GARDEN BEDS

As you can see our garden is still not back to its use able state.  I have slowly been reclaiming it.  Between working on it, I also have potting and planting to do. 

Three days ago I started on the area to the right of this gate.  It was in the same condition this side is.  It was necessary to grub out weeds and tear down old retaining walls made of bricks and cement blocks.   The freeze and thaws of two winters had done a number on them, not to mention the weeds root systems prying them apart.  I dry lay all my beds because I know I will probably want to change them.  A dry laid wall can have a life span of more than three years if the rows of bricks are stacked with a slight stair stepped edge.  that way when the ground swells and pushes against them it doesn't push them off the row below.

If you didn't see the article before of how we are reclaiming the garden here is the link:
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/03/garden-reclamation.html

The following picture is to the right of the gate on the outside of the garden.  The area runs parallel to the gravel drive.  You can see the bunch grass on the edge of the drive I haven't grubbed out yet.  This grass has a huge root system that is like an underground mop.  I needed to work the area first and build the walls so I could salvage what good dirt was left.  I cleared enough area to begin working.

The fireplace tile and the lamb's ears were always there.  It was hard to believe the lambs ears survived in the wet environment with the weeds.    The basket in the bed was a basket I had planted with house plants and the bottom rotted out of it.  I thought, this is going to get recycled another year.  Today It became a pansy basket.  I used coconut mat to line it with.  I had a couple of small pieces left from another project.  The ajuga is blooming all over the garden.  I find it buried in the weeds.  The dark green plant is a "Malva".  It is one that was growing last year.  The winter didn't turn it to mush.  The light green plant is "Feverfew".  It survived too.  if you look closely at the base of the stake on the right you will see a "Jackman  clematis".  Two on this fence survived the two winters and the weeds.  I almost pulled this one along with the weeds.

The center section of the area to the right of the gate was left soil less.  I scraped down to the clay to make enough soil to fill the bed on the left.

Ajuga isn't soil particular.  It will grow in clay as well as your best loam.  It doesn't even complain when water is short.  I fashioned a bird bath with a large ceramic drain tray from a flower pot and a kitty litter pail turned upside down.

The area we have been working with is approximately 32 feet long.  The fence is made of two 16 feet long cattle panels. 

To the far right of the gate I made another bed.  It has a basket too.  This basket is lined with 2 sheets of news paper.  By the time the roots of any plants have filled the basket the paper will dissolve and the roots will hold the soil in.  As yet the bed and basket are not planted.  There is a clematis in the bed and the ajuga.  right now I am planning to put thyme in the basket and tarragon in the bed.  These are both items the deer won't eat.  They are decorative in the flower garden as well as edible. 

Looking at this picture as I type I think I will look to see what chives I have coming up and put the along the fence to keep the weeds down.  I have use chives for decorative purposes before. 

The following is a blog on how I used them:

 http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2009/06/chives-make-statement.html

When I look at this and think, three days..doesn't look like much.  Then I remember I only worked on it for three hours each morning till the sun got too much for me and I went in the barn to pot plants.  

In the evenings I have been clearing out raised beds and planting them with broccoli, potatoes and onions.  Right now our tiller is kaput and I am having to use a grub hoe and I am very happy I had great soil which was not compacted by waiting for me two years.

I have found it is harder to repair the damage done by neglect
than it was to construct the garden in the first place.

For more blogs by me visit at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting, but cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,

New blog, tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.

New Blog about dolls.

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Not a garden blog.  There are articles which have nothing to do with creating or gardening. 

There are blogs on the new born baby kittens we found and mothered. 

new blog  about an endangered beetle:

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/2012/03/beetle-in-need-of-protection.html

It is a blog where I voice my opinions which will always be environmentally friendly.

As always, any pictures or writings are my own. 

Credit has been given to contributions not my own.

Please do not use without permission.

STRAWBERRY PLANTS (A TUTORIAL)

Hunny came home with a package which arrived in the mail.  He told me some seeds came.  I said I wasn't expecting any seeds.  We had supper, then I opened the package.   It wasn't seeds, it was our strawberry plants.  Oh my, we aren't ready for them. 

It wasn't the fact there wasn't a bed ready for them.  We knew we weren't going to have a bed ready till late summer.  We  had ordered the plants to pot culture them until they could go into the ground. 

Hopefully it will give us a year head start.  Yes, it will mean extra work. We'll have to re pot a couple of times.  This requires extra mixing of dirt.  It also requires a staging area for keeping them safe.  The picture on the left is how our plants arrived.  They were in a sealed plastic bag.  The plants were rubber banded in a bundle.

We ordered our plants from   http://www.jungseed.com/  .  The plants were really nice, with fully developed root systems.  They were dry rooted but the roots were not dry.  They were nice and fleshy.

When you receive your plants, the first thing you want to do is open them up and check the condition of the bunch. (Your plants come with instructions on the care the producer recommends).  I have my own ideas which work for me.  I remove the banding, place the bunch in a container and rinse the roots, draining thoroughly. When drained, I stand them in the container  to wait till I can plant them.  This is to be the next day.  Only the roots are in the container.  I want the stems and leaves to be out in the air and the roots protected so they don't get dried out. (Do not leave them in the plastic bag.  They will mold and rot.)

Today is 14 hours later and I am in the barn preparing to get my precious plants in their pots.

NEEDED EQUIPMENT:

(50) 4 Inch pots and trays, 
Large plastic wheel barrow (the 40 lb kitty litter bucket is for size comparison), 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup, microwave, large stainless spoon, scissors, plastic labels, sharpie marker,

DIRT INGREDIENTS:  peat moss, rice hulls, bone meal, Epsom salts,  good compost dirt, rotted wood chips,  dried manure, sand and fish emulsion,

After rounding up everything, I set about mixing dirt.  I was able to short circuit part of the process.  I had several large pots of dirt from house plants I lost due to cold.  But the dirt wasn't friable enough for strawberries.  I needed to add other ingredients. 

In my huge 2 wheel plastic barrow I mix my dirt.  I use a 40 pound kitty litter pail for measuring (the one you buy the litter in).

One pail ground peat moss which has been rubbed till it contains no lumps. 

One half pail of rice hulls.

Mix these together till they are thoroughly combined.

Start adding hot water.  I heat 4 cups of water at the time in the microwave (in the barn we don't have a kitchen and I don't pay to use the water heater.)  I heat the water for 9 minutes.  It is extremely hot but not boiling (It is a cheaper micro not real high powered).  Pour it on the mixture and stir like mad and then go heat more.  It usually takes about 5 trips to get the mixture till it feels moist.  Why do I use hot water?  If you use cold water it won't be quickly absorbed by the peat moss.  The  hot water is absorbed immediately.

At this point I would normally add approximately a pail of good compost dirt, 1/2 pail of pulverized dried manure, a 1/4 pail of rotted wood chips, and a 1/4 pail of sand.  I would incorporate it with the peat mixture.  I would dust the surface with 2 large handfuls of Epsom salts and 4 large handfuls of bone meal, stirring everything together.  Instead I just dumped the pots with the old dirt in the peat mixture and added the bone meal and Epsom salts.

Right now, I am hearing groans and gasps.  Why?  Because I am using old, already been used dirt.  Unsterilized dirt!  My theory is; they would be planted in the ground and I didn't sterilize it.   The plants in the pot did not die of disease or anything kin to that.  So I can dump the pots on the compost pile and wait a year to reuse it or use it right now.  The detriment for me in using it is the dirt will have weed seeds in it and I will have to be weeding the pots.

Everything is ready to begin.  The first thing I do is fill a short jar with a wide mouth with fish emulsion water.  It is large enough to soak the roots of the plants with out submerging the crowns.  I get an old rag and set it on the table in front of me with the scissors (rag is to soak up the dripping water from the roots).  We are going to prune the roots of the plants.

The picture on the right has a pruned plant and an un-pruned plant.  The instructions said to prune to 4-6 inches.  Because I am pot culturing them I pruned to three inches.  (They need to fit in the pot.) 

At this time I also trim off any dead stems and leaves. 

Fill your pots with dirt.  Then dump out one third and press the remainder firmly into the bottom.  You want to make a cone shape in the center.  I tried to picture it  but it doesn't show as well as I hoped.

The purpose of the cone is to spread the roots around.  You don't just do this in the pot, you do this when planting outside.  You don't want your roots to be crimped.  You will want to make your cone so the top of it is about 1/2" below the rim of the pot.  Perch your plant on it and cover the roots with soil mix and firmly pack the soil over the roots.

HOW DEEP DO YOU PLANT THE PLANTS?

 Make sure you do not bury the crown too deep or leave it exposed to the air.  Either position is hazardous to the health of your plant.   How do you determine what is right?  Your plants will come with a planting guide (the growers want you to have success with them, they want repeat customers, lol.)

I have drawn an explanation which I hope will help.  The plant has an area between the roots and the leaves.  I call this the crown.  When you bury it you don't want the roots exposed and you don't want the crown exposed.  You don't want the dirt higher than the base of the leaves.  If the dirt is above the base of the leaves moisture can get into the crevices and cause rot.   If the Crown is exposed it can dry out.

This is a planted flat of 10 of the strawberry plants.  It is March 23, 2012.  When they start leafing out I will add pictures to show their growth.

This flat was watered in with fish emulsion water.  I use 1 Tablespoon of commercial fish emulsion with one gallon water.

When the plant's roots fill the pot, they will be transplanted to a pot that will be an inch larger and deeper.  Right now they will be in the green house until The weather has become more stable.  Our Valley can become extremely cold and frosts when the local area does not.  The tender new growth will be very susceptible to frost damage.

Strawberries take two years for a crop but they are worth the wait.  Yes, the plants will bloom this year.  We will go into that step in another blog.  I hope you will try planting strawberries.  Next Blog will be the preparation of a strawberry bed. 

UPDATE APRIL 5, 2012: 
These are the planted flats.  It has been  12 days since they were planted. 

We are expecting a brush with frost tomorrow.  They are still in the green house. 
I didn't have a measuring device in this picture but the tallest is only about 3 inches tall. 

UPDATE APRIL 26, 2012
The following pictures are of the plants today. The trowel is there so you can see the size.  The roots are showing through the bottom of the pot.  This weekend we will spend moving them to new homes.

  

UPDATE APRIL 29:

The picture on the left is the above pot unveiled.  You can see it is getting "root-bound". When ever you see roots peeking through the bottom of the pot you should take the plant out of the pot and inspect it to make sure it isn't getting root-bound. 

Root-bound pots do not take up nutrients well.

The picture on the right is the plant with the dirt shaken off the roots.  I did not water for 24 hours before I knew I was going to re pot.  It makes it easier to shake the dirt off.  Yes, I do replace all the dirt with a fresh mix when I re pot.  I do this because I want to give them the best possible environment.  Someone might tell me I am causing them more transplanting shock.  I haven't found this to be a problem.  I trim the roots down to about 4 inches and then re pot spreading the roots out in a fan in the pot.  I am very careful to watch the placement of the crown.  At this time I also deflowered the plant.  (Notice the flower which had popped up since the 26).  You want to pick all flowers off the plants this first year.  You want the plants to put their energies into growing and making runners for more plants.  (The dirt which I shook off the plants is not going to be relagated to the compost pile.  I will use it to repot some banana plants and house plants.)

Left is the strawberry plant re potted in it's new dirt which has been fortified with bone meal, Epsom salts, and dried manure in a mixture of rice hulls and peat moss blended with dirt which was the remnants of a compost pile (equal parts). 

After it was potted I submerged the pot in water laced with fish emulsion.  Use a receptacle that is 3 times the depth of your pot.  Fill 3/4 full of water and then emerge your pot in it till the surface of the pot  is under the water (don't worry about the crown of the plant getting wet at this point).  You will see bubbles rising from the pot.  Do not remove the pot till the bubbles stop (keep the surface of the pot under the surface of the water by at least 1/2 inch).  Then place on a rack to drain.  If you are new to gardening,  all plants, when re-potted should be submerged in water to drive the air pockets out of the pots and settles the dirt around the roots. 

I am hoping this potting will hold them at least another 6 weeks before they need new and larger home.  (I'm smiling, I had a thought.  My strawberries are like hermit crabs, when they outgrow their shells they move to a larger one.)

I used homemade fish emulsion which I need to write a blog about, it was not an unpleasant endeavor.  Right now I am learning how much to use of my homemade stuff.  I am not too concerned about too much because for this year I want to get as much lush green growth as I can.  I want these plant strong so they will give me a robust crop of their little red gems next year.

I hope my blog has inspired you to get some strawberry plants this year, even if you don't have the area prepared for them.  You can pot them and get your beds ready and plant in the middle of summer (I will be updating this blog with every step I do with the plants.)

I have another blog about strawberries:

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/04/strawberry-fields.html


For more blogs by me visit at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting, but cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,

New blog, tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.

New Blog about dolls.

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Not a garden blog.  There are articles which have nothing to do with creating or gardening. 

There are blogs on the new born baby kittens we found and mothered.  It is a blog where I voice my opinions which will always be environmentally friendly.

As always, any pictures or writings are my own. 

Credit has been given to contributions not my own.

Please do not use without permission.

PROTECT THIS BEETLE

"BURYING BEETLE" RE INTRODUCTION

Each morning the alarm wakes us an hour before our intended waking time.  We do this because we have discovered we get our best sleep after the alarm goes off.  The radio is set on the local PBS channel.  This is fund raiser week.  They have interesting articles not the regular early morning news and stock reports.  Normally I will hear excerpts here and there and dose back off.  This morning I heard what I thought was "Dairying Beetle being re introduced in Missouri"  Googled when I got up and discovered it was "Burying Beetle".



The above picture was copied from the following site:

http://www.rwpzoo.org/143/american-burying-beetle-repopulation-project

I remember seeing this beetle when I was growing up in the boot heel of Missouri.  Dad had a garden in Caruthersville. In fact we were always finding all kinds of beetles under rocks and in leaf piles.  It was difficult to read the information on this beetle knowing mankind is contributing to his demise. 

The following link takes you to the Columbia, Missouri News report:

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2012/02/09/endangered-beetle-species-will-be-first-endangered-animal-be-reintroduced-missouri/

An indepth article on the beetle:

http://www-museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/endanger.htm

These Beetles only live for a year.  They mate for life.  They co parent.  They farm. 

Makes you stop and think.

"WHAT'S IN STORE FOR US"

For more blogs by me visit at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting, but cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,

New blog, tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.

New Blog about dolls.

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Not a garden blog.  There are articles which have nothing to do with creating or gardening. 

There are blogs on the new born baby kittens we found and mothered.  It is a blog where I voice my opinions which will always be environmentally friendly.

 

As always, any pictures or writings are my own. 

Credit has been given to contributions not my own.

Please do not use without permission.

LAMB'S QUARTERS: A HEALTHY CHOICE

LAMB'S QUARTERS,
A GOURMET DELIGHT

When you have an organic garden, weeds are a fact of life.  You are pulling them, mulching them, or grubbing them out.  Lamb's Quarters falls into all three categories with an exception, it is a desirable weed.  When it is young, like on the left, the leaves are a wonderful substitute for spinach.  When it has bloomed and set seeds, the seeds can be harvested and ground into flour (at least that is what I have been told, I have never tried it.  I have tasted the seeds and they have a very nutty taste.)

If you have a fertile garden with plenty of nitrogen sources you will have Lamb's Quarters popping up.  I consider this a free food because I don't have to till the garden for it, I don't have to plant it, I just need to wait until it is ready to harvest.  Harvest time occurs within a couple of weeks of the first sign of sprouting.   It grows very quickly especially in protected areas like our cold frame/green house.

The perfect size to harvest is about 6-8 inches.  The growth on the left is the correct size (the larger plants).  The smaller plants are also very good, but it is easier to pull the sturdier plants getting the root systems.  You  want to get the roots.  Any root left with a little stem will re sprout and the root system gets very strong.  They are a deep rooted plant.

I harvested the path on the left.  I will tell you how I harvest and freeze this vegetable.  If you like spinach you'll love Lamb's Quarters.  BTW it is very high in calcium and vitamin K.  If you have kidney problems you might not want to consume them or only having them occasionally, they contain oxalic acid. 

LAMB'S QUARTERS IDENTIFICATION

This is a close up for what you are looking for, sometimes it is a darker green.   Notice the center leaves.  They look like they have talcum powder dusted on them.  You can also feel it when you touch it (it will rub off). 

All the leaves have some of this "dust" on them but the center leaves, as they are just opening up, have an abundance of it.   It is not poisonous, nor is it anything wrong.  I am only pointing it out as a means of identification of the plant.   I haven't noticed this on any of the other wild plants I forage for.

Another close up on a pink napkin, see the frosted look the "dust" gives the leaves.

This is the plant you are looking for when it is young.   I have found it usually doesn't grow just one solitary plant.  Usually a lot of seeds fall in the same spot and you have a plethora of plants.

In "Spring Flora of Missouri" by Julian A. Steyermark he spells the name the way I am using it here.  Other names are Lambsquarters, goosefoot, and pigweed. His discription of the"dust" is:  "Leaves and flowers covered with a white mealiness."



HARVESTING LAMB'S QUARTERS

The above pictures are what I do when I pull the Lamb's Quarters.  The picture on the left is my hand grasping a bunch with the roots all the same direction.  I grasp the plants just below the major bulk of the leaves (the top 2 or 3 segments).  In the right picture you can see I clipped off the roots close to my hand.  The clipped remains made a happy trip to the compost pile.  The leaves are nestled in a plastic bag till it's filled.

PREPARING LAMB'S QUARTERS FOR FREEZING

This is the bag of Lamb's Quarters in a 13 quart stainless steel bowl.    The copper thing is a biscuit cutter for size comparison.  The first thing you need to do is a little difficult to picture but easy to understand.  You need a very large pan or even a bucket. Fill it with water about 2/3 full.  What you are going to accomplish is washing as much of the "dust" off the leaves as you can.  I usually wash the leaves about 3 times (the dust on the plants leaves a film on your teeth.  That is the reason I wash it off).  I also wash the pan with soapy water between rinses (the sides of the pan seem to velcro the "dust").  Do not soak the leaves.  Put them in the water and swish them around, like the agitator in a washing machine. Rinsing in running water will not remove the "Dust".  After you have removed all the loose "Dust" drain the leaves.   While they are draining put a pan to heat with adequate water to immerse the leaves.  Bring the water to a roiling boil.  Have another large pan handy with ice water in it. I use two, eight quart stock pots for this.

When the water comes to a boil throw in your rinsed and drained Lamb's Quarters.  Stir them constantly until they turn a beautiful dark green (this takes less than a minute).  Immediately fish them out throwing them into the ice water. Stir them so all leaves are exposed to the ice water, chilling them down, stopping the cooking.  Drain in a colander in the sink.  If they are still warmish...run cold tap water on them in the large pan and drain again.  At this point I can picture the next steps.

The picture on the left is the blanched Lamb's Quarters.  This is to show you the quantity you will get from the above un-blanched amount.

After blanching the Lamb's Quarters you need to remove the excess water before freezing them.

The Lamb's Quarters are placed between two linen dish towels (flour sacks or cotton pillow cases will work).  Make sure what you use is lint free.

I roll up the "sandwich".  You can see there is a blue towel underneath.  It is a very thick one.  You will be rolling your rolled sandwich in this. 

Treat it like you would delicate lingerie.  You don't want to wring the Lamb's Quarters.  You want to apply slight pressure, squeeze and roll the contents.  The towels are to wick the water away from the leaves.  You don't want the leaves interior juices to be "wrung" from them.  You want to remove the excess blancing water. 

This is the dried Lamb's Quarters (half of it already chopped).  Next you grab your chef's knife and start chopping.  I do not think a processor would work for this.  I think it would make mush out of it. 

Once it is chopped you can divide the amount into plastic bags.  I put 8 ounces in each bag (I use the zip lock sandwich bags).  After it is bagged, I flatten all the bags and layer them in a gallon freezer bag which has been labeled with the contents. (Three bags will also fit in the Zip Lock heavy duty quart size freezer bag.) 

For another comparison, here is the chopped  Lamb's Quarters in the original bowl.  I have always been impressed with the quantity you end with compared to what you would with the equal amount of spinach.  Once you have tried this you will see why I don't try to plant spinach in the spring.

I hope I have encouraged you to forage for your veggies.  I have used Lamb's Quarters for any dishes I have florentined.  I have creamed them. They are delicious with sauteed onions and butter.  A famous person once said, "Try it you'll like it."

For more blogs by me visit at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting, but cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,

 

 New Article on my blog: 

 http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-mystery-in-making.html

"A MYSTERY IN THE MAKING"

A mystery quilt designed with the novice in mind

First Clue to be presented October 16, 2013.

 

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Not a garden blog.  There are articles which have nothing to do with creating or gardening. 

There are blogs on the new born baby kittens we found and are mothering.  It is a blog where I will sometimes voice my opinions which will always be environmentally friendly.

As always, any pictures or writings are my own,

if not credit will be given to the contributor.
Please do not use without permission

MY SPRING WALK

 It wasn't a long walk just down a short length of the drive.  It was very early and the sun was very bright.  It is said there is always a right light time.  This wasn't it.  The flowers reflected the sun.  I hadn't ever noticed before but the flowers in general face the sun.   There are some which don't but most do. 





Walking down the drive the iris are poking their leaves up through the leaf mold.  Tree branches have tight buds with no color yet but they are filling up.

Then low and behold on the side of the drive is the spindliest tree you ever saw.  If it was Christmas it would be a Charlie Brown tree.   It was so skinny, no idea what it is, but it brought a smile.

The bright sun shines reflecting the beauty of the flowers.  Notice on the large flower on the left the shadow of the stamens on the petal on the right.  This is probably a service berry or such but until the leaves unfurl I won't be able to identify it.

Across from the spindly tree is the remains of a tree which died.  We cut it down over thirty years ago.  The bark was strange and the wood was the color of the daffodils. I have never seen such a yellow wood. It hasn't rotted at all, just seems to have dehydrated.  It's under the shade of some scrubby oaks and red buds.  Nothing ever seemed to want to grow there.

In the leaf litter you can see the first saw cut, before they realized they would run into the dirt if they continued.  There isn't even any rot there.  The designs on the tree fascinated me.

Thank you for talking this short walk with me.  It was a pleasant break from transplanting seedlings (today I put lettuce into larger pots). 

For more blogs by me visit at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting, but cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Not a garden blog.  There are articles which have nothing to do with creating or gardening. 

There are blogs on the new born baby kittens we found and are mothering.  It is a blog where I will sometimes voice my opinions which will always be environmentally friendly.

As always, any pictures or writings are my own, if not credit will be given to the contributor. Please do not use without permission

FROM SEED A TOMATO GROWS

March 8, 2012 will be the full moon.  The next few days are perfect for planting above ground crops (if you believe the moon influences the living things in the world).  I am one of those who believe.  We have seen the results of not planting at the correct times.  For us, we saw a shortened germination time, when we planted with the moon.  We found root crops planted at the full of the moon do not develop shape or size the way they should.  All their growth seems to go to the tops.

BTW, if you are in an area where Daylight Savings Time is in effect,

Sunday March 11, 2012; you will need to spring forward. 

Today we have mixed our planting medium and filled the Styrofoam trays and are ready to plant our "Nightshade" family of plants (Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggplants). 

These are our favorite varieties:
 

The tomato on the left is "Red Jelly Bean hybrid".  Prolific isn't the word,  this plant produces long after the first frost.  We covered the plants at night and it continued to set blooms for a month.  The fruit keeps on the counter split free for 3 weeks.  It's skin is not tough. It has the flavor of a beefsteak.   The only con we experienced was, if you know its going to rain pick all the orbs with color,  they will split.  

Be prepared with large sturdy cages.  The above picture was taken July 19, 2009.   The picture on the left was taken a month later, August 22, 2009.  The first year we planted this variety we planted 7 plants.  Each plant was just as full.  This variety even blooms on the lower branches the whole growing season.   These cages are 2 feet in diameter and 5 feet tall.

"Big Mama" hybrid, we have fallen in love with her.  It is a Roma.  We are not lovers of Roma tomatoes.  To us their texture is mushy and flavor is inferior.  The Big Mama's have full flavor of a large tomato and a firm texture.  This tomato is a Burpee's exclusive.  This is another tomato which requires large sturdy cages.

The picture on the left was taken July 1, 2007.  The picture on the right is a different view on the same plant July 14, 2007. 

Below are these same plants 6 weeks later still putting on Growth and plenty of young fruit.   They have out grown their 5 ft. cages.    This variety needs plenty of calcium to prevent blossom end rot.  It seems to be more susceptible than the other varieties.  This could be because of the extremely pointed blossom end.     As you can see it is very prolific.     

Other favorites:

Juliet hybrid.  Everything said above expresses the 1 1/2 inch by 1 inch orbs.  They are a Roma in nature but that is as far as it goes.  They are very much like a miniature of the Big Mamas.  They need a large cage too.  Our first year we only planted one plant and put it in a 3 ft cage.  It was up and over the top and growing back down to the ground and out 15 feet all directions from the plant.  It was loaded with fruit everywhere. 

Jubilee.  This is an old yellow tomato.  It has perfectly round fruits that are about 8 ounces or more in weight.  The color is a golden yellow with an orange tint.  The flavor is excellent for a yellow tomato.  We have tried other yellow tomatoes and they taste bland and are mushy in  texture.  The seed cavities seem smaller than most yellow tomatoes.  This tomato produces well and is very open in growth.  There is not a preponderance of leaves to the size of the plant.  Seems less susceptible to most fungus diseases.  Occasionally we have sun scald on an exposed tomato.  This tomato is  considered an heirloom plant.  You can save seed.

Delicious,  just like its name says.  This has been the only tomato we have had in the garden for over 40 years.  Everything you will read about it is true.  We have had 2 pounders with regularity.  It is my preferred canning tomato because of its meatiness and flavor.  It has tiny seed cavities.  It has high calcium needs. This plant which needs extreme cages.  If you are a "staker" I don't recommend it with this plant.  The weight of the tomatoes will keep you re-tying and re-staking everyday.  This tomato is considered an heirloom plant.  You can save seed.

Golden Rave Hybrid hasn't been on the market very long.  It is a yellow twin to Juliet, also bred from a Roma.  It's a larger version 1 1/2 inch wide and 2 inch long, yellow with a greenish tinge.  It's taste is tomatoey but with a lemon edge.  It's very flavorful.  I have used it in fresh pasta sauces and it was delicious.  It very quickly won our hearts with it's taste but when it kept producing after frost we knew it would be a regular in our garden.  It takes an average cage but the cage needs to be sturdy.  The foliage and fruit are very heavy for the plant size.

We have 2 more, new to us tomatoes, we will be trying this year:  Sunray, Sun Sugar.

We will also be trying again; Evergreen and Aunt Ruby's German Green.  They didn't do well in 2010 with the humidity, excessive rain and extreme heat. 

I have an old, small 4 ounce green tomato from Germany which I am hoping some of the seed survived, I didn't get to plant it and revive the seed the last couple of years. 

I have seed from 2010, I picked the fruit off a compost pile plant.  It is a large yellow cherry type.  It was very meaty with thin skin and a whopper of a tomato taste.  I named it Compost Gold.  The plants hold the fruit well and there was copious amounts of fruit.  Before this we had not planted any yellow cherry types on the farm (It must have been a plant that was an ancestor from one of the hybrids we planted).

Today I put 10 varieties to sprout.  I will get the rest started tomorrow along with my peppers and eggplants.

This the link to the two blogs I have about our planting methods we used for tomatoes. 

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/search/label/GARDENING%3A%20TOMATOES
They worked well for us.

For more blogs by me visit at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting, but cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,

New blog, tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.

New Blog about dolls.

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Not a garden blog.  There are articles which have nothing to do with creating or gardening. 

There are blogs on the new born baby kittens we found and mothered.  It is a blog where I sometimes voice my opinions which will always be environmentally friendly.

As always, any pictures or writings are my own, if not credit will be given to the contributor.

Please do not use without permission.

GARDEN RECLAMATION

OUR GARDEN 
We did absolutely no gardening in 2011.  I ignored my clematis and rosebushes. I let the weeds suffocate my herb collection and everything else.  I had been totally burned out on gardening by the sun, heat and humidity.  By the pests from little insects to the deer who invaded my space.  I was literally tired of fighting the elements and not getting any rewards for my efforts.

This turned out to be a good decision for me.  The constant rain and high temps 
would have thwarted all my gardening efforts.  During this time I realized how much I missed my fresh herbs.  I was spoiled, I had them to use anytime I wanted.  My Hunny and I decided we'd rectify the problem, Twenty-Twelve would be a green year.  We have not only been planning garden but we have been recycling lots of items.

The following blogs are about our gardening beginnings for 2012:
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/02/cabbage-and-broccoli-on-move.html
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/02/seeds-sprouted.html
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/02/growing-lettuce.html

The last two weeks we have been working to find the garden in the mass of weeds.  Golden Rod, 8 feet tall loved our garden beds which had been fortified with compost.  The picture on the left is the garden before we started weed pulling.

This is the lower south side of the garden with the weeds which grew in 2012. 

I could only find one picture of this area of garden before weeds.  It was taken in 2009 when these beds were first installed. 

 This is how it looked with out weeds.  We have removed all of the tall weeds by pulling them up from the roots.  Discovered the English Thyme, which is planted in the center bed in the picture on the right, is still alive!  Now comes the arduous task of grubbing out the paths and the beds of the "bunch" grass (we don't know what kind of grass it is but it grows from heavy based deep rooted, bunches.)  Then we need to re-chip all the paths.

The last two days have been absolutely glorious.  It has been 65 degrees.  Yesterday it was almost wind less.  I chose to work on the "Chicken Coop". 


It's a 100 year old chicken coop which I have changed into a potting/tool shed.  It is approx 6'X 12'.  I never measured it, will have to rectify that.  I didn't have the camera handy to take pictures of before on the south and east sides but I can show you the results of my labors on the west side. 

The picture on the left is the west side of the chicken coop.  We recycle things and use them to fix our buildings.  The shutters on the window are kitchen cupboard doors.  The window is a dual pane window a friend was throwing out. The trellises are room dividers a restaurant was throwing out.  The weeds, compliments of the gardeners!

After a few hours work, this is the result.  The green on the left of the picture is "Purple Doro Day lily".  They are about 1/2 inch out of the ground.  Behind each trellis you can see the "Clematis" are trimmed.  The one on the left may have died, but the one on the right had furled leaves that were just about an inch and half long.  I have replaced the little boy and girl with a butterfly/frog pool.  (An old rubber feed pan filled with layers of rocks for them to light on if they need a drink.  The large rock on the top has gorgeous natural designs).  I put it there because when I trimmed the right clematis there were two egg type cases like the ones I see on the butterfly bush. 

The picture on the left is what I have to look forward to if I haven't lost the left clematis.   The hostas are still doing great (I hit them with the hoe when I was clearing).  They are budded up about an inch below the surface.  The Ajuga on the right I hope will rebound.  There is some remnant growth still there.

During the next few days I will be posting our progress with the weeding.  Thank you for joining us on this journey.  This week end is also a planting weekend for us.  The moon is right to start our peppers, tomatoes and eggplants.

We lost the clematis on the left.  The one on the right is doing nicely and has already set some buds..it's only March 30.

For more blogs by me visit at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting, but cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Not a garden blog.  There are articles which have nothing to do with creating or gardening. 

There are blogs on the new born baby kittens we found and are mothering.  It is a blog where I will sometimes voice my opinions which will always be environmentally friendly.

As always, any pictures or writings are my own, if not credit will be given to the contributor. Please do not use without permission.