As mentioned in my previous blog, I went to two classes last week at my local extension office. The first was a composting class. The second, and topic of this blog, was a class about water barrels. I have always wanted to save money on watering my garden, so this was right up my alley. We paid the $30 for a water barrel and signed up.
This class taught me a lot more about collecting rain water than I had anticipated. Using a rain barrel has many benefits besides saving money. Catching rain in a rain barrel reduces the amount of rain water that gets pointlessly rushed into storm drains and sewers, where it benefits nothing. Also, it reduces the chances that rainwater contaminated with fertilizers or pesticides end up in our water supply. Another benefit of rain barrels is eliminating erosion. When rain comes down hard and fast it doesn't have time to absorb into the ground and used by native plants. Instead it displaces dirt and causes storm run off. And lastly, you save money if you use nature's faucet instead of your own :)
We ended up getting a standard sized blue rain barrel. It was formerly used as a bin to store grapes in. Normally, you need a gutter with a down spout to hook a rain barrel to. However, one of the many ways my house still puzzles me is that we have NO rain gutters. The rain falls off the roof and right onto the ground. I have very bad erosion all around my house, making it very difficult to garden with any kind of tender plant along the borders. In my backyard, once upon a time we had a downspout but it fell off, so rain empties out particularly hard there. We decided to put the barrel on two bricks and station it there. The water falls right in with little splashing. We don't have a net to cover the hole from mosquitoes yet, so we set a piece of plastic over it for now. It has not rained much where I live. This time of year, it could pour five minutes up the road every night but be dry here, and that is how it has been. I hope it rains soon, my plants are starting to look sad!
My good friend and incredible artist Rachel agreed to paint our barrel for us. I envision a light and dark green background, with lots of bright beautiful zinnias, sunflowers, daisies and roses. Once you put a plastic primer and bottom coat on, the rest can be acrylic paints, topped with a polyurethane clear coat to weather proof it. I have no doubt it will look beautiful, she is a wonderful artist. Wonderful creations just seem to come out of her and onto paper/ceramic/easels. I am very excited to have some of her art be a permanent part of our house! She has a pottery shop on etsy, Rivermist Clay, if you are interested in buying some unique, eye catchy pieces ;)
I will post pictures of the painted product here soon!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Composting
Last Saturday, the hubby and I dropped our dear son off at nana's house, and made our way to our county's extension service. Let me back up and explain a little. One day I was bored and a little on the "going green" crazy side, so I googled a bunch of ways to go green and cut back on my carbon footprint and my energy bill. One of the things my power company's website suggested was a link to county extensions. I clicked on the link and explored all the things it offered. They have many classes that cover everything from bird watching to rain barrels. I signed up for the rain barrel class and the composting class.
So, fast forward to the class last Saturday. It was taught by a master gardener (what do you have to do to get that title??) from the University of Florida's gardening unit. He went over the basic principals of composting, what it is, what the benefits are, and how to make it happen in your back yard.
I must say, I am still a little intimidated by it. We got a free compost bin at the end of the class, and it is still sitting in Chris' car. It seems like such a delicate mixture of browns and greens (nitrogens and carbons) and heat vs. cold (at least 120*, no more than 140*), and I don't want to end up with a stinky bin in my backyard that does nothing but attract animals. I would love to do something productive with all my kitchen rubbish, and the grass clippings (that we seem to get weekly now that the grass is growing again). And I would love to have a fantastic soil amendment to plant my fall crops in.
I will get off my butt and start it next week I think. Until then, wish me luck!
So, fast forward to the class last Saturday. It was taught by a master gardener (what do you have to do to get that title??) from the University of Florida's gardening unit. He went over the basic principals of composting, what it is, what the benefits are, and how to make it happen in your back yard.
I must say, I am still a little intimidated by it. We got a free compost bin at the end of the class, and it is still sitting in Chris' car. It seems like such a delicate mixture of browns and greens (nitrogens and carbons) and heat vs. cold (at least 120*, no more than 140*), and I don't want to end up with a stinky bin in my backyard that does nothing but attract animals. I would love to do something productive with all my kitchen rubbish, and the grass clippings (that we seem to get weekly now that the grass is growing again). And I would love to have a fantastic soil amendment to plant my fall crops in.
I will get off my butt and start it next week I think. Until then, wish me luck!
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Sorry for disappearing for a little bit! I have been trying to enjoy the fleeting days of my summer vacation. We found out we are having a girl :D! I couldn't be more excited!
But allow me to return to my regularly scheduled blog. Today I ordered my fall seeds from Baker Creek Seeds. I know there are many seed companies out there. Burpees is one of the largest and oldest, and there are tons of others. My friend Brittany introduced my to Bakers Creek. They are the largest supplier of heirloom seeds in the country. They pride themselves with selling only non-GMO, non genetically altered, heirloom seeds. Many of the seeds can be traced back to pilgrims first settling the United States. I like knowing that the seeds I am planting are tested by time, and in their purest form.
Baker Creek's website is very user friendly. They give background on themselves, a link to different magazines you may be interested in, and a way to search their over 1400 seeds for a specific kind of seed. Each seed gives a history on that particular seed, where it grows best, and how it will look. One of my only complaints is not very many of the links have pictures. And since they are based in Missouri, many of the plants they say will grow well in the summer would melt in my zone 9 climate, so I just have to keep up in my zoning.
Buying the seeds is a breeze, and the seeds come surprisingly fast. My packing slip always has a personal hand written thank you from the owners, which means a lot to me in a world of ebay and amazon impersonal-ness. The seed packages themselves are works of art. Many have pictures of the Baker Creek farms on them, or old timey illustrations. And, they always throw in a free seed packet! I have gotten a purple carrot and a beautiful wildflower in the past. If you don't like the internet, they have a toll free number you can call and speak to someone in person. Also, on their site, they have to link to request one of the beautiful seed catalogs for free. It is an attractive glossy tome filled with fantastic descriptions and color pictures of many of their seeds. I could spend a whole day planning out future gardens with that magazine in my lap and a cup of lemonade in the other. Best of all, it's free!
Well, that is my review of Baker Creek's heirloom seeds! I hope you decide to check them out :)
But allow me to return to my regularly scheduled blog. Today I ordered my fall seeds from Baker Creek Seeds. I know there are many seed companies out there. Burpees is one of the largest and oldest, and there are tons of others. My friend Brittany introduced my to Bakers Creek. They are the largest supplier of heirloom seeds in the country. They pride themselves with selling only non-GMO, non genetically altered, heirloom seeds. Many of the seeds can be traced back to pilgrims first settling the United States. I like knowing that the seeds I am planting are tested by time, and in their purest form.
Baker Creek's website is very user friendly. They give background on themselves, a link to different magazines you may be interested in, and a way to search their over 1400 seeds for a specific kind of seed. Each seed gives a history on that particular seed, where it grows best, and how it will look. One of my only complaints is not very many of the links have pictures. And since they are based in Missouri, many of the plants they say will grow well in the summer would melt in my zone 9 climate, so I just have to keep up in my zoning.
Buying the seeds is a breeze, and the seeds come surprisingly fast. My packing slip always has a personal hand written thank you from the owners, which means a lot to me in a world of ebay and amazon impersonal-ness. The seed packages themselves are works of art. Many have pictures of the Baker Creek farms on them, or old timey illustrations. And, they always throw in a free seed packet! I have gotten a purple carrot and a beautiful wildflower in the past. If you don't like the internet, they have a toll free number you can call and speak to someone in person. Also, on their site, they have to link to request one of the beautiful seed catalogs for free. It is an attractive glossy tome filled with fantastic descriptions and color pictures of many of their seeds. I could spend a whole day planning out future gardens with that magazine in my lap and a cup of lemonade in the other. Best of all, it's free!
Well, that is my review of Baker Creek's heirloom seeds! I hope you decide to check them out :)
Friday, July 1, 2011
Planning the fall garden
During the summer time, many of the crops and spring plantings start to die off in Central Florida. Whereas much of the rest of the country is just planting and harvesting ripe tomatoes, lettuce and broccoli, we Floridians are confined to going outside before 8am or after 8pm, and growing only okra or peas. But alas, I sit back today, comfortable in my 80* house, clutching a cool glass of water, and harvesting big dreams of a fall crop. My good friend at Gradening Adventures introduced me to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They are the largest supplier of heirloom seeds in the country. I will write a review of them and other seed companies next.
So I sit here with my catalog, planning my fall crops. In Florida, our summers are like winters everywhere else. We simply cannot grow much. However, come September or October, the cool weather crops can grow, and many last through the whole winter season.
So, here is my list of crops to be planted late September/early October, and anything I know about growing each, in case you want to give them a shot:
Cauliflower- cauliflower can be planted anytime between September-January. It can take low temperatures, but needs shielding from frost. I am going to get the self-blanching "Snowball" type. It turns white all on it's own, and is virtually bug free. I hear they need lots of space for ventilation, so I think I will do two wide rows.
Broccoli- broccoli is another great winter crop for Florida. Since it doesn't like any heat, I may start seeds inside and transplant them in mid-October to my garden. I am excited that you can cut off some of the heads and it will continue to produce. Talk about the plant that keeps on giving!
Lettuce- I have always wanted to grow lettuce. I have seen some beautiful lettuce leaves that rival that of any ornamental bush or flower. I want to try staggered planting, and a few different kinds. For a typical leaf lettuce, I will plant the "tango" variety. It's a deep green and the leaves are crinkly. For a splash of color, I want to try the romaine "cimmaron" variety. It's an old variety (18th century) and a strikingly bright red color. They both are pretty hardy to frosts (not that we get a lot of frost down here, but where I am, we have been known to go below 32* about 8 times a season).
Peas- There are quite a few varieties of peas that can be grown in Florida. I am leaning towards "wando" and "oregon sugar pod II". Both are high yeilding, compact and heat resistant. I may plant them early September to maximize the growth time.
Garlic- This is the one that I do not have access to. I do not want to plant a bulb from the store, since I have no idea what kind of chemicals or other processes have been done to it. But I do not know who sells heirloom garlic bulbs. They need as much time in a cool ground as possible, so I was going to plant them in late October. They get mature when the ground warms up, so I would have garlic heads next May. Does anyone know where I can find heirloom garlic bulbs?
So, I will place my order with Baker Creek soon enough, and wait for the heat to wane as I prepare to put all the knowledge I have gained in my first year of gardening to good use :)
So I sit here with my catalog, planning my fall crops. In Florida, our summers are like winters everywhere else. We simply cannot grow much. However, come September or October, the cool weather crops can grow, and many last through the whole winter season.
So, here is my list of crops to be planted late September/early October, and anything I know about growing each, in case you want to give them a shot:
Cauliflower- cauliflower can be planted anytime between September-January. It can take low temperatures, but needs shielding from frost. I am going to get the self-blanching "Snowball" type. It turns white all on it's own, and is virtually bug free. I hear they need lots of space for ventilation, so I think I will do two wide rows.
Broccoli- broccoli is another great winter crop for Florida. Since it doesn't like any heat, I may start seeds inside and transplant them in mid-October to my garden. I am excited that you can cut off some of the heads and it will continue to produce. Talk about the plant that keeps on giving!
Lettuce- I have always wanted to grow lettuce. I have seen some beautiful lettuce leaves that rival that of any ornamental bush or flower. I want to try staggered planting, and a few different kinds. For a typical leaf lettuce, I will plant the "tango" variety. It's a deep green and the leaves are crinkly. For a splash of color, I want to try the romaine "cimmaron" variety. It's an old variety (18th century) and a strikingly bright red color. They both are pretty hardy to frosts (not that we get a lot of frost down here, but where I am, we have been known to go below 32* about 8 times a season).
Peas- There are quite a few varieties of peas that can be grown in Florida. I am leaning towards "wando" and "oregon sugar pod II". Both are high yeilding, compact and heat resistant. I may plant them early September to maximize the growth time.
Garlic- This is the one that I do not have access to. I do not want to plant a bulb from the store, since I have no idea what kind of chemicals or other processes have been done to it. But I do not know who sells heirloom garlic bulbs. They need as much time in a cool ground as possible, so I was going to plant them in late October. They get mature when the ground warms up, so I would have garlic heads next May. Does anyone know where I can find heirloom garlic bulbs?
So, I will place my order with Baker Creek soon enough, and wait for the heat to wane as I prepare to put all the knowledge I have gained in my first year of gardening to good use :)
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