Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Note to self...
Do not let Olivia eat pretzel rods while on the laptop. The keys are crunching and there are crumbs everywhere!!
Our First Eggs
I was having a particularly hard day. The roosters are becoming more and more of a problem with their teenage hormone-fueled asinine behavior. They like to target my favorite hen and gang up on her...jumping on her back and tearing into her with their claws and beaks. This morning, when letting the chickens out of the coop for the day, we found our poor Beauty limping around. I thought her foot was broken but upon inspection I found a small cut on her toe. I soaked it in warm water and Epsom salt and cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide and then irrigated with a diluted iodine solution. Neosporin and bandaged up, I kept her close to me for the day. Made it tough to get much done. I had the hose close by and had to spray off the gang of roosters that kept trying to get close to her. When Mark got home we rounded the boys up and they went into their fenced in chicken run. We let the girls have some peace and quiet to continue their free-ranging, lol. Well...that is when we found them!!! Our first eggs!!!
Aren't they beautiful?!
Oh, and the boys' days are numbered. Nine more days and they are freezer-bound!!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sapomiel Hybrid Melon 2011
The Sapomiel Hybrid
Ordered seeds from Gurney's for $1.28
Item # 75736
from the catalog...
"Buttery flavor combines with creamy firm texture for a refreshing treat! This Piel de Sapo type melon has both a green to gold rind and high yields of football-shaped fruit. Tolerant to fusarium, powdery mildew and holds well in the field. Approx. 15 seeds per pkt."
Estimated days to maturity: 95
Planted 8 seeds in 8 hills in Bed # 11 on June 8th, 2011. Ended up with six plants.
Attacked by squash vine borer. Killed almost all the vines after fruit set and growing. Also had extreme heat wave in July with temps reaching 100 on some days...and very dry July and August.
First harvested on August 18th. The taste reminded me of a pear and cantaloupe. Looked like a white cantaloupe in the inside.
photos taken August 9th
Atlantis Hybrid Broccoli 2011
Atlantis Hybrid
ordered seeds from Gurney's for $1.28.
Item # 80676
from catalog....
"A cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli, Atlantis keeps producing over a long period. Harvest head 60 to 90 days from direct sowing: tender side shoots are produced after. Delicious fresh or in stir-fry. Also ideal for freezing. Approx. 20 seeds per pkt."
Planted 15 seeds in bed # 5 on June 26th. Way too late in season. Nothing came up. We had an extreme heat way in July which probably killed the seeds right in the soil. Want to try again for a fall harvest.
ETA: never planted again...maybe next year
Snow Crown Hybrid Cauliflower 2011
Snow Crown Hybrid Cauliflower
Ordered seeds from Gurney's for $3.39
Item # 68378
From catalog...
"One of the easiest cauliflowers to grow. Vigorous, rapid growth and long harvest. Snow-white, 2 lb, heads are 7-8" across and very flavorful. Approx. 75 seeds per pkt."
Tried planting 20 seeds on June 26th but was perhaps too late. Soil was hot and we had a heat wave with temps up to 100 degrees. None germinated. Might try for a fall crop.
ETA: never planted again...maybe next year.
Cilantro Coriander 2011
(photo from Gurney's)
From the catalog description:
A favorite for Mexican foods. Use both seeds and leaves. Annual. Approx. 50 seeds per pkt. 45 days.
Height: 16 inches; flowers 24-30 inchesSpacing: 3-4 inches between plants; 12-24 inches btw rowsDepth: 1/4-1/2 inch Spread: 12 inches Sun/Shade: full sun Germination: 14-21 days Days To Maturity: 45 |
Comments: Annual/Biennial. Leaves are pungent and used fresh or dried. Foliage is used as Cilantro and Chinese Parsley while the dried seeds are known as Coriander. Foliage has persistent 'hot' flavor. Seeds have a sage/citrus flavor. Attracts bees and other pollinators. |
Seeds started May 7, 2011
Transplanted on June 5, 2011
Oregano 2011
Oregano
Ordered seeds from Gurney's for $1.79.
Item # 14592
From catalog...
"Strong, pungent, peppery-there's no substitute for this one!Essential for authentic Italian food. Perennial. Zones 4-9. Approx. 250 seeds per pkt."
These are the tiniest seeds I've ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!
They germinated wonderfully...but I didn't have any successfully potted up or transplanted into garden. Tried direct sowing but by then the soil had heated up and we had a heat wave. Definitely looking forward to this next year.
Sweet Basil 2011
(photo from Gurney's)
From the catalog:
A truly intriguing mix of flavors-- offers subtle hints of mint, cloves, and anise. Extremely popular in salads and vegetable dishes. Annual. Approx. 150 seeds per pkt. 85 days.
| Height: 24-30 inches Spacing: 18 inches between mature plants Depth: 1/8 inch Spread: 12 inches Sun/Shade: full sun to partial shade Germination: 7-10 days Days To Maturity: 85 Yield: N/A | Fruit: N/A Comments: Annual. One of the most popular cooking herbs. Large, 2 inch, dark green leaves. Spicy fragrance and flavor. Prefers warm areas. |
Transplanted on May 20th and June 5th.
The plants on the south side of the tomatoes didn't do as well as the ones on the north side. They received too much direct sun on the south side.
Kept pulling flowers off to continue harvest. Enjoyed these on sandwiches, pizza, salads, and sauces. We let the older plants flower and it attracted a lot of beneficial bugs to the garden.
our lil baby basil growing inside in early April
Same basil in mid September.
This basil was direct sown. This photo was taken September 13th.
I pulled all the remaining basil October 21nd. The basil shown above had not flowered yet...but I wanted to harvest all the leaves before our frost. The older, flowered basil I pulled and we used to hang around the barn near the chickens' coop. When we walk by them we are treated to the sweet scent of basil.
Mammoth Gray Stripe Sunflowers 2011
(photo from our garden)
From Gurney's catalog:
Enormous yellow flowers measure 14 in. across and yield a whopper crop of seeds! High oil content makes for great roasted flavor. Grows 9-12 ft. tall. 100 days.
| Height: 9 - 12 feet Spacing: 2 - 4 feet Depth: 1 - 1 1/2 inches Spread: 15-24 inches Sun/Shade: Full Sun Germination: 10 - 14 days at 68-86 degrees F Days To Maturity: 100 days Color: Orange - Yellow Foliage: Very rough; to 1 foot long; heart shaped Blooms: July-September | Comments: Will do well in poor soil. Tolerates heat and dry conditions. Average head size is 10-15 inches, but have reached 20 inches. Extremely large heads on 9-12 foot stalks. |
We planted these on May 31st and June 8th, 2011. We had to go back and replant the ones that the chickens destroyed!
These came up beautifully! It was fun to watch them grow. They attracted so many beneficial bugs. We had a swarm of bees take up residence in a mulberry tree, and I believe it was our planting of these sunflowers that enticed them to stick around.
(notice the barn changing color...magic!)
Baby Thoragreen Lima Beans 2011
Lima beans early July
Early August
and harvesting some limas on August 10th...
Limas on August 25th
and on September 13th
Primo Jalapeno 2011
Primo Jalapeno
ordered seed packet from Gurney's for $4.99
From seed catalog...
"Big, vigorous plants pump out high yields of extra-large, 4 and a half in., high-quality peppers! Thick-walled tasty fruits ripen from dark green to fiery red and are perfect for stuffing, baking, or salsas. Excellent disease resistance means even more spectacularly spicy peppers for all your favorite dishes. Approx. 25 seeds per pkt."
{April 4th} Started indoors. Used Miracle Gro Seed Starter Mix in old lettuce container with holes punched in bottom and top. Watered with diluted chamomile tea from below. 18 seeds sown 1/4" deep in room temp of 65 degrees.
{April 15th} First sprouts emerge. (11 days after sown) 15 seeds germinated in all. Put under florescent lights on grow cart Mark made for me. Lights on during day, off at night. Lights a few inches from seedlings.
{April 20th} First true leaves emerge. (16 days after sown)
{April 26th} Potted up into red plastic disposable cups with holes punched in bottom. Used same medium as started. (22 days after sown) Amount potted up: 15 seedlings.
{May 12th} Started hardening off. Day one: Outside 8 hours in 85 degrees.
{May 13th} hardening off Day two: outside 8 hours. Left indoors for a while due to cold spell in 40s with wind during day.
{May 31} brought outdoors again, in the 90s during day. Left out overnight.
{June 5th} Transplanted 12 plants into bed # 6. Have 3 left over. Planted 12" apart.
{July 16th} Peppers don't seem to be growing so I added Miracle Gro general pellets around plants and watered. Seems to have done the trick. I still need to research fertilizing schedules and types per plant.
Mark has been enjoying jalapenos since about mid July. He has grilled them, has them on sandwiches, in omelets, quesadillas, on pizza. I have dried and coarsely ground them to make jalapeno pepper for seasoning dishes. We still need to make some salsa and have jalapeno poppers!
Last year I made some jalapeno jelly, but we still have some leftover. Mark uses that as a dipping sauce for egg rolls.
These jalapenos seem hotter than we've had before.
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