Plantings 11/1/13

Yesterday I planted seeds of:

Bibb lettuce (Saved from last season)
Slobolt lettuce (from Seed Savers Exchange)
Organic Mibuna Mustard (from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange)
Cracoviensis Looseleaf Lettuce (from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange)
Bloomsdale Spinach (from My Patriot Supply)
Parris Island Cos Lettuce (from My Patriot Supply)


I planted them in the largest front yard bed using the square foot method.

What to Plant in November - Zone 9b

Here in zone 9b our planting season is finally upon us.  Here is a list of what you can plant in NOVEMBER:

Beets
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Collards
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce
Mustard
All Onions (Bulbing, Green and Bunching)
Parsley
Radish
Spinach
Turnips

I plan on plantin ALL of the vegetables listed for November plantings, with the exception of radish possibly.  I use radish as a trap crop for other vegetables, but no one in my family cares to eat radish, so I'll use whichever seeds I have on hand to intercrop and give them away when it's harvest time.

Planted Super Snappy Peas today

Today I planted Burpee Super Snappy Peas (GUISANTE Super Vigoroso) in the front bed after pulling all the sweet potatoes and adding lots of compost.  I placed my tomato cages upside down and planted the peas 2" apart both on the inner side and outer side of the tomato cage ring.

Seed packet information:  Pods are 5"-6" long, with 8-10 large peas per pod. Vines need no support and are tolerant of powdery mildew.  Harvest in about 65 days.
Sow in average soil in full sun in early spring for first crop, or later summer for fall crop.  Sow seeds 2" apart in double rows spaced 6" apart with 24" between each set of rows.  Cover with 2" of fine soil.  Seedlings emerge in 7-14 days.  Thin to stand 6" apart when seedlings are 1"-2" high.

According to the seed packet, I can expect to see sprouts November 5 - November 12, and can expect to harvest around January 3rd.

My dream front awning

Saw this at Lowes and it is exactly what I have been looking to build over the front door.

My crochet

Here are a few pictures of the crochet work I have done.

Harvesting Watermelons

I am surprised that the two watermelon seeds I planted are doing so well. I have harvested three melons based on all the recommendations I found online. Look for a dried up spoon leaf. Check to make sure the tendril was very dried out. Thump it. Thump it again. Look for the creamy yellow spot on the bottom. I did it all, but none of my watermelons were ripe enough to enjoy. I feed them to the chickens, which is okay with me. Hopefully the next one I pick will be ripe and red and sweet.

Today's Plantings - carrots, cauliflower, cabbage and zucchini

The weather is cooling off in the evenings, though it's still quite warm during the days.  I have spent the last several weeks cleaning up garden beds.  There were (and still are) SO many weeds from summer.  I had a few extra minutes today so popped out and planted lots of seeds that will hopefully grow and be bountiful through the fall and winter.

• Planted Scarlet Nantes Carrots in front of the asparagus and next to the eggplant in the front yard beds.  
• Planted Black Beauty Zucchini near the chinese cabbage.
• Planted Snowball Self-Blanching Cauliflower and Late Flat Dutch Cabbage in all other open spaces in the beds.  

Garden Update

Well, Green Beans were an amazing flop this year for me.  I'd get some lush growth then BAM the beans were dead overnight.  I'm talking about dead brown twigs sticking up from the soil.  It's been a frustrating attempt to say the least.  I had big dreams of freezing, canning and meals of fresh beans by the bushel.  Sadly, it would take weeks to get enough green beans to make one serving.  All in all I'd guess we got a whopping 3 quarts of green beans these past months.  Maybe I'm missing something.  I even recently replanted a front bed with corn and green beans.  I planted a 2' x 4' section of each, and every corn seed germinated and is growing.  Only TWO green beans even sprouted.  I think this soil is holding too much water and rotting the bean seeds (possibly).  Green beans seem to do well in other areas of the yard...just not those amended with the soil builder.  Guess I'll re-plant some in the mulched beds for a quick crop before I really start planting cabbage and broccoli.

Planted Green Goliath Broccoli Today

In the back bed, where I unsuccessfully attempted to grow heirloom muskmellons, I planted the remainder of a seed packet of Green Goliath Broccoli today.  It's a bit early, but the weather has been bonkers lately so I'm taking my chances with an early planting.

How To Grow Enough Food To Live On

Here are some good reads on how to grow enough food to live on.

http://www.peakprosperity.com/forum/growing-our-75-our-own-food-our-yard-1-year/47353

http://readynutrition.com/resources/proof-it-can-be-done-a-microfarm-in-the-subburbs_17112009/

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=97148

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101003180710AARI0qE

http://growfoodeasily.com/growing-food-for-self-sufficiency.php

http://hungrymotherorganics.com/archives/1334

http://www.verdant.net/food.htm

EcoScraps Update - Day 15

It has been 15 days since I transplanted my eggplant and basil into EcoScraps potting mix and I'm already seeing huge results!

Eggplant with EcoScraps with new dark green growth!

Basil with EcoScraps with new dark green growth!

Basil with NO EcoScraps in the next pot over is still stunted and yellow.

Garden Pictures May 2013

Plants that need to be put in the ground.  Globe Basil, Chinese Lantern, Rose of Sharon, Artichokes, Eggplants, Purslane, Crocous and Stevia.

Corn and swiss chard look awful.  Sweet potato vines look great.  Behind, in the bag to the left, potatoes dying of.  

At least the flower beds are looking good.

Another pretty flower bed.

Yarden bed newly planted.  Look closely and you'll see one seed is just peeking through the soil.

Closeup of the lone seedling.

I don't know what I've done to my key lime tree.  :(

Calamondins

Calamondin tree full of little fruits.

At least sweet potatoes like the hot sun.

The beans don't seem to like the sun much, except for the lush field peas at the top right.

Onions looking bad.  Probably too hot for them. They are still small so I don't want to pull them yet.

The Moringa tree is in full bloom and is covered with seed pods.

A tiny cantaloupe.

Burgundy okra plants are small but producing.

Bean teepee is finally starting to fill out a bit.

Bigger cantaloupe netting, getting closer to harvest.

How to Tell When Your Homegrown Cantaloupes are Ripe

The first of my cantaloupes appears to be coming up on harvest, but I was not sure exactly how to tell when it will be ready.  I found this very useful youtube video and wanted to share it.  Enjoy!

Planted Rocky Ford Green Flesh Melons Today

I haven't been able to find much information on when to plant "honeydew" melons in zone 9b, but did find the chart below so I risked it and planted 5 seeds of my Non-GMO Rocky Ford Green Flesh Melon today in the yarden, in the space I pulled kale plants from recently.  I watered them in and hope they sprout in the 10 - 20 day germination time printed on the packet. Note, this is not where I got my seeds, but they had the best online picture so I'm using it.

85-95 days to mature. 5.5 inches x 4.5-5 inch diameter, 2.5-3 lbs, heavy netted, slightly ribbed good rust resistance, good for shipping and home gardens.

Planted wildflowers, mimosa and veggies

I got tired of seeing one of my yarden beds sitting empty so I planted seeds of swiss chard, watermelon and zucchini.  I know it's not exactly the right time to plant these, but am giving it a shot anyway since the weather has been strange this year.

I also planted a pack of perennial flowers and a couple mimosa seeds in the space I cleared of grass near the road since the sunflowers I transplanted there all died.

Oh!  I almost forgot I planted Cowhorn and Lee okra in the okra bed along with the burgundy okra.  This is not a good representation for the front bed, but gives me an idea what's where when standing in the street looking at the bed.

Potato Harvest

After a complete potato failure last year I decided to give them another chance this year.  I planted 2 lbs of Yukon Gold seed potatoes into 5 separate grow bags and have fully harvested 4 of the 5 bags.  To date, my teeny tiny potato harvest weighs in at 2 lbs 9.8 oz.  UGH.  I'd have made better use of the soil, time and space if I'd have planted something else instead.  I guess potatoes will have to be crossed off the list for a crop to grow in my immediate future.  Maybe I'll try again in a couple years cause to me it just is not worth it (for now).  I will mention that these were the best tasting potatoes my family has ever had.  That's a bonus I guess.

EcoScraps Challenge

The Ikea pots I planted Eggplant and Basil in on 3/21/13 are not doing so well.  The plants are small and stunted, and a bit on the yellow side, which to me indicates overwatering (even though I'm not watering them often at all).

Today I received a delivery of EcoScraps products I won from a facebook contest they held. I decided to put it to the challenge.  I repotted one of the sickly eggplant and basil pots using the EcoScraps Potting Mix, and watered it in well.  I added a very light layer of mulch on top, since these pots get full blaring afternoon Florida sun!

I will take weekly pictures of the (hopeful) progress and let you know my thoughts as the weeks go by.

EcoScraps Compost Mix, All Purpose Plant Food, Liquid compost and Potting Mix

Sad little eggplants and basil.  One month old exactly and barely hanging onto life.

Closeup of the near death experience happening here.

Removed soil builder, filled with EcoScraps Potting Mix, replanted and watered in the seedlings.

Added a light layer of mulch to help retain moisture.

I also added, per the instructions, 1 TBSP of the all purpose plant food to two of my Artichoke plants in pots today.

City of St Petersburg Soil Builder Review

I recently purchased 6 cubic yards of St Petersburg's Soil Builder.  I was so excited to get it, as it's the most affordable solution for bulk soil available locally, so I am sad to report that I don't care for it at all.  It holds a TON of water, which isn't a bad thing here in Florida, but there was a huge adjustment period and I lost many, many plants due to overwatering because the top 2" to 3" are completely dry, while deeper down it is a soggy mess, which makes it nearly impossible to balance seed germination and crop irrigation successfully.  Where I've used it strictly to grow crops I find the plants are stunted and all the leaves die off.  The Soil Builder gets compacted easily.  But the absolute worst thing about it is it is FULL OF GLASS SHARDS.  While I feel the soil builder is a decent solution for some projects, for example laying sod, I hate to report that if I had it to do over I would NOT purchase it for my garden.   Now I have to basically start over to create a loose loam in my garden beds.  *sigh*  

Salad GrowBox Update

You may recall I planted salad crops in my GrowBox.  Here's an update.

Today I harvested 13.8 ounces of carrots to thin them out.  I also harvested 1 lb of beets from the yarden.

Carrot and Beet harvest today.

I also have tons of little green Golden Egg Tomatoes. They are beautiful little light and dark green tomatoes, as seen here.  All of mine are still in the green phase, like the tomato on the right in this picture.  I was worried I got my seeds crossed so I googled this image of Golden Egg Tomatoes just to be sure.  :)

Credit

Planted today

Finally had a chance to get back out and plant some seeds today.


In the bed next to the chicken coop I pulled the peas and replaced it with Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard (from Seed Savers Exchange).

The watermelon patch next to the pine tree was looking awful, so a couple days ago I planted celery seeds, which are germinating nicely.  Today I added seeds of Homesteader Tomatoes, Lemon Basil and Anaheim Chili Peppers (all from the seeds of the month club).

For fun I also planted one Golden Wax Bush Bean seed in Serena's birthday pot.  Her basil was pulled off and I think she will enjoy seeing the beans grow.

I also planted stevia seeds in a pot and placed it in the sun.  I've never had luck with stevia before so I have my fingers crossed but am not holding my breath.

I have a plan mapped out for my front yard utility space flower garden and hope to get someone with muscle power and stamina to help me dig up or till the grass in the 5' x 20' (or so) area out front to help beautify the front yard a bit and transform the curb appeal from looking like a FARM to a pretty view.  I have researched how to keep my soil from eroding since it's right at the street gutter, but haven't come up with a solution yet.  If you know of how, please let me know!

Planted Lazy Housewife Beans today

I had to pull the cucumbers because they got bacterial wilt so in their place I planted Lazy housewife beans.  I already had a trellis in place (wishful cucumber thinking) so it just made sense to replace them with more beans.  These are seeds I was given for my birthday and my friend purchased them from Seed Savers Exchange.  Can't wait to see how they produce.

Planted Organic Haricot Vert Maxibel Bush Beans Today

It's supposed to rain today so I went out and planted 50 Organic Haricot Vert Maxibel Bush Bean seeds in the main garden bed.  I hope we get a nice long rain to water them in well and get them growing!

Pencil thin, gourmet stringless beans that grow to 7" with an excellent delicate sweet flavor.  Excellent source of beta carotene, moderate source of protein and dietary fiber.

PLANTING:  Sow seeds in early spring after danger of frost has passed.  Plant at 2-week intervals for extended harvest.  Bush beans prefer rich, well drained soil and full sun.  Plant the seeds 3/4 to 1.5 inches deep and 1-2 inches apart in rows 24 to 36 inches apart.  Germination should take place in 6-12 days.

CARE:  Mulch to reduce weeds.  Water soil well during dry weather.  After seedlings grow 4-6 inches tall, thin so plants are 6 inches apart. Cultivate until blossoms appear.  Don't cultivate or harvest when plants are wet since this can spread disease.  Bush beans don't need staking.

HARVEST:  Hand pick beans anytime from slender to full size depending on your preference.

DAYS TO MATURITY:  65

Growing Garlic in Warmer Climates

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/garlic/how-to-grow-garlic-in-warmer-climates.htm

When to plant Hubbard Squash

Note to self:  Plant Hubbard Squash in August & September here in zone 9b.

Seed Savers Exchange

A friend of mine got me these seeds from Seed Savers Exchange for my birthday.  I am SO excited, as any gardener would be.  :)

Seed Savers Exchange is yet another gardening catalog I've drooled over for years, but my income wouldn't allow such an extravagant splurge for myself.  Thank God for friends!  

Here's a detailed list of the seeds I got.

BEAN Lazy Housewife

(Phaseolus vulgaris) Introduced around 1810, this is one of our oldest documented beans. Named Lazy Housewife because it was the first snap bean that did not need to have the string removed. Vines bear heavily and continuously until frost. Straight 5-6" long pods with distinctive shiny white seeds. Pole habit, snap or shell, 75-80 days.

	DIRECT SEED 2" Apart	SEED DEPTH 1"	SUPPORT Trellis, tepee or fencing	LIGHT Full Sun

(Phaseolus vulgaris) Introduced around 1810, this is one of our oldest documented beans. Named Lazy Housewife because it was the first snap bean that did not need to have the string removed. Vines bear heavily and continuously until frost. Straight 5-6" long pods with distinctive shiny white seeds. Pole habit, snap or shell, 75-80 days.

DIRECT SEED
2" Apart

SEED DEPTH
1"

SUPPORT
Trellis, tepee or fencing

LIGHT
Full Sun

 

BROCCOLI Calabrese

(Brassica oleracea) Popular market variety that was brought to America by Italian immigrants in the 1880s. Tight heads can grow up to 8" in diameter. After the central head is harvested, side shoots will form. 58-90 days from transplant.

	START INDOORS 6 weeks before last frost	GERMINATION 3-10 days	PLANT OUTDOORS 24" Apart	LIGHT Full Sun

(Brassica oleracea) Popular market variety that was brought to America by Italian immigrants in the 1880s. Tight heads can grow up to 8" in diameter. After the central head is harvested, side shoots will form. 58-90 days from transplant.

 

START INDOORS
6 weeks before last frost

GERMINATION
3-10 days

PLANT OUTDOORS
24" Apart

LIGHT
Full Sun

 

CARROT Dragon

(Daucus carota) The most refined purple carrot available; bred by John Navazio. Sure to be the best selling carrot at specialty and farmers’ markets. Beautiful red-purple exterior provides an amazing contrast with the yellow-orange interior when sliced. Sweet, almost spicy flavor. 90 days.

	DIRECT SEED 1/2" Apart	SEED DEPTH 1/4"	ROWS APART 16-24"	THIN 2-4" Apart

(Daucus carota) The most refined purple carrot available; bred by John Navazio. Sure to be the best selling carrot at specialty and farmers’ markets. Beautiful red-purple exterior provides an amazing contrast with the yellow-orange interior when sliced. Sweet, almost spicy flavor. 90 days.

 

DIRECT SEED
1/2" Apart

SEED DEPTH
1/4"

ROWS APART
16-24"

THIN
2-4" Apart

 

COLLARD Vates

(Brassica oleracea) (aka Blue Stem, Vates Non-Heading) Dark green leaves on upright 24-inch plants. Known for lack of purpling in veins and leaves. Excellent variety for boiling. Bolt and frost resistant. 60-80 days.

	DIRECT SEED 3 seeds every 8"	SEED DEPTH 1/4"-1/2"	ROWS APART 18"-30"	THIN To 1 plant per group

(Brassica oleracea) (aka Blue Stem, Vates Non-Heading) Dark green leaves on upright 24-inch plants. Known for lack of purpling in veins and leaves. Excellent variety for boiling. Bolt and frost resistant. 60-80 days.

DIRECT SEED
3 seeds every 8"

SEED DEPTH
1/4"-1/2"

ROWS APART
18"-30"

THIN
To 1 plant per group

EGGPLANT Florida High Bush

(Solanum melongena) Standard market variety bred in Florida in the 1940s for the commercial trade. Vigorous, upright, wellbranched plants bear continuously throughout the season. Large purple-black pear-shaped fruits with white flesh are held high off the ground. Disease and drought resistant. 75-85 days from transplant.

	START INDOORS 8 weeks before last frost	GERMINATION 14 Days	PLANT OUTDOORS 18-24" Apart	LIGHT Full Sun

(Solanum melongena) Standard market variety bred in Florida in the 1940s for the commercial trade. Vigorous, upright, wellbranched plants bear continuously throughout the season. Large purple-black pear-shaped fruits with white flesh are held high off the ground. Disease and drought resistant. 75-85 days from transplant.

START INDOORS
8 weeks before last frost

GERMINATION
14 Days

PLANT OUTDOORS
18-24" Apart

LIGHT
Full Sun

HERB Globe Basil

(Ocimum basilicum) (aka Greek Basil) Forms a perfect 12-18" globe bush with very small, thin leaves. Intense sweet basil scent with spicy flavor, slow to go to seed. Ideal for pots or as borders in gardens. Very uniform strain. Annual.

	DIRECT SEED 1/8" Deep	GERMINATION 5-30 Days	THIN 4-6" Apart	LIGHT Full Sun

(Ocimum basilicum) (aka Greek Basil) Forms a perfect 12-18" globe bush with very small, thin leaves. Intense sweet basil scent with spicy flavor, slow to go to seed. Ideal for pots or as borders in gardens. Very uniform strain. Annual.

DIRECT SEED
1/8" Deep

GERMINATION
5-30 Days

THIN
4-6" Apart

LIGHT
Full Sun

LETTUCE Slobolt

(Latuca sativa) A garden standard since 1946. Large thick clusters of light green frilled leaves are produced all summer. As its name suggests, this variety is very slow to bolt. Pleasing flavor, never bitter. Looseleaf, 45-55 days.

	DIRECT SEED 1" Apart	SEED DEPTH 1/4"	GERMINATION 7-14 Days	THIN 6-8" Apart

(Latuca sativa) A garden standard since 1946. Large thick clusters of light green frilled leaves are produced all summer. As its name suggests, this variety is very slow to bolt. Pleasing flavor, never bitter. Looseleaf, 45-55 days.

DIRECT SEED
1" Apart

SEED DEPTH
1/4"

GERMINATION
7-14 Days

THIN
6-8" Apart

SOYBEAN Fiskeby
 (Glycine max) Swedish variety bred by Sven Holmberg. Use fresh or dried. Highly nutritious—up to 40% protein, high in calcium, iron, and vitamins (particularly A, B1, B12, and C). Thrives in northern climates. 75-80 days.

	DIRECT SEED 2" Apart	SEED DEPTH 1"	ROWS APART 36-48"	LIGHT Full Sun

DIRECT SEED
2" Apart

SEED DEPTH
1"

ROWS APART
36-48"

LIGHT
Full Sun

SPINACH Bloomsdale

(Spinacia oleracea) Introduced by D. Landreth Seed Company in 1826. Vigorous upright plants with dark green, glossy, savoyed leaves. Fine quality, very tender, excellent flavor. Quick growing variety with heavy yields. Well adapted for late spring or summer plantings, slow to bolt. 39-60 days.

	DIRECT SEED 1" Apart	SEED DEPTH 1/2"	GERMINATION 7-14 Days	THIN 6-8" Apart

(Spinacia oleracea) Introduced by D. Landreth Seed Company in 1826. Vigorous upright plants with dark green, glossy, savoyed leaves. Fine quality, very tender, excellent flavor. Quick growing variety with heavy yields. Well adapted for late spring or summer plantings, slow to bolt. 39-60 days.

DIRECT SEED
1" Apart

SEED DEPTH
1/2"

GERMINATION
7-14 Days

THIN
6-8" Apart

SQUASH Anna Swartz Hubbard

(Cucurbita maxima) Family heirloom given to Anna Swartz by a friend in the 1950s; introduced commercially by SSE in 1999. Anna loved this variety because of its extremely hard shell and excellent storage ability. High quality flesh is the color of a sweet potato and has similar flavor. Fruits weigh 5-8 pounds. 90-100 days.

	DIRECT SEED 1" Deep	SEEDS TO HILL 6-8 Seeds	THIN To 3-4 Plants	LIGHT Full Sun

(Cucurbita maxima) Family heirloom given to Anna Swartz by a friend in the 1950s; introduced commercially by SSE in 1999. Anna loved this variety because of its extremely hard shell and excellent storage ability. High quality flesh is the color of a sweet potato and has similar flavor. Fruits weigh 5-8 pounds. 90-100 days.

DIRECT SEED
1" Deep

SEEDS TO HILL
6-8 Seeds

THIN
To 3-4 Plants

LIGHT
Full Sun

SWISS CHARD Fordhook Giant

(Beta vulgaris) Introduced in 1934 by W. Atlee Burpee and Co. Broad, dark green, heavily crumpled leaves with white veins and stalks. Plants grow 28" high with 2½" wide stalks. Abundant crops all season. 50-60 days.

	DIRECT SEED 4" Apart	SEED DEPTH 1/2"	ROWS APART 20-24"	THIN 12" Apart

(Beta vulgaris) Introduced in 1934 by W. Atlee Burpee and Co. Broad, dark green, heavily crumpled leaves with white veins and stalks. Plants grow 28" high with 2½" wide stalks. Abundant crops all season. 50-60 days.

DIRECT SEED
4" Apart

SEED DEPTH
1/2"

ROWS APART
20-24"

THIN
12" Apart

I will be planting many seeds in my seed starting tray tomorrow.  I can't wait!