What We're Growing ~ Tomatoes & Peppers

We thought we'd share our 2014 varieties of Tomatoes & Peppers with you
The garden has been ravaged by marauding goats, and is suffering from an overabundance of rain,
Back & for the Weather conditions from hot to cool &
I just can't seem to get rid of the weeds either.

Our tomatoes are doing great with little extra fertilization this year
I added Horse Manure into the soil in the fall only at a quarter coverage of the
entire garden space.
They did receive a side dressing after I cleared out the old chicken coop readying
them for the new chicks. So they got a little composted chicken manure (1 yr old)
as well as all the remanant eggs in the nesting boxes (enough for the entire row)

But anywho here's what we're growing.



http://parkseed.com/parks-whopper-cr-improved-tomato-seeds/p/05380-PK-P1/
Park's Whopper Tomato 65 days from setting out transplants. Indeterminate. The original Whopper was an American classic, and its successor is simply the home gardener's dream tomato: greater disease resistance, higher yields, a longer season, and better taste! These big, juicy, crack-resistant tomatoes, 4 inches or more across, ripen uniformly (even when the weather is overcast!) and finish 5 days sooner than the old Whopper. Then they keep right on coming in huge quantities until frost -- none of your smaller, greener end-of-season fruits here! And because they're meatier, you get even more succulent tomato flavor in every slice! Resistant to Verticillium Wilt, Root Knot Nematodes, Tobacco Mosaic Virus, and 2 strains of Fusarium Wilt.

http://www.tomatogrowers.com/ROMA-VF/productinfo/5168/
Roma VF #5168 One of the most popular varieties for paste, sauces and canning. Compact vines yield large harvests of 3 inch long, bright red fruit that may be pear-shaped or plum-shaped. Thick walled and solid with few seeds; slightly later than Roma with heavier foliage. Determinate. 78 days.

http://www.tomatogrowers.com/BLACK-KRIM/productinfo/4864/
Black Krim #4864 (30 seeds) Dark brown-red tomatoes are large, 10 to 12 ozs., and very richly flavored with just a hint of saltiness. Color is darker in hot weather, and fruit seems to set well even in the heat. Prone to cracking, but a very heavy producer. Heirloom from the Black Sea of Russia. Indeterminate. 75-90 days.

http://www.tomatogrowers.com/JUBILEE/productinfo/5312/
Jubilee #5312 (30 seeds) Plentiful harvests of bright golden-orange, large round fruit. Delicious taste and solid, smooth substance. Adds bright color to salads. This tomato's good looks and good taste make it a favorite with market gardeners. Indeterminate. 80 days.

I only have a couple Suddeth's Strain Beefsteaks for the late tomatoes
http://store.tomatofest.com/Brandywine_Sudduth_s_Strain_p/tf-0080.htm
Days: 85
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Pink
Season: Late-Season
Type: Heirloom


As for Peppers the goats pruned them by half but we're still harvesting Sweet Bananas
I plan to give them a boost with a light Epsom salt spray, starting a regimen every other week.
(Mixture 1 tsp to 32 oz of h2o) This gives them a little extra magnesium for higher
fruit production.

I only planted two varieties of peppers in 2014



http://www.tomatogrowers.com/SWEET-BANANA/productinfo/9316/
Sweet Banana #9316 (30 seeds) Profuse harvests of 5-1/2 to 6 inch long, tapered peppers that are wonderful fried or cut up into salads. Light green at first, they turn yellow and orange, and finally ripen to red. Compact plants. 72 days.


http://www.tomatogrowers.com/RED-BEAUTY-HYBRID/productinfo/9197/
Red Beauty Hybrid / Baron #9197 (30 seeds) A red bell pepper widely adapted to reliably turn red in almost any area of the country. Very thick-walled, heavy fruits are blocky, and about 4 inches long. Heavy yields of bright red sweet peppers. Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus. 68 days until mature green; red about 2 weeks later




Our Garden This Week
Needs Weeding
~V
Keep It Green

One Dollar Challenge

Please Support EarthSource Services and accept our

One Dollar Challenge

all you have to do is go to

http://gofundme.com/keepteamessfree

and donate Just One Dollar



One dollar for us will buy a pack of seeds for an 4' X 4' square of
raised bed gardening, & who knows how much produce from that one small plot.

One Dollar for us will print the handouts we need for the kids at 1 Workshop
Fun Informational Take home inspiration
(They might inspire their entire family)

What can you give up so you can share Just One Dollar with us.
An unhealthy candy bar
One less plastic bottled drink to add to a landfill
Less than 1 whole beer on college night or happy hour...LOL
A pack of Gum

Please help us
We want to teach the next generation to be more considerate of the world around us
maybe making them a more Organic/Sustainable society
of Generous, Caring, Intelligent, & healthier Young People.


^^This address works too http://gofundme.com/2weyus^^

We only have one planet Let's not Blow it.
Thanks for your time and consideration of our Challenge
Please Share with Everyone
~V


One of our seminars is also about how lots of people giving just a little
can really make a BIG difference.
You'll be a part of that when you Donate Just One Dollar.

(If you'd like to share more with us, we understand, and proudly accept)

Green Week ~ WOW

So this week we had Earth Day & Arbor Day
Two celebratory reasons/excuses to Get Out And Plant Something
Did You?

We planted 100 rescued Tree Seedlings with the #GreenKids
Dogwoods, Pines, Cedars, & Silver Oaks.



On our own home front we planted a seed grown Teak Tree



as well as a couple of Lilacs .



and a Red Rocket Seed Grown Crepe Myrtle.



Planting trees are good for you environment in close as well as an
overall Globally good thing to do.
Greener neighborhoods are cooler neighborhoods.
Use trees to cut energy costs by solarizing your home.

Life on Earth requires Healthy Forests.

Please choose Greener Living practices so we'll have a livable Earth for future generations.

Hope everyone had just a Spectacular week.
~V

Nature DIscovery Workshop 5-11

For those participating in our Nature Discovery Workshop
we'll have to postpone due to weather, but watch for some images of
creatures taken at our last years workshop coming soon.

Remember your checklist for attending
1.) wear long sleeves and pants.
2.) Bring your Binocs (You are responsible for them)
3.) Bring cameras if you want (You are responsible for them)
4.) bring hydration (no plastic bottles please)
5.) Sunscreen Sunscreen Sunscreen
6.) Bug repellant (not so much the problem but we're taking precautions)
7.) Bring your sense of adventure
8.) Wear proper shoes

an individual email will be send to all participants with the new date
(With your scavenger hunt lists to print)

Thank you for your participation in this part of our learning
outside of the seminar setting. You are working toward protecting
our natural spaces with each Earth Advocacy project we share.

We Love our #GreenKids

That is all
Keep It Green
~V

Eating Wild Onions

Wild onions or Spring onions
whatever you call them my littlest daughter could mow our yard
if not for the fact I won't let her. I was curious about cooking
with these natural gifts and thought I'd share a few sites with you.

Nature Bulletin No. 184 March 21, 1981
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/100-199/nb184.htm

Eat The Weeds
http://www.eattheweeds.com/allium-canadense-the-stinking-rose-2/

Foraging Texas
http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/08/onion-wild.html

Maybe we'll harvest weekly here and have a uniquely special
dish headed by my young one.
I bet they'd be tasty chopped and made into a fritter

Check out your own lawns for a gift of nature.

(disclaimer: I do not recommend eating anything you are not familiar with
allergic to, or unresearched by you. I am in no way liable for any mistaken
or misunderstanding from this blog. Consume at your own risk.)