We're Growing Our Own

I thought I'd share a few ideas or how we planted our food garden this year.

This year we have two rows of beans planted different ways to see what works best.
Our Tri Color String Beans are planted in a double row, they were older seeds
so we had to go back after about a week & 1/2 and replanted in between with some
purple queen bush beans. We planted colored beans to make picking easier,
especially for the younger gardeners.

We also planted a row of Blue Lake Bush beans, in a single row.
Both are doing well

We planted Bush Pickler Cucumbers, at the front edge with Marigolds in between plants.
We already see the tiny cukes forming.

We planted Tomato transplants of Roma & Park's Whopper. The weather was so strange
that we lost a couple roma's and had to replace. We replaces with Black Krim
& Jubilee, tomatoes. All have caught up with one another and all are flowering
We should be picking before July 4th if we don't have another cool snap to stall growth.
We also will be tilling in some old eggs and nesting materials into the soil side
dressing the tomatoes with a dose of Calcium. We have used no additional fertilizers
on anything this year except Worm Castings.

We're looking up info on Black Krim & Jubilee to post this week, Just a little Tomato
FYI>

For peppers I backed down to only 2 varieties Sweet Bananas & Sweet Red Bells.
Due to unforeseen weather twists in the past I've had quite a loss & been
disappointed in the past. So I planted what I know everyone can eat or pickle.

I've planted the Ichiban Eggplants, because I love Eggplant and sneak it into
all sorts of dishes in the summer, and have even blended into my smoothies.
They are a beautiful plant with beautiful flowers, and with other varities
more beautiful colors even hot or fuschia pinky and white.

Detroit Red Beets, & Thumbellina Carrots as well as some Zucchini have just been
seeded in this past Thursday. As well as a variety of Sunflowers
Music Box, Valentine, Mixed Black Oil, & Alien Sunflowers. (I already see some of these
popping up out of the ground.

Here is a photo of my garden before I get to till this afternoon, if there is no more rain
and the winds keeps up to dry the garden out just a bit more.

So I've gotta get to making a quickie lunch so I can be ready to work this afternoon.

Oh wait we're going to pick up some local eggs from a neighbor too...
I'll take pics of the chickens and coop, I'd like to help him sell his eggs too
He also sold Daylilies at one point as well, Better carry my cash in case he's got a couple
earlies blooming...:)

Have a Nice Day
Here's My Garden



I'll definitely have to come back with an after picture when I get things cleaned up.

The weeds embarrass me...LOL

Biodiversity in Your Gardens ~ Manage your nasties

Manage your nasties with Biodiversity in Your Gardens



Natural places with a greater variety of plant species experience fewer outbreaks of pests.
Try to follow in natures footsteps in your own backyard. Incorporation of these Guilds will increase your pleasure & decrease your pest worries.

Create your own Plant Guilds
(Plant Guilds are different varieties of plant that grow together requiring the same conditions that exist in harmonious balance)

Insect Feeding plants
Pollen & Nectar are essential foods for many beneficials. Like you, they require energy to hunt and reproduce, Plant sources supplement the prey they eat for energy.

Insect attracting
Some plants are pest prone, these are good for feeding your beneficials as well. Lay a trap to feed your predatory creatures and allow them to reproduce and protect your garden even further.

Strongly Scented plants
Leaf eaters will avoid these and plants nearby. Planting plants od non green colors although they have an attracting scent leaf munching critters have a harder time finding them.

Outdoor Perennial Conservatory
Plant Perennials to shelter beneficials in harsh weather. Native plants are usually more xeric and return each year even the plant debris mulches and protects some beneficial species of insects. These beds usually need minimal upkeep.

Plant flowering plants like zinnias & marigolds along with your edibles your edibles to attract pollenating insects and increase your harvests.

It is important for us to find NON CHEMICAL ways to take care of our gardens. The impact of chemicals on our quality of life is truly a Phantom Menace. Convenience of sprays and dust are not what you want to put into the soil or into your body. Avoid it at all costs.

10 beneficials you should get to know
www.organicgardeningguru.com/beneficial-insects


I will post some Botanical Pesticides & Homemade Pesticide Recipes in the coming weeks

SuperSeeds ~ Eat 'Em

These are a few supersedes to search out when shopping
and why they are good for you.

CHIA ~
Rich in Omega - 3
May allieviate hunger
Add whole to cereal, baking, and Smoothies

FLAX ~
Omega - 3 rich
Nutty Flavor
Always grind or buy ground seed.
Whole Seed are very hard to digest.

HEMP ~
Tastes like sunflower seeds
Contains all essential Amino Acids
Ideal Protein Source
Sprinkle on Yogurt, cereal, or salads

SESAME ~
Tasty Crunchy and slightly Sweet
High in Magnesium, Copper, and Calcium
Add into stir frys or toss with steamed vegetables

Raw Vegan Carrot Soup

Kill that Cold with Raw Vegan Carrot Soup

Ingredients (These are approximations. Adjust to your tastes)

2-3 cups almost boiling water
3 tbs olive oil
3 carrots
1 stalk celery
half an onion
2 cloves garlic
an inch of ginger
couple dashes of tamari
1 tbs miso
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp pepper

Directions

Now hold on to your hats. This is complicated ! Put all ingredients in the Vitamix and blend on high until smooth. Instant cold busting soup!
If you don’t have a high powered blender you’re out of luck. Just kidding. Simply boil your carrots and celery until tender and add all the ingredients into the blender and blitz until smooth. The important thing is to get the onion, garlic and ginger in the soup raw to maximize its effectiveness.
Bon Appétit !

Via @EcoPassport on Twitter

Tomato Cage Topiary

This thought came to me all of a sudden this week as I was looking over the prices of live trees to put into my pots.
I had some extra greenery cut so I put my mind to work how to use it up
Repurpose your Tomato cages from the garden

This is a daytime and a nighttime view of my finished trees, They are large enough to make a statement in daylight or nighttime and the design can be more elaborate if you wish adding ornaments or garlands. I was simply using what I had around (the least expensive options)

Materials Needed:
Tomato Cages
Floral wire
Fresh Cut Greenery (16" pieces are optimal)
Embellishments (lights, Ornaments, Toppers)
one wire hanger cut into 6" pieces and bent into a U-shape to hold down tree into soil)

I started with an assortment of Tomato cages, and chose the least damaged of what I had.
I wired the tops to make a sort of teepee form

Then I started adding my greenery it was already cut into about 16" pieces since I was putting together wreaths and garland(Check out past blog posts from 2012). More pieces can be put into a bucket and cut into to make those. (it takes about 1/2 -3/4 a five gallon bucket to make each tree)
I used Sea Green Junipers for the ones pictured.

Wrapping once across the branch, under the first rung in the cage and back around is enough to hold on your branches.
If it seems thin push branches to one side and add a couple more.
You are really just creating an illusion, so unless you're going to have a professional checking out your work, the imperfections are what actually give this project its charm.
I topped off my Tree Creations with what ever red flowers I had around (they were inexpensive Dollar Store finds)
I also topped the very top with just a little fraiser fir branches. Just because.
We added a strand of solar led lights to each tree.

I'm thinking you could make a thin taller tree if you wired two cages together, and smaller one with cones of chicken wire. (Or even other topiary shapes it's only limited by the imagination)

Christmas decoration don't have to be costly or fancy to make the season special. Family & Friends and never forgetting the True Meaning of Christmas makes for a much more memorable & fulfilling Time.

Living Simpler is goof for you and good for the planet.


Here is a Sneak Peek of the next installation of our Christmas Decorating with the Kids.
Tiny Trees on a Tray

Interesting Find ~ Japanese Turf Lily

Just for fun this morning I picked up my favorite Herbal Medicine book (The Way of Herbs by: Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D.) and flipped open to the first page I found and read....(quoted below)
It was a surprisingly common plant found in many gardens and yards, that usually ends up being quite abundant, with little care or maintenance.

Japanese Lily Turf (creeping lily root, dwarf lilyturf)
Ophiopogon japonicas
Liliaceae



Parts used: Bulbs
Energy & Flavor: Sweet to slightly bitter, slightly cool
Systems affected: Heart, lungs, stomach
Biochemical constituants: Ruscogenin (steroid sapogenin), siterol, stigmasterol, sitosterol-D-glucoside,
ophioside, sugars, mucilage
Properties: Demulcent, nutrient tonic, Yin tonic

This is another grasslike ornamental grown in many gardens throughout the world. Its tonic therapeutic values make it worth pointing out. Since the flavor of these little bulbets is not at all unpleasant, it is a good idea to consider a few on them in soups for their therapeutic value.
Japanese turf lily is use4d for any symptoms associated with dryness, lack of vital fluids, including general depletion of bodily fluids, dryness of the heart, skin, & dry stool. It is especially useful for dry cough, asthma or spitting of blood.
Because of its deep nourishing properties, it gives one a sense of inner well-being, strength, & thus will lessen palpitations, insomnia, & general paranoia & fearfulness.
It is contraindicated when one has a particular tendency towards cold sensitivity, diarrhea or loose stools. However the contraindication is only in regard to long term use.



Disclaimer:
The information herin this blog entry is from the above said source. I do not recommend the practice of using herbal medicines without the consultation of your medical practitioner. Although I do condone use of natural medicinals in place of chemical products. This is for informative and entertainment purposes only the blogwriter is not liable for any misuse of informations provided.

I do recommend reaearching your health condition and searching for helpful herbal remedies. In every culture, in every climate, in every continent, herbal relief for ecological niches common ailments are usually found all around you. It is a God given pharmacy, don't misuse what resources you have but know what is there. It is the way things are supposed to be, we have been provided for, and yet we destroy what has been given to us and remedies that are rightfully ours. Become an advocate for your self, your health, your planet.

Have a Great Week
~V