Category Archives: Gardening by Month

Dec8

December To-Do List

Posted on by
Standard
December To-Do List

It is so nice to eat fresh vegetables from the garden again! There has been a lull between the tons of peppers from the fall garden and the greens harvests that are getting started. The fall/winter garden is not nearly as lush as the summer, but the weed population is much decreased. We enjoyed nutritious turnip greens and daikon radish medallions with dinner.

DSCN5599

It was fabulous. I could practically feel the nutrients being absorbed by my body. Greens are so good for you!

Fall gardening in Florida is pretty much like cooking in a Crock-Pot; you set it and just let it do its thing.

DSCN5594

The growing is slow over here, but the garlic is up and the mustard is growing. I love garlic. 🙂

REMEMBER: A wise man once said, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but garlic keeps everybody away!”

DSCN5596

The greens patch is a welcome sight among so much brown elsewhere. I don’t have high hopes for the broccoli or cauliflower, but I will leave them anyway.

DSCN5597

I should be able to start harvesting some of the largest kale leaves soon. More yummy nutrition!

My to-do list for this month:

1. Enjoy homemade apple butter.

2. Drink hot chocolate.

3. Eat kale!!! It’s time for my favorite kale recipe! I have a post on how to make kale chips, too.

4. Relax. Ha! I’m teaching again now, so that will have to wait for Christmas break.

I think that’s it. Most of my crops are already in the ground, so I’m just letting them grow.

Oh wait. I would like some pretty flowers, so maybe I’ll add another item.

6. Plant snapdragons and pansies.

How does your garden grow? Is it covered in snow, or maybe you are in Australia and gearing up for summer? What are you enjoying from your garden?

Nov7

Painting Pumpkins

Posted on by
Standard

If you are still staring at the pumpkin you purchased for a decoration, and really don’t want to carve it, then watch it deteriorate into a moldy pile of goo; paint it!

121113_001

If you use non-toxic paint, you can even convert the pumpkin to homemade pumpkin puree when you switch out the fall decorations for Christmas ornaments.

What do you think? I love this idea; I can have my pumpkin and eat it too!

Nov3

November To-Do List

Posted on by
Standard

Yes, it’s November already. I finally got my collards and kale into the ground.

DSCN5505   DSCN5506

It was nice to have seeds still from last year. Germination rates were great.

Poor little root-bound souls. All the waiting was stressing them out. 🙂

DSCN5508

Triple row of daikon radishes doing well. I have an easy daikon recipe that I posted earlier this year that featured this root vegetable.

DSCN5509   DSCN5510

So far the shed bed has the triple row of daikons, 2 wide rows of mustard, and a few straggling basil plants.

The large garden has been planted with onions, kale, collards, turnips, lettuce, and has a few summer crops remaining such as peppers, sweet potatoes, and zucchini.

DSCN5511

This is what happens when you neglect a zucchini. Ordinarily, I harvest mine when they are much smaller, but I’m glad I have a good chocolate zucchini bread recipe to use!

Here’s my list:

1. Plant garlic in shed bed.

2. Harvest and cure sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving. Replace sweet potatoes with carrots, who should hopefully appreciate the loose soil.

3. Plant out broccoli, cauliflower, pak choi, and Swiss chard transplants.

5. Resow Brussels sprouts and spinach.

6. Sow in empty spots: beets, carrots, mustard, and radish.

7. Start putting flowers and more vegetables in flowerbed. It is part of my plan to mix flowers and vegetables for winter color.

8. Make pear butter. I plan to use a method similar to my easy Crock-pot apple butter recipe.

DSCN5477

It’s nice to enjoy local produce, isn’t it?

With just a little work at the beginning, my winter garden should be a “set it and forget it” type of garden. How does your garden grow? Are you clearing it in preparation for the first snowfall? Are you sowing seeds for spring? I’d love to know!

Oct21

Mixing Vegetables and Flowers for Winter Color

Posted on by
Standard

My poor flowerbed looks pretty bleak in the winter. After our first frost, not much is green except the day lilies.

So, this fall, I am planning to plant snapdragons in that flowerbed, along with some herbs and leafy vegetables.

DSCN4165

I saw this display of snapdragons and pansies last spring and it sparked a determination to have some of my own. Seeing something like this from my kitchen window would certainly make doing the dishes much more pleasant!

So, right now I’m considering snapdragons and Swiss chard for color, curly kale for green, and potted herbs for structure. Maybe some lime green Bibb lettuce too?

Keeping the herbs in pots also gives me the option of tucking them indoors in case of a nasty freeze.

What do you think? Can you think of any other vegetables or flowers that I should add? What survives the cold for you? I’d love to hear your suggestions and ideas!

Oct15

Have You Started Your Fall Garden Yet?

Posted on by
Standard

Have you dreamed of starting a garden but been discouraged by lack of knowledge or experience?

Please don’t be intimidated by gardening. Now is a great time to start a little garden and to see if you like it. Florida fall and winter gardens are a wonderful place to start: the temperatures are cooler and the bugs are fewer.

If you really want to just try a little garden and just have a little time; buy a pack of collard or kale transplants for a few dollars, then poke them in the ground in a sunny spot. With just a minimum of care, you can harvest the outer leaves as soon as they are large enough and enjoy multiple harvests until the heat returns.

DSCN5456

I am still harvesting peppers from my spring garden, but am now beginning to harvest green beans from my fall garden.

DSCN5460

Turnips and mustard have sprouted! I’m trying ‘White Egg’ turnips this year.

DSCN5459

My collard, kale, and  Bibb lettuce starts are looking great!  I’m glad I decided to try Swiss chard again, I’m thinking of mixing this pretty vegetable with some snapdragons in the garden.

I am ready for beautiful salads and for my favorite kale recipe!

Many of these starts are ready to go into the garden. With the cooler temperatures, it’s the perfect time to get them adjusted and to clear off my pallet potting bench.

Are you ready to take the plunge and try a garden? Fall is a great time to garden in North Florida!

Do you have questions about starting a fall garden? Please ask, I’d love to help!

Do you have other suggestions for super-easy fall crops? Kale and collards are my top 2 easy crops, but I’d love to hear your favorites below. We can all help each other-the gardening community is so friendly!

Let’s get growing!

Oct13

Preserving the Basil Harvest: Frozen Pesto vs. Dried Flakes

Posted on by
Standard
Preserving the Basil Harvest: Frozen Pesto vs. Dried Flakes

 

I love the smell of fresh basil!

It is one of the wonderful smells of summer, but how can one keep basil’s pungency for winter sauces and dishes?

My favorite way to preserve basil is to make pesto, then to freeze it.

DSCN5446

The only ingredients in my pesto are fresh basil leaves, garlic, and enough olive oil to make a paste. I blend these together, then freeze the pesto in ice cube trays or in one cup measurements ( for pesto pasta).

DSCN5445

When I am making spaghetti sauce, I just add a cube or two of the basil pesto toward the end of the cooking time. If you like to add pine nuts to your pesto dishes, you can do so when you actually make the pasta dish.

This would also make a yummy dip- let thaw, drizzle with more olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and kosher salt, and serve with crusty French bread- yummy!

DSCN5447

Dried basil is nice to have on hand too; I just dried mine on a cookie sheet in the oven. I never actually turned the oven on for it, but I was sure to put it back in immediately after I had baked. It made the house smell like basil and slow-dried the leaves at the same time.

Did you grow basil this year? Have you tried making pesto with it or do you prefer to dry it?

Oct1

October To-Do List

Posted on by
Standard

I think fall is really here! The temperature is cool and refreshing in the morning, and seems to be lasting for a while. I have been starting seeds for the fall garden: collards, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Bibb lettuce, and Swiss chard. I planted 27 cells of each. If they all survive, that’s a ton of collards!!

DSCN5406   DSCN5405

At the same time, I am harvesting peppers: banana, jalepeno, and bell.

Southern peas are still growing from the summer garden, but I also harvested my first zucchini from the fall garden.

DSCN5410

The large garden has been planted with beets, rutabagas, and some direct-sown cauliflower. The direct-sown cauliflower is a bit of an experiment; if it doesn’t work I have some seedlings started. The sweet potatoes will hopefully be bigger than last year’s potatoes.

DSCN5409

The shed bed gets more sun in the winter months and greens did well here for me. I am considering just tossing some mustard and turnip seeds over this plot rather than organizing it into rows. I’d probably get a pretty good yield, but I’m not sure that I could endure the aesthetics of that.

I did notice quite a few bugs enjoying the mulch and thought how much my friend’s chickens would enjoy them. Then I realized that this garden would be a great spot for a couple of chickens in the summer! It is typically shaded by noon, so would be semi-cool during the summer.

DSCN5173

They could work the ground for me, then move to a sunnier spot in September. I could let the ground set for about a month (mainly because of the chicken manure) then plant in October or November. Hmmm…something to think about for sure!

Here’s my list for this month:

1. Plant carrots, mustard, spinach, and pak choi, radishes, and maybe more turnips.

2. Freeze some of the bell peppers for winter stir-fries and spaghetti sauce.

3. Save seeds from four o’clocks and cleome to donate to gardenhoard.com’s free seed program. I have benefited from it, and want to give back. If you have a surplus of seeds, consider donating to them. What you may consider a rampant self-seeder may be #1 on somebody’s wish list.

DSCN5411

It’s beautiful weather to be outside with your hands in the soil! If you have been considering starting a garden, why not start small and simple? Grab a 9 pack of some type of greens (kale, collards, lettuce, mustard) and find a sunny spot for them. You may just be pleasantly surprised!

How is your garden? Are you hoping that your tomatoes will ripen before frost or are you ripping up old tomato plants to make room for your collards?

Sep29

Northern Gardeners Are Going to be Jealous

Posted on by
Standard

If you are already breaking out the jeans and sweaters and thinking about the condition of your snow shovel, you may not want to read this post. One of the many perks of gardening in Florida(and what can create so much envy) is that we can garden all year long. The fall garden is really just as big as the spring garden.

DSCN5386

I have started seeds for collards, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, Bibb lettuce, and cauliflower. Soon I will be planting seeds of turnips, beets, rutabagas, and carrots.

DSCN5389        DSCN5388

At the same time, I have a zucchini that will be ready to harvest in just a few days. Isn’t that crazy?

DSCN5390

My green bean plants are doing well in the mild temperatures and I hope to enjoy fresh green beans soon too.

DSCN5387

This is the crop that I am actually the most eager to harvest- yard long beans, a.k.a. snake beans, a.k.a. asparagus beans. They have finally started to bloom and set pods. I am going to try to restrain myself and not eat the first few pods, as I want to save seed for next year. According to David over at Florida Survival Gardening, they are not only delicious, but they also grow well in the summer garden. His post on snake beans makes you want to skip traditional pole beans in favor of them.

Fall gardening is so fun! There is a lull in the heat and humidity, making it great weather for starting seeds and pulling summer’s weeds.The warm temperatures mean that your seeds will germinate quickly. The bugs will be scarce in the cooler months, so there will be less bother from mosquitoes and chewing caterpillars.

Let’s get growing! If you invest just a little effort now, your garden will reward you with nutritious and delicious vegetables this fall and into the winter.

If your sweet potato vines are overtaking your garden, don’t look at them as a nuisance, look at them as food! Post on that coming soon!

Sep6

Ground Cherries

Posted on by
Standard

One of my most anticipated crops this year was a fruit that I had read so much about but never tasted: the ground cherry.

DSCN5226

I was able to get some free seeds from gardenhoard.com, and grew this little plant. It has been quite hot, and the plant has suffered, but it is still producing fruit.

DSCN5227

The fruit is ripe when it falls to the ground. I recommend letting it ripen a day or so more, or the flavor will be a bit reminiscent of a green tomato.

DSCN5228

Eating them is simple. Just peel back the papery husk and eat the fruit. There are hints of pineapple flavor, but it really is in a class all of its own. I’m actually not quite sure that I like them.

However, I’ve gone to so much trouble to get and grow the fruit that I want to like them. I’m considering making jam. In spite of its size, the single plant has been quite productive.

Have you ever had ground cherries? What did you think? Some seem to have such fond childhood memories of them.

Sep2

September To-Do List

Posted on by
Standard
September To-Do List

My garden is going through an ugly time.

Right now, only the most stalwart crops are surviving the heat.

This banana plant is a notable exception; it’s mocking its more homely neighbors.

DSCN5234

As you can tell, in the shed bed not much is going on except for the basil. I plan to put some fall crops over here again this fall and winter. This garden gets more sunlight in the winter and my collards and kale did well over here last year.

I can make some pesto from the basil and freeze it. A little pesto adds a nice summery shot of flavor to winter sauces.

DSCN5235

Despite the heat and lack of rainwater, I am still able to harvest okra, bell peppers, Southern peas, and some ground cherries. The sweet potato vines are running, and I should saute some of the greens. We really enjoyed them last year. Even if my sweet potato crop is poor this year, the greens would still make it worthwhile to grow.

DSCN5237

This banana pepper plant really is my pride and joy at this time. I hate to pick the peck of peppers and pickle them; the plant looks fabulous!

DSCN5236

I started my fall planting in August. My green beans are doing well and I have 2 zucchini plants.

Here’s my plan for September:

1. Start collards and kale in flats. In this heat, the seeds will germinate rapidly and get off to a good start.

2. Clear old plants from shed bed.

3. Find a yummy recipe for those banana peppers.

4. Pickle some of the okra. I’ve never had pickled okra-I hope I like it!

5. Transplant some of the tomato plants that I propagated from my spring planting.

 

The list is pretty easy for this month. I love gardening in Florida, there is always something new that you can grow!

Any ideas for the banana peppers? I’m thinking of stuffing them with cream cheese, cheddar, bacon, and sauteed onions and then baking them. Does that sound good?

How is your garden this month?