DP's Nashville Vegetable and Fruit Garden

Building New Boxes & Lettuce

2009-05-19T11:34:00.006-05:00

So I've been complaining recently that I don't have enough space in my square foot garden for all the wonderful veggies that I'm growing this year . . . So Cam, being the amazing person that he is, has built me two new boxes that are twice the size of the old ones.

The original boxes were 4' x 4' (if my memory is correct), and the two new ones are 6' x 6'. I was very happy to see Cam working so hard building these boxes.

I'd like to say that I helped, but that would be a lie. LoL. I am useless when it comes to building things. I just sit on the sidelines and look pretty. =)

Below: Cam bought some nice cedar planks at Home Depot for the new boxes.

The finished product looks amazing. We used untreated wood last year, so the old boxes look really crummy compared to the new boxes. But that's OK. I am not going for architectural look of the boxes, but more of the usability.

As you can see above, we're attempting to gather together the mix for the new beds. We are using Mel's Mix, but having a very hard time finding Vermiculite. Garden centers and the big box stores just don't sell it anymore. And if they do, they sell it in tiny little packages.

Grr...

Anyway, the boxes are pretty huge compared to the old ones, so now the challenge is going to be how do I reach in and harvest veggies that are in the middle of the box? That is the dilemma!

In between all our boxes, we're going to put in a stone walkway. I think it'll look very pretty when it's all said and done, and we won't have to mow in between the boxes. That will save us a lot of time!

I'd like some more boxes, so we may be building more later this season. Since it feels like spring weather outside, I think it's not too late to start planting lettuce and other leafy greens!

We bought these lettuce heads at Whole Foods in Franklin, TN the other day. We're going to make a delicious salad with it, and also plant it in our new beds. Doesn't it look yummy?

I wonder what type of lettuce it is. It's definitely not head lettuce, which we grew last year in the garden.

We also bought this greenhouse-type thing:

It was on sale for $25, and the shelves are removable.

I can't wait until the weekend to do major work in the garden!

Broccoli

2009-05-17T00:38:00.000-05:00

This is my first year attempting to grow broccoli. So far, the broccoli isn't doing so well. But I think this is because it's in such close proximity to the boysenberry and strawberry plants. It probably does need more room to grow, but space is tight until Cam and I built more boxes or raised beds.

The broccoli leaves are getting eaten by something... I'm not sure what. We've been spraying organic insecticide but the bugs continue to come. I've read that aphids and caterpillers love to eat broccoli leaves, and that a good way to get rid of them is sprinkling cayenne pepper powder on top. I may try that, if I see more holes in the plant.

I am wondering if my moisture problem in the beds are not good for the broccoli. They do like well-drained soil. The soil mixture in the beds retains moisture very, very well. Hmm...

It might be too warm for broccoli... I guess we'll see how it does.

Strawberries Everywhere!

2009-05-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

What started as one Strawberry plant has spread to about three or four plants in box # 2. I only picked one strawberry last year... and this year, I'm going to have many, many. (If the birds don't get to them first!)

The strawberry plant that I had in the pot last year died and is no more. But the one in the box--I am just so surprised at how it came back with a kick!

(Yup, there is indeed netting over it!)

I am so excited about all the fruit that I'll be getting! It is just wonderful! The fruit is very small, but they'll be edible and yummy!

The strawberry flowers are very pretty to look at. White petals with a touch of yellow inside.

Boysenberry, Year # 2

2009-05-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

My boysenberry bush came back this year! Last year, it fruited like crazy, but sadly, all the birds got to them before I had even a chance to harvest any. I did get to eat one, but it was rather sour. :-/

Maybe this year, if I leave it on the bush long enough and if I can keep the birds away, I'll have a wonderful harvest and abundance to munch on. Hopefully, they will be sweeter too!

I've put up bird netting around the bush. Can you see it in the picture below?

Can you see how beautiful and abundant that bush is? I think it's the best purchase I've ever made! They grow so well and so full. Sadly, it's only for the month of May that it'll be so green and fruiting. But I'm glad it comes back again next year.

The flowers of the boysenberry are a lovely white color with the fruit in the middle. The plant itself is full of little thorns, so when it's time to pick the fruit, I'll have to be extra careful.

The plant is getting very tall. But we've got that wire fencing behind it, so that it can climb up rather than out.

Some up-close photos of the fruit. These were taken right after a good rain.

Going Heirloom

2009-05-12T11:18:00.003-05:00

This year, Cam and I are trying to grow more heirloom varieties of plants, so that we can save the seeds for next season. Almost all of our tomato varieties are heirlooms.

Last year, we planted the majority of our tomatoes in box # 1, but this year, they are growing in box # 3. I think they can succumb to certain diseases if in the same spot year after year. We'll see how this box does.

We are growing about ten Tula tomatoes and five cherry/grape tomatoes in one box. They're planted on opposite side of the box with herbs and mints in between.

So far, they seem to be weathering OK, considering the chilly weather and many, many rainy days we've had.

You can see the old owl in the background. He did little to ward off the birds last year... but I think he's a cute decoration so he'll get to stay in the garden. I'm probably overusing bird netting this year, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.

As you can see, the tomatoes are still very little. We planted the seeds in one of those seed-starter kits you buy at Lowe's or Home Depot. When the seedlings were ready, we planted them in the box. We lost several to cutworms, and the straw method seems to work... We haven't seen any cutworms since.

For those interested, Black from Tula Tomatoes are a dark reddish black tomato with a rich flavor from Russia. Apparently, they are very delicious. Heirloom and organic. Cam is very excited about them. I'm more excited about the cherry/grape tomatoes, since those tend to produce faster and I don't have to wait as long to harvest them. (I am very impatient person!)

I bought our seeds from Seed Savers Exchange: http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=251

Concord Grapes Came Back

2009-05-09T01:08:00.003-05:00

I was very pleasantly surprised that my concord grapes came back this year. However, I think they are only producing leaves and no fruit. Lots and lots of leaves!

Cam and I were reading that grapes need well-drained soil to thrive. I'm afraid those boxes really hold moisture well. The soil seems to very damp inside, so the square foot boxes were probably not the best place to plant those grapes . . . Oops, it's a bit too late. I guess that's a mistake I'll have to live with.

I do wonder how much the grapes have rooted since last year. Is it too late to transplant them somewhere else? Would that kill them?

I think the soil may be contributing to why they are not fruiting but instead growing lots of new leaves. Opinions anyone?

First Attempt at Blueberries

2009-05-07T00:53:00.001-05:00

Another first in the garden this year are the blueberries. I bought two blueberry plants at Lowe's recently and planted them next to each other. Both looked very healthy; one was already flowering. And now I have the very beginnings of blueberries!

Sadly, all the blueberries are on the same plant (plant #2) . I am hoping plant #1 catches up soon--so far, it seems to be growing leaves instead of flowers.

Blueberry plant # 2 is very plentiful. And I am so excited.

As you can see in the second picture, this plant has many, many bunches of blueberries. I have read online that birds absolutely love blueberries. So I am going to have to put netting over plant # 2 very soon.

I would love to share the blueberries with the birds, but sadly, I don't have a huge blueberry garden... so the birds will have to stay away! I can't wait until this ripens!

Does anyone watch Jeff Poppen, the Barefoot Farmer, on PBS on Volunteer Garden? (http://www.barefootfarmer.com/) Recently, there was an episode and he talked a little bit about growing blueberries. He said that they can take 6-8 years before they are plentiful and give lots of fruit. I don't doubt that. My little plants are very low to the ground right now, but I am looking forward to watching them grow in the upcoming years.

The Barefoot Farmer also mentioned that blueberries grow much better if you put different varieties next to each other. It's better for cross-pollination.

Plant # 1 and Plant # 2 are the same variety, so I am now in the hunt to find a different variety of blueberry. Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits.

Something new: Topsy Turvy

2009-05-05T00:25:00.003-05:00

I'm trying something new this year: The Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. It's one of those "As Seen on TV" things, but Cam and I thought it was very cool, so we decided to give it a try.

For Easter, we set one up for my 94 year old American Grandmother. She used to love to garden, but now because of her age, it's not something she can safely do. We put the topsy turvy on her porch, planted two cherry tomato plants in it, and hung it low enough so that she can water it without any discomfort. So far, her tomato plants seems to be growing fine in it.

At Cam's house, we "planted" two Mr. Stripey tomatoes in the Topsy Turvy. We hung it on one of the satellite dishes in the backyard.

It was very easy to set up. All you do is slip your plants through the hole at the bottom and fill it with potting soil (with time-release vegetable fertilizer). It did become very heavy, though, once the soil was added. It's a two-person job!

I am very interested in seeing how this works. If it works.

According to the company's Website (http://www.topsygardening.com), you can use the topsy turvy to grow fresh herbs, zucchini, eggplant, and even peppers. It apparently also minimizes pests and diseases because your plant is above ground. Hmmm.... We''ll see.

We paid about $10 for this at Wal-Mart, so it won't be a total loss if this fails.

At least I won't have any problems with cutworms with the topsy turvy! I'm excited about the Mr. Stripey tomatoes too! But more about that once it begins to fruit! I can't wait!

Spring Garden Update

2009-05-03T18:23:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I have officially started to garden again in the garden. I'm getting a late start, mostly because I was unsure of when to start. We've had several cold spells in the Nashville area, lots of rain, and a tornado that came through Murfreesboro (a small town an hour away from Nashville).

It's almost May, so summer is practically here, but I started to plant seeds and transplant seedlings into the garden. I'm still using the square foot boxes, but I'm letting them "go wild" this year--no wooden bars to separate smaller boxes.

We have some herbs and fruit that came back this year, and I'll be blogging about those later this week. I am going to try to blog at least once a week, but depending on my work schedule, I may not be able to blog as much as I did last year. Blogging does take a lot of time, so I'll do my best.

This spring/summer season, I've growing the following in my garden:

* Broccoli
* Black from Tula tomatoes (Heirloom)
* Cherry/Roma tomatoes
* Mr. Stripey (Heirloom)
* Peas
* Red cabbage
* Crookneck Squash
* Onions
* Garlic
* Oregano
* Sage
* Sweet Basil
* Stevia

If Cam and I have more time this summer, we're going to build either raise beds or more square foot boxes to grow even more vegetables.

I know it's getting a little late, but I haven't started any lettuce or spring mixes yet. I hope to be able to do that soon. (Hopefully before the heat comes).

I am extremely excited about all the different varieties of vegetables and mints I've started.

Cutworms are the biggest pests that we've faced in the garden this year. They've cut all of the bush beans seedlings that we planted in the garden, three heirloom tomato plants, and three of the peas that we're attempting to grow.

We didn't have any luck growing peas last year because we planted them so late in the season; it was already June when we tried. But with these cutworms, I am worried they're not going to survive this year either. *sigh*

These are the only pea plants that are remaining:

I think we'll try bush beans again later this summer. To combat these evil villains, we've cut plastic straws into 2-3" sections and wrapped them around the stems. Hopefully, this will work and we can save our remaining plants.

We got the idea of plastic straws after reading this gardening forum:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0319423621784.html

If you are interested, there are photos of the process on the forum.

Info on cutworms can be found here: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1225.html

I've found the U of Minnesota's Website extremely helpful.

-DP

Happy Winter from Luka and DP

2009-01-10T22:29:00.003-06:00

Hi All!

I wanted to take a few minutes to wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope the new year will be wonderful for everyone... and for all the flowers, plants, and veggies!

It's been pretty nice in TN. I think if I had done more research into growing winter vegetables, I would have been able to pull it off this year. We've only some extremely cold days, but recently, it's been pretty warm outside!

-DP

P.S. Some pictures of Luka from Christmas. She's about 9 months old now (maybe 10).

Goodbye... Til Next Spring

2008-12-09T21:09:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to let you know that I am taking the winter away from blogging... And I will return next spring when my plants are starting to sprout and form.

I'll be reading your blogs as often as I can, though I don't know if I'll have the time to comment. I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Christmas season!

Take care!
-DP

P.S. I leave you with some photos of Luka... watching Frasier on TV.

Apple Tree Pruning

2008-11-19T12:41:00.000-06:00

Remember those beautiful apples (above) from our very plentiful apple tree? By summer's end, the limbs were out of control--way too many apples. The tree had begun to slant, but it was too heavy for us to straighten out.

A few weeks ago, we picked all the apples that we could save. I made the apple jam and some apple sauce; we gave buckets of apples away to friends.

Then, recently, we started to trim the tree. We trimmed everything, and now our two once-plentiful apple trees are now just bark...

It will come back next year, and I hope the apples return as well. I have no luck with trimming trees, but the trees do look much neater now, and we've used straps to pull them up as straight as we can.

Any tree trimming/pruning at your home?

Happy Birthday... To Me

2008-11-16T06:03:00.001-06:00

Today is my 24th birthday. I've always hated having my birthday in November. It's always a bit chilly, and I'm not a fan of the cold weather. (and it's cold and a bit wet too... Grrr.. Why couldn't I have gotten sunny weather! Oy! LoL).

For my birthday, I wanted to share with you my one and only doll...She's an Adora doll. I picked her out because she looks exactly like me when I was a baby. How rare is that?

Check out her photo and my baby photos... (can you tell who is who?)

Doesn't she look a lot like me? She's one of only 700 dolls that were produced, and I think she's just precious. Cam bought her for me for Christmas last year. We saw her at an old-fashioned European toy store in downtown Franklin, TN, and I just had to have her. She cost about $120-130 bucks, and I absolutely love her.

She sleeps/lies in this toy crib that I bought. (The Adora accessories were way too much money).

Now some up-close photos...

And here's the baby in her entirety. Her outfit is pretty cute too!

Okay, so I probably went a little obsessive with the photos. But how often do you have a doll that looks a lot like you when you were a baby? Almost exactly.

My mom says she's like my baby clone, that's how freaky it is. When I first got her, my mom used to hold her and just squeal at how much she looked like me... And now I love her... because maybe my kids will look like an Adora doll. How cool would that be?

Anyway, enjoy your weekend!
-DP

Now officially 24 years old!

Fall Leaves

2008-11-14T15:00:00.003-06:00

I apologize for the lack of posts. With the fall weather, there's not much to post about. There are a few things still growing in the garden, but nothing new has gone in. I think we're going to wait until next year as we begin to plan what we'll be growing.

Today I wanted to show you some photos of beautiful leaves that grace my yard. It's my next-door-neighbor's tree, but when it's sunny outside, the orange color fills the windows in the front door and in the kitchen, it's magnificent.

This photo was taken a few days ago, but isn't the tree so pretty? The orange color still remains on the tree, but its leaves have started to fall. It's not too cold in Nashville yet, but we've had a few cool/frosts I believe. All of our indoor plants are now safely in the house. In the upcoming weeks, I'll be posting photos of the last days of the outside garden as well as some of our indoor plants.

Enjoy the fall!

The Last of the Apples and Apple Jam

2008-11-07T20:54:00.003-06:00

The last of this year's apples were so perfect and ripe that I decided that I would make apple jam. I guess there's no such thing because I've never seen it at the store. It's always apple butter or apple preserves.

I used a package of pectin and followed the directions to make the jam. It's delicious and sweet, but the consistency and taste are a bit like apple sauce. It's a little thicker than apple sauce, but still it's pretty liquidy.

Next year, I think I will just make apple sauce and can it. The apples were perfect and were so delicious.

Here are a few photos.

The Last of the Tomatoes and Luka

2008-11-05T22:40:00.006-06:00

When the frost killed all the tomatoes, I took Blogger Tina's advice and put all the green ones in a paper bag. It will be going in the garage, and I guess we'll see if I will get to taste any ripe garden tomatoes soon...

Below: Beautiful green tomatoes

As I look back on this summer, I will miss these ripe tomatoes the most. They were so tasty and so delicious in my salads. Store-bought tomatoes just don't taste the same; they are too watered down. Now that I've tasted the real thing, I don't think I can ever go back. I have to wait until next summer and try to grow some more.

I may be planting a few seeds in pots and place them in the sun room, and hopefully it'll be like a green house for these seeds and maybe I can have some veggies in the winter. We'll see if this experiment works out.

In the meanwhile, it's time for a Luka update. Skeeter mentioned that I should've posted pictures of Luka for Halloween... but I forgot, so here's my belated Luka pictures. As you can see in the photos, she's been a busy kitten... (and it's very hard to take photos of her cute little face)

Now that we're starting to bring a lot of our potted plants inside, I'm trying to keep Luka away from them. She really does like to eat those leaves, and I noticed that she ate some rose petals (from a vase on the living room table) when we were away... And then she threw up... and it was not pleasant to clean up. So I bought her some pet grass at the pet store, and hopefully this will keep her thirst for greenery away from other plants.

I'm keeping my eye on her!

Planning For Next Year

2008-11-03T20:46:00.002-06:00

Cam and I have started to plan for our garden next year. We decided not to purchase seedlings next spring, but to plant heirloom seeds. We figure if we can save the seeds from all our heirloom vegetables, it will save us in the long run.

We may have gotten ahead of ourselves, but we purchased many, many seeds for various vegetables. Some of them I can probably plant this fall, but I'm not sure what. Is it too late?

Here's what we purchased. What do you think? Which can we plant now that won't die with the intermittent frosts? Also, what's the best way to save the seeds? Do I need to freeze them?

America Spinach
Monnopa Spinach

Calabrese Broccoli
Dragon Carrot
Scarlet Nantes Carrot
Country Gentleman Corn
Bushy Cucumber
Boothby's Blonde Cucumber
Seed Savers Lettuce Mixture
Australian Brown Onion
Yellow Onion
Amish Snap Pea
Alma Paprika Pepper
Orange Bell Pepper
Early Scarlet Globe Radish
Blacktail Mountain Watermelon
Amish Paste Tomato
Black from Tula Tomato
Cherry Roma Tomato
German Pink Tomato
Italian Heirloom Tomato
Brandywine Tomato
Boston Favorite/Eating
Dwarf Gray Sugar Pea
Stowell's Evergreen Corn
Early Snowball Cauliflower
Buran Pepper
Apollo
Long Island Improved Brussel Sprout
Blue Solaize Leek
Star of David Okra
Purple Top White Globe Turnip
Amish Melon
Double Yield Cucumber
Lao Green Stripe Eggplant
Copenhagen Market Cabbage
Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage
Chioggia Beet
Detroit Dark Red Beet

Lots of dead things....

2008-10-31T16:51:00.002-05:00

Today's post is short and sweet. This week's light frost has killed almost all of my plants. Even drapping the cloth over the tomato plants didn't help them. All of the green summer leaves have withered and only sadness remains.

I'll post pictures of the sad garden this weekend.

The only thing that currently survives are the carrots. The leaves are still green, and I'll be harvesting those soon.

How did your garden do?

Cold Weather and Bell Peppers

2008-10-29T00:12:00.002-05:00

It's been a bit on the nippy side in Nashville. My tomato plants have been growing strong, despite the cold, but this weekend's cold weather has given me quite a chore. I had to find a way to cover up all my plants to protect them from any chance of frost. Cam and I read that you could cover them up with bed linens, if you didn't have the fancy plant weather protectors. So far, the plants look safe and snug and green underneath the linens. We'll see how they hold up if or when the weather decides to warm up. Nashville weather is always a bit unpredictable.

Here's something I wasn't expecting--my bell peppers seem to be ALIVE! After staying dormant and fruit-less all summer, I had given up on them. But I guess they like the colder weather because they are really growing quite well.

Below: One of the bell peppers out back

I really don't think this is a green bell pepper. It looks like a huge mix between jalapeno and bell, but when we bought it, it said bell pepper. I read that peppers can cross-pollinate, but I don't think this is the case for this plant. It's nowhere near any other variety of peppers. It was planted next to a purple bell pepper and a red bell pepper. Anyway, maybe Lowe's labeled the seedling incorrectly...

We've picked this particular pepper, and the flavor was mild enough to eat in a salad. Pretty tasty!

Below: Bell Peppers from the Front

These peppers will hopefully ripen into beautiful red bell peppers.

I'm excited about the bell peppers actually doing great! I guess the cold weather hit the spot, and maybe they didn't grow well in the heat. Or my bell peppers are just special. Whatever the reason, I am pleased!

I'm Back!

2008-10-26T22:39:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone,

After a month long absence from the blogging world, I am back--alive and kicking. I apologize for not blogging for so long. Cam has been sick and my great-uncle (my grandmother's youngest brother) passed away. On top of this, I've gone to two children's writing conferences.

I do have one piece of good news: I have two literary agents currently reviewing my manuscripts, so I hope that at least one of them will take me on as a client. That would be wonderful... and a step closer to getting published. Please pray for me and hopefully something wonderful will happen soon.

Back to the garden.... Everything is coming along very nicely, despite the cold fronts that we've had. Tomorrow, there is a frost warning... but I'm hoping my vegetables survive.

The cabbage head was killed off my bugs, the bell pepper plants seem to FINALLY producing fruit, and the eggplants are still going strong. The watermelon is on its last leg--but we've had plenty of watermelon fruit that we've enjoyed. All of this and more on upcoming posts this week and next.

For now, I leave you with a recent harvest from the garden.

Below: Lots of tomatoes... A few beans

Apple Sauce

2008-09-24T13:27:00.002-05:00

With all the apples from our trees, I finally decided to try to make some apple sauce. I used a handful of apples--about 10 or so. (Maybe more, maybe less).

I didn't follow a recipe, and I didn't bother to watch heating times. (This plays a crucial part in making apple sauce, as I've recently read).

First: I peeled, chopped, and cored the apples. Don't they look so juicy and delicious?

I actually ate several apple pieces as I was cutting them up. They looked too delicious and tasted SO good, and I just couldn't help myself.

Next, I experimented with a variety of flavors. I used cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and several other spices (which I can't remember now, LoL). I mixed them all up in the bowl. They ended up looking like spiced apples.

And then I cooked them on HIGH (big mistake) with several tablespoons of water. What I didn't realize is that you are supposed to lower the heat after the initial boil. So the stove was on high the entire time, and the apples got soft but dry. So I added more water than I needed.

When the apples were soft enough, I used a potato masher and mashed all the apples together until they were smooth. Then, I placed the mixture into two jars and had apple sauce as a side snack.

All those apples only made two jars--the apples really cook down. The end result was delicious. It tasted a bit tart and sweet at the same time. I enjoyed my experiment, and I will be making more apple sauce in the future.

The apple trees are still huge with tons and tons of apples.

Betty and Bam Bam

2008-09-20T12:25:00.001-05:00

Betty, the cantaloupe, was finally ready for our stomachs. She was about to fall off the vine, so I took her inside. Sadly, I have no pictures of her flesh because I gave her to my little sister to take back to her dorm at Vanderbilt University.

Below: Beautiful Betty

My sister reports that she was delicious and beautifully orange and sweet. Good-bye Betty. I had a lovely time raising you.

Below: Bam Bam, the watermelon

With a ton of watermelons, we decided to harvest another one for a summer's day treat. The flesh was pinkish, but it was sweet.

Betty has other brothers and sisters that are growing. I say about three little ones (more about them next week), but I don't know how will survive and who will die. There used to be five little ones, but two of them withered away. I guess the vine was not strong enough to support that many fruit. I'll keep you all posted on the cantaloupes' development.

Luka and a Tomato Update

2008-09-18T13:25:00.000-05:00

The tomato plants have slowed down their production, but there are new flowers and tiny fruit that are growing. It's just slower than it was. I suppose that has to do with the fall weather. I'm enjoying what I can before they die on me.

Below: My latest tomato harvest

I also harvested some oregano from the garden. I didn't use the tomatoes for spaghetti, but I did use fresh oregano instead of dried. I may need to dry some herbs for summer.

Anyone have any good ideas on how to dry herbs? (Natural (or old-fashioned) ways without buying any extra machines).

Now onto Luka...

I believe that I have the strangest cat ever. I love my little Luka, and she is a tad feisty. I believe she’s between 5-6 months old and growing strong… into a beautiful black cat. I wanted to dress her up in a pet outfit for Halloween, but Cam said, “she’s already in her costume.” SADNESS! LoL.

As she’s gotten older, she’s sleeping a bit more… but not as much as an adult cat. She still wrecks havoc in the house. Let me list her “bad” deeds this week (so far):

(1) Knocked over two potted plants—dirt splattered everywhere
(2) Killed one of those plants
(3) Knocked over my favorite rose vase and broke it. The vase smashed into millions of pieces on the ground
(4) Sunk her teeth into me… A LOT! Biting seems to be an every day thing.

Here’s how I’ve tried to punish her… unsuccessfully, I might add.

(1) Time out in the bathroom for 30 minutes
(2) A loud “NO” with a clap of my hand
(3) Moved her to the hallway and closed the door for 1 hour (withholding attention)

Yup, she doesn’t care what I do. Oh well. I still love her. She does have many lovable qualities:

(1) She has never scratched the furniture or couch with her claws. She is loyal to her scratching post
(2) She cuddles with me at night
(3) She wakes me up at the right time every morning, purring. She gets lots of rubs and kisses, and she likes to lick my face and give me a "bath" in the morning.
(4) She loves every single toy that I've ever given her.. Has never disliked one single toy.
(5) Loves every type of cat food that we've tried.

And tada... Her strangest habit... When she's on the bed, she likes to sleep on her back with her paws in the air... Isn't that funny? I've never seen any other cat do this...

Below: This picture was taken right when she woke up. She was already moving her upper body a bit...

She does have a cute little white belly. But anyway, I thought I'd share. I love my little kitten, despite how bad she can be.

My parents say that she's only fiesty and hyper when I am home. When I am away for the day, she is very quiet and is very docile.

Hmm, I guess she just misses her mommy.

Watermelon Everywhere

2008-09-16T11:49:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm going to try to post 2-3 times a week instead of Monday through Friday. Because my garden isn't producing as much, there's not much to report.

The weather in Nashville is getting bit colder. It was in the 60s yesterday, and I had to wear a sweater when I went out. (I am very sensitive to cold, so anything below 70 is chilly to me). I wonder if the chilly weather is here to stay or just the reminisces of Ike. I hope it is Ike because I really loved the summer weather, and my veggies love it too.

I am prepared for the fall though. (I'm not a fan of these high gas prices though. All of the gas stations near where I live are all out of gas! And the next closest gas station charges $4.25, ridiculous!)

Anyway, the good news is my plants are still producing, even though the chilly weather is here. The watermelons are out of control. They are everywhere!

Below: The watermelon

Each and every of those pictures show a different watermelon! It's like a watermelon party out there. We've tasted two watermelon, and even though they aren't that red inside, they still are very taste and delicious.

Btw... There's also a watermelon growing on our porch...

I'm thinking next year that I will only plant one watermelon plant instead of three. And maybe I'll have the smaller variety of watermelon instead of these huge ones.

Lettuce

2008-09-11T10:02:00.003-05:00

I apologize for the lack of posts this week. I have been busy, busy. I'm attending two writing conferences (one is next weekend, the other is in October in Birmingham). I've been getting ready and doing the research for the conferences. They're being sponsored by the Society of Children Book Writer's and Illustrators. I've written a multi-cultural chapter book for kids (grades 1-3), so I am hoping to pitch it to some agents and publishers. I'm very excited.

Anyway, the lettuce is my father's garden is doing very well. We've eating lots and lots of delicious salad. We grew Romaine and head lettuce. They're pretty delicious, and because we didn't wait until they formed a real head, no slugs!

Below: Numerous views of the lettuce

The seeds for this lettuce were planted in early August. I have a feeling the lettuce will begin to bolt before October comes. But it's been a nice crop for us, and I will try again next year.

September Beans

2008-09-08T13:16:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.

I wanted to update you on my green bean plant. It has done remarkable well, and it is still producing. Some of the leaves are getting a little brown, but there are tons of new blooms and baby beans on all the plants. I've gotten an amazing harvest from my two rows of beans this summer. I don't know how much longer they have, but I am just enjoying my time left.

Next summer, beans will definitely be on my list to plant. I will buy the beans that grow up. The bean variety I bought this year was the bushy kind. So cucumbers and beans have been extremely successful in my garden.

Below: New blooms
I love the graceful look of the blooms. It's so dainty and precious. Their white color screams more baby beans to come.

Below: Bloom and babies
I didn't do much research on beans before I planted them. I put one row in a sunny area, and the other row was in shade. By far, the beans in the shade have been the best producer. The ones in the sun have also produced beautiful beans, but the shaded beans produce much more. Next year, I will do several rows of beans in the shade.

Below: Lots and lots of green beans

Below: My most recent bean harvest
Mostly, I've been eating lots of green bean stir-fry with white rice. Green beans are always on my family's grocery list, and this summer, that's one thing we've been able to save money on. The seed packet, which cost only a few dollars, has saved us lots of money. =)

What are some of the best producers in your garden?

Eggplant, Luka, and A New Blogger

2008-09-05T13:55:00.002-05:00

The rain came last night, and the outside world around me is wet and dreary. But I am extremely excited about it. Hopefully some of my vegetables will perk up and continue to grow strong. Obviously, the season is over for some of them. But there is always a hope that the others continue to yield more vegetables and fruit until the October frost.

I harvested those two beautiful eggplants that were growing strong. After considering all my options, I decided to cook a Vietnamese stir-fry with garlic, Thai chilies from my garden, and some Vietnamese soy condiments.

Below: The beautiful, long eggplants

Unlike the first eggplants I harvested, which looked completely seedless and young, these had small seeds. Its flesh was soft, which made cutting it very easy. The knife cut into its flesh, and it was a clean cut each time. I loved the contrasting colors between its white flesh and its purple body.

Below: The eggplants’ flesh (on our bamboo cutting board)

The final product was delicious. I ate it over white rice. No need for extra seasoning. It was spicy because of the Thai peppers, but I like things a little hot. I also cut up one small cucumber (the remainder from the garden) and ate that on the side. Delicious meal!

Below: Yummy in the Tummy

And now some overdue photos of Luka. She’s growing and is SO hyper. I do love that wherever I go, whatever room I am in, that’s where you’ll find her. She sleeps most of the day when I am working, but at night, she gets all crazy and tries to attack my legs. It’s not her claws that bother me, it’s her teeth. It’s annoying, and I play fetch with her to try to calm her down. But this is no regular cat. She seems to have more energy than anything I’ve ever seen. She will continue to play for hours at a time. I’ll be playing with her sometimes, and she’ll start to pant like a dog. I stop because I think she’s too tired. But she runs up and down the stairs for fun, even when she’s panting. She doesn’t want to stop.

Is this odd for a cat to pant?

Anyway, enjoy!

On a final note, I want to introduce my friend Jan to the Gardening community. After working in the publishing world, Jan made a career move to become an artist. And she is a beautiful artist at that! Check out her art blog.

Recently, Jan decided to start gardening. Because fall is upon us, she has decided to try some veggies in containers. Please check out her gardening blog and welcome her to the community. Her gardening blog is at http://squarefootgarden-jan.blogspot.com/

Welcome Jan!

Death of the Cucumbers

2008-09-03T13:54:00.002-05:00

All things must come to an end, and it is now that time for my cucumber plants. This is a sad realization, but it is time to pull up all the plants. I've harvested the last of the cucumbers. They were small tiny things, barely larger than the palm of my hand. Although when I cut them up, they were not bitter and their seeds were regular size. They still tasted just as delicious as their larger brothers and sisters. Can you believe it? I was surprised. So I am still munching on the last of my crop.

Two months of cucumber production is pretty good, I think. And boy, did those plants produce. It seemed I was harvesting one or two large sized cucumbers each day. My family really ate them very quickly. I had dreams of pickling, but nope--we ate them like they were big cherries. Just ate them raw and also in salads.

Below: The end of the line...

As you can see in the pictures, there was one plant, one vine that was trying to survive and produce more. It was green, and there was a beautiful female flower with hope for new fruit. I was excited, but I decided that it probably wouldn't produce a decent size cucumber.

Below: New growth, new excitement
So I'm about to pull up all the cucumber plants. I want to plant more seeds for the fall and even winter, but I am wondering what to get. I think I'll have to order the seeds online because they no longer carry them at the Lowe's or Home Depot near my house.

I have some fall crops started, but what are some good winter crops that will survive? I'll be planting garlic bulbs this October, but what other options do I have?

Cabbage and Betty

2008-09-02T10:07:00.005-05:00

My lone cabbage head is slowly growing into an actual head. It looks pretty cool. I'm thinking it'll be October before I can actually harvest it. But it looks very pretty as it grows. And the bug problems that I had earlier in the summer are now just an old memory. The leaves look very healthy.

Below: The cabbage head

I have an update on Betty, the cantaloupe. She is looking pretty good, and it won't be long before I can harvest her and eat her delicious flesh.

Below: A picture of Betty from last week

Betty is actually a small cantaloupe, but I think her small size means that she will be much sweeter once I eat her.

Thai Peppers

2008-08-31T16:02:00.002-05:00

Despite my lack of success with bell peppers this year, our Thai peppers are growing strong. We have several bushes. These peppers are small but they do kick a nice punch.

Below: Thai peppers... and lots of flowers

My parents have grown Thai peppers in their garden for years. My entire life, I cannot recall a time when my dad did not eat these very hot peppers. He eats them raw with his rice. He'll take a bite of rice and take a bite of a Thai pepper.

I could never eat something so spicy, but I've been working on building my tolerance to these peppers. This year, I've been able to eat these peppers raw with my food and in Vietnamese dishes. It is strong, but I do like extra kick. Plus, I think Thai peppers do have added health benefits. I think it has vitamin C, B1, B2, D, and other good minerals that your body likes. My father has been eating these peppers since he was a young child, and he rarely goes to the doctor. Since moving to the US in 1991, I believe he's only been to see a doctor a few times. I think that's pretty cool.

Below: A few red Thai peppers

We only harvest the peppers when they are turn the bright red. There's a Vietnamese legend that says the hotness of the pepper depends on the person harvesting it. If it is a nicer person, the peppers won't taste as strong or hot. If it's a mean, cold person, the peppers will be extremely HOT!!!!

This year, they are HOT, lol. My mom was the one who harvested them. My dad says, "Guess what means about her?" LoL.

Both my parents are good people. So I guess the legend is false. =)

Happy Sunday.

The Eggplant Comes Out of Hiding

2008-08-30T16:43:00.003-05:00

The eggplants are producing again. In early August, they seemed to stop producing any flowers, and it was rather sad.

But within the last two weeks, all of my eggplants have gotten a second wind. One of the ichabod eggplants has two beautiful eggplants that are growing very lean and beautiful. They do have a few scars on them, but for the most part, they are elegant and long. I'm not sure when to harvest them. I'm afraid of I pick them too soon, they will be too immature. I might wait another week or so and then pick it. Maybe I'll make a casserole of some kind.

Below: Beautiful eggplants

My Black Beauty eggplant has not produced AT ALL this season. It's very depressing. The plant does have some flowers now, but I am not holding out hope. It'll be good if I do get some eggplants from it, but I won't count on it.

Have a great weekend!

Fall Planting Has Begun

2008-08-29T11:07:00.002-05:00

September is upon us... Can you believe how fast this summer has flown by? It is time for me to plant some seeds for fall. Because I live in Middle Tennessee, the weather won't start to get chilly until October, which means that many of my summer crops will continue to produce until then. That's why I've limited what I'm planting for fall.

Lettuce: I had already planted it in the spring, and I had planted some in my father's raised bed garden earlier this month (more about those next week). But for the square foot garden, I wanted to plant more lettuce. This time, instead of growing head lettuce, I'm growing romaine. And this fall, I will not wait for the lettuce to form a head. I will just go and eat it as the leaves become a nice size. And I'll try to eat it before it bolts.

Below: The romaine lettuce pack

I've never planted radishes or beets before, so this will be a new experience for me. I didn't plant too many of these seeds. I'm going to have four per square foot box, so I will probably have four of each plant: four beets and four radishes. I could have planted more, but I am not a huge fan of either vegetable.

Below: The beet and radish pack

I love to eat radishes in salad, and I love pickled beats. But those are basically the only ways I enjoy eating them.

This is a good year for me to try my hand at growing these. And if they taste much better than I've ever tasted, then I will grow more next fall.

DP's Homemade Apple Pie

2008-08-28T00:16:00.001-05:00

The apple trees in my parents' yard are still heavy with lots of delicious apples. This year, I had planned to make apple sauce, apple butter, and lots of apple pie. So far, the only thing I've done is make apple pie.

I don't have much time to experiment with different recipes, so I still plan to learn how to make all those delicious apple dishes... I just don't know. The good news is that the apple tree produces delicious apples every year, so I have lots of time on my side.

Below: My recent apple harvest

Today I want to share my special apple pie recipe. I also make pear pie, using the same recipe and substituting apples for pears. We're not big pear fans, so pear pie is a lovely substitute. Plus, it tastes exactly like apple pie.

Below: My Apple Pie

I made this apple pie for my writer's group last month, and everyone loved it. I got rave reviews. So if you have the time and the extra apples, I would recommend trying this dessert. It is YUMMY!

A little history on this pie: this recipe was first used by my American grandmother's mother. I've made a few changes to the pie filling, but the pie crust recipe is hers. It is a delicious and easy crust.

Below: A side view. I used the wrong dish to cook the pie in. Instead of using a pie pan, I used a cake pan... but it still turned out delicious!

DP's Special Apple Pie

For the crust:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup Crisco (butter can be used, if you prefer)
1/4 cup water

For the pie filling:

5 to 6 medium-sized baking apples, cored and sliced thin
1/2 to 2/3 brown sugar (tart apples need more sugar)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (very juicy apples need more cornstarch)
2 cinnamon sticks (or 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, add more or less, depending on your taste)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

First, make the crust. Sift the flour and salt in a bowl. Take out 1/3 cup of the flour and add 1/4 cup of water to form a paste. Add the Crisco to the remaining flour. Using a pastry blender, cut the Crisco into the flour until the mix becomes the size of small peas. Next, add the flour paste to flour mixture. Mix until the dough can be shaped into a ball. Roll out until large enough to fill a pie pan. (Use excess dough for top crust.)

For the pie, combine apples, sugar, salt, cornstarch, grated cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir until apples are well coated. Place them in layers in the pie shell. (Optional: dot with butter). Cover with a prickled upper crust (made from excess dough). Sprinkle the top with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Bake the pie at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake 35-45 minutes until done.

Enjoy!

Below: The filling of the pie. So gooey and so yummy!

Roma Tomatoes and Fall Carrots

2008-08-27T10:47:00.003-05:00

I love tomatoes, so it shouldn't be a shock to you that I'm also growing Roma tomatoes in the garden. I haven't mentioned these before because I've been having some bird trouble with these. It seems that as soon as they turn yellow, the birds come and poke big holes in them. I don't notice until I come and decide that it's time to harvest. Well no more! I've decided to start harvesting them early. As soon as they turn yellow, these babies are coming inside and ripening on the windowsill.

Below: My beautiful Romas

Another mistake of mine was not caging this plant. I should have, but due to laziness and life's business, I let this plant slip. I caged the other tomatoes because I planted them early in the season. I didn't plant the Roma until July, when life was getting very busy for me. Despite this, they are growing very well. The plant is on its side, which probably isn't good for it, but it produces tomatoes, and that's all I really care about.

I definitely think I should cage it soon. I'm getting there... The tomatoes are pretty delicious, and I love their oval shape. They are a nice size too. I've never bought Romas at the grocery store, so I wasn't sure how large they would get. But some are pretty big.

Onto carrots.

In the end of July, I planted more carrot seeds. I figured these would be my fall carrots. Now in middle Tennessee, it doesn't get very cold until mid-October, so I hope that these will survive and produce well.

Below: The carrots a few weeks ago

Below: The carrots now

I'm thinking I'll need to thin them out. But I have such a hard time doing it! I am a horrible gardener. I never want to thin out and throw away anything that I've planted. This will result in small carrots, I know. I will try to see if I can force myself to do it.

We'll see...

Lone Bell Pepper

2008-08-26T12:10:00.002-05:00

Isn't it interesting that some plants tend to do better than others, even when they are growing in the same soil? I find this extremely interesting.

This rings true for me. I have several bell pepper plants, but my harvest has been slow and rare. My red bell pepper plant in the front veggie bed has finally fruited... after two months of being dormant.

In May/June, it grew this beautiful red bell pepper. It was small, but still very red and very cute. But before I was able to harvest it, a bug or animal took a big chunk of it. So it was not edible. Finally, the same plant has begun to fruit more peppers.

Below: The new bell

I had given up on the plant. I figured it was dead. And I am very happy to see this new growth. The same plant is also flowering. There are two more flowers that are ready to give birth.

In the backyard, the bell pepper plants look awful. I've harvested two bell peppers from two different plants. Since then, I've seen nothing. Oh well. I wonder what I am doing wrong.

Bell peppers love heat, and it's been pretty hot here. Maybe there is something missing in the soil. I did add more manure to my soil, and that helped the other vegetables, but not the bell peppers.

Next year, I will devote either an entire raised bed or a square foot box to one plant or vegetable. That way, I can make sure that the soil composition is the same, and hopefully they will thrive.

Until next year, I am back to fall planting...

Death of Zucchini

2008-08-25T00:13:00.002-05:00

It is with great sadness that I report that my zucchini plant is dying. We have three plants in total; one is about to die and two are hanging on but no female flowers.

Growing zucchini has not been so great for us this year. I don't know why. Maybe it's the lack of correct nutrients in the soil, lack of rain, lack of space... but we only were able to harvest TWO zucchinis this year. Only TWO from an entire season!

Next year, I don't think I will grow the zucchini in the Square Foot Garden. I just don't think the square foot is big enough to accommodate its growth. They really do grow very large, and their stems and leaves are huge.

Below: The poor plant hanging over the SFG box

As you can see, the leaves are still green, but closer to the stem, it's all brown and dried up. It looks pretty dead to me. The plant is no longer fruiting--there are no more female flowers that give me any hope of future zucchinis.

Below: The dried stem of the zucchini

It's a bit strange that the stem is all dried but the leaves and branches of the zucchini plant are green and look healthy. But the entire plant is just too big for the square that it is planted in. I guess I didn't realize how large the zucchini plant actually grows. I tried to use a bamboo stick and try to make the plant grow vertical, but it didn't work.

Below: The beautiful green branches and leaves of the zucchini plant

And sadly, all the new flowers on the plant are male ones. I haven't seen any female flowers in such a long time. There were a few female flowers a few weeks ago, but they wilted away.

Below: Male flowers only...

Next year, I will plant these zucchinis in a vegetable raised bed. I hope they will do better next year. I'll need to research on what makes growing zucchinis an easier process.

Presents From TN Bloggers Dinner & Plant Flesh

2008-08-23T16:19:00.004-05:00

All of the garden bloggers that I met on Tuesday (I think it was) have already posted about our meeting. You can see photos of our gatherings at the various blogs:

Tina at In The Garden
Frances at Faire Garden
Dave at the Home Garden
Donna at Mother Nature's Garden
Gail at Clay and Limestone

Did I leave anyone out? I hope not.

I'm extremely late in blogging about our visit, but I must say that it was wonderful. It's great to finally meet people you've only been reading about. And it's interesting and funny how everyone has such a distinct personality and voice... and I feel like I've known them forever because I've been reading about their gardens.

I wanted to show you the gifts I received from our gathering.

First, Tina's extremely thoughtful and beautiful gift. She makes the most beautiful marker stones, and she had asked me what I wanted mine to say. I choose "Cam and DP."

Below: The beautiful marker stone! It now sits in the front vegetable bed. Everyone who walks to the front door will see it.

Frances and Gail handed out some plants to everyone. I got some daylilies. I still have to find a place to plant them. I'm thinking I will plant them near the mailbox. I just have to dig up all the rocks that the bad construction workers left there. (It was not a good company, and I am SO happy they are now out of business.)

Since I am not a flower person, I'm hoping that these don't die before next spring. LoL. My American grandmother tells me that daylilies are very easy to grow, so I am hoping this is true. She used to grow over 10 varieties in her garden, so I trust that she's right!

Daylilies sure are pretty. The only drawback is that they don't have an aroma, or a flowery smell to them. But they are pretty, so that's good. And they'll be perfect for cutting and putting into a vase. So I'm very excited.

Below: My new daylily plant.

Finally, I wanted to show you the flesh... the "body" of some of these delicious veggies and fruits that I've been eating.

I know some of you have been dying to see "Barney." He wasn't ripe when we picked him from the vine. I just got very excited because he was so big. And plus, we had so many new watermelon growing on the vine. So I decided to just pick him. He was picked way too early, but he was still pretty juicy and delicious. He doesn't look like he would be that good, but he REALLY was. Lots of flavor and very yummy! I can't wait to taste some of his other brothers and sisters. I bet if I let them ripen on the vine, they'll be 100 times better and 100 times more delicious. But he was pretty delish!

Below: Barney's "Bod"

I'll end with the flesh of the corn that my family ate last week. Remember, we had an amazing bounty, and it was ALL so delicious. We did take a picture of one of the corns before we boiled it. It was yellow and just so pretty.

Below: Yellow corn

Have a great weekend everyone!

Little Tomatoes and Weather Problems

2008-08-21T12:46:00.007-05:00

I can't concentrate today for some reason. I just can't. Grrr... I am a little frustrated. I've decided to blame it on the weather.

It is cloudy, and that's it. The rain isn't falling, and I hear no thunder in the distance. I would like to have some rain. We had some a few weeks ago (maybe longer?), but I would love some rain.

The worst thing is that this cloudiness and lack of rain is making me sleepy. I want to crawl into bed with a good book. Except, that's bad. Because I have to work. LoL.

Sorry for my rant. But I want the rain to come and soon.

On a happy note, my cherry and grape tomatoes are finally reddening. This time, it's not just one or two ripening at the same time... lots of them ripening together. More than enough for a salad or two or three. And they are so good. The best news is that the birds only poked a hole in ONE--- that's right, ONE tomato. I am so happy.

Below: The tomato harvest (side view)

Below: Tomato view (from the top)
There are a few that aren't as ripe, but I decided to snatch it anyway. It'll ripen from the windowsill. I don't want any chances of the birds getting them. They are so good and very juicy. The problem that I had with blossom end rot only affected a few. The rest are perfectly healthy and beautiful. I am so excited!

And now for my Luka update (Sorry I can't help but post pictures of Luka!). She finally calmed down (kinda) for one photo.

And this photo, I think is just so cute. What's she looking at? I have no idea. LoL.

Carrots at LAST!

2008-08-20T12:20:00.003-05:00

In May, I planted a bunch of carrot seeds. I was very careless about it. I planted several seeds in one hole, and continued in that fashion. And then I waited for them to grow. Their green tops came first. And now, three months after I first planted them, I decided to pull all of them.

Two of my carrots looked ready. Its orange flesh was popping out of the soil. I couldn't help myself. I took a picture and then I pulled it.

Three months is long enough!

Below: The carrots before I pulled them. Don't they look ready?

When I pulled them, I noticed that they were rather small. The carrots that you see in the grocery store are beautiful and long. Maybe that's because those farmers use chemicals to make them grow larger? Whatever the reason, I was rather disappointed. I did not use any chemicals on my carrots. I just watered them and let them grow.

Below: They don't look too bad. They are short, but still edible

I must confess that planting all those seeds in the one hole was a big mistake. I think I should have spaced out the carrots more. They would've had more room to grow and become a bit larger, I think. Oh well. Lesson learned.

Below: These carrots just look funny. They are joined at the "head," but they should still be delicious.

The above carrots were grown in the raised bed in the front yard. In the backyard, where the square foot boxes are located, we planted seeds at the edges of the square and planted other vegetables in the center of each square. As a result, the carrots are extremely small and funky-looking. But that's okay. Again, lesson learned. Next time, I'll do better.

Below: A line-up of carrots from the Square Foot Garden boxes

My sister put a bunch of the carrots in a soup that she made, and they were very sweet. Even though they were small, they were still packed with tons of flavor. So I guess I grew "baby carrots" instead of full-grown carrots. LoL.

I think I will pop a few more seeds in the ground and see if I can get a fall crop of carrots.

Yesterday, I met some of my fellow TN bloggers (Tina, Gail, Dave, Donna, and Frances), and it was a wonderful time. We talked about the most random things, but it was so great to meet everyone outside of the cyberspace. I'm hoping Tina will post pictures soon, and I will link.

Frances gave me daylilies, which I will plant soon. It will be my first attempt at growing flowers. Hmm, I hope they don't die. LoL.

And Tina made the most beautiful marker stones. I'll post pictures of that soon. I need to decide where to place it.

Ta ta!

Fresh Corn From the Garden-- Deliciousness!

2008-08-18T12:13:00.004-05:00

I must say that everyone who told me that fresh corn from the garden was simply heaven was right!

We didn't have much room in the garden this year for corn, but we squeezed it in. At my parent's house, I planted two rows of corn. I dropped three kernels in each hole, and I tried to space it out evenly.

As it grew, I was supposed to pull out some of the stalks, so that one stalk remained. But as the newbie that I am, I couldn't make myself do it. They were growing so beautifully and so well! So I left it alone. And fortunately, I live in an area where my only concerns are bugs. I don't have many rabbits or deer that like to roam in the yard. So growing the corn wasn't as big of a challenge as I thought it might be.

Below: The stalks of corn that grew...

As you see, the stalks didn't get very tall. I think that if I had spaced it out and planted only kernel per hole, the stalks might have been larger and the corn may have been more fruitful and bigger in size.

Below: A corn stalk with a nice size ear of corn...

Next time, I will space out the plants and pull some stalks (if I need to). But even with this mistake, we had plenty of corn from the garden.

Below: The corn harvest

Below: A closer view of the corn

It was just too bad that only one or two ears of corn grew on each stalk. I would have liked more corn to eat, but I am satisfied with this first attempt.

Below: The discarded stalks... Into the compost pile

We boiled all of the corn within 30 minutes of picking. I read that corn is the freshest and best tasting within this time frame. I don't know if this is true or not, but this corn was much more flavorful than any other corn that I've ever had.

The entire family ate and ate, and now it's all gobbled up. It was so yummy! I can't wait to plant more.

I wonder if there is still enough time in this season to plant more seeds. I believe it only took us two months (roughly) before we could harvest this corn. If I plant new seeds this week, do you think the corn stands a chance?

Nashville doesn't normally get cold until October. Hmmm....

One thing is for sure: corn is on the list of plants that I will grow again next summer.

Sickness and 48 Hour Movie

2008-08-16T15:55:00.005-05:00

I apologize for the lack of posts this week. I've been sick with a nasty cold. I'm getting better, but I'm still all stuffy. I've been in bed for the last few days. It's been rather yucky!

This has nothing to do with gardening. (I haven't been able to do much in the garden this week due to the cold). But I thought I would share my 48 hour film project.

In July, I participated in the Nashville 48 hour film project 2008. Basically, we had to make a short film (5-8 minutes) within 48 hours. We were assigned a character that had to appear in the film, a line of dialogue we had to used, a prop, and a genre.

Prop: Calendar
Character: Rob or Robina Hatch, Security Consultant
Genre: Sports
Line: My brother had one just like that

Here is our film. "Leaps and Bounds: The Skip Hopwell Story"

Enjoy!

Gardening-related posts coming up on Monday. I hope I'll feel better by then!

28-lb Watermelon... "Barney"

2008-08-12T13:43:00.003-05:00

Following Skeeter's great comment about naming my garden babies after the Flintstones, I'm going to name this new baby "Barney."

Below: My younger sister with Barney

As you can tell, Barney is a big ole watermelon! He grew from a small watermelon seedling that I bought at the store. And the watermelon vine spread... and spread, until it overtook my yard. But we let it grow because we wanted to eat juicy melons this summer.

After my mom came home safely from her tip in Missouri, the family decided to harvest one watermelon in her honor. We're going to wait a few days before we split "Barney" open, but he is one big melon! He came in at a whopping 28 pounds!!!! It took two people to lift him from the garden into the house!

I don't know what variety he is. He looks like a black diamond. I think he could have grown bigger on the vine, but we have about 5 or 6 other watermelon currently growing on the plant. So we decided to harvest Barney to give nutrients to the smaller melons.

I'm sure he'll be delicious. We did thump, and it does sound ripe. We shall see, and I shall post pictures!

Below: My sister doing a little "thumping"
And finally, this post would not be complete without, yet, another photo of Luka... trying to escape Barney's grasps.

Introducing Betty

2008-08-11T11:04:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend! As you probably know by now, I try not to blog on the weekends because I try to relax.

Happy Monday to everyone.

Although my dear cantaloupe, Freddie, was delicious and so juicy, he was not the lone cantaloupe (as I've recently found out). As Freddie matured, a new cantaloupe formed. I didn't know if it would die (as my other baby cantaloupe did), but it survived!

It's growing strong! Already starting to lose its fuzziness ("babyhood").

Below: Introducing "Betty"

I've decided to call this new cantaloupe "Betty." I love the "ie" sounds, lol.

Betty is now the lone cantaloupe on the vine, unless another baby forms. I'm thinking that she'll be the last one of the season. But you never know, I might get pleasantly surprised!

The End of Freddie

2008-08-08T15:13:00.004-05:00

Today, I bring you happy news... or perhaps tragic, depending on how you interpret it. Remember my lone cantaloupe, Freddie? I am happy to report that he has been harvested from the garden.

I've been waiting for him to become ripe for weeks. I didn't know when to harvest him, but Luka and I were taking a stroll in the garden yesterday, and as she was trying to chase the grasshoppers. (She was on her walking leash at this time; we had just finished Luka's afternoon walk), I happened to glance over at the Freddie. To my surprise, he had detached from the vine and just sitting there for me to pick up. Of course, there were ants all over him. But I picked him up and brought him inside to splice open!

Below: The ripe cantaloupe, Freddie!

I was a little concerned at first because he was now a yellowish color. Before he was a little green, but I guess this just means that he was ripe. At first, my sister wanted me to wait a few days before splicing him open, but I couldn't wait that long. I've been waiting for Freddie to be ripe for some time now, and I figured it was a good sign that he fell off the vine.

Below: But look, the stem end is still green. I think this is a good sign.

When I spliced Freddie up, I saw the orange goodness that made his flesh and it was yummy! SO juicy and just plain delicious. There aren't any other words for it. It was SO good. The best cantaloupe that I've ever tasted. Good cantaloupes from the store are hard to come by. This was amazing.

Below: Freddie's "body"

In sad news: the Vietnamese Catholic community is a very close-knit community across the U.S. So when we heard about the bus crash in Texas, everyone was extremely sad. My mom is actually at the religious festival that the people on the bus were headed. Here is the news article about the accident. Please pray for the families of those injured.

Fall Crops

2008-08-07T12:59:00.003-05:00

No new photos from the garden today, but my musings for fall crops. In SFG Box # 3, all of the corn has died from lack of water. Partial my fault, I moved the sprinkler, so it only hit box 1 and 2 and missed box 3 completely. It has been fixed now, but time to pull the dead corn.

And to replace the corn, I have four empty squares. What should I plant?

Here are my ideas:

-Broccoli
-More carrots
-Garlic
-Lettuce
-Spinach
-Peas

Anyone have any other suggestions?

I've never planted broccoli before, so it will be a fun experience. I plan to plant the seeds in small containers and transplant the seedlings at a later time. I read that was the best method.

We do have carrots in the garden, but we haven't pulled them. We don't know how long to wait before pulling them. We want nice-sized carrots to eat. So should I plant more carrot seeds? They take so long to grow.

Below: The carrot leaves before the zucchini got huge and covered them up

Tina from In the Garden had an amazing garlic harvest earlier this year. She said they were pretty easy to grow, so I'm gonna give them a try this fall. Tina--When is the best time to plant the garlic?

I grew lettuce in the garden earlier this year, and I had a nice harvest... until the slugs started eating the lettuce leaves. That was rather disgusting. I think this time around, I will not attempt another lettuce head variety. Maybe I'll experiment and grow romaine or iceberg. I love romaine lettuce... Maye red lettuce.

Below: My beautiful and yummy lettuce before it bolted and became inedible

We grew spinach this spring too. They were delicious when we ate them, but sadly, as soon as it got hot, the spinach flowered, and then died. Yikes. I may give it another go-around.

Finally peas. I planted them from seed this summer, but I guess the heat got to them, and they all died. I think they will be better suited this fall.

Below: The healthy seedlings before the heat got to them

Who knows if I'll actually get around to planting all these vegetables, but who knows? I just might!

Thanks to Dan from Urban Veggie Garden Blog for the info about fall crops.

Surprise Zucchini and More Luka Photos

2008-08-06T14:41:00.002-05:00

Unlike many other garden bloggers, my zucchini plants are not doing so hot. Although I get tons of new female flowers, they all end up withering and dying. The ends are soggy and brown, and the zucchini never gets very long. It has been very distressing, and I don't quite understand the cause of this phenomenon.

My first thoughts: maybe the soil is lacking some nutrient or it's the humid weather. Then, I did some research online and I have decided that the cause for this is zucchini blossom end rot!

According to this article I read, the reasons for this dilemma is due to lack of lime in the soil, watering unevenly (not enough water, too much water, etc.), and lack of nutrients in the soil. But in June, I had added some organic fertilizer to all of the boxes (plus I added black kow, which helped out immensely!) Is it time to fertilize again?

Oy! Well despite my horrible luck with zucchinis, I did have one zucchini plant that grew to adulthood, with no blossom end rot, whatsoever!

Alas, only one zuc, but it was a tasty zuc at that!

Below: The surviving zucchini

Below: Here's how we ate our lone solider!

I sauteed the zucchini with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and caramelized garlic. Add a dash of sea salt and voila! A delicious side dish! Cam called it "gourmet." I was proud because I randomly mixed some ingredients together. But it was pretty yummy.

The zucchini was delicious. Next year, I will grow zucchini again. But I will also try different varieties as well. Maybe even add in squash. Yum! I am so excited.

And now, I present you more photos of Luka. Carole from Bartoo Backyard Adventures, former co-worker of Cam, requested some new photos. So here you go!

My feisty, hyper, energetic 3-month old kitten is getting big... and sadly, she won't sit still for a photo. These new photos do not display her cuteness because we couldn't get a good shot. She kept blinking and moving. And though, she loves to bite (or nip), she's still a lot of fun. She likes liking my face too. I think it's cute.... And she enjoys drinking out of the toilet, which I find disgusting and try to dissuade.

Random Vegetation

2008-08-04T12:33:00.002-05:00

Very strange and random things are growing in my garden. Plants that I had lost hope for are coming back to life and fruiting, and I'm getting all sorts of strange shapes in the garden.

First, let's start with the jalapeno plant. I had bought a six-pack of jalapeno plants, but sadly, I let them sit in their carton for about two weeks unattended because I was too busy with tending to other matters in the garden. Then, after five of the six plants died, I decided to toss the carton. But I saw that there was one plant was still hanging on and it didn't look completely dead. So I planted it in one of the empty squares in the SFG Box # 1. Yesterday, to my surprise, look what I found!

A brand new jalapeno growing!

The plant is still small, and I believe this lone jalapeno has no other brothers and sisters. We had bought the jalapeno in hopes of making salsa. Obviously one jalapeno is not enough, but it is still quite a nice surprise! I wonder if it will grow any larger! Or even change color.

In another SFG box, I found that my pickling cucumber variety has spawn the fattest, strangest looking cucumber I have ever seen!

Below: A picklin' cucumber

It might be fat on the outside, but inside, it tastes just as fresh and cucumbery as the regular variety of cucumber that I've been harvesting from the garden. The picklin' variety isn't growing as quickly as the other kind, but it's still fun to eat. I think next year, I'll give this variety more space to grow and see how it does. I've noticed that my vegetables that have more space to grow tend to do better.

And finally, the last surprise: concord grapes! I had lost hope for the grape vine because it just wasn't producing. In the beginning of the season, there were two bunches of grapes. Then suddenly, one died and only one was left. I lost hope for the surviving bunch, so I stopped looking to see if it actually formed into grapes.

TADA... the surviving bunch of grapes ended up growing and edible. I'll admit, they aren't the most delicious tasting grapes, and they have seeds in them. But they are still cool.

Below: Surviving Grapes

Maybe next year's concord grapes will be better.

Slow Growing Cabbage

2008-08-02T23:15:00.003-05:00

About a month and a half ago, I planted a 50-lb cabbage seedling that I bought at Home Depot. It was small at first, but I figured it wouldn't take too long to grow. My lettuce only took a month before I could harvest it. I believed cabbage would be the same. (I really should read these labels more carefully, but I don't. When it says 75-80 days on the label, that's when I should start practicing patience).

But I tended to other vegetables and I waited for my cabbage to take shape. Then the bugs came. They poked nice big holes into each of the leaves. (I guess not that big, but still big enough to annoy me).

Below: The cabbage with the holes... In late June

Luckily, the inside leaves (I guess this is what forms the cabbage head) remained intact, and the bugs had managed to stay away. Then I got lazy about spraying the head with anything. I just let it grow. Each day, more holes and more nasty bugs eating my cabbage.

However, as of today, the cabbage has started to show the beginnings of a cabbage head. There are not as many holes in the cabbage leaves, so I'm thankful for that.

Below: The most recent photo of the cabbage. Doesn't it look so beautiful?

And now I have to be more patient because I will probably be able to harvest this cabbage head until the end of September. I'm so glad that Nashville summers last into late September, early October.

Tomatoes Are My Friends

2008-08-01T16:40:00.003-05:00

With all the talk about cucumbers, corn, and melons, I've neglected to update you on the status of the tomatoes. None have died. In fact, they are all producing like crazy. Actually, the grape tomato plant has grown so tall that the newest flowers reach the bottom of our tall deck.

Below: The grape tomato and the new flowers... Up high in the sky.

The grape tomato has exploded in size, and the number of baby tomatoes growing on the plant is phenomenal. There are just so many ones growing, and I'm so excited about it. The only problem that I have with this plant is that the tomatoes all ripen at different cycles, so I only get a small harvest every few days. I would love to get a huge harvest (a store-sized carton), but alas, my plant does not want to cooperate. Nevertheless, I am still psyched about all the new tomatoes that are growing.

Below: Lots and lots of grape tomatoes.
Below: Keep in mind, this following photo is not sideways. The grape tomato plant has grown so large that this is one branch that has grown over half of the square foot garden box. It has extended so far that it is almost at the edge of the box!

It's strange because the cherry tomatoes have not been as successful as the grape. The cherry tomato plant does have baby tomatoes growing, but it is not growing at the same rate as the grape. I thought the cherry tomato would be just as bountiful, but alas, it is not. Oh well. I'm enjoying the ones that are growing on the plant.

Below: Cherry tomato plant

The cherry tomatoes that we have are a little bit larger than the grape tomatoes. They both taste just delicious when we eat them, so I'm satisfied either way. I love having delicious tomatoes in the summer. It won't be the same this winter when all my plants die and I'm stuck with going to the grocery store to buy bland-tasting tomatoes that could possibly be tainted by e.coli. LoL.

Below: The newest harvest of cherry and grape tomatoes
By the way, I did listen to everyone's advice and I stopped pruning the tomato plants. I've just cut off any of the diseased, yellow, or dead leaves. But other than that, I've just let the plant grow and flourish. They have all done beautifully since I've stopped my overzealous pruning efforts. LoL. Just letting you know! :-)

The larger tomato varieties are growing nicely, but we haven't had a harvest in several weeks. Still, they are growing and we have several tomato candidates that I'm looking forward to. Thankfully, birds have stayed away from the tomatoes lately. I think its because the foliage of the zucchini has prevented them from spotting any of my tomatoes. Hopefully, this will continue to be the case. If not, I will be pretty steamed.

Below: Big Boy Tomatoes...

Below: Rutledge Tomatoes

Below: I think this is the Whopper tomato. It is the largest of the big varieties. I'm most excited about this one!

And finally, I end with a wild kitten on the hunt.

Oh, by the way, I let her outside yesterday while I was tending the garden, and she climbed, not ONE, but TWO trees. I had to yell at her to get down before she climbed down. She is getting too wild... Only three months old, and I may need to invest in a pet GPS.

Rainy and Cloudy Days

2008-07-31T14:29:00.002-05:00

Finally!

After all those funny dances in my backyard.... And the neighbors looking at me like I'm a crazy woman... (No, not really. But isn't that a funny image?)

The clouds have been angry, the sky cried, and the thunder rumbled. The earth was blessed by the wet rain drops, and my plants drank it all up.

IT RAINED!

(And of course, I have to take a zillion photos! Hehe!)

I have not been so excited for rain in such a long time. I did rain once last week (and I think it rained when I was on vacation), but for two days in a row, the rain has come and I've noticed! This means, no watering on my part. No need to get out and facing the nasty bugs that love to bite on my legs and crawl all over my arms and take my sweet blood. (Mosquitoes are getting quite a problem in my neck of the woods...)

My plants don't have a problem with all the rain. They are loving it up! Especially the melons. I'm still waiting for the day when I can pick those sweet watermelons and Freddie....

And by the way, Freddie has a new sister. More on her, next week. I shall call her Betty. I hope she survives her childhood diseases and grows up big and strong!

Now to show you what one of the cucumbers looks like, once you cut it open:

The seeds are a little larger, but not any larger than the ones I tend to buy at the grocery store. And you can taste the freshness of it. So yummy and delicious. And remember those five, long cucumbers I had last week? ALL GONE! I never had a chance to pickle it. My family eats those like they are candy.

My father says that the plants are not producing enough for us, and we have about eight cucumber plants, and all are producing pretty regularly. Isn't that crazy? Maybe next year, we'll plant two beds full of cucumber plants... So you think 14 will be enough to satisfy the cucumber-crazed family?

My Favorite Herb: Houttuynia Cordata

2008-07-29T14:55:00.004-05:00

Growing up, my parents were avid gardeners. As I've written about in the past, they used to be farmers in Vietnam, and gardening and farming go hand-in-hand. When we moved to the United States, our first house was one with ample land. But we rented, and although our landlord was one of the nicest men, my parents didn't feel comfortable tearing up the nice grass for their gardening excursions. Instead, they chose a small patch of land to garden on. But due to the space and weather constraints, they decided against growing any vegetables. Instead, they decided to grow traditional Vietnamese mints and herbs.

Today, I want to take time and pay tribute to my favorite herb of all: Houttuynia Cordata or giấp cá in Vietnamese.

Many Americans use this herb as ground cover, but any Vietnamese gardener who grows this will use as part of their diet, their cuisine. It has a distinct smell and a very distinct flavor. Cam can't stand the smell of it, and he gags if I try to make him eat it. Most mints have a strong flavor, but this one isn't just strong. It has a somewhat sour, fishy flavor. I love the tangy flavor, and I will eat this raw with my rice. I'll eat like it's lettuce or something. I just love it.

My parents sell giấp cá to some of the Asian grocery stores in town. Because of its smell, you won't ever find it in any of the regular grocery stores. But despite this, this plant is so pretty, and the flowers are delicate, white and yellow.

Be warned though, if you plant this in your garden, it will spread. It spreads like crazy. It's not a problem for us because we eat it so quickly that we welcome the growth. I've read that the aldehydes and ketones of the plant are the source of its smell.

The herb is also used often in Chinese and Vietnamese herbal medicine. It has been medically proven to have antibacterial effects. When the plant is dried and brewed, herbal doctors have used it to treat hypertension, pulmonary tuberculosis, colds, constipation, para nasal sinustics, pus removal, as a diuretic, and even allergies.

Even though I've lived in Nashville since I was 7, I have never fallen ill due to allergies. Almost everyone I know has some kind of allergy. I believe that because I've been eating this herb since I was little, its medicial effects have helped me grow into a stronger person.

I think mints and herbs are awesome. I thought I would share.

Corn in the Making

2008-07-28T19:02:00.003-05:00

Corn is growing beautifully in the garden. The stalks aren't as tall as I thought they would be, but obviously they have pollinated and beautiful baby corns are growing out of the corners of the stalk.

We have deer that roam these areas, but so far, they haven't disturbed the garden. These have been growing peacefully and without any injuries. I'm so excited! I have never tasted fresh corn from the garden.

They say that corn tastes best if boiled within 30 minutes of harvesting.

Only a few weeks left to go! Yay!

This Week's Harvest

2008-07-26T18:06:00.002-05:00

This has been a rather good week for us in the garden. The tomatoes continue to ripen, and I was able to harvest two regular-sized tomatoes (no bird holes, thank you!) and lots and lots of cucumbers and green beans.

The apples still continue to grow on the tree, and I haven't harvested any additional ones because I don't have the time to devote to make delicious apple desserts. I did have a request to post the recipe for the apple pie, so when I find the time, I will reveal my culinary secrets to you. :-)

Below: Tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans

Below: Two views of more cucumber harvests.

The cucumbers are growing at an amazing pace. We harvest at least one every day. I think that I'll seriously must learn how to pickle soon. When work slows down and I have extra time, I will have to make some dill pickles with these delicious and crunchy cucumbers of mine! There are just way too many to eat all at once!

Hmm, I wonder how much longer the cucumber plant will produce. I'm hoping it won't stop until fall. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

The green beans are growing wonderfully too! The leaves on the plants have a few holes, but thankfully, the bugs haven't gotten to the beans yet. They are still green and perfect, no mark of nasty bugs!

Happy Gardening!

The evolution of the lone cantaloupe

2008-07-24T18:19:00.003-05:00

Today, I will tell the tale of the lone cantaloupe, and how it grew in my garden. Sit back in your chairs, take a sip of coffee, and relax.

Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Nguyenland, a petite gardener with black, shoulder length hair saw a green seedling at the marketplace. Hmm, she thought. A fresh cantaloupe in the summer time would be a wonderful idea.

S0 with the help of the king, she went home and planted the poor seedling amongst her other vegetables. Two tomato plants, three eggplants, and one cabbage head. She planted the cantaloupe seedling in the middle of her bed.

When the day was over, and sweat overcame the young gardener, she overlooked her cantaloupe seedling and smiled. This will work out wonderfully, she mused.

As the days and weeks passed, the small seedling grew and expanded in the bed. One day, our young friend came out and found beautiful yellow flowers underneath the green foliage.

How exciting! She thought. A little babe is just around the corner!

The weeks continued to pass, and the insects and bugs came out of hiding. But that did not deter our gardener. She came out every day to water and to check her plants. The mosquitoes, ticks, and chiggers took large chunks of her legs... And yet, she still watched her plant patiently, awaiting the big day.

Then one day in June, she came out and was shocked to find not one, but two baby cantaloupes had formed! Female flowers! She gasped!

Sadly, one of the baby 'lopes died in the coming weeks. But one remained strong. A fuzzy little one gave her hope of the future!

And this little cantaloupe grew... and grew. Despite the heat and drought, the little thing did not give up. It grew slowly at first... Then the fuzziness of its childhood started to fade away. The young gardener could not be happier to see her baby grow!

On one sad day, the young gardener had to say good-bye to her garden--temporarily. She headed to the beach for a week for fun, relaxation, and a tan. She slowly walked away from her cantaloupe--which she decided to name Freddie.

Good-bye, Freddie. I hope you grow big and strong, she said.

A week passed, and when she returned, she saw that Freddie had grown larger than she had expected. And all of his fuzziness had disappeared. In its place, a thick white skin had appeared.

And only a short week later, Freddie grew and became recognizable as a small cantaloupe! Although he still has some growing to do, our young gardener is slowly anticipating the day when she can harvest Freddie and slice him open for a summer's day treat!

I hope you enjoyed the story of young Freddie and his beginnings. :-)

Now to end on a silly picture of Luka being funny!

Apples Everywhere... What to do.... What to do....

2008-07-23T21:09:00.002-05:00

The apple trees are drooping with a zillion apples! Or maybe a couple hundred. We have two apple trees in the yard, and unfortunately in the front yard too! It's not the most aesthetically pleasing location, but these trees have made this place home. It's rather sad because the drooping limps are blocking half of the driveway. I bumped my head a few weeks ago trying to get out of my car! Not fun! But the apples are the biggest reward!

Below: Lots and lots of apples!

When we bought the house close to 10 years ago, the front yard was empty. So my parents took the family to Lowe's and we (my younger sister and I) got to pick out the trees to plant in the yard. We picked out two apple trees, one plum tree, and one pear tree. The variety for the apple trees is "golden delicious." However, they are more tart than they are sweet. They are wonderful baking apples, and I do enjoy eating them raw.

For 2-3 years after we planted the tree, the harvest was slow, but the tree was small. As it grew in size and as the years passed, the apples became more abundant and they grew larger in size. I think this years harvest beats the others. The apples are larger and a little bit sweeter. Last year's frost pretty much killed all of the fruit trees in our yard, so I'm quite excited about this year's crop!

Below: My latest harvest of apples

My sister has also been busy harvesting apples to give to her co-workers. As for me, I enjoy finding different ways to cook and use the apples in the kitchen. Yesterday, I baked a home-made apple pie for my writer's group. Homemade crust and home grown apples-- There's not a better combination.

Everyone loved the pie, and they even asked for the recipe. What better compliment can you get? I love baking pies, pastries, and cakes. I actually love cooking in general, so I was excited to hear that someone other than my close family and friends enjoys my cooking!

Below: Yummy homemade apple pie, and a slice of the pie!

In addition to baking apple pies, I had to find other ways to use my apples. I plan on making apple sauce, apple crisps, apple butter, and apple preserves this summer. I might not get to all of these, but it's fun to think about.

Below: Following my apple theme, here's what I had for lunch today.

As the main dish, I had lightly battered and fried tilapia, topped with baked apples (cooked in butter and agave nectar). For sides, I had sauteed spinach with caramelized garlic and a piece of apple pie. It was delicious!

Below: A closer look at my culinary creativity at work!

The meal was actually pretty good. I'm usually a creative cook. Although I sometimes follow recipes, most of the time I don't. I see what I have, and I create meals with my on-hand ingredients. Although it's not always successful, it never goes horrible awry. I really enjoy cooking. I think I would make a lovely Southern wife and housewife. LoL.

Anyway, what are some of your suggestions for my apples?

Film Project Over & Green Beans!

2008-07-22T10:27:00.004-05:00

The film project is finally over, and I am exhausted! For those who are interested, basically the 48-hour film project challenges local filmmakers to write, shoot, edit, and produce a 7-8 minute short film within 48 hours (2 days). On Friday night, we are given a genre, a line of dialogue , and a character and occupation that we must use in the film. We have the rest of the weekend to put the thing together. But it's exhausting to try to do all of that in 48 hours. Yikes! But we made it. We drew the "Sports" genre, and the result was a hilariously funny short film. I played the Sports Agent. LoL. Can you just imagine!

The screening will be on Wednesday, July 30th at 9 p.m. at the Belcourt Theatre in Hillsboro Village. I'm in Group D. It should be fun. Tickets are $7.50 to see all the short films in Group D.

In the garden, the green beans are growing very nicely. I believe the variety that I'm growing is the bush type. As you've seen, I harvested a small number of beans last week (as posted Saturday), and there are more growing in its place.

I have to hold the branches up in order to see the healthy beans. I guess the weight of the green beans is too heavy for the plant, so many of its branches are lying on their side. I think this is okay because the beans seem to be producing regularly and are very healthy and delicious.

My question now is... After you pick the beans, do more flowers grow in its place? Or is this the end of the cycle? How many beans normally grow on one plant? Anyone know the answer?

We planted these from a packet of seeds. We have two rows of them. One row is growing in the shade, and the other is in full sun and is protected by the tall corn stalks. So far, each row is producing regularly and I haven't seen any scarring or bug damage on the plants. The shaded row seems to be producing quicker than the one in full shade, but I've harvested green beans from both locations.

The first harvest of green beans was small, but it made delicious Vietnamese green beans and egg stir-fry. (See Left photo).

I stir-fried the beans with scrambled eggs, onions, garlic, and fish sauce. I ate the dish over rice, and it was very good.

I can't recall any American-cuisine dishes that use eggs and green beans together.

What do you cook with your green beans?

This Week's Harvest

2008-07-19T18:14:00.002-05:00

I'm participating in the Nashville 48-Hour Film Project this weekend, so I don't have much time to post or comment on friendly blogs. Anyway, I wanted to show you my vegetable harvest for this week! It's been very fruitful week! The harvest is plentiful and everything is delicious!

Apples, green beans, cucumbers and eggplant!

I'm participating in the Nashville 48-Hour Film Project this weekend, so I don't have much time to post or comment on friendly blogs. Anyway, I wanted to show you my vegetable harvest for this week! It's been very fruitful week! The harvest is plentiful and everything is delicious!

Watermelon... Only a Few Weeks Longer!

2008-07-18T17:53:00.003-05:00

Remember the cute little watermelon of last week? The ones that were growing at a rapid pace, and I was excited about?

Here's a reminder!

Well no more! These tiny little suckers have grown into very large and nice size melons. It is still too early for me to harvest anything... Though I do have a desire to slice them all open! (lol).

Below: This is what I found growing in my garden when I returned from vacation...

There are several watermelons that are very large, and one that is medium size. I don't know what variety they are, but I'm sure excited about them. Only a few weeks left to go and I can have some fresh watermelon from my garden!

How much longer do you think I'll have to wait?

The cucumber... My first plentiful harvest!

2008-07-17T12:16:00.003-05:00

Last week, I had only faint signs of potential cucumbers. The female flowers had begun to make their appearance, and I was excited about the possibilities. Happily for me, when I came back from vacation, I found not one or two, but at least five large cucumbers growing in the garden. They were all a good size, and because I can't eat them all at once, I picked two of the largest cucumbers.

Below: This week's cucumber harvest

The cucumbers are a nice size, very long in length. I think the size is comparable to what you would find in the stores. But the taste is fresh and very strong. It has that cucumber taste from my childhood.

The cucumbers from the supermarkets taste watered down to me. Have any of you tasted the difference in fresh produce now (2008) compared to 10 years ago? I think I've tasted a big difference. Over time, I haven't noticed. It was only this summer, when I tasted my own vegetables, have a noticed the huge difference in flavor! Craziness, I tell ya!

Below: The many, many cucumbers that are growing at a rapid pace in my garden!

Below: The only stubbly cucumber I have... A different variety and growing rather slow. It's the only one of its kind, so far!

To accommodate the growth of these 'cukes, I've been eating cucumbers with every meal. I've been adding them to salads and just eating cucumber slices by the slice. And on top of that, I've been eating them with white rice and stir-fry. They feel so fresh and delicious! Anyone want one? :-)

Eggplants in the making

2008-07-16T21:16:00.003-05:00

In the garden, we have two eggplants in the making. They are beautiful and growing strong. No sign of bug infestations or anything like that. Now the question is, when are eggplants ready for harvest?

Below: This eggplant looks ready, but when we picked it and cut it open, it was not ready and had no seeds.

Below: Here is a newly formed eggplant that I found when I came back from my vacay. In about a week, it will be the same size as the above.

For those who know, in the future, how long should I wait before I pick? Cucumber update on the way tomorrow.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day- July 2008

2008-07-15T11:05:00.003-05:00

Thank you Carol at May Dream Gardens for hosting such a cool event. I've never participated in anything like this, but there's a beginning for everything. What an exciting day to unite with other garden bloggers participating in this event.

Welcome to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: July 2008 at Square Foot Gardening in Nashville. Although my garden is not a flower garden, my vegetables and fruit are full of beautiful blooms. It's July, and the harvest season has begun in the garden. The flowers are numerous and continue to bud and bloom every day.

I have one almost-fully grown eggplant, and the flowers on the Ichabod eggplants show promise of more vegetables to come.

Below: Ichabod eggplant flowers

I love the purple color of the flowers. The eggplants are the only non-yellow or white fruiting flowers that are growing in the garden.

Below: The tomato flowers are numerous and many. After I stopped pruning, all of the tomato plants have come alive and new flowers form and bloom each day. (Not to mention fruit!)

The cucumbers are also growing strong. Harvest time is about to begin. The cucumber flowers are also a bright yellow, similar to the tomatoes. Both the males and female flowers are yellow, and they brighten my day every time I go and take a peek.

Below: The cucumbers are in full bloom

The watermelon is growing strong, and the actual melon is HUGE! It's grown 75 percent bigger since I saw it last week. (Photos coming up later this week). Its flowers are lovely when they are completely open. The female flower isn't as magnificent, but it's still pretty.

Below: Watermelon flowers
And now finally, some white in the garden. The flowers on the beans are in bloom. It is a white color, and the blooms are rather small in size. Some baby beans have started to appear out of the older blooms.

Below: Flowers on green beans

Back from Vacation!

2008-07-14T20:12:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I've arrived safely back in Nashville. My vacation was amazing... The beach was gorgeous, and the boardwalk was so fun. We went to the beach every day, walked everywhere and had tons of seafood! So yum! I'll post pictures as soon as I have time.

The flight home was hectic. I was supposed to arrive home last night, but my flight was canceled because of the weather. So we didn't get a flight until this morning. Then the luggage was lost because Atlanta's airport closed down, and over 500 bags were in limbo. Crazy!

On top of this, my laptop broke yesterday. My sister dropped it, and it broke my screen. It'll be too expensive to fix, so I bought a new one. *sighs* Quite an eventful trip.

The garden is booming! I will share new pictures later this week. Before I left, I noticed that our eggplants had formed! It was exciting! The eggplant is a lovely purple, and it's rather large now. The plant is rather low on the ground, and so I wonder what will happen if the vegetable grows too long for the height?

Below: The eggplant (circa last week)

I'm a little concerned about the zucchini. One of our zucchinis died. And the plant leaves have some strange coloring on them. I wonder what it could be. Anyone have any ideas?

Below: The dead zucchini

Below: The leaves have odd coloring...

Well one good thing about the zucchini plant: there are replacement zucchinis on their way. Hopefully these will grow to full size and make a delicious side dish!

Below: The new female flowers

An Appearance of Corn

2008-07-09T22:11:00.002-05:00

Before I left for my vacation, little ears of corn have started to appear in my garden. I don't know if they will actually grow successfully, but for now, I think it's pretty exciting!

I know several of you have had difficulty growing corn in the past. What should I expect in the weeks to come? Do I need a scarecrow to scare away any critters that might want to take a gobble?

Below: The baby corn
I had not expected the corn to come this early. Actually, I had given up on growing corn. My plants lagged behind for the longest time, and they were yellowing. on the edges. I figured death would come upon the corn sooner or later. And I'm so pleasantly surprised that my plants are actually starting to pick up.

Below: SFG Box # 3 in which the corn is planted. It's filling out very nicely.

Before I sign off, I must leave you with pictures of my first days in Ocean City, NJ. It's located near Atlantic City, and my hotel is within walking distance of the 2-mile boardwalk and the beautiful ocean! Of course, birds are everywhere, and if you're not careful, they will poop on your head. Ha! But that's the fun of the bird walk.

It gets very cool at night, and I had not expected that. Sometimes in the afternoon, it feels like you are sitting in air conditioning. The weather is so cool. If only Cam didn't have to work. He would love it here. Gorgeous days and cool nights.

Tomato Harvests and Not So Fun Surprises

2008-07-07T23:28:00.003-05:00

It is harvest time in the garden. Several of the large tomato varieties have started to grow at a tremendous speed, and they are ripening on time. BLT sandwiches with tomatoes from my garden are just what I crave!

Below: Tomatoes from the Garden

I try to pick the tomatoes when they are a light to darker orange color, and they ripen to a perfect red in the window sill. Sometimes, however, I get busy with life and forget to harvest the tomatoes... and the birds decide it's fun to poke holes in the delicious fruit.

Below: The damage from the birds. Grr....

The tomato is still good to eat. I just cut off the part that was damaged by the birds. Sadly, the owl that I had bought to keep the birds away hasn't helped. It was supposed to ward off predators, but they figured out it was a fake.

And now the harvest from the garden. Cherry, grape, and Whopper tomatoes. (And other large varieties that I don't have the name of...)

Below: From the windowsill: The Ripe

The newly harvested. Will ripen in several days.

I'm off to Ocean City, New Jersey! I don't know how often I'll be able to post, but you may see more pictures sooner than later.

First cucumbers!

2008-07-06T20:57:00.003-05:00

After a very slow month, my garden is really starting to come to life! First the watermelon started to fruit and now the cucumbers have decided to grace my garden. I'm going to have so many cucumbers to harvest... I don't know what to do with it all. I guess I'll have to learn how to make pickles! Or eat LOTS OF SALAD! Or make a cucumber and tomato sandwich. Yum!

Below: My cucumbers at my parents' raised bed garden

Because cucumbers have a tendency to spread, we decided to use bamboo sticks to help them grow vertically. The bamboo sticks (above) come from my parents' very own bamboo bush. My mom and I ventured into the bamboo "forest" in the backyard and cut down the larger, stronger bamboo stalks to use on the cucumber plants.

Below: The bamboo "forest" in the backyard

Bamboo also has a tendency to spread like crazy. You have to work very hard to maintain it. Each spring, we go into the backyard and dig up the shoots that form outside of the designated area. It's hard work to keep the bamboo forest in its correct location, but the bamboo is very beautiful and very useful in gardening.

Below: The cucumbers that have started to form

These cucumbers are best suited for salads because they will end up having smoother skin. The flowers are beautiful, and the cucumber itself is lovely to see. For several weeks, the cucumber plants have been growing with only male flowers. It's refreshing to see the female flowers and the cucumbers.

Since my plants have started to give birth to vegetables and fruit, I've been able to determine which flowers are male and female. In the beginning of my garden adventures, I was completely clueless. And now I can spot the different types. A very cool feeling to know a little something about gardening!

Below: The cucumbers in the square foot garden

At Cam's house, I also used bamboo sticks to allow the plants to grow vertically. These cucumber plants were replacements that we bought after our first batch failed due to illness. So far, no disease (the roots are not split in two), and these plants have also started to have female flowers.

The variety of cucumber is the picklin' type. They have rougher skin and I believe they are called pickling cucumbers. Anyway, there are so many cucumbers growing in this square. I'm excited about the possibilities!

The Melons Have Arrived!

2008-07-05T18:01:00.003-05:00

The fruits of my labor have finally arrived! The over abundance of yellow flowers from the watermelon and cantaloupe plants have given birth to baby melons. It’s so refreshing to see them. And they are growing so fast. The melons seem to be getting larger each day.

Below: The baby watermelons

There are five baby watermelons in total. They are growing at different rates, but you can already see the stripped markings on its skin. They are going to get so HUGE. I don't remember what variety the watermelons are (the tag has been blown away by the wind), but I do know that this variety is not seedless and can grow up to 60 pounds. It might be a hybrid of some kind.

I hope the vine can accompany its growth. I had thought about the trellis/fence idea for these melons, but after seeing this fruit, I’m going to leave the melons alone. I’m afraid that if I do anything, it may strain the plants and hurt my chances of getting ripe and juicy watermelon.

Below: Baby cantaloupe

One of the cantaloupe flowers has given birth a rather nice size baby cantaloupe. Its skin is rather fuzzy right now, and I’m guessing that it becomes smoother as the cantaloupe grows in size. In another month, I shall be feasting on some delicious homegrown fruit!

Maybe the watermelon and cantaloupe will grow at different rates, so I can harvest them at convenient times. Ha! I doubt this, but one can always hope.

For now, I’m excited to see this growth!

Vegetable and Fruit Flowers

2008-07-03T00:39:00.003-05:00

ANNOUNCEMENT! I am finishing up a big project, so I won't be able to blog as much as I have been. Plus, next week, I'm off on vacation with my sister to Ocean City, New Jersey. I will blog as much as I can because I enjoy doing this so much. But if I lag behind, you know the reason why! :-) But do come and visit often! I love knowing that people actually read what I have to say. LoL!

On to gardening business....

I must say that I am girlie-girl and I absolutely love flowers. Of all kinds, especially pink and other bright colors. Just walking around in my garden, I've noticed that my fruits and vegetables have the most delightful flowers. Not only are these flowers pretty to look at, they give me hope of delicious harvests! Most of them are yellow in color, and occasionally I will find a white flower.

Enjoy the beauty of my flowers. I love these because they are best of both worlds. Lovely to enjoy, and they are the sign of hope to come!

Below: The beautiful eggplant flower that has bloomed and now is giving birth to a tiny, purple veggie

The watermelon flowers are numerous, and though the plant has wrecked havoc in terms of space, its flower reminds me of how simple life can be.

And finally, the male flowers on my cucumber plants....

Attack of the melons

2008-07-01T13:25:00.003-05:00

When I decided to grow watermelon in the raised bed, my father said to me "this is not going to work. It's going to take up too much space." I ignored him and was adamant that I would have watermelon by the end of the summer. Oh how naive I was!

I planted three small watermelon seedlings from Lowe's. They were so cute, and I didn't think they would take over like they did... But man, they are growing and taking over everything!

Below: Take a look!

These watermelon plans share a bed with some roses (mostly dead now because the season has passed), corn, and edible elephant ears. I think the official term is "called taro, but its a variety of the elephant ear decoration plants that many Southern gardeners plant. My family plants the edible variety. We plant them for food. My mom makes a spicy tomato and bean sprout soup with it.

Below: Edible elephant ears

We planted the watermelon 13 inches away from each other, and you would think that would be enough. But it's not! They are growing and starting to intersect with each other. It's like one big line of watermelon leaves. Crazy!

Does anyone have any advice on how I can control its growth? I wouldn't think allowing the vine to grow upwards would work. The watermelons would be too heavy for the vine to support it. Do I just live with this problem with no solution in sight?

Maybe the watermelon fruit at the end of the summer will be my reward.

Below: The watermelon flowers. All male...

The watermelon isn't the only melon that is spreading and taking over! The cantaloupe has grown and is really taking over too! It has a dozen or so yellow flowers.

Below: The cantaloupe (In the middle of the bed)

One good thing about the cantaloupe is that there is a tiny baby cantaloupe that is going to be formed! It's fuzzy right now, but so very adorable!

Below: The baby cantaloupe and its momma flower

So I pose the question again: how do I control these melons from going wild and taking over?

What's up with my corn?

2008-06-30T20:22:00.003-05:00

I just want to thank Skeeter for pointing out that adding lime to the soil actually means adding mineral lime... and not the fruit that you make juice out of. I'm still laughing at how silly that must have sounded to you seasoned gardeners!

Cam won't stop laughing at me. He keeps shaking his head at me. I guess he knew what everyone meant. I truly thought you added an actual lime to the soil and let it deteriorate. LoL.

I really needed that laugh after being stuck at a doctor's office for 3 hours!!! Grr, aggravating day.

Anyway... I took a look at the corn plants at Cam's and noticed something unusual. Some of the corn plants are yellowing around their edges, and they haven't grown any taller for several weeks. I had decided to give up on these plants (hence the reason I planted two rows of corn at my parents' house. That corn is thriving!)

Below: What exactly is happening to the corn?

Does this mean the corn plants are about to die? Cam and I have no idea what it is. I don't think it could be an actual ear growing... Anyone know?

Zucchini Surprise and A Solution to the Drought

2008-06-29T18:11:00.004-05:00

Well I had a surprise waiting for me when I arrived at Cam's house today. I've been so preoccupied with the garden at my parents' house, and the past week has been especially busy for me, full of birthday parties and a big project I've been working on. I neglected to check on my SFG... To my shock, I found a nice size zucchini had grown out from one of the flowers!

It's not a full size one, but it's a good start. This zucchini had grown from a flower that seemed to never bloom. Each time I checked on it, the flower was closed up. It never opened. I was distraught and thought it was a male flower. But tada.... I was wrong!

Below: First zucchini of the year!

This zucchini plant is the largest in the garden. It was the first one to be planted and has been growing much better than the others. It's located in SFG Box #1 near the tomatoes and carrots. Unlike the other zucchinis, this one never succumbed to horrible disease (the splitting of the stems). I'm so excited... Just think, in a few weeks, I'll be able to harvest this squash and taste it!

Below: Let's not forget Luka, who enjoys hiding in the foliage near the zucchini! She's getting so big. *sighs* Soon she'll no longer be a kitten.

From the looks of the carrots (next to the zucchini), they should be ready to be picked in a month or so. They are just filling up that square. They are growing so slowly though. This might be due to a watering problem--or lack of water--that I've encountered.

Although Cam and I will most likely get married next year, I'm still living in Nashville. So I don't get to come over to visit my SFG as much as I would like. Cam is the one responsible for watering my plants each morning and afternoon. (He is also the financer of my garden project.) Unfortunately, his work has been taking him away and my poor plants have not been getting the amount of water they need to thrive.

But we have solved the watering problem. Becuase the weather isn't cooperating. There was a little bit of rain last night, but light showers. It's been incredibly hot in middle Tennessee... lots of sun and very little rain.

Cam and I have set up a sprinker to water our plants in the mornings and afternoons. It's small, but it does water back and forth and all of the SFG boxes are getting covered with water. I think this will help with the drought problem that my plants are experiencing. Now, they will get their 1 inch of rain a week. Hopefully more.

Below: The new sprinker

A Line-up of Tomatoes

2008-06-28T17:23:00.002-05:00

I thought I would share with you the newest harvest of grape and cherry tomatoes. For the most part, they are pretty healthy...

Instead of letting them ripe on the vine (out of fear that the birds would poke holes into them), I started to harvest them when they are an orange color. As you can see below, some of the tomatoes have ripened to a delicious red. The others are still catching up. I don't know what happened to the tiny one, but it started to change color before its size got any better.

Sadly, on about three of the tomatoes, there is a little bit of blossom end rot. It's not horrible, and the tomatoes are still edible. It's more annoying than anything else. Luckily, the larger varieties of tomatoes don't have any signs of this fatal disease... not yet anyway. I'm keeping an eye on it.

Below: The victims

Cam and I have enjoyed several of the cherry and grape tomatoes. They do taste so much better, so much sweeter than the tomatoes you can buy at the grocery store. Yum! Every time I taste one, it's like a piece of candy in my mouth. Mm-hmm!

As an attempt to protect our tomatoes from the evil birds, Cam and I bought this funny looking owl to ward off predators! We put him next to the larger tomato varieties. We don't want to lose any of these tomatoes to the birds. Grr!!! So hopefully this plastic owl will do the trick!

Below: The owl...

We do move his position every few days, so maybe the birds will think he's actually real. My kitten, Luka, is scared to death of him. If we place the owl near her, she starts walking sideways, with her claws all out and her hair on its end. It's really cute. She hasn't pouched at him yet, but we try to keep the two separated!

Told You I’d Do It! The Making of Homemade Plum Jam

2008-06-26T23:33:00.001-05:00

Above: The most recent harvest of plums from the garden

When I saw the abundance of plums we’ve had this year, I promised myself this was the year I’d learn how to make jam. With last year’s bizarre weather (and random cold fronts in the summer), all the flowers on the fruit trees died prematurely. So when this summer came around and the trees began to fruit… (and man did they fruit!), I decided I wanted to do something productive and useful with the fruit.

In the past, I’ve only made apple pies and pear pies. I never did anything else, and I never did anything to the plums except eat them. This year, I needed a change. And as promised earlier this month, making plum jam is one of my newest adventures!

Below: My pretty face with the final product!

First, I had to gather the ingredients: Plums, Sugar, and Fruit Pectin!

I had the hardest time finding the fruit pectin in the store. I looked up and down the baking aisle, the aisle with all the canned fruit and vegetables, the cooking utensil aisle… Nothing! Finally I asked a store manager who pointed me in the right direction. Can you believe that the fruit pectin was sold near the Zip Lock bags. Craziness, I tell ya!

Anyway, the instructions on the fruit pectin weren’t exactly clear on how I needed to sterilize the Mason Jars. They recommended a pressure cooker, which I don’t have. So I decided to ‘wing it’ as they say. I unscrewed the Mason Jars and placed them in a pot of water. I boiled the jars and lids about 10 minutes.

Below: The mason jars and lids in almost boiling water... It looks like the lids are fastened on the jars, but they weren't

After the water boiled for several minutes, I turned off the heat but didn’t take the pot off the burner. I figured I’d let them cool down while I continued to prepare the jam.

Making the jam itself wasn’t very difficult. According to the directions, I needed 3 pounds of plums. I didn’t know if this meant cut or whole plums, but I decided it must mean chopped plum pieces. (My sister and Cam were with me to help during this process). I cut and chopped the plums, keeping the skin on and discarding the pit. Turns out that 3 lbs ended up being 6 cups full of cut plums.

Below: Two views of the chopped plums... Does it look red and delicious?

The recipe also called for 7 ½ cups of sugar. (That’s A LOT of sugar). We were worried that we didn’t have enough in the cupboard, but fate was on our side! We were at my American grandmother’s house (not my biological grandmother who is in Vietnam, but one that I consider my surrogate/adopted grandma) for her 94^th birthday. We only found 7 cups of sugar in the sugar tin, but my American grandmother had stored small amounts of sugar in two other places in the house. So we used up ALL the sugar and we were able to get the required 7 ½ cups!

Above: The plum mixture at the beginning of the process

Next, I took out a large pot and combined ½ cup of water with the 6 cups of plums. I heated it, and right before it came to a boil, I stirred in all of the sugar. From this point, Cam took over the cooking.

Below: A view of the plum mixture as it is starting to boil after the addition of the sugar.

Cam, the Jam Maker. Doesn't he look cute in pink?

After the mixture came to a rolling boil, we added the fruit pectin and continued stirring for one minute. We turned off the heat and moved the pot away from the burner. There was foam at the top of the mixture. I read that adding the margarine will help prevent the foam from forming. Unfortunately, we did not do that.

We gingerly ladled off all the foam, trying not to take too many chunks of plum out of the mixture. The pink color was very pretty. Pink was the color of the night. Three people in the dinner party wore pink!

Below: Another view of the foam.

I sterilized my kitchen tongs. (I held them in boiling water for a few minutes). Using the tongs, I grabbed the mason jars, one at a time, and placed them on a towel next to the stove. I ladled the jam into each mason jar, and Cam screwed on the lid.

Below: The final jam mixture before it was placed in the mason jars

I just recently read an article recommending that you “process” the jars after you add the jam to it. (You have to boil the jar in water for 5 minutes or so). Unfortunately, I read that article 3 hours too late. I figured, I probably made a few mistakes in this jam canning process, but I’m sure the jam is still edible and will good for a while. I don’t expect we’ll keep it around for a year. It’ll be all gone and in our bellies by then!

Below: Several views of our final product! Sadly, it has to be settle for 24 hours before we can open a jar and try it out!

Could it be... a baby eggplant indeed!

2008-06-26T11:12:00.002-05:00

I've read that eggplants are fairly easy to grow. They crave warmth, hot weather and good soil. They grow well in raised beds, which is where they are planted. I have two eggplants, a Black Beauty and an Ichabod. We planted them in the same raised bed as the Roma tomatoes, cabbage and bell pepper. I believe they share the same growth pattern as tomatoes, so I hope this actually works.

Below: One of the eggplants

I'm a little concerned about flea beetles. They are usually the biggest problem that eggplants have. You can see a few holes in our eggplant (above). So I may need to spray them with something.

They are growing rather slow, staying close to the ground. But I'm happy to report that one of the eggplants has begun to produce an baby eggplant... I think. Let's hope I'm right.

Below: A baby eggplant will (hopefully) come out of that little purple bud...

Tomato Problem, Blooms, and Redness

2008-06-25T10:38:00.002-05:00

Let me start with some bad news. One of my large tomato varieties has fruited, and one of the tomatoes is completely fine. It's growing perfectly, and its skin is smooth as a baby's bottom. But it's sibling tomato (which grows on a higher vine) has a few spots on it.

Below: The trouble tomato. Can anyone identify what the problem is?

Is it a bug problem? Or a disease? I recently sprayed all of my plants with organic insecticidal soap (made from natural ingredients), so far, I have not seen any aphids or bugs on my plants. Perhaps, I should spray again to ensure that the bug problem is controlled. The damage is minimal, so I'm sure the tomato will be perfectly edible when it's ripe.

Below: The Oregano

In the front vegetable bed, the oregano grew and I never got a chance to pick any of it for spaghetti or other Italian dishes. I would love to dry the leaves, but I've been so busy, I haven't had the time. But alas, it has flowered and a few sprigs have started to die.

In better news, the red bell pepper plant in the front has started to turn red! At first, the color was rust-like, and I thought the plant had been infected with something. But as the plant has matured, the red color has darkened. Isn't she a beaut?

Corn and Green Beans

2008-06-24T13:49:00.003-05:00

The corn and green beans at my parents' house are growing strong. Maybe it's the good soil, the one my father has kept in impeccable shape. Or it's the sunlight .. Whatever it is, I'm just in awe of the healthy growth. Since we only planted the seeds for these a month ago, they aren't large enough to actually harvest any vegetables. (I am so jealous of you gardeners who have abundant vegetables waiting to be picked out of your garden!)

Below: The tall corn... Behind it are the green beans

I think I waited rather late to start my garden this year. Next year, I will start to do a little bit more research about the exact type of plants I'll need. And I will start planting seeds and seedlings in late March or early April. Of course, the tomato plants will need to wait until after all threat of frost. But I might try other cool, spring vegetables.

I wonder if it is too late to plant more seeds? What are some vegetables that perfect to plant now? Any ideas?

Back to the green beans. At Cam's house, I pulled out all the dead pea plants and replaced them with green bean seeds. Hopefully, I will have better luck.

The green beans in the shaded portion of my parents' raised beds are growing at a remarkable rate. Some of the leaves aren't so pretty, but for the most part, they are green and growing.

Below: Green beans... We should thin it out, but I don't want to minimize my chance of getting a good harvest.

I wonder if this is the beginning of a tiny bean... Could it be or is it just my wishful thinking? :-)

Good eats-Tomatoes

2008-06-23T23:00:00.002-05:00

Today has been one of the busiest days I've had this summer. And this is going to be one of those really long and tiring weeks, full of business meetings and catching up on work. *sighs*

I apologize for the very short post, but you'll finally hear good news from the garden. I took the advice of Frances of Faire Garden and I've been harvesting a few yellow and orange cherry and grape tomatoes. Instead of letting them ripen on the vine (I guess the birds love to poke holes in the colorful and delicious ripe fruit), I've picked them early and let them ripen in my kitchen.

Below: The newly ripen cherry and grape tomatoes

These little tomatoes were so delicious! Mmm!!!! I don't have to worry about the tomato scare. They were very sweet and left me craving more! Only a few more days until more ripe tomatoes...

Cam thinks the cherry and grape tomato taste the same, but regardless, they were quite a yummy treat!

In other news, I added Black Kow composted cow manure to our SFG beds. My dad uses this brand, and it's worked great for him. You were all right--my soil needed the manure. It's only a few days later, but so far my vegetables are reacting quite well.

Below: One of my large tomato varieties have started to turn color. It's more of a green-yellow color now, but I'll be harvesting it when it turns orange. I don't want to risk the chance of a bird poking a hole in this!

My poor Concord Grapes

2008-06-22T12:45:00.004-05:00

Oh! Sadness. My concord grapes are not doing so well. One looks shriveled and dead, and the other has blemishes on it.

Oy me! Time to do a soil test, I know. And to add Black Krow manure. Yep! I had such high hopes of having beautiful grapes. They were doing so well for 2 months, but now the plants aren't producing any more fruit.

Barbecue at Our House

2008-06-20T17:49:00.005-05:00

A break from the traditional, I'd like to invite you to a barbecue at Cam's house. Good food and a fun time.

Remember that salad I mentioned last week? I made it for a few friends, and they loved it! Lettuce from the garden, feta cheese, grilled shrimp, and strawberries! Yum!

It was delicious! You should have been there. The lettuce was crisp and so refreshing. Sadly, a few days after the barbecue, the lettuce bolted!

Below: The sad pictures. We didn't pick the lettuce fast enough. We kept waiting for it to become a head. Next year, we won't wait so long...

I'm glad I was able to take a last bite into the lettuce. Maybe we'll have better luck with lettuce next year. Back to the barbecue . . .

The raw and seasoned

And the cooked... minutes before we gobbled it all up

Tomato Update and More Plums

2008-06-19T22:08:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I blogged about the tomatoes in the SFG. Out of all my vegetables, they are doing the best. Although a majority of them are still green, they're getting larger and staying very healthy.

Surprisingly, the larger varieties are getting huge. After the mini-drought of the last few weeks haven't stopped them! The fruit is getting larger and new fruit continues to form. I sprayed organic insecticidal soap on all my plants recently, so hopefully that will keep the aphids and nasty bugs away. Cam also bought a large plastic owl from Wal-Mart. He says it'll keep the birds away from the garden.

Below: The large tomato varieties. Big Boy, Bonnie Original, Whopper

I wonder how much longer I will need to wait until these green tomatoes turn red? I'm not doing anything to these plants except watering. I wonder if I need to do anything extra to the soil to help the fruits ripen quicker.

The cherry and grape tomatoes continue to ripen. Sadly, the first red cherry tomato was not edible. The bugs had eaten part of the flesh, so my much anticipated taste test has been delayed. I hope the bugs don't get any more of my plants.

Below: The cherry tomatoes begin to yellow and turn orange. Red coming up!

The windy days of early June blew many of my grape tomatoes off the plant. I only have a few left, but new ones have started to grow. The ones that survived the wind are also beginning to have color.

Below: The grape tomatoes.

I know you must be so sick of hearing about the plum tree... but man, I'm harvesting more and more plums every day. Sadly, my family cannot harvest them all in time. First, we're all short people and our ladder isn't tall enough to reach the top of the tree. The plums are ripening and constantly fall to the ground.

Below: The ground near the plum tree is scattered with deep red, extremely ripe plums.
It's a sad sight. To think I could have picked all of those plums before they fell to the ground. But alas, they all ripen at different times. As I was harvesting today, several plums fell from the tree and I couldn't catch them in time. They ended up being food for the animals. Maybe a rabbit or two will eat these instead of the other vegetables in the garden.

Not to worry, there is still plenty of plums left on the tree. There are branches that are still full of semi-green and pink fruit. Tomorrow is another day and more plums will need harvesting.

Below: More plums to look forward to...

Below: Here is my harvest for today. Two large colanders worth of plums.

If I had to guess, I think both weighed more than 10 pounds each. I don't know what I am going to do with all the plums. They are definitely way too much to eat. They will spoil. Anyone know any good recipes?

I may learn how to make plum jam. Has anyone ever made homemade jam? I'd love tips.

All about Melons

2008-06-18T14:01:00.003-05:00

Last week, I blogged about the watermelon plants at my parents’ house. Today, I thought I’d revisit them. There are three in total, and they are spreading very quickly. I took my dad’s advice and planted them far apart (2-3 feet) from each other. It’s a good distance, and they continue to grow.

Dave from the Home Garden mentioned that I should pinch off one of the flowers that were growing on watermelon # 1. So I did, and I’m waiting for the plants to get longer. Hopefully more flowers (and melons to follow) will start growing.

Below: The Three Watermelon Plants

They all look the same, but they are growing at different speeds and are different sizes. They are healthy and not dried up like Cam's watermelons. I'll have to post pictures of the SFG ones soon. They do not look healthy.

Above: Cantaloupe

The cantaloupe that I planted in one of the raised beds has started to flower. There are two yellow flowers underneath the green foliage. They are very pretty and look healthy, so I’m looking forward to progression of these melons.

As you can see, this circular raised bed isn't the largest, and the cantaloupe is already starting to take up a majority of the space. I hope the bell pepper, tomatoes, and eggplants (planted around the bed) don't mind. Ha! I guess we'll see.

Below: The cantaloupe flowers up-close

The cantaloupe plant, like the watermelon, really likes to spread. Not a surprise since both are melons. I wonder if I’ll have enough fruit for a salad.

Random Story:

Once when I was a teenager, a bird pooped out a seed of some kind. Weeks went by and no one noticed a little plant that grew. A month or two later, a baby watermelon started to form. Then everyone paid attention. Sadly, it was not to be. The watermelon grew into the size of a small basketball, and the vine died. We opened it up and it was immature, white inside.

I hope that history does not repeat itself. Now onto testing the soil in the SFG... I see trouble ahead. :-D

One Failed Garden Down... Another Thriving Garden To Come

2008-06-17T14:48:00.003-05:00

Well I guess I wouldn't say that my vegetable garden at Cam's is a failure. I'm just disappointed at how things are turning out. My bell peppers, which had hope for new fruit and were flowering constantly, have started to turn for the worse.

Below: A few weeks ago, this little brown knob (where my finger is) used to be green, and it looked like it would be growing into another bell pepper. Now it's about to die.

Below: And this baby bell is very dried out, and I don't think it's going to grow any bigger.

I blame it on the rain--lack of rain, that is. It did rain over the weekend (Friday and Saturday), so that helps. I don't know if my soil is turning bad or if I need to add something to it, but my plants are not liking whatever I'm doing. The tomatoes are fine, but the bell peppers don't look so hot.

The soil isn't the mix that Mel Bartholomew (founder of Square Foot Garden and author of SFG books) recommends, but his mix seemed to be too expensive to buy. So Cam and I mixed Miracle Grow Organic Gardening Soil and topped it with Organic Top Soil. We bought it at Lowe's and Home Depot.

I am seriously going to look into a soil test kit. Cam wants to send the soil off to get tested, but I don't have the patience. I'll let you know what we decide. In the meanwhile, I need to figure out how to get rid of the bugs, aphids and slugs that keep eating my lettuce. Urg.

Onto to the second topic of this post: a thriving garden. My parents' raised bed garden seems to be doing very well. I'm growing corn in one of the raised bed. My dad has been working this soil for 10 years, and it's amazing. He adds more manure and top soil every year, and it's been productive.

I decided to try corn again. It is failing at Cam's house, but at my parent's house, it's actually thriving. I planted seeds in two rows, and the leaves are green and continue to grow at a brisk pace.

Below: Two rows of healthy corn.

I'm very optimistic this time. Corn is hard to grow, but I just want one ear of corn to eat. Just one.

Tulips and Cabbage

2008-06-16T17:03:00.002-05:00

Gorgeous tulips for father's day. These are my favorite flowers. My parents grew tulips in their garden a few years ago, but they haven't in recent years. I think these are just pretty. They are dainty, elegant and brighten even the dullest day.

The cabbage in the vegetable garden is growing pretty nicely. There have been a few bug problems, so I'll need to spray them with something. The lettuce is also having bug and ant problems. Sadly, the critters are slowly eating the lettuce away. And the slugs are plentiful. *sighs* I have so much work to do.

In the meanwhile, here's a new photo of our cabbage.

Plum pickin’ fun

2008-06-14T23:13:00.003-05:00

This year, the plum tree are full of fruit. More than we've ever had before. The other years that we've had plums, the birds and worms had a taste before we ever got the chance. The plums weren't as red or juicy as this year's. But this year, we've hit the gold pot! Tons and tons of fruit. Enough for the birds, worms, other little creatures and us humans!

The extremely ripe plums have dropped and are now scattered all over the ground. The birds have been picking at them, and they look delicious… If only they weren't on the ground. However, I was able to harvest a few ripe and semi-ripe plums from the lower tree branches. Sadly, the best fruit is still high above in the tree tops.

Above: The ripe plums . . . high above me, beyond my reach

I tried to climb up on a ladder to reach some of the ripe plums, but alas I was too short. (I’m only 5’0). I’m going to have to get Cam (he’s 6’2) to climb and try to harvest them for me. I wanted to make plum preserves, but with the way they are ripening, I don’t think I’m going to have a chance anytime soon.

For some reason, the plums on the lower branches are taking much longer to ripen than the plums on the highest branches. Maybe as the summer passes, I’ll be able to harvest more plums. Well, if the birds don’t beat me to it. Another chance for me to learn the virtue of patience!

Below: My meager harvest for today. Not enough to make preserves, but plenty for a delicious weekend snack.

Thank you for everyone's comments on the snake. My sister has been doing some research, and she says that the snake looked like a rat snake. Not poisonous, but still scary! Hopefully we've seen the last of him.

Attempt at Growing Green Beans

2008-06-13T14:11:00.002-05:00

Today's post is short and sweet.

With the failure of my pea plants at Cam's house, I am optimistic about the green beans that I'm trying to grow at my parents' home. Two weeks ago, my sister and I planted two long row of bean seeds (one in full sun and one in partial shade). I'm going to see which one survives the summer.

Below: The bean seedlings are coming up.
On a shocking note, my sister saw a 6-foot snake sitting on my parents' porch yesterday. She said she didn't know what kind it was, but it was long and it had a bulge in its body. She assumed it was an animal the poor snake killed. It slithered away after an hour of lying in the shade. My mom wanted to call Animal Control, but they were closed by that time.

Anyone know what you do if you find a poisonous snake in your yard and you don't want it there?

Well happy news... it's cloudy and rain is a possibility. Yay!

Haircut and sinking deeper into the end… Plus a red bell pepper

2008-06-12T14:48:00.003-05:00

I have to write more about the weather. It’s driving me bananas. It rained today . . . for about 30 seconds. And it wasn’t rain, it was sprinkles. Looking outside around lunch time, I saw hope of rain and cooler weather. Unfortunately, my hopes for my plants were dashed. The sun came out a few minutes later.

Funny how Tennessee weather is! I normally love sunny days and Tennessee summers, but ever since I took up gardening, I’m not such a fan of the hot, humid days. My long, black hair could not take all the heat. My head gets way too hot! So I decided to cut about 8 inches off! Now I have shoulder length hair.

(I'm not looking my best, and the lighting is horrible because we were inside a restaurant.)

Enough of my random musings! Thanks to everyone who pointed out that peas are a cool weather vegetable. I probably should have researched that before I decided to plant it. But I’m an impatient gardener who loves to experiment. Sadly, the peas are doing worse today. They are one day away from death.

See for yourselves! (In the first picture, you'll see that I tried to add "plant food/fertilizer" to the soil, hoping it would make a difference.)

In happy news, my red bell pepper in the front is starting to turn red. It’s only palm-size, and I’ve decided that when it gets completely red, I’ll pick it and make one fajita!

Below: The bell pepper last week

Below: The bell pepper gets more color this week (you can see my shadow looming over it)

Even if this year’s crop is a bust, I’ll still have good memories of crisp lettuce and palm-sized bell peppers to remember. Plus, I also harvested spinach a few times. But unfortunately, we waited too long and the plant flowered and then died. Maybe next year we’ll have better luck.

Hot Weather, Watermelon and New Seedlings

2008-06-11T16:46:00.004-05:00

Boy has it been hot in Nashville! I've never wanted it to rain more than I do today. Even poor Luka thinks its too hot. Late yesterday afternoon, we took a nice walk around the neighborhood and she was perfectly behaved. I believe she is now officially leashed-trained, but today she didn't even want to leave her air-conditioned sun room. She just laid there and hugged my leg.

My plants are also taking a beating. These peas that Cam and I planted a few weeks ago are starting to die yellow and die (see below).

I really think that it must be the heat. Before all the hot weather, these pea seedlings were green and thriving. Now look at them. They're not getting any bigger, and every day I discover any leaf that has yellowed. It's really depressing.

I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings... I hope the rain revitalizes my garden. But from the looks of things, this hot weather is slowly killing many of my hopeful vegetables. So far, only the lettuce, tomato plants, and strawberry plants seem to be unaffected. More on this dilemma in a post later this week.

Turning over to my garden at my parents' house. My sister and I planted lettuce seeds and carrot seeds last week, and they've started to sprout. I think we'll need to thin it out somehow, but everything looks good so far!

Below: The lettuce (left and middle row) and carrot (right row) seedlings

Below: The carrot seedlings up-close

The watermelon plants are also doing very well in this weather. The plant (below) was only planted a few weeks ago, but it's starting to flower! I'm feeling very hopeful.

Now let's hope that the hot weather doesn't start affecting these plants as well! *sighs* I want the rain to come. Maybe I'll do a little rain dance for fun. :-)

Harvest Time!

2008-06-10T12:54:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I decided that it was time to harvest another head of lettuce. I was going to follow some of your advice—taking a few leaves of lettuce at a time, so that the head can continue to grow. The only problem is that we have more than six heads of lettuce that are still growing in the garden. Way too much lettuce to eat at once! So I'm going to wait to try the other method when I'm down to 2-3 lettuce heads.

Below: A nice, large head of lettuce ready for harvesting!

The lettuce heads are actually starting to form a head. Cam and I have been waiting all summer for his development! But for this particular lettuce head, I was afraid that if I continued to let it grow any larger, it would begin to seed and get very bitter.

Plus, I was in the mood of creating my signature salad: caramelized shrimp, bite-size oranges, almonds, and refreshing lettuce tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. I know it's not amazing or novel, but I love this salad. It combines all my favorite ingredients. Plus it's chocked full of vitamin C!

Below: A few pictures of the lettuce head after it was harvested. Delicious!

You can tell in the picture that a few bugs got a mini-bite of the lettuce before we could harvest it. I think I should have sprayed the organic insecticidal soap on it, but most of the greens are edible!

At my parent's house, the plums are beginning to ripen. Because of last year's unfavorable weather, their fruit trees didn't fruit. The frost killed all of the flowers. However, this year has been amazing in terms of the fruit production!

Below: A ripe plum ready to be picked.

Below: See how pretty it looks in my hand?

This plum was juicy and delicious! I cannot wait until more fruit ripens, and I can learn how to make jams, preserves and more! It'll be a summer adventure!

Finally, I thought I'd show a picture of some unripe plums on the tree . . . plus a bird nest! It's too high up for me to see into the nest, but I bet there are some eggs waiting for momma bird to come back!

When little visitors decide to make their home in your garden, that's when you know that you're a successful gardener! My parents planted this plum tree about 10 years ago, and it's been home to some adorable baby birds and one rabbit!

Purple Bell Pepper

2008-06-09T17:10:00.003-05:00

Kittens really take up a lot of your time and energy. Luka is a ball of energy, and incredibly needy. Every time I leave the house to go outside, she cries and puts her paws to the window. It's really cute, but at the same time, so tiring! My garden has been neglected for the past weekend because of my little kitten.

But today I was able to leave Luka for a little bit and tend to my "big" baby--my vegetable garden. The purple bell pepper is now almost completely purple. It's kinda strange to think that it was once a tiny little pepper.

Below: The progression of the purple bell.

Now I'm wondering if the bell pepper is ready to be picked or if I should wait and see if it grows any larger? It's a pretty small bell pepper right now.