Happy Winter from Luka and DP

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

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.

The Last of the Tomatoes and Luka

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!

Luka and a Tomato Update

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.

Eggplant, Luka, and A New Blogger

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!

Little Tomatoes and Weather Problems

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.

28-lb Watermelon... "Barney"

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.

Tomatoes Are My Friends

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.

The evolution of the lone cantaloupe

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!

Zucchini Surprise and A Solution to the Drought

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