"Home Grown Farming" - With Nature

Latest Shiitake Crop

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:09:40 +0000

This is the second fruiting from the logs I harvested in February. As I pointed out in a previous article, it is better to cut logs in the winter (or at the end thereof) before the leaves start budding. This is because the carbohydrates are at a maximum in the trunk (before the sugars move up to produce leaves etc). (more…)

Persimmon Harvest

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:04:37 +0000

I have two persimmon trees in my yard but neither is native American species (Diospyros virginiana), They are both oriental varieties with one being astringent and the other the non astringent. Referring to the picture, the one I am indicating is the non astringent type of “Fuyu.” (more…)

Hibiscus Tea Controls Blood Pressure

admin — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:53:47 +0000

It has been a long time since I posted but that is a long story in itself! Anyhow, a very recent study on hibiscus tea should be of interest to those looking for natural means to control their high blood pressure (hypertension). A control study showed that those who drank 3 cups of the tea daily, cut their systolic pressure by an average of 7 points. (more…)

Making Elderberry Tincture and Syrup

admin — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:18:24 +0000

In an earlier article, I discussed the many health benefits of elderberry - especially as it relates to treatment of the flu. In the past couple of years, I have purchased the expensive elderberry syrups (Sambucol) and these seemed to work well when I felt like I was coming down with a cold or flu. This time I decided to try and save a little money and make my own. (more…)

Deterring Birds From Fruit Trees II

admin — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:53:16 +0000

As a follow up to my attempts to repel birds on my fig trees using a garlic and coffee spray, I would say that it was a limited success. In the clusters that I directly saturated, the spray seemed to keep the birds off for about a day. However, on the following day if I did not respray these areas, the effect seemed to have worn off and the figs were once again consumed. In conclusion, it might be worth the effort if you have fruit that is almost ripe and you don’t mind spraying every morning.

Deterring Birds From Fruit Trees

admin — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:05:03 +0000

As can be seen in this photo of my figs, the birds have found them and are eating more than about half of the rippening figs. In the last few years, I tried hanging CDs from the limbs and only had limited success. (more…)

Nice Zucchini!

admin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:27:44 +0000

Despite having to help the pollination along with my cucurbits, I am getting some nice veggies none the less. Here is one of the big zucchini that I picked this morning. I did have a problem with tiny worms boring up underneath some of my zucchs, but my compost worms will relish those scraps. They are not near as picky as we are and so nothing goes to waste around here.

Hand Pollination of Squash and Zucchini (Cucurbits)

admin — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:02:01 +0000

We have had quite a heat spell here in the Southeast and my summer squash and zucchini seem to be producing, but many seem stunted and/or fall off the vine (as illustrated in pic). The plants are very healthy otherwise, and though there are many possible factors like excessive heat, the most likely suspect is the lack of the bee pollinators. (more…)

‘In Ground’ Planters

admin — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:43:03 +0000

You can see here that my heirloom bell peppers that were planted in one gallon containers have clearly outgrown them. It’s actually quite amazing that they reached this current height of 2′ and were quite productive in such a small pot. However, the pots were transpiring too much water and the roots had pushed to the edge of the pots. (more…)

Sungold, One of my Favorite Tomatoes!

admin — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:38:37 +0000

I just had to brag a little bit on these wonderful cherry tomatoes. These guys consistently rank at the top in many tomato taste tests and I concur as to their taste. Currently I have two 5′ plants that are loaded with these tomatoes and I eat them like candy. They are certainly about the best tasting hybrids that I have found, and because the seeds are hard to find, I have snipped the growing shoots off a couple of these and transplanted a couple more plants. (more…)