tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65341134327187599902024-03-19T01:48:38.741-07:002 Chefs Gardeningcriticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-49444559656849948702016-04-17T09:24:00.001-07:002016-04-17T09:33:30.867-07:00Garlic & Onions SproutingI've been watering my garden every morning and watching its progress.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">onions (left) garlic (right)</td></tr>
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I planted carrots, onions and garlic a couple weeks ago and their sprouting finally. The garlic was pretty immediate, I'd say about three days after I planted I started to see the sprouts emerge. The onions finally starting the other day, but I have yet to see any carrots make their debut. I'm sure they'll come along eventually. I see where some gardeners in the area have leaves already, but I bet they planted earlier than I did.<br />
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The greens are coming along nicely. The seeds scattered a little more than I would have liked, but I think most of the seeds took. There may be a few that aren't doing so well, like the spicy mesclun mix. There are a couple of those, but not so many as the other mesclun mix had, and it was the same size packet.<br />
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The butter lettuce looks pretty good and so does the romaine. In the past I haven't had much luck with head lettuces. They always wither away. I think maybe I wasn't spacing and thinning like I should. This year, I've thinned quite a bit. Which, to me is hard. They all look so wonderful and to pull it out and toss it seems wrong, but in order for one to live, the other has to go. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mesclun mix</td></tr>
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So, it's for the best, but not my favorite part of planting.<br />
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Upstairs, with my seedling sprouts, I have tried to transplant the extra seedlings, instead of throw them out. It's been working pretty great and I haven't lost one yet. I noticed in most of my pepper seedlings there were two, healthy sprouts growing side by side. So, I pulled one out ever so gently, and place it in a small hole in another cup that didn't sprout. I'd water it and make sure it was snug in the soil, then leave. When I came back the next day, it was perky and seemed to have taken hold. So, I'm glad I tried that because I wasn't sure if it would work.<br />
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Here in a couple weeks, I'll update you on the progress of the garden. Soon, it will be time to plant the summer garden and this year we are changing things up a bit. Instead of using and entire garden bed for tomatoes and peppers, we've decided to build individual beds for each tomato plant, that way we can space them out around the yard and they will get plenty of airflow and 360 degree sunlight. Last year, because we had such a problem with blight, we almost lost all of our tomato plants. One major reason it affected our plants so much was because they were crammed so closely together. We didn't want to build an entire garden bed because we don't have the space for one plot of land to be dedicated solely to tomatoes. So we had the idea to separate them out. It's going to be some extra work, but hopefully will pay off in the end.<br />
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Around the garden I'm noticing some volunteers popping up. Cilantro is all over the place. I have been pulling it, just because I plan to plant some this fall. Last year, I planted cilantro in the spring but then it took up too much space because I was trying to collect the seeds. It worked, it just took a lot longer and more room than I expected. If you want cilantro to come back every year, just find a nice plot of land, maybe 5 feet by 5 feet and plant a packet of cilantro. Harvest it as needed but leave the plants in the ground. Let it do its thing. It will continue to bolt, drop seeds and grow new plants. Then, even the next year, it will start to pop back up. Pretty much all herbs are this way. I just need a permanent spot to put them all so I can just let them go. This is when I miss living in the country on a couple acres. My rosemary and thyme both came back this year, so I won't have to plant them again. Just more if I want more, which I think I do.<br />
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I've been finding a lot of arugula, too. I planted that last fall and didn't do anything with it really. I don't really like arugula, I planted it because Ryan likes it. But, I'm not sure this variety was what he was hoping for. I've let it continue to grow because it looks healthy and like it should taste good, but it's always been too peppery for me. Around it, you can see the butter lettuces have been doing well. and the rosemary is back in the corner, still here from last year. <br />
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<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-35569655067477376522016-03-14T16:47:00.000-07:002016-03-14T16:47:17.031-07:00Spring Planting 2016It's finally Spring, which means it's time to plant my early garden. This year, I kind of know what to expect, so I am planting a little earlier than last year, and I'm planting more. I know last year I didn't know what I was doing, so I only did one packet of mesclun mix, but we loved it so much I did two this time. I have half a packet of spinach and half a package of butter lettuce, as well as some micro greens.<br />
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I planted around nine rows, with a couple of them only half planted because I ran out of seeds. That's OK though, I would rather not have too much.<br />
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I also only planted the north bed, leaving the south bed empty until next month when I plant carrots, garlic and a few other things. I'm switching it up this year because last Fall I realized the types of things I wanted to can and decided to try to grow those things. For example, I pickled a bunch of cucumbers, which needed garlic and dill. So, I am planning to plant garlic and dill, as well as a few cucumber plants.<br />
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I need to get some garlic and onion bulbs because I decided not to start my own seeds. I think I would have needed to start them already and I am starting some seeds this year, but I don't have much confidence in them as this is just a trial run.<br />
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The seeds I started I got at a seed exchange in Lawrence a couple weeks ago. It was great. I took some of my coriander from last year's cilantro crop and left them on the "Herbs" table. I brought my own small ziploc baggies and went around to all the different tables and got the seeds I thought I'd use. It was a pretty cool event because I got most of the seeds I need for my garden this year. If I was going to start my own tomato seeds I could have gotten those, too, but I didn't have the confidence. I will probably get those at the Topeka Farmers Market <br />
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like I did last year.<br />
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Ryan went to one of our neighbors for compost. He lives a few blocks away, and we met him at the farmers market last spring. We bought a couple gallons of compost from him last year and he told us where he lives and invited us to come by there whenever we should need compost. So, we do, and it's pretty cheap. We pay like $5 for a five-gallon bucket of charcoal-infused compost that is so rich and soft, it's so worth it. I started my seeds in it, and I mounded it up in my garden beds in rows and planted my seeds in it, too.<br />
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Whenever I use his compost, everything always grows so fast and strong, so I have confidence in that. I just hope my seeds get enough direct sunlight and warmth so they have enough energy to grow. I've been setting the container out on my porch the past couple days and that seems to help them sprout.<br />
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<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-58020431836275019222015-10-12T15:04:00.002-07:002015-10-12T15:04:59.837-07:00Drying and CanningRyan has gone on a drying spree.<br />
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We've been given a bunch of peppers and tomatoes by a lady I work with and we had too many peppers for salsa alone. Ryan decided to dry the various peppers whole in our dehydrator. He dried jalapeños, habaneros and another garden pepper, I'm not sure what kind it is exactly.<br />
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Many of the tomatoes we got were big cherry tomatoes that we cut in half and dried in the dehydrator, too. These ended up being perfect for dried tomatoes because they were so big that by the time they dehydrated all the way there was actually something left. Ryan <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dried tomatoes</td></tr>
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had the idea of grinding these dried tomatoes up and using them in things like sauces and salsa. It worked out great. He ground up the tomatoes and it turned into this great powder with a pungent aroma and deep flavor and color. I can't wait to use it in everything.<br />
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Most of the tomatoes were cut up into chunks, cold packed into pint jars and preserved for over-winter. I would so much rather have my own canned tomatoes than buy them at the store where they have tons of sodium and other preservatives. This is just tomatoes, lemon juice and water.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dried tomato po</td></tr>
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I saved back a portion of the tomatoes for salsa. I have never made my own salsa before, and this batch ended up a success. I pretty much looked at two or three different recipes to go off of for amounts, but kind of just threw what I wanted in the pot. Once I got everything in there that I wanted: Jalapeños, red and green bell peppers, chopped onions, garlic, one habanero pepper, red pepper flakes, dried tomato powder, cumin, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper, I brought it all to a boil and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes. Really just until it was the right consistency. Then, I canned it. I did pints because quarts are just way too much and anything smaller is definitely not enough. Pints are perfect for salsa.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zs6kiAyAEhY/Vhwl-78zllI/AAAAAAAAXJA/sA5UjSDOh5c/s1600/001" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zs6kiAyAEhY/Vhwl-78zllI/AAAAAAAAXJA/sA5UjSDOh5c/s200/001" width="150" /></a>Our last two tomato plants are still giving us some tomatoes. The Cherokee Purple is going strong and the Sunrise Bumblebee is doing okay. The purple ones are big, beefy and great for slicing and canning. We've made BLTs with them and the flavor is on point. The texture is perfect, too. I want to grow these every year. We had an abundance so I canned a quart of them and threw a handful into my salsa. I still have five or six that I just picked this morning that will be ripe in the next couple of days.<br />
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Ryan made pasta dough with some of the dried tomato powder, as well as the butternut squash from the garden. There is just all kinds of things you can do with dried tomato powder and I intend to try more and let you know.criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-25749920584895932282015-10-05T07:35:00.000-07:002015-10-05T07:35:03.066-07:00A Month Later...It's been about a month since I last posted. So that means, it's also been a month since I planted fall crops.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of tomatoes, but also a dead squash plant</td></tr>
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The good news is that the tomato plants we have left are producing a second round of beautiful fruit. I'm thinking that because it's fall and there are tons of nuts and other things for the squirrels to put away, they aren't as focused on the garden. I did see one out there nibbling on a few green tomatoes so I grabbed my Halloween dummy and threw him out in the garden. I think he's making a sufficient "scarecrow" and haven't seen any more furry friends out there pilfering my goodies.<br />
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The various greens we planted are sprouting and beginning to grow. The cilantro is the most surprising crop yet. We harvested our own coriander from our spring cilantro crop, so I didn't have to buy seeds and used my own. I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical they were going to do anything. But, a couple days after everything else started sprouting, up came little cilantro sprouts.<br />
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The only thing about our garden this fall is that we planted on a day that was followed by a stormy night. It was a pretty powerful storm, too and had high winds and hail. We planted some crops in rows and others broadcast method, but because of the storm the seeds just kind of ended up all over the place. So I'm just kind of watering the entire bed and watching sprouts pop up randomly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sprouts</td></tr>
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The squash bugs ended up killing our butternut squash plant, but not before we could harvest at least eight big, beautiful squash. There were about four more on the vine that could have used another month to season on the vine, but the bugs got the plant first. I started noticing them about six weeks ago. I guess Ryan started noticing the eggs on the bottom of the leaf much sooner, but wasn't sure what he was seeing. The bugs took over quickly and started killing off the plant one leaf at a time. Pretty soon it was every leaf. It was kind of sad to witness. But we weren't too unhappy since we were able to get quite a few squash from it.<br />
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The cantaloupe plant was killed by the squash bugs, too I think. The same kind of thing happened with it, although I never really saw squash bugs on that plant. Something happened because the last cantaloupe was small and the vine died before I picked it.<br />
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The tomatoes are hanging on, though. The blight is still there, but, because it's not so hot and humid any more the fungus isn't spreading. I think we'll actually get some if we can keep the squirrels at bay.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squash bugs taking over my plant!</td></tr>
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I also think I could get one more harvest from my herbs, maybe two. The basil is starting to flower, (I picked off the first round of flowering so the plants wouldn't die yet), and the sage is, too but it's also starting to get yellow. The thyme still looks great, same with the rosemary. I'll cut a bunch today or tomorrow and dry it all for sauces and cooking through the winter. I love fresh herbs, but dry ones last longer. And that way I can use my dehydrator again.<br />
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<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-88229581282424342392015-09-07T12:41:00.001-07:002015-09-08T20:02:21.795-07:00Fall garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This weekend I ripped up the north bed and replanted fall crops. The blight had just gotten too bad and I had to make that decision to get rid of the diseased plants and get some fall lettuces going.<br />
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First off, the night before I soaked my seeds to get them germinating. I put the contents of each seed packet in a separate red solo cup and covered the seeds with water. After at least 12 hours I strained the seeds out of each cup and put them on paper towels. This helped me separate the seeds so I didn't plant them in clusters <br />
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and was able to broadcast them all over the plot.<br />
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I sectioned off the bed into four plots using cardboard pieces from canning jar boxes. I was even able to use them as labels. I did arugula, spinach, cilantro and collard greens. For these plots I just kind of threw the seeds around randomly and pushed them into the dirt. I might have to thin some of the greens, but maybe not. Last spring my mesclun mix grew close together but it worked just fine.<br />
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For the cilantro, I used seeds from our spring cilantro crop. I let it bolt, then cut the plants when they had seeded, then dried them inside. Hopefully, the seeds will be ready and actually grow something. If not, I guess we will just plant something else. Ryan and I figured we may as well try since we have a lot of coriander, more than we know what to do with anyway.<br />
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That night, after planting, a huge thunderstorm came. There was even a flood warning, but I don't think we got that much rain, maybe 2 and 1/2 inches, tops. I'm hoping my seeds weren't washed away or ruined. I think it'll be okay, but just got to wait and see.<br />
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Ryan put down some of our compost that was ready, before we planted. We had some alfalfa mulch left, too so we hand-tilled that in with the compost. The compost was kind of wet but I think it'll be ok. I only tilled down about an inch, I didn't want to go much further because we were planting crops that need to be planted shallow. And why work harder if I don't have to?</div>
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In the south bed we planted butter lettuce and bok choy. For those we planted rows since they'll grow better that way because they are more like heads of lettuce. Also, there weren't as many seeds in those packets, and the seeds were bigger than the others so it was easier to plant them in rows.<br />
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Hopefully our fall crops will do better than our summer tomatoes and peppers. Now, we just wait.</div>
criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-20776366469279481552015-09-07T07:55:00.003-07:002015-09-07T07:57:12.024-07:00Garden Update<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The north bed. This is the Sunpeach plant.</td></tr>
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It's been about a month since I last posted and that's because our tomatoes aren't doing the best. This morning I ripped up the north bed, even though there was new growth and possible tomatoes to come because the blight wasn't too far behind. My logic was why wait for a few small tomatoes to hopefully ripen when I could go ahead and get started on some greens and lettuces for the fall.<br />
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Over the past month I've been trying to save these tomato plants but nothing seems to work. It's been a rainy and humid year, so the blight just spreads no matter what. I did slow it down, but then the squirrels arrived. In less than a day all of our green, almost ready to ripen tomatoes were stolen from their vines and eaten by rude, thieves. So now, there are new tomatoes beginning but their branches are full of blight and by the time they ripen they will be half rotten anyway. So I pulled the plants. It was hard to do, but something that needed to be done.<br />
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The south bed is doing a little bit better in regards to blight. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squash bugs!</td></tr>
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There are small amounts of it on the bottoms of the plants, but I've given up pulling those leaves. Now I've been using that Fertilome spray, which seems to affect the insects and other wildlife very minimally. I tried spraying it on some squash bugs and they seemed unbothered by it, even a few hours later. So that's a good sign, except those bugs are still there, I guess.<br />
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The butternut squash is still growing baby squash and right now we have at least eight fully grown squash we are letting age a bit on the vine so we can store them overwinter. We <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South bed. </td></tr>
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have a minor problem with some squash bugs, but now that Ryan knows what they are and what their eggs look like (little black dots on the underside of squash leaves, usually in perfect little rows) we can combat them. But right now, our squash plant is going crazy so a few bugs won't hurt. We just can't let them get out of control.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good sized muskmelon</td></tr>
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I picked our first cantaloupe last week. The excess rain this year helped that one right along. Our muskmelon was sweet, juicy and the texture was just perfect, not like store bought. It was a pretty good size, too. There are three or four more out on the vine, but that last one is gonna be small. That's okay though, I'm still excited for it. Sometimes smaller fruit is better.<br />
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Over the past couple weeks Ryan and I have been trying to preserve as much food as we can. My mother's friend Annie has an apple tree that her family can't pick because they have disabilities and can't go climb a ladder and pick the apples, so we do it. This year we got nine crates of apples. I am not sure what kind of apples they are, but I do know they make great apple sauce and apple butter.<br />
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I've also taken up pickling. A lady Ryan works with brought a bunch (like a LOT) of cucumbers to <br />
work for whoever so Ryan brought them home and I pickled them. I did whole dill, spears and chips as well as some bread and butter pickles. I added some red pepper and chilis to a few of the jars in hopes those will be spicy. After the brine cooled it smelled spicy, so there is hope.<br />
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The dill recipe I found is simple and it's actually made for dilling green tomatoes but I figured it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heritage-Sean-Brock/dp/1579654630" target="_blank">Sean Brock's Heritage</a>, and the recipe is Dilled Green Tomatoes on page 230. If anyone is interested in this recipe, please ask. I'll send it to you.<br />
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could work on pickles, too. And it did. I pulled out a jar at a party a couple weeks ago and everyone said they were good on their pulled pork sandwiches. I plan to use them for catering in the upcoming months when we do pulled pork buffets. I think that will be a nice touch to our catering, don't you? Here's the book I got the recipe from: <br />
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So, although I've been a canning fool, none of that stuff has actually come from my own garden. Our tomatoes were stolen, the ones that weren't were killed by a nasty fungus and we haven't gotten enough of anything else to can. It's a little depressing but I feel like we will be prepared for next year. At least, as prepared as we can be!<br />
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In other news, I was on Facebook last night and saw a friend who posted a picture of a pressure cooker, never used for $50. Originally $100. I jumped on that! Brought it home last night and figured out it can be used as a cooker or a pressure canner! Steal! I can now plan a garden next year and not worry about if I have the equipment to can it all. Now I do! I think Ryan and I are going to mess around with canning beans, soup and other stuff like that. Stay tuned!<br />
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<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-27570594867847258272015-08-08T10:44:00.000-07:002015-08-08T10:44:40.826-07:00Sad News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The blight has taken another plant. I had to get rid of the 'Sweeties' plant the other day when I noticed it wasn't producing new growth, and most of the tomatoes that were previously growing had stopped. The stems were turning brown and I decided it was time to let it go.<br />
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I sprayed the Fertilome again last Thursday. There were new blight spots but it wasn't spreading like before. It's been rainy, so I haven't been able to spray it again, but I plan to maybe do it this afternoon. The fungus has slowed down but it hasn't stopped. I think it's just a humid, rainy year and we planted our tomatoes too close together. Next year we will hopefully have better luck.<br />
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Our peach tree has exploded, on the other hand. It's giving us tender, sweet fruit that I can't get enough of. Some of them have been eaten by worms but not so bad they can't be salvaged. I'll just have to be careful and cut out the parts that are worm-eaten. Some of the ones that have fallen on the <br />
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ground had somewhat moldy pits, but I've only found a couple like that. I've read where that could be the result of too much rain, but who knows? If you do, please comment below.<br />
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I plan to can a bunch of peaches, freeze some and eat even more fresh. I may even make a peach pie or cobbler.<br />
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The tomatoes are still coming, I'm just not getting as many as I had hoped. I think that is because the plants are too close and they weren't allowed to spread out. Also, I read where pruning the plants of the suckers helps the plants focus on fruiting instead of producing leaves and stems. I didn't start doing that until later on. Also, the blight seems to be slowing down the process and I only get one good harvest from a plant before the blight takes over completely and I lose the plant.<br />
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I've lost two plants completely but two others that were affected are producing new growth. That's a good sign, I think, but I'm not sure either will give me any more tomatoes. One of those plants was the 'Black From Tula' and it <i>had </i> some big, beautiful, red and blackish tomatoes but squirrels got to them. I went out to pick them and they had already been torn apart from those furry little robbers. I hope they enjoyed them! Next time I won't try to let big tomatoes like that vine-ripen.<br />
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Although we've had some problems, it's all a learning experience. I'm having a lot of fun figuring things out, researching and getting my hands dirty. I feel like I can only get better and that makes me excited for next year. I think I'm going to try to get some seeds going inside on my own this year. Ryan and I also have plans to expand our garden and spread it out a bunch. I think I'm going to move my herb garden and plant more of a variety. I love drying them and cooking with them because the flavors are much fresher that way.<br />
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I'm excited to get canning this year. Peaches will be first and I'm hoping I'll have enough tomatoes for canning. If not, I plan to get some from the farmers market or maybe friends who have too many. The families I've gotten produce from in the past had way too much rain this year and not enough luck. My mom's friend has an apple tree that will be ready in the upcoming weeks, so I'll have some apples, too. Can't wait!criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-17527599615300392352015-07-27T08:39:00.000-07:002015-07-27T08:39:00.323-07:00Using Fertilome For BlightI decided to use an organic fungicide to help with the blight. It was taking over every plant it touched and Ryan and I didn't want it to go any further. We decided we would rather use a fungicide than lose all of our hard work to a stupid spore. I went to Jackson's Greenhouse and asked for help.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New growth on my 'Chef's Choice' orange<br />
tomato plants that had lots of blight</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see where the leaves died where<br />
they were affected with blight</td></tr>
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The lady there directed me to a product called Fertilome. She said it wasn't organic, but I did some research and the chemicals used in the product are considered organic. She kept telling me I had a bug problem from what she could see in my photos. But, I tried telling her I had talked to a few different people about it and I'd done a lot of research and she wouldn't listen. I finally showed her my original photo of the blight and she changed her tune and said maybe she was wrong. Duh.<br />
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Well, I bought the fungicide and a pH tool. I am going to take in a cup of soil for Jackson's to test for me since they do it for free. I thought free was better than spending $20 on the kit myself, but I haven't made it back because I've been busy. I have plans to take the soil in tomorrow and I will let you know what I find out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The butternut squash is growing along the fence quickly</td></tr>
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When I got home, I mixed up some of the fungicide with water as the bottle directed, then put it in a spray bottle. The directions say to lightly spray the affected leaves, but not so much that the leaves drip. I lightly misted all the affected plants, and tried not to breathe in the chemicals. Although they are organic chemicals, they are still chemicals and should be treated as such.<br />
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I sprayed three days ago. The photos here are taken today, three days after the application of the fungicide. I feel like it worked. The leaves that had blight on them are now brown and shriveled, as if the fungicide killed the blight, but also killed the leaf in the process. But, the stems don't seem to look any different and there is new growth on the top of the plants. Also, the blight hasn't spread like it had been before. Last week, before the Fertilome, I noticed entire branches overcome in only a day or two. Now, it's a spot here and there and mostly on the tips of the leaves. I feel like it's been a success so far, but still have to wait and see what happens.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coriander hanging in the basement</td></tr>
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I was scared of using the fungicide because I read online that some bugs would die as a result. Ugh, that was my biggest hesitation in using the fungicide, but I also read that it was only in the first 24 hours that it would kill bugs, so I tried to make it so when bees were out and around, it would be the last 12 hours of the 24. So, I sprayed it on around 6 p.m. when I hardly see any bees or other bugs around. Also, I've been out to the garden and there are still tons of insects buzzing around, so it must not have done too much damage. I'm not sure, and it's hard to tell. But it is something I think about and try to affect as little as possible. I read where you can cover your plants with a sheet or some other cover for 24 hours, then remove them.<br />
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The butternut squash and the musk melon plants are doing well. The butternut has vined out and we have 2-3 small squash and one big one so far. There are a bunch of flowers, too, so it must be doing well. The muskmelon is producing, too. We have at least two melons, one of them is a bit bigger than the other. That plant is growing up the fence, too, and there are many possibilities for fruit to appear. The lakota squash isn't doing much and neither is the zucchini. Hopefully, after we get the soil tested at Jackson's, we can get those turned around.<br />
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I went ahead and harvested the coriander. Some of it was still green and seems to be taking forever to turn brown. But, some of it is brown, so I decided to cut it all and hang it downstairs and see what happens. There is so much of it, I'm sure it will be ok if it all doesn't turn brown, but from the plants I hung last week, it seems like they will all eventually turn brown. </div>
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Now that we have a blank spot in the garden, Ryan and I are going to save the spot for fall planting. We want to do more greens and lettuces. So for the time being, we are going to leave it alone. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89pC6XsyU-s/VbZN-fLzISI/AAAAAAAAIkE/i1pr7oOTZLs/s1600/IMG_8784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89pC6XsyU-s/VbZN-fLzISI/AAAAAAAAIkE/i1pr7oOTZLs/s200/IMG_8784.JPG" width="150" /></a>Once a week I've been feeding all of the plants in the garden the seaweed fertilizer Ryan bought at Jackson's. For some reason it was hard for us to find this stuff anywhere. It's available online, but hard to find in the stores and nonexistent at stores like Lowe's or Home Depot. All they have is Miracle Grow. There are all kinds of brands, but the one we are using is called Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed. I hear that fish emulsions work just as well. Our 'Tumbling Toms' plant on our front porch was looking pretty sad and had stopped producing any fruit. I poured this on it and by the next week there were three new branches with blooms on them. It's been almost three weeks since the first time I put any on it and I've gotten 3-4 tomatoes off of it and there are even more to come. I definitely recommend getting some of this if your garden seems a little puny. This is much better than Miracle Grow, and the results are immediate. It's a little pricey, but worth the price, I think. You add one ounce to a gallon of water and I did about an ounce between the two garden beds and a quart on the 'Tumbling Toms' and the rest of my flowers on the front porch. It works on those, too, in case you're wondering.</div>
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I plan to keep using the seaweed once a week and I may spray one more time for blight. I think after that, if I continue to water carefully, I won't have to worry about the blight. At least I hope.</div>
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<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-48276732103308081132015-07-27T07:41:00.002-07:002015-07-27T08:52:56.277-07:00Handy Dandy DehydratorOver the weekend, I've been messing around with a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/NutriChef-Electric-Countertop-Dehydrator-Preserver/dp/B00VHLXAQC/ref=sr_1_18?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1437929330&sr=1-18&keywords=food+dehydrator&pebp=1437929338790&perid=1HNPS4XQZWH0GKP8FV01" target="_blank">food dehydrator Ryan and I bought on Amazon.</a> We discussed it for awhile and decided that we would have plenty of tomatoes to dry and other projects we'd like to try (dried fruit, beef jerky, fruit leather, etc.), and we felt it would be a worthwhile purchase. We spent about $65 for it with free shipping.<br />
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The dehydrator we bought is electric with a fan that runs. There aren't any settings on it because we decided on a basic model since we are beginners. Of course there are more expensive ones that let you play with settings like timers and temperature control. That would be nice, but those models cost more around $200 and we just weren't ready to spend that much. One thing I like about our model is that the trays can be stacked one way for a shallow drying surface for thinly cut foods, and stacked another way for thicker cut foods, you just flip it over. That way, you don't smash your food or give too much room either.<br />
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For the first round, I kept it simple with cherry tomatoes. Later, I added basil, which didn't take very <br />
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long at all. I cut the tomatoes in half and placed them cut side up. The tomatoes weren't too juicy so I didn't have to worry about them dripping into the fan, which is something I have to watch out for on this particular model. I didn't treat the tomatoes with anything at all, I just stuck them into the dehydrator after slicing them and turned it on.<br />
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A little bit later, I added some fresh basil from the garden. The basil only took 45 minutes to an hour. It was quick and the smell was amazing. I just stood there and smelled it all for awhile and enjoyed the aroma. When the basil was dried, I found a container and crumbled the freshly dried herb into it. Ahh, it smelled so good! The freshest dried herbs you'll ever use are ones produced this way. I opened my store-bought basil and compared and it just didn't make the cut. The store-bought stuff was gross compared to what I had just made. It's hard not to throw it out, but it's gonna happen eventually I'm sure.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dried cherry tomatoes</td></tr>
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Yesterday, I found some somewhat old blueberries in the fridge. They weren't yet moldy, but they were just a little shriveled. I thought, 'what the heck' and threw them in the dehydrator. Why not? I left them in for about 11 hours and they were almost all the way dry, except for the bigger blueberries, they were like little pebbles. The bigger ones were a little more like raisin-consistency.<br />
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I also dried some herbs -- thyme, basil, pineapple sage and rosemary -- but I did those first so the flavor wouldn't leach out into the blueberries. That wouldn't be good.<br />
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Next, we want to try bananas, peaches and maybe even some kiwi.criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-19797754248106671262015-07-22T20:38:00.001-07:002015-07-22T20:45:49.137-07:00Our Struggles With BlightSo the blight did not go away.<br />
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We had to sacrifice our 'Early Girl' plant and may have to get rid of the 'Chef's Choice' orange ones. It's very sad and depressing, really. I'm scared the rest of my plants are going to get infected so we started to make some hard decisions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QR8TjpIgAPc/VbBYocPeSLI/AAAAAAAAIbY/X1egTp0qBos/s1600/IMG_8888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QR8TjpIgAPc/VbBYocPeSLI/AAAAAAAAIbY/X1egTp0qBos/s320/IMG_8888.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stems on my pepper plants were turning black</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pjuAYmhvuPg/VbBYoVTzdAI/AAAAAAAAIbY/E3xfRPsmAno/s1600/IMG_8889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pjuAYmhvuPg/VbBYoVTzdAI/AAAAAAAAIbY/E3xfRPsmAno/s320/IMG_8889.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blight on my pepper plants' leaves</td></tr>
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Ryan and I decided to also get rid of our bell pepper plants and jalapeno plants because they were overcome with blight, also. The stems were even starting to turn black, which I read <a href="http://www.longislandhort.cornell.edu/vegpath/photos/lateblight_tomato.htm" target="_blank">HERE</a> is sign of late blight, which is even harder to get rid of and can even kill your entire crop in a matter of days. That scared me, so I wanted to rip those out as soon as I could. It was a hard decision, but we felt like it was the best one.<br />
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I've been able to prune off the small bits of blight from all my other tomato plants, but I'm scared the 'Black From Tula' may be on its way out, but it has tons of fruit on it right now. I think tomorrow I'm going to check out <a href="http://www.jacksonsgreenhouse.com/" target="_blank">Jackson's Greenhouse</a> and talk to the people who work there and see if there is something I can do. I really want to keep the garden organic, but I've read about how there are organic solutions. I was not wanting to use any chemicals, but I guess I'm gonna have to if I want to save these plants.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K5rXcGSqL3M/VbBYoY1u7oI/AAAAAAAAIbY/-qSifUqM3zw/s1600/IMG_8893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K5rXcGSqL3M/VbBYoY1u7oI/AAAAAAAAIbY/-qSifUqM3zw/s320/IMG_8893.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my many harvests.</td></tr>
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In order to keep the plants from touching so much, we've started to direct each plant's growth out, away from the other plants. Now that the pepper plants are gone, we have room to walk back into the garden and mess around with the plants. Next year, we definitely need to space things out a bit more so we can do that on a regular basis. Being able to view your plants from all angles is important. One I wish I would have been told before starting this endeavor.<br />
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Overall, I'm happy with the garden. If we can get this blight under control we should have plenty of tomatoes for canning, BLTs, salads and even some to share with family and friends. Every tomato I've tasted has been amazing, and I can't wait for more. Tonight, we just cut our first 'Black From Tula' and it was juicy, meaty and robust. The 'Early Girl' tomatoes have been sweet, but smaller than I'd hoped and packed full of flavor. The 'Sunpeach' has been one of my favorites. It's peach colored and sweet, meaty and bursting with juice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-Iq8JSvaH0/VbBYoTzxLiI/AAAAAAAAIbY/5msZL-dA-Bg/s1600/IMG_8897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-Iq8JSvaH0/VbBYoTzxLiI/AAAAAAAAIbY/5msZL-dA-Bg/s320/IMG_8897.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A variety of tomatoes from the garden.</td></tr>
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The couple zucchini we've picked are flavorful and the texture has been good. But, as you can see from the photo above, the ends are kind of withered and I found where it may be blossom end rot, which occurs because of calcium deficiency. There have been a couple other zucchini where the end was more mushy and looked like it was rotting off.<br />
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I have a bunch of eggshells so I'll probably go throw those on there to start off. But first I'm going to test my soil. While I'm at Jackson's I'll ask about a soil testing kit or meter. I found that <a href="http://www.acehardware.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=1260388" target="_blank">Ace Hardware has one for $15.</a><br />
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I ordered a food dehydrator on Amazon last week and it should be here tomorrow. We plan to dry many of our cherry and grape tomatoes with it. We have plenty for a first batch this weekend. I'll post my experience here.<br />
<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-72764145413871253232015-07-12T08:56:00.000-07:002015-07-12T08:56:35.478-07:00Garden Progress Mid-JulyEverything is coming along nicely. I feel like the plants are much healthier after I removed the blight-filled leaves.<br />
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I did find that some sort of pest got to one of my "Black From Tulas". I looked up some possibilities, and found where it's probably a tomato hornworm. I tried looking under the leaves to find them, but couldn't. This was the same day I picked all of the leaves with blight, so maybe I was able to remove the worms, too? I hope so. I haven't seen any more holes in any other tomatoes, yet. I will keep checking.</div>
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Here are a couple more tomatoes on my "Black From Tula" plant. They look so good!</div>
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Here are some "Chef's Choice Orange" after pruning. </div>
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Our Lakota squash is going crazy. It's found its way up our fence without much help. Ryan is trying to get the muskmelon to do the same thing in this photo. He also had to separate the Lakota squash from some of our tomato plants because the squash was just wrapping itself around the tomatoes. Next year we know to plant everything much further apart.</div>
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These are some "Sunpeach" cherry tomatoes. They are so sweet and juicy. We've been able to harvest a few of these here and there, but there are about to be hundreds.</div>
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The "Sunrise Bumblebee" is coming along nicely.</div>
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These are "Sweeties", another sweet cherry, but these will be bright red. As you can see, we are going to have hundreds of these, too.</div>
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The plant most affected by blight, the "Early Girls" are still coming along nicely. There are lots of fruit still hanging and starting to redden up a bit. I'm just hoping there will be new growth after these.</div>
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I spied this little guy while watering. I hadn't seen anything but blossoms on the zucchini plant. There's another small one to the left of this one, but you can't see it in this picture, and it's much smaller. This one is the star of the show, at the moment. I can't wait to see how many more we get!</div>
criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-26613101677193064422015-07-07T18:58:00.000-07:002015-07-08T05:12:00.333-07:00Taking Care of BlightI chose the perfect day to prune my tomato plants. It's been 70 degrees and cloudy. I got lucky.<br />
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Next year I really need to remember to plant my crops further apart. I definitely didn't give any of them enough room to spread out and really grow. I have a squash plant wrapping itself around a tomato plant, and tomato plants intertwining so much I can't tell which plant is which. Not to mention, you can see the path of the blight.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lHSolqDlZOM/VZyDGFolifI/AAAAAAAAH5A/S9Dpq--CZcM/s1600/before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lHSolqDlZOM/VZyDGFolifI/AAAAAAAAH5A/S9Dpq--CZcM/s320/before.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
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After reading up about blight, I've found that it takes touching leaves and lots of water to spread the spores quickly, and you could definitely tell by looking at my plants, the path the blight traveled.<br />
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I lost most of my "Early Girl" plant because it's in the back, I couldn't see it very well, and by the time I noticed the blight for what it was, it had spread through most of the plant. Luckily, the branches that held most of the ripening fruit weren't affected, but pretty much all of the other branches were sacrificed. Our "Early Girl" is now a Naked Girl. I think we should still be able to get the remaining fruit from the plant, but I'm not sure how much more it will produce. Hopefully I was able to save it and it will continue to produce a bunch of tomatoes.<br />
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Because the "Early Girl" is next to the "Black From Tula's" and the "Orange Chef's" Choice, those <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
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two plants lost the second-most of all my plants. Also, the "Sweeties" needed some minor pruning at the base of the plant, and when I did that I found a bunch of fruit I didn't know was even there. As you can see from the photos, I took off a lot of leaves, but I didn't lose much fruit. There is still some low-hanging fruit on the "Sweeties" so I left them there. Also, this plant only had minor blight, and I mulched heavily in hopes to prevent future blight outbreaks. If that fruit wasn't there, I would have cut all of that off at the base and probably still will once those tomatoes are ready to pick.<br />
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I went ahead and pruned my other tomato plants in the other garden bed to the south. There were minor signs of blight, but nothing like the north bed, but I still wanted to prune to prevent any blight from happening in the future. I went up about a foot of the plant, trying to think about how water splashes when I water. I also mulched that bed heavily, making sure to spread the straw away from the base of the plant a bit to prevent rot or pest from showing up.<br />
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The future plan is to get some soaker hoses set up and get them connected to our rain barrels. That's going to take some work, though, so it probably won't happen tomorrow. Soon, though.criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-72874595131095446562015-07-07T07:29:00.000-07:002015-07-07T07:29:14.009-07:00Early Blight -- OH NO!Over the weekend I found that some of my tomato plants have early blight. At first I was stressing out about it, then I did some reading and found that it's a common problem that can be fixed pretty easily.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DrN1nnjnnaM/VZqf9gQK3tI/AAAAAAAAH0Y/oPUDFT4VnIk/s1600/blight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DrN1nnjnnaM/VZqf9gQK3tI/AAAAAAAAH0Y/oPUDFT4VnIk/s320/blight.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Infected leaf on my Early Girl plant</td></tr>
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First, I took a photo of one of the leaves affected on my Early Girl plant. Then, I posted it to Facebook to see what others had to say.<br />
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After doing some more research online and listening to what people were saying on Facebook, I came to the conclusion that I'm dealing with early blight. Early blight is a fungal infection that is easily spread by water or touching leaves. The spores use water to travel, so when you water they splash up and land on the bottom leaves of your tomato plants. The spores move up from there, infecting your plant one leaf at a time, including jumping to other plants if their leaves touch.<br />
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Unfortunately, I planted my tomato plants way too close together, so airflow is at a minimum and the leaves will stay wet longer, so I need to take extra care when watering in the future. Also, I hope to get some soaker hoses set up, that way splashing won't be an issue anymore. Then, next year, I won't plant my tomatoes in the same spot, as that will encourage blight to return, and I'll make sure to spread them out more than I did this time.<br />
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My plan of action includes pruning off infected leaves, mulching heavily with straw and adding soaker hoses so I can limit splashing. I think I'm going to prune all of my plants about a foot off the ground. Maybe closer, I'll judge that when I'm out there and let you know what I decide.<br />
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Some articles I read promoted the use of fungicides but I hope to fix the problem without them -- I'm going to try, anyway. Another way to prevent blight is to plant blight-resistant varieties of tomatoes, but I wasn't paying attention to that sort of thing when I was buying my plants. Maybe next year I will look for different varieties, or plant in a different area. Experts say to wait 3-4 years to plant tomatoes in the same spot if they suffer blight.<br />
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Resources:<br />
<b>Purdue:</b><br />
<a href="https://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/expert/tomato-blight.html">https://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/expert/tomato-blight.html</a><br />
<b>Mother Earth News:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/preventive-pruning-for-tomato-early-blight-control.aspx">http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/preventive-pruning-for-tomato-early-blight-control.aspx</a><br />
<b>Tomato Dirt, blog</b><br />
<a href="http://www.tomatodirt.com/tomato-blight-early.html">http://www.tomatodirt.com/tomato-blight-early.html</a><br />
<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-75533595111183233012015-07-01T07:02:00.000-07:002015-07-01T07:02:16.153-07:00Greens, Tomatoes and HerbsToday, Ryan and I harvested our first collard greens and kale.<br />
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We only have one plant of each item, but I feel like we can still get a good amount off each plant. I <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/vegetables/growing-kale-collards-zw0z1401zsto.aspx?PageId=2" target="_blank">read where you can harvest</a> the outer leaves and they will grow back three leaves every five days. Ryan was skeptical, but I reminded him of how fresh garden produce is and not to compare to grocery store produce. The stuff in the store is already a few days, if not a few weeks, old by the time <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top layer is kale, bottom layer is collard greens</td></tr>
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it makes it to the consumer's kitchen. We can store the greens up until we have enough to make something. It should only take two, maybe three harvests.<br />
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The garden is coming along nicely. I am seeing small, green tomatoes on most of the plants. I haven't seen any on the Lemon Boys, but those are a late harvest anyway. I've seen tons of blossoms on the Black From Tula, but haven't seen any tomatoes, yet. The Early Girls are getting bigger and any day now we will have multiple fruits off that plant.<br />
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Yesterday, I ate my first tomato sandwich of the season with some Early Girls I'd let ripen by the window. I've been picking the tomatoes when they are a light orangey-red color, then I set them by a sunny window and let them redden up. It frees up the plant to put energy into other fruit this way, plus, I've heard from gardeners that tomatoes don't get anything from the plant after the white to orange stage. Either way, it's worked for me so far. They don't seem to get any bigger so, why not?<br />
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I also picked a bunch of basil yesterday, and thyme. It helps the plants to bush out and produce more <a href="http://www.foodrenegade.com/harvesting-basil-101/" target="_blank">this blog</a> and enjoyed reading the writer's experiences with failing at basil. I would rather read and learn from someone else's mistakes, so I figured you would, too, since you're reading this blog. In regards to the flowers, I've been picking mine off of my basil plants, so that I can keep harvesting. I didn't realize that's what I was supposed to do, and think maybe that's why it's dying off a bit. I'll try to get rid of all the flowers and see what happens. I need to harvest much more of it so maybe it will bush out.<br />
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stems with more herbs if you cut the plants regularly. I cut the basil from the top, down, about 1&1/2 inches. I found <br />
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I noticed that with the pineapple sage it's bushed out a bunch. I did cut a substantial amount from it a few times now, so that proves cutting down herbs encourages growth.<br />
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I've only cut some thyme, but it's grown a lot, too. The rosemary is growing tall and has a couple extra branches that weren't there before -- I started with one, single stalk.<br />
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The cilantro has begun to produce small, green seeds where the white flowers used to be. Only a few flowers have begun to turn, but I bet the rest are quick behind them. I read where you can harvest them green for one flavor, and dry them out for a completely different flavor. The plan is to try both ways and compare, then let you know the findings.criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-74028614501178870642015-06-27T17:29:00.001-07:002015-06-27T17:29:59.834-07:00Tomatoes<p dir="ltr">Our sunpeach tomatoes are coming along. <br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LsCZAgNAfz4/VY9ABCNtkrI/AAAAAAAAHsQ/maWI5mPmJmE/s1600/20150627_192534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LsCZAgNAfz4/VY9ABCNtkrI/AAAAAAAAHsQ/maWI5mPmJmE/s640/20150627_192534.jpg"> </a> </div>criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-54890538545287417812015-06-21T15:07:00.003-07:002015-06-21T15:13:26.517-07:00Tomato Cages, Coriander Seeds, Rain CollectionToday, I fed my plants and gave them some support.<br />
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Some of the tomato plants already had cages, but today, Ryan and I bought some more and built a couple for our tomato and squash plants.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--HR3GCJmo1U/VYc0JBl2dII/AAAAAAAAHYQ/mY5T-IB29YI/s1600/photo%2B5%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--HR3GCJmo1U/VYc0JBl2dII/AAAAAAAAHYQ/mY5T-IB29YI/s320/photo%2B5%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
A friend gave me some cane reeds that we tied together and built into tomato cages. It was really easy. All I needed in addition was some green tape to tie the tips together and add some extra support. I tied some around the bottom of the canes to support the plants a little more. I'm hoping the tape will hold up, but will just have to wait and see.<br />
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I also decided to throw down some more food. The leaves on a couple of the plants are looking a little yellow again, so I figured some food wouldn't hurt. The last time that happened and I fed them, the yellow was gone the next day. It's crazy how fast you can see results in gardening.<br />
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I've noticed a few peppers on my jalepeno plant, small tomatoes on a couple of the plants and all kinds of blossoms. The basil plants are going crazy and some are producing flowers already. The pineapple sage is bushy and my thyme is thriving, too. The rosemary I planted to get rid of mosquitoes is branching out and I snipped a little the other day -- it was so fresh and aromatic. The lavender is bushing out a bit, and I haven't even watered it once. There's been a lot of rain, and lavender doesn't need as much water as other crops. I read that it needs well-drained soil, so I planted it on the outside of the beds, and so far, so good.<br />
<br />
Something is eating the kale and the collard greens, <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/vegetables/growing-kale-collards-zw0z1401zsto.aspx" target="_blank">but I read on Mother Earth News </a>that during the warm summer months, those plants attract more pests than in the early spring or late fall when it's cooler out. Also, better tasting kale results from a couple of frosts, and that isn't happening any time <br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1O0o6jzvwxo/VYc0WhaCi2I/AAAAAAAAHYY/TJH-78-2Tx8/s1600/photo%2B2%2B%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1O0o6jzvwxo/VYc0WhaCi2I/AAAAAAAAHYY/TJH-78-2Tx8/s320/photo%2B2%2B%25284%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a>soon. I'm going to keep trying and see what happens. I can always try again in the fall.<br />
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The cilantro is flowering, which is one more step toward coriander. I'm waiting for the flowers to produce little green seeds -- coriander. I want to harvest some of the green seeds, but save some to dry out a bit for overwinter cooking. I read a <a href="http://www.vegetariantimes.com/blog/edible-gardening-101-harvesting-coriander-seeds/" target="_blank">blog </a>that said the flavor is much different and the seeds can also be frozen so I could use them through some of the winter months.<br />
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We've continued to collect rain with our rain barrels, but, we've also found another way to collect waiter that would be otherwise wasted. We have a dehumidifier in the basement to help with moisture in the summer months. The machine collects water from the air and sends it into a reservoir. This particular dehumidifier also has a hose you can attach and therefore, aim it at whatever you want and collect the water. Originally, we had the hose aimed at the drain in the basement, but Ryan decided to put the hose in a bucket instead, and see how much water we could collect. We had no idea how much it would produce: up to four gallons a day!<br />
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So, we've hardly used our own water to water our garden or yard this year. I'm so glad Kansas isn't one of the states where it's illegal to collect rainwater. I just can't believe that's the case anywhere.<br />
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Everything is going well so far, and I'm so excited for some summer tomatoes.criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-78031393422167550282015-06-04T07:45:00.000-07:002015-06-04T07:46:55.696-07:00Whoa, look at this worm, it's huge!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CLy2s5L80i0/VXBkeBWnl4I/AAAAAAAAGhg/_8cK2tNTCMs/s1600/handtilling.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CLy2s5L80i0/VXBkeBWnl4I/AAAAAAAAGhg/_8cK2tNTCMs/s200/handtilling.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryan at work.</td></tr>
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Tuesday, Ryan and I planted the crops we bought at the Topeka Farmers Market.<br />
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First, we had to uproot the spinach and mesclun mix to clear a spot for our new tomatoes and squash. We used these hoes a friend of ours made for us, he likes to use metal to make things, including decorations. He goes by the name The Iron Florist. <a href="http://www.wibwnewsnow.com/iron-florist-demonstrates-art-at-julys-first-friday-artwalk/" target="_blank">Here's an article I wrote about him, if you want to know more. </a> After pulling up the roots, we threw them into a pile a few feet away from the beds. Once they die we will add them to the compost bin.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TC_Tv_CI8wk/VXBhTBRxU1I/AAAAAAAAGhI/uOvq_38rRWE/s1600/BIGworm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TC_Tv_CI8wk/VXBhTBRxU1I/AAAAAAAAGhI/uOvq_38rRWE/s320/BIGworm.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big worm</td></tr>
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Ryan also bought a tool at the hardware store that can be used to shallowly till soil by hand. He used it to loosen up the soil and kind of mix it together, which helped rip up some of the weeds that were growing, too. Hopefully those won't come back. Weeds are hard to keep up on. At first I was getting all of them, then, slowly over time I slacked off. Then, there were a whole bunch of them and it took me a long time to get most of them, so I can see how it would be easy to let weeds take over your garden.<br />
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While tilling, we found a lot of worms. BIG worms! I was hoeing up some of the spinach when one flipped out of the soil and flew two feet, then scrambled to get back underground. It startled me and gave me a laugh at the same time! Then, Ryan found another one, pictured here. At least we know we have good soil thanks to these guys!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pA3EMKhOGrk/VXBje4g3BUI/AAAAAAAAGhU/DETKny1aSs0/s1600/mulchedplants.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pA3EMKhOGrk/VXBje4g3BUI/AAAAAAAAGhU/DETKny1aSs0/s200/mulchedplants.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We added alfalfa mulch</td></tr>
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We then planted our crops. We did three more tomato plants in the north bed -- where the other tomato plants and pepper plants are. Then, in the south bed we put the other three tomato plants, the squash along the southernmost side, and the greens on the northernmost side. We had a reason for our madness. The squash plants will yield 2-3 squash, so we figured this meant we will be picking those plants the least, so we placed those at the back where it's harder to reach. The tomato plants, however, will be picked frequently and better access will be appreciated. The greens are in the front since they are low to the ground and you need to be close to them to cut them. We tried to think ahead.<br />
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After planting, we added compost and mulch to each plant. Some of the plants we bought were already planted in compost, but we figured a little more wouldn't hurt. Here in a couple weeks, I'll add some plant food.<br />
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There is a blank space in our garden. The reason for the blank space is that we were scared to take on too much for our first garden. I've read all over the place that the biggest mistake new gardeners make is taking on too much. We decided to give it a week or two, then decide if we can take on more. I think we should just do what we have so far, and start planning a fall garden. It's been so fun so far, I wouldn't want to overwhelm myself, so I'll probably just carry on with what I have.<br />
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If you have any comments, tips or advice, please comment below. I'd love to hear your experiences!criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-72906955783752591782015-05-31T17:33:00.001-07:002015-05-31T17:41:04.944-07:00More tomatoes and other things to plantI went to the Topeka Farmers Market this weekend and bought six more tomato plants. Now that we've harvested the spinach and greens three times, and it's getting hotter, we decided to replace those crops with more tomatoes, squash and greens.<br />
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In addition to six more tomato plants, we got kale, collard greens, Lakota squash, zucchini, <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nySA1yzRExY/VWuklbx43zI/AAAAAAAAGgU/w6a-ufg0TjY/s1600/photo%2B1%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nySA1yzRExY/VWuklbx43zI/AAAAAAAAGgU/w6a-ufg0TjY/s320/photo%2B1%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New additions</td></tr>
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muskmelon, acorn squash and butternut squash. One of our neighbors has a booth at the market and he gave us a great deal on the plants and threw in a couple for free so we picked the Lakota and the muskmelon. We weren't necessarily planning to plant these things but because of our recent success, we have become slightly addicted to growing our own food. We thought, if we could grow that other stuff, why not this stuff?<br />
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Back to the tomatoes. We got six different types, because we just couldn't get the same kinds we already have. We want to try many different varieties, and we were able to find some so that worked out for us well. I tried searching all the varieties on the Tomato Chooser app, but they weren't all on there. I'm not sure what that means, but I still bought varieties that weren't on the app because the lady selling them did a good job. Below is a list and a description of each variety of tomato we picked.<br />
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<a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7541-cherokee-purple.aspx" target="_blank">Cherokee Purple</a> -- a medium-sized slicer that turns a dark purple but lighter-colored at the stem.<br />
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<a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9019-sunrise-bumble-bee.aspx#" target="_blank">Sunrise Bumblebee</a> -- a yellow to red cherry tomato. These vary in color on the inside and the outside and are sweet.<br />
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<a href="http://bonnieplants.com/product/lemon-boy-yellow-tomato/" target="_blank">Lemon Boy</a> -- a medium-sized yellow tomato. I believe we got some of these from some friends last year and they a late maturing, and will be ready after most other tomato plants are done for the season. We canned a lot of them and that seemed to be a great storage method for this type of tomato.<br />
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<a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9236-pink-tiger.aspx" target="_blank">Pink Tiger</a> -- an elongated cherry tomato, these look like their namesake, with tiger-like stripes on the little fruits. I really want to get a dehydrator and do sun-dried tomatoes, the Tomato Chooser app says this variety is best dried.<br />
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<a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8856-sunpeach.aspx" target="_blank">Sunpeach</a> -- This kind is another cherry tomato. The descriptions say it's a sweeter, less acidic cherry tomato.<br />
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<a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7941-brandywine.aspx" target="_blank">Brandywine Burgundy</a> -- this tomato is a sister of the brandywine tomato. It's going to be a dark purple slicer that could grow as large as 1 lb.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GUU-CBDYdCI/VWunqntLZoI/AAAAAAAAGgg/8daLW7gtIX4/s1600/photo%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GUU-CBDYdCI/VWunqntLZoI/AAAAAAAAGgg/8daLW7gtIX4/s200/photo%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tumbling toms</td></tr>
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We also bought a hanging basket of Tumbling Tom tomatoes. They looked pretty healthy and like the plant would yield a lot, and this plant already had a bunch of red fruit on it. We picked some for dinner tonight on our fresh garden greens. I ate a couple and they are sweet, juicy and a little meaty.<br />
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I look forward to planting these new plants in our garden and even more to them growing. Gardening has proven to be exciting and fruitful -- literally!<br />
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The tomatoes we planted a couple weeks ago are coming along nicely. The Early Girls are producing new fruit daily, and there is one tomato starting to turn orange/red. The other plants are flowering, which means fruit is coming soon.<br />
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The basil I planted by seed is coming up and thriving. The pineapple sage has doubled in size and the <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jraun277jC4/VWun8_WCSTI/AAAAAAAAGgo/CLHOa9mU-Uw/s1600/photo%2B2%2B%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jraun277jC4/VWun8_WCSTI/AAAAAAAAGgo/CLHOa9mU-Uw/s320/photo%2B2%2B%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My herb container with a variety of basil, pineapple <br />
sage and thyme.</td></tr>
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Siam Queen basil is coming along nicely, too. I started pulling off the purple flowers to promote new, bushy growth at the base of the plant and it worked. I have a few new shoots coming off with new leaves that will probably end up in dinner one night.<br />
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A couple days ago, I added some plant food to my soil around the tomato plants. It's been a few weeks and I felt like they needed some food. The leaves were turning yellow on our pepper plants, but ever since I fed them, they've greened back up again. So, I must have done something right!criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-87152735429705458742015-05-18T20:12:00.000-07:002015-05-18T20:35:42.388-07:00Heavy Rain = Flooding<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-paUBc3wrf9Y/VVqo-grb5dI/AAAAAAAAGdw/G9W0owTRBb0/s1600/basilSprouts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-paUBc3wrf9Y/VVqo-grb5dI/AAAAAAAAGdw/G9W0owTRBb0/s200/basilSprouts.JPG" width="150" /></a>This weekend, we had a lot of rain here in Topeka. It was hard, severe rain, too.<br />
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I had to work Saturday, so the storm began before I was able to get home. It poured! By the time I got home, my basil plants were swimming in a half-inch of rainwater, but the rest of the garden seemed fine. Some of it seemed a little beaten down because of the heavy rain, but everything perked up after soaking up the nitrogen-rich thunderstorm water. The basil ended up being OK, at least I hope. I've been checking on it and the pot it's in drained well, so the soil is still moist but drained. The seedling roots seem to be holding firm, so I don't think I lost any of them. I was really worried about it, so I'm glad to see they are still alive.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4jBMWYEV0A/VVqpLWnhNZI/AAAAAAAAGd4/hCP0KPkamco/s1600/mesclun2ndHarvest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4jBMWYEV0A/VVqpLWnhNZI/AAAAAAAAGd4/hCP0KPkamco/s200/mesclun2ndHarvest.JPG" width="150" /></a>Our tomato plant, the 'Early Girl' plant, is already showing promise. There are about 10 small, green tomatoes, and I'm sure there will be more. The other plants haven't started producing, but they are getting bigger.<br />
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The mesclun greens and some of the spinach is coming back. The spinach doesn't look the best, but we plan to steam and freeze it anyway, so that shouldn't matter. It looks like we are having a few more slugs as it heats up, too, so the leaves have a few holes in them. The mesclun greens, on the other hand, are growing back perfectly. We harvested a few for dinner last night and they still taste great. I did notice that they weren't as tender as the first growth, but they are still more tender and sweet than the greens you can buy at the grocery story. I think we are going to harvest and grow them one more time and see what happens. We've been lucky and it's been in the 60s and 70s the past couple weeks, but I think it's probably going to start heating up soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C6RHx1owGpI/VVqpga6iayI/AAAAAAAAGeA/nSuUewa50BU/s1600/cilantro.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C6RHx1owGpI/VVqpga6iayI/AAAAAAAAGeA/nSuUewa50BU/s320/cilantro.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cilantro</td></tr>
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The cilantro is going crazy! I decided to cut some of our extra growth and bring it to work for others to enjoy. There's no way we can use it all! We still plant to let it flower and try to harvest the <br />
coriander seeds later on. It's so fragrant and fresh. My hands smelled like cilantro for the rest of the day.<br />
<br />
Ryan and I decided that we haven't planted enough tomato plants. So, in two weeks we are going to return to the farmers market and get a few more tomato plants and plant them where the spinach was. We are going to let the mesclun mix regrow for a third harvest, but after that, we will probably wait until the fall to try those again.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45Kr00IFJuQ/VVqsR8THRUI/AAAAAAAAGeM/iPNbo-19x6s/s1600/birdie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45Kr00IFJuQ/VVqsR8THRUI/AAAAAAAAGeM/iPNbo-19x6s/s320/birdie.JPG" width="240" /></a>My friend, Nicole, gave me a cute, yellow birdie to put in my garden. I put it beside the tomato plants in hopes it may scare away critters that may want to eat them -- like squirrels. Maybe I will get a few more ornaments like them and see if they work. If not, it will at least look pretty. I have been leaving my dog, Zoey, out for a few hours here and there and that seems to be helping. I have't sen recent signs of them -- I have seen lots of trees growing since the rains. I've been weeding like crazy!<br />
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Speaking of weeds, I definitely recommend picking them as soon as you see them. When they get bigger, they get harder to pick. Their roots get deeper and they get a better hold on the soil, therefore, it's harder to extract them completely to make sure they won't grow back. I've figured this out the hard way. For the most part I've been picking them when they are really small, but, a few have gotten away from me. Part of me thought maybe they'd be easier to grab and pull if they were a little bigger, but that is just not the case. They are easier to grab, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to get the entire root without using a spade or something else to help dig them out. So, even though you have to dig your fingers into the dirt a little, it's easier when the weed is young than a few days old. they don't take long to take hold.<br />
<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-28502635690285253552015-05-09T12:51:00.000-07:002015-05-09T13:42:23.171-07:00Farmers Market: Rosemary and LavenderToday, Ryan and I got up early and headed to the Topeka Farmers Market for breakfast and herbs. I also bought a few flowers for my hanging pots on my front porch. I figured it was better to buy from local farmers than from Wal-Mart. The people I bought my plants from told me they don't use pesticides and they also grow all their own grasses for their chickens and ducks. So, I know I can trust the plants I buy for my organic, pesticide-free garden.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-szc4_TIYFn0/VU5jIGj4z4I/AAAAAAAAGDo/qyOFr_RwHaU/s1600/photo%2B2%2B(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-szc4_TIYFn0/VU5jIGj4z4I/AAAAAAAAGDo/qyOFr_RwHaU/s200/photo%2B2%2B(1).JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosemary</td></tr>
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I remember a lady I bought thyme from a couple weeks ago and went to find her because I knew she had more herbs and I remembered they all looked healthy. She had anything you could think of -- sage, rosemary, thyme, basil and much more. I was there for lavender and rosemary, specifically, but I learned much more about her business.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-evrpkTOGvOs/VU5jV1-YQSI/AAAAAAAAGDw/m8JDy5ere4c/s1600/photo%2B3%2B(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-evrpkTOGvOs/VU5jV1-YQSI/AAAAAAAAGDw/m8JDy5ere4c/s200/photo%2B3%2B(1).JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lavender</td></tr>
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The business is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Davids-Herbs/177386075640509?fref=ts" target="_blank">David's Herbs</a>, and it's family owned and operated. The woman and her husband and son-in-law run the business, and they all work together out of Perry, Kansas. The guy I was talking to said they are willing to answer questions about growing herbs, and if I had any problem with bugs I could send them photos and they would help me diagnose/fix the problem. That's awesome, especially for people who are new to this like me. The farmers market always has such great resources, and that's why I always return, and I always talk to the people I'm buying plants from. Most of the time, they're willing to help you out. They want their products to grow well for you so you'll come back next year, so usually, they'll answer your questions.<br />
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My aunt told me rosemary is great for <a href="http://doubledanger.com/pictures/simple-organic-ways-to-repel-mosquitoes" target="_blank">repelling mosquitoes</a>, so I thought that was a great idea because I have noticed a lot of mosquitoes around the garden. I bought two plants and put them in the far north and far south corners. That soil is well-drained and can be watered less than the other plants in the beds. I<a href="http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/a/Rosemary.htm" target="_blank">'ve read where rosemary is a great potted plant</a>, and that also makes it easier to move indoors when the temperature gets below freezing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p77DFt-LZBc/VU5jujf4RbI/AAAAAAAAGD4/6cO1S3pMOgc/s1600/photo%2B4%2B(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p77DFt-LZBc/VU5jujf4RbI/AAAAAAAAGD4/6cO1S3pMOgc/s200/photo%2B4%2B(1).JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pineapple sage</td></tr>
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I got lavender because I read the <a href="http://www.hgtvgardens.com/herbs/benefits-of-lavender" target="_blank">flowers attract honey bees</a>, but also because I enjoy lavender and thought I'd try to grow my own. Plus, there seem to be <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/all-about-lovely-lavender-zbcz1408.aspx" target="_blank">tons of benefits from the plant</a> and the oil you can get from it. I bought two different kinds, one is a taller variety and the other is more like a bush. I don't know which is which because I got to talking to the guy about duck eggs and other things he has to sell and forgot to make sure which was which. I planted the lavender in the middle of the beds on the far south and the far north sides of my beds. Just like the rosemary, I put them by the outer edge, so the <a href="http://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-lavender/" target="_blank">soil is better drained</a> than other other plants. Plus, it's out of the way so it can be watered less.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Op1DoYzk88/VU5jur_yk0I/AAAAAAAAGD8/ZDVQtdCJl7s/s1600/photo%2B1%2B(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Op1DoYzk88/VU5jur_yk0I/AAAAAAAAGD8/ZDVQtdCJl7s/s200/photo%2B1%2B(1).JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basil sprouts</td></tr>
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I also planted some pineapple sage, which is some amazing smelling stuff. I can't wait for it to grow and produce so I can use it on some pork or something. If you rub the leaves, it produces such a sweet pineapple smell, I couldn't believe it. I had to get some, so I did, even though it wasn't in the plan. I put it in the bed where I already have basil and thyme growing. It's a big pot and I can always transplant, which I'll probably have to do this fall.<br />
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I noticed that I have some basil sprouting, but only the custom version. The Dolce vita blend is not sprouting, yet. I'm thinking that squirrel might have gotten some of the seeds. He didn't get them all, though, for which I'm thankful. I can't wait to see it get bigger, then use it with some fresh tomatoes. I'm pretty excited about the food we are going to be eating this summer thanks to our organic garden. It's exciting watching everything grow, but even more so harvesting and eating everything. I know next year we will be having a bigger garden.<br />
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<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-66803383239388655372015-05-06T18:40:00.000-07:002015-05-06T19:08:11.085-07:00Lots of Rain Makes Big, Leafy Spinach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TB8N8S08kIQ/VUrB3iVEyLI/AAAAAAAAFJc/adhBLqK4xa8/s1600/Garden2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TB8N8S08kIQ/VUrB3iVEyLI/AAAAAAAAFJc/adhBLqK4xa8/s1600/Garden2.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
I didn't think we would be harvesting our spinach quite yet, but, it was definitely time. We could have let it go for a few more days, but we can already tell there have been a few bugs in our garden and we decided the longer we left the spinach there, the more they could eat instead of us. I don't know much about growing spinach, but I do know that it tastes amazing! It's better than the stuff I usually buy at the supermarket, too.<br />
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I read in a couple places that you can cut your spinach, feed it, water it and it will grow back. Here's one article I used, <a href="http://goo.gl/8OXJo2" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/8OXJo2</a>. Only, they say, it won't be as sweet the second time. That's OK. I intend to try it out and see what happens. This is an experiment so, what the hay? I'll try it. So we cut the entire plant off, but I think we may have cut them a little close to the ground. When I went back and re-read some of the articles I was using, I noticed it said 2-3 inches above the soil... oops. This article, <a href="http://goo.gl/8cKYot" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/8cKYot</a>, says to only cut the outer leaves so it will grow back. We cut them pretty close and we cut the entire thing. I guess we shall just wait and see what happens. I put a bunch of compost over the spots where we cut, (which was pretty much all of it), and watered it well. I also used this article from <i>Mother Earth News</i>, <a href="http://goo.gl/RNLySC" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/RNLySC</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jm4pXtpTuNo/VUrCCnA6lII/AAAAAAAAFJk/SeOb-vEq8hA/s1600/CutSpinach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jm4pXtpTuNo/VUrCCnA6lII/AAAAAAAAFJk/SeOb-vEq8hA/s1600/CutSpinach.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut spinach plants</td></tr>
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We cut some cilantro, too, but not all of it. Ryan and I decided we want to let it continue to grow until it bolts, so we can harvest the coriander seeds. I've never done any of that, either, but I'll make sure to document it all for next time, and for you, of course! Please feel free to comment below with any tips or helpful advice about harvesting coriander seeds. I'll take all the help I can get.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LVjvJFiAIA8/VUrCQ3dpZYI/AAAAAAAAFJs/0EaQX1lrEpQ/s1600/SquirrelHoles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LVjvJFiAIA8/VUrCQ3dpZYI/AAAAAAAAFJs/0EaQX1lrEpQ/s1600/SquirrelHoles.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the holes form the squirrel</td></tr>
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With the harvested cilantro, I made some pico de gallo and wow, it was fresh. Really, the entire garden smells like the cilantro, so I was already overpowered by it. But, when I cut into it, it was even stronger, I loved it! Our garden is organic and we haven't used any pesticides of any kind and I feel like that is contributing to the way our produce feels. I <i>feels </i>clean, like I wouldn't even need to rinse it if it weren't for the dirt all over the leaves. This is the truth. Part of what I'm enjoying the most about this gardening experience is knowing what has been put on my food and knowing I'm not eating chemicals. The cilantro almost felt <i>squeaky </i>to me, it's weird, but I like it. It's so shiny, too. I think I'm addicted to this experience.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HgJdwgwZCgM/VUrI7-KJfmI/AAAAAAAAFKA/96kT3xs8cgI/s1600/BountifulHarvest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HgJdwgwZCgM/VUrI7-KJfmI/AAAAAAAAFKA/96kT3xs8cgI/s1600/BountifulHarvest.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>I found some proof that we have had a squirrel rootin' around in our beds. It must have happened this afternoon because it wasn't like that this morning before work. The only way I know is the soil is nice and soft and I could see his little footprints all over the place where he dug. He didn't dig up any of my stuff, but he dug little holes all over the place, including in my basil pot, so I hope he didn't disturb any of the seeds I just planted. He also kind up dug up the entire row that wasn't planted, so I'm not sure what exactly he was doing, unless he was hiding something there. I sure hope not.<br />
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After reading and doing some Googling, I found some information about squirrels. I bet he got some of my basil seeds, because he dug right where I had just planted some. I know he didn't get all of them, but still, it's kind of annoying. I couldn't really find any wonderful solutions, except maybe using my dog to keep them away. There are some sprays that could be made with peppermint or capsaicin, but you have to make sure you don't get it on what you intend to eat. I may ask around and see what has worked for people in my area before I decide what to do.<br />
<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-90980000451834439212015-05-03T18:31:00.004-07:002015-05-09T13:45:52.782-07:00Our First Harvest: Spinach and Mesclun MixToday, we harvested our first spinach and mesclun mix for a salad with dinner.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gp7Ji_liQAo/VUbLDTrW8JI/AAAAAAAAFDk/ZXr9xIPhGu8/s1600/photo%2B5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gp7Ji_liQAo/VUbLDTrW8JI/AAAAAAAAFDk/ZXr9xIPhGu8/s1600/photo%2B5.JPG" width="150" /></a>After years of buying spinach and baby greens mixes from the store, I was surprised at how great ours came out, that we planted ourselves. They look and taste just like store-bought greens, but I know mine don't have pesticides all over them. That is excitement in itself - knowing what I'm eating. It's so much cheaper, too. We spent about $4 on seeds for spinach and I bet we would have spent about that on greens for a couple of salads. We are going to get tons of salads from our garden. We've also been using water from our rain barrels, so we haven't spent much on water and sunlight is free.<br />
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Ryan and I made a salad with a mixture of spinach and baby greens. It was one of the best salads I've ever had. The greens are so tender and almost sweet, I don't remember ones from the store tasting that way. Ryan ate his entire salad before he ever took a second bite of his pork -- he said that's never happened in his life.<br />
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We also planted some tomatoes and peppers in our second bed. We didn't want to wait much longer because the biggest tomato plant really needed to be transplanted as soon as possible because it was getting wilted and sad looking. I added a bunch of compost to the soil where I planted it, so hopefully it will perk back up. I added compost to each hole we dug for each plant.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BYNMS8w-esk/VUaspujqSXI/AAAAAAAAFDI/B2qeqKIVMbY/s1600/photo%2B2%2B(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BYNMS8w-esk/VUaspujqSXI/AAAAAAAAFDI/B2qeqKIVMbY/s1600/photo%2B2%2B(1).JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jvOfbo7mw8I/VUasqdpx1iI/AAAAAAAAFDQ/f4TMOtyGj0A/s1600/photo%2B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jvOfbo7mw8I/VUasqdpx1iI/AAAAAAAAFDQ/f4TMOtyGj0A/s1600/photo%2B3.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Tomatoes will be plentiful this year with four different types of tomato plants: Black From Tula, Sweeties, Chef's Choice and Early Girl. I can't wait until we can harvest, but I guess it's a ways out.<br />
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I also bought a huge flower pot for herbs, (above, right). I planted the Siam Queen basil plant and kitchen thyme I bought last week at the Topeka farmers market in there, as well as some assorted basil seeds. In the pot, before planting, I put topsoil, potting mix and compost and mixed it all together. After planting, I watered substantially with rain-barrel water. <br />
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I planted two types of basil: A Custom blend, which is an heirloom blend, and a blend called Dolce Vita blend. Both need full sun and are supposed to be sown after the last chance of spring frost. The Doce Vita package says there are six different types of basils inside, whereas the custom blend had seven varieties.<br />
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Now, just gotta keep watering and let the sun do its magic.criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-45921100552512568642015-04-26T18:21:00.000-07:002015-05-09T13:30:47.401-07:00Our First Pests and How We Handled ThemUh-oh. I went out to weed the garden again (there's a lot of that) and found a slimy little friend -- a slug. You can see him in the photo below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8NkqRoey7QM/VT2Kp0ISBuI/AAAAAAAAE1M/SeZgpENFeoA/s1600/photo%2B2%2B(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8NkqRoey7QM/VT2Kp0ISBuI/AAAAAAAAE1M/SeZgpENFeoA/s1600/photo%2B2%2B(5).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first "visitor"</td></tr>
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Luckily, I work at a restaurant that has hard boiled eggs on the menu, and the cook likes me enough that he saved me a batch of the shells for compost. Instead of throwing them in my composter, I rinsed them, dried them, then stored them in an open container in my garage. If they are rinsed out, they won't attract bugs or flies, and nothing will mess with them. But you must make sure and rinse them out well -- I rub my fingers around the insides to break the membrane and get rid of all the slime -- you can't just rinse them with water, rub your fingers around inside to get all the egg residue off, or you'll have flies and bugs all over them quick. They also smell, so store them outside in a garage or on your porch. I've read a few places where people recommend boiling the egg shells in water then drying them to sterilize them. I've never done all that, and I haven't had any problems, yet.<br />
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I was reading an article by Mother Earth News, <a href="http://goo.gl/XcT3PO">http://goo.gl/XcT3PO</a> <i>Learn How to Grow Spinach, </i> and it recommends pulling back the mulch, which I haven't done, yet. I'm hoping the egg shells work.<br />
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Another article I was reading reinforced my usage of egg shells for slugs and snails: <a href="http://goo.gl/welsJp">http://goo.gl/welsJp</a>.<br />
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<b>The Farmers Market</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--SiSRIOecnQ/VT2KnEnTHGI/AAAAAAAAE08/gPiDf2ALmMs/s1600/photo%2B3%2B(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--SiSRIOecnQ/VT2KnEnTHGI/AAAAAAAAE08/gPiDf2ALmMs/s1600/photo%2B3%2B(4).JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add crumbled egg shells to deter pests</td></tr>
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Saturday, Ryan and I went to the farmers market to buy tomato and pepper plants for the garden. We wanted to go early in case the heirloom varieties are scarce in the coming weeks. We didn't want to miss out. We won't plant them until mid-May. I have a couple friends who swear by the Mother's Day rule, which is to obviously, plant on or around Mother's Day.<br />
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We bought four different tomato plants, three types of bell peppers (orange, red and green), two small jalapeño plants, a thyme plant and a Siam basil plant.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xotCMmdhN0c/VT2OlMYVSGI/AAAAAAAAE1c/39HXd8_O30Q/s1600/photo%2B2%2B(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xotCMmdhN0c/VT2OlMYVSGI/AAAAAAAAE1c/39HXd8_O30Q/s1600/photo%2B2%2B(6).JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our farmers market finds</td></tr>
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The tomato varieties include Sweeties, a bright grape tomato with high sugar content and firm texture. Early Girl is a popular early slicing tomato, your typical medium-sized red tomato. The one I'm most excited about is the Black From Tula, a large purple/black heirloom tomato. The description says it's been said to have the best flavor of all the dark tomatoes, with "a rich, old-fashioned flavor that's sweet and spicy," according to the Tomato Chooser app. It also says the fruit can be as big as 8 to 14 ounces, so I'm especially excited for this one. And finally, the orange Chef's Choice tomato, which is a hybrid variety that reminds me of the Early Girl, only orange.<br />
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So, now we have a table full of plants, and I may need to transplant a couple of them, but this way I knew I could have a variety of locally grown produce to put in my garden.<br />
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Also, the lady who I bought the Black From Tula and Sweeties from was able to tell me where she bought her seeds and everything. That's what's great about buying local. I also found out that she and her husband live a couple blocks away from me and mine, and they sell beautifully rich compost by the gallon. If we bring our own container they will sell it to us for $1/gallon. We have our compost started, but it won't be good until next year, probably, so we definitely took him up on that offer. The plan is to add it to the soil when we plant the tomatoes and peppers here in a couple weeks. The woman said even just adding some to the tops of already planted plants will perk them up immediately, so I may add some to my spinach and see what happens.<br />
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I recommend heading to your local farmers market like we did, and talking to people. You can really learn a lot about your area that way, and maybe you will be lucky like us and find some cheap nutrients for your garden. I knew buying tomatoes from these guys would be a good idea since they obviously had plenty of rich compost to use.<br />
<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-62706646026156257312015-04-13T18:22:00.000-07:002015-04-13T18:32:54.415-07:00A Week After Planting<b>April 13, 2015</b><br />
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So it's been a week and a day since we planted our first seeds: cilantro, mesclun mix and two types of spinach. We've been watering twice a day, trying to use our rain barrel water when we can. It rained a bunch the past two days so both of our barrels are nice and full. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-smM97v-gzbs/VSxqxrlnB7I/AAAAAAAAEmg/v3eyDpHLPnE/s1600/photo%2B1%2B(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-smM97v-gzbs/VSxqxrlnB7I/AAAAAAAAEmg/v3eyDpHLPnE/s1600/photo%2B1%2B(1).JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spinach #1 (heirloom)</td></tr>
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What's cool is that the storms had lightning and thunder, which always provides nitrogen-rich water for plants. Never heard of that? Here's a link for more information: <span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="https://www.pick-a-pepper.com/readarticle.php?itemid=100" target="_blank">https://www.pick-a-pepper.com/readarticle.php?itemid=100</a></u></span><br />
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I've been excitedly checking the garden every day, anticipating sprouts. Most of what we've planted is sprouting, with the exception of the cilantro. That's really the only crop that I haven't seen popping up, but the seeds were bigger and had a harder shell than the others, so I bet they will take a bit longer to germinate and all that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G4lPtwYr1zI/VSxqzva4j7I/AAAAAAAAEms/Rp-aHy2tPuw/s1600/photo%2B4%2B(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G4lPtwYr1zI/VSxqzva4j7I/AAAAAAAAEms/Rp-aHy2tPuw/s1600/photo%2B4%2B(2).JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spinach #2</td></tr>
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I've also been thinking that maybe we planted the cilantro wrong. As in, we planted two rows of cilantro, and I am thinking we should have just done a patch of cilantro, so we could do other patches of different herbs, too. I guess I will just wait and see.<br />
<br />
I found this cool idea from my website perusal at my internship. It's called an herb spiral, and it's designed for herbs of all sorts. Here's a link to learn more: <a href="http://www.littlemountainhaven.com/how-to-build-a-herb-spiral/" target="_blank">http://www.littlemountainhaven.com/how-to-build-a-herb-spiral/</a>/ Maybe next year I could try one of these. I don't know where I'd put it though, so I'll keep thinking on that one.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0UEVRQNjCe8/VSxqxBgYxqI/AAAAAAAAEmU/dO0kumOyp1w/s1600/photo%2B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0UEVRQNjCe8/VSxqxBgYxqI/AAAAAAAAEmU/dO0kumOyp1w/s1600/photo%2B3.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mesclun mix</td></tr>
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Another potential issue is that I definitely planted the mesclun mix too close together. I'm going to end up needing to thin a lot of it out, but I knew that from the beginning when I planted them and they all stuck together and to my fingers. the sprouts are already really close together, and they've somehow spread to other rows and in between rows. I'm going to try to save as much as I can, but for now I am going to let them grow a little bit more before I pull any up.<br />
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So I guess I will continue to water and do what I'm doing. Everything seems to be going well, so far. I've seen some bugs and a squirrel or two, but nothing serious yet.<br />
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<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534113432718759990.post-86906041766653365032015-04-05T13:50:00.000-07:002015-04-06T09:08:41.688-07:00Planting Day -- Happy Easter!<b>Sunday, April 5th, 2015</b><br />
<br />
Today was planting day.<br />
<br />
We bought our seeds at <a href="http://www.skinnergardenstore.com/" target="_blank">Skinner's Garden Store</a> the other day and we started soaking them around 7 p.m. last night (Saturday, April4th). This speeds up the germination process. (I linked to an article in my previous post that explains soaking seeds in more detail.)<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R3ioql4nQEI/VSGfHvozy3I/AAAAAAAABvA/zOe_RHZ9yg0/s1600/photo%2B3%2B(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R3ioql4nQEI/VSGfHvozy3I/AAAAAAAABvA/zOe_RHZ9yg0/s1600/photo%2B3%2B%281%29.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
We added some Miracle Gro</div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
garden soil in rows where we</div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
were going to plant.</div>
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<br />
First, we laid down some Miracle Gro Garden Soil, which I got on sale at Home Depot for $3.88/cubic foot. A little more than one bag was needed to do what is pictured here (on the left).<br />
<br />
In the first two rows we planted cilantro. I'm not really sure what to expect. We followed the instructions on the packet and planted them a 1/2" deep 3" apart. We had some leftover seeds, so Ryan planted them in a hanging planter and we hung that on the chainlink above the other cilantro we planted. Now, we just need to remember to water that particular cilantro a bit more than the other.<br />
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We decided to then do the non-heirloom spinach, separated by the mesclun mix with the other spinach (heirloom) on the opposite side of the mesclun so it's separated and we can keep them straight. This way we can know which spinach is which.<br />
<br />
The regular spinach said to plant 3 seeds 4"-6" apart whereas the heirloom spinach called for 3 seeds <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCkVPWyhuUI/VSGe5Mr-PjI/AAAAAAAABvA/yYxbWMyNsrQ/s1600/photo%2B2%2B(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCkVPWyhuUI/VSGe5Mr-PjI/AAAAAAAABvA/yYxbWMyNsrQ/s1600/photo%2B2%2B%281%29.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">Marigolds are bright in color<br />
and offer many benefits<br />
to your home garden.</td></tr>
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planted 12"-14" apart because I think it's more like a bush.<br />
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I don't know how well the mesclun mix is going to turn out. The instructions said to plant 1/2"- 3/4" apart, so I was assuming that meant one seed because it didn't really specify. Then, because the seeds were so small and sticking together from being soaked, I wasn't able to get them to plant the way the pack said to. I ended up with one row when it said I should end up with two. So I will see what happens. I decided not to worry too much about it, this is my first time planting food, and there will be more opportunities in the future to do better.<br />
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<b>UPDATE: </b>After talking to a friend who has more gardening experience than me, she said to add the seeds to a little bit of sand, then sprinkle that mixture where I plant to plant, that way they are dispersed more evenly. She said you may still need to thin them out a bit, but for the most part the sand trick helps spread the seeds apart a little bit better.<br />
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Another thing we figured out is that we should count our seeds and plan how many we are going to plant before soaking them. We ended up with extra seeds we had nowhere to plant but that had already been soaked. So, in the future I hope to remember to count them, then soak them, then plant.<br />
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After planting, I also planted marigolds around my beds. <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/marigold-uses-zmaz83jazshe.aspx" target="_blank">Here</a> is more on why to plant marigolds.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Iw95Qb13b4/VSGfJxz_H0I/AAAAAAAABvA/yzWmzb8tdMo/s1600/photo%2B4%2B(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Iw95Qb13b4/VSGfJxz_H0I/AAAAAAAABvA/yzWmzb8tdMo/s1600/photo%2B4%2B%281%29.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo was taken after we<br />
mulched and watered.</td></tr>
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Next came watering. I had to fill my waterer with water from our rain barrels because we have yet to figure out a good hose system for them. Ryan also tried something new: He hooked up soaker hoses to the barrels and laid them in the north garden where we have yet to plant anything. It actually worked! He was able to leave the soaker hoses and the water came out of the rain barrels and slowly watered the garden. Now, we just need to get some new hoses that will work better with our garden setup.<br />
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Lastly, we spread an alfalfa mulch all over where we planted. This will help with pests, weeds, water retention and nutrients for next year.<br />
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The packets say to expect to see growth in as little as five days. I'll keep watering and hope it works. I'll post more soon, once things start to grow.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rc-minP_LWg/VSGfOAyIETI/AAAAAAAABvA/hFHxTGP0Ebg/s1600/photo%2B5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rc-minP_LWg/VSGfOAyIETI/AAAAAAAABvA/hFHxTGP0Ebg/s1600/photo%2B5.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the north bed where Ryan is trying out<br />
the soaker hoses. It works, we just need better hoses.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />criticofcuisinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16453089347960585462noreply@blogger.com0