Edibles
Make Your Fingers Greener By Growing Vegetables
If you have always loved the thought of having your own veggie patch in the garden, there has never been a better time to start growing. We are more conscious than ever of our carbon footprint and yearn to know where our food has come from. We don’t want the guilt of knowing that our tomatoes have come all the way from Portugal or that our cucumbers have taken a long jaunt from New Zealand.
Instead, why not set up your own little area out back and have a go at growing your own vegetables? You can have a go at growing whatever takes your fancy. You might be hesitant because you don’t know your daffodil from your daisy or your butternut from your crown, but follow this guide and you can make your fingers more green.… Read Full Post
How To Keep Growing Great Veggies Through Winter
Having a vegetable garden is a beautiful luxury and something that can be enjoyed all year round because you can adapt to the different seasons with different vegetables. During winter though you have to take a bit more care with your vegetables as they grow slower, however, they are just as tasty, rewarding and nutritious. Winter veggies are even more worth the effort as they provide you with organic, fresh ingredients for hearty winter soups and stews on those cold days.
Focussing on seasonal vegetables is also a sustainable approach because mentioned, winter vegetables grow slower, need slightly less water, and don’t overdraw on the nutrients in the soil.
Most winter vegetables will thrive even if it is a little frosty, but some ‘don’t do as well as others.… Read Full Post
10 Unique Ways to Not Let Your Excess Harvest go to Waste
It’s getting close to springtime and won’t be long before your garden is thriving. This means that you probably have excess flowers or edibles that you just don’t know what to do with.
Don’t let your tomatoes go soft or your pineapples turn brown. One of the greatest aspects of being a gardener is the ability to share the beauty and bounty of the natural world with others. Even if you just have one extra pint of blueberries to bring to your neighbor, sharing will show how much you care. You can also spread the love and beauty of your vibrant flowers with potted arrangements or tables displays.
After you’ve spent so much time pulling those weeds, watering your plants, and picking your fruits and veggies, you should celebrate your success.… Read Full Post
Planting bare root apple trees
I can’t believe its been almost a year since I planted our bare root apple trees! Where has the time gone? And, why haven’t I written about it on here yet?
Its been a very busy year but I am glad that I took the time last spring to order and plant three bare root apple trees. Growing up I remember having two apple trees alongside our driveway and I knew that one way of embracing our new zone 5 growing zone was to plant something that I couldn’t grow in Florida. Apple trees fit that requirement!
I started this process by checking out the Iowa State Extension website for variety recommendations. I love looking through plant catalogs and I knew I would be easily distracted by beautiful photos of bright red apples.… Read Full Post
Keeping The Chemicals Out Of Your Garden
Preservatives, cleaning agents, pesticides, we are using chemicals everywhere and anywhere we can. More people are starting to wake up to the idea that this probably isn’t the best for us, our environment, our water supply, and our air. So, if you’re looking to tackle your chemical use, where should you start? If you’re fond of gardening, then it should be no surprise that this is where we’ll look first.
Why?
It’s easy to hear the word “chemicals” and think “bad”. But what is the real impact they have on the garden and the wider environment? There are a lot of different effects depending on which chemicals they are. Herbicides do a lot more than affect weeds; they impact all kinds of flowers, the fertility of the soil, and the health of helpful insects.… Read Full Post
Florida Vegetable Garden update
I can’t believe how long its been since I’ve given a Florida vegetable garden update! Things are growing!
You might remember that I started all of my plants from seed, all ordered from Johnny’s Seeds.
This was my garden in September:
And this is today!
As you can see, it is quite full. Everything seems to be doing pretty well; the first planting of beans are finished but the second planting is full of gorgeous yellow beans.
Although this week has been really warm, our cooler weeks previous helped the ‘Autumn Star’ (F1) Kalettes® to really take off. The purple color is deepening and just yesterday I noticed what look like tiny buds along the stem. Hopefully some cooler weather will help these to mature.… Read Full Post
How to Plant Beans
Learning how to plant beans may sound basic, but if you are growing your first garden this will provide step by step details. Beans are one of my new favorites! They are easy to grow from seed and their large size makes them manageable for planting.
When to Plant Beans
For Florida gardeners, the When is often more important than the How. The timing of planting dates is critical to success. Especially if you are originally from more northern climates like I am, getting used to this new “gardening calendar” is important.
The best time to plant beans in Florida is September through December and February through April. Why not January? Often the soil is too cool during this month for the seeds to germinate well.… Read Full Post
Starting vegetables from seed
October is the perfect time to start growing your winter vegetable garden. If you are trying to save money or grow something unusual, starting vegetables from seed is your best option. Read on to learn tips for growing plants from seed.
This is a big deal for me. I don’t usually grow much in terms of vegetables, but this year is going to be different. My 10′ x 12′ plot is in full sun and ready to go. Now all I need are the plants…
It seems to me that if I am going to put the effort into doing this, I might as well grow something that I can’t buy at the grocery store. When I think of vegetable gardens, one of my most fond memories is eating yellow pear tomatoes right off the plant of my grandma’s garden.… Read Full Post
Picking Blueberries
It’s hard to believe that it is that time of year already, but the warming weather means it is time for picking blueberries in Orlando!
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon we took the time to visit one of the local blueberry farms near Orlando. I haven’t done this before– it seems like something I mention every year and before I know it the short blueberry season is over and we’ve missed it. Not this year!
Where to pick blueberries near Orlando
There are several places to chose from and we went to Beck Brothers blueberries U-Pick near Windermere. A few others to chose from include:
Tom West near Winter Garden
Pappy’s Patch in Oviedo
BlueBerry Hill Farm in Clermont
A Patch of Blue right between Orlando and Winter Park
Southern Hill Farms in Clermont
I would recommend checking the Facebook page of the farm or their website before visiting to make sure they are open.… Read Full Post
Female Flowers and Male Flowers
When my cucamelon vine failed to produce any fruit in the past season, I decided to take matters into my own hands and do some hand pollinating. As I was talking about this to a friend I could see the puzzled look come across her face. “How do you tell the female flowers from the male flowers?” she asked. Good question!
Now not all plants will have separate female flower and male flowers. In fact it isn’t many at all, but the ones that do are important to us agriculturally. All of the plants in the Cucurbit family will have separate male and female flowers on the same plant. This includes cucumbers, loofah vine (shown above), watermelons, squash, zucchini, and of course, my little cucamelon vine. … Read Full Post
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My name is Keri and I am as comfortable speaking to a group about color in the garden as I am covered in dirt.
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