Garden John's Tips

2016-10-31T21:42:00.001-05:00

Design your garden!

2016-01-04T21:08:00.000-06:00

Remember To Compost!

Whether you've got space to spare, or just a little corner, design it! My first thought in planning a garden is the veggies themselves! What do I like to eat?
That leads me to the first step in making my plan for the garden. A list of the plants want to grow. Taking into consideration how they produce, I decide how many plants I'm gonna need and how much space they will need in my garden area.

Out Door Furniture!

2012-01-12T18:28:00.000-06:00

Remember To Compost!

It's cooooooold out tonight! It's only about 5:31pm and there is already a chill in the house. Sometimes a post in the wintertime can seem like a chore. But on the way back from the grocery store, I saw my post sitting out in some one's yard. Yes I had to drive these slick roads, just to get some hamburger meat. It's spaghetti night at my house.
What I saw was someones yard furniture still sitting in the back yard. I guess they don't read my blog as they would know when to get it in for the winter. That's the one reason we all have garages, sheds and covered patios, and the like. To have a place to store our "stuff" out of the weather and make it last a little longer.

These are really fantastic chairs!

Any way the gist of seeing that furniture sitting their made me think of painting and preservation. This a great time to fix and paint that yard furniture and get it ready for another years worth of use. No matter if they are wood, wicker, or metal, give them the once or twice over.
Perhaps you are shopping for some new yard furniture. Now may be a time to buy some of the beautiful unfinished wood products you see as you certainly have time to finish it before spring is here, and save some money.

Adirondack chairs are a classic design and very comfortable!
http://www.adirondackchairs.com/

I love these Amish products!
http://www.kilmercreek.com/furniture.html

And if you can't store it them "Cover it"!
http://www.cozydays.com/patio-furniture-covers/

Fruit or Vegetable of the day:
Green Peppers - A great source of vitimin "C" and they contain all the amino acids in small amounts. What most people don't know is they contain the healthy omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Eat all three colors, Red, Green, and Yellow as they have different dietary values. Eat them raw, and cooked. I just know you guys are gonna have western omletes for breakfast.

Thinking about your vegetable seeds yet?

2012-01-05T11:06:00.000-06:00

Remember To Compost!

I have several magazines I get for free or subscribe to. During the warmer months I am often too busy to read them and they pile up. In these winter days and nights I find the time to peruse and try to find new techniques, implements, and seeds. As a gardener, and a cook I can get excited about a new cabbage or Tomato I haven't tried yet. Here is three I have picked out and am trying this coming year. A melon and 2 vegetables.

Burpee's Golden beet!

Burpees Golden Beet - Check out their coupon Link also if you buy a lot of seeds.
Burpees coupon Link

Melon Dove Hybrid This sounds delicious!
http://parkseed.com/melon-dove-hybrid/p/05499-PK-P1/

Sun Burst Hybrid, From Park Seed!

Squash Is one of my favorite Vegetables from the garden! These sound great, I'm looking for some recipes for these. http://parkseed.com/squash-sunburst-hybrid/p/05295-PK-P1/

Wedding Ring in the Carrots!

2012-01-01T08:10:00.000-06:00

Remember To Compost!

Momma says to eat your carrots!

Great story, I wanted to pass on to you guys. This is off of yahoo news, it's about a Swedish woman who found her wedding ring embedded in a carrot in her garden. Wonder how many carrots was the diamond - I couldn't resist!
Mrs. Paahlsson lives on a farm in Northern Sweden. 16 years ago, she had taken her wedding ring off, and placed it on the sink edge while doing some Kitchen prep on some potatoes. It was suspected that the ring must have been mixed in with some potato peels that were either composted or fed to the sheep, as their home garden is supplied with nutrients from the compost bin and sheep dung.
In October as she was picking the last of this years carrots she came up with one with her Wedding Ring glimmering around it. Sixteen years later! Wow!
Congrats to Mrs Paahlsson, and she was composting back in 1995.

The Wedding Ring Story!
http://news.yahoo.com/swedish-woman-finds-wedding-ring-16-years-carrot-133659884.html

Vegetable of the day: Broccoli!

The most nutrient dense of all the vegetables!

Belongs to the cabbage family, it has large flowering heads and a sturdy stalk. There are several varieties. Can be eaten Raw, Boiled, or Steamed. A power packed, nutrient dense food with several anti cancer compounds. Check out a great recipe, Chicken Divan, made with Broccoli, on My Momma's Recipes! It's totally Scrumptious!

Life Style Changes!

2011-12-30T20:30:00.000-06:00

Remember To Compost!

          I'm serious, lets take a quick look. Just between me and you. The statistics say this. 33.9% of you are Obese, 34.4% of you are overweight but not obese. I'm not gonna go into the teenagers and the kids but have you been in public lately? To say we are overweight, is vastly understating the problem. If you are overweight you are unhealthy, period.

Lets talk the big "C" Cancer. Something you readers may not know, is my mother died of it. My neighbor died of it. I'll wager all of you know some one who died of it - cancer. Lots of people think it is totally about the genes, or it just happens, most everyone knows the effects on the body of tobacco. But theres other factors, lifestyle factors, that I'll address today. Those are unhealthy eating, alcohol, and obesity. Lets look at what are to worst risks are.
      Men Women
Smoking                   23%       16%
Not enough Fruits and Veggies           6%          3.4%
Occupational Hazards (Chemicals)    4.9%
Being Over weight    4.1%         6.9%
Alcohol                                              4.6%
Infections                                                                    3.7%
Exposure to sunlight/ tanning beds                           3.6%

Overall researchers discovered that up to 45% percent of all the cancers found in males could be prevented, and up to 40% in females. You can judge for yourself, according to the chart above what areas to work on if any. Science is learning more about the human body daily, and may one one day give us some real relief from this threat. But the things in the above list we can take care of ourselves. As gardeners we can take pride in the fact we are at least on the positive side of the eating issue.
Here's a reminder of some things to do, when growing or buying your food make sure everything is as natural as can be. Watch the Red meat, and processed meat, Bake instead of fry, don't forget the fish (Omega3's), No tobacco use at all, get enough fiber, cut back on the salt, Lose the weight, Watch the infections (HPV), never tan and don't get too much natural sun, be careful of any occupational exposure to chemicals or asbestos. Thanks, and have a fun day!

Start eating correctly by growing your own vegetables! Learn how here!
http://7c398konw6rrdy1mt1bgk-zl78.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=ORGANIC GARDEN

Fruit or Vegetable of the day: Cabbage!
I got a great recipe for cabbage, "Kielbasa and Cabbage", check it out at My Momma's Recipes!
http://mymommasrecipes.blogspot.com/

Worm Composting!

2011-12-19T19:45:00.002-06:00

Remember to compost!
Vermiculture!

Go Green!
Make your own fertilizer!

The good stuff is here at last. Some people think yuck when talking about worms. Them slimy little creatures that live in the dirt. They produce black gold or as it's called, worm castings. To a gardener or farmer it's a godsend, and totally natural. For the small gardener in the city it can even be done inside the house. Inside the house you say. Yep.
It's really a simple process, worms are natures little helper in that they eat raw materials and and process it in their gizzards. The result is one of the best fertilizers on Gods planet. Want a healthy lawn, field, or garden? Then lets make a compost bin for worm castings.

Drilling the Holes!

          We use rectangular Rubbermaid containers, but any container with a lid will do. Some people make them out of wood. You can be as elaborate or as innovative as need be. You'll need 2 containers that fit inside each other. Dark, solid colored, blue or black. The bottom one will be left original. So lets work on the top one. This one when finished will sit inside the bottom one. Using 1 /4 inch drill bit, drill about 6 holes in the bottom. Next drill several holes 1/8 inch around the sides to aerate the bedding and the additive. You can put screening on these if you want. Put a couple of bricks or a couple pieces of a 4x4 in the bottom of the original container and place the one with the holes inside it. There you are, now lets fill it.
          For the bedding, first put down a 2 inch layer of Spagham Peat moss. We only do this on the first container, for future containers we add a little of the first container. The we use a mix of shredded newspaper, (I run it through my office shredder), small pieces of cardboard, and a couple hand fulls of leaves. Fill to about 4 inches thick. Sprinkle with water. Should be moist, not wet. Also add a handfull or 2 of dirt. This helps the worms digest their food.
          You're now ready for the worms. The good thing is, the worms don't have to cost anything, if you don't want them to. Dig some up, look under fallen limbs and tree trunks. They also sell red worms at Walmart. Check the fishing dept. Worms mutiply fast, so unless you are in a hurry, you don't have to have many to start.

The Finished Bin Setup!

Place some table scraps in the mix and hide it under the bedding. Everytime you add more scraps bury them in a different section of the bin. Only put in enough scraps as your worms are composting in a resonable time period. Feed your worms slowly at first. After burying your scraps cut out a piece of card board the size of the inside of the container, and place this over the mixture. This will help with any fruit flies.
Go ahead and place the first bin inside the second bin. As your compost drains off any excess water the second bin claims it. This is called compost tea, and is a great fertilizer. I use it in the vegatble garden and to feed any plants that need it. When the top bin is full, just make another bin. Install new bedding in it and and bury some scraps the same way we did it the first time. Place it directly on the top, of the top one now. Within 2 weeks to a month or so, most of the worms will have crawled thru the holes and moved up to the new bin. Take the middle bin and remove any worms left that did'nt make the trip to the new bin, and add them to the new bin yourself. You may want to get rid of some worms at this time, the garden, the lawn, around the shrubs, or you can use them to start another new worm bin. Use this compost any where you need it, to amend the soil, and provide fertilzer.

The Final Product!

          A lot of people have there worm bins indoors, in their houses, or Apartments. Basements and garages are a great place. I have mine out back of the garage, in the shade where the sun never shines.
Well, thats about it folks. Remember for maxium effiency, 1 lb of worms per 1 square foot of surface area in the bin. One lb of worms is able to compost 1/2 lb of food per day. Good luck and Good Vermiculture.

                      What worms eat:

These in:                                    These not in:
Fruit & Vegatable scraps                   Meat & Dairy
Coffee Grounds & tea bags              Citrus Rinds (a few is ok)
Egg Shells                                                  Oils and greases
Nut shells & hulls                                 Animal by products or pet dropping
Bread & crackers                                   Onions (a few is ok)

                                                  Good Luck and Good Composting!

Tending your Black Berries!

2011-12-13T11:51:00.004-06:00

Remember to compost!

I should say wild Black Berries. I grew up eating the wild ones and have never developed a taste for the cultivated variety. The cultivated ones are larger and more plump, and I think are seedless or at least some of them are. I grow enough for a few gallons. Some to use immediately, some to freeze for a couple of black berry cobblers through the winter. Some to give away to family and friends.
The only maintenance I do is to cut them back and I do so every other winter. Mine seem to
spread like wild fire and can grow 5 thicker every year easy. Your not picking anything but the fruit you reach anyways so I keep mine pretty thin by Black Berry thicket standards. If you have let them get out of control just throw planks and go further into the thicket and keep picking.

The first year Black Berries grow their stems but do not flower. The second year, flowers are produced and Pollinated to bear fruit. Black berries can be self pollinated but seem to produce better when pollinated by bees and other insects.
They can be transplanted, just make sure the soil is well drained. Transplant time is the late fall, or early spring. Black berries love the sun, they will do fine in partial shade but never in full shade. Pick the smaller plants for transplanting as they seem to be more vigorous.

Now I'm gonna go break out the loppers. I've let mine get out of control.

          Beware of this guy in certain parts of the country.
My mother once told she out picking berries with her
       sisters, this was back in the Great Deppression
when she was a little girl.  She said the bear stayed on his
side of the thicket and they stayed on their
side for about 20 minutes and picked Black Berries.

Tiller & Snow Blower Maintenance!

2011-12-10T10:19:00.011-06:00

Remember to compost!

          We actually prefer to put our maintenance off until this exact time of year. One reason is, it gets us out of going shopping on a nice day, and we do try to pick a nice day for this. Yes in most parts of the country you can still find a decent day in December. Put the jacket on and head for the Garage, or better yet, outside in the driveway if possible.
          The equipment we're talking about here, is the motorized type.
End of the year maintenance for Tillers, Lawn mowers, Leaf Blowers, Chain saws, Concrete saws, Mechanical Augers (if it is not being used through the winter). Start up maintenance for the Snow blower, the Ice Fishing Auger, and the Snow Mobile.
          What to do:
               *     Safety - First of all, before performing any maintenance on machinery, disconnect the spark
                      plug wire.
               *     Check the motor or engine for leaks. Determine where the leak is coming from. It may be
                      as simple as tightening down some bolts. Most leaks on small engines are slow leaks. What
                     I mean by that is if you wipe all the oil up, you probably will not see the leak anymore. It
                      may take a day or two to be visual again, or it may leak only when being used. The first step is
                      to tighten up the bolts. Wipe it down, clean the oil from around the leak. Attach the spark plug
                      wire, start her up, and let her run. Always do your pre-start checks for the required piece
                      of equipment. Check for the leak again. If you can see it, then most likely a new gasket or seal
                      is in order. Take the component apart and replace the gasket. Manuals while not perfect, are
                      better than yesteryear. Refer to them for the parts and materials you need. You may buy the
                      required parts locally or off the Internet. Once you have made the repairs then clean
                      all external components, removing all grease, grime, lawn clippings, dirt, vines, and so
                      forth. Then check the normal parts as that may need replacement or adjustment.
               *     Spark plug - Remove, clean, and inspect to ensure it is the proper type and the gap is good.
                      Info on the type and gap is found in the equipment manual.
               *     Belts - Check for cracks, adjust for proper tension. It's always good to have another one of
                      these handy if it is getting some age on it.
               *     Chain Drive - Check for rust, and damage. Lubricate as per manual.
               *     Blades - Check for sharpness, and balance. Correct either at this time. I always have a
                      spare blade on hand. I normally spray the blade and the underneath mower housing with
                     WD40 at this time. Check the shaft that holds the blade to the motor at this time.
                      Pulleys and shafts - check all for tightness and proper tension.
             *     Check Tines for Wear and deformity. Change as necessary. If you change one on one side
                      then change the other side also to keep the machine in proper balance. We sharpen and
                      balance ours the same as the mower blades.
               *     Check all fluids - Oil, gear box (hydraulic fluid), Transmission Fluid. Change as necessary.
               *     Check all Filters - Replace per visual inspection, or maintenance requirements.
               *     Check housing - For cracks, damage, and vibration wear.
               *     Check and adjust controls - Transmission, Throttle, and so forth.
               *     Inspect all Handles and Steering wheels.
               *     Inspect all wheels and tires - Inflate and tighten as necessary.
               *     Drain Fuel Tank - If you will not use this equipment during the winter, drain the fuel from
                      the tank. There should be a drain on the bottom of the tank, or the bottom of the carburetor
                      bowl. Or disconnect the hose from the tank to the carburetor. Start your engine and run it until
                      the engine stops from lack of gas. This a good time to just take the tank off and clean it out as
                     these small engine fuel tanks seem to attract dirt and debris. Also clean out the carburetor
                      bowl using carb cleaner.
               *     Check the Fuel hoses - Replace as necessary.
               *     Give your machine a good washing at this time. Paying attention to not get any
                      water into the engine.
               *     Grease all Zerk fittings.
               *     Wire brush and treat any moving mechanical or moving parts that have rust.
               *     Check all nuts, bolts, and other fittings.

          Thanks for reading, I hope this helps. Enjoy your day in the garage, or out in the sun.

Thinking about Christmas!

2011-12-07T10:40:00.001-06:00

          Whats to do in the Garden in December. Get your Christmas list together thats what. You know when your spouse asks you, what do you want for Christmas? And you say long underwear or Flannel work shirts.
          How about lets think about spring Planting. Them new tools you been eyeballin but did'nt want to spring for yourself. What about trying some new seeds  that you haven't grown before. Something bigger maybe, check out them new tillers. Heres your chance. These are some really good places to see whats the latest...

Johnny's is one of my favorites- http://www.johnnyseeds.com/

Lee Valley has one of the best selection of tools anywhere - http://www.leevalley.com/US/home.aspx

and, well, If you do decide that flannel shirt is what you want. Ha, ha!
  http://www.sheplers.com/mens/winter_weight_shirts/western_long_sleeve/apparel/

Got your Poinsetta's Yet?

2011-12-06T22:22:00.001-06:00

We're not really in the spirit around here, until we get the Christmassy Red Plants in the house. Their inexpensive and very decorative. Just the plant to have when you are spending money on other things.

Here are some tips to keep your Plant blooming and looking good:

Water - check the soil often. Depending on your heat
and humidity level, your Poinsettia plants will need watered more often than other house plants. Try to maintain a household temperature of 65 to 75 degrees. They need plenty of sunlight. Poinsettias should be placed near a window facing the south or east. Don't let them touch the cold window though, or be near a drafty one as this may cause leaf drop. While considered a Christmas plant by us, they are in fact a tropical plant originally from Mexico. They bloom there starting in November and December and are said to announce the start of the Christmas season.

Not only are there traditional reds available but they have been hybrided and come in a few other colors where available. ...and no, they are not poisonous. Buy your Mother some for an early treat. We know she'll love it.

Got your bulbs planted yet?

2011-11-30T20:40:00.001-06:00

I'm a bulb person. I look forward to the Springtime. The Tulips, Daffodils and Irises all winter long. Traditionalist that I am I love the Tulips that are yellow, Daffodils that are red, and Irises that are purple. I planted the Bulbs this week. The experts say I may be too late. I say phooey. I'm late almost every year and they do just fine. I just planted them this year the week after Thanksgiving. That's be fine for Evansville. As long as you are after the first frost and before the first real hard ground freeze the bulbs seem to do just fine.

Here's how I do it. I like my bulbs all in bunches. I have six trees leading up the drive on one side. I consider it decoration to have some spring color there. They'll get plenty of sun and it's perfect placment on my property. They look like they are made for that spot. I'll post some pics this year. I use galvanized wash tubs and place them in between the trees. The soil is always mixed in with plenty of fresh compost. I mix my fertilizer in, in the fall, seldom if ever in the spring. Always use the slow release version in the fall so it's not leached away too soon. I put about 20 to 30 bulbs in each tub buried about 5 to 8 inches in the soil, depending which bulbs I'm using. As a general rule the bigger they are the deeper they go. I like to plant them pretty close to each other 2 to 3 inches apart. Root down - pointy end up. I cover them with a couple inches of bark mulch, and water them in. The tubs I have setting down in the soil 5 or 6 inches. Mainly to keep the roots from getting too warm in the spring. Even in December I look forward to fresh cut flowers on the table for supper.

Raking the leaves, it was a great day!

2011-11-26T22:06:00.001-06:00

Well, Thanks Giving is past, today is Saturday and I just finished the first meal without Turkey or Ham since Thursday. Not to worry, we still have some of both in the fridge.
Since most of the leaves are on the ground it was a great day for cleaning them up. I raked and blowed, and bagged. Then put them in the chipper to shred them as much as possible. And off to the 3 bin compost pile.
I have been saving all my Thanksgiving compost items. The normal scraps and peels of which I always seem to have about a five gallon buckets worth for this holiday. I mixed these in along with my last grass clippings. Can't wait to spread it on my garden in the spring. Good stuff.

Turnip greens are in! Yum, Yum, Yum!

2011-11-20T18:12:00.001-06:00

          Yum Yum, Yum! I've been eye balling my Turnip Greens for a week or two now, and decided to finally pick a mess. Yes, I'm behind everyone else I know. Their my last of this years garden. It's finally been cool enough so they should be nice and sweet. Have that good Turnippy aroma!

          I'm gonna chunk up the turnips and cook them in a little bacon grease left over from breakfast. When they get about half way done, I toss in a sprinkling of some cornmeal with'em and then add that to the pan of greens already boiling cooking and finish cooking them. I don't add the vinegar on the plate but I add it to the pan near the end of the cooking. You can put some fat back or Hamhocks in for some protein and it's considered fine dining where I come from.  Better the second time, than the first. Now if you add some white beans, and onions and a thick buttered slice of corn bread with some sweet tea. (What ever happened to butter milk) Well, as I said Yum, Yum, Yum. We'll have'm for Thanksgiving too! If you've got a good family recipe for Greens send it to me and I'll post it for the enjoyment of all.

                                                                                  Have a great day!

Heres some recipies, I think I'll try the one with the Tomatoes,I'll Let you know how it turns out:
http://askville.amazon.com/mess-o%27-turnip-greens-ideas-preparing-sauteed-Meatless/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=62362187