Connecting the Dots in My Garden Spot

The Sun Is Out and So Am I

2011-12-28T11:19:00.000-06:00

The weather is beautiful here today... Sunny and currently 46 and almost noon. After the last few days of rain and yuck, I couldn't wait to walk in my garden!!

And this is what I found...

Broccoli

Spinach

and Buttercrunch Lettuce.

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 10-31-2011

2011-10-31T12:33:00.002-05:00

It has been way too many months since I have participated in Harvest Monday - a place to share with others what is happening in our own little corner of the garden world. Go to Daphne's Dandelions to read what some of my garden friends are sharing.

Yes, I have been MIA from my garden blog (read post here) and I have missed reading all my favorite garden blogs. Slowly I am trying to read a few here and there.

I did not do a very good job this year of keeping track of my harvest. I was so disappointed by the damage that the extreme heat and drought were taking on my garden. I just couldn't keep up with the watering. BUT thanks to cooler temps, the garden is showing signs of life again. Although small, I am thankful for the harvest especially when I read that so many already have snow on the ground!

Harvest this week:

Bell Peppers 4.9 oz
Green Beans 9.0 oz
Okra 3.4 oz
Tomatoes 3.4 oz

I experimented with the green beans and sauteed them with butter, garlic, and almonds. Larry and I both enjoyed them and I know I will cook them this way again. What is your favorite way to cook fresh green beans?

Blessings,

Debbie

Yes, I have been MIA from my Garden Blog

2011-10-28T09:50:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe but it has been over 4 MONTHS since I last posted to my garden blog...

The harsh summer temperatures and the lack of rain was hard on my garden. I couldn't keep up the watering needs of the garden so kinda gave up. The weather was too hot very early in the season for most of my tomato plants to set fruit. Even the okra suffered from the summer heat.

But about a month ago a wonderful thing happened, the temperatures started to drop and my garden started to revive... I have tomato plants that have started to set fruit (even the ones that NEVER set fruit in the spring/summer), my bell pepper plants are loaded with peppers, the green beans are growing, and the whole garden seems to have new life!!! It sure does my heart good.

Yesterday I gathered the harvest below

...green beans, tomatoes, okra, and

bell peppers (harvested because the branch holding them broke)

As some of you may remember,

I planted Christmas Beans in the spring.

I was rather disappointed in the small amount of beans

that they produced.

Here are the plants in May... Kinda pitiful...

Here is a side view

and if you look in the front of the bed,

you can see the Spanish peanuts that I planted

in front of the Christmas Beans.

Well, the Christmas Beans survived the heat

and here is what they looked like on Sept. 24th

after the temps started to cool to highs in the 80s...

FULL OF BLOOMS!

And I took this picture earlier this week on Oct 24th...

It is amazing to see the difference that one month has made!!!

I have hundreds of wonderful pods...

I can only imagine what is on the other side of the fence

in the neighbors yard!!

I hope they don't mind.

Do you think that the peanuts planted in the same bed

could have contributed to the great growth of these beans?

I am hoping to harvest lots of the Christmas Beans.

It seems my garden seems to do better in the fall.

Last year, I was harvesting cherry tomatoes on Thanksgiving Day!

Blessings,

Debbie

we have... R A I N ! ! ! ! ! !

2011-06-21T15:28:00.000-05:00

Yes!!! We have rain!!! The birds are playing in the rain and the plants in my garden are DANCING!!!

It has been so hot here and we haven't had rain in a long time!! It is 3:15pm and the temp is only 74 degrees!!! YES!!!

Debbie

Harvest Monday 06-13-11

2011-06-13T11:08:00.000-05:00

It's MONDAY and that means another time to celebrate what is happening in our gardens with HARVEST MONDAY on Daphne's Dandelions.

This week I enjoyed my first ever harvest of soybeans. They quickly became EDAMAME!!!

I also had my first harvest ever of Cherokee Trail of Tears beans. Now... all the beans I planted were black but ... as you can see... some of the beans harvested were white. I knew something was wrong when one plant had white flowers but all the others had beautiful lavender flowers. I bought these seeds from a company online. Annie's Granny sent some to me that I will plant later this summer for a fall harvest. Although this was a small harvest, the amount will be add a nice touch to our supper tonight of MEXICAN PILE-ON.

I also harvested my first tomato of the year. My okra continues to produce. The okra loves the hot, dry weather!!

HARVEST TOTALS

Week ending 06-11-11
Okra	8.30	oz.
Tomatoes	0.30	oz.
Beans	20.00	oz.
TOTAL	28.60	oz.	1.79	lbs

2011 Year to Date
Okra	15.40	oz.	0.96	lbs
Tomatoes	0.30	oz.	0.02	lbs
Strawberries	4.80	oz.	0.30	lbs
Mustard Greens	26.00	oz.	1.63	lbs
Beans	20.20	oz.	1.26	lbs
TOTAL	66.70	oz.	4.17	lbs

Debbie

First Tomato of the Year...

2011-06-11T19:57:00.000-05:00

and Caleb gave it an A+!!

I barely snapped the picture before he devoured it!

Debbie

Soybeans = Edamame ! ! !

2011-06-09T19:21:00.000-05:00

This morning I harvested 1.25 pounds of soybeans from my garden...

Tonight we had Edamame for supper!! YUM!!!

This was my first adventure with growing soybeans and I will definitely grow them again... probably another crop this fall.

Blessings,

Debbie

Monday Harvest - 06-06-11

2011-06-06T08:47:00.000-05:00

June has arrived and I am hoping to participate in one of my favorite events on a regular basis. Sharing with my other garden friends at Daphne's Harvest Monday. I so enjoy reading what is happening in other gardens and I gain so much in the knowledge they have to share.

I harvested my first okra (6.3 oz) this year! YIPPEE!! 20 days earlier than last year!!!

Oh.... Do you see what I see?

In other news, it is HOT!! We have had 4 days of 100+ temps. The okra loves it but my tomatoes and beans are not feeling the love.

Be sure to check out the other Monday Harvests at Daphne's blog.

In Case You Didn't Know...

2011-05-20T13:03:00.000-05:00

If you forget to put this...

into this...

you get this...

instead of this ...

and you also get some very disappointed kids who had to eat leftovers for lunch and had to wait to have pizza for an afternoon snack..

NOW YOU KNOW!!!!

(Side note: I was able to empty everything into a bowl, add the paddle, put everything back into the bread machine and save the pizza dough!)

Debbie

MIA - also called LIFE IS BUSY!

2011-05-18T18:31:00.002-05:00

It is hard to believe that is has been a little over seven weeks since my last post. Life is so busy this time of year and it is hard to get everything accomplished. I have written several posts (in my head) while working in the garden but that doesn't help if I don't find time to type and post to my blog. Soon school will be finished for the year and, hopefully, I can post on a regular basis. Granny @ Annie's Kitchen Garden tells me that I need to MULTI MULTI MULTI task. I am trying but I think my "tasker" is overloaded and/or confused!

My daughter has described the weather here in Mississippi as bipolar. We have had periods of way above normal temperatures only to see it drop to setting record low HIGH temperatures a few days later. This extreme roller coaster of temperatures along with the excessive winds (with rounds of tornadoes) and rain has caused confusion and delays in my garden.I don't see a real harvest any time soon. Things are growing just not as fast as I would like. I do have blooms on some of my plants but I guess like all gardeners, I want HARVEST!

This year I have planted a variety of beans. I have planted Cherokee Trail of Tears, Christmas Beans, Soybeans, Scarlet Runner, Red Kidney Beans, and Blue Lake Snap Beans. I have Painted Lady beans that need to go in the ground soon... maybe this weekend or sooner. The bed is ready for them. It shouldn't take long to push a few beans in the ground.

Christmas Beans on trellis

(Peanuts in the front of the beans)

Red Kidney Beans on the left

Scarlet Runner Beans on right growing on trellis

Cherokee Trail of Tears on trellis

Soybeans (think edamame) in front of trellis

Debbie

Harvest Monday 03-28-11

2011-03-28T15:51:00.000-05:00

MY FIRST HARVEST... MY FIRST STRAWBERRY OF THE YEAR!!

I apologize for the low quality picture but my phone is the only camera I had this morning and my kiddos were eager to divide up this beauty for a small taste. It wasn't the sweetest strawberry I've ever had but it was good. I am sure they will get sweeter as the harvest continues. This berry was harvested from a plant that came up OUTSIDE of my box. I don't remember when I harvested my first strawberry last year because that was before I started keeping records and blogging but I don't think it was this early!!

To see what other gardeners are harvesting or how they are preparing for the garden season, be sure to check out MONDAY HARVEST at DAPHNE's DANDELIONS. I have learned so much from reading these blogs.

Blessings,

Debbie

What Shouts SPRING to You?

2011-03-25T09:52:00.000-05:00

For me, Spring is all the beautiful colors. I anticipate each year spotting my first daffodil!!! I so enjoy all the beautiful flowers as well as watching everything come to life. I eagerly look forward to planting my garden and seeing the first signs of life.

My dianthus (I think I have the name right for these flowers) survived the winter and is thriving.

I am also enjoying the wisteria. This picture is from my front yard.

Larry took this picture a short distance from our house. It is breathtaking to see an area covered with these beautiful lavender flowers and the aroma is heavenly.

And now for the beautiful color that I found in my garden this morning... My first strawberry is turning RED!!!

What shouts SPRING to you?

Blessings,

Debbie

Excitement Followed By Disappointment

2011-03-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

I was so excited today when my seed order from Urban Farmer arrived. I ordered Red Pontiac Potatoes, Butterfly Bush Mix Seeds, and Christmas Bean Seeds.

But when I opened the package for the Christmas beans, the disappointment came...

Yep.. just 10 seeds. I went to the website and it very clearly says 10 seeds. My mistake!!! I didn't look closely at the description. I had been looking at other seed stores on the web and for the same price and item I would receive 25-30 seeds. In trying to finish my order quickly, I should have read better. I will know for next time. Live and learn. I had purchased Christmas beans back in January on a trip to visit my mother-in-love and promptly came home and misplaced the seeds. I think they are probably hiding with the seeds that EG sent me and I can't find. (sigh)

Now... how much yield do you think I will get from 10 seeds?

Blessings,

Debbie

and, yes, for those of you who have been reading for a while and are wondering, my google ID has changed from debiclegg to Debbie in MS

Harvest Monday 03-21-11

2011-03-21T17:28:00.000-05:00

The weather has been beautiful here!! The temps most days are reaching into the 80s and I think we are now to the point where the temperature will stay above 50 at night. We are adding 7 4x4 beds to our garden. I am so excited!!!

The mustard greens have sprouted...

And the garlic (I was very late getting these into the ground!)...

The strawberries are blooming and I even have a few strawberries. This plant sprouted outside the box!

I transplanted a fig tree that my mother-in-love rooted for me...

I love spending time in my garden. I am eagerly looking forward to spending time preparing the new beds and planting seeds this week.

Be sure to hop over to Daphne's site and see how other gardeners are celebrating the coming of spring and anticipating Monday Harvest!!

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 02-21-2011

2011-02-21T12:07:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone!!! I have missed all of you. I am still not completely recovered from my surgery. I have a few minor problems that are still lingering. My sweet husband had surgery for a cervical herniated disc in early January. Thankfully, he woke from the surgery PAIN FREE and only needed tylenol twice after surgery for a headache. He is doing great! I had an emergency room visit in mid-January for what we all thought was a stroke!! VERY SCARY!!! After many tests, I was diagnosed with a COMPLEX MIGRAINE that caused the stroke-like symptoms. They think it was triggered from the hormone medication that I was given after my surgery in October. Needless to say, I am off that medication and I think my body is getting back to normal.

For over a week the temp each day has been at least 70s and very sunny. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!! I even saw my first daffodils on Friday!! It must be spring here in the south. The blue birds have even been spotted working on their nests. Saturday I spent time in my neglected garden. My youngest daughter told me that my garden looked sad. It has been so neglected since early September since I have been sick.With the help of my oldest son, we cleaned out old plants and I turned the soil in a couple of beds. I also planted some garlic and potato onions. I had hoped to get these in months ago but life did not allow that to happen. This week I hope to plant spinach, broccoli, and mustard greens. I also hope to start a few seeds inside. We always get a COLD SNAP but, hopefully, it won't be too bad.

Be sure to "hop" over to Daphne's site to check out all the other posts at Harvest Monday. I am so behind in reading everyone's posts for the last few months but I have been a little distracted. I am looking forward to Gardening in 2011.

Blessings,

Debbie

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T12:10:00.000-06:00

I wanted to stop this day

and wish all my gardening friends a

Merry Christmas!

Looking forward to sharing glimpses of your garden in 2011.

Blessings,

Debbie

Batting 1000 and Still Going Strong

2010-10-27T16:58:00.000-05:00

I am late for Monday Harvest (It is Wednesday!) but since I had surgery on Friday, I hope I will be given some grace. BTW thanks for all the prayers for my surgery. Surgery was successful... now on the road to recovery!! YEAH!!

Many of you have followed my delight of the ENERGIZE BUNNY tomato cherry plant. (For more info look for posts that have the Energizer Bunny label in the right column of my blog.) The plant earned its name not only because it keeps going and going but because it was mislabeled when I bought it and I don't know what it is!! It was supposed to be a determinate patio variety reaching a height of 4 feet. However, this plant has grown out of control!!! If I could stretch it out, it would be at least 12 feet high. As of today, we have picked 1009 tomatoes from this one plant. And to think I was so excited when we reached 100. I am glad I decided to count the tomatoes this year. I apologize for the picture but I just had my daughter grab a quick picture with my phone.

I believe my sweet husband has enjoyed bringing in the harvest for me. Of course, his delight may be in watching my joy at the harvest. I love this man!! And I am so blessed!!!

Blessings,

Debbie

MaMa's Cornbread

2010-10-20T10:19:00.001-05:00

This isn't a garden post but I wanted to share something exciting. Well... exciting for me! My mother's cornbread recipe was featured on the Southern Bite blog. My mom loved to cook for others and there was always room for one more at her table. I miss her!!

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 10/18/10 Not Much Happening

2010-10-18T20:04:00.000-05:00

There is not much happening in my garden. I still have tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers growing. My youngest son did harvest another 49 cherry tomatoes and my sweet husband harvested a couple of peppers. He said that I have lots of tomatoes starting to turn colors so I am hoping to have more tomatoes this week. The weather has been so nice. Highs in the low to mid 80s and lows around 50. I wish that I could get out to enjoy it more but I did make it to the deck a couple of times to sit on the swing. I couldn't stay long but it was nice.

I will have my surgery this Friday. I am ready to get it done and start the road to recovery. My family has been wonderful. Tonight they cooked a new recipe that I found on a wonderful blog called Southern Plate. Check out this recipe:

Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice – and YOUR Cheering Section!

My kids gave it the special label of KEEPER. They were excited about how great it tasted and how EASY it was to make.

My harvest totals this week:

Peppers 3.6 oz

Tomates 6.1 oz.

Sorry no pictures this week.

Be sure to check out the other posts for HARVEST MONDAY!

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 10/11/10 Stepping Up to the Plate

2010-10-11T11:47:00.000-05:00

It's MONDAY and that means it is time to join Daphne and the other gardeners for Monday Harvest. Take some time to see what others are growing, planning, or creating in their gardens.

My guys are stepping up to the plate and taking care of things in my garden since I can't do it right now. Larry did a super job of harvesting the last of the okra. It was so tall that no one else could reach it!

Joshua tackled the job of clearing the okra plants (or should I say trees) from the garden. I think he enjoyed using the clippers...

and pulling the okra stalks.

He was amazed at the roots on this okra plant. I guess when it hit the harder ground at the bottom of the raised bed that it took a turn to easier territory. (Ummmm... He needs a haircut!)

Caleb continues to take care of the tomatoes. This day he picked 128 cherry tomatoes from the mystery Energizer Bunny Plant. He was eager for step 2 of harvest - EATING! (Side note: We have harvested 815 cherry tomatoes to date from this plant and it is still going strong! I think we may hit 1000!!!)

I so appreciate MY GUYS for stepping up to the plate!! They are awesome!!

We still have cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell peppers growing in the garden. We had about a week where the thermometer did not creep into the 90s but the mercury pushed back to the 90s on Thursday and has remained there. My tomatoes and peppers bounced back with the cooler temps and are still going strong. Still no rain and no rain in the forecast. Everything is so dry and there is great concern for fires across the state.

Year to date Harvest
Okra 31.9 lbs
Bell Peppers 6.27 lbs
Garlic 2.14 lbs
Onions 0.25 lbs
Cantaloupe 12.5 lbs
Squash 0.19 lbs
Cucumbers 3.25 lbs
Green Beans 0.48 lbs
Tomatoes 18.69 lbs
TOTAL 75.67 lbs

Blessings,

Debbie

A Day Late and A Dollar Short

2010-09-28T22:28:00.001-05:00

Well... that is an expression that I heard my grandfather say more than once. I am a day late for Harvest Monday but I didn't want to miss another week of sharing with my Garden Blog Friends. Also, it has been a while since I linked to Tuesday Garden Party.

I spent most of Monday at the doctor's office. I am now on limited activity until surgery sometime later this month. Surgery will keep me down for a few more weeks. This means NO gardening for me and I will need to depend on my family to keep an eye on things. I still have tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, green beans, and peppers growing in the garden. Eventually I will need to remove plants that are no longer producing and I MUST get my garlic and a few other things planted in the garden. I may have to pass on a few things that I had planned for my fall/winter garden this year.

This is my harvest from Wednesday. It seems like it took FOREVER for these peppers to turn a GOLDEN color.

We have had 109 days of 90+ degrees weather. Long HOT summer!! And we have had less than a half inch of rain for the last month! So HOT and DRY!! But finally that came to an end yesterday. The high was in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 50s. NICE! Still no rain and none in the near future. I think the Energizer Bunny tomato plant is enjoying the cooler weather. It has its second wind. My youngest son picked 66 cherry tomatoes yesterday. They were so pretty!! He told me there were a few that he couldn't reach. He was very proud of his harvest!! He even shared a few with me.

Harvest totals for the week:
Okra 101.85 oz
Cherry Tomatoes 12.2 oz
Bell Peppers 6.9 oz
Cucumbers 15.7 oz
Green Beans 4.1 oz
TOTAL 140.75 oz = 8.8 lbs

Blessings,

Debbie

Long Time No Post

2010-09-20T08:24:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been over a month since my last post. I am still busy with my garden but with the start of school my days are full to overflowing.

I continue to harvest okra, bell peppers, and tomatoes from my garden. I have also harvested my first cucumbers since my last post. It is a race with the pickle worms to see who gets them first! The "Energizer Bunny" cherry tomato plant has given me 540 tomatoes to date. I have no idea if this is a normal but I am delighted with the crop from this plant. It is still loaded with green tomatoes and I expect to get many more before the weather gets too cool for tomatoes here in the South. I hope to harvest my first GOLDEN bell peppers this week. It seems like it has taken FOREVER for these plants to turn yellow. I am also getting a few green beans from my 3rd planting.

My harvest to date:
Okra 24.22 lb.
Tomatoes 16.07 lb
Bell Peppers 5.67 lb
Garlic 2.14 lb
Onion 0.25 lb
Cantaloupe 11.4 lb
Squash 0.19 lb
Cucumbers 1.64 lb
Green Beans 2.2 lb
YTD Totals 63.78 lb.

I have missed visiting everyone at Daphne's Monday Harvest. Hopefully, I will not have to miss another week with the friends I have met through a shared loved of gardening.

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 08/16/10

2010-08-16T09:54:00.000-05:00

With school starting for us next Monday, I realize that I still have many summer projects that need my attention. This week we painted our schoolroom. All the kids helped and we felt good about our job. Now we are busy organizing for the new year. As soon as we are done, I will post a picture but here are a few pictures of the work-in-progress.

Here are a few harvest pictures from the week.

My totals for the week: (in oz)
Okra 62 oz
Tomatoes 30.25 oz
Bell Peppers 1.75 oz
Cantaloupe 67.25 oz
Weekly Total 161.25 oz = 10.08 lbs

YTD Totals: (in lbs)
Okra 8.5 lbs
Tomatoes 8.7 lbs
Bell Peppers 2.8 lbs
Cantaloupes 8.2 lbs
Garlic 2.1 lbs
Onions 0.25 lbs
Squash 0.19 lbs
Total 30.74 lbs

As of today I have harvested 200 pods of okra this year and 328 cherry tomatoes. I am totally WOWed by this number. I am so glad I decided to keep an account of my harvest this year. It has been fun to watch the numbers grow.

Now if you want to see an amazing harvest of tomatoes. Check out Daphne's kitchen counter at her HARVEST MONDAY blog. While you're there, check out all the amazing harvests across the country.

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 08-09-10 Okra and Tomatoes = GUMBO!

2010-08-09T10:56:00.000-05:00

For a girl raised in Cajun country, okra and tomatoes in the garden means one thing . . . G U M B O !!!!! My kids have watched me save the okra harvested this year in anticipation of the BIG announcement - enough okra for gumbo!! You must realize we are a big family (7 kids) and even the adult children want to have gumbo made with mom's okra and tomatoes from the garden. (Don't worry Rachel I will send you some!) So as the okra trickles in at first, all the okra is cut and saved in the freezer. BUT today.... I cut 17 pods of okra!! We now have ENOUGH for a big pot of gumbo!

I don't have many pictures this week from my harvest. I have been busy completing this project. A friend asked me to make a t-shirt memory quilt as a graduation gift. The picture on Lauren's face makes my heart happy!

My harvest totals this week:

Okra 33.0 oz

Tomatoes 21.75 oz

Bell Peppers 9.25 oz

Squash 3.0 oz

WEEKLY TOTAL 67.00 oz

YEAR TO DATE:

Okra 74.5 oz

Tomatoes 108.5 oz

Bell Pepper 43.5 oz

Garlic 34.25 oz

Onions 4.0 oz

Cantaloupe 32 oz

Squash 3 oz

TOTAL YTD 299.75 oz (18.73 lbs)

Check out Daphne's blog to see what's happening around the world on HARVEST MONDAY!

Blessings,

Debbie

I HAVE GRANDBABIES.... of the Garden Kind!

2010-08-03T17:51:00.000-05:00

Well.... what do you call the fruit from the suckers rooted from your tomato plants?

The cherry tomato plant of unknown variety that I have dubbed "the Energizer Bunny" continues to produce. I have now harvested 201 tomatoes from this plant and it continues to go strong. I have had to be creative in staking it since it was NEVER supposed to get this big. I think it likes being planted next to my okra.

And now the suckers that I rooted earlier in the season have fruit and the first one is starting to ripen. YEAH!

I actually have 2 suckers that have fruit. In the picture below, the suckers are in the front and the original plant is in the back.

I hope the sucker plants produce like the original plant. AND... I hope that if I save seeds I will get more of this plant next year.

Enjoy more gardens at the Tuesday Garden Party and Oh, How My Garden Grows.

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 8/2/2010 My First Cantaloupe

2010-08-02T16:17:00.000-05:00

I missed Harvest Monday last week because we were out of town for our annual Vacation/Family Reunion. A week of celebrating family with lots of delicious food and laughter mixed with joy of life moving at a slower pace. This was our 24th year to spend time at Clarkco State Park in Quitman, MS. The Beckman family filled 6 of the cabins at this park.

The excitement for me this week was the harvest of my first cantaloupe ever! And it was grown on a trellis!!

You can see the cantaloupe growing in the top right corner of the picture below.

I also weighed my garlic and potato onions this week since they are dry.

My harvest total this week

Okra 7.5 oz
Tomatoes 11.5 oz
Bell Peppers 14 oz
Cantaloupe 36 oz
Garlic 34.25 oz
Onions 4 oz
Total this week 108.25 oz

While I was gone, my daughter ASHLEY was happy to pick these from my garden.

Make sure you head over to Daphne's to enjoy other Harvest Monday posts.

Blessings,

Debbie

P.S. Thanks, Erin, thanks for following my blog.

Criminal Investigation

2010-07-20T09:37:00.001-05:00

While enjoying a stroll through my garden, I stopped in my tracks when I saw...

THE EVIDENCE

(that a crime had been committed)

I franticly started searching for....

THE VICTIM

(beautiful tomato leaves cut short in the prime of their life)

So the hunt began. I knew the dark pellets that looked like tiny grenades were left behind by none other than "The Evil Tomato Hookworm." I searched and searched and stopped only to capture....

A CRIMINAL ON THE MOST WANTED LIST

(THE ARMYWORM)

Back to the hunt. Finally...

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

(Tomato Hookworm aka Hornworm)

The criminal was quickly apprehended, found guilty, and sentenced to...

DEATH BY TENNIS SHOE

(aka "The Victory Dance")

Hope this wasn't too boring. I hate most worms in my garden. Join other gardeners at the TUESDAY GARDEN PARTY and OH, HOW MY GARDEN GROWS!

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 07/19/10 Ups and Downs

2010-07-19T10:42:00.000-05:00

Each week I enjoy checking out the Monday Harvest on Daphne's blog. So hop on over and check out what others are harvesting in their garden.

This past week I drove many miles making two round trips to Nashville and one to Mobile. This week I hope to spend very little time in the car.

My harvest totals this week was 38 oz.

Okra 7.5 oz Count 11

Tomatoes 19.75 oz Count 32 Cherry, 3 Early Girl, 5 Roma

Bell Peppers 10.75 oz Count 3 Big Bertha, 1 Red

Blog will be short today. I need to take my new laptop to see the Geek Squad. Problems with blue screen of death and the video adapter. (sigh)

My UP... I have been watching this red pepper anticipating picking my first ever RED bell pepper.

My DOWN... when I picked it and turned it around to inspect it, I found this unpleasant surprise...

Such sadness... but I have others that are starting to turn red and, hopefully, they will be without blemish.

Blessings,

Debbie

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

2010-07-14T13:14:00.000-05:00

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas... well... sort of...

Look my green peppers are starting to turn red! Yippee!!

Busy day but wanted to share my excitement!!

Blessings,

Debbie

Do Frogs Eat Aphids

2010-07-13T13:37:00.001-05:00

I found another frog sitting on an okra leaf as if he had found a giant lily pad. I searched the net and can you believe that some people grow aphids to feed to frogs!! I sure hope that all the frogs that I am seeing in the garden will keep the aphids out!!!

The cantaloupe has reached the top of the trellis. I find myself looking at it and thinking... REACH FOR THE SKY!!

Check out the Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage and Oh, How My Garden Grows!

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 07/12/10 One hundred and Still Going Strong

2010-07-12T07:07:00.000-05:00

I am about to hit the road again. I traveled to Nashville yesterday to bring my daughter and 2 friends to Camp Electric, a music camp where they get to spend a week under the instruction of musicians who play for some of the top names in the Christian music industry. She plays keyboard and looks forward to learning much and having lots of fun.

I harvested tomatoes and okra this week. (15.75 ounces) My major event this week was harvesting 49 cherry tomatoes from the Energizer Bunny mystery tomato plant. This bring my total this year for this plant to 102 +. I missed some in the count because my 10yo son loves to eat them straight out of the garden and I don't always know how many he eats. (smile) The plant is still going strong and I expect to get at least 100 more from the plant. I have rooted several suckers from the plant and noticed that one of the suckers is just starting to produce fruit and the other is full of flowers. YIPPEE!!!

Well... I need to close down this computer and get on the road. Check out all the harvest events at Daphne's Harvest Monday.

Blessings,

Debbie

I LOVE SURPRISES!

2010-07-08T10:33:00.003-05:00

I love surprises!! Well... good surprises!!! I have been away from my computer for a few days and I was sad to miss Monday Harvest, Oh, How My Garden Grows, and the Tuesday Garden Party. We were out of town for Independence Day and then I needed to make an unplanned trip out of town and left Monday afternoon and returned Wednesday afternoon. Needless to say, I was eager to get to my garden. A very special lady (my precious mother-in-love) arrived at the house for a visit about the same time I arrived home yesterday. Since she loves plants as much as I do and since we both needed to stretch our legs after driving, we eagerly headed out to the garden. I was excited to harvest 29 cherry tomatoes from the Energizer Bunny bush. I also harvested 5 okra pods. But my biggest delight was my find while showing my MIL the cantaloupe growing on the trellis. I showed her the one that I have eagerly been watching and blogging about. I told her that I was surprised to have only 1 "big" melon growing but I was glad to have smaller ones growing, too. As I was moving the leaves around to show her the trellis, I FOUND THIS SURPRISE . . .

And, yes, I shook my head and blinked my eyes a few times to make sure I wasn't seeing things! This guy is bigger than the other one. It is about the size of a softball or grapefruit. Yippee!!! I don't know HOW I missed this one. (It is located on the back side of the trellis on the fence side.) I will definitely be in the store today to get the pantyhose to sling the two cantaloupes. Thanks, EG, for your education on slinging melons on a trellis.

Blessings,

Debbie

What's Going On?

2010-07-02T11:16:00.002-05:00

I know I am overwhelming some of you. Three posts in one day!! But there seems to be so much going on in the garden. If you have been reading my blog, you know that we received lots of rain Tuesday and Wednesday. Well as I strolled through the garden this morning, I found some amusing as well as disturbing discoveries in my garden. I am hoping that someone can help me solve a mystery or two!!

First I know we have received lots of rain especially after a long dry spell but this little guy has confused my okra with a lilly pad. (smile) He's so cute!!

Next stop, these guys grew overnight under my cantaloupe.

Found another worm today. I was really bummed. Two more tomatoes are now gone...................... (big sigh!)

Now.... What is going on with my pepper plants and this tomato plants? Yesterday these plants looked great! Today the leaves are all droopy. I know it isn't the heat because right now it is very pleasant outside. Nothing like the upper 90s we had last week. Does anyone have wisdom for me? Words of encouragement? Trying not to panic.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful Friday!

Blessings,

Debbie

Little Pleasures

2010-07-02T03:25:00.001-05:00

I love to slow down in my garden and enjoy the little pleasures. This is some of my cantaloupe vines. It looks like they are holding hands and trying to stretch to reach out and connect hands with another!!

One of the cantaloupes growing on the trellis.

Can you imagine how long this Big Bertha bell pepper

would be if it had grown straight?

I love the okra flowers.

Here are some of the marigolds in my garden.

Debbie

This blog is linked to Fertilizer Friday/Flaunt Your Flowers hosted each Friday by Tootsie!

It Rained and Rained Some More!

2010-07-02T01:22:00.000-05:00

Well, Tuesday we received a good rain. Wednesday morning I woke to a nice soft relaxing rain that stopped about noon. Then... around 5:00 it started to rain again VERY HARD AND HEAVY!! Soon there were tiny rivers flowing everywhere. I wish that I had thought to get a picture of the little river that flowed through my backyard. I had been potting plants on the back deck and had used the wheelbarrow to haul bags of potting soil over to the deck. Well, typical for me, my day was busy and I forgot about the wheelbarrow. Here is a picture of the wheelbarrow and all the water that was collected in a period of about 28 hours.

When I went out to the garden yesterday morning, I thought it would be just a quick visit to harvest a few veggies since I didn't need to water the plants. WRONG!!! I am not sure if it was because of all the rain but I found caterpillars everywhere. I lost count of how many that I killed on the tomato plants. I was not happy.

I discovered something strange. On the tomatoes that were turning red, the caterpillars only ate the outer layer of the tomato. It look like someone had "peeled" the tomato.

With the green tomatoes, the caterpillar went deep and made a hole in the tomato. Maybe someone who knows more about the habits of caterpillars can explain this to me!! Look at this guy. He is was working hard!!

I also decided to pull up the pole green beans. Something was eating them and they just didn't look healthy. They had flowers and tiny beans but they just weren't growing. So out of the garden they went!! As I was cleaning, I found a few of these little green worms.

Hopefully today, I will be planting these little guys - Jack Be Littles. My kids love to use these to decorate the front porch for fall. Pumpkins are a first in my garden!!

I hope all of your gardens are going strong!!

Blessings,

Debbie

Refreshed

2010-06-30T09:52:00.001-05:00

We had a good rain late yesterday and woke to a soft rain this morning. My garden looks so happy and refreshed.

Below is one bed of okra. I noticed this morning that a few of the plants have flowers and one has a tiny okra growing.

This picture has plants on the left that were planted the same time as the picture above. On the right in the back of the bed is the first okra I planted. It has been producing for about a week and a half and the pace of harvest is picking up. Soon I will harvesting okra every day. In the front of the bed is the cherry tomato plant that is definately an over achiever for which we give thanks. It was labeled as a determinate patio bush plant. WRONG!! I so wish that I had several of these plants. They taste so good and it is producing lots of tomatoes.

More pictures of my favorite tomato plant. I had to improvise with the trellis. (ha!) It wasn't supposed to get this big. I have topped out several of the vines so that it doesn't get any taller. I have rooted about 6 of the suckers I have pruned from it. But it still keeps going and going and going. Since I don't know what variety it is, I have dubbed it the Energizer Bunny!!!

This bed has bell peppers, an eggplant, ornamental peppers, and a few tomato suckers that I rooted and then transplanted.

This bed has Early Girl and Roma tomatoes. Notice Adam the Owl keeping watch over the plants. He is doing a super job of keeping the birds away. I just move him around every time I go to the garden.

Thanks for stopping by to join me on my morning walk in my garden.

Blessings,

Debbie

It's Raining!!!

2010-06-29T20:14:00.013-05:00

It's raining! Not just a quick heavy downpour that only lasts a few minutes but a nice soaking rain!! I think I hear my garden giving a sigh of relief. Wait! What's that I see? It's the leaves doing the HAPPY DANCE!!! Or maybe it is me doing the HAPPY DANCE because I don't have to go and water my garden this evening!! (smile)

Things continue to grow. I am so excited about this little guy. When I asked my youngest if she wanted to see the cantaloupe this morning, she asked, "Did it grow overnight?" Hmmm.... Was she excited or sarcastic? Doesn't matter... she smiled, grabbed my hand, and strolled with me to the garden. I love my kids!!!

Yesterday I rooted several suckers from my cherry tomato plant. I love these little tomatoes and I am amazed at all the tomatoes on this one plant. I wish I knew how to save the seeds (if possible) for next year. I also transplanted 3 green bell pepper plants and 1 eggplant that I bought at Lowes. I was also surpised to see that the cucumber, crooked neck squash, and the white scalloped squash seeds that I planted 4 days ago were already peaking up at me from their underground nest. WOW! That was so fast!!

Today I planted 12 squares of bush beans. I hope that the heat will not be too much for them. We shall see. If they do, super. If they don't, nothing lost really. I can replant again for fall.

Over the weekend, I planted these flowers! They seemed perfect to celebrate Independence Day!

This post is linked to the An Oregon Cottage's TUESDAY GARDEN PARTY

and Oh, How My Garden Grows.

Blessings,

Debbie

HARVEST MONDAY June 28, 2010

2010-06-28T13:27:00.001-05:00

It continues to be very hot here and we have had a couple of short showers from scattered thunderstorms that explode here in the afternoons. This is typical weather for us and I always hope those random showers will fall on my garden. The showers are nice but not enough to satisfy the water needs in my garden.

My okra is just starting to produce. I only pick about 2 pods every other day but I know once all the plants start producing I will have an abundance and will be able to share with friends. Right now all the pods are cleaned, cut, and put in the freezer with anticipation of our first pot of GUMBO!!

This week I harvested:

Okra 7 pods (7 oz)
Bell Peppers 2 (3.5 oz)
Early Girl Tomatoes 1 (2 oz)
Cherry Tomatoes 6 (1.25 oz)

TOTAL 13.75 oz.

The bell peppers were harvested a little early but I was cooking philly cheese steak sandwiches and couldn't wait any longer and pulled the bell peppers to use for our supper. They tasted so good but now I will be patient to give the remainder of my peppers time to mature.

Yesterday we were sitting at the dinner table visiting with a friend when my husband, Larry, noticed a bird that he thought was injured. I watch for a few seconds and commented that I thought the bird was pretending to be hurt to draw attention and wondered if there was a snake out back. We continued to watch the bird and after a short time, the bird began to fuss and fly at a certain area of the wisteria vine on the back fence. Being the BRAVE soul that I am when it comes to snakes, I went for my camera with the big zoom lens. Well, guess what I found... a COPPERHEAD!!

This was one time that I did not want to be right... The picture quality is not that great because (1) I was shaking knowing the copperhead was in my backyard and it made me a LITTLE nervous and (2) I was not about to get closer. Because of where the snake was located we couldn't kill it and after my husband threw something at it, it left. This area is about 30 feet from my garden. Needless to say, I was constantly looking around while working in my garden this morning.

After all the excitement from the snake, we were blessed with this neat view in the sky. My picture doesn't do it justice but maybe it will give you a little glimpse of the beauty.

Blessings,

Debbie

This blog is linked to HARVEST MONDAY.

Ants

2010-06-25T10:56:00.001-05:00

ANTS IN MY ~~PANTS~~ GARDEN!

I headed out to the garden ~~this~~ yesterday morning to take advantage of a slight breeze and cooler temps after we had a good soaking thunderstorm ~~yesterday afternoon~~ day before yesterday. I planted a few seeds with my favorite tool for planting seeds... MY PENCIL! I have marks on the end in half-inch increments.

And since I am showing you my favorite garden tools, here are my other favorites. In fact, these are the only other tools that I need and, yes, the stool is there for me on the days when my back is giving me trouble. Having a square foot garden is so much easier than the tools I used when I was growing up and spent many hours in the garden with my grandfather. I can remember walking behind the tiller and hours upon hours spent with the hoe preparing rows for planting and then fighting the weeds!! I firmly believe that my grandfather would have loved a square foot garden!! Keeping the weeds under control is so much easier because I have so few of them.

Here are a few pictures that I took this morning. The peppers look great and, thankfully, no more brown spots.

This tomato bush is bringing much delight to my 10 year old son. Most of these tasty treats do not even make them inside. I wish I knew exactly what variety this is because I definately want more next year.

This is one of the Early Girl tomatoes.

And the cantaloupe continue to grow... It is fun training the vines to grow up the trellis. The bees are also enjoying the flowers on the vines. How long does it take the cantaloupes to mature for harvest from this point?

After I had planted the seeds, I proceeded to the square where I had pulled the bush green beans. With my handy garden tool (hand cultivator), I wanted to turn over the soil in that bed where I had sprinkled some fertilizer a few days earlier. Well, to my horror a large bed of fire ants had moved into a couple of side sqaures. Before I knew it, they were ALL over me!! Boy, do they hurt!!! This set me off on a journey, what can I do to get rid of these pests without hurting my plants????

I found this website that 10 Tips For Organic Ant Control.

1. Baking soda is poisonous to ants, spinkle it around your plants to ensure ants will stay away.

2. Flour & Baby Powder will keep ants from reaching your plants, ants will not cross the powder – so circle your plants with it.

3. You can use coffee grounds, chili powder, cinnamon, peppermint or black pepper. All deter ants and if you pour coffee grounds directly on an anthill, they will eat the coffee grounds and implode.

4. Grits, instant rice & cream of wheat can be sprinkled around plants. The ant will eat a piece of whichever you sprinkle, drink water and the grain expands and kills the ant.

5. Fill a spray bottle with 1 part vinegar and 1 part water and spray on plants. The acid in vinegar will kills ants.

6. Mix together one-third cup of molasses, six tablespoons of sugar, and six tablespoons of active dry yeast into a smooth paste. Use the mixture to coat strips of cardboard. Keep out of reach of pets and small children. You can leave mixture on a saucer outside anthill and they’ll eat it and die!

7. Fold contact paper in half, with the sticky side out and make a circle around base of plant. The ants get stuck on the paper – problem solved.

8. Cut off the bottom of a paper cup and cut a slit up the side of the cup and coat outside with vaseline and place around base of plant. You can also use packing tape.

9. Mix one cup of borax, two-thirds a cup sugar and one cup water. Dip cotton balls in the solution and place in areas near your anthill Ants will leave the plants alone and ingest the sweet mixture. The borax kills the ants.

10. Diatomaceous Earth is a commonly sold organic pesticide that will destroy the insects outer skeletons, causing the pests to die from dehydration.

Read our update to this post – where we tried some of the methods: Organic Ant Control Update

So... what do you use to control the ants in your garden?

Debbie

Garlic Mysteries

2010-06-23T07:32:00.005-05:00

Last fall during the Thompson family reunion in Meridian, MS where I am known as Velma's Dottie's Larry's Debbie, I struck up a conversation with one of the cousins about gardening. Needless to say we talked for a long time and stopped only because we were called away for lunch. We all know how good the food can be at a family reunion and this was no exception.

Well, to my surprise and delight about 6 weeks later, I received a package from this cousin in the mail. It was a Priority package filled with garlic bulbs - elephant and another variety. WOW! I bet the mailperson was glad to be rid of that package because you guessed it, the garlic smell was strong!!!

I planted the bulbs in the fall and they did great during the winter even with the record low temps for the state of Mississippi. We had over 72 hours with below freezing temperatures and we also received a record snowfall - about 6 inches. I know! I know! Some of you are laughing at me but remember I live in the DEEP south!! As a child we would get out of school if they thought it would snow and I can remember sitting at the window with my nose against the glass shouting every few minutes "Was that a snowflake? Wait! I am sure I saw a snowflake!" Sorry... back to the garlic!!!

I planted the bulbs and they starting growing.

But when I harvested them, they looked like onions. They did not have the seperate bulbs. Is this what they call an onion round? If so, should I save them and plant again in the fall?

The smaller bulbs that the cousin gave me looked like this when I harvested them! Still no clue here in what I am doing or what I did wrong!! HELP!!

As you have figured out by now... I am lost and have no CLUE in the garlic mysteries!!

Blessings,

Debbie

Linked to OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY

Bees, Blossoms, and Babies!

2010-06-22T09:56:00.012-05:00

The days continue to be very hot and dry! My husband put on his facebook status last night that he tried to water the yard but the water kept evaporating before it hit the ground!! Really, I did water the yard yesterday but the ground was so dry that you couldn't tell what area the sprinkler had covered. Needless to say, it has been tough on my garden.

I wanted to share the exciting news of bees, blossoms, and babies!! This little guy has been doing his job!

And I now have these!!!

My cantaloupe vines are full of baby cantaloupe. My family is tired of me dragging them out to the garden to celebrate the big event!! But... I knew that all of you would want to celebrate the occasion with me!! To enjoy more wonderful garden events, check out An Oregon Cottage's Tuesday Garden Party!

Have a blessed day!

Debbie

June 21, 2010 - Harvest Monday

2010-06-21T10:52:00.001-05:00

I am so excited. My first post to HARVEST MONDAY!! Thanks, Daphne. I hope I am doing the link correctly.

This week I have harvested a few strawberries (they are almost gone), bush green beans, tomatoes, and the first of the okra. The strawberries and cherry tomatoes usually do not make it inside. My kids say the berries taste better straight from the garden to their mouth!! And my youngest son loves popping those little tomatoes into his mouth!!

My bell peppers continue to grow but I found this ugly spot on one of them. Is it BER?

I was excited to see small cantaloupe growing on the vines. YIPPEE!! The weather has been so hot and dry here. The high temp for today is supposed to hit 99 and the hit index should hit 105. I had to pull the remainder of my bush green beans. Bugs were eating the leaves and they were wilting from the heat. (sigh)

Enjoy the first official day of summer!!

Debbie

Take Two Aspirin and Call Me in the Morning!!

2010-06-19T22:14:00.002-05:00

Most days of late my head is swimming with all the things that I am learning about my garden and how to best care for it to keep it HAPPY!! I found this article and thought that it was interesting.
I hope that I am doing this correctly to give proper credit to the author. I would LOVE to have input from others. What do you think?

Plants feeling under the weather?Give them aspirin water! (click here to read the entire article)

By Marion Owen, Fearless Weeder for PlanTea, Inc. and
Co-author of Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul
"Take two aspirin and call me in the morning."

We've all heard that advice from doctors. And moms have been dispensing this all-purpose cure-all to their families as a standard way of providing relief from headaches and sniffles, muscle aches and joint pain.
Then it should be no surprise to learn how an important aspirin ingredient--salicylic acid--is being used as an Earth-friendly first aid for warding off plant diseases.
Meet Martha McBurney, the master gardener in charge of the demonstration vegetable garden at the University of Rhode Island. In the summer of 2005 she tested aspirin water on tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, basil and other plants after reading about it in a gardening publication called the Avant Gardener (PO Box 489, New York, NY 10028). The results were well, astonishing...

Debbie

A Tour through My Garden

2010-06-16T15:23:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share what is happening in my garden. It has been so hot for the last few days with temps in the upper 90s and the heat index pushing 100+. Thankfully, my garden did receive a small shower yesterday. It looked so "refreshed" after the rain.

I am trying several new adventures in my square foot garden. Below is a picture of my cantaloupes. I am attempting to grow them on a trellis. I will create a NEST for the cantaloupe either out of netting or by using pantyhose for a sling. It is taking some work to train the vine to grow up the trellis but so far I am pleased.

I am learning so much as I watch my garden grow. I have had male blossoms on my cantaloupe vines for a couple of weeks but finally I found a couple of female blossoms today. Now I am hoping that the bee that I see every morning in my garden did his job and pollinated the female blossoms. I am sure this is more than most of you wanted to know. (smile)

I also have okra, strawberries, tomatoes, green beans (bush and pole), zucchini, corn, and bell peppers growing in my garden.

I also have a new friend in my garden. I have been losing my tomatoes to birds. This does not make me happy!! So far Adam (named by my children for the singer in Owl City) seems to be doing his job!!

Thanks for touring my garden with me today.

Check out other gardens on Tuesday Garden Party. I hope I did this link right!

Tuesday Garden Party

What do you have in your garden? Please share with me by leaving a comment.

Debbie

Taking the Plunge!

2010-06-11T14:00:00.012-05:00

My daughters, Heather @ Snapshots of My Life and Ashley @ Ashley's Spoonfuls of Sugar, have been telling me for a long time that I need to blog. But where do I start? LIFE, homeschooling, my garden,...????

I decided to take the plunge and write about my garden. I started a square foot garden last May (2009). I have wanted to use this method for a long time. My precious husband Larry told me to just tell him what I wanted and he would build it. (So thankful for this man God has given me!)

We started with a small box last year that was 2 x 8. I grew tomatoes, okra, carrots (fail!), and green beans. We were very pleased with the outcome, added more boxes and currently I have 120 sq feet. I currently have tomatoes, okra, cantelope, bell peppers, bush beans, pole beans, zucchini, strawberries, and corn growing in my raised beds.

Earlier this week I harvested a little over 2 pounds of bush beans (left) from the original 8 squares that I planted. I also planted 3 more squares of bush beans about 2 weeks after the first bunch.

I have 4 squares of Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans. Larry and I built a trellis for them earlier this week. We should have gotten the trellis built earlier but we spent a week with our high school youth choir Chi Alpha in New Orleans, LA. While we were gone, we had several good rain showers and the garden (and weeds) grew like crazy. I think I have all the weeds from my garden now and almost all of the garden tasks are caught up.

I also harvested elephant garlic earlier this week and I think I will do a seperate post on them.

I have enjoyed reading other blogs about square foot gardens/container gardening such as Our Engineered Garden and Annie's Kitchen Garden. I also recently discovered Daphne's Dandelions.

I hope this blog will be a place where I can share what I am learning on this journey.

Debbie