Small Harvest of Beans and Peppers

Went out to the garden and picked a small handful of green beans, 1 jalapeno and 3 ghost peppers.

Horse Poop, Garden Update and A Harvest

I visited the horse stables and scooped a bunch of composted manure for the garden.  I came home and amended the main garden bed with the compost.  I planted out the rest of my seedlings (basil, cabbage, peppers (I think they were mini sweets, but am not sure), artichoke and nastrums.  I added it to a side bed and planted herbs (basil, dill and chives).  And I added scoops around some of my sad looking veggies.

I decided to make a seed mix and sprinkle it over the newly composted bed and see what happens.  My seed mix included:

• Artichoke
• Beans, Bush, Blue Lake
• Beets (Detroit Dark Red)
• Bibb lettuce
• Boc Choi
• Cantaloupe
• Carrot (unknown variety)
• Carrot (Danvers half long)
• Carrot (Nutri-Red)
• Cucumber
• Datil Peppers
• Kohlrabi
• Okra
• Peas (Little Marvel (Dwarf))
• Sweet Corn
• Swiss Chard (Fordhook Giant)

I have a huge broccoli plant from the small head I harvested (just realized I didn't post about that) and it's put off two tiny side shoots.  I mean very tiny, as in smaller than the size of a dime.  I think I'll pull the huge plant and put it in the compost.  For the space it's taking up and the amount it's producing it's not really worth keeping.  

Without further ado, here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

36 4 oz jars of Loquat Jam

Herbs in a garden bed

The entire main garden bed

Seedings, Seed scatering and Amended with Horse Poop

Left side of the bed with beans, peas, herbs, tomatoes, onions, cukes

Tomato and Pinto seedlings

Peppers gone wild

Swiss Chard recovering from last harvest

Potatoes

Salad container

Herb container

Lettuce going to seed

Potted plants - I have to figure out why the leaves are yellowing

Poop added to sad looking veggies 

Tomatoes

Tomato

Squash flower peeking out this morning

First little green beans

First cherry tomatoes making an appearance 

Cukes and green beans

Kohlrabi harvest

1 of the 3 baskets of loquats we harvested

I apologize for the blurry pictures.  I guess that's what happens when you've only slept 2 hours and haven't had any coffee.

Making Loquat Jam

I stopped by my dad's house this week and to my surprise his organic loquat tree was FULL of beautifully ripe fruits.  While I've always enjoyed eating the loquats fresh, they mentioned they made delicious jellies and jams.  The girls and I immediately got busy picking ripe fruits.

After all was said and done we ended up with an even 9 lbs of fruit!

I decided I would try my hand at making Loquat Jam.  I've never made jam before and have never canned before so I was a bit nervous that I wouldn't do it right.  I followed the directions to a T (see recipe below).  I pitted, skinned, stirred, mixed, poured, sterilized, etc and then sat and waited nervously for my jam to set up.  After 5 hours it hadn't set and I was feeling down, trying to figure out what I had done wrong.  But it was time for bed and so I decided I'd deal with it in the morning.

This morning I hopped out of bed and ran in to check on my jam.  To my amazement it set!  Talk about excited!  I started making toast for my family and spread my jam on top.  They all loved it, although my husband's exact words were, "I'm surprised! This is good.  It tastes like real jam."  HA!  Uhhhh, thanks?  ;)

Loquat Jam Recipe

• 6 c. pitted fruit, halved with blossom ends removed (trimmed of bad spots, etc.)
• 6 c. sugar
• 1 pkg. pectin
• ¼ c. lemon juice
• 2 c. water

Put the loquats into a medium sized pot and add the water and lemon juice. Cook slowly over medium heat until fruit is soft. Mash with potato masher to create a more pulpy and less distinct mass, keeping some chunks intact. Bring to a boil, add pectin and return to a rapid boil. Add sugar all at once (this is very important!) Return to a boil, and return to a hard boil for exactly 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam. Pour into hot sterilized ½ pint jars, clean rims, and screw lids on. Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes. Makes 6 half pint jars of jam. Do not try to double recipe!

Another Harvest!

LOTS of work going on in the garden today.  After expanding the garden bed out 8 feet earlier this week, I decided to add tons of organic matter to 1/4 of the original main bed.  I found the soil was VERY compacted and the roots weren't able to spread they way the needed to for maximum growth.  I added peat moss and organic miracle-gro to the 1/4 of the bed and planted transplants of collards, hot peppers, sweet peppers, watermelon, green grape tomatoes and planted carrots and black eyed peas.


I harvested 2 lbs 6 oz of small carrots, 1 lb 6.2 oz beets, and 2.2 oz of misc carrots and 2 jalapeno peppers, and almost 1 lb of swiss chard.  While harvesting the chard I noticed there are 5 or 6 sets of ladybug eggs laid on the leaves!  Of course I left them, so they can hatch and eat up all the nasty aphids hanging around the new growth.

Another Harvest and a Garden Update

Had another great harvest this week!  3 lbs of turnips and 1.78 lbs of lettuce, radishes and carrots.  :)

Potatoes are getting bigger and have been mulched with pine needles twice.  A small pepper plant emerged from the seeds I put in the small pot.  A couple small broccoli transplants were added toward the fence.  The parsley is doing okay. 

The chard has fully recovered from the last harvest!

The main garden bed

Several peat pots for seed starting... watermelon, cabbage, peppers, tomatoes, cukes and more! 

The herb seedlings

3 lbs of turnips and greens!

Salad goodies for my mom.  Bibb lettuce, baby carrots and an icicle radish. 

Weight of the salad goodies.

From boring front lawn to feeding a community?

My front yard is B-O-R-I-N-G!  The only thing growing in my front yard are weeds (and a little oak tree I planted 2 years ago).  Since we bought our house in 2007 I've been dreaming of converting every inch of space into an edible paradise.  The front yard has always been a challenge because it faces West and gets direct, non-filtered Florida sun from the early afternoon until sunset.  While many gardeners would think the full sun is beneficial, I've found that isn't the case here in FL.  Last year we had several plants die of sunburn.  Seriously.  I didn't even know it was possible for a plant to get a sunburn.  And when you hear people crack about frying an egg outside they aren't kidding.  You can set a tray of unbaked cookies in your dash and it will get hot enough to bake them.  I'm off on a tangent....

Anyway, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about revamping the front yard to an edible food forest to share with my community and have decided I must figure out how to get this done.  Nothing would make me more proud than to be able to offer folks in need a means to feed themselves and their families!  There are so many unemployed (myself included) and elderly people in St Pete that aren't able to afford quality, nutritious food.  I'd love to bring them by my front yard and tell them, "Take what you need."  Can you imagine the sense of community you'd have where everyone is working towards the same goal?  I want to help.  There has to be some sort of group or company that could get things started or point me in the right direction.  Must do more research.

It's been 4 long years of dreaming and over-planning and I still haven't made any changes however there are a few things that I feel should happen before I begin.

1. Install rain gutters - I tried digging a bed up against my house last summer.  The rain from the roof poured into the bed in sheets and washed all my soil down the sidewalk.  Also, I have rainbarrels I need to set up and need to add gutters to harvest this valuable source of water.

2. Paint the house - My house is an ugly, boring white on white.  It's hideous.  We planned on painting it as soon as we had the money, but life got in the way and it still hasn't been done.

3.  Treat for termites - Everyone in St Pete has subterranean termites.  They creep me out.  Every time I move a planter I see an entire city of these creatures eating away at my mulch.  (Better mulch than my house I guess.)  I want them GONE.

4. Start the garden - Ideally I'd like to do this all in one shot, but know it's not physically possible for me.  It's going to take me a long time to convert the yard into a beautiful, bountiful fruit, nut and veggie garden and I'll have to learn a great deal of patience.

So what does a 1/10 acre homestead look like?

The farmable land I have measures 5892 sq ft, or just over 1/10 of an acre.  Doesn't sound like much, does it?  Lets take a look at what a 1/10 acre homestead can look like. Probably the best known Urban Homesteaders are the Dervaes family.  Look at what they have done with their 1/10 acre.

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I hope to be there one day!

Planted my herbs yesterday

Yesterday I was able to squeeze in a little time to plant my herb seeds (and a few extra veggies).  I've never had much luck with herbs, but am hoping to this year.  Ideally I'd like to grow them in a huge container, but we shall see what the future brings.  :)

What Fruit Trees Grow Best in Central Florida?

Florida's climate is conducive to growing a variety of fruit trees.

Central Florida boasts an average annual temperature of approximately 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Coupled with abundant sunshine, the climate is well suited to growing a variety of plants, including several types of fruit trees. Add color and edible appeal to your backyard landscaping by planting one or more fruit trees. When shopping for fruit trees, look for trees that are insect free and have healthy trunks.

Oriental Persimmons

1. • Oriental persimmon trees require very little care once established.

     According to the University of Florida, Diospyros kaki -- the Oriental persimmon -- is well suited to the growing conditions of central Florida. Oriental persimmons produce a larger fruit than the American persimmon. Additionally, unlike the American persimmon, oriental persimmons do not require exposure to cold in order to sweeten the fruit. When the fruit is ripe, persimmons will soften and have a yellow, orange or red hue. Use shears to remove fruit from the tree branches. Plant your Oriental persimmon tree in well-drained soil. It will do well in a variety of light conditions and requires no care once the tree becomes established.

   Common Pear

   • Grow pears in your backyard--pear trees do well in the Florida sunshine.

     The common pear tree flourishes in central Florida's climate. Trees grow as tall as 45 feet, depending on the variety. Trees grow quickly and bloom with white flowers beginning in the early spring. Plant your pear tree in full sun on a sloped area of your yard or landscape. According to the National Gardening Association, this encourages superior drainage and optimal tree growth. If you are planting multiple trees, space them 12 to 25 feet apart, depending on the projected mature height of the tree. Young pear trees should be weeded regularly and watered frequently to allow the root system to become established. Fertilize annually approximately two weeks before the tree begins to bloom, beginning the second year after planting. The National Gardening Association recommends using 1/8 lb. of ammonium nitrate multiplied by the tree's age.

   Stone Fruits

   • Stone fruits get their name from the dense pit inside of each fruit.

     Stone fruits include fruits such as apricots, peaches and cherries. While apricots and cherries are not suited to the climate, certain varieties of peach, plum and nectarine trees will flourish in the central Florida climate. According to the University of Florida, peach varieties include Rayon, Tropic Beauty, TropicSweet, UF Gold, UF Beauty and Earligrand. Types of nectarines include UF Royal, Sunraycer and Sunbest. Look for plum trees such as Gulfbeauty, Gulfruby, Gulfrose or Gulfblaze. According to the University of Florida, stone fruit trees such as plum, nectarine or peach require thinning out to prevent the tree from being overrun with fruit. Remove excess fruit from the tree prior to the pit hardening for best results. The soil must be kept moist for optimal fruit growth. Water each tree with two inches of water every 10 days to two weeks.

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