The Miller's Harvest ~ Trials of a Novice Gardener

Different Day - different blog

2011-08-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

Helloooo out there! *echo*

For those of you still popping over here - I wanted to let you know I am writing a more generalized blog: My Regular Life which will include some gardening, but it is not the overriding subject matter of the blog. Please feel free to join me over there :-D

Holy Moly it has been a while!!

2009-06-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Don't you hate it when a pretty consistent blogger stops writing for a bit with no explanation?

Me too.

So I apologize. :-)

I had a bit of an emergency with my small dog, Killer. I ended up taking some time out of work - and I have been playing catch up ever since (I usually update at the end of my work day before I go home) and then when I am at home - well, the sun is shining, it is the time of year to get outside and get wet! LOL.

You know I love to share pictures - so here is my poor little puppy and his booboo.

Poor thing is so sad because he is not allowed to be up on the couch with me.

In case you are wondering why he needed this - weeellll - the hubby tripped on him on the stairs, and while the hubby landed on his butt and bounced down a few steps, he is no worse for wear. Killer, was not - he was under the hubby when he bounced and ended up breaking his left pelvis bone - and his right leg/hip. They left the pelvis alone, as it isn't a bad break, and there isn't really much they can do about it - but they did have to go in and repair his hip.

I do have some garden news - I harvested my first few cherry tomatoes.

No I haven't tasted them yet (be giving them to the little one) because they smell a little too tart for me - but I will. :-D

I need to take some more current pictures of the garden, since the last ones I took were of a couple weeks ago. I will get on that!

Mimima's Garden Graphic Intensive

2009-05-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have been mentioning here and there - perhaps just in comments when admiring other's gardens - that I wanted to doa picture post of my mother garden. The time as finally arrived! (and Mimima is what my daughter and her other grandchildren affectionately call her)

Just a couple of notes about my mother's garden:

It was originally professionally landscaped, but my mother keeps it up - and the plants have been changed out several times since it was done. So - imagine the concrete and such as what the landscapers contributed - everything else was her. (or her neighbor - who helps her when she is out of town)
The water ficture is clorinate - she did used to have a koi pond there - but the upkeep was tremendous - so she gave away the koi and converted it to a chlorinated bond. Less maintanence, and less frogs - so she is happy.
The top part of the waterfall is very dry - the rest of the garden stays moist. This has presented special problems when deciding what to plant.
None of these pictures truly do the garden justice. One of these days I will figure out how to do a panoramic view thingy in windows (that darn 6 year old on the TV commercial knows how!)
Please click on the pictures below if you want to see a larger one.
Yes - that is my daughter in one of the pictures. She loves to help Mimima in the garden.

Beautiful Moth

2009-05-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

I really don't like moths for the most part. I don't dislike them - but I don't like them swarming around me when I am trying to get into my house at night - or when one gets inside and gets the cat all worked up trying to catch (so she jumps all over everything).

But I left my house the other day and I found this beautiful moth. It had markings like a butterfly, but was dusty brown everywhere else, so I knew it was a moth. And it was HUGE - bigger than even any butterfly I have seen. The moths I normally see are the small ones that are kind of a khaki or tan color.

I told my mother about it (I was heading to her house when I saw it) and she said this is becoming an endangered species. (I don't know how accurate that is - as I don't even know what kind of Moth this is) So I went home, found it still on my door, and was feeling all nice and eco-friendly by allowing this moth to perch on my front door.

Then a bird (bluejay I think) landed on the same door - and a I watched, horrified, it gobbled up the poor critter. My husband was laughing at me by this point (MEN! hehe).

Anyway - took me down a peg or two! I SHOULD have shooed it away instead of admiring it and leaving it on my door. Had I shooed it away - it may have found a less conspicuous hiding place.

Ah well - the circle of life I suppose.

Master Gardener Program

2009-05-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

To explain how I came around to find out about this group, I have to start with Meetup.com. I am a member of a local gardening group that is just now starting to pick up - and through them I found out about a couple of upcoming classes being help by Extension Education Center for our county. I will go into that more later - probably when I take the classes.

Anyway - I was nosing around the site and came across the Master Gardener Program. Now here is what is is about:

Mission of the Master Gardener Volunteer Program:
To train a core of volunteers to assist the county agent in delivering information to residents on how to design, plant and care for their plants and landscapes in an environmentally friendly way.
The Master Gardener program is a volunteer based program for those people interested helping others. It involves going through more than 70 hours of education encompassing all areas gardening. In return for this education, we ask that you pledge to donate at least 75 hours of volunteer service during the following year. Most of this time is spent answering homeowners questions on the telephone.

(this information and logo were taken directly from here)

I found this absolutely fascinating. I myself don't think I have near enough the mastery to do something like this - perhaps there are those of you that are, and would think this would be worth your while. Look into it - maybe there is a offshoot in your area if you are not in FL.

Gifts

2009-05-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

My mother was visiting with her sister and mother this past weekend, and she came home with such a pleasant surprise for me.

My very first lawn ornament! I am thinking it is supposed to hold Bird Seed - and I briefly thought about purchasing some. However, I have been reading the World of Yardcraft blog - as well as other blogs - talking about pesky squirrels. I decided I did not want to put anything in my yard that would attract them.

I realize this next bit is a little late - but when I was at the farmers market mother's day weekend, I found the perfect gift for my mother (I know - last minute, but that is me, hehe), It was from the same booth I found my banana tree, they had this beautiful "Firecracker" plant - I looked at it and immediately thought of my mother's garden. (I really need to do a picture post of her garden) So I picked it up - took a picture of it and send her the picture on Mother's day (since she was out of town). I found out that she has been looking for this plant, and has wanted one for a long time - what luck!

Red Banana Tree

2009-05-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Don't you love it when you can see how much a plant loves a spot? I have this little corner of my porch where I have placed all of my plants. It is a great sun spot, and when we water the yard, the water gets through the screen to water all of the plants as well.

One of my plants that seem to be loving the spot is my Red Banana Tree. When I purchased it (see left picture), it only has about 5 leaves, now it just keeps on shooting out more and more leaves! (see right picture) I think I am up to 8 now, and it looks like a new one is about to pop out.

Kitchen Gardeners

2009-05-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Like yesterday, this is another post about the gardening community - but this community is not specifically for bloggers or those that like to blog. It is a community similar to myspace or facebook - but it is for those that keep a kitchen garden. There you can find groups for specific things (like herbs, composting, preserving, etc.) find garden buddies, participate in forums - and so on. Of course you can also keep a blog there as well, but it isn't the central part of the site.

I hope to see you there! And if you join, don't forget to add me as a friend. :-D

Visit Kitchen Gardeners

Blotanical.com

2009-05-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Since I have started gardening, I have depended on the blogging community for information that will help me grow. One of the best communities I have become a part of is Blotanical. This amazing site not only gets you in touch with other bloggers - but also lets you narrow the blog down to your country - and even in your area - what a better way to learn about gardening!

If you are not a member already, you should really check it out.

What plant is this?

2009-05-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

OK - I totally stole this idea from another blog I read - and if I rememberred which one, I would link to it. :-) Anyway - I picked up this plant a week ago, and I have no clue what it is. It looks like a succulant - but other than that I don't know anything. (oh - except that it will get about 2 ft wide) Do any of you know what this plant is?

Darn Parasite...

2009-05-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

It looks like I have some sort of critter chewing up some leaves on my stuff. I read DirtPrincess' post, The Good The Bad and the Ugly, and I think it is a cut worm - especially since I don't ever see any critters when I am working out there. I am not sure if I can use the solution listed there effectively, but I did read another blog post, Your First Vegetable Garden, and that has some suggestions for kitter killer juice which I think I might check out. But - a friend of mine she has that may work - so I might go with that. Decisions, decisions!

The affected plants:

So - so you guys have any suggestions.

Algea?

2009-05-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

I think I need to find another way of maturing seeds - as the new method I found isn't working. The problem is that water gets into the boxes - especially when we water the lawn. So - even though I haven't put a lick of water in the boxes in weeks, there is still lots of it in the bottom of the box. This results in what looks to be algea.

I did get a gardening catalog the other day - and I saw several seed kits that look to be much more sturdy than these. I think I will purchas them sometime this year to have them over the season. As for this season - I am getting to the end of my sowing months, so I think I will throw in the towel on seed starting. I think I have done OK for a first-timer, and I have learned a LOT. That is what isthe most important.

Seedlings/Repotting

2009-05-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was busy all morning before work (I work a mid-shift, so I get some stuff done in the AM). I decided to repot all of my little seedlings. Instead of using a very small pot, like I did with the radishes - I went with the next size up - since it seems that once things get going - they go pretty fast! Anyway - I decided it was time to repot them since they were pretty sizeable (well, except for one - but I repotted for another reason, which I will get into in another post).

And so far so good! I check on them this morning, and there was no noticeable wilting, whic I will take as a good sign. :-)

Radishes

2009-05-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

Are you getting sick of reading abut my radishes yet?? LOL

Well - I have good news! That one I was worried I killed because it fell and was turned on it side for who knows how long -- well, there is new life!! And of course the other one is starting to really flourish, and I am thinking I will need to repot it again soon.

Lemon Tree

2009-05-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

My Yellow Cherry Tomatoes are not the only plants that seem to be doing exceptionally well. I checked my lemon tree this morning, and lo and behold! there were over 1/2 dozen lemons starting!!! And all that complaining about my daughter picking one lousy lemon, sheesh! ;-)

Once I got over all of the new buds, I realized all of the new growth on the tree (I guess it isreally a bush right now, but I affectionately call it a tree! LOL) By new growth - I mean more leaves and more stems --- to hold more flowers and thus lemons in coming seasons! :-D

Radishes and Lettuce

2009-05-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

I have mixed news about my radishes. While initially both of my radishes (I really should plant these guys in a large window box, or the ground so I can get more) were responding well after the repotting. One - unfortunately, fell off of its perch! I am still nursing it, but I am not sure if it will make it through all of that abuse.

But the lettuce is a whole different story. A couple of days ago, I was pretty worried about it, as it was all dry and wilting. I gave it lots of water (I had 6 dogs, 2 5-year olds, 1 9-year old, and a 4-year old at my house this weekend, I was distracted) and it just perked right up!! You can really start to see the heads forming.

Cherry Tomato Blooms

2009-05-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Wow! My yellow cherry tomato plant is behaving wonderfully. It has doubled in size each week since I purchased it - and I was so excited to find some yellow blooms on it. I especially like the first picture. If you look at the last picture you can see that the plant itself is fairly big.

Only because I am so amazed at the rate of growth - below are 3 pictures of this tomato plant. They were taken 7-9 days apart:

First day I had them, just repotted.

The plant is the one in the center, just in front of the lemon tree. This was taken about 9 days after the previous one.

And finally - this was taken this morning. 7 days after the previous one.

Omnivore's Dilemma

2009-05-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

My sister has been reading, and raving, about a book called, "Omnivore's Delimma". She is going to lend it to me when she is finished - and I can't wait. From what I can tell about it, it is just the type of philosophy that would suit me.

The book talks about the truth of "Free Range" and "Organic" products, and well as the benefits of buying locally, how there is corn in just about everything you eat because there was a surplus at some point and the government had to find ways to use it. It also goes in depth about a farm that has a very inovative and practical approach to farming - in fact this farm will have a documentary done about it soon.

I am sure some of you reading have already heard of Poly Face Farms. The gentleman who runs this farm has deviced a completely self sufficient, and non-wasteful way of farming that is so simple, I am surprised other's haven't done it prior to him. He rotates his crops and live stock. He starts with a grassy field, lets te cows in so they can graze at will. They clear the field of grass and leave their droppings and then get moved to another field. The next step - he brings in the chickens. They eat the maggots out of the manure, and then leave thier droppings until they are moved on to the next field - and so on until he has an excellent compost, or fertilizer that can be tilled and made into cash crops. Amazing isn't it! From what he says - it takes excellent planning, a firm understanding of all of your livestock and crops, and timing. Here is the great thing - he takes in apprentices (or something like that - I can't think of the right word here) and teaches all of them how to farm his way - then they move on to start thier own farms, using the skills they have learned. Just imagine the possibilities!

And like the herb book - I found it at Amazon for you if you are interested.

Culling the Lettuce

2009-05-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Is culling even the right word? As you know - my lettuce has been growing fabulously - but I noticed today that the leaves were looking pretty wilty. (now I think I am making up my words!)

Now, I don't think it is over-ripe because I did some research to see what Little Gem Lettuce looks like when it is ripe - and it looks like a small version of romaine. So I decided to pull out the 'stalks' (not sure if that is the right word either) of the more wilty (there is that new word again) looking lettuce, and hopefully that will be enough for me to at least get a couple of heads out of this batch. At least I can probably get another crop in this season :-).

To be honest, I thought this was a loose leaf lettuce, which is why I put so many in there - and then my daughter moving the seeds around did help either. But you know, even if I don't get that much out of this growing season - I am learning a LOT! And each year I will get better until I am growing with the best of 'em!!

Now - I didn't know what to do with the lettuce I picked. I didn't have the heart to toss it. If I had a composting machine, that is where it would go - but unfortunately I do not. So - any ideas?

Look what I found ....

2009-05-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

Remember not too long ago when I was wondering what kind of herbs I should grow to make a good salad dressing? Well, I was spring cleaning one of my bookshelves this weekend, and guess what I found!

And in this book I found:

That's right! A recipe for making a salad dressing with herbs and spices. BIG smile for that!

As I flipped through the book, I found it to be a great reference tool - in case you are looking for something like that I found two versions of this book at Amazon.

It's Aliiiiivvveee!

2009-05-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Woot! (did I just announce my MMORPG days with that word?) I did not kill the tomato plant when I potted it to grow upside down!! I checked and I saw leaves growing on the bottom of the (or is it top?) main stem - and a few days later there was another one! I am so happy!

Green Thumb?

2009-04-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

You know, I am starting to think that I am much better at cultivating an already started plant as opposed to starting them myself. As you can see from the picture below, all of the plants I bought at the Home Depot sale, or the Farmer's Market are flourishing. They wilted a little at first, but now they are doing great.

While my seedlings are struggling. Well - not too bad - but I had to repot my two radish sprout because they were getting too high for my little mini-greenhouse and I didn't want that to hurt them. So they are wilting a little.

But - a friend of mine whose husband used to work on a radish farm (imagine that!) said they will be find - just make sure to keep the soil very moist, add a little more dirt, and I should be good to go! So guess what I will be doing today after work?? hehe

C'mon Sprouts!

2009-04-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

It is so exciting - more seedlings are popping up. I peaked in my little nursery and found that a couple of my Chives (Garlic) and one of my Sweet Basil sprouting. Yay!

Grow Radishes Grow!

2009-04-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

I peaked in on my seedlings again - and good thing I did - the radishes are going crazy, in fact I think I may need to move them t pots soon. And - when my husband watered the lawn he managed to get some water in the seed trays - so they were almost drowning - you can see some of the water in the pictures.

Lemon Picker!

2009-04-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned lately that I love my daughter with every fiber of my being? I honestly do! But there are days ...... well, if you are a parent, or child care provider you understand.

A few days ago I got my daughter excited about the lemon growing on the lemon tree. Every day we were outside she had to look at it. One time I even caugt her twisting it on the stem - to which I admonished her and told her that it was not ready to be picked.

Last weekend to picked it! I was horrified! OK, maybe not quite that strong of a reaction, but I was excited about picking our first ripe lemon from the lemon tree - but now that will never come to be :-( I even thought of making up a poem for the sad event - but alas my poetic vibes have not been kicking for 15 years. And yes - I did make it a lesson for my daughter.

More Sprouts!

2009-04-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Yay! Last Sunday while I was potting and checking the moisture in my mini/portable greenhouse, I realized that my new radishes were sprouting! I am unbelievably excited after the debacle with my last seeds, but I am cautious too.

I thought about moving the greenhouse inside now that they sprouted - but then I fear that it is too cool in my house. (we keep it about 74 deg, but the downstairs is always cooler than that). They are still outside, but I will keep a close eye on them. At least I don't have to worry about drowning. I water them only when I see the moisture lessening on the top of the covered tray, and I see there is no water in the funnels in the bottom of the tray - and when I do water them, I put the water in the funels, so part of it pulls up through the dirt and some of it becomes moisture up at the top of the tray. I am hoping this method will both strengthen the roots as well as not over water them. It seems I only need to water 1-2 times a week with this method.

Of course I do have pictures of the new seedlings:

And as always - the little gem lettuce is flourishing!

Veggie Sale!

2009-04-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Home Depot had a buy one get one free sale on all of thier vegetable sale. You can BET I ran out there and got the maximum amount I could buy. I know I have a bunch of seeds going - but these were already started plants for just over the amount of seeds in cost - so I jumped on that deal.

I purchased Porch Tomatos, Celebrity Tomatos, Yellow Cherry Tomatos, Dill, Cauliflower (I really wanted brocolli, but there was none left), and Orange Bell Peppers. I meant to put the Celebrity Tomatos back and get another herb - but I didn't :-)

While I was there I also picked up some seeds for regular chives (the other chives I am growing are Garlic Chives) You can see the little pods I started in the small tray. Of course after I got the veggies home I immediately repotted them - for the most part it went well, with one possible casualty.

Then - there is my possible casualty:

See the twig sticking out of the bottom? That is the Patio Tomato. When I put it through all of the holes for upside down growing, I ended up breaking off all of the limbs. I hope that will not kill it! :-(

Lucas Nursery

2009-04-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

After the Farmer's Market on Saturday, my daughter and I went to visit as local nursery. It was jam packed that day - but we managed to get around.

They have a deal there where, a child gets a free plant - it is a small annual, but that doesn't matter, Ro had a grand time trying to figure out which one was her favorite. She finally settled on a marigold.

Though I decided to also pick up a couple other flowers she loved.

I also found some plants for my front yard.

All in all, we had an excellent visit!

The Farmers Market

2009-04-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

We had our first Farmer's Market in our neighborhood this weekend. I raced there to check it our with my daughter when it opened. It was a nice set up - but small. However, I understand they will be having this market from now on, so I expect it will grow as knowledge of the even grows.

Right now there are only two rows, and I went up and down those in about 30-45 minutes, and that is with a 4 year old. There were a lot of interesting booths with lots of crafts, food, plants - all that jazz.

On the second go-round I picked up the stuff I decided to purchase. My daughter talked the juice man out of a carrot, though I did pay him a dollar for it. He had no idea what to charge me, since he generally added the carrots to his juices - but she didn't care for juice, she wanted to munch on the carrot. We also picked up a small basket of strawberries, some green apples, and bananas.

Though I was confused about the produce being sold. I mean, the apples I picked up had the same stickers as what I found in the grocery store, and I saw celery that was in the same bags. So I wasn't sure if the produce was local or not. That is my goal - I want to try and buy local as opposed to the grocery stores.

The final purchase was a red banana tree. You can see it below next to my repotted Blueberry Bush. I understand that it does bear fruit - but small red bananas. I was told by the seller that it is more ornamental than producing. But - regardless, I like the floppy leaves with red spots.

Fresh Start

2009-04-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

After the murdering my other seedlings :-( I am starting again - but with a different method. I found 'greenhouse' tray at wal-mart (really good price too, at least I thought so - only 6 bucks, and that included 72 seed pods) and I am going to try it that way. I did run into the problem of how I was going to tag them, but I think I came up with a solution. TAPE :-D

You can see I have also decided to start a few herbs. Also - the plants are still outside, but I will be moving the tray inside this weekend, in front of a winder. I am fearful I will cook my seedlings again - so I have decided to not keep them in the sweltering Florida sun this time. I didn't get a great picture of the pods, because I had just taped down the top (it was a windy day today) But below is an idea of what is in that tray.

It actually looks like a lot more seeds than it really is. Since I will be doing mostly container gardening this year, I did not want to plant too much (as it appears that I planted too much lettuce as it is - LOL) so I only did 3 pods (with 3 seeds each - except for the cucumbers) of each of the veggies, 2 seeds for the cucumbers. I did 4 pods, with 2 seeds each for the herbs.

I also wanted to posted a picture of the new Lemon Tree blooms. I always love seeing them.

Finally - I was looking at my blueberry bush - which I still have potted. And I am thinking that I either need to repot it (to a bigger pot) or go ahead and plant it.

I think I might go ahead with re-potting first, so I can enjoy it in my little porch a bit longer. I also haven't really decided where I want to plant it in my year. I am fearful to put it too close to the air conditioner - as it may attract black ants, which can ruin an air conditioner. I have thought about the side of our house - but I want to do an addition to the house there within the next 5-10 years. I know that is a ways away - but how hard is it to transplant a mature (I would think by then it would be mature) blueberry bush.

Follow me on twitter

2009-04-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

For twitter users, you can now follow me there. :-)

A lighter side...

2009-04-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

I realise my last post was a little depressing - but it was frustrating to see that I killed almost all of my seedlings (yay! lettuce!) But I went out to take pictures of my succesful plants (only one of which I started from seeds)

Below you can see that the lettuce is florishing. There is still that void :-) I am now hoping the pot is big enough - I am concerned that I may need to repot some of the lettuce. What do you think?

The Lemon tree has also been going nuts - it is blooming all over the place, and I even found some fruit growing! My mother has been trying to get this tree to come to life for a while, and now that it is with me it growing very well.

Finally, I checked out the blueberry bush, so and look what I found! (see below) Is that a blueberry?? I was not expecting that for several more months!

So perhaps I do not have the black thumb that I feared. I will put this whole seed debacle down as a learning experience, and try it again. I am still in the months for sowing, so I bought some more stuff to give it another go starting this weekend. I have also aquired a top of a pineapple, so I a going to try out growing those as well - though I have been told that it can take a few tries before it will take.

I think I killed 'em!

2009-04-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

My seedlings are gone! :-( I realized this last week - I must have killed them somehow. I talked to a friend about it - we think bottom line it is because I had them outside - and I don't have any sort of greenhouse for offer protection. While they are on our porch, and are protected somewhat by a screen it isn't the same. - so, I think I inadvertantly killed my seedlings. Well - except for the lettuce - that stuff is doing GREAT!

I am still in the sowing season though! So - I think what I am going to do this time is get some trays and grow them in the kitchen - with the window there to offer sunlight. I will have to figure out some way to cat proof the table, but I think any seeds I start will have a better chance of surviving in my kitchen instead of baking in the hot Florida sun!

On a positive note - I think my lemon tree is working on bearing a fruit! I will work on getting some pictures and getting them posted this afternoon.

The other blog...

2009-04-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

So - I have been itching to write about other things I am attempting, but I know this blog is really dedicated to gardening. Well, since blogger makes it so darned easy - I have started another blog, it is more general, but for those of that are interested, you are welcome to persue it here.

To get an idea of the blog, one of the first posts is as follows:

I have found that I prefer to bake, rather than cook. I think a lot of people are that way - they prefer one over the other. Thank goodness my husband prefers to cook over baking - or we would be eating a lot of muffins ;-)

I went to K-Mart to pick up an easter basket (I have found it is cheaper to buy one all put together rather than getting the pieces to put one together myself) and found a tray to make little bunny cakes. I thought it was so cute, and decided that I would make the desert for our easter dinner.

It seemed like a great idea! Of course in my mind, this was an hour long process - I mean, I just had to bake them, ice them, and make cute little faces. Who the hell what I kidding!! ;-)

So - the first batch came out (and let me tell you - it was about 7 or 8 batches, and I had one pan) looking a little odd.

I completely forgot that cake mix puffs up while it is cooking - or rise - what ever you want to call it. And since it is the OTHER side that I wanted to frost, it took a minute for me to figure out what the hell to do. Thank goodness I had watches this cake cook off type of thing on the food network the other night (they were making Myley Cyrus; sweet 16 birthday cake) So I realized I could just cut the poofy part off.

Brilliant! Of course I had to sample the cake, so my daughter and I ended up eating the poofy parts (and the hubby after he got home) while I decorated and backed away. BTW - I wanted to do this whole thing with a carrot cake mix, and some cream cheese icing - but carrot cake mix was not on the BOGO sale, and I of course refuse to spend full price on something, if I don't have to. So I went with Strawberry cake, and a whipped white icing. (the carrot cake would have been yummier - but I am trying to watch my pennies)

Now- it had been a long time since I needed to ice something on the side. I mean, when I make a cake for the house I just leave it in the 9x13 pan and ice the top - so it took me a few shots to figure out how to ice this bunnies.

I didn't finally get the hang of the whole icing thing until the last tray. I would first try to do the ears, then the face - using a toothpick to hold the little bugger in place. I also was not that generous with the icing - as I was afraid to run out. Of course by the third pan I was glopping it on. BTW - I discovered that it is much quicker to ice the edges first, THEN ice the top - and then you don't have to worry about messing of the icing on one side or the other (i.e. use a toothpick)

Next - I had to make the faces. And the tray made the most adorable bunny face on the cakes, since that it how the pan what made. Yup - here I thought it would be cake (no pun intended - OK - maybe a little pun intended) to just trace the faces on! I apparently forgot all about the icing! So there I am trying to use one of the cakes I hadn't iced yet as a guid to decorate the faces. I am not a steady hand (thank got I am not a surgeon) especially when it comes to detail work - but I think I managed to get the face on these little suckers.

And darnit! I think it is cute!! I know - no professional work there, but then they aren't exactly paying me to make this crap! And my daughter loved it, so really, that is all that matters, right??

SO - I was jazzed and pumped to keep on going. I didn't realize I would be going, and going, and going .... you get the pictures. Four hours later, I was working on my third tray, a crick in my neck, and running out of the decorating gel - I finally threw in the towel. I left the last 6 with out icing, and we ended up eating those like muffins after dinner :-)

The final tray? Thought you would never ask!

Finally - if you are curious - below are a couple pictures of the tray I used to bake these guys - it certainly got a good work out for its first go 'round.

Stay tuned for more Easter Adventures!

Happy Easter everyone!!!

Everything is alive!

2009-04-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

OK - may not everything - but there is life sproutin and growing all over my back porch! :-) We have had afternoon storms over the past few days, and it has really livened everything up; and this is just when I was about to throw in the towel and buy some plants that were already started instead of waiting on the seeds! Have I mentioned that I am a little impatient ;-).

Lemon Tree and Blueberry Bush

Neither of these has bore fruit yet - but then I don't think it is time for that. They are, however, producing some beautiful blooms. The picture above and to the left is the blueberry bush, the picture on the right is lemon tree. I do not know what kind of lemon tree it is, as it was a gift from my mother who got it from my grandmother - I will see her this weekend, so I plan on asking if I remember.

Little Gem Lettuce

The lettuce is growing great, and has been from the start! It looks like when my daughter dug around in the pot when we first planted them, she must have pushed most of the seeds over to the right and upper portion of the pot - as you can see, there is a significant void in the lower left. (I feel like a CSI talking about blood spatter when I say that, funny, huh?)

Radishes

And here I thought I had killed my radishes - they weren't looking so good to me for a bit - but they are back! This picture on the right are some new seeds that have sprouted, and the one on the left is the same cluster, so getting more 'sprouty'. I am thinking of taking a couple from that cluster an putting them in a section that hasn't sprouted yet - haven't decided though. I am also wondering if I throw a little potting soil over top of them. The package I used said I was supposed to plunk them down on top of the soil, but something I was reading on line said I should have burried them. So confusing!

Cherry Tomatos!

They are finally sprouting! I still haven't seen anything of the regular tomatos or cucumbers, but I am happy that we finally have this new addition to our little veggie garden. :-)

I am going to be out of town this coming weekend, so no gardening this weekend. I hope to start on herbs either next weekend or the weekend after that. I am still trying to think of what herbs I should have - I plan on putting them in a large window box, all growing together, so I think I have room for maybe 4 or 5 different types. I know I want to grow basil and chives. I am thinking possible dill, but I am not sure. I know I would like to use them for cooking and also, I want the right kind of herbs to make my own salad dressing. Do any of you have any suggestions?

Newbie here.

2009-03-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

or in l33t speak -- n00b here! :-D

Yeah - so you know how I said my cucumbers sprouted - it wasn't my cucumbers! It was my Radishes!

You might be thinking I had the tray mislabled - oh no, not at all, there is a stick out of the little tray that clearly says Radishes! :-) Unfortunately I get something in my head and I roll with it, and of course, this something was completely wrong. :-D

So - no cucumbers yet, but I do have some Radish sprouts, which aren't looking so good - I am concerned I may have given them too much sun. :-( I have to find that darn packet somewhere)

My little sprouts!

2009-03-23T15:51:00.001-07:00

They weren't kidding when they said the lettuce sprouts and grows quickly. I planted the seeds the Saturday before last, went out of town Mon-Thurs, and when we got back Thursday evening, I found these little sprouts throughout the pot. I was worried they wouldn't do well because my daughter had churned the soil a little and really poured in the water on the first day, apparently, even a four year old can not stop a lettuce seed from sprouting. I then went out to check on my little garden this (Monday) morning to see how things were going with the rain - and there was my lettuce, growing like crazy (at least in my view point). Not only did I have this little gift ofgreen buds in my lettuce pot - I also found that the cucumber (the other seeds I was afraid would not sprout because of potting mishaps) were sprouting. I could not get to my camera fast enough! No the cucumbers are one of the plants I read would do well growing in an 'upside down' pot, but we are a ways off from working with that - it is just nice to see the growth started.

This past weekend

2009-03-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

(I meant to send this post on the 17th. so I am backdating it - I know, I am cheating, hehe.)

Gardening with a child was not nearly as fun as I thought it would be - but honestly, I have been living with this creature for 4 years, I really should know better.

It started out great, as I occupied her with shoveling in seed starter soil on top of the regular soil for the lettuce (which I read should be sowed right where you want it, since it grows so fast) and she was happy as a lark, and only making a little mess. I then started to count out seeds on my palm and had her drop them in the awaiting holes that I had already made. Everything was going great.

Then the prospect of a slip 'n slide came along, and I no longer held her attention -- not really a problem, I figured I had done amazing work by keep her attention as long as I did! I finished up the planting on my own - well almost. I soon discovered that my nifty planting kits did not give me nearly enough seeds. I mean it is possible to grow tons of plants out of 5 strawberry seeds (which I discovered are off season anyway) and two grape tomato seeds, but I knew the chances were pretty slim.

So I ventured off to purchase some seed, among other errands (which included picking up strawberries, since it seems buying the seeds are imposible - yup I am going to give it a shot even with out it being the right season) and by the time I got back my husband had let my daughter play dig in the freshly planted lettuce pot, and water things (with a watering can instead of a spray bottle) so that was a little frustrating.

But - I am still determined that my daughter learn the joys of gardening, even if a slip 'n slide seems so much more fun, and got to seeding/planting with her again. This time I flubbed -- I passed her the strawberry basket so she could rake it and break up the brick - and I knock over the cucumbers - at least I am pretty sure it was cucumbers -- what ever plant it was, it was one that you put the seeds on top of the soil - and of COURSE that would be the one I would knock over. Lovely.

All in all, it was fun - and I hope that in a few weeks or so I will be able to see the fruits (and veggies - or at least a little sprig) of my labors.

OH - and I did also pick up a blueberry plant this weekend.

Special Soil for Seeds?

2009-03-12T13:39:00.001-07:00

So - I went Lowe's again yesterday - this time with my sister. I was getting her pretty stoked about starting her own veggie garden after telling her about what I was doing and showing her the pictures.

And while I was there we saw this special soil for seeds. I mean I know there is a different soil for potting vs. ground planting - but never suspected that there was a need for anything other than potting soil for seeds.

Since I am fairly new to planting a veggie garden - I begin t wonder - if it is even necessary. I mean - companies are pretty darn good at making us consumers believe we need something simply by giving it a different name.

I decided to get some - it was cheaper than the potting soil I was looking at (Miracle Gro - do brands even matter when it comes to soil?) so I figured, what the heck - it can't hurt anything, right?

Then I read somewhere that you should sow lettuce seeds right in the same spot you plan to grow them - since it grows so fast from seedling to harvest. Well - hells bells! Now I need to hunt down a big pot for the lettuce this week, when I was planning on doing the pot hunting in a couple of weeks or so. (that sounds illegle - flower pot folks!) So it looks like I will be looking through yard sales and flea markets to get me some pots. :-) (at least one)

Makes me wonder what else I don't know!

Getting Started

2009-03-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

So - I ventured to Lowe's last night on the way home and picked up some things for this weekend's gardening fun! It may seem a cop out, but I picked up a tomato and strawberry kit for having potted plants. It was a pretty decent price (9.98) since it came with everything but the soil. They did also have potted strawberries that were almost mature, but it was 18 bucks for that. I decided to save the 8 bucks and get it started myself. :-) Wish me luck!

We also picked up some peat strips and a few other veggies to start: Radishes, Cucumbers, and some lettuce.

Making a plan

2009-03-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

With the economy the way it is, and with the expensiveness of keeping fresh fruits and vegetable always always available in our household, I have decided to start a vegetable and fruite garden.
I think back to when I was living with my grandmother several years ago, and I remember her wanting a sandwich, so she went outside to pluck some lettuce and tomatos from her small garden, came in rinsed them off and proceeded to make herself a scrumptious tomato sandwich - all of the cost of the bread and what ever condiments she chose.

Or I imagine having my own herb and vegetable garden, and only needing to pay the cost of the oil to make some dressing when I want a salads. A full salad with carrots, radishes, lettuce, tomatos, onions and more - few just a few cents (the cost of the oil), instead of 3-7 dollars!
This ability to be so self reliant fascinates me, to have the ability to always keep healthy food on the table no matter what - no matter how tight things are. This has inspired me to start a garden of my own. I want to pass on this self sufficiency to my daughter, and get a little closer to nature as well.

Since I live in a neighborhood with strict bylaws, I can no devote a huge part of my to a garden, especially since I have no fence to keep out curious creatures. I have decided to start small and expand from there. My mother had a potted lemon tree that she was not able to devote the right kind of time to, that is the beginning. Next week I intend on purchasing an tomato and strawberry potted 'upside down' growing kit. I also want to give growing my own pineapple a shot. I love pineapple, so I figure, how can it hurt :-) These will be planted in the ground outside our patio - they look like palm like plants while growing so these will be an excellent addition to our Florida landscape.

So - this is the beginning. Feel free to join me on this journey, and please - offer any ideas you have - as I am sure I will need them. ;-)

The Lemon Tree

The future location of the pineapple bushes.

The future location of our small vegetable garden.