Powdery mildew

My gardens have been growing great. The pumpkins were flourishing, the zucchini and squash were getting huge, my peppers were producing like crazy! Everything was great until powdery mildew came into the picture. At first I did not realize what it was. It just looked like some powder. Then it started to turn my pumpkin black and make it wilt. Here is a picture:

By the time I found out what it was, I tried to stop it. I sprinkled baking soda all over every infected plant (by this time it was the pumpkins, zucchini, squash and watermelon). Alas, half the crops I planted in February are wiped out. This has been a sad gardening year for me :(  Here are some lessons I learned:

1. Don't plant all of one family of crop, otherwise one disease or insect will damage them all.
2. Circulation is key in Florida. My garden is bordered by fence on two sides, so the air is pretty stagnant. This created an environment powdery mildew loved.
3. Prevention is key to avoiding gardening blunders.
4. When I see something out of the ordinary for a plant, I need to actively look up what it is, instead of waiting until it is too late.

My pumpkin is completely gone. My watermelon is small, and might make it. My squash and zucchini has nice sized veggies on them, so some may survive.

In the meantime, my tomatoes are all sprouting. They are green and not ready to harvest yet, but soon. My green beans are growing like crazy! They have outgrown the 6 foot tall bamboo support trellis I made for them. And my peppers are still producing.

I am sad that half my crops are gone already. It's almost May, and not a good time to just start planting things. Oh well, I will tend to what I have and plan for October!

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day friends! In honor of the day set aside to celebrate all things beautiful and natural, I dug up some great quotes about nature. Enjoy!

"A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children. "
-- John James Audubon

"Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries."
-- Jimmy Carter

"And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. "
-- Kahlil Gibran

"Nature's music is never over; her silences are pauses, not conclusions."
-- Mary Webb

"I believe in god, but I spell it NATURE"
-- Henry David Thoreau 

Homemade baby food

Our little baby girl is almost 5 months old, and really starting to take an interest in us as we eat. At her last check up, her doctor gave us the green light to slowly start introducing solids. Being the green momma that I am (cloth diapered, breast fed as long as I could) of course I want to make my own baby food! What better way to save money, by local and ensure fresh tasty ingredients? So I bought Top 100 Baby Purees and started looking up methods and recipes. It's actually quite simple!

First I had to buy a food processor. Most people have these but somehow my house did not. A quick search on amazon turned up a $25 one with 5 star ratings. Once that came I chose my recipe. I picked apples for her first food. Her doctor said to alternate a fruit, veggie, then meat, and to keep with one food for 5 days to watch out for allergies.

I took two red delicious apples (green or yellow might be too tart for babies), peeled, cored and chopped them. I added about two tablespoons of water into a a saucepan, and threw the apples in. I covered the pan and turned the heat on low for about 10 minutes. Then I put the apples into the food processor and pulsed for about a minute. Once it's pureed completely, it's done!

I spooned out one serving for that day, then put the rest in a silcone sided, BPA free tray. This tray is neat because each square is exactly an ounce, which is how much a baby should have at each seating. I put it in a freezer bag and froze them. It made 6 servings, so she has a week's worth of food! I think I will do carrots next, then chicken.

I am happy to say she loved it! Here are some pics:

 Here is the apples cooking

This is the food processor I bought with the apples inside

Here is the apple puree, inside my tray. 6 servings, plus the one she ate.

And here is Piper enjoying the food I made her! There is nothing more rewarding then feeding your baby (your whole family for that matter) food that you prepare, or even grow yourself. She will be having green beans from our garden soon!

Bartering in the modern ages

Our jalapeno pepper plants are producing like crazy! Each of the four plants has about 4 mature peppers on it, and at least 6 baby peppers on it. And more buds keep popping up every other day. I have a confession to make- I do not like peppers! Not even a little bit. I only grew them because I remember how easy they are to grow. Next year note to self: grow food I will actually enjoy! Ce la vie.

So with my surplus I have decided to give it away to those who enjoy it. Chris (my husband) is learning how to include jalapenos in cooking, and even made jalapeno poppers, but even he is running out of ideas. Chris, my friend, loves peppers and she said that she would gladly take them off my hands in exchange for eggs. Fresh eggs? Score! There is nothing like fresh eggs. I can't explain how, but they just taste different.

And there is something to be said about bartering. I got rid of something that I had plenty of, and in exchange got something that I needed. No money was exchanged. It makes me feel good to know that my hard work with my plants is feeding someone else. Something that I enjoy is benefiting another person. We need to bring back the barter system! LOL here is a picture of my peppers and her eggs, courtesy of Chris :)

Making jam

Today I had the privilege of visiting my lovely friend over at Gardening Adventures, Brittany! We normally get together and talk about gardening, kids and her wedding. But today she showed me how to make jam! I was so excited! We made mango papaya jam, and boy was it good! Here is a link to her recipe, she is so much more of a better story teller than I am ;)  enjoy!

Hard days work

This week I have been on spring break. It has been so much fun! We visited John's Pass, the beach, celebrated Ostara, and had numerous picnics. As most of you know, when you have children it's hard to get much of anything done that remotely resembles work. So Wednesday I asked my sister in law to watch the kids. Most people would have kicked back, read some magazines and caught up on their DVR. Nope, I am crazy, I gardened!I had a full 4 hours free and I put on my muddy sneakers, grabbed my wide brimmed hat, put on sunscreen and headed outside!

First things first, I had two blueberry bushes I bought a few days earlier that needed to be planted. I stopped at Home Depot and got some pine mulch. Blueberries like acidic soil, so I figured adding that along with peat moss would not only acidify the soil but help retain the water in my sandy soil. I got home and found the sunniest part of my back yard, right next to my other blueberry bush. I cleared the area of weeds and grass and dug a hole twice as wide and just as deep as the plant. I back filled it with garden soil, peat and pine mulch. The resulting planting was about 6 inches above the ground level and heavily mulched. I am excited because they are all three different kinds of blueberries, so they should cross pollinate well. Here is what the area looked like as I worked:

 Here is the area before I started ^^

 Got one in

 The hole for the second bush

 Second bush waiting to be planted

 Here they all are! The closest is the one I planted last year, the two further along are the new ones.

Hello plants!

I also surprised my husband and got him a gardenia tree. Yes, they come in trees! Along this fence seems to be the sweet spot for growing things. Everything grows here. Heck, we even have grass growing over here! So, here goes nothing with it. Here is what it looks like:

 Pretty, isn't it?

Ta da! All in a row, I hope they all live long and prosper ;) (star wars pun intended)

Earth Hour

Tonight is the 6th annual Earth Hour. At 8:30pm everyone is encouraged to switch off their lights in a united message about climate change. Last year alone 5,200 cities in 135 countries across the world participated. It brings attention to the fact that if we want to maintain a beautiful Earth with resources for future generations the change needs to be global, but it all starts locally. For more information visit the webpage for Earth Hour and see how you can make a difference. I know for one hour tonight I will be switching my lights off :)

UT's Greenfest

Every year for the past three years Chris and I have gone to Greenfest at the University of Tampa. It is actually where I bought my first plants (two gardenias and a jasmine) back in 2010 and made me want to garden. The gardenias have since died, but the jasmine is going strong! Here is a run down of how it went:

This year it was just as big and busy as ever! They had people selling everything from edible plants to planters to local honey. It was nice to see so many like minded people getting together and sharing stories, tips and ideas :)  Indiana had fun in the children's area, and Chris sat down with Piper along the water front and listened to the blues festival across the channel while I kept shopping. All and all a great day! Here is what we bought:

 This is the key lime tree that Chris saw and got star struck over! We had to get it- key limes are his absolute favorite!

This little guy is a pineapple plant! I can't wait to plant this sucker. The guy who sold it to me said they loathe rich soil. I was sold!

This is gardenia. Chris is not giving up on the thought of having a gardenia bush, bless his heart. I want to try adding pine mulch and coffee to acidify the soil around where it will go For now, it's staying in the pot though.

I finally got my meyer's lemon tree! Isn't it great looking? This one is staying in the pot as well. I may not plant it for a while. I want it to grow more, and need to find a good location to plant it.

We also got some thyme, chocolate mint, parsley, a emerald blueberry bush and a jewel blueberry bush. My hope is that when I plant them next to the blueberry bush I already have that they will cross pollinate one another. We shall see!

I plan on dropping the kiddos off with my sister in law on Wednesday, rolling my sleeves up, and getting dirty! Planting posts to follow :)

First harvest of the season

Hell everyone! Just wanted to stop buy and post a picture of the first harvest of the season: jalapeno peppers! These actually fell off the plant, so I am assuming they want to be eaten lol here they are:

Hooray!!!

Sad orange tree

As most of you know, I am a sucker for citrus blossoms. Having grown up next to two lots full of orange and grapefruit trees, these smells bring back many happy memories. I blogged extensively about it last year (read it here). This year, I have been watching the orange tree in my yard start to develop buds that would eventually turn into blossoms. Every morning I walk out to my car and eagerly await the buds to open. Alas, sadly, many of them just wilted before they even opened :(  I am sad to say that this tree is dying. Here is a picture:

As you can see, about half of the branches are dead. Chris cut off all the dead branches last year, and it looked pretty good, now it looks even worse. The bark is peeling in weird places. The oranges that come off of it are spotted black and taste bitter. And it has a lemon tree with HUGE thorns growing on the side of it. I think I may have an arborist come out and examine it. If it truly is dying we will pay to have it removed. No sense in having it possibly get a disease that may spread to other plants. I will keep you all posted on the outcome!

Sustainable Living Conference 2012

Have you ever been interested in sustainable living? Who doesn't want to make all of their own food, from fruit to eggs to grains? Want to learn more about local farms, planting your own garden, and becoming a more green member of our community? Then check out the Sustainable Living Conference 2012 at All World Farms this weekend. Leaders in the Tampa Bay Area in everything from farming to eating locally will be hosting classes, projects and seminars all weekend. Here is a link to the group's Facebook page. And here is a link to the schedule of events that day.

I am going to another event in Tampa on Saturday (Greenfest) and I am not sure how long that will take, but I am going to try my hardest to swing by. Hope to see you there too :)

Tour of flowers, and such

Lots of plants are starting to display their flowers this time of year, and my yard is no exception. I walked around today (baby in one hand, camera in the other) and snapped a few photos of the new life. Check them out!

This is my two beautiful jasmine bushes. They are finally getting some flowers, and the smell is like heaven!

This giant is my oleander bush. it is about 15 feet tall. It has white and pink flowers on it.

Here is the view looking up into the oleander. Gotta love Florida's skies!

Even the myrtle is slowly waking up

My apple tree! It is still getting some blooms on it.

Bird of paradise decided to end it's slumber and show itself

The holly tree is getting bigger, inch by inch

And last but not least, poinsettias we bought Christmas Eve from Kmart. They were the last ones left, and pretty dingy at the time. We only wanted them for one day. Here they are, almost three months later. Crazy plants!

That's all for now!

Food is growing

I love growing food! The thought that I can walk outside and come back in with a side dish, and know that it is 100% organic and free of pesticides is so refreshing! Here is some of the food we have growing:

These beauties are my pepper plants. The top two are California wonder bell peppers, and the bottom one is jalapeno pepper. They grow so well the time of year, seems like yesterday I was planting sprouts!

Greek oregano, doing well

Basil, kind of wiling in the sun :(

My four tomato plants, in tomato cages. They have gotten so big. Lots off little yellow flowers, but no signs of tomatoes just yet.

Pole beans on the top, bush beans on the bottom. The pole beans sprouted about 5 days after I planted them, the bush beans about 9 days. The pole beans are actually causing the trellis I made to tip over, I have to fix that.

The first watermelon sprout! I planted 5 thai chachai watermelon seeds about 10 days ago, and this is the first sprout!!

The top is summer squash, the bottom is zucchini. I swear I thought the were all going to die off, but these two some how caught on and pulled through.

And last but not least, my one lone apple!

What are some things you grow that you can eat?

Strawberry honey butter

So, I was on Pinterest the other day (such a great way to waste time, even more dangerous with the app they have) and I saw a recipe for strawberry honey butter. It is peak strawberry season here in Florida, so I pinned it and decided to try. Mind you, I am a gardener, not a chef :)

Here are all the ingrediants listed:

1 pint of strawberries hulled (had to google that one)
3 tablespoons of honey
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 1/2 sticks of butter softened

Throw the hulled strawberries into a blender and puree them. Then put them in a pan and boil with the honey and lemon juice for about 3 minutes, or until it thickens. Cream this with the softened butter until fluffy.

Put this covered in the refrigerator for an hour. Then you are done!

Let me just saw that I used too many strawberries, and not enough honey or butter. That's why mine looks super red:

It is still great, and easy to make. I just need to actually measure out my ingredients instead of eye balling them! Try it and tell me what you think!

Update on the gardens 3/12/12

Times like this I am thankful to call Florida my home. I am sitting here with the windows open, listening to my various wind chimes, and feeling the cool night air drifting inside. Ahhhh this is the life!

I went outside to take stock of the gardens. My green beans are doing great. The pole beans are all the way up to the first section of the trellis I made! The bush beans are coming in a little slower, and I count about 4 places that I know I planted beans but nothing is sprouting. I will have to keep an eye on them. I have one zucchini/squash plant (not sure which one it is yet!) that survived the transplant, and it's leaves are huge! At least 5 inches across! I planted Thai Chachai watermelon a few days ago. It's an heirloom icebox variety, meaning it will not be gigantic,maybe only 7 pounds. Those have not sprouted yet. The tomatoes almost fill up the cages they are in. I remember when they were little lads, barely an inch tall (tear!) They are covered in little yellow flowers, which I think turn into tomatoes? My four California green bell pepper and four jalapeno pepper plants are doing well also. They have reached their maximum height (about a foot off the ground) and many are sprouting tiny peppers already! How exciting! The pumpkins have each sprouted some leaves and are looking happy. The oregano is getting bigger, but the basil is looking a little pale. My basil got huge last year, not sure what is different this year?

Now off to the front yard. All the herbs are doing well! The rosemary and lavender smell so nice, I wonder if they will get flowers this year. They did not last year. The peony and pansies are holding up, but the longer days and hotter sun are starting to wilt them a little. The bougainvillea is looking a little sad :(  the flowers all fell off and it looks like sticks, but I am hoping they come back. The holly tree is getting a little taller, it's maybe a foot tall now. The apple tree is blooming all over the place for such a small tree! The tiny apple is still growing too :)  The orange tree is half dead, but the alive half has the best smelling blossoms. Oh my how I love citrus blossoms! The gardenias are still hurting. They seem to be dying off, and I cannot see any bugs on them. I tested the soil and it's pretty neutral so we added some vinegar and peat moss to acidify it, but alas! I hope they make it, they are my husband's favorite. And the one myrtle that survived is doing well!

Speaking of those myrtles, I told Chris that when we go to the Greenfest at UT in two weeks I want to buy more myrtles (they are supposed to act as a natural barrier) and at first he agreed. Then he said "You know what, get a couple of Meyer's lemon trees and put them over there." SWEET! Those trees have some of the most wonderful smelling blossoms, the leaves are interesting, and the fruit is awesome. Whew-hoo! I can hardly wait :)

So, how does your garden look?

Trouble shooting

I was wondering if any of my fellow gardeners could help me diagnose some problems in my garden? Here are some photos that will help to identify exactly what is causing problems.

This is my rose bush. Something is eating the leaves! I look hard and only see little web looking things, no bugs. What is this? How can I prevent bugs from eating the leaves?

This is one of my gardenia bushes. It gets plenty of sun, and watered every day. Could we be over watering it? Also, we tested the pH of our soil and it's neutral, so we will be adding peat moss and vinegar to it since gardenias prefer acidic soil. Are the brown spots due to nutrient deficiencies, over watering, or bad soil?

Thanks in advance friends!