February 2013 Planting

I spent some time cleaning out the garden earlier this week, pulling all of the plants except one shaded pea patch, turnips and the kohlrabi in the main bed.   I added 20 lbs of llama manure, lots of Georgia red clay and lots of wood ashes and raked them all in.

There is a lot we can grow in February here in zone 9b, but here is a list of what I intend to plant this month. I don't want to get over zealous as March is really when we ramp up plantings.  I'm even considering starting seeds indoors this year.  :)

Beets - can one have too many delicious beets?
Carrots - I have a lot growing already so not sure about these
Celery****PLANTED 1/31
Kohlrabi - I have a lot growing already so not sure about these
Leek - I've never even tasted leeks before
Potatoes****PLANTED 2/1
Beans****PLANTED 1/31
Cantaloupes (I've never had ANY success with them so I don't want to dedicate too much time/energy/space to them.)
Cucumbers
Eggplant****PLANTED 1/31
Peppers
Sweet Potatoes
Squash
Tomatoes
Green onions****PLANTED 1/31
Watermelon

RED indicates a new to me crop.

Giving potatoes another go

Last year I tried planting potatoes in reusable shopping bags since I'd seen several sites mention this as a good method to use.  I was disappointed when the bags deteriorated in a matter of weeks (this Florida sun can be brutal).  I was even more disappointed when I harvested the potatoes.  I planted 2 lbs of seed potatoes and didn't get a single edible tuber from my efforts.  I used pine needles and such to mulch my potatoes then and the only tiny tubers I did get when harvested were in the actual SOIL.

This year I am going to give potatoes another try.  I bought 2 lbs of Yukon Gold seed potatoes, cut them, let them dry on the counter and planted them in the potato grow bags I bought on clearance last summer for $2 each.  Though I'm not a fan of Miracle Grow I decided I'd rather get a bountiful harvest this time around so I went ahead and planted the seed potatoes in Miracle Grow. I also am re-purposing two feed bags to test grow some extremely sprouted store bought potatoes.  I have my fingers crossed that all goes well this time and that we at least break even on harvest day.

2012 Harvest

While I was not diligent in weighing everything or counting every egg, here's an idea of what I harvested in 2012:

HARVEST 2012

Total Harvest size: 75.54 lbs

Beets: 2.2 lbs

Blueberries: A few handfuls

Broccoli: 2 oz

Calamondins: 3.7 lbs

Carrots: 3.3 lbs

Chard: 2.33 lbs

Ghost Peppers: 45 peppers (these don't weigh anything)

Green Beans: 2 oz

Jalapenos: 1 lbs

Key Limes: .4 lbs

Kohlrabi: 4.7 lbs

Lettuce: 4.7 lbs

Loquats: 27 lbs

Parsley: 1 oz

Peas: 2 pods

Pinto beans: .2 oz

Radishes: 1.3 lbs

Starfruit: 1.3 lbs

Strawberries: 6 berries

Spinach: .4 lbs

Tomatoes: 5.4 lbs

Turnips: 5 .75 lbs

Zucchini: 3.4 lbs

Misc: 8 lbs

Eggs: 74

Out of Pocket Cost (YTD): $232.47

Planting in wood chips

Last week I had the city of St Petersburg deliver 6 cubic yards of their "regular mulch" to my house.  The mulch is free, but there is a delivery fee of $25.  Not a bad deal in my opinion.  I've been mulching all over the yard, but am really focused on re-mulching the back beds.  The 6" of mulch that we put down last November is pretty much completely decomposed so it needs to be done.  The first bed I re-mulched was the flower bed next to the patio.  In just a few days I'm seeing great results.  The Nasturtim (Alaska Mix) planted already is getting bigger, darker green leaves already, which indicates the mulch is a much needed organic matter improvement.

With this in mind I decided to go ahead and spread some seeds on the mulch, water them in and watch what happens.  I got to work mixing up all sorts of flowers and edibles and spread them around.

Flower and edible seed mix:

Nasturtium (Alaska Mix)
Columbine (Mckana's Mixed Colors)
Zinia (Dwarf Pumila Sprite Mixed Colors)
Coreopsis
Organic carrots (Deep Orange)
Lettuce (Iceburg)
Carrot (Petite Sweet)
Lettuce (Grand Rapids (Leaf))
Purple Coneflower

I also planted Colorful Beet Mix in the Earthbox and Detroit Dark Red Beets in the main garden bed.

If I can keep the moisture level in the wood chip bed I have a feeling the plants will take off!  Can't wait to see what happens!

Grow Your Own Food - November Garden Tour

November is a busy time here at The Florida Homestead.  There are so many things to plant, chickens to tend to, weeds to pull, mulch to lay, manure to shovel, raised beds to assemble and fill...I could spend 24 hours a day working on the homestead and never be finished.  I'm not complaining because I truly love this time of year.  The weather has been crisp and cool, making chores much more enjoyable.  And with the summer heat gone there are new signs of life sprouting up every day.

Two of the girls posing awkwardly for a picture.

Jalapeno plant (left) recovering from an unfound hornworm attack.  Thai pepper plants getting bigger (right).

The Ghost Pepper Plant has had a rough year.  Still alive, but so far only one pepper this year.

Another attempt at growing nasturtium.  Kinda dwarfed plant, but that says to me it needs some food.  It's not in a main bed so I keep forgetting to tend to it.

Green beans and yellow beans.  Yellow beans have beautiful purple flowers, but are NOT a good producer.

Watermellon plant is looking great (though I can't say the same for the variegated ginger plant next to it).

Random volunteer tomato with cilantro plants around the base.

The center pineapple looks great, but the two flanking it haven't grown at all yet.

Not sure if my blueberries will survive.  Both look like this.  I've added compost, epsom salts, coffee grounds and llama manure.  I haven't given up all hope yet though.

Italian Flat Leaf Parsley

Dill and Cilantro seedlings.

Tiny swiss chard plant next to a cabbage.

The raised beds I installed for my girls.  Still working on filling them with soil, but the youngest mostly just digs and plays there anyway. 

Potted Plant Row where you'll find Calamondins, lemon grass, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, radishes, papayas, peas, kohlrabi, broccoli and cabbage.

Tiny bell peppers.

Kohlrabi seedlings.

Two heads of cabbage.

Brussel Sprout seedlings.

Main bed.

Lots of lettuces planted.  The lighter yellow-green plants have my favorite name..."Drunken Woman Lettuce."

Carrots

Spaghetti Squash volunteer in the compost bin.

Several varieties of radishes planted in the bed.

Beets

Peas!  Fingers crossed they do well.  I've never had success with peas before and am excited to see they seem to be thriving so far.

Lots of green papays 

It's almost time to thin the turnips.  I typically do not transplant thinning, but wonder how they'd do if I tried a few.

Papaya plant is 6' tall now.

Spinach coming up.

Swiss Chard seedlings are finally getting their true leaves.

That's it for today!  Maybe next time I'll get the motivation to take pictures of the front yard too.

Todays Harvest

After months of seemingly endless scorching summer heat I was finally able to harvest a few fruits and vegetables today.  I can't wait until the cool weather comes and harvest yields increase.

6.6 oz Key Limes

1 lb 3.6 oz Starfruit

10.8 oz Baby Bibb Lettuce

2 oz green beans

I apologize for the sideways pictures.  Next time I take pictures from my phone I'll remember not to turn the phone when I do.  

Ordering Seeds

Have you ever cracked open a seed catalog?  Page upon page of beautiful ripe fruits and vegetables eagerly calling out to you, "Order me. Grow me. You will love me."  Geesh.  If I ordered every seed I thought I needed I'd be able to open a seed catalog of my own.

This year I decided to pass on ordering seed catalogs.  To simplify my life and my budget I opted to make a list of the fruits and veggies I buy the most and focus on growing those.

There are some ups and downs of this method, however, as much of what we like to eat take forever to grow here.

Our family favorites consist of:
Tomatoes (truth be told, we rarely buy tomatoes because no one eats them, but I want to grow a LOT because we eat a lot of spaghetti sauce & ketchup and I'd like to make my own.)
Broccoli (we can eat up to 2 lbs a day)
Lettuce (can't be grown in the Florida summer)
Spinach (had a good crop of this last year but it was so severely infested with aphids I finally pulled the crop)
Swiss Chard (a favorite green that tolerates both summer heat and our mild winters and doesn't have many bug problems in my experience)
Brussel Sprouts (I love roasted brussel sprouts but they cost an arm and a leg at the store so it's a rare treat for us)
Beets (Mmmm.  Roasted or pickled are our favorite)
Carrots (we eat at least 1 lb per week)
Cucumbers (not something we typically buy or eat, but we love homemade pickles and I'd like to put up enough for a year)
Melons (We prefer watermelon, but occasionally buy a cantaloupe)
Pumpkin (I would like to have enough canned to enjoy pumpkin pie year round)
Peppers (Husband eats these, but no one else does)

So while it can get overwhelming to browse seed catalogs I'm focusing on amending the soil and growing the fruits and veggies my family truly loves.

What are you planting this fall?