Oklahomegrownveg

Still hot................

2010-07-25T14:54:00.023-05:00

The heat continues............................................

.......and the boys are drawn to the "cooler" concrete of the garage floor. These hot days are interspersed with heavy downpours and thunderstorms. After the storms abate the heat gets worse due to the humidity. This really is an awful time of the year.

I had a new visitor in the back garden the other afternoon.....................

.........in the form of a Groundhog, a pretty big one too.

I also picked my first...............

.............Brandywine Tomato and treated myself to a Cheese and Tomato roll for lunch.

This year I made a concerted effort and got to the Peaches before the birds and squirrels.

This is the first year that I have got any sort of decent crop. Saying that, the tree didn't get the best start in life when a huge limb broke off one of the Black Locust trees during the ice storm in December 2007........

....and split the little tree in half.

The severe damage to the lower trunk seems to have healed well after treatment with sealing tar. Two and a half years on and it now looks like this...................

A little misshapen yes but it has survived.

Here's the Fuji Tree after the same storm................

and here it is.......................

.....now.

This will be it's fifth year in the ground and we got our first decent crop of apples.

And very tasty they are too.

Evening skies of wonder..................

..................and the promise of more storms to come.

I think it's here..............................................

Dinner tonight is......................

Amalfi-Style Shrimp

Full recipe here................

http://range-warfare.blogspot.com/2009/06/amalfi-style-shrimp.html

Enough!!

Sun and Rain

2010-07-11T09:55:00.011-05:00

Plenty of both sun and rain at the moment.

Light show courtesy of Mother Nature.

Yes, July has started out both hot and wet. We have had some pretty high temperatures but not as bad as some years. Many thunderstorms have passed over us too................

.....forcing Alvin to take shelter on the kitchen windowsill at short notice a few times.
Wilson..................................

....prefers somewhere with a little more leg room. The roof of my wife's car proves to be ideal.

High winds have buffeted the region too.

I hope the occupants of this home had vacated the premises before it was blown from the tree?
Anyroad, here's how things are in Oklahomegrownvegland at the moment.....................

Peaches look fine but are still not ready to be picked. Nice looking but "brickish".
Kind of like eating a fruity potato.

The birds and squirrels seem to agree and have not started attacking or stealing them yet.

The same goes for the Fuji apples although I think these may be ready before the peaches.

I've tried a couple and although small they are definitely sweetening up.

This is the Black Cherry tree at the front of the property

I have never seen as much fruit on this tree since we moved here. I did trim off quite a few low hanging branches last year so perhaps it's done it some good. The birds in the area are just loving these and are continuously feeding. Perhaps thats why they are leaving the two other fruit trees alone?

More fruit has been discovered too................

............in the form of Wild Blackberries. I stumbled upon these whilst clearing some creepers around the back of the shed. There were only a few and they had gone by the weekend so I presume that they too have been on the birds menu.

Here's why I was clearing that area..................

...........I was making room for the second Rotating Composter I constructed a couple of weeks ago. I can now stop adding to one barrel when enough material has been collected and start adding to the other.This will allow the contents of the first to break down fully.

Yummy looking stuff, eh?

The Fingerling Potatoes...................................

......I got nothing.
Those magnificent plants which I carefully tendered all those weeks were all I got.
Another Potato crop failure to add to my ever increasing list of Potato crop failures.
One day..............................................................

Better news from the Yolo Bell Peppers.

Here's my first two of the season. They came from the smallest of the four plants too.
It broke at ground level in the high winds shortly after being planted out and had to grow again from scratch. The whole plant is only around 12 inches high.
The rest of the plants have plenty of peppers coming along so it looks like I'll have some success.

The White Onions are about ready.

Plenty of good sized ones too. I will soon be pulling most of them and allowing them to dry in the plots but I want to wait a little longer to make sure the thunderstorms are over.

Most of the eight Tomato plants have set fruit but not as abundantly as I had hoped. I keep reminding myself that I was very late getting these started and not to worry......

.....but I worry. I always worry.
Above picture shows a Brandywine and the hand of the Happy (but worried) Gardener

Stage one of the weekend mowing......................................

................is complete.

Enough!!

Downpour

2010-06-14T17:09:00.023-05:00

Quite a heavy downpour today in Oklahomegrownvegland and there's a chance of a further 7 inches of rain heading our way.

This, as you can see, seems to have put a dent in Tommy's hunting plans for the evening and he's not too pleased.

OK, a look around the back garden first to see how things are coming along.

The Yolo Bell Peppers are starting to make some progress after a slow start. This was due to me not getting them out sooner (because of unfavourable weather conditions) and them getting a pretty rough time of it once they did get out there. What with the high winds, blistering temperatures and getting a good chomping from various bugs they didn't get an ideal start.

The same goes for the Tomato plants but they too seem to be getting along nicely now.
At the rear and to the right of this plant you can see one of the Spicy Globe Basil plants

To the left, the White Onions are filling out.

Here's a closer shot.

The Fingerling potatoes which I'm trying out in the container look to be strong plants on the surface and don't seem to be affected by any wilt or bug attacks up to now.

I just wonder what's growing on under the surface but I'm going to be patient and wait a while before having a sneek peek.

Two new additions to the veggie plots this year are.................

Peppermint and...............................

Bee Balm.

Both have settled in well.

Now a quick update on some of the colour around the front.

I scattered a few handfuls of wild flower seed in this area early on and the birds really went to town on them. I didn't expect to see anything for our efforts but I was wrong.

This and............................

.....this look a little like tiny Snapdragons and I was wondering if they were Toad flax or something similar.

And this lovely specimen......................

.........has the appearance of a Marigold. But I'm probably wrong on all three.

Here's one I think I do know......................

Queen Anne's Lace?
Wrong! I've been reliably informed it's Poison Hemlock

And finally, here's a couple of shots of the blooms which are now on the two young Dogwood trees I planted a couple of years ago.

Cool, huh?

Enough!

Time for dinner.

Parmesan crusted Cod and a glass of Chablis.

Heating up

2010-05-28T12:10:00.017-05:00

The temperatures are rising and so is the grass.

Thankfully, Herbie is repaired and back in action.

Replacement wheels, axles and bearings are fitted and two belts purchased as a back up.
So, it's time to mow..............................

..................................

................................

Upon completion I discovered this little fellow trotting around the garden. Thankfully, he was small enough to pass under the blades without being injured.......

.........so I placed him under one of the conifers.

Things are coming along in the garden too, despite my terribly late start.

Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Onions and a volunteer Potato all seem to be standing up to these sudden increases in heat which have hit the area. Also in there are Bee Balm (to replace the unobtainable African Blue Basil), Mint, Spicy Globe Basil and a whole load of Dill which has made an almighty comeback despite being "dug back in" at the end of last season.

Once again, the Mesclun has been impressive.......................................

These fresh and spicy tasting greens make an excellent side salad and the more you crop them back, the more they grow. Sadly, now that the temperatures are on the rise, the plants are starting to bolt so these handy greens are about at an end.

My experiment with the Fingerling Potatoes looks good up to now........................

They started off in around 3 to 4 inches of soil at the bottom and I've gradually topped it up as the plants have grown. A couple of weeks ago I reached the top of the barrel so that's as far as I can go. The plants are forming flowers now so it's important for me to keep them moist from now until a couple of weeks before harvesting. This is the period of most tuber development and allowing them to dry out can seriously affect any crop I manage to get.

Around the front of the house the tiny Rosebush, sent to me by a friend in Canada, has had lots of lovely small blooms.

Sadly it also had a whole lot of Aphids too. I doused them with Diatomacious Earth and the bugs have gone. A close inspection earlier this week revealed a lot more buds are forming so there could well be more colour to come.

Both fruit trees have set plenty of fruit. The last two years have seen next to nothing develope due to late frosts

The Fuji Apple...................................

............and the Peach..........................

.....may well supply a modest harvest later in the season. I'm planning on adorning them both with some kind of glittery bird deterrent in an attempt to improve my chances.

Spring has sprung.

2010-04-23T17:21:00.013-05:00

Spring has sprung.
The grass has riz
I wonder where old Herbie is?

Well, I'll tell you where he is...........................................

....He's in bits!!
Both front wheel bearings were found to be completely shot. Major repairs are underway.
At least I got the grass cut.......

......afore he got pulled in pieces. Phew!!

In the veggie plots the Egyptian Onions which wintered out are back in full force.

Even some that I "threw away" near the shed are growing well.

The white onions are also showing good signs of growth.

I've put around 50 in I think.

My container Fingerling Potatoes have broken the surface.

I wonder if this project will be successful?

The Mesclun is romping on and we'll be starting to use this in the coming days.

It's a "cut and come back" salad green and I was impressed by last years crop.

Indoors the Yolo Bell Peppers are awaiting planting out but I'm holding off until the winds die down a little.

Tomato seedling germination rate was very high and I've been thinning out and moving them to larger pots.

I have kept 4 of each of the 8 varieties that I started which will be more than enough for me and hopefully a few spares for friends and neighbours.
The first true leaves have formed so I gave them a drink of half strength Fish Emulsion this morning.

I also have some Spicy Globe Basil seedlings coming along.

Everything is late this year and I'm doing a lot less but I'm sure that things will turn out fine.

(He said hopefully)

Startup 2010

2010-03-28T16:25:00.010-05:00

The 2010 season is starting off wet, very wet. In fact so wet that it's almost the end of March and I'm only just getting started doing any outside work.

After a "not so successful" 2009 I've decided to cut back on what I grow this year and concentrate on just a few basics. This way I'm hoping that the soil will get a much needed rest and it will be a little less work for me when the temperatures get uncomfortably hot.

I've done some rearranging out there for this year..........................

Plots 1 through 4 have now been made into 2 plots. Rotting timbers have been replaced, the plots dug over and mulched. My plan is to leave these two areas empty this year but you never know. Maybe I'll not be able to resist the temptation and start filling them up at a later date.
My plan is to grow only Tomatoes, Bell Peppers and Onions this year but I'm sure that I'll end up with a couple more things besides.

I shall be growing the above in what was plots 5 and 6..................

Plot 5 (above) was in a terrible state but has now been dug over and had lots of home made compost added. This is ready for mulching but I'd run out so it must wait until next week now. I've moved the Swiss Chard plants to the far end but they got so devastated by the Blister Beetles that I'll be surprised if they come back this year.

Plot 6 has had the same treatment and is mulched and ready for use. At the moment I think I'll put 6 Tomato plants in the rear portion of these 2 beds then add the Bell Peppers to the front of one and the onions to the front of the other. As you can see, the Egyptian Onions have survived the winter in both of the above plots. I'll not be growing as many of these this year either.

One of the successes of 2009 was the Mesclun. These tasty greens were great in the salads so..........................

.......I've dug over and composted the old box, thrown a few seeds in and covered it with chicken wire to deter the birds/cats/rabbits.

Around the front of the house the little Rosebush which was sent to me by a friend in Canada has survived the winter..............................

...........and has plenty of new growth. Now my knowledge of growing roses could be written on the back of a postage stamp so it's anyones guess how it will turn out.

As usual, the Daffodils made an appearance just in time to get hit by our last heavy snowfall but they seem to have recovered.

At least we have a little colour around the place to brighten up this soggy weather.

I've started this years tomato seeds and they are now on top of the fridge.

From L to R..... Old Virginia, Black Krim, Sicilian Saucer, Brandywine, Sweet Cherry, Big Red, Giant Beefsteak and Cherokee Purple. As you can see I'm trying out some new varieties this year along with seeds from my own stock.

So, all I need now is a little sunshine and perhaps things can get underway......................

Winterizing 1

2009-10-25T16:03:00.007-05:00

Rising at 8-00am to a clock which says 9-00am. Yes it's fall back time!
No cat calls to awaken the Happy Gardener on the wonderful

......sunny

...........Autumn morning. Recently temperatures have been varying between pleasant and cool, the evenings especially having been colder. No sign of any frost yet so the herbs

...... are still outside

........on the patio. Some have been harvested and are drying in the kitchen.

Here we have bunches of Basil Spicy Globe and Rosemary and a little Sage.

The forecast says of temperatures possibly dropping below freezing next weekend so we must be alert. Later today we are supposed to get light rain so better get started.

I've been giving the trees a bit of a tidying up, clipping off low hanging branches

....and generally winterizing.
I've also pruned

....the Fuji Apple and

.......the Forsythia.
These and all the new trees have also got a thick layer of mulch laid around the bases.
Despite the cooler temps I'm still pulling

......a few tomatoes every few days.
More winterizing

.............in the way of chopping up some dead trees

....... and sorting out the log pile in preparation for a new delivery.
I should have room

.......for another couple of ricks by the time I'm done.
Next, the garage

......needs a good clearing up so everything gets dragged out.
Alvin checks to make sure

......I've done a proper job.
Around the back I make a start on clearing out Plots 4 and 6. I pull the last carrots

....and dig up a few potatoes from Plot 3

......to go with them. The making of a Beef Stew, perhaps??
All the time I'm digging, someone is watching me.

This fellow was non too please when I politely asked him to "hop it" for a while to allow me to work in HIS plot.
Plot 6 gets it's primary digging over. My two surviving Parsnips

.........are left in place. I'll be mulching these and hopefully pull them in the Spring.
Two Parsnips, WOW. What a crop.
I dig out the Parsley plant, clip off some off the dead or broken stems and put it into a pot. This will be brought indoors and reside on one of the windowsills.

Hopefully it will give us a little greenery through the Winter months.
Autumn colours are here now

......in the hedgerows and

.....our small saplings. Above is one of the two Goldenrain trees I started a while ago.
This will be their first Winter out in the garden, last year they stayed in the nursery plot buried under a thick bed if straw.
Late afternoon skies

........look full of that promise of rain. Then the drizzle starts.

And I stop!

And yet cooler still

2009-10-11T17:09:00.005-05:00

Rising at 8-30am.

No early morning call from Alvin this morning.
This is due to a sudden drop in temperatures and he hasn't got his winter coat yet.
To get around this problem he's switched to "day shift" and hunts while the sun is up. The nights are spent curled up keeping my office chair warm.
These wild flowers growing at the back of the house...................

.....don't seem to mind the change.
Neither do the Black Swallowtail caterpillars....................

....which are still happily munching away on my Parsley plants. We have lots of Parsley still growing, far more than we will ever use this season so I don't mind sharing with them. And, they do grow into.................

....these very beautiful butterflies. Well worth having around.

Colder temperatures remind me that it's time to prepare for when it gets really cold. I have a couple of dead trees that want felling and sawing up for the wood pile...................

...........and so that's done.
I've given the trees a bit of a haircut to tidy up any low hanging branches, pruned the Fuji Apple and the Golden Willow and removed a broken branch from one of the small Oaks round the back.
I see that our resident "Squirrel Nutkins"............................

.......will have an ample store for the coming winter.
Enough for today.

Oklahomegrownvegland skies of beauty and wonder..............................

Blissfully cooler

2009-09-13T15:48:00.014-05:00

Waking at 5-00am and rising at 6-30am. It's noticeably cooler today here in Oklahomegrownvegland. One could almost say "pleasant".
Even cool cats like Alvin here...............

.... enjoy a bit of a rest from the heat.
It also means that the Happy Gardener can get some outdoor tasks done.
First on the list is to deal with the Persimmon tree which was (I presume) struck by lightning.

We have already lost one of the three and now it's time to fell the second.
I call in the heavy gang..................

...and soon this once magnificent tree is reduced to this..............

It's sad isn't it. But I decided to fell it as I didn't want it falling on it's own and damaging the roots of our only survivor. I add it to the woodpile
I then put in the new Chrysanthemum at the right hand end of one of the front flower beds.....

.....while at the left hand end the existing 'mum......

....is covered in bursting buds.
More blooms are showing on one of the burn piles.....

I piled a few fallen branches here after the last ice storm and have left it to it's own devices. Now I have a small island of growth which has become a bit of a garden feature. There are a few new trees established and some pretty white flowers, which are a type of creeper, have climbed the tree.......

.......and adorned it with it's small white blooms. I have no idea what they are but they are very attractive and will hopefully become permanent residents.
Here's another permanent resident..................

......one of the many Crawdads which inhabit our property. Maybe I should say "Crawmum" in this case as it's a female and she's loaded with eggs under her tail.
She lets me know in no uncertain terms...............

...that she doesn't want to be bothering with me as she's busy looking for a nest site. I spot her making a new burrow shortly after I take this snap.
Around the back, I pull some Egyptian Onions, place them on a screen.......

.... and put then undercover on the patio. They need to dry out and thunderstorms are forecast for the next few days. I also gather quite a lot of the Bulbils too........

...... and will be offering some of these around to anyone who would like to try growing some.
I say "try" but they seem to require little or no care and grow through the winter. The whole plant is edible, the tops supplying shallot type greens for adding to soups and stews when all other garden greens have long since vanished.

At long last The Happy Gardeners Rotating Composter ©™ is completed and in service.

I reckon that it has cost me around $60 to make and when you price one to buy online you will see how much of a saving that is. It makes turning the ongoing compost an easy task. No spade or fork work required. It's also vermin proof and looks a lot tidier than the wooden bins that I used previously. My main concern is that it may require some sort of covering for if temperatures drop REALLY low. I don't want the compost freezing solid as a brick.

Enough!!

Tonight's dinner is ........

Home Made Caesar Salad and a glass of chilled Chablis

Assessing this years efforts.

2009-08-30T13:35:00.007-05:00

It hasn't been a great year for me in the garden but certainly not a complete failure.
I think that next year I'm going to work on getting the soil improved rather than growing as much as possible.
Temperatures have been unpleasantly hot these last couple of months making outdoor work a chore rather than a joy. I'm hoping things will start to cool off as September arrives.
But first things first..........................

Breakfast and............................

....breakfast reading.

Here's a short assessment of this years results:

Tomatoes and Yolo Bell Peppers.

Moderate crop but low plant growth resulting in less leaf coverage and sun scald. Probably need to get the nitrogen levels up. The hybrid cherry tomato plants were a success and pretty prolific. I wasn't impressed with the one Determinate plant I bought although it may have done better with more favourable soil and less harsh weather so I'll probably try one again.

Onions.
Low crop (excluding the Egyptians which grew like crazy anywhere)

Garlic.

Great crop, every one I planted made a good bulb. It's been cured and we are now starting to use it. I'll be putting more in the ground come early winter.

Mesclun.
This was the find of the season. I grew just the correct amount for us both and by cutting and letting it grow back got a continuous crop for quite a few weeks. But as soon as the temps hit the roof it all bolted. I'll definitely be doing some more of this next year.

Kohlrabi.

Good, all plants survived

Potatoes.
2 crops one low and one still in the ground but looks promising.

Carrots.
Poor crop, although I planted them in a bad location and the Kohlrabi plants cut them off from the sun so probably my fault.

Parsnips.
Poor crop. Out of the 4 rows I planted I have around 4 or 5 plants still growing. I'll be leaving those in the ground until the spring.

Swiss Chard.

Grew well but was completely devoured by the Blister beetles.

Bugs have been a problem again, mainly Blister Beetles, Grasshoppers and Caterpillars. Diatomacious Earth and BTK has kept the latter two in check to a certain degree but nothing gets rid of the former except hand picking. NOT a fun pastime when it's 115F+ on the heat scale.

I lost the whole top of one tomato plant........................

.....to this huge fellow.
And I found this.........

.........walking around where I work
It's a Rhinoceros Bug and apparently it's the strongest creature on the planet relative to it's size. It can lift 850 times it's own weight. I gave him to my mate and he let him go in his small orchard.

Oklahomegrownvegland evening skies............................

........of beauty and wonder.
Tonight's dinner..................................

......Asiago and spinach sausages, tomatoes with parmesan cheese, garden greens salad and basmati rice with green peppers

More bugs

2009-07-19T17:31:00.011-05:00

Bugs of various kinds have been hitting us here in Oklahomegrownvegland.
First of all an update on Alvin's bug.

The results of his blood tests revealed that he had picked up some kind of parasite on his blood, as I had expected, and his red/white cell ratio was way out of wack. This was probably picked up from something he caught and ate or perhaps a tick or flea bite. He's been on medication for it these last 2 weeks. His appearance, appetite and general well being have improved significantly.
Getting him to take the tablets is a major operation as he can be such a "willful boy" at times but we persevere.

I too have had a bug. A bug of the computer type which just about flattened the Happy Gardener's on line activities. After much searching, cleaning, downloading etc it appears to be cleared but I am on constant alert.

Anyroad, enough of this. Lets get onto the garden bugs!
Yes, the Blister beetles have arrived and here you can see.........................

....that they have really enjoyed my Swiss Chard. I've been hand picking them off as best I can and seem to have got them on the run. For the Chard it's a bit too late so I'm going to wait until I'm sure the Beetles have gone for the season then cut it back. If I'm lucky I may get another crop from these plants later in the fall.
Temperatures have once again been extremely hot and on the few days that it's bearable to go out there I.............

....have to mow the grass. If I leave it and it rains the grass grows at such a rate that it soon gets beyond control. Also, keeping it cropped helps keep down the bug population around the house area.
My tomato plants are starting to produce now but certainly not as heavy as last year.

I need to start making some Tomato Gloop or perhaps a "Summer in a Bowl" salad methinks.
The Cherry Tomato hybrids are extremely heavy with fruit.......................

.........and I'm picking them every day.
Of the other varieties...........................

....Giant Beefsteak and...................

....Old Virginia, the plants and the crop are smaller but still of excellent flavour.
After a slow start the Yolo Bell peppers...........................

....are finally........................

....producing. Again, the plants are smaller with less leaf growth at the lower areas. Maybe I need to do some serious soil work before next years planting.
The flower beds at the front of the house are looking great.............................

....and the Black Eyed Susans are in full bloom. The Cherry Tomato plant which you can see situated behind them is producing a small amount of fruit too, even though this bed loses the sun by midday.
I re potted the Catnip plants and they are now producing their 4th batch of leaves of the season.................

........as you can see........................

.......I'll be harvesting again soon.
This weeks purchase...................

.........some wood. Exciting isn't it?
It's going to have to cool down a whole lot before I start this project.

Enough!

The munchies.

2009-07-05T17:22:00.007-05:00

After a heavy shower the weather turned hot and steamy here in Oklahomegrownvegland.

Nevertheless, the Happy Gardener had a task to do.

After reading about all these horrible bugs over at my friends wonderful blog called http://www.theinformalgardener.blogspot.com/ I discovered these buggers................

....Bagworms. And my Conifers and absolutely riddled with them.

They have probably been attacking these trees for ages but I didn't see them. They disguise themselves so well they look like part of the tree. That bag contains a caterpillar with a huge appetite and they are eating the trees at an amazing rate.

I broke out the sprayer and gave them a good coating of BTK but it may be too late for this year.

I can but try.

Here's the second of my munching problems............

....another type of Bagworm methinks. They live inside a huge web which is spun around the tree leaves and then go to work. These too got a spraying with the BTK.

Munchers number three are the birds and they have decided to eat....................

...or should I say "ruin" almost every apple on the Fuji tree. This I'm not too worried about but I'm hoping they leave me at least a couple so I can sample my efforts.

On the way back from the Fuji I call in at the wild Garlic......

....which is now setting bulbits.

I'll be gathering some of these later and spreading them around the garden.

The untended part of the garden which I purposely let grow wild............

....is in full greenery...

as can be seen in .....

....these shots. I like to leave this bit in the hands of Mother Nature and see what happens.

I think she's doing a pretty good job up to now. I'll take more pics another time.

On the Tomato front, I pulled a few from the Determinate plant..............

....as can be seen here. But I've been a little disappointed with this to be honest. The fruit seems too big for the size of the plant causing limbs to break in places. Also, the leaf coverage is inadequate causing some of the fruit to get sun scald.

The Cherry Tomatoes are everywhere.................

In the plot and......

....the containers.

The basil bush..................

...is romping on, as is................................

.....the Dill tree.

The Yolo Bell Peppers.......................

....are appearing at last though the plants aren't a patch on last years.

Still, there's time yet.

The Garlic crop has been pulled and I got around 17 heads, all of a pretty good size.

It's now curing in the sun. Well, it was until the rain started then I moved it into the garage.

The curing could take a couple of weeks.

Alvin sleeps on the patio, unaware of tomorrows early morning visit to the vet.

Poor "Little Al" has had some medical problems these last few weeks, pulling his hair out, loss of appetite and generally looking a bit out of sorts. He's had shots for allergies, treatment for worms, ear mites, tics, fleas, lice. You name it, Al's had it stuck in or on him and he's not too happy about all the attention. Tomorrow he's going for some blood work but don't tell him, eh?

In the meantime..........

.....Wilson and......

....Tommy offer moral support, all be it subliminally.

Enough!
Everyone's eating but me?

Tonight's dinner is.............

Roast Peppered Pork..............

....Garden Fresh Red Potatoes with Rosemary.......

.....and a little Kohlrabi Coleslaw on the side.

Enjoy!

Getting things tidy again.

2009-06-21T14:09:00.010-05:00

Rising at 7-15am to the sound of Alvin calling from the bedroom windowsill.
An early start is required today if I'm going to get any outdoor work done and, boy do I need to get things straightened out!
Temperatures are due to hit 96F(36C) today which on the heat scale is actually 103F(40C) when you perm in the humidity. Not pleasant working conditions for the Happy Gardener.
Thunderstorms and the hot humid weather have resulted in the grass getting in a terrible state so the mowing begins around the house....

Done! Before I can get the grass cut down to the creek I have to haul the fallen Persimmon tree out of the way...........

.....using the trusty Saturn as a work horse as I thought it may have been a little too much....
......... for Herbie to handle.
Now the way is clear to finish the job..........................

The Flowering Pear trees seem to have shot up this year.
Beside them are the new little Conifers.

All done, it's mid day and.............................

.....things are warming up as predicted.
I was going to go round with the Weedeater and straighten up the edges of the garden but..................

...shortly after starting it ran out of wire. I said a silent prayer of thanks.
At the front of the house we have added...............................

...a couple of new hanging baskets and.......

......purchased new patio chairs to replace the scruffy canvas ones and a matching table instead of the plastic tool box we've been using since we bought the place.
The cats got new canvas chairs too....................

Here's Wilson checking one out for comfyness.
In the front garden everything is lush and green.......

Around the back.................

...the veggies are baking but I'll wait until the sun is off them before giving them a drink.

I pull my third Kohlrabi.........

....but haven't decided what to do with it yet.

This is around the size that I find most flavoursome, bigger not necessarily meaning better in their case.
Work is over for the day, BBQing awaits my attention.

Prawn Kebabs, Basmati Rice, Salad, French bread and a glass of Chablis.

Another loss.

2009-06-14T16:41:00.008-05:00

More bad news about the Persimmon Trees.
As I mentioned earlier I discovered that one seems to have been killed by a lightning strike. Well, during the inspection of the strickened tree I noticed this........................

....at the bottom of one of the two remaining trees. Some kind of rot, similar to that which has affected two of the Redbud trees in other parts of the garden. I don't know whether it's caused by termites, the fact that the land is particularly wet, lawnmower damage from past years allowing disease to penetrate or a combination of all three. All I know is , at that point I had a feeling that this tree too would soon be lost.

But, I didn't know just how soon that awful moment would come.

Last Wednesday evening around 5-30pm we had a particularly bad thunderstorm, preceded by about 10 minutes of "Straight Line Winds" blasting from the South. I stood in the doorway and watched as every tree in the area took a terrible thrashing from this frightening blast and sadly after around 5 minutes the Persimmon could no longer stand the force and fell.

It was heartbreaking to see all those years of growth swept down before my eyes. These trees with their majestic canopy were a delight for us to view from our dining table and gave shelter and a regular supply of food to the birds during the harsh winter months.

Perhaps the strain from the ice storm of December 2007 shown here................

......was a contributing factor. We will never know.

We ended the year 2008 with 3 of these delightful additions to the garden and now we are down to one.

Lets move on.......................................................

Plot 6 is slowly coming to life.

The Yolo Bell Pepper plants are quite away behind this year and have suffered a lot of leaf loss in the thunderstorms and high wind. But they seem to be finding their feet now. I mulched them in an effort to keep the soils temperature more even and to retain moisture in the coming hot months. From left to right at the front the Dill, Basil and Curly Parsley plants look great.

In Plot 1 my "Cup runneth over" with Egyptian Onions.................

....so I gathered a jug full of the bulbits and made some...............

Pickled Onions.

I also got a roasting from my wife for forgetting to turn on the extractor fan and stinking the whole house out with the strong aroma of boiled Rice Vinegar. Eeeeek!

But I must have been forgiven because she made us a super Potato Salad using some of the Red Potatoes from Plot 5, Onions from Plot 1 and fresh eggs from our neighbours hens.

What a colourful and tasty feast!!
Enough.

Some losses

2009-06-07T16:36:00.007-05:00

It's been a hot day here in Oklahomegrownvegland. A constant 90F (32C)
Not a good day to be working on repairing the shed floor...........................

But it's done! Another job crossed off from the "to do" list.
Yesterday was a little cooler so I managed to get some gardening done.
My wife got the flower beds knocked into shape.......................

Front flower beds..................

....now have colour added......................

.....and are mulched.

The Mosquito plant is another new arrival, an impulse buy on my part from our local Garden Center.
I've been in tree planting mode and added another 3 yesterday......

.....including this Washington Hawthorn.......

......and Sargent Crab apple.
That's a total of 16 so far this year. Up with trees!
Sadly there's bad news about one of the three Persimmon trees, it appears to have been struck by lightning.

Where last year there was ample growth this year the whole tree is dead.
Examination of the lower truck reveals...................

....huge cracks...............

.....in various places. This is a sad loss indeed as the 3 trees all make one nicely shaped canopy and give the appearance of one large tree. This is one of the reasons that the problem went unseen for so long because, when viewed from the house you only notice a couple of dead branches. It was only when I approached the trees from the creek that I saw the extent of the devastation.
On a more positive note..............

..the Fuji Apples bountiful harvest. .

Well, if I can get to them before the birds that is.
Moving around the back of the house the Tomato plants in the containers..............

.....have doubled in height and are flowering. I'm tending to give these a little extra Fish Emulsion as they have limited growing medium and dry out quickly. Constant watering will probably flush out most of the nutrients from the soil.
Plot 2

Tomato plants look good and are in flower. The parsnip seed aren't doing a thing. I'll check again when I water tonight.
Plot 3

So far so good with the potatoes. These plants have flowered heavily and I've kept up the watering as this is the time of tuber development.
Plot 4

I've harvested one Kohlrabi which came in at around 3 inch diameter, and two small batches of radish. These went in with the Mesclun which is STILL providing and could turn out to be the best new discovery of the season.
Plot 5
Now here's more bad news.................
In two weeks the batch of red potatoes has gone.........................

...........from this...........................

.....to this.
It look suspiciously like Verticillium Wilt to me...................

I dig up one row, which is half the plot, and get 5lb of potatoes. So my hopes for a good harvest of Reds are shattered for this year. Funnily enough, my spell checker wanted to change the word "Verticillium" to "Voodooism". Now there's a thought, maybe I have a Potato Curse?
Plot 6

Sparkler Radishes look good, Yolo Bell peppers are struggling to get off the ground this year in direct contrast to the rapid growth last year. Of the Parsnip seeds I planted there looks to be about 6 or 8 showing through. Oh well, maybe Wal Mart will do better.
The determinate Tomato plants, which is situated in one of the ends of the path...............

....set it's first fruit last weekend and now has quite a few showing. This is the only tomato plant with fruit on to date.
At the opposite end of the path the Cherry tomato plant I grew from organic seed.......

....has taken off after a slow start.
Many things in the garden seem to have been affected by the swings in temperature combined with floods and steaming hot days. But hey, when has it ever been easy?
On a lighter note, I've been combing the Internet these last 2 weeks and asking people in the area where I could get a "Food Grade" 55 gallon plastic drum for an up coming project. My fruitless search comes up in a conversation with our local veterinarian while Alvin is having his shots.
Turns out that Oklahomegrownland, population 1200, has it's very own "Food grade" plastic drum emporium right next to the Garden Centre. I call in and see Gene, the proprietor and............

.....snap one up for $11.00. A bargain.
Ok, enough. It's beer thirty!!

Catching up.

2009-05-24T16:43:00.009-05:00

With this being Memorial Day weekend I get Monday off from work. A great chance to attempt to catch up on all those jobs I've been unable to do due to the constant rain.

It seems the waters have abated for the time being so.....................

I mow.

Around the back......................

............................

.....and I mow around the side................

..........................

....and I mow around the front until everything is neat and tidy again.
Well, around the house at least. The rest can wait for now as I have trees to plant.

Sargent Crabapple

Crape Myrtle

Washington Hawthorn

I also put in some more Conifers down by the creek and my extra Tomato plants have been scattered around here and there but more about those another time.
The Tomato plants in Plot 2................

.....have been treated to new cages this year. I'm using a lot of my old ones to protect some of the small trees that I've set out. No, the white you see isn't frost, it's Diatomaceous Earth. I sprinkled a little around as there seemed to be quite a few ants emerging from somewhere.
Plot 3

And the potatoes are all in bloom.
Plot 4

The carrots have finally made an appearance in amongst the Radishes
.....and the Kohlrabi

....are starting to develop their bulbs.

Plot 6

No sign of the Parsnip seeds yet but the Sparkler Radishes are up.

The Mesclun is looking great.................

...especially on the dinner table.
Around the front of the house we have a great development.

The Fuji Apple Tree.....................

....has got it's first tiny apples.

The toads are back too.

It's great to see these bug eating friends back again.

Indoors I've put the first batch of dried Catnip..................

.....into a storage jar. Tommy got the left over sticks to play with........

....and had a great time rubbing chewing and rolling all over them.

I cut back the plants for the second time................

.....and hung them in the kitchen to dry out.
Tomorrow I hope to get my second Sargent Crabapple tree out and perhaps get to the Garden Centre to pick up some bedding plants as the flower beds at the front need some colour.

But Enough for today!

At last the rain has stopped.

2009-05-17T18:36:00.005-05:00

No rain expected for a few days so everyone can get out and enjoy a little sunshine.

Tommyticklemouse is happy to bask in the sun and watch dad do all the work.
Even though the rain has stopped there are still lots of wet areas around the garden.

This puddle is teeming with tadpoles.

Things are blooming. The Determinate tomato plant.............

.....and............

..........some of the potatoes too.
I have finally got the Yolo Bell pepper plants into plot 6

I planted them out Thursday evening. I staked then as we were having some quite stiff winds blowing at the time
Plot 5 is abundant with green

We enjoyed some of our Swiss Chard the other night.
The tomatoes in Plot 2 have taken a severe beating with the torrential rain but I think.....

....that now things have settled down they will buck up and start to look a little happier.
I've finally got some Parsnip seeds to sprout.

I've found the ideal location in a small cupboard above the range which seems to be working well. I set out a row on Friday evening and I have enough sprouted seeds to start another row next week.
Here's something else that's looking a lot cheerier now that the deluge has ceased.

We may be trying a little Mesclun Salad soon with a little luck.
Of course, there's always the mowing to do so Herbie was called into action.

Now everything looks.................

.....far neater.
I even got the front flower bed weeded and a few bedding plants in.

They'll be more to come but my back has had enough for this weekend.

I have a long weekend coming up so hopefully will be able to get a few more jobs ticked off of my "to do" list.

Enough!!

Wet, wet, wet.

2009-05-10T13:17:00.006-05:00

The rain simply doesn't want to stop, here in Oklahomegrownvegland.
Everything is very green..............

....very soggy and VERY LONG. The ground is far too wet to get Herbie out so things are just going to have to get a whole lot longer.
The Happy Gardener will now pull on his Wellington Boots before taking a stroll around.

Plot 1

Everything looks fine. I may start and pull a few of the Winter Onions and get them dried out indoors. Some of the others will steadily get spread around the various plots as I slowly re-open this area of the garden to other duties. My plan is to have a few of these in each plot if possible so I have a continuous but controlled supply. They aren't the prettiest looking plants but are good at keeping out some of the bugs so they pay their way.
Plot 2
The Tomato plants have survived the downpours, but only because I sheltered them with one of my floating row covers.

I've managed to get one African Blue Basil plant so far and that is now in place. I'm on the look out for at least one more, possibly two. A few Winter Onions are now established at the far end. Once things dry out a little I'm considering putting in some All American Parsnip seeds along the front part. If they germinate (and Parsnip seeds are famous for not doing so) I'll leave them in all this season and harvest late Fall/early Winter as and when required. I'm soaking the seeds indoors at the moment in an attempt to stimulate germination before planting.
Plot 3
Potatoes are good so far but I'm watching them like a hawk.

I'm applying Iron Phosphate on a weekly basis just in case. I've already "hilled" these twice, as I have with the ones in Plot 5, so now they are on their own. To the left are two small additions to this plot. A little bunch of Dill and a small Winter Onion which needed a home.
Plot 4
Adding the manure to this plot the other week seems to have giving the Early Purple Vienna Kohlrabi plants the kick-start that they needed.

They still needs to get a bit of move on though if they are going to be "early".
The Red Onions are doing good but I'm worried about all this excess moisture rotting them, a problem I had with some of these last year.
Down the left hand side, the Cherry Belle Radish seeds are through. I mixed these with Nantes Scarlet Carrot seeds, the idea being that the radish come through first and break the ground up for the carrots. Well, it all sounds good on paper............
Plot 5
The Potatoes in here are doing good and the same applies to these as I said about the ones over in Plot 3. At this near end the rainbow Swiss Chard from last year has started to get some decent sized leaves on it and is now ready to be used as required.
These two amazingly hardy plants survived throughout the winter in this plot, simply covered with a layer of straw. There's a small empty patch at this end. I'll have to think about putting it to good use. Marigolds?
Plot 6
Will I ever get anything planted in here, I wonder?

Way back when we were having temperatures in the 70's and low 80's it seemed a good idea to remove the mulch, dig it over and prepare it for use. Now it's a mud bath and will need at least a week of dry weather to get to a state where it can be worked. I now wish I'd left it covered but we are all much smarter with hindsight, eh?

The Mesclun Box is showing progress......

...but like a lot of other things here it needs a little less rain and a little more sunshine.

Due to the downpours the potted herbs at the front of the house have had to be moved to a more sheltered position.

I was up around 5-30am the other morning dragging them under cover as the heavens opened above me.
The Determinate Tomato plant has survived the elements uncovered but it was a pretty

well established plant when it went in.

I've given it a small Curled Parsley plant as a companion
Indoors, the Spicy Globe Basil seeds have produced a fine set of plants.

Here's an example. Germination rates on most herb seeds are low so I sowed plenty and got some. I'm starting to nip the tops off to encourage bushy growth, similar to what I've been doing with the Catnip.
Speaking of which........................

The plants living on my office windowsill have been cut back and are now starting to grow their second batch. The harvest from this heavy pruning now hangs in the kitchen, drying out.

I have more seedlings coming along in the growing room

OK, it's stopped raining so I'm off to the Garden Centre.................

Busy, busy, busy.

2009-04-26T17:53:00.005-05:00

So busy, it's hard to find time to blog!

I love this time of year, I really do. Things are growing, looking healthy, promises of full crops of abundant produce are everywhere.
Then things get planted out and the bugs arrive "en force" and eat all my hard work.
But, am I downhearted?
Of course not!
Anyroad, this weekend has been great. Sunny enough to be pleasant and windy enough to keep the bugs away.
Perfect combo, methinks.
So, lets get out and see what's happening.........................

I mowed of course. I mean, we have thunderstorms forecast for Sunday evening/night so I got that out of the way on Friday evening/Saturday morning so the whole area is straight(ish).
I was determined to get at least some of the trees in and managed to plant new conifers down by the creek (photos later). I also put in two Eastern Redbuds and one White Flowering Dogwood at the front of the house......

.....as can be seen above. These are the saplings I started last year and grew in containers.
I also put in two Goldenraintree's.......................

.....at the rear of the house. These need mulching and I'll be picking some up after work tomorrow.
Now to the veggies......
Plot 1, which is now the Onion patch. What can I say?

These Winter Onions and the Garlic I planted last fall look great! Some of the Winter Onions have the appearence of leeks and if the garlic is as good below ground as it is above I'm going to be delighted.
Already, the onions are forming the bulbils......................

.....of next years crop.
Extended Plot 2 will be the home of the 2009 Tomato crop.

It's been dug over, compost added, weeded, dug over again. I would have put some in today but the stiff breezes and pending thunderstorms made me hesitate. I can wait a day or two.
Plot 4 and the Kohlrabi seems at a standstill.....................

...so I added some manure and compost to try to get things kickstarted. Perhaps, if we do get rain tonight, the moisture and added nutrients may get things moving along. These are cold weather veggies and I want them ASAP.
The Red Onions around the perimeter seems to be doing fine.
Plot 5 is, for this season, one of my potato plots (along with Plot 3 which I seems to have forgotten to photograph and part of Plot 6 which I haven't started work on yet).

All looks great. I've started to slightly hill the earth around the plants and am continuously watching for woodlouse/pillbug activity. All potato patches are/will be given a covering of Iron Phosphate at regular intervals as I'm determined that 2009 will go down as the year that The Happy Gardener did not lose his precious potato crop.
Plot 6 is ready.

This will be where I'll be putting my 3rd crop of potatoes and my Yolo bell peppers if all goes to plan. Mind you, when as that ever happened?
I've sown the Mesclun mix...............

......in the box. I really want to grow a few greens this year, another area in which I'm lacking. The problem being, Oklahoma seems to go from "freezing and unable to plant out" to "really hot and frying temps" in hours, then back again. It's very difficult to gauge what to plant and when?
Indoors.......................

....my "BBQed Chicken" container has become my Cress propagator. Watch this space..............
Tomato plants are ready to move on. It's like sending the kids off to school for the first time............

I mean......................

I worry!..............
I brought these up from seeds...........

.......and finding good homes for them is essential.
All in all it's been a very, very busy weekend. But pleasurable too.
I've "ticked off" many things on my "to do" list and I even...................

......managed to clear out the shed a bit.

Enough!

April Showers

2009-04-12T16:49:00.008-05:00

Awakened at 7-00am by noises of the Alvin variety crying at the bedroom window.
"It's raining dad, we want to come in!"
I faithfully drag myself from the bed and, as any caring father would, let both cats in and serve them with breakfast.

Last night it rained quite heavily and continued at a lesser rate throughout the day. Both Alvin and Tommy were both quite dry when I let them in so they must have spent most of the night out of the rain, snuggled up in the patio chairs.
Lots of standing water around..............

....................as you can see.
It's far too wet to work the soil but fortunately I did get some outside jobs done yesterday while it was dry so all is not lost.

So, the Happy Gardener will now don his wellies and show you around.

Here's the box that used to be situated between Plot1 and Plot2...........

With it's purpose fulfilled I removed it, dug up the area it had been occupying and supplemented the spot with some fresh topsoil and compost. So now I have.......................

......well......... I suppose it will have to be called Plot 1.5? But this change around has given me around 2 or 3 extra feet of growing space. The onions and garlic will continue to occupy Plot 1 and the newly extended Plot 2 will be the home for 4 or maybe 5 tomato plants which I plan to place up against the shed wall. This will leave the whole front section of the plot available for other usage. Those of you with sharp eyes may notice that the Determinate tomato plant I put into Plot 2 a couple of weeks ago has mysteriously disappeared. More about that later.
Here's another little idea I had for creating extra room. I removed the young trees from their winter positions at either end of the centre path.
They are now sat in Plot 6 until it dries out enough for me to site them in their (yet to be decided) permanent positions.
I then dug up either end of the path, made brick barriers, filled them with fresh topsoil and compost so now I have......................

...not one............................

.........but two new growing areas. Both of these will probably house a tomato plant each.
I mentioned the onions and garlic in Plot 1 earlier.............

..........I hope they live up to their promising looks.
In Plot 5 the Swiss Chard is slowly returning.

It's had plenty of water, now it needs a bit more sun to get it started. In the background are the sad remains of my potato plants which, despite being covered, were mauled by the freezing temperatures that hit us last week.
But I'm not giving up on them......................

...............as new growth is coming through daily. This killer frost proved too much for the new Determinate tomato plant I'd purchased and planted in Plot 2. Sadly it didn't make it.
Moving indoors, well............. it's all go at this end!!

The tomato seedlings are doing great.............

......with Old Virginia, Giant Beefsteak and Big Red varieties all coming along nicely. I'm planning on growing around 6 or 7 plants myself so any spares will be give to neighbours and workmates. I've made a conscious effort to grow less tomato plants this year but, even now, I have around 20 plants on the go plus the Cherry Tomato plant seeds of which I promise I'm only going to keep one.
The Determinate tomato plant........................

...........has been replaced. It's too wet to do anything with it today so it will spend the next few days in the comfort of my growing room.
After a week, the Cherry Tomato seeds are starting to germinate..................

.....with around 4 or 5 showing now.

And the cats are going to love me. Look how well the Catnip is growing!!

I'm still faithfully nipping off the top buds and the plants are looking great for it and bushing out all over the place.
Finally the Spicy Globe Basil.

I do believe that every seed I planted has germinated.

Basil is a great herb and I've planted some of my fresh batch of seed today so I should hopefully have a bountiful crop. Some will be placed in the flower beds and some with the veggies. I'll also be purchasing at least 2 of the African Blue variety as they do such a fine job of attracting the Honey Bees.

OK, enough for this weekend. The rain continues to drizzle but hopefully the temperatures will keep above freezing now.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Temperature drop

2009-04-05T14:29:00.008-05:00

Here's the scene in Oklahomegrownvegland at the moment.
Sad sight, isn't it?

The weather has once more taken a dramatic turn and we are now forecast to get snow these coming days. Night time temperatures are forecast to be around 20F (-7C).
We had an unexpected heavy frost the other morning which has nipped the potato plants pretty severely though I'm sure they will pull through. Luckily, my determinate tomato plant in Plot2 was covered and survived.
Yesterday was warmer and calmer so I made a start on my favorite chore.....................

Mowing with my old mate Herbie. I was late starting so only got around the house done.....................

.......around the back...........

.....and front.
Whilst trundling around on Herbie I see that the Fuji Apple tree blossoms.....
...................are still there despite the cold temps and frost.
Even the Tulips are hanging on in there

For how long is any ones guess?
I left the rest of the mowing for Sunday but this morning The Happy Gardener arose to extremely high winds of around 40 mph making it feel very cold even though it was above freezing. A 10 minute walk around the property and my earlobes are burning.
I decide against it and Herbie is left in his stable
This a blow as the land down by the creek gets extremely boggy and if the grass grows out of control it's difficult to cut. So, I chop some firewood instead. A log fire may well be required this evening and tomorrow.
Back indoors, things are still moving along. I picked out the strongest looking tomato seedlings and re potted them.

The Old Virginia and Giant Beefsteak are at the back. At the front left are two pots containing Big Reds and to the right some more Catnip. Speaking of which...................................

These are doing great. I moved them from my office windowsill and put them back under the grow light as there was no sunshine or heat to be had and probably wont be for the next few days. They seem quite happy with the move though.
Below are a couple of other things I've started.

On the left are Spicy Globe Basil seedlings and on the right are some Cherry Tomato seeds, something I've not grown before and want to try. I recall that the Basil is pretty slow to grow and this seed is over a year old now. I have more on order (hopefully).
Then, around lunchtime, on the way back from the filling station I called in at the mail box.

At last!! The seeds have arrived. Phew, panic over. But in a way I'm glad I haven't been able to start some of them as they would have surely perished in these cold times.
This season I'm hoping to get a supply of parsnips and carrots growing and leave them in the ground for use during next winter. But, the soil is going to have to warm up quite a bit before they can be started.

Enough!!

A little progress

2009-03-22T17:25:00.005-05:00

Rising at 8-30am
The Devil Bug has struck me. I have sore throat, runny nose and a pounding headache.
Not a very happy gardener today.
We have a little progress to report though.......................................

The first couple of potato plants have pushed through in Plot 5. The one in the picture is a store bought Red which had sprouted and was consigned to the compost heap. I stuck it in here at the end of last season and it looks to have survived the winter. Nothing showing in Plot 3 yet.
In Plot 1 the winter onions look really well................

I pulled a few small ones last week to have with dinner and they were delicious.
The garlic is in the same plot and............

that too looks to be doing fine. I expect this will be ready around mid summer.
In Plot 2 I have a new arrival in the shape of a Determinate variety of tomato plant, purchased from Lowes.

I've always grown Indeterminate varieties so this is a first for me. I may also try a Cherry Tomato plant from there too if they get some in.
The Kohlrabi in Plot 4 has survived it's first week outdoors................

I now have to find a home for the others which are waiting patiently in my growing room.
There's a few of the red onion sets sprouting around the edges too.
Tree planning and planting has been discussed and the Crape Myrtle is ready to be transplanted to it's new location.

But not today. I feel too sickly to do any hard digging so it will be next weekend, I hope.
The daffodils are about done now but the Tulips...................

..................are coming up right behind them.
Back indoors:
I got an email from Heirloom Seeds informing me that my seed order would be dispatched this coming week. This caused me a certain sense of relief as I was beginning to wonder if I had, in fact, ever sent the order in?
In the meantime I've sown a few Tomato seeds from my own seed stock and they have begun to sprout...............

A quick count reveals 9 seedling sprouting where there was none the day before.
The larger Catnip plants seem to be enjoying their new home..............

.......on my office windowsill. I also re potted a few more of the smaller ones and have put them on there too.
OK, I'll leave you with my lovely sunset.

Planting continues............

2009-03-15T13:13:00.010-05:00

Rising at 8-30am

Another sunny but cool weekend here in Oklahomegrownvegland. Very pleasant working conditions for the Happy Gardener.

I've decided that the four largest Kohlrabi plants can go outside now. These plants prefer cooler temperatures so the sooner I can get them in the ground and established, the better. They will be going into Plot 4, the smallest of the 6 plots I have. I clear off the Cyprus Mulch, fork the soil over and rake it flat.

As I mentioned earlier, I've read that these veggies don't really like transplanting so.........

...I carefully cut off the bottom of the peat pots and place the whole lot into the ground. As you can see from the picture above there's a lot of root growth. Cutting off the bottom of the pot allows the roots to spread easier. They transplanted well last year so I'm confident.

I then plant them fairly centrally in the plot. This is because these plants grow some pretty big leaves and, should temperatures drop dramatically and I need to put the floating row cover over them, they will have plenty of headroom. Then, just for the sake of it, I stick in a few Red Onion sets around the outer edges of the plot. Last of all I add a liberal sprinkling of Iron Phosphate.

Next, my attention turns to Plot 5. I'm only going to work on one half of it for the moment as both Bright Lights Swiss Chard plants from last year seem to have survived the winter

and are growing back. Swiss Chard is a good substitute for Spinach and it's quite a bit more heat resistant too. A handy quality for a plant to have in this neck of the woods. At the other end of the scale, if you cut the plant right back at the end of Fall and give it a good covering of mulch it will grow back again the next Spring!

Here again I clear the mulch then fork and rake the soil flat. I then dig out two trenches approximatley 3 inches deep, into which I place my second batch of seed potatoes of the year. These are the Red variety (Lowes finest). The soil is then raked back over. I dont water them as there is a chance of storms in the area so the job may get done for me. If not, I'll give the plot a moderate drink in a few days time. Again, Iron Phosphate is added.

Around the front of the house last years Chrysanthymum is ready for a haircut.

We left it like this throughout the winter because the old growth helps to protect the lower part of the plant from the snow and severe frosts that can hit......

....as can be seen here from a couple of years ago.

The cropping is done and reveals..........

.....new 3rd generation of growth forming at the base

Indoors now to repot the two largest of the Catnip plants.

Again, these plants are left in their small peat pots. The bottoms are carefully removed and the whole lot transferred into these larger pots. The new containers are then filled around the edges with a mixture made up of equal parts of soiless potting medium, garden soil and my home made compost which I then mix together and slightly dampened. They are given a place on the windowsill in my office, allowing them plenty of sunshine throughout the day. The newly formed plant tops are nipped off to encourage bushy growth and they are treated to a drop of half strength Fish Emulsion.
The last task of today is to start off my first batch of tomato seeds.

As you can see, I've set them off in a couple of old egg cartons filled with soiless potting medium which I dampen slightly. Remember, this medium doesn't want to be too wet to start with.

Into each compartment I put 2 seeds. The two varieties I'm starting with this week, both from my own seedstock from last year are:

Old Virginia and Giant Beefsteak.

The bottom of the tray is covered with a few layers of kitchen roll onto which I pour a little water, just enough to dampen the base of the containers. The tray is them placed on the top of the refrigerator.
Enough work for today. Time to help make................

Chicken with Garlic, Rosemary and White Wine. The garlic is left whole, simply "topped and tailed", and with the skin intact to give it a sweeter taste. Serve with good quality Basmati rice
Meanwhile, certain other members of the family prefer to eat..............

....far plainer fare.

First early planting

2009-03-08T15:17:00.007-05:00

In typical Oklahoma style, things have changed weather-wise. It's now......

....80F (26C). The daffodils are happier...............

....and are in full bloom.
The Happy Gardener must take full advantage of these warmer climes so I decide to make a start on Plot 3. The Cyprus mulch has done a good job of keeping the weeds clear and the soil temperature up over the cold winter nights.

When I rake the top surface clear, wonderful dark moist earth is revealed.

And, when I dig it over I see plenty of worm activity too. Next I make 2 trenches around 3 to 4 inches deep along the length of the plot........

...into which I place some seed potatoes. This first batch to go in are Russets. I'll be planting a second crop later which will probably be Reds. I try to purchase small seeds and plant them whole. If you can only get large seeds you can cut them into pieces leaving a couple of "eyes" in each piece. However, the large cut ends are prone to disease and it's recommended that you toss the cut pieces in a paper bag with a little agricultural sulphur and leave them for a couple of days to "heal" before planting.
Last season I tried 2 methods of growing potatoes. Traditional hilling with earth and deep mulching with straw. The deep straw method seemed to attracted a lot more woodlice which chomped merrily through the main plant stems. I lost all the plants on which I used this method so this year I'm sticking to the traditional way. The seeds are then covered with earth and the whole plot given a liberal sprinkling of Iron Sulphate, an organic compound which kills any woodlice and is actually good for the soil too. It's a Win-Win situation.
Later, when the plants reach around 12 inches I'll start to "hill" the earth around them, leaving just a few inches above ground.
The area around the fenced-in plots is looking ragged and overgrown so I break out the strimmer or "weed eater"and clear the whole area around them.

I've taken it right down in an attempt to keep some insects away. Many bugs can be put off visiting if they have to cross an open area to get their meal. It also gives the birds more of a chance to pick up a tasty snack too. Win-Win again, hopefully.
The indoor plants are coming along nicely. The Kohlrabi seedlings are around 3 to 4 inches tall.

They all look pretty healthy too and will be getting another feed of half strength Fish Emulsion this afternoon. Actually, I read that it's not recommended to start these veggies in pots and replant them but this is what I did last year and it worked. They prefer a cooler climate so I grew them in the fall last year. This time I wanted to get them in the ground early before the temps really take off. Starting them indoors hopefully will give them a good chance of survival should I get caught out with a large temperature change either way once they are outside.
The Catnip is growing but it's slow work. I seem to remember that they took ages last year too. I will also be nipping the top growth off once they mature a little. This will encourage bushy growth and more leaves. That means more "nip for your buck"

Here are the 2 biggest plants but even these are only around an inch tall. Both these and the Kohlrabi have come from seeds left over from last year so anything I get will be a bonus. I still haven't received my new order from heirloom seeds but their website says they aren't taking any more orders until the summer so it seems they have been inundated and are probably run off there feet.

Enough!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes.

2009-02-28T17:05:00.004-06:00

Thursday evening in Oklahomegrownvegland saw pleasant temperatures around 72F (22C).
By Saturday morning things have changed...........................

.....its now 24F (-4C) and light snow is falling.
The happy gardener had planned on erecting the new TV antenna today.
Obviously, this chore has now been postponed. Despite the cold............................

.....the Winter Onions and Garlic cheerfully grow on.

What's this?
These look suspiciously like Wild Onions to me. They grow in abundance down by the creek but these are right up by the front of the house. I don't mind them, they smell delightful when I run over them with the mower. It's too cold to hang around doing a full diagnosis, I'll keep an eye on them and see.
The Tulips are up but no sign of any flowers yet.

Perhaps they are waiting for it to warm up a little?
Not so the Daffodils......

.......though they do look to be wishing they were back underground.
The Kohlrabi seedlings are nice and snug under the lamp in the growing room.

I re potted them last weekend and will be giving them their first feed of half strength Fish Emulsion fertilizer tomorrow.

And finally, I have.......................

.....my first 2 tiny Catnip seedlings through.

It's now early evening and the light snow is still falling.

Time to light the fire, close the curtains and prepare dinner.

Damp day

2009-02-15T13:34:00.003-06:00

A dull, damp day here today in Oklahomegrownvegland, temperature around 40F (5C).

We had a light rainfall during the night, adding to the wintery feeling.

But amongst the cold and wet there are signs of life all around

Last week I planted 9 Kohlrabi seeds.......................

.....this week I have 9 Kohlrabi seedlings.
No sign of any of the catnip coming through yet though.
At the end of last season I chopped the chives right back and placed the pot on my office windowsill.

Now the first new shoots of the year are here.
Some of the trees are showing buds too.
It seems they think that spring is here but it's only Mid-February, plenty of time for more heavy frosting to occur.
The supposedly "dormant" garlic on the right of the picure below..................................

.....refuses to sleep and looks pretty healthy. Well, the top bit does, who knows what's going on underground. To the left, the tops of the Winter Onions are growing back. These tender green shoots are delicious chopped and added to soups and stews.

Here's a closer look.
Bleak skies overhead. I do a little weeding and gather firewood.

The warm house beckons...........................

Enough.

Startup 2009

2009-02-08T15:36:00.013-06:00

A pleasant 68F (20C) here in Oklahomegrownvegland.
The happy gardener's day starts off with...................

....a delightful breakfast of poached eggs on toast.
Then a quick look out at the garden reveals...............

.....the first tiny spring flowers in bloom.
The garlic I planted late last year was supposed to hibernate over the winter.
Apparently, nobody told the garlic this and.........................

.....it's continued to grow throughout the winter.
When I'd finished with the Swiss Chard I cut it right back to the ground and mulched over it.....

Well, it's back, or at least trying to make a comeback.
I've made a few purchases.................

......peat pots to replace those eaten by the mice in my shed.
The chewed remains were consigned to the compost heap.
I also treated myself to a few onion sets and seed potatoes.

I may try an early start with some of these, weather permitting.
Of course I couldn't resist starting a few seeds, old stock from last year.

Catnip and Kohlrabi started in a moistened soiless mixture and placed on top of the fridge.
This years seeds are ordered from www.heirloomseeds.com and should arrive in around 30 days.

It's good to be back!!

A little Summer Sunshine in Winter

2009-01-28T12:26:00.008-06:00

Oklahomegrownvegland is now firmly in the grip of Winter and
temperatures are barely getting above zero F some nights.
Ice storms, freezing winds and snow are regular visitors.
Those green Summer days seem so long ago.

The veggie plots sleep on....................

..........as do the flower beds and the few remaining potted plants.
As I walk around the house taking these few pictures the grass.........

.....crunches like broken glass beneath my feet.
Our firewood pile.....................

.............is shrinking.
At times like these it's good to reach into the freezer and pull out
a little of that preserved sunshine.
Remember this?..............................

.......one of the many Spicy Globe Basil plants, grown from seed
then transplanted into almost every corner of the garden.
Such great companion plants.

The Onion patch which kept on producing (and still is).
And these?.........................

.... the hugely successful Yolo Bell Pepper plants with their bountiful harvest.
And who could forget these....................

....boxes and boxes of delicious Heirloom Tomatoes.
Again grown from seed and my best ever crop.
Lots of wonderful flavours, and they're all in here.........

.....waiting to be enjoyed with warm, crusty French Bread.
Now where did I put those seed catalogues?

Bedding down and gathering the final harvest

2008-12-13T17:15:00.009-06:00

Saturday 13th December

Rising late to the sound of high winds blowing from the south.
Our flag..................

......is at full stretch.
I'm going to clear out the plots and bed them down for the winter so I wont be posting every weekend as usual but will be updating from time to time.
I'm saying this because I don't want either of the two people who read this blog to worry about me when I don't put a new post up :-)

I ask Alvin and Wilson if they'd care to accompany me in my gardening efforts.................

........but they politely decline.
Tommy Ticklemouse, Man of Mystery (or Mousetery)...............

.........is always up for a spell outside.
On the way we pass the selected rhubarb patch for 2009........................

.........which I never got prepared.
I pull up the only cauliflower that I have managed to grow...........

and take it in to the kitchen.
Then all the plots get a thorough mulching.

Plots 3 and 4

Plot 5 gets an extra deep cover as I know that there are at least 2 toads wintering it out in there. I must be careful next season when I come to dig it over.

Plot 6 has been the home of my most successful tomato crop yet but next year I will be growing something different in here. What that will be is yet to be decided on.

I've left the Brussel Sprouts growing in Plot 2.................

......but I doubt that anything will come of them as they were severly attacked by catapillers and grasshoppers from the start.

The onions in Plot 1.........................

.......should hopefully survive the winter.

The garlic may be another matter but it's all a learning curve.

Temperatures are due to fall dramatically on Sunday and Monday, highs of 20F (-6C) are being mentioned. Not good for the happy gardener but all I can do is make sure that the few remaining plants I have are protected to the best of my ability.

Late afternoon skies of beauty and wonder.

Time to go indoors and decide what to do................

..............................with my poor lonesome Cauliflower.
If anyone out there has any recipes.................................

Thanksgiving weekend

2008-11-30T14:03:00.005-06:00

Sunday 30th November

Thanksgiving brought a welcome long weekend break.
On Thursday we had our meal of ..........

Roast Lamb......................

Roast Potatoes and........................

Yorkshire Puddings, along with Cabbage and lashings of gravy.

This was followed by dozing on the sofa.

The garden is quiet......................

This tree is, as usual, one of the last to lose it's leaves.

It's pretty cold, the temperature never getting higher than the low 40's during the day and below freezing at night. I disconnect the hosepipes for the winter.

A brisk walk around shows that even the dense weeds in the copse..............

.....are rapidly dying back, and the 'mums................

....are done for this year.

I checked the veggie plots and cover up everything thats left growning.

Tommy Ticklemouse...............

.......keeps watch as I work.

The skyline has signs of impending bad weather.....

I have the feeling that snow is coming. Not many birds flying around unless.....................

.....you count this type.

Sure enough not long after I enter the house...............................

....the first light flakes begin to fall. Time to get ...........

....some of this in.

And enjoy!!

Tidying up

2008-11-23T16:46:00.009-06:00

Sunday 23rd November

Rising at 8-30am.
A pleasant sunny start with temperatures in the mid 40's.
Today will be a day of tidying up with general house chores to be faced and completed in the run up to the Thanksgiving break.
I am assigned bathroom and window cleaning duties after which I take out the kitchen waste for the compost heap.
Amongst it I notice these...........................

.....sprouting red potatoes. I have nothing to lose so I plant them in Plot 5.
Although we've had some very low nighttime temperatures and heavy frosts..........

...the Garlic in Plot 1 is still standing.
Here's something that's not been standing since last year.................

....a large tree limb, brought down by the last ice storm. It's unsafe, untidy and annoys me.
I call in.............................

.......the heavy gang!!

..........and transform it into something more useful.
Then add it.................

.....to the pile.
On the way back to the house the sky is filled.........................

......with thousands of migrating Starlings or "Shebbies" as we used to call them back in England.
When they land at the bottom of our property the ground becomes a mass of movement.
I've never seen so many on the move before.
As I enter the house I'm greeted by a delightful aroma wafting from the kitchen.
My wife has also been busy. Baking...................

Cranberry and Walnut Bars and writing.......................

......Christmas cards for mailing to friends and family back in England.

Evening skies.
Enough!!

Oh Deer!

2008-11-16T15:04:00.009-06:00

Monday 10th November. 6-30am

On the way to work I hit a deer

Damage to me........... zero

Damage to car...........

.....pretty light (pardon the pun)

I had no chance of avoiding the collision, the deer ran straight out in front of the car and stopped.
We met at 50mph.

Damage to deer.........terminal.

Insurance assessor has been and "assessed"

We await further developments.

Not a good start to the week.
Saturday 15th November

Evening skies of beauty and wonder.
Low temperatures are forecast for Saturday night.

Plot 2.................

........and Plot 5 get covered. Hey, I don't want the caterpillars getting cold, do I?
As the evening draws on it becomes pretty chilly. We think..................................

.....that it's cold enough!
A toasty evening by the fire watching telly is decided upon and enjoyed.

Sunday 16th November
Rising at 8-00am

It's a sunny...................

.........but cool morning.
I suspect that temperatures did not fall as low as was feared.

Wilson enjoys a brisk walk around the house then returns to the warmth.
Tommy takes a stroll down to the creek..................

....and returns with this. One very unamused looking Mr Frog
In this case it's "Catch and Release" and froggie is returned safely to his abode.
I uncover the veggies for the day. My Brussels Sprouts...................

........have been mauled.
The Cauliflower..................

..........aren't much better.
At least the Kohlrabi have survived.

So I pull one. This will be added to tonight's dinner of Beef Stew.
Composting.......................

.........continues.
I must point out that no infected plants are placed on the heap.
That would be asking for trouble.

More winterizing.

2008-11-09T11:33:00.006-06:00

Saturday 10th November

Rising at 8-00am to a cool but clear and sunny morning.
Temperatures keep getting very low at times so I want to get a few things bedded down for the winter.

But first..........................

Breakfasting of the egg and toast variety accompanied by..............

.....The Herald Cryptic Crossword.
Following a rather blustery evening............

.......the leaves are here in great numbers and it takes...................

......a whole lot of these to make...............

....one of these. To deal with the remainder on the paths and driveway.................

....I bring in the high tech assistant.
I never rake up the mass of leaves on the grass. They are left in place to encourage insects which in turn make food for the birds during the hard winter months. Notice I said "grass" and not "lawn". I don't have a lawn I have large grass covered tracts.
The saplings in the containers then get a good mulching with straw.

I don't want the containers to freeze solid so I'm hoping that this thick covering will do the trick.
The Winter Onions are doing great.

Even the newly sown bulbs................

....are all through.
But here's something that shouldn't be...................

....my supposedly "hibernating" Garlic. It seems that every clove I planted has sprung up.
What will happen to it when temperatures plummet is anyone's guess so I may have to plant some more.
My Swiss Chard.....

...looks great. And tastes great too.
The Kohlrabi is a new vegetable to our house....

...and I have 3 good sized ones to try. I choose one to go into tonight's dinner.......

....and have a sample bite of the raw veg. It's delicious.
Then it's weeding time and I clear the front garden beds, chop back the dead or dying plants and then cover with Cyprus Mulch.

Things look a little tidier now.
Some cuttings are taken..................

...and placed on the kitchen windowsill to root.
One of the geraniums and the chives are brought inside too.
Enough!!
This is where the Kohlrabi ended up..............................

.......in a Chicken and Vegetable bake.

Long Weekend Day 3

2008-11-01T20:17:00.007-05:00

Sunday 2nd November

What, you may ask, happened to Day 2? Here's the abridged version of events....................

Last week one of my cats, Alvin, got sick through either being bitten by an infected animal/insect or eating something he shouldn't have and becomes quite ill. My wife took him to the vet.
Whilst there Alvin bites my wife's arm so she has to go get a tetanus shot and antibiotics.
She then has an allergic reaction to the antibiotics and has to return to the doctor.
So, with trips to the surgery and the vets and nursing a sick wife and cat, the garden took a back seat.
Both patients seem to be slowly on the mend but it's going to take a while.

So here we are at Day 3 and the news doesn't get any better...............................

....caterpillars (cabbage loopers) have got into all the cabbages and had a real feast. They have bored right into bases of the newly forming heads.....

....rendering them unfit to eat. It's heartbreaking to see these veggies which I've grown from seed get ruined this way. There's nothing else to do....................

.....but pull the lot.

How long the Cauliflower and Kohlrabi will last I don't know.
I then clear out the remains of the tomato and basil from Plot 6......

......then weed and thoroughly dig it over.
I'm going to leave it like this for a few days then dig it over again before mulching it for the winter.

Long Weekend. Day 1

2008-10-31T16:28:00.006-05:00

Friday 31st October

I'm on a long weekend so hope get some at least some of the garden "winterising" done.
I start on Plot 3 and pull the Yolo Pepper plants.

I then dug the plot over thoroughly and added Iron Phosphate.
I then did the same......................

....to Plot 4
I moved the sapling trees................

.....out of the box and placed 3 of each.........

....in either side.........

....of the walkway between the plots. This will be their home for the winter.
The last of the tomatoes are......................

......sunning themselves on the kitchen windowsill.

Enough for today!!

Frost!

2008-10-31T15:12:00.005-05:00

Monday 27th October

What a difference a day makes. A heavy frost during Sunday night/Monday morning finished off quite a few of the plants in the garden as shown below.
The volunteer tomato plants in Plot 4 are............

.........now history. So is................

....the volunteer potato in Plot 5.
The Yolo Pepper plants super productive run..............

.....is brought to a sudden end.
Some of the Spicey Globe Basil which is growing up against the house...............

.........has survived.................

.........and has usable patches of fresh greenery.......

......remaining.
The African Blue Basil has not been so lucky.

It's gone!

So this weekend I can start getting a few things winterised.

Cooler

2008-10-26T15:19:00.007-05:00

Sunday 26th October

An early morning call from Alvin has me rising at 7-30am.

It's a cool start to the day.................

........but forecast to warm up later. Having said that, I think the balmy days of Summer are well behind us, BBQing will probably be over for this year.
I straighten up the sagging woodpile...................

.......and bring a little into the garage just in case.
This is Oklahoma, "Expect the Unexpected". You can be wearing shorts and sleeveless shirt in the morning, jeans and woolly sweater in the afternoon.
In Plot 1 the first few of the new Winter Onion bulbs I planted a couple of weeks ago.........

... ..are peeping through the straw mulch. Most of those I planted seem to be coming up.
Plot 2 and the Brussel Sprout plants...............

......seem to be enjoying this cooler spell.
Grasshopper damage.............

.......is a nuisance but the colder weather should see these pests off soon.
Plot 3 Yolo Bell Peppers are still growing but are reducing in size.
The size of the main plant stem.....................

......is quite impressive. These were as thin as matchsticks when I first planted them, I was afraid the breezes would snap them in two.
Plot 5 has also had Grasshopper activity but things still seem to be growing well.

The Swiss Chard has more than made up for the amount I harvested the other week. These plants look really healthy and have surprisingly little insect damage.

This cabbage has the start of a head forming.
It seems I failed to get all the potatoes out of here when I dug this plot over.
Here's one that got away and is making a comeback. It's not in the way so I'll leave it to it's own devices and see what happens.
Plot 6. My once tidy, erect and nicely pruned Tomato plants are now a tangled mess. It really looks untidy but I still keep picking the occasional fruit.

The African Blue Basil companion plants are covered with Honey Bees so everything is staying in place, no matter how it looks. The welfare of these tiny, busy little insects is far more important to me than a tidy looking plot.
The basil from the vase on the dining room table is still growing at the front of the house.

This too is a popular Honey Bee stopping off point.
Some of our trees have already lost their leaves.............

.......strong winds helping them on their way.
The Persimmons may be lacking in foliage..........................

............but not in fruit.

These will sustain many wild birds through the winter. I gather up some which fall and put them in with the compost. But I always ensure that the majority is left for those who need it more.
The hedgerow at the back of our property..............

.......is now starting to take on a browner and thinner look.
Our flag reveals....................

....that the wind is now blowing from the North. A sign of colder weather to come, perhaps?
Maybe I should order more firewood.

Ideal weather

2008-10-19T15:45:00.005-05:00

Sunday 19th October

A great day to be out in the garden. Sunny with temperatures around the low to mid 70's and a gentle cooling breeze blowing.

The Persimmon Trees are in full colour.

Today I want to get my garlic in. It needs to be planted now and left dormant through the winter.

I selected 16 good sized cloves for planting in the front portion of Plot 1.

They go in "pointed" end up and around an inch under the surface.

Then I mulched the whole plot. This plot is now finished for this season.

Plot 2 has been invaded by around 25 of these........................

......tiny volunteer tomato plants which have sprung up from my homemade compost. They can't stay as I have plans for this area so I dig them in.

Here's what's going in.

Tiny bulbs from the Winter onions I gathered up last weekend. I kept them in the house and they have started to shoot. I have enough for around 4 decent clumps and they go in on the right hand end of the plot. These too are planted about an inch below the surface.

The Brussels Sprout plants are doing fine despite the constant gnawing by the grasshoppers. I intend to put a plastic cover over this plot a little later.

A thick layer of mulch is applied and that's another plot done with for this year.

The volunteer tomato plants in Plot 4 continue to produce pretty good fruit........

....like this.....................

.....and this.
Plot 5 is a mass of greenery, Cabbage, Kohlrabi and Cauliflower all fighting for supremacy.

At the other end of the plot...............

......the Swiss Chard is romping on. This is my Spinach substitute and will hopefully provide us with a few fresh greens when all else is gone.

Plot 6 continues to produce, it's amazing.

We made a batch of tomato soup last week to use them up but the kitchen windowsill is full again.

On Thursday evening I was peering through the mass of twisted vines and spotted this big fellow hiding in the middle.

I mean, how do you not see something of this size?

I then pulled my Catnip plants...............

....and hung them in the kitchen.

Last job of the afternoon was to turn the compost heap

This job is best done when temperatures are lower as they are today. Even then it's hard work. Maybe I'm just getting old.

Knowing your onions.

2008-10-12T16:01:00.008-05:00

Sunday 12th October.

Early in the season I had to convert Plot 1 into an onion patch in an attempt to rid myself of the pesky Carrot Beetles which were still in there from the year before. It seems to have worked, I've seen very few of the beetles for months now. But I've decided that, for the time being at least, this plot is going to stay that way.
So, I had a tidy up in there, added some compost and gave it a digging over...............

The plants look healthy.................................

........despite me ignoring them all season.
I then pulled one, just to see how they were.

Small, but tasty and a handy crop to be had when the rest of the garden is dormant.
These small bulbs form at the top of the plant

As the season progressed they fell off. I gathered them and planted a single row along the back edge of the plot, up against the shed wall. Some had already started to grow.............

.....and were replanted in a more suitable location.
The Brussels Sprouts plants have been under attack.

Some leaves have been heavily chewed, some completely eaten.
I now know who is to blame.........................

This fellow, and his hundreds of buddies which are around at the moment.
Good news! My first volunteer Tomato is ready.

Not bad for free eh? The plant that produced this fine looking fruit grew out of the compost I applied to one of the plots earlier. It's has to be from one of my seeds of last year so is probably a Big Red. Pure bred or mongrel, it's welcome on the table.
The Kohlrabi is starting to bulb up in Plot 5. I've never tasted this strange looking veggie and hope that it's successful enough for me to try.
The name comes from two German words. Kohl meaning Cabbage and Rabi meaning Turnip.
The rest of Plot 5 is doing well. As you can see.....................

....it's like a jungle in there.
I'm delighted with the progress of the Chard and cropped some to have with our dinner.
The leaves have almost doubled in size in a couple of weeks. This is another green I'm hoping will supply the table over the winter.
Last week, did I say that the Tomatoes were about over and done with??

Did I??

Did I really? I think I was mistaken. Although the vines look ragged and untidy the fruit just keeps on coming.
But Autumn is creeping up on us for sure. The trees are shedding their leaves...............

......and the Persimmon fruits are starting to turn a delightful orange colour.
Evening skies are dark.................

......with a slight chance of rain perhaps.
Time for dinner

Homemade Quiche, Rosemary Potatoes and garden fresh Chard sauteed with garlic.
Visit my wife's cooking blog at http://www.range-warfare.blogspot.com/ for this and other tasty recipes.
A delightful close to the weekend

More Autumn planting.

2008-10-05T14:13:00.008-05:00

Sunday 5th October

Rising at 8-00am to Autumn skies of wonder.

We had rain in the early hours of Saturday morning. Sunday starts dull but soon clears up.
Temperatures remain..................

.....well within the Happy Gardener's comfort zone.
Let's have a check on progress.
Plot 1

Winter onions continue to grow...............
Plot 2

I planted out 2 of the Brussels Sprouts seedlings last Monday.
Today I put in the rest and mulched with fresh straw.
Plot 3

Green Yolo Bell Peppers continue their outstanding production................

.....as do the reds. All plants are literally covered with produce.
Plot 4.

The first of the volunteer tomatoes are beginning to get a little hint of colour.
Plot 5

The Swiss Chard looks settled in it's new home..........................

......and the Cabbage, Cauliflower and Kohlrabi all look healthy too.
Plot 6 tomato production is finally at an end but I've left everything in place because of the heavy bee traffic that's going on at the moment. Once things quieten off I'll clear the plot ready for the winter.
Around the front of the house the Red Chrysanthemum is almost in full bloom

What a beauty!

The new yellow 'mum looks pretty good too.
The tiny saplings I planted at the start of the year have all made good progress.

I'll have to be thinking about sorting out some covers for these new trees soon.

The Catnip..................

.....is in flower. I need to find a new permanent home for these plants too.

More preparation

2008-09-28T17:38:00.004-05:00

Sunday 28th September

Sunrise in Oklahomegrownvegland

Its a misty start to the day but temperatures are due to get pretty high.
Today I'm planning on getting Plot 2 thoroughly dug over and supplimented with a bag of home made compost. it's hard work as the day gets hotter and hotter but I managed to get it done.

I then got the lengths of rebar hammered into position ready for the plastic cover supports.

I have the plastic sheet ready but I'll erect it next week I think. I'm planning on putting my Brussel Sprout plants in this bed and the temperatures are rather high at the moment so I'm leaving the bed uncovered a while longer. Sprouts are one of the hardiest veggies around and can stand low temps, frost and even a little snow. A lot of people say that these veggies actually taste better when they have had some frost on them. So, no rush as long as I get the plants settled in and established before night time temperatures drop.
Plot 5 fall veggies are looking good as shown in the picture below..................

I've lost one Cauliflower plant, no idea why. The rest look healthy, as do all the Cabbage and Kohlrabi. I intend to mulch this bed with straw during the next week and give the whole lot a good feed of Fish Emulsion fertilizer. I've already given it another dose of Iron Phosphate as I'm determined that those pesky Woodlice will not ruin these plants.
I had a nice suprise awaiting me when I made a trip to our local Garden center.........

..................Northern Lights Chard plants, all looking for a good home. I picked up two and they are now in the vacant space at the end of Plot 5. My efforts at growing this veggie from seed failed, probably due to the plants going out too late. Chard doesn't like too much heat and I think it retarded the growth of the ones I planted. Well, I'll see how these go on and if they look to be doing well I'll make a return trip to the garden center and pick up a few more of the smaller plants that they had on offer. That way we can enjoy a few fresh greens when the hot weather finally comes to an end. I also picked up another yellow Chrysanthimum to replace one which died in the ice storm

The red 'mum which did survive that horrific cold blast is now beginning to open out..........

......and what a great display it's putting on for us too.
All the catnip has been repotted and has now found a new temporary home.................

......at the front of the house under the kitchen window. The Sage however has been moved........

.........to a warmer location and is now drying inside the house. Us Brits like to have our turkey dinner at Christmas so as a way of a change we have purchased some lamb for our Thanksgiving dinner. Our homegrown sage will be used to enhance the flavour of this wonderful meat.
The tomato fest continues. I still pick a few every other day but things are slowing down. Some of the fruits have been splitting due to the temperature fluctuations and these have been saved for their seeds. The good ones are being used in Spinach Salad, homemade burgers on the grill and ..........

..........wonderful Tomato and Basil soup which is then frozen and kept to be enjoyed on cold winter evenings later in the year.
It's really hard to believe that it's almost the start of October, this year has flown by. Summer is behind us now and the joys of cooler weather, Autumn colours, hot comfort food and log fires are on the horizon. I'm really looking forward to it.

Here's two guys who are looking forward to a spell of cooler weather too. Wilson and Tommy know exactly where the air conditioning vents blow and like to enjoy a cool, relaxing snooze together on the bed.

Autumn preparations

2008-09-21T16:39:00.010-05:00

Sunday 21st September

Rising at 7-00am.
Alvin calls to tell me he's left my breakfast on the patio, a large dead field rat.

I dispose of it when he's not looking and boil a couple of eggs instead.

Hey, is it that time again, already?

Sadly, yes. It always seems to be that time in Oklahomegrownvegland these days.

Mumping and grumping wont help though, you've got to "Gidder Done"

Ok, its done......

....and back to golf course standard (almost).

Then a little tidying up around the garden. I move the sheet back which is covering some top soil and this chap gives me a dirty look.

"Hey, I'm trying to sleep here!" I replace the sheet and leave him to his rest.

One of the Willow Tree cuttings seems to have taken.

Now, all I have to do is nurse it through the winter.
The chrysanthemums in the front garden is covered in buds............

....and will be a blaze of colour in a few days.

This was the plant that froze solid in the ice storm at the beginning of the year. I'm sure that if it can survive such a hard winter it must be here to stay.

I also chopped a couple of lower limbs from one of the Persimmon trees.

They were very heavy with fruit and their weight was adding to the rather worrying list it's acquired since the ice storm.

Around the back of the house, in the field adjoining our property there's wild flowers in abundance giving a colourful display of Mother Natures finest.

Free floral display.

I planted more fall veggies on Monday evening and they seem to have settles in.

(L to R) Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, Cabbage.

The Brussel Sprout seedlings are still indoors but will be going in within the next week or so.

Meanwhile.........................

........the Tomato seed storage continues.

The Coriander seeds are still drying in the kitchen.

The Catnip plants are getting quite tall and will need repotting, a little job for one evening next week perhaps.

I decide to give Tommy a little sniff of the plant to see if there's any reaction.........

.......and the results are quite startling. He turns into a savage beast......

......for almost 2 seconds. Then it's business as usual.

To be honest, up to now I've seen no reaction with any of our cats from this herb. Oh well.

Less heat, more rain.

2008-09-14T16:11:00.011-05:00

Sunday 14th September

Rising at 8-00am to....................

Skies of beauty and wonder...............................

....and a sunny but refreshingly cooler day.
Oklahomegrownvegland received heavy rain all day yesterday and most of the night too so the Happy Gardener had to resort to inside work such as.....................

.....tomato seed collecting/cleaning/soaking/drying/labeling/storing. And admiring the seedlings growing indoors......

.....such as the Catnip shown here.
But today, outside work is possible, though the soil is very heavy due to the rain.
Plot 5 gets dug over and hoed level. This plot has been covered over since last weekend so the soil is comparatively dry. I then plant my first 6 plants of the fall.
e
(L to R) Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, Cabbage. I then replaced the plastic cover but left the ends open. When I took the cover off this morning to work the soil it was pretty hot and muggy under there. Hopefully, leaving the ends open will allow the air to circulate. The plot was then sprinkled liberally with Iron Phosphate to deter my friends "The Woodlice" from taking over.
I then dug over Plot 2

This plot had not been covered and the soil was far too heavy to work so it received a light turning over and weeding. It was also clogged with roots, really thin and straggley ones which I presume are coming from the trees and creepers which grow on the border of the property. I need to dig this more next weekend if the soil gets to dry out a little.
The volunteer Tomato plants in Plot 4 are doing well. I'm going to have to decide on what sort of support I'm going to give them soon......

....before the fruits start weighing them down. My aim is to keep these plants short and bushy so perhaps stakes will suffice.
Here's a small reminder that messy times are approaching...........................

....and these few leaves will soon be followed by a whole lot more. I never rake them from the grassed areas of the garden, preferring to leave them in place. Many insects find shelter under them during the winter and this in turn gives a supply of much needed food to the birds when other sources are low.
I do however seem to get a huge collection of leaves accumulate at the northern end of the house and I want to collect some of these to use in the plots next year. So I made this................

The Happy Gardeners Patented Leaf Storage Bin. ™ © ®
The cardboard at the base is to try to deter weeds and grass growing through the bottom. Now when the annual mountain of leaves collects in the usual place I can gather them up and store them in here.
A quick stop to admire............................

.......the companion Marigolds in Plot 6. They have really thrived this year and added wonderful colour to the garden.
The African Blue Basil..............

.....is once again covered with Honey Bees just as it was last year around this time. These plants will always find a home in my garden
Darkening skies of beauty and wonder...........................

.......and time to eat.
What could be better than some.....................

.....Homemade Tomato and Basil Soup with warm crusty bread and butter.

The recipe for this delightful dish is available from http://cookingdunkinstyle.blogspot.com/

I highly recommend that you try it.

Preparing for Fall

2008-09-07T17:24:00.007-05:00

Sunday 7th September

A lovely sunny day here in Oklahomegrownvegland, a day to lift the spirits of the Happy Gardener and inspire him to start preparing for the coming Fall.
I already have a number of established seedlings in the growing room but I need to prepare somewhere for them to grow outside.
The chosen place to start is Plot 5 where the potatoes were.
I'd pulled the remaining spuds a couple of days ago and today I gave the plot a really good digging over and a thorough weeding. It then got a liberal sprinkling of Iron Phosphate to deter any woodlice.
Then I was off to the local lumberyard to pick up a few things for the covering.

I purchased 4 pieces of lattice, 1.75" x .25" x 7ft and some screws. I already had some clear plastic sheet left over from when I last did some decorating. It was only medium thickness but I thought I'd give it a try. The plastic sheet was 12ft x 12ft approx.

Two opposite edges of the sheet were sandwiched between the two lasts and then screwed together.........

Here's a bit closer view.

The framework is simply 18 inch long pieces of rebar driven into the edges of the plot then 7ft lengths of plastic piping (which I already had) bent over in an arch and pushed over the rebar....

.......as shown above.
The plastic sheet is then laid over the supports..........

.....like this. The lattice strips makes it easier to roll the cover up when you want to remove it for planting/weeding/watering etc. I'm going to leave this plot covered like this for a week then dig it over again before transplanting any seedlings.

While I was out there I checked out some local wildlife..............

This friendly Garden Spider refused to pose for a snap and ran for cover in the tomato plants.
But, these guys were too busy working to bother about me and my camera...............

Honey Bees, there must have been around 30 on the Basil plants, a heartening sight indeed. They were joined.............................

.......by a number of Carpenter Bees.

Next, a project I began last weekend
I've started saving seeds from the tomatoes and here is how I'm doing it...........

Take your chosen tomato and slice it in half across the middle (its "equator").
With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and their gelatinous "goo" into a clean cup or container. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the seeds. Cover the container with a piece of plastic-wrap and then poke the plastic-wrap with a paring knife or pen point to put a few small holes in it...this is to allow for air-transpiration. (A little fresh air needs to get in and out of the cup to help foster fermentation.)

Place the container of seeds in a warm location (I use the top of the refrigerator).
Now you must wait for fermentation to start and this usually takes a few days. Each night remove the plastic-wrap, stir the seed and water mixture, and then replace the plastic-wrap.
After a few days you get a scummy film form on the top surface..............

............as shown above. This helps destroy many of the possible tomato diseases that can be harbored by seeds. Take the container of fermented seeds to the sink and with a spoon carefully remove the scummy surface. Then pour the container's contents into a fine kitchen sieve and rinse well with running water. Shake to remove as much moisture as possible. Put a coffee filter paper onto a plate and spread the seeds evenly onto it. Leave to dry thoroughly, about a week, then store in paper packets.

The long weekend

2008-08-31T17:08:00.010-05:00

Friday 29th August.

Rising at 7-00am.

The day starts with tea drinking, crosswording, reading and generally lounging around as my long weekend stretches out ahead. I've decided to set myself a couple of small tasks each day and when they are done I shall take time out to relax and catch up on computing, e-flurrying and reading.

Todays task is........................................

..............mowing the bloody grass. I've finally got the whole garden cut down to an acceptable level. It's taken a few weeks but now the sprawling front of the property looks like the 7th hole at St Andrews Golf Course. Well, ok I exaggerate slightly. Even the kids all came out............

.....to admire my handywork. They stay out of the way when Dad is racing around on the mower making lots of noise. Now ALL I have to do is go round with the weedeater but that's not on the schedule for today. I finish the day with a bit of "pottering" around and whilst doing so noticed that one of the Flowering Dogwood saplings......................................

............has got a flower. The other sapling has a bud forming on the top too.

That was all the work done for Friday. Time for feet up and a read.

Saturday 30th August

Rising at 8-00am.

The sound of Alvin calling at the bedroom window starts my day. After a light breakfast of toast, cheese, tomato from the garden and some low fat milk I'm off out for a trip to the lumber yard here in town to purchase water pipe insulation, wood, wall plugs, screws and a masonary drill bit.

Todays task is...............................

.........fixing the front garden tap, or faucet to you American folks.

The first really severe winter we were here I was very naughty and left both front and rear garden hosepipes attached. These were both "frost resistant" outlets, or so I thought. The following spring I discovered that both had split and were leaking. So, I replaced them. Last winter I was a good boy and removed both hosepipes before the heavy freeze arrived. The front outlet STILL split. Aggghhhh!!

OK, I'm neither a plumber or a carpenter but I replaced it again, lagged the pipe through the house wall and on the inside too.

Then I mounted the whole lot onto a wood base so hopefully it should keep the frost out. I will, of course, still be removing the hosepipe before any freezing occures. The whole thing went as planned and when I turned the water back on there were NO leaks.

Completing this one task alone gained me 2 Gold Stars and 4 Brownie points from my wife.
Now, all I have to do is paint it............................mutter, mutter.

I was a little hot and bothered after my plumbing/carpentry chore so decided that no more work outside would be started. I had planned on re staking the willow tree but it can wait until tomorrow. Instead, I checked and water the veggie seedlings which are growing indoors.

Cabbage and Kohlrabi are romping along. I may have to repot the cabbage again soon.

Catnip (left) and brussel Sprouts look good too.

OK, that's me done for today. In the fridge I have a couple of very cold beers, with my name on, awaiting my immediate attention.

Sunday 31st August

Rising at 8-00am.

Todays task is................................

Re-stake the Willow Tree.

This tree was badly affected by the last ice storm and I've been gradually pulling it back into shape. At the start it looked..................

...................like this. Then with a bit of work...........

.......like this. And now.......................

.....this. So it's coming back to shape, slowly.

A look around the tomato plants shows that plenty of fruit is still available......

and I harvest around 3 lbs.

The volunteer plants seem happy enough..................

.......and one plant has it's first tomato.
Home grown peppers, onions and herbs were added to some of the ripe fruit I harvested to become.......

...more gloop for freezing.
Monday 1st September

Rising at 4-00am. Yes, thats 4-00am.

Couldn't get back to sleep so got up and read until 7-00am then went back to bed until almost 10-00am.

Todays task is..............

Repot all the seedlings. This I decided while laying awake early this morning. I did the lot......

Here we see Cabbage in the foreground, Kohlrabi at the back........

....and here Brussel Sprouts in the foreground and Catnip at the back.

I then did a bit of touching up on the house paintwork and dug up.......

....a few potatoes. Well, 6lb to be precise. I only have one more potato plant to harvest now and that works out great because then Plot 5 will be available to start the fall planting in a couple of weeks.

So now my long weekend is drawing to a close and I'm happy that I got at least some of the things I'd planned to do, along with plenty of of R&R.

Time for.......................................

...............dinner.

The short weekend.

2008-08-25T17:24:00.006-05:00

Sunday 24th August.

Sunday morning.
Rising at 8-30am and breakfasting............

..............on eggs, toast, fresh peach and low fat milk. The peaches are from the garden of a co worker and they are absolutely delicious.

Breakfast reading.......

The cats are getting an upgrade in their eatables and are being switched from a totally dry diet of kibble to a mixture of wet and dry. The aim being to get them onto more wet than dry as it's much healthier for them. My cats are like willful children and it will be an uphill battle.

OK, back to gardening.

Here's the good news.
Next weekend will be a longer than usual break as I'm taking Friday off as a vacation to go with Labor Day.
Here's the bad news.
I had to work some of this weekend to make up for it. Oh hum.
So, the Happy Gardener's Adventures in Oklahomegrownvegland were slightly curtailed. Even the blog got left until Monday.

Herbies new belt arrived mid week and I fitted it late Saturday afternoon so he was ready for action. We had rain during the week but fortunately it managed to dry out enough by Sunday (my one day of rest this week) for me to attack the long overdue delights of mowing.
It was a BIG job and pretty much ate up the majority of my day. But it's done, again..........

And once done is a delight to behold.

Tomatoes are still ripening on a regular basis.

All three varieties are still producing.

My volunteers are now all in place and I've started pruning off the suckers as they sprout.

I've no idea if these plants will produce anything but Plot 4 isn't doing anything at the moment so it may as well be put to use with this little experiment. The only other thing in there is this............

.......rather fried looking Birdseed Sunflower. I've left him in situ as there's still quite a number of seeds to be had if the birds want them.

One of this seasons heros, the Yolo Bell Peppers.

Still producing at an amazing rate and supplying plenty of red and green peppers. My wife's Stuffed Peppers are on the menu for sometime this week.

And, finally the seedlings. Some Brussel Sprout seeds went in late last weekend and I purchased a replacement overhead lamp as one of the old ones decided to go on the blink. Some of the larger seedlings were transplanted into bigger pots.
Everything is now germinating.

One week old Brussel Sprouts, These are ready for thinning down to one plant per pot.

Repotted Cabbage.

More Catnip seeds have germinated but the seedlings are still small so I've left them in their little fibre pots.

Repotted Cauliflower.

Repotted Kohlrabi.

Bit of a rush this weekend. I'm looking forward to a, hopefully, more relaxing weekend next.

Slow down.

2008-08-17T14:04:00.005-05:00

Thursday Evening 14th August

The weather is unsettled, forecasts of thunderstorms for this weekend prompted me to do some mowing Wednesday and Thursday evening after work. The grass is so long down by the creek that Herbie almost choked. I kept waiting for the drive belt to break but he made it through the first rough cut. This isn't mowing, it's brush hogging !!! I plan to re cut the whole lot down to finished length on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday morning 16th August

After a pleasant lunch at Montana Mike's in Miami, my wife and I head into town for the full retail experience, returning home around 3-30pm.

Black clouds are forming, I'm into my gardening gear and out there as quickly as possible.

30 minutes into the mowing and there's an almighty "Snap".

The drive belt has broken..........................

..........and Herbie is returned to his stable.

I order a new belt on line. It will be here by next Friday. sigh.

So, this bit of the garden...........................

......looks tidy. But the rest of it................

......looks like a "Crows nest" (All shit and twigs).

Sunday 17th August.

Rising at 8-15am.

Alvin is calling at the bedroom window.
Check and water the seedlings.....................

Cabbage are looking good. Some of everything had germinated except the catnip.
I decided that I was not giving them enough water and so instead of using the spray bottle they got a little from the jug.
And, guess what....................................

.....by Saturday morning I had 3 Catnip seedlings sprouted. Very tiny, but seedlings none the less.
I'm still harvesting, using and selling tomatoes but they are starting to slow down now.

The very hot spell we had a week or so ago was followed by an extremely wet period.
Such fluctuations in moisture levels result in this.................

The most common cause of tomato fruit splitting is uneven watering of the plants. If the plants become a little dry and are then watered or subjected to heavy rain over a prolonged period, the plants take up a large amount of water all at once. This is transported into the developing fruit and the fruit cells expand faster than the skin can stretch and it splits open.
I've been having fruit split for a week now. Some are not as bad as the one shown in the picture and are still edible. I check each evening and pick the fruit before it gets too bad.
My companion plants continue to bloom and add some nice colours to the plots.

All the marigolds are still thriving.
I'm amazed that the Yolo Bell Peppers are still going strong despite some of them getting a heavy attack from the Blister Beetles

Most of the peppers are now turning red.
I think that these..........................

........will be my last two cucumbers of the season.
A few plants are now showing signs of having had better days. The Pole Beans are done and the plants need pulling soon. I'm onto my last few carrots, they have performed well.
The Swiss Chard harvest was a disappointment, made worse by the fact that the little we did get was so tasty. That's definitely one to work on.
I have three potato plants to harvest yet. Then I'll have to decide what I'm going to do with Plot 5.

Finally, our little Red bud tree, destroyed in the ice storm of January, is refusing to die.

A close inspection at the bottom of the stump shows a high degree of rot so sadly it will have to go.

Cool break

2008-08-10T16:39:00.005-05:00

Sunday 10th August.

Rising at 8-30am
It's cooler at last, around 70F this morning.
We have had a couple of days of heavy rain falling on and off so the badly overdue mowing chore is once more put on hold.

I also had to work all day Saturday so my time in the garden has been limited.

First job this morning is to go check on the Blister Beetle damage. The Flour and Lime mixture seems to frighten them off but they are soon back chomping merrily away.......

.............as you can see by this shot taken this morning of the Yolo Bell Pepper plants in Plot 3.

Foliage damage is severe and this in turn means the peppers themselves lose the protection from the sun. The shot below shows sunscald........................

So I have resorted to the tried and tested way of getting rid of these little walking disasters.............

The rubber gloves and bucket of soapy water!
Hand pick the beetles from the plant, toss into bucket of soapy water, end of story.
Three evenings this week I've stood out there in boiling temperatures picking the little buggers off my plants and it's not fun, believe me.
Each day the population is reducing but it's slow progress. But, progress it is!
They have just about finished off Plot 5, look at this.........................

Here's all that remains of my once healthy looking potato plants after the weather and the bugs had done. Oh well (deep breath). I weeded the plot, pulled and threw out most of the damaged plants then dug up under one of them to see what was left.
Hmmmm, not bad. Certainly not Wal Mart standard in shape and size..................

........but chemical free.

The volunteer tomato plant I put into Plot 4 a couple of weeks ago is still looking good. As the temperatures are down today I decided to transplant three others which I'd had in post at the front of the house.....................

.........and then mulched the whole row.

I'm still pulling tomatoes almost daily.

Big Red

Old Virginia
Good feedback from workmates who received the plants from me. Most are pulling good crops from their plants and are delighted with the fruit produced.

Seedlings are coming along nicely.................

Kohlrabi.

Cabbage.

No sign of the Catnip so I've started some more along with some Cauliflower seed and put the on top of the fridge. This time I've put the clear plastic lid over them to see if it helps germination.

Crazy Summer.

2008-08-03T11:11:00.012-05:00

Sunday 3rd August.

Rising at 8-30am (ok, so I was late to bed).

Praying for cooler weather.

The temperatures have been around 95F to 100F all week, and 108F to 114F on the heat index.
Today it's going to be 104F and 117F on the heat index.
PHEW!!

Humidity is high and there's no breeze at all making conditions very uncomfortable for the Happy Gardener. I've been going out there in short bursts of say 15 minutes but even that is too long and I find myself feeling heady with the heat. Picking a few tomatoes and taking a few pictures is about the most strenuous work I can manage.
The grass needs mowing. It will remain unmown.
Attempting to start growing things outside in preparation for the Fall garden would be crazy as they would dry out as soon as I put them in.
It's no use me complaining though (but I will) because this will more than likely be the norm for at least the whole of August so I may as well get used to it.

The heat has caused one of the Watermelons to split.......................

.........what a tragedy!!

This means that.......................................

..........we'll have to eat it.

Here's some damage that has no happy ending though. The Blister Beetles keep coming back to my beleagured potato plants and have just about stripped most of them.

These guys are so voracious they even strip the weeds which have sprung up in the plot!

I douse them with the Lime/Flour mix and they leave. But during the late evening, and I suspect during the night too, they return to continue the continuous munching.
But, I will not resort to chemicals. I must do more research and find a user friendly way of ridding my garden of these destructive pests.
Sadly I've just about given up with the potatoes for this year although I'm sure I still have a small crop to harvest when the weather cools off. At least while the beetles are eating these straggled remains they are leaving other things alone.

OK, enough bad news. Lets look at what's growing.

Most of the seeds I started last weekend have germinated. Of the Catnip, Cabbage, Kohlrabi and Lettuce only the Catnip has failed to sprout.

So I've moved the tray from the top of the fridge and put it under the light in the growing room.
These are all going to be an experiment. I plan to sow more in a week or two so I can monitor progress and pick the best (if any) for outside planting.
I also hope to pick up a few Cabbage/Broccoli/Cauliflower plants from my local nursery later this month. The business is only a small concern and they don't carry a huge amount of stock.
But, I'm willing to pay a little more to buy good quality plants from people who know what they are doing and freely offer sound advice to fellow gardeners in their area.

The Birdseed Sunflower is past his best but I've been watching him supply two yellow finches with a hearty meal for a few days so he's done his job. If either of those little birds drops or passes a seed somewhere else a new generation may form. And who knows where.

As you can see in the picture, two small side flowers are now fully in bloom.

The Skyscrapers are now WAY up there at over 9 feet tall.

They tower over me as I potter around below.
Now that these huge blooms are opening I've been delighted to see the heavy bee activity which they have attracted. It's amazing that something this big came from a seed so small.

The main stalks alone are impressive.

The Bees are all over the Basil.

Both the Spicey Globe and African Blue varieties are in flower and are getting lots of traffic.

The Yolo Bell Peppers continue to produce..................

....and I'm now starting to harvest some red ones which is nice because they add a bit more colour to the salads.

Here's the volunteer tomato plant I put into Plot4 last weekend. It has settled in and looks quite happy in it's new home.

I've got no idea what variety it is as it grew from my compost...............

..........as did these which are still in pots at the front of the house.

I traded a few tomatoes for some delightful home grown Red Cabbage a couple of weeks ago.

My wife immediately got to work on it and any which wasn't used while fresh..............

.......got pickled.

The tomato crop just keeps on producing and I've sold plenty to people at work. This is good news for my local Humane Society who get any proceeds from the sale.

It's good news for us too.................................

.........our freezer is filling up with ready made pasta sauce bases made with Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Onions, Oregano and Basil. All fresh from the garden.

Add a little bit of water, some freshly ground black pepper and cook in the hot pot.

So, it's not all bad news in the garden despite the heatwave and the Blister Beetle attack..........

.................and our Tommy thinks that life is just wonderful.

Sowing and Repotting.

2008-07-27T16:23:00.011-05:00

Sunday 27th July

93F
105F on the heat index.
Pretty hot out there this weekend so I'm sticking to inside jobs as much as possible.
The first of the Skyscraper Sunflowers is just about fully in bloom.

These are a really cheerful looking addition to the vegetable plots and I'm glad I decided to grow them.
I repotted the volunteer tomato plants. But as it's so hot I did it indoors!

I have 7 plants and they all look pretty healthy at the moment. I repotted them and used a mixture of 2 parts garden soil and 1 part home made compost. Then I topped them off with mulch and gave them a good watering. They are now sat in Bed 1 where I can keep a close eye on them and ensure they don't dry out. At least in Bed 1 they'll lose the sun in the afternoon.
Well, they all went outside except this biggest one......................

........which is in flower already so I'm going to plant it out in Plot 4, but not until later this evening when it cools a little. The poor thing (and poor me) would fry right now. It's a tall plant and I'll strip all the leaves off except the top few then plant it deep in the ground, including the fibre pot which it's in. Planting deep helps make a good solid root foundation.
I also potted the Golden Willow tree cutting which had the biggest roots

It's now in Bed 2 for the time being as I'm not sure whether it will survive or where it will end up if it does.
Then it was time for................................................

A light lunch. Cheese and Home Grown tomato on a roll followed by some of the delightful Fruit Salad which my wife made yesterday evening.

Lunchtime reading
Speaking of Home Grown Tomatoes, check these out...................!!

Pretty yummy eh?
This year I'm getting a bumper crop so yesterday I traded with a neighbour for some of their home grown Sweet Corn.
After lunch I decided to sow a few seeds for the Fall.
I know it's probably a bit early but I was bored.

So I put in one row of each of the following:
Catnip
Cabbage
Kohrabi
Lettuce

I use this growing medium which I purchase from the small nursery here in town. It's a little more expensive that what you get at the big stores but I have had lots of success with this brand so, to me, it's worth paying a little extra.
I gave them a light watering with the hand sprayer then placed the tray on the top of the fridge and will check them next weekend for signs of life.
By then I decided I'd done enough.
I had a quick walk around the trees to check on progress and noticed these.......................

Persimmons.
Our tree is actually 3 trees all growing together in a clump. Last year there wasn't much in the way of fruit due to the terrible ice storms and late frosts. This season it seems they are making up for it with a bumper crop.
I don't do anything with them myself but they make a good source of food for the birds when the cold weather hits. By that time the fruits have softened, turned a shade of orange and have a taste similar to dates in my opinion.

Feeling the heat.

2008-07-20T11:41:00.006-05:00

Sunday 20th July

Rising at 7-30am. Temperature 78F
It's been a hot week with temperatures hitting over 90F by midday. The weather forecast for next week is HOTTER!

10-00am Temperature 91F
Hard physical labour of the gardening variety is almost impossible.
Well, it is for this Happy Gardener.

So I decide on a more mundane task...................................

..............and become The Happy Mower.

After a few hours of "therapy" it's time for a cool off indoors so spend a "relaxing time" catching up in with things in the office.
Mucho e-flurrying, letter writing, bill paying, forum reading and posting.

So a working lunch is called for comprising of croissant, ham, swiss cheese, homegrown tomato, potato crisps and low fat milk.

Lunchtime reading.

After the break it's time for a trip around to monitor progress.
The first stop is Plot 5, the potato patch and it's definately not good news..................

After being almost ruined by the heavy rainfall then virtually eaten to bits by the Woodlice they are now covered with the dreaded Blister Beetles.
Not only do these insects eat foliage at a frightenly rapid rate they also leave everything covered with their sticky black poop.
So, I dig out my prepared mixture of flour and lime.......................

...........and dust everywhere.
This is my first try with this mixture. I hope it works.

Sigh. Lets look for some better news!
This years tomato crop is my best ever..............................

.........and everyday brings more.......................

........and more.............................

......................and more.

The Three Musketeers, as I've named my volunteer tomato plants, are now settled in at the front of the house and will hopefully become part of my fall garden.

I need to keep a close eye on them as they are in peat pots which dry out very quickly in this heat. Should this very hot spell continue, which looks very likely, I may change them into plastic pots.

Eeeek, what's this? Looks like something from a sci-fi movie.

But it seems that this Skyscraper Sunflower is getting very close to blooming. I'm excited!

The Birdseed Sunflower....................................

........is past his best. But the good news is that he seems to have..................

.....two more blooms coming along, further down the stem.
I'm going to plant some more of that birdseed next year, that's for sure.

Beans, beans, beans.........................

....and more beans. And some here.................
.....bagged and ready for use.

News around the front of the house is that two cuttings from the Golden Willow Tree..............

...............have rooted. So I'm in with a chance of some free trees!

My friendly Blue Jays who did such a good job eating the carrot beetles......

.......have now moved onto my peaches.

I'm not really bothered for this year as I want the tree to recover more than I want to harvest fruit. But if I want to get anything next year I'd better get my "thinking cap" on and devise a way of keeping the birds off. Perhaps a net of somekind?

And last, but not least, I noticed this little fellow, growing alone at the front of the house.

He's made a home for himself in an area which remains unmown due to heavy frog/toad occupation. It looks like some kind of wild Iris?

Tomatofest!

2008-07-13T11:29:00.012-05:00

Sunday 13th July
Yet another thunderstorm hit us last night around 7-30pm and it rained heavily for the rest of the evening.
I had to rush out and rescue the Onions I was attempting to dry out in Plot 1.

I relocated them onto the growing table.
This morning the sun is shining and everything is dripping wet, green and fresh looking so it's a warm but lovely start to the day.

The tomatoes have started ripening in earnest this past week and we've had a good steady supply of all three varieties
The Giant Beefsteaks...................................

.......are living up to their name.
Some, like this Old Virginia variety......................

.....are small and perfectly formed.
Others like this Big Red..........................................

......are slightly less perfect.
But whatever the shape and size they all taste great, especially when made.........

................into something like this.
Tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, oregano, red and white vinegar, a splash of olive oil and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
All thrown into a bowl and left to stand at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Note! Not in the refrigerator as tomatoes lose that "fresh from the garden" taste once you refrigerate them.
And, there's plenty more coming along.......

........which are almost ready for harvesting.
The tallest of the Tomato plants..................................

......must be well over six feet high I think.
I'll have to get the step ladders out to prune them if they get any higher.
I dug up the remaining Turnips and took them round to Corky.

This second crop could have done with being a little larger but were still worth the effort.
This means that Plot 4 now only has one row of Carrots and the Birdseed Sunflower in it.
The Carrots are about ready........................

......and I'll pull them next week.
But the Birdseed Sunflower.........................

...................has a home for the season. Cute isn't he?
I broke up the empty patch and will till in some compost soon to make it ready for a Fall planting. Of what, is yet to be decided.

The soil is too heavy to be worked today after last nights downpour.
Actually, there is another inhabitant in Plot 4. This guy.......................................

He's really not supposed to be in here but he's a Watermelon and he'll damn well live where he wants to!
Even the whole veg plot.............................

.....isn't big enough and he's climbing out through the fence.
Here's my poor attempt at Rainbow Swiss Chard in Plot 2.

I suppose that sharing a raised bed with the watermelons is a bit intimidating. I'm a little disappointed that this didn't take off as I've never eaten it and was looking forward to trying something new. It is, however, a contender for a Fall crop.
The Pole Beans have now started to grow rapidly.....................

.........and I pulled a few on Thursday.
I even have Pole Beans..............

...........growing on my Sunflowers!
So I've been combing the 'net for Bean recipes.
I think the Skyscraper Sunflowers.........................

....................... are beginning to form.
And the Yolo Bell Peppers.....................................

...........continue to flourish.
More cucumbers.............................

......................are on the way.
The volunteer Tomato plant which was bunking up with the potted Petunia.................

.........has moved into his own place.
I may keep him around, along with a couple of others which I've discovered, and try them for a fall crop. Well, you never know your luck?
I'm also wanting to have a go at growing some Rhubard. The problem is that it gets too hot for it here in Oklahomegrownvegland.
I had a bit of a walk round the garden this morning, checking out potential sites and I'm considering here........................

....beneath the large Conifer. This area, if cleared would get full sun for the earlier part of the day but be shaded when the temps really get up there later on. It also means I wont have to mow around them. The soil beneath the tree is quite rich and loamy. With the addition of some compost it could work.
So thats a project to get ready for the fall. I'll plan to purchase plants in the spring. Rhubarb takes 2 to 3 years to get established so I wont see any return on my effort for a while.
I've pulled around half of the Peaches from the young tree. It had far too many and I want it to divert it's energies into growing more limbs rather than straining to grow lots of undersized fruit.

The fruit I removed was small and hard and was consigned to the compost heap.
The companion plants are thriving....................

........Basil, Marigolds.............

.........and even more Basil.

And the Black Eyed Susans are in flower now too.
As is the Cilantro..............................

....which has been grown specificaly for it's Coriander Seeds
So, this is what it's all about. The hard work digging plots, saving scraps to make compost. Working out in the cold, in the rain, in the heat. Watching things grow and sometimes fail.
But now, at this time of the season, I kinda feel as if the garden is running itself and I'm just there to keep an eye on things. That rain soaked waterlogged bog I struggled in earlier is now a lean, green produce making machine.
I'm just here to keep the weeds down and the bugs at bay as best I can