.
The Master Gardener program is a volunteer based program for those people interested helping others. It involves going through more than 70 hours of education encompassing all areas gardening. In return for this education, we ask that you pledge to donate at least 75 hours of volunteer service during the following year. Most of this time is spent answering homeowners questions on the telephone.

(this information and logo were taken directly from here)

I found this absolutely fascinating. I myself don't think I have near enough the mastery to do something like this - perhaps there are those of you that are, and would think this would be worth your while. Look into it - maybe there is a offshoot in your area if you are not in FL.

Gifts

2009-05-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

My mother was visiting with her sister and mother this past weekend, and she came home with such a pleasant surprise for me.

My very first lawn ornament! I am thinking it is supposed to hold Bird Seed - and I briefly thought about purchasing some. However, I have been reading the World of Yardcraft blog - as well as other blogs - talking about pesky squirrels. I decided I did not want to put anything in my yard that would attract them.

I realize this next bit is a little late - but when I was at the farmers market mother's day weekend, I found the perfect gift for my mother (I know - last minute, but that is me, hehe), It was from the same booth I found my banana tree, they had this beautiful "Firecracker" plant - I looked at it and immediately thought of my mother's garden. (I really need to do a picture post of her garden) So I picked it up - took a picture of it and send her the picture on Mother's day (since she was out of town). I found out that she has been looking for this plant, and has wanted one for a long time - what luck!

Red Banana Tree

2009-05-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Don't you love it when you can see how much a plant loves a spot? I have this little corner of my porch where I have placed all of my plants. It is a great sun spot, and when we water the yard, the water gets through the screen to water all of the plants as well.

One of my plants that seem to be loving the spot is my Red Banana Tree. When I purchased it (see left picture), it only has about 5 leaves, now it just keeps on shooting out more and more leaves! (see right picture) I think I am up to 8 now, and it looks like a new one is about to pop out.

Kitchen Gardeners

2009-05-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Like yesterday, this is another post about the gardening community - but this community is not specifically for bloggers or those that like to blog. It is a community similar to myspace or facebook - but it is for those that keep a kitchen garden. There you can find groups for specific things (like herbs, composting, preserving, etc.) find garden buddies, participate in forums - and so on. Of course you can also keep a blog there as well, but it isn't the central part of the site.

I hope to see you there! And if you join, don't forget to add me as a friend. :-D

Visit Kitchen Gardeners

Blotanical.com

2009-05-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Since I have started gardening, I have depended on the blogging community for information that will help me grow. One of the best communities I have become a part of is Blotanical. This amazing site not only gets you in touch with other bloggers - but also lets you narrow the blog down to your country - and even in your area - what a better way to learn about gardening!

If you are not a member already, you should really check it out.

What plant is this?

2009-05-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

OK - I totally stole this idea from another blog I read - and if I rememberred which one, I would link to it. :-) Anyway - I picked up this plant a week ago, and I have no clue what it is. It looks like a succulant - but other than that I don't know anything. (oh - except that it will get about 2 ft wide) Do any of you know what this plant is?

Darn Parasite...

2009-05-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

It looks like I have some sort of critter chewing up some leaves on my stuff. I read DirtPrincess' post, The Good The Bad and the Ugly, and I think it is a cut worm - especially since I don't ever see any critters when I am working out there. I am not sure if I can use the solution listed there effectively, but I did read another blog post, Your First Vegetable Garden, and that has some suggestions for kitter killer juice which I think I might check out. But - a friend of mine she has that may work - so I might go with that. Decisions, decisions!

The affected plants:

So - so you guys have any suggestions.

Algea?

2009-05-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

I think I need to find another way of maturing seeds - as the new method I found isn't working. The problem is that water gets into the boxes - especially when we water the lawn. So - even though I haven't put a lick of water in the boxes in weeks, there is still lots of it in the bottom of the box. This results in what looks to be algea.

I did get a gardening catalog the other day - and I saw several seed kits that look to be much more sturdy than these. I think I will purchas them sometime this year to have them over the season. As for this season - I am getting to the end of my sowing months, so I think I will throw in the towel on seed starting. I think I have done OK for a first-timer, and I have learned a LOT. That is what isthe most important.

Seedlings/Repotting

2009-05-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was busy all morning before work (I work a mid-shift, so I get some stuff done in the AM). I decided to repot all of my little seedlings. Instead of using a very small pot, like I did with the radishes - I went with the next size up - since it seems that once things get going - they go pretty fast! Anyway - I decided it was time to repot them since they were pretty sizeable (well, except for one - but I repotted for another reason, which I will get into in another post).

And so far so good! I check on them this morning, and there was no noticeable wilting, whic I will take as a good sign. :-)

Radishes

2009-05-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

Are you getting sick of reading abut my radishes yet?? LOL

Well - I have good news! That one I was worried I killed because it fell and was turned on it side for who knows how long -- well, there is new life!! And of course the other one is starting to really flourish, and I am thinking I will need to repot it again soon.

Lemon Tree

2009-05-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

My Yellow Cherry Tomatoes are not the only plants that seem to be doing exceptionally well. I checked my lemon tree this morning, and lo and behold! there were over 1/2 dozen lemons starting!!! And all that complaining about my daughter picking one lousy lemon, sheesh! ;-)

Once I got over all of the new buds, I realized all of the new growth on the tree (I guess it isreally a bush right now, but I affectionately call it a tree! LOL) By new growth - I mean more leaves and more stems --- to hold more flowers and thus lemons in coming seasons! :-D

Radishes and Lettuce

2009-05-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

I have mixed news about my radishes. While initially both of my radishes (I really should plant these guys in a large window box, or the ground so I can get more) were responding well after the repotting. One - unfortunately, fell off of its perch! I am still nursing it, but I am not sure if it will make it through all of that abuse.

But the lettuce is a whole different story. A couple of days ago, I was pretty worried about it, as it was all dry and wilting. I gave it lots of water (I had 6 dogs, 2 5-year olds, 1 9-year old, and a 4-year old at my house this weekend, I was distracted) and it just perked right up!! You can really start to see the heads forming.

Cherry Tomato Blooms

2009-05-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Wow! My yellow cherry tomato plant is behaving wonderfully. It has doubled in size each week since I purchased it - and I was so excited to find some yellow blooms on it. I especially like the first picture. If you look at the last picture you can see that the plant itself is fairly big.

Only because I am so amazed at the rate of growth - below are 3 pictures of this tomato plant. They were taken 7-9 days apart:

First day I had them, just repotted.

The plant is the one in the center, just in front of the lemon tree. This was taken about 9 days after the previous one.

And finally - this was taken this morning. 7 days after the previous one.

Omnivore's Dilemma

2009-05-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

My sister has been reading, and raving, about a book called, "Omnivore's Delimma". She is going to lend it to me when she is finished - and I can't wait. From what I can tell about it, it is just the type of philosophy that would suit me.

The book talks about the truth of "Free Range" and "Organic" products, and well as the benefits of buying locally, how there is corn in just about everything you eat because there was a surplus at some point and the government had to find ways to use it. It also goes in depth about a farm that has a very inovative and practical approach to farming - in fact this farm will have a documentary done about it soon.

I am sure some of you reading have already heard of Poly Face Farms. The gentleman who runs this farm has deviced a completely self sufficient, and non-wasteful way of farming that is so simple, I am surprised other's haven't done it prior to him. He rotates his crops and live stock. He starts with a grassy field, lets te cows in so they can graze at will. They clear the field of grass and leave their droppings and then get moved to another field. The next step - he brings in the chickens. They eat the maggots out of the manure, and then leave thier droppings until they are moved on to the next field - and so on until he has an excellent compost, or fertilizer that can be tilled and made into cash crops. Amazing isn't it! From what he says - it takes excellent planning, a firm understanding of all of your livestock and crops, and timing. Here is the great thing - he takes in apprentices (or something like that - I can't think of the right word here) and teaches all of them how to farm his way - then they move on to start thier own farms, using the skills they have learned. Just imagine the possibilities!

And like the herb book - I found it at Amazon for you if you are interested.

Culling the Lettuce

2009-05-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Is culling even the right word? As you know - my lettuce has been growing fabulously - but I noticed today that the leaves were looking pretty wilty. (now I think I am making up my words!)

Now, I don't think it is over-ripe because I did some research to see what Little Gem Lettuce looks like when it is ripe - and it looks like a small version of romaine. So I decided to pull out the 'stalks' (not sure if that is the right word either) of the more wilty (there is that new word again) looking lettuce, and hopefully that will be enough for me to at least get a couple of heads out of this batch. At least I can probably get another crop in this season :-).

To be honest, I thought this was a loose leaf lettuce, which is why I put so many in there - and then my daughter moving the seeds around did help either. But you know, even if I don't get that much out of this growing season - I am learning a LOT! And each year I will get better until I am growing with the best of 'em!!

Now - I didn't know what to do with the lettuce I picked. I didn't have the heart to toss it. If I had a composting machine, that is where it would go - but unfortunately I do not. So - any ideas?

Look what I found ....

2009-05-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

Remember not too long ago when I was wondering what kind of herbs I should grow to make a good salad dressing? Well, I was spring cleaning one of my bookshelves this weekend, and guess what I found!

And in this book I found:

That's right! A recipe for making a salad dressing with herbs and spices. BIG smile for that!

As I flipped through the book, I found it to be a great reference tool - in case you are looking for something like that I found two versions of this book at Amazon.

It's Aliiiiivvveee!

2009-05-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Woot! (did I just announce my MMORPG days with that word?) I did not kill the tomato plant when I potted it to grow upside down!! I checked and I saw leaves growing on the bottom of the (or is it top?) main stem - and a few days later there was another one! I am so happy!

Green Thumb?

2009-04-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

You know, I am starting to think that I am much better at cultivating an already started plant as opposed to starting them myself. As you can see from the picture below, all of the plants I bought at the Home Depot sale, or the Farmer's Market are flourishing. They wilted a little at first, but now they are doing great.

While my seedlings are struggling. Well - not too bad - but I had to repot my two radish sprout because they were getting too high for my little mini-greenhouse and I didn't want that to hurt them. So they are wilting a little.

But - a friend of mine whose husband used to work on a radish farm (imagine that!) said they will be find - just make sure to keep the soil very moist, add a little more dirt, and I should be good to go! So guess what I will be doing today after work?? hehe

C'mon Sprouts!

2009-04-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

It is so exciting - more seedlings are popping up. I peaked in my little nursery and found that a couple of my Chives (Garlic) and one of my Sweet Basil sprouting. Yay!

Grow Radishes Grow!

2009-04-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

I peaked in on my seedlings again - and good thing I did - the radishes are going crazy, in fact I think I may need to move them t pots soon. And - when my husband watered the lawn he managed to get some water in the seed trays - so they were almost drowning - you can see some of the water in the pictures.

Lemon Picker!

2009-04-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned lately that I love my daughter with every fiber of my being? I honestly do! But there are days ...... well, if you are a parent, or child care provider you understand.

A few days ago I got my daughter excited about the lemon growing on the lemon tree. Every day we were outside she had to look at it. One time I even caugt her twisting it on the stem - to which I admonished her and told her that it was not ready to be picked.

Last weekend to picked it! I was horrified! OK, maybe not quite that strong of a reaction, but I was excited about picking our first ripe lemon from the lemon tree - but now that will never come to be :-( I even thought of making up a poem for the sad event - but alas my poetic vibes have not been kicking for 15 years. And yes - I did make it a lesson for my daughter.