tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1515105077098205752024-03-13T20:17:12.186-07:00The Cautious GardenerNikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-70075711103761824642012-07-29T14:53:00.003-07:002012-07-29T14:56:06.314-07:00End of July Garden ChoresAlthough I spent several hours working in the garden yesterday, there was still quite a bit to do today. Here are a few of today's garden chores:<br />
<ul>
<li>I turned the compost. I do this by pulling <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/03/city-girl-tries-composting.html" target="_blank">Geoffrey</a>'s stakes out of the ground, carefully pulling him up over the compost and moving him over a few feet. Then I use a garden fork to scoop all the compost back into Geoffrey, only upside down, so the newer stuff goes on the bottom and the older stuff ends up at the top. This took about an hour today, because there is a lot of compost. The older stuff is decomposing pretty nicely, although there are a few twigs and other larger pieces that still haven't broken down.</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geoffrey, before turning</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>Transplanted a few plants that weren't doing well in their current locations. A few weeks ago I stopped by a nursery and picked up a few plants (two bell peppers and an eggplant) that were on sale because it was really late in the season for buying transplants. I figured they probably didn't have a great chance of survival but they were cheap so I decided to take my chances. At that time, the zucchini and squash were mammoth so there was no room in the veggie plot for them, so I planted the peppers in pots. One of the bell peppers was doing okay as was the eggplant, but the other bell pepper is withering away. Since I had cleared up a lot of space in the plot by removing the <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/07/life-death-and-ratatouille.html" target="_blank">zucchini</a> plant, I decided to move the dying bell pepper to the veggie plot to see if that might save it. I turned the soil with my garden fork and added some fertilizer and manure, moved the pepper and sprayed it with some fish fertilizer. I also moved another pepper from a pot to the other side of the veggie plot, because it wasn't growing well in the pot.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Planted some onions and carrots. Since there was plenty of room around the newly transplanted pepper plant, I sewed several onion sets and carrot seeds. So far none of the carrots I've tried to plant have come up - either they never germinated or they never grew bigger than a few centimeters. But, I'm going to keep trying until I get it right. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Harvested four hot peppers and two small onions. My last attempt at harvesting onions produced a handful of tiny, stunted specimens, which I decided to call "<a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/07/veggie-garden-update.html" target="_blank">red scallions</a>." </li>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This time, I got two slightly larger onions, which gave me a bit more hope for the next set of onions I just planted. I also planted a few more onion sets in the area where I harvested the two onions.</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Watered the tomato pots with water from the rain barrel. After a long dry spell, we are finally getting some rain these past couple of weeks. So I've been able to use the water from the rain barrel quite a few times. Since it's situated right at the end of tomorrow pot alley, I like to use it to water those pots. </li>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uQafMFnvxT8/UAM6KffsvlI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/m09BLcF2yeo/s1600/P1010293.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uQafMFnvxT8/UAM6KffsvlI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/m09BLcF2yeo/s400/P1010293.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I've developed a system now using two alternating watering cans - I let one fill up while I'm using the other to water the pots and then I switch back and forth. That way, I don't have to keep turning the rain barrel spigot on and off when I fill up the watering can.</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Tried to salvage my pot of beans. A few weeks ago, <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/search/label/beans" target="_blank">I planted some pole beans in a large pot and they have started to germinate</a>. </li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a62_5EnCuVs/T_dEwbUCW-I/AAAAAAAAAnE/clxer6dI6rM/s1600/P1010211.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a62_5EnCuVs/T_dEwbUCW-I/AAAAAAAAAnE/clxer6dI6rM/s400/P1010211.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
However, only three beans have come up out of about the 12-15 seeds I planted. I realized today when I looked more closely, that the pot was extremely water logged. Evidently, there weren't enough holes drilled in the bottom for the water to drain properly. When I tipped the pot over, a huge amount of water came pouring out the top and down my driveway. I brought out my drill and drilled some more holes in the bottom (which is tricky to do with a huge pot filled with wet soil and bean seedlings that you don't want to kill). I don't know if the seedlings will survive. I planted a few more bean seeds for good measure, although it may be too late in the season to start beans.</blockquote>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-36281273386309003692012-07-28T15:29:00.002-07:002012-07-28T15:49:37.804-07:00Life, Death and RatatouilleIt's been quite a week in the garden. Exciting news: last week, I enjoyed my first tomato sandwich with ripe tomatoes straight from the garden:<br />
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on my <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/07/squash.html" target="_blank">homemade squash bread</a>:<br />
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And a dab of light mayo, salt and pepper:<br />
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A few days later, I got a slightly larger harvest of tomatoes, along with a green pepper, parsley, oregano, basil ...<br />
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A couple of zucchini and a <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/07/stupid-question-day-what-kind-of-squash.html" target="_blank">mystery squash. </a><br />
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I decided it was just enough for a side dish of ratatouille, to go along with the chicken Parmesan that the MOTH was making for dinner that night. I sauteed some onion, garlic, along with the green pepper:<br />
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Then I added the zucchini and squash and sauteed that for a while:<br />
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I pureed the tomatoes, and added them to the saute along with the parsley, oregano and basil:<br />
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And let it simmer for a while until all the flavors had melded: <br />
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It was really delicious.<br />
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As you know, I wasn't entirely happy with the <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/07/squash.html" target="_blank">squash bread (made from the mystery squash)</a>, so this morning I harvested a few more squash and made some banana-squash bread and muffins:<br />
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Sadly, while harvesting the squash, it became clear to me that the garden had experienced some serious casualties. <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/07/veggie-garden-update.html" target="_blank">As I previously reported, the zucchini plant had been attacked by some kind of insect (squash borer maybe)</a>, which basically chewed through the vines. I tried to save it, but evidently, the infestation was too great and the zucchini had become completely separated from its roots. Also, the infestation had spread to the mystery squash plant. Today, I spent several hours removing the zucchini and cutting out the affected areas of the squash. Here is a photo of the utterly revolting culprits and some of the devastation they have wrought:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piece of Zucchini vine with disgusting murderous attacker</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of the culprit</td></tr>
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I found dozens of these nasty monsters throughout the both the Zucchini and the Squash plants. I dug them out of the vines and shmooshed every single one of them I could find - they made a horrible popping sound (or maybe I just imagined the sound, but it was definitely a popping sensation), which was actually more disgusting than satisfying. Each time I came across another one as I went through my poor plants, I literally shuddered and said things like "oh my god, ahhhh!" out loud. It was the most disgusting day in the garden by far!<br />
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In the end, I salvaged one last zucchini and a few remaining squash and squash blossoms:<br />
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The Zucchini plant is completely dead and has been removed. I also removed most of the squash plant, but left two vines that might stand a chance of surviving. We will see.<br />
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In addition to the last of the zucchini harvest and what may well be the last of the squash harvest, I also harvested a bunch of basil (which I will puree and freeze for future use):<br />
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In addition, I spent several hours pruning and tying up the tomato plants, which are growing like crazy in this heat and have started to tip over again. I ended up pruning off several branches of tiny green tomatoes, so I'm going to see if I can find some recipe to use those in:<br />
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As well as a bunch of ripe tomatoes - a combination of Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes and Early Treat Hybrid tomatoes:<br />
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Still pondering what to make with today's harvest.<br />
<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-656558984311313202012-07-21T16:55:00.000-07:002012-07-21T17:49:12.693-07:00Squash!Okay, so even though no one responded to my stupid question of the day to help me identify what the heck kind of squash I'm growing, in my garden, I'm not bitter! I harvested the first of the mystery squash yesterday, along with some more hot peppers and my very sad, pathetic attempt at beets:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NOSnzGx32Cw/UAs6ew4gV2I/AAAAAAAAA5I/Y6GnvrPlEkM/s1600/P1010321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NOSnzGx32Cw/UAs6ew4gV2I/AAAAAAAAA5I/Y6GnvrPlEkM/s400/P1010321.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
You can sort of make out the tiny, stunted beet at the end of one of the plants. The other one doesn't have any beet at all (like me - ha ha - you know, cause I'm white - sigh). I will probably just use the greens in a saute. I have planted some more recent beet seeds in pot - they have started to sprout, so I will see if I have more luck with them.<br />
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Anyway, I made a stuffed squash dish last night by cutting the squash in half, steaming it for a few minutes, making a stuffing out of the squash innards, bread crumbs, herbs, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, garlic, etc. Then stuffing the squash halves and baking them in the oven for about 25 minutes. Frankly, it wasn't a huge hit. A little bland. I need to find some more interesting recipes.<br />
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Today, I harvested three more of the squash:<br />
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And, after running some searches on line for different recipes, decided to make some squash bread.<br />
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First, I cut the squash in half and steamed it in the microwave:<br />
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Then scooped out the squash, mashed it and mixed with the batter:<br />
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Added flour, kneaded it, and then covered it and let it sit for a while:<br />
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After it sat for a couple of hours, I kneaded it some more, and divided it into two portions. The first, I formed into a loaf and put in a baking tin:<br />
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I covered that and let it sit for another hour or so to rise some more:<br />
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The other portion, I just put back in the bowl to sit for a while. I ended up freezing that to bake another time:<br />
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I baked the first batch for about 35 minutes and put it on a rack to cool:<br />
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It looks really good. After it cooled a little, we cut a piece off the end and ate it with a little butter. Honestly, we were both like - meh. It's okay. It's always nice to have fresh warm bread. But it doesn't have a ton of flavor. It's sort of just okay.<br />
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I really need to figure out some better recipes for this squash, because there are a lot of them on that plant.<br />
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I even took the trouble to clean off all the squash seeds and roast them with olive oil and salt in the oven. <br />
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And, although I thought they were fine, the Moth wasn't not particularly taken with those either.<br />
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I think the lesson is - you can't just walk into a nursery and buy any old veggie plant, thinking it's going to taste fine. If I'm going to devote the limited space to my garden to a huge squash plant, it better be an awesome squash. Plus, I need better recipes.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-16254010383746505822012-07-18T06:48:00.000-07:002012-07-18T06:48:54.984-07:00Stupid Question Day: What Kind of Squash is This?Okay, I am going to admit right upfront that I feel incredibly stupid for asking this question. After all, I bought the little squash plant from a nursery and intentionally planted it in my veggie garden:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple of weeks after transplanting</td></tr>
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I have lovingly watched over it and cared for it for weeks, as it grew into this monster:<br />
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I protected it from <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/07/varmit.html" target="_blank">leaf-eating groundhogs</a>:<br />
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I've watched the squashes grow from little tiny acorn-shaped nuggets into this:<br />
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But, I'm not actually sure what type of squash it is. You see, I just bought the plant on impulse, along with the zucchini plant, while I was at the nursery. I wasn't even planning to grow squash this year. I didn't bother to ask what type of squash it was, nor do I recall it coming with any descriptive information. I've run some google image searches for different types of summer squash, but haven't found anything that looks exactly like this. The closest I could find is a round zucchini squash, but these look lighter and more "scalloped" than the other images I've seen. Does anyone know what type of squash is growing in my garden? Also, how big should it be when I pick it?<br />
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Thanks!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-40976810838973033062012-07-16T20:35:00.002-07:002012-07-16T20:37:24.851-07:00Pesto Chicken and Sauteed Zucchini-PepperToday, I harvested three Zucchini and a hot pepper. But, most importantly, I harvested my first ripe tomato!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, he's tiny. But he's cute!</td></tr>
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I decided to make some sauteed zucchini, orange peppers and tomatoes as a side dish along with the organic chicken breast I had marinated overnight in homemade pesto sauce.<br />
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I chopped up the zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and some basil to season the vegetables.<br />
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I started out by sauteeing onions and garlic in one pan (to go with the vegetables):</div>
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Meanwhile, I sauteed the shallots in a second pan (to go with the chicken):</div>
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Then, I added the some fresh chopped basil and hot pepper to the veggie pan:</div>
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And started browning one side of the marinated chicken breast in the other pan with the shallots:</div>
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Then, I added the orange peppers to the onions, garlic, pepper, and basil:<br />
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I continued to brown the other side of the chicken:</div>
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I added the sliced zucchini and the rest of the fresh basil to the veggie pan:</div>
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I added some more basil sauce to the chicken along with homemade stock:</div>
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Then, I added chopped tomatoes to the veggie pan, along with 3 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, a half teaspoon of sugar, and a dash of salt and pepper:</div>
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We had some <a href="http://worcestershire%20/" target="_blank">leftover new potatoes from the other night</a>, which I heated up and served with the chicken and veggies:</div>
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For dessert, we had the rest of the berry crumble I made a couple of days ago from a Martha Stewart recipe. Her recipe was for blackberry crumble, but I made it with a mixture of blueberries and strawberries:</div>
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Although, I'm not generally a huge fan of berry desserts (I'm a chocolate person), this berry crumble was incredibly delicious. I will definitely be making it again. </div>
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<br /></div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-78032175992080237042012-07-15T15:28:00.001-07:002012-07-16T09:15:16.572-07:00Veggie Garden UpdateI got a lot done in the garden this morning, and finished up by about 2:00pm, right before it started raining. Yay - it has been pretty dry so I am glad to see some rain.<br />
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First, the tomatoes needed some pruning and staking. The row of tomatoes along the back of the veggie plot are supported by just a rough homemade bamboo frame (made out of bamboo stakes stuck into the ground with a couple of bamboo "cross-beams" running horizontally). Since there is nothing to attach the frame to the side of the house, the weight of the tomatoes is starting to pull the frame over. I should have taken a photo of it earlier - you can kind of see in this older photo how the plants are starting to list to the left.<br />
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The vines have been growing like crazy in the heat, so I needed to pinch off many of the suckers (which grow in the crooks between the main vine and the leaves). Some of them had grown quite large, so I felt bad about pruning them but it had to be done. I needed to figure out some way to support the bamboo stakes so they would sit a bit more upright. So I tied the right side of the bamboo frame to a pipe that sticks out from the side of the house.<br />
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Then I took an old metal stake that I found rusting in the backyard when we moved in to the house and hammered into the left side of the plot and tied it to the bamboo frame on that side.<br />
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So far, this seems to be working. We will see what happens as the tomatoes continue to grow:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">slightly more upright</td></tr>
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I also pruned the tomatoes in Tomato Pot Alley and added some fertilizer to each of the plants.<br />
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The extra orange bucket you see there is filled with water mixed with the tomato clippings I pruned today. We read that water steeped with tomato clippings makes a good insect repellant. After it steeps for a while, we will drain it and put it into spray bottles to spray on the plants to keep bugs away.<br />
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While I was pruning and staking the tomatoes, I noticed this:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the tomatoes is starting to ripen!</td></tr>
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And this:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another ripening tomato!</td></tr>
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Second, I continued my cleaning up of the veggie plot by removing a bunch of the marigold plants. You may recall that when I first planted the marigolds (which I did to deter insects from eating my veggie plants), they looked like this:<br />
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But, before long, they turned into this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dzwLF82bVjU/T_dYmjIzVFI/AAAAAAAAAqk/EspVXc73SnU/s1600/P1010200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dzwLF82bVjU/T_dYmjIzVFI/AAAAAAAAAqk/EspVXc73SnU/s400/P1010200.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
In other words, many of the marigolds have been completely overtaken by the other plants. I was planning to just pull a bunch of them out and discard them, but for whatever reason, the Moth has developed an affection for them and wanted me to save them - despite the fact that we have more than enough marigolds in containers on our front steps:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zELo_NoQu9M/UAM-e3SiWtI/AAAAAAAAA04/mdvdlcqDwZw/s1600/P1010220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zELo_NoQu9M/UAM-e3SiWtI/AAAAAAAAA04/mdvdlcqDwZw/s400/P1010220.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Marigolds are just there to protect the basil plants I have growing in containers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, I pulled four of the marigold plants out of the veggie plot and transplanted them into a pot, which is now at the corner of our walkway, leading up to the front door:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JYHBZ_jebXE/UAM--POqUQI/AAAAAAAAA1A/wchNxmHdLKw/s1600/P1010279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JYHBZ_jebXE/UAM--POqUQI/AAAAAAAAA1A/wchNxmHdLKw/s400/P1010279.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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After clearing out the veggie plot, and harvesting yet more of the basil plants, the peppers are finally getting a little room to breath. I noticed that some of the hot peppers were bowing over a little, so I hammered a couple of bamboo stakes into the ground and tied them up:<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-smYRxCKqu9c/UAM_1VM1akI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/vRv3VupCels/s1600/P1010294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-smYRxCKqu9c/UAM_1VM1akI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/vRv3VupCels/s400/P1010294.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just use ordinary twine (which I cut into pieces from large ball)<br />
to tie up my tomatoes and peppers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
More peppers being staked:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I1YdviJUsSc/UANARMpGFRI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/QIsLt7DdCRk/s1600/P1010295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I1YdviJUsSc/UANARMpGFRI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/QIsLt7DdCRk/s400/P1010295.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br />
And some new teeny purple peppers on one of my black pearl pepper plants:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yWw7JRTwZ9g/UANAUEW39_I/AAAAAAAAA1o/GBr7Q3Z5FhM/s1600/P1010297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yWw7JRTwZ9g/UANAUEW39_I/AAAAAAAAA1o/GBr7Q3Z5FhM/s400/P1010297.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kissed by raindrops (yes, I'm poetic)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Another more disturbing thing I discovered while I was doing all this pruning and cleaning is that the stems of my zucchini plant (closest to the ground) looked as though someone had been chewing on them. After some internet research, I realized this was probably not a furry pest, but an insect. Maybe a cucumber beetle or squash vine borer. There's a lot of different advice on how to combat them, but this is what I decided to do in the end:<br />
<br />
I cut into the affected area with a sharp knife. Any disgusting insects that crawled out (of which there were many) I shmooshed and killed. Then, I sprinkled the vine with Diamotaceous Earth (which I had purchased on Amazon previously because I read it was a good insect repellant and/or killer). Then, I sprayed with hot pepper spray, buried the vines with moist soil and then sprinkled again with DE. This is how the area looked after all of my machinations. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IPo1sNrky1o/UANDl0rVaFI/AAAAAAAAA18/Xh4uszZJLTY/s1600/P1010286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IPo1sNrky1o/UANDl0rVaFI/AAAAAAAAA18/Xh4uszZJLTY/s400/P1010286.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I hope I'm not too late and the evil bugs have not already killed my plant. We will see. For good measure, I sprinkled the rest of the veggie plot, including the squash plant, with DE and sprayed some hot pepper spray. Of course, a couple of hours later it rained, so it may all have to be reapplied.<br />
<br />
Finally, I pulled up some very small onions that I have interplanted throughout the garden:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FUw4zYOvUec/UANDE2-ya-I/AAAAAAAAA10/CWK_NhSE4jQ/s1600/P1010281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FUw4zYOvUec/UANDE2-ya-I/AAAAAAAAA10/CWK_NhSE4jQ/s400/P1010281.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I was hoping they would be a bit bigger by now, but - okay - we will just call them red scallions. How about that? They are supposed to cure for a while before using - at least according to the internet. Although, since I'm not exactly planning to store them for the long cold winter (this about half of the amount of onion I use for one dish) I'm not really sure if that step is necessary.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-91292816919028558592012-07-15T07:39:00.003-07:002012-07-15T07:49:38.808-07:00Basil!!!I harvested a ton a basil yesterday for Pesto:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sTLvPltrX0Y/UALXWfS08_I/AAAAAAAAAzU/Y9PVuOQ8K-M/s1600/P1010261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sTLvPltrX0Y/UALXWfS08_I/AAAAAAAAAzU/Y9PVuOQ8K-M/s400/P1010261.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is just half of it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-61mP0KCYypA/UALVTav-WbI/AAAAAAAAAzM/Vk1oad15CWs/s1600/P1010262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-61mP0KCYypA/UALVTav-WbI/AAAAAAAAAzM/Vk1oad15CWs/s400/P1010262.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the other half</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I made enough Pesto to freeze two containers and give one to my neighbors who invited us for dinner last night.</div>
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</div>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-67640966044142581682012-07-15T07:30:00.002-07:002012-07-15T07:31:14.892-07:00Roasted Rosemary Garlic New PotatoesOn impulse, I grabbed a back of new potatoes at the market yesterday. I seasoned them with fresh rosemary from the garden:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WKbQTIKuQzA/UALSTgVhUTI/AAAAAAAAAyk/OVC3866i2_0/s1600/P1010270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WKbQTIKuQzA/UALSTgVhUTI/AAAAAAAAAyk/OVC3866i2_0/s400/P1010270.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
And garlic, olive oil, a little salt and pepper:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bf0TNU4Pgug/UALSVLdAlNI/AAAAAAAAAys/gmVtbwignd0/s1600/P1010271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bf0TNU4Pgug/UALSVLdAlNI/AAAAAAAAAys/gmVtbwignd0/s400/P1010271.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
Roasted them in the oven on 350 for about 45 minutes:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vd0yah9FWBU/UALSVi8osYI/AAAAAAAAAy0/sopASqnf6d4/s1600/potatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="391" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vd0yah9FWBU/UALSVi8osYI/AAAAAAAAAy0/sopASqnf6d4/s400/potatoes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I served them with some baked salmon and sauteed asparagus.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Poq5cTl1ec/UALTxyJK8ZI/AAAAAAAAAy8/kbQtUzNyiJE/s1600/P1010277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Poq5cTl1ec/UALTxyJK8ZI/AAAAAAAAAy8/kbQtUzNyiJE/s400/P1010277.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The potatoes tasted sweet and garlicky - so simple to make but so delicious.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-57412903569621343782012-07-14T13:23:00.000-07:002012-07-15T15:38:44.136-07:00Varmit!!!!<b>Further Update (7/15/12):</b><br />
<br />
The Moth read on-line that you can deter groundhogs by placing objects that look like predators (like owl statues) in and around the garden. We didn't really feel like buying an owl statute, so the Moth decided to make his own scary looking predator and put it in front of the squash:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0z3cPw88ei4/UANGS_qxANI/AAAAAAAAA2I/CRJyxSQ23Zs/s1600/P1010292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0z3cPw88ei4/UANGS_qxANI/AAAAAAAAA2I/CRJyxSQ23Zs/s400/P1010292.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I will kill you Groundhog!!!!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have also sprayed the leaves with hot pepper spray and bought some capsicum-based powder to spread around the area, both of which are supposed to deter critters from eating your plants. Apparently, groundhogs don't like spicy food.<br />
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<br />
<b>Update (7/14/12 - afternoon): </b><br />
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Later in the afternoon, the groundhog came by again, but our neighbor's kitty was hanging out by the garden. They got into a staring match until groundhog gave up and ran away. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AebW2EkJLXE/UALDZQXGzMI/AAAAAAAAAyM/pcjsko8tPdk/s1600/pippi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AebW2EkJLXE/UALDZQXGzMI/AAAAAAAAAyM/pcjsko8tPdk/s400/pippi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good Pippi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Moth got a photo of her out the living room window, just after she
scared off the groundhog. She is actually a really sweet friendly cat
who visits me a lot when I am gardening. Since our cats don't go
outside, it's kind of nice to have a feline gardening companion. I just
worry about her crossing the street from our neighbors house, so I
always tell her to be careful and look both ways.<br />
<br />
________________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
There has been a sneaky groundhog munching on my the leaves of my squash plant. Fortunately, he doesn't actually eat the squashes, just the leaves. But still, we don't want to encourage him. Both the Moth and I have caught him in the act, but we barely get a glimpse before he's off like a shot - running like mad with his bushy little tail flapping behind him. Usually, he still has a huge squash leaf hanging out of his mouth as he runs off. He doesn't seem to touch anything else, but he sure finds those squash leaves tasty.<br />
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Today, the Moth finally got photographic evidence. Here he is creeping over our neighbor's back wall:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-97jVeZHSS6Q/UAHSAwlXUxI/AAAAAAAAAxo/mSaU4qeTpf4/s1600/groundhog3..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-97jVeZHSS6Q/UAHSAwlXUxI/AAAAAAAAAxo/mSaU4qeTpf4/s400/groundhog3..jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tentatively climbing over:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SMU8vBGx0L4/UAHUEDyzFeI/AAAAAAAAAxw/uqKJzxtu0Ok/s1600/groundhog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SMU8vBGx0L4/UAHUEDyzFeI/AAAAAAAAAxw/uqKJzxtu0Ok/s400/groundhog6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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He then scampers diagonally across her yard and up to the squash plant, which is on the side yard between our houses.<br />
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He carefully makes his selection:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7mcCIDgykdg/UAHSAIOSUfI/AAAAAAAAAxg/mZxo_x5O5z0/s1600/groundhog2..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7mcCIDgykdg/UAHSAIOSUfI/AAAAAAAAAxg/mZxo_x5O5z0/s400/groundhog2..jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
And CHOMP!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xhHnf1XK-y8/UAHR_bg4t_I/AAAAAAAAAxY/kywn2IX3avY/s1600/groundhog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xhHnf1XK-y8/UAHR_bg4t_I/AAAAAAAAAxY/kywn2IX3avY/s400/groundhog1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hmmmm ... maybe one of these:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nYmuNWsthn0/UAHUQAuJCPI/AAAAAAAAAx4/rLEcP9bHS90/s1600/groundhog4..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nYmuNWsthn0/UAHUQAuJCPI/AAAAAAAAAx4/rLEcP9bHS90/s400/groundhog4..jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Munch, munch, munch ...<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JyFYAge4oXw/UAHUQ734jBI/AAAAAAAAAyA/K_wy0W2LieU/s1600/groundhog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JyFYAge4oXw/UAHUQ734jBI/AAAAAAAAAyA/K_wy0W2LieU/s400/groundhog5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-20649184531582673742012-07-14T10:40:00.000-07:002012-07-15T07:20:16.166-07:00Zucchini-Mushroom FrittataUPDATE:<br />
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Leftovers for breakfast this morning:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ibh7KK-lwTY/UALRahFG_TI/AAAAAAAAAyc/ZtTfv1jKHuc/s1600/P1010278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ibh7KK-lwTY/UALRahFG_TI/AAAAAAAAAyc/ZtTfv1jKHuc/s400/P1010278.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
I harvested three more zucchini yesterday evening after I got home from work:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdL3FVMPnDM/UAGjbGZezGI/AAAAAAAAAws/JmDEf40iG3A/s1600/P1010265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdL3FVMPnDM/UAGjbGZezGI/AAAAAAAAAws/JmDEf40iG3A/s400/P1010265.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I wanted to make something a little different for breakfast this morning, so I decided on a frittata. I sauteed onion and garlic in butter first, with a few herbs:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SuXK443XL3U/UAGj-hAbhkI/AAAAAAAAAw0/ZfezI0JcTQI/s1600/P1010264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SuXK443XL3U/UAGj-hAbhkI/AAAAAAAAAw0/ZfezI0JcTQI/s400/P1010264.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parsley and Lemon Thyme</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And about a third of the small green pepper, I <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">harvested a couple of days ago</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rQ7bRG76A2s/T_5D-evWQWI/AAAAAAAAAwg/9ijpQ7X7imA/s1600/P1010259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rQ7bRG76A2s/T_5D-evWQWI/AAAAAAAAAwg/9ijpQ7X7imA/s400/P1010259.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I added sliced zucchini and mushrooms, threw in a few tablespoons of the <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/07/vegetable-plot-progress.html" target="_blank">cilantro dressing I made last week</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-POSjRglVU3k/T_dcnRyLyhI/AAAAAAAAArc/joOr1Z7EmNQ/s1600/P1010225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-POSjRglVU3k/T_dcnRyLyhI/AAAAAAAAArc/joOr1Z7EmNQ/s400/P1010225.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And sauteed the veggies into they were just a little soft.<br />
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I whipped up some eggs with a couple of leaves of chopped basil, salt and pepper, Romano cheese, skim milk and a dollop of sour cream. Then I combined it with the veggie mixture, and poured it into a buttered casserole dish. I baked that for 25 minutes of 350 and then broiled it for 5 minutes right at the end:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dUJQj8ZX8UA/UAGmoZxZJ8I/AAAAAAAAAxA/LyBDOE_iEg4/s1600/P1010268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dUJQj8ZX8UA/UAGmoZxZJ8I/AAAAAAAAAxA/LyBDOE_iEg4/s400/P1010268.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zucchini-Mushoom Frittata</td></tr>
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Served with some homemade salsa on the side:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nk0Vdyac9_s/UAGujN7nt2I/AAAAAAAAAxM/PhPXpRq4TNA/s1600/P1010269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nk0Vdyac9_s/UAGujN7nt2I/AAAAAAAAAxM/PhPXpRq4TNA/s400/P1010269.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-19486735842616267342012-07-11T20:37:00.000-07:002012-07-11T21:05:44.551-07:00More pollinating and harvestingI harvested <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/07/i-hate-zucchini.html" target="_blank">two zucchini</a> a couple of days ago, which were delicious! The plant already has four more zucchini that are almost ready to harvest. Meanwhile, I noticed this morning that there were at least three bumble bees working their pudgy butts off to pollinate the squash plant. I was happy to see that, because I was starting to get concerned that the squash wasn't getting pollinated. I even got up early a couple of mornings to manually pollinate the flowers. Very glad to have that task taken off my hands!<br />
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I'm going to let the zucchini and squash get a little bigger before I harvest them, but this evening I did harvest a few more hot peppers:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rQ7bRG76A2s/T_5D-evWQWI/AAAAAAAAAwg/9ijpQ7X7imA/s1600/P1010259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rQ7bRG76A2s/T_5D-evWQWI/AAAAAAAAAwg/9ijpQ7X7imA/s400/P1010259.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The little red one is from the black pearl pepper plant. The peppers start as tiny little purplish peppers, but then (apparently) they turn red. I just discovered this when I went back thinking it was about time to harvest one of the little purple peppers - only to see it had turned a lovely deep shade of red! These are considered "ornamental" peppers and there seems to be some difference of opinion as to whether they are suitable for eating. I guess we will find out!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-41720760579031739672012-07-11T20:21:00.000-07:002012-07-14T10:08:42.932-07:00I Hate Zucchini!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Or at least that's what the MOTH has been telling me for the past eight years. So, when I decided to include a Zucchini plant in my garden, he was none too happy.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNFkSaQ0aZo/T_4gbHzgsBI/AAAAAAAAAwA/AYqpHkFeMhQ/s1600/zucchini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNFkSaQ0aZo/T_4gbHzgsBI/AAAAAAAAAwA/AYqpHkFeMhQ/s400/zucchini.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor innocent Zucchini plant - so maligned</td></tr>
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Then, it started to grow and take over the yard:</div>
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And started producing blossoms:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJhmawcCInk/T_1qe1q0bJI/AAAAAAAAAus/m0kCNQcKAvs/s1600/P1010247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJhmawcCInk/T_1qe1q0bJI/AAAAAAAAAus/m0kCNQcKAvs/s400/P1010247.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then, yesterday, I harvested these two babies:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tCRdSX5IWpk/T_1qdU201aI/AAAAAAAAAuk/ha7a3K2yzQQ/s1600/P1010246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tCRdSX5IWpk/T_1qdU201aI/AAAAAAAAAuk/ha7a3K2yzQQ/s400/P1010246.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I wanted to make sure my first zucchini dish was something really tasty - mainly so I could say "I told you so." But I also didn't want to make anything too complicated - something to bring out the natural flavor.<br />
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<span id="goog_1735579758"></span><span id="goog_1735579759"></span>I decided to cut them up into pieces ... <br />
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And roast them in the oven with some tomatoes, onions, herbs, salt and pepper, hot peppers, garlic and a little white wine. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d4GlQLmz7vY/T_5A510fcsI/AAAAAAAAAwU/qs2-U99otpw/s1600/P1010250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d4GlQLmz7vY/T_5A510fcsI/AAAAAAAAAwU/qs2-U99otpw/s400/P1010250.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Right at the end, I mixed in a little Parmesan cheese and basil to finish off the dish. I was hoping I would be able save some to take with me for lunch tomorrow:<br />
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Yeah - not happening. By the end of the evening, the whole dish was gone ... Apparently, we don't hate zucchini anymore.<br />
<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-18475327745474908122012-07-09T21:10:00.001-07:002012-07-10T13:49:03.653-07:00Pesto Chicken and Roasted VeggiesI finally got around to harvesting a bunch of my basil, which has been growing like crazy and starting to go to seed.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h036LLuRUgc/T_muhkzHT7I/AAAAAAAAAuY/JIn7iJUVimY/s1600/P1010234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h036LLuRUgc/T_muhkzHT7I/AAAAAAAAAuY/JIn7iJUVimY/s400/P1010234.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About Four Cups of Basil</td></tr>
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I made a big batch of Pesto, using almonds instead of pine nuts, some Parmesan cheese, a few tomatoes and olive oil.<br />
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Then I marinated some chicken breast - I decided to splurge and buy locally grown organic chicken, which is about three times the cost of the chicken we usually buy on sale.<br />
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I also decided to make a roast vegetable dish to accompany the chicken, so I made a dressing from fresh herbs, red onion, garlic and lime juice:<br />
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And mixed it with a variety of chopped vegetables (red and green peppers, asparagus, carrots, tomatoes), which I roasted in the oven:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GaBjQvvaydw/T_muM4S23iI/AAAAAAAAAuI/12ytcmcIXS0/s1600/P1010239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GaBjQvvaydw/T_muM4S23iI/AAAAAAAAAuI/12ytcmcIXS0/s400/P1010239.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I browned about half the chicken with onions and garlic and then added some homemade stock and white wine to finish it off. Then served it with a side of the roast veggies:<br />
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The chicken in particular was amazing - using the organic chicken made a huge difference. Luckily, we still have a batch of marinated chicken left over for another meal.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-38638266866450366202012-07-07T11:24:00.001-07:002012-07-10T13:50:09.268-07:00Stir Fry Chicken and Sauteed Swiss ChardUp until now, I haven't grown enough Swiss Chard to have more than a few leaves combined in a salad with some other greens. I've never cooked Swiss Chard in my life. Yesterday, I felt that I finally had enough of it to make a small side dish of sauteed Swiss Chard, which I decided to serve with some Chicken-Veggie stir fry.<br />
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I harvested a bunch of leaves, along with some other herbs:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zz12dBluN3E/T_h6Vl9ysAI/AAAAAAAAAss/5C6jBYIPr-I/s1600/P1010227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zz12dBluN3E/T_h6Vl9ysAI/AAAAAAAAAss/5C6jBYIPr-I/s400/P1010227.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Pile of Swiss Chard and Herbs, Freshly Picked </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swiss Chard, Ready to be Chopped</td></tr>
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I used the herbs for the stir-fry, which I made with some chicken breast marinated overnight in a cilantro-scallion sauce. Clockwise from the top left, the herbs are: Oregano, Sage, Tarragon, Parsley, with Basil in the center:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wLUJgfc-IkI/T_h6tXT1mII/AAAAAAAAAtc/FH-ieLHfe80/s1600/P1010229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wLUJgfc-IkI/T_h6tXT1mII/AAAAAAAAAtc/FH-ieLHfe80/s400/P1010229.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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I found nice, simple recipe for sauteed Swiss Chard on-line, but substituted thinly sliced Shallots and some diced Scallions (leftover from the night before) for the red onions. I also used a bit less butter, olive oil and cheese than the recipe calls for.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Ingredients</span></b></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2 tablespoons butter<a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sauteed-swiss-chard-with-parmesan-cheese/"><span style="color: #0066cc;"></span></a></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2 tablespoons olive oil</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1 tablespoon minced garlic<a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sauteed-swiss-chard-with-parmesan-cheese/"><span style="color: #0066cc;"></span></a></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1/2 small red onion, diced (I used shallots and a few scallions)</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and
chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1/2 cup dry white wine</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice<a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sauteed-swiss-chard-with-parmesan-cheese/"><span style="color: #0066cc;"></span></a>, or to taste</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">salt to taste (optional)</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Directions</span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet
over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30
seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer
until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard
leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan
cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sxlViagAutE/T_h6aVX_xOI/AAAAAAAAAtE/fva2mqXyGt0/s1600/P1010230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sxlViagAutE/T_h6aVX_xOI/AAAAAAAAAtE/fva2mqXyGt0/s400/P1010230.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken-veggie stir fry and sauteed Swiss Chard</td></tr>
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The Swiss Chard was a big hit with the Moth and I have to admit myself that it was very tasty. I think chopping up the stems and center ribs of the Swiss Chard and cooking them first - before adding the leaves - is key.<br />
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-38543244298765862642012-07-06T15:18:00.001-07:002012-07-10T13:54:48.186-07:00Vegetable Plot ProgressI thought it was about time to show the progress of my little veggie plot. I started preparing the plot back in early March, by marking out a 3 foot by 6 foot space on the sunniest side of my house with a spade.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ULCrrCFAzNQ/T_djY2iz1zI/AAAAAAAAAsg/7S5BfhNBEtM/s1600/Begin+covering+with+leaves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ULCrrCFAzNQ/T_djY2iz1zI/AAAAAAAAAsg/7S5BfhNBEtM/s400/Begin+covering+with+leaves.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I covered the sod with newspaper, watered it, and covered that with layers of dead leaves, compost, soil and manure. Then I covered all that with black plastic and let it bake for several weeks.</div>
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When it began getting warm near the end of May, I decided it was time to start transplanting. I started by planting with tomatoes (which I had been growing from seeds inside) along the back row. In front of those, I put a variety of peppers (both hot and sweet) and some basil and parsley. Here is how it looked after the initial planting. There is also a pot of greens (lettuce and swiss chard) next to it, which I later moved to a shadier side of the house:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dDdFhbNUkew/T81JjJIRXRI/AAAAAAAAAdw/WpPnpUWi3X8/s1600/P1010063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dDdFhbNUkew/T81JjJIRXRI/AAAAAAAAAdw/WpPnpUWi3X8/s400/P1010063.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Veggie Plot on May 23, 2012</td></tr>
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Well my poor little veggie plot was inundated with insects, so I read everything I could find on-line and in my gardening books about how to control them organically. As a result, I learned that interplanting marigolds, geraniums, onions, and certain herbs - such as sage and mint - can deter insects, so I did that. I added a pot of geraniums on one side and a pot of mint on the other.<br />
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Around this time, I also planted a little zucchini plant on the front right corner of the plot: <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Lz7jCzhjkY/T_dPe-2DmhI/AAAAAAAAAoc/fg4a4rnApok/s1600/P1010162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Lz7jCzhjkY/T_dPe-2DmhI/AAAAAAAAAoc/fg4a4rnApok/s400/P1010162.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Veggie Plot on June 4, 2012</td></tr>
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And a little summer squash plant on the front left corner of the plot: <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Zxb512AdgY/T_dPhLidBiI/AAAAAAAAAok/d3sQx5aAOkY/s1600/P1010163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Zxb512AdgY/T_dPhLidBiI/AAAAAAAAAok/d3sQx5aAOkY/s400/P1010163.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please make a note of how close the squash plant on the left front corner<br />
is to the white geranium and the yellow marigold ...</td></tr>
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I had quite a few left over tomato plants, so I decided to put those in pots next to the veggie plot, along with a little pot of chives and some parsley:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JiWyLSjxCbI/T_dL_as4NnI/AAAAAAAAAno/JvADU9QeMAI/s1600/P1010073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JiWyLSjxCbI/T_dL_as4NnI/AAAAAAAAAno/JvADU9QeMAI/s400/P1010073.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomato plants in pots</td></tr>
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Eventually, however, I knew the tomatoes would outgrow those small pots. But I didn't want to spend a lot of money on large pots. Then I came up with an idea. These buckets cost about $2.98 at Home Depot:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mtV5NdNfUMM/T_dMivOUqqI/AAAAAAAAAnw/NLrrPj3dCNk/s1600/P1010097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mtV5NdNfUMM/T_dMivOUqqI/AAAAAAAAAnw/NLrrPj3dCNk/s400/P1010097.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet Homer</td></tr>
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I had bought a couple of them previously to use for various gardening and household tasks.<br />
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So, I bought a few more:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hrld4JS1ayU/T_dMzFWmxEI/AAAAAAAAAn8/E0htA8htYkM/s1600/P1010096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hrld4JS1ayU/T_dMzFWmxEI/AAAAAAAAAn8/E0htA8htYkM/s400/P1010096.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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Drilled some holes in the bottom:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8OLgx9mHsDU/T_dM9_Gd8AI/AAAAAAAAAoE/DZ2spOvz5So/s1600/P1010147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8OLgx9mHsDU/T_dM9_Gd8AI/AAAAAAAAAoE/DZ2spOvz5So/s400/P1010147.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Instant Tomato Pot!</td></tr>
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I spent a weekend transplanting tomatoes into my new Homer Pots:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-98P1xVPoiQw/T_dQ-a5WQPI/AAAAAAAAAos/RJ3rv9TSYks/s1600/P1010176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-98P1xVPoiQw/T_dQ-a5WQPI/AAAAAAAAAos/RJ3rv9TSYks/s400/P1010176.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomato Pot Alley, on June 10, 2012</td></tr>
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Here is the Veggie plot that same day - I mulched it with some dried leaves: <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWIN79uT_lw/T_dSdCrnBfI/AAAAAAAAApc/TWvFEeWEGQU/s1600/P1010178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWIN79uT_lw/T_dSdCrnBfI/AAAAAAAAApc/TWvFEeWEGQU/s400/P1010178.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Veggie Plot - June 10, 2012</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eHMYygsncMQ/T_dSbJHnEDI/AAAAAAAAApU/DJ_8SxWuo1g/s1600/P1010177.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eHMYygsncMQ/T_dSbJHnEDI/AAAAAAAAApU/DJ_8SxWuo1g/s400/P1010177.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hmm . . . squash plant getting a bit bigger ....</td></tr>
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I took a photo of my first hot peppers that day:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4dK5t2tBSMA/T_dUz7ur-yI/AAAAAAAAApk/IFkByyRpms0/s1600/P1010179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4dK5t2tBSMA/T_dUz7ur-yI/AAAAAAAAApk/IFkByyRpms0/s400/P1010179.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A green one</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PhLYSeBmM6c/T_dV5vs_8wI/AAAAAAAAAp8/0EQqwFhR0o0/s1600/P1010183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PhLYSeBmM6c/T_dV5vs_8wI/AAAAAAAAAp8/0EQqwFhR0o0/s400/P1010183.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And a little tiny purple one - supposed to be very hot!</td></tr>
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The tomato vines were starting to grow longer, so I started tying them to the bamboo posts with twine: <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iQ06dzmXF2k/T_dVdxpUUjI/AAAAAAAAAp0/rcS26IFFqDo/s1600/P1010180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iQ06dzmXF2k/T_dVdxpUUjI/AAAAAAAAAp0/rcS26IFFqDo/s400/P1010180.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LXHhRyxf6_U/T_dETtneM6I/AAAAAAAAAms/Jy_4e5k-TVI/s1600/P1010208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
Also, on June 10, I had a little tiny harvest of greens: <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dzpFXhDd_Kk/T_dRgVHqZ6I/AAAAAAAAApE/A4EX7aGeJFE/s1600/P1010173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dzpFXhDd_Kk/T_dRgVHqZ6I/AAAAAAAAApE/A4EX7aGeJFE/s400/P1010173.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Which I made into a tiny salad for dinner:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IiwE8-hDQug/T_dRcb6EyBI/AAAAAAAAAo0/XyFAgaGcJXM/s1600/P1010171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IiwE8-hDQug/T_dRcb6EyBI/AAAAAAAAAo0/XyFAgaGcJXM/s400/P1010171.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So Tiny ...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QxbJJ8qbQNo/T_dWlkyqHCI/AAAAAAAAAqE/cXJG_idRtXA/s1600/P1010184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QxbJJ8qbQNo/T_dWlkyqHCI/AAAAAAAAAqE/cXJG_idRtXA/s400/P1010184.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had the salad for dinner, along with chicken stir fry made with some fresh herbs from the garden</td></tr>
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Here is the Veggie garden, on June 13, just a few days later:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0jPcPKrC7NE/T_dXmcX9BaI/AAAAAAAAAqU/uQcwSM57mZQ/s1600/P1010188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0jPcPKrC7NE/T_dXmcX9BaI/AAAAAAAAAqU/uQcwSM57mZQ/s400/P1010188.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The next big events occurred on or about June 30:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ImSOCZv9w7I/T_dYTEGwomI/AAAAAAAAAqc/RRXN2jAxXV8/s1600/P1010198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ImSOCZv9w7I/T_dYTEGwomI/AAAAAAAAAqc/RRXN2jAxXV8/s400/P1010198.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OMG!!!!! Tomatoes!!!!!</td></tr>
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OMG! The Veggie Plot!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dzwLF82bVjU/T_dYmjIzVFI/AAAAAAAAAqk/EspVXc73SnU/s1600/P1010200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dzwLF82bVjU/T_dYmjIzVFI/AAAAAAAAAqk/EspVXc73SnU/s400/P1010200.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It Lives!!!!!</td></tr>
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Pretty blooms on the (now gigantic) squash plant:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h-5tHkmcXqA/T_dZC_O6KzI/AAAAAAAAAqs/c0M9JOW8V2o/s1600/P1010193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h-5tHkmcXqA/T_dZC_O6KzI/AAAAAAAAAqs/c0M9JOW8V2o/s400/P1010193.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oe77iVy31Fs/T_dZySLp-cI/AAAAAAAAAq8/IMXQ-czxowQ/s1600/P1010196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oe77iVy31Fs/T_dZySLp-cI/AAAAAAAAAq8/IMXQ-czxowQ/s400/P1010196.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The poor white geranium has no chance ....</td></tr>
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More hot peppers (pepper shown in previous photo has now been eaten): <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d1HEGFvuDgQ/T_dZajT0jfI/AAAAAAAAAq0/cpacnRxFA8Y/s1600/P1010194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d1HEGFvuDgQ/T_dZajT0jfI/AAAAAAAAAq0/cpacnRxFA8Y/s400/P1010194.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here is tomato pot row on June 30:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LNoOnh7l4Bg/T_daV4on2aI/AAAAAAAAArE/MGxi1dbal2Q/s1600/P1010201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LNoOnh7l4Bg/T_daV4on2aI/AAAAAAAAArE/MGxi1dbal2Q/s400/P1010201.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The following day, we had another harvest:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_dmwte_9nQ/T_dbDVHEuZI/AAAAAAAAArM/2fV2qwTKOm0/s1600/P1010205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_dmwte_9nQ/T_dbDVHEuZI/AAAAAAAAArM/2fV2qwTKOm0/s400/P1010205.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bunch of cilantro, parsley and other herbs, and a hot pepper</td></tr>
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I made some scallion-cilantro sauce, which I've been using to marinate chicken:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ihunmHFI6Ik/T_dcR17AsxI/AAAAAAAAArU/lGazcsKwgaM/s1600/P1010224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ihunmHFI6Ik/T_dcR17AsxI/AAAAAAAAArU/lGazcsKwgaM/s400/P1010224.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also made some cilantro-lime dressing, which I've used for stir fry, salad dressing, and to make some spicy cilantro scrambled eggs for breakfast this morning:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-POSjRglVU3k/T_dcnRyLyhI/AAAAAAAAArc/joOr1Z7EmNQ/s1600/P1010225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-POSjRglVU3k/T_dcnRyLyhI/AAAAAAAAArc/joOr1Z7EmNQ/s400/P1010225.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also made some fresh salsa:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0OwjpTrxtuM/T_dcxie8tuI/AAAAAAAAArk/_PWWqEX1bVc/s1600/P1010226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0OwjpTrxtuM/T_dcxie8tuI/AAAAAAAAArk/_PWWqEX1bVc/s400/P1010226.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, a few photos from the garden today:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8d3TQsnP-8s/T_ddLA7cypI/AAAAAAAAArs/9CdmEU4mutg/s1600/P1010213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8d3TQsnP-8s/T_ddLA7cypI/AAAAAAAAArs/9CdmEU4mutg/s400/P1010213.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That little squash plant and that little zucchini plant have taken over,<br />
and the tomatoes are reaching the tops of their bamboo stakes</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iWMIPJJTals/T_ddMqNYlRI/AAAAAAAAAr0/H0_QP3uo8Sg/s1600/P1010214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iWMIPJJTals/T_ddMqNYlRI/AAAAAAAAAr0/H0_QP3uo8Sg/s400/P1010214.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some beets I planted from seeds several weeks ago</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lgUch7n4X50/T_ddONe40DI/AAAAAAAAAr8/Drv_PNloc40/s1600/P1010215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lgUch7n4X50/T_ddONe40DI/AAAAAAAAAr8/Drv_PNloc40/s400/P1010215.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomatoes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ilKk7PYi34w/T_ddP5vrAhI/AAAAAAAAAsE/NLcsD7f_SgY/s1600/P1010216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ilKk7PYi34w/T_ddP5vrAhI/AAAAAAAAAsE/NLcsD7f_SgY/s400/P1010216.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of squash plant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-686u_VGGB-s/T_ddRY5f8nI/AAAAAAAAAsM/7PC9X8CIp4s/s1600/P1010218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-686u_VGGB-s/T_ddRY5f8nI/AAAAAAAAAsM/7PC9X8CIp4s/s400/P1010218.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another tiny purple pepper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--oCkq7dpsKY/T_ddS3CMa8I/AAAAAAAAAsU/WhwjxQdS8fY/s1600/P1010219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--oCkq7dpsKY/T_ddS3CMa8I/AAAAAAAAAsU/WhwjxQdS8fY/s400/P1010219.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More hot green peppers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am also overrun with basil, so this weekend I will be making pesto sauce and freezing it for future use.<br />
<br />
So, just to summarize -<br />
<br />
Before:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ULCrrCFAzNQ/T_djY2iz1zI/AAAAAAAAAsg/7S5BfhNBEtM/s1600/Begin+covering+with+leaves.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ULCrrCFAzNQ/T_djY2iz1zI/AAAAAAAAAsg/7S5BfhNBEtM/s400/Begin+covering+with+leaves.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
And After:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8d3TQsnP-8s/T_ddLA7cypI/AAAAAAAAArs/9CdmEU4mutg/s1600/P1010213.JPG"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8d3TQsnP-8s/T_ddLA7cypI/AAAAAAAAArs/9CdmEU4mutg/s400/P1010213.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-60610390552506910882012-07-06T13:13:00.002-07:002012-07-10T13:55:15.885-07:00Cool bean!I'm not a huge bean eater and I've never grown beans. For some reason, I had it in my head that they were complicated and difficult to grow. But, over the past few months several people have asked if I'm growing beans and have mentioned how easy they are to grow. So, a couple of weeks ago, I picked up this colorful mix of beans:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rmV8tSoQJ50/T_dDDf_E5NI/AAAAAAAAAmk/x_6remK3W3U/s1600/P1010221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rmV8tSoQJ50/T_dDDf_E5NI/AAAAAAAAAmk/x_6remK3W3U/s400/P1010221.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I don't have any more room left in my little vegetable plot to add beans, so I've decided to try growing them in a large pot. I drilled holes in the bottom and added some empty plastic bottles for drainage and to make the pot lighter and easier to move around. Then I filled it with potting mix, combined with fertilizer, some manure, blood meal, and granulated lime. I planted the bean seeds (which were all different colors) in a circle around the edge of the pot. I added three bamboo stakes which I tied together at the top with twine, so the beans have something to climb. According to the package, the plants are supposed to start sprouting in about 7 to 14 days. A couple of days ago, I saw the first sprout, and today I took a photo of the little guy:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O-lpqhsNX0k/T_dGK4lOtNI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/6Q0gEzLOa7U/s1600/P1010222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O-lpqhsNX0k/T_dGK4lOtNI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/6Q0gEzLOa7U/s400/P1010222.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My First Bean Plant!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I keep the pot on a wooden dolly on the side of the driveway that we never use. That way if I ever need to move it around, it should be fairly easy to shift:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0dKoOPFe20/T_dEsc2L6aI/AAAAAAAAAm0/1c7VcvjKnng/s1600/P1010209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0dKoOPFe20/T_dEsc2L6aI/AAAAAAAAAm0/1c7VcvjKnng/s400/P1010209.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-17774918564717245802012-06-05T09:06:00.000-07:002012-06-05T09:12:06.783-07:00Questions About Hardy LiliesThe MOTH fell in love with this Lily when we were at a local garden center a few weeks ago:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vXc961yMkV4/T833yl3x72I/AAAAAAAAAfY/b8ZgjI4ElDM/s1600/P1010077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vXc961yMkV4/T833yl3x72I/AAAAAAAAAfY/b8ZgjI4ElDM/s400/P1010077.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
So, we bought it and I transplanted it into this container. Since, then it has been losing flower petals pretty much every day. I assume this is pretty normal, but I have not been able to find much information about "Hardy Lilies" on line, and they are not mentioned in my plant book.<br />
<br />
My questions are:<br />
<ul>
<li>Once the flower petals fall off, should I remove/pinch off the little nub at the bottom or just leave it.</li>
<li>Will any flowers grow back this season, or are they gone for good? </li>
<li>Once all the flowers are gone, what do I do - should I cut the foliage or just leave it? </li>
<li>What do I do with it over the winter?</li>
</ul>
Any help would be fabulous!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-66107786245508584292012-06-04T16:21:00.000-07:002012-06-05T09:07:21.089-07:00Why Aren't My Greens Growing?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have been following several of the Harvest Monday posts by various gardening bloggers. Each Monday, participating bloggers post about their harvests for the week. I am so jealous of the stuff that people are harvesting. It seems that people are growing huge amounts of greens, among other things. I originally planted these greens (lettuce and swiss chard) back at the end of March. On May 13, they looked like this:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WjIOi7M8nWU/T80_nWsy2eI/AAAAAAAAAb8/HQ1_a2DUA9E/s1600/P1000994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WjIOi7M8nWU/T80_nWsy2eI/AAAAAAAAAb8/HQ1_a2DUA9E/s400/P1000994.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lettuce and Swiss Chard as of May 13</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today, they look like this:</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sjvBEo8Jm_4/T80_EKPsaSI/AAAAAAAAAb0/kLSBnYSqM-I/s1600/P1010157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sjvBEo8Jm_4/T80_EKPsaSI/AAAAAAAAAb0/kLSBnYSqM-I/s400/P1010157.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are a few more leaves on the Rosalita lettuce (on the far right)
and some of the other leaves are a bit bigger, but it looks pretty much the
same. I had a lot of issues with bugs eating these greens, so I moved the pot around a few
times, sprayed them with organic insect repellant, and added some more mulch made of dead leaves. I also read that
the spiny "maces" that fall from Sweet Gum trees are a great for deterring slugs that attack lettuce, so I added those to my pot. I also originally had it in the sunniest part of my garden, so I moved it to a slightly less sunny location, since I read that too much heat and sun isn't great for greens.<br />
<br />
But still, I'm depressed about the results. When I see the gorgeous greens that other bloggers are producing, I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I've been reading all kinds of advice about growing greens, but still don't know what I should do differently.<br />
<br />
Hoping others will have some advice for me.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-65866304870560045782012-06-04T15:56:00.004-07:002012-06-05T09:07:41.695-07:00Your Best Ever!Last night, I made a chicken stir fry - this is not unusual. I make it pretty regularly and the basic ingredients are usually the same - either white or dark meat chicken, tomatoes, and lots of fresh veggies. But, the key is always the seasoning. Each time I vary it with different herbs and spices, depending on my mood (and the cupboard). Sometimes it's spicy, sometimes mild, sometimes lemony or tangy or garlicky. Sometimes it's creamy - sometimes it's saucy or brothy. Tonight, after the MOTH had finished making "yummy noises," I asked him what he thought. He said "It's your best ever." That's when I told him - it was seasoned entirely with fresh herbs from my garden.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3hKkhXYnQM8/T808imvZ7jI/AAAAAAAAAbk/ylwqwwEDvE0/s1600/P1010149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3hKkhXYnQM8/T808imvZ7jI/AAAAAAAAAbk/ylwqwwEDvE0/s400/P1010149.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mixture of herbs picked fresh from the garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once he was done making fake "MEDIC!!!" jokes (haha), he was suitably and appropriately impressed. I just feel happy and proud. I did it! I made my first meal with stuff from my garden and it didn't totally suck! I can't wait until I can start replacing store bought ingredients with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and other veggies from the garden.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-80933046730536120752012-06-03T17:15:00.004-07:002012-06-04T09:06:33.164-07:00yay! it's raining!Will <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/06/you-cant-holler-down-my-rain-barrel.html" target="_blank">it</a> work????Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-74657176804176159482012-06-03T09:11:00.000-07:002012-06-04T09:02:22.915-07:00You Can't Holler Down My Rain Barrel ...When I was a child, we used to visit my extended family in Australia every other Summer. Of course, when it was Summer in New York, it was Winter in Australia. And, back then in the 70's, it seemed that no one in Australia had central air conditioning - at least no one in my family. So I spent my summers huddled up as close as I could get to my grandmother's electric space heater or shivering in bed with a hot water bottle. I do have some pleasant memories and one was of the charming old fashioned songs my maternal grandmother would sing to us - especially after she'd had a few glasses of wine in her. One of the songs involved two little girls who were best friends that played together every day, until one day - as girls do - they got into a fight. In the chorus, they yell vituperative taunts at each other:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I don't want to play in your yard. <br />
I don't like you anymore. <br />
You'll be sorry whey you see me, sliding down our cellar door. <br />
You can't holler down our rain barrel. <br />
You can't climb our apple tree. <br />
I don't want to play in your yard, if you won't be good to me.</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
Of course, as a kid who grew up in 1970s Manhattan, I had no idea what a rain barrel was and never thought to ask. I simply assumed that for two little girls growing up in those bucolic times, refusing to let someone "holler down your rain barrel" was an insult of the highest order. Occasionally, when I would hear the song over the years (Diane Keaton sings a version of the song in the movie "Reds"), I would wonder - what in the world IS a rain barrel anyway? I imagined some sort of enormous cistern-like thing that would produce sonorous echos when you yelled into it.<br />
<br />
I don't recall when I finally learned what a rain barrel was, but I do remember being vaguely disappointed (oh, okay, that's it? hmm). It mostly made me feel sorry for the little girls in the song - who were evidently so desperate for entertainment that they had to resort to hollering down rain barrels and picking fights with their best friend to stave off mind-numbing boredom. <br />
<br />
When I decided to start gardening this year, I began my journey - as one does - with the Internet, reading everything I could find on-line about planting, growing, soil, seeds, sun, compost and - of course - water. Well, imagine my surprise when my old friend the rain barrel kept popping his head up all over my computer screen - "hey, remember me? holla' at your boy!" (A side note: I actually googled the phrase "holla' at your boy" and, according to urbandictionary.com, it is the Ebonic translation for "please give me a call at your earliest convenience." Love it!)<br />
<br />
So, I decided that one of the first things I would do in my new garden - after installing <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/03/city-girl-tries-composting.html" target="_blank">Geoffrey</a> - would be to get me a rain barrel. I looked at a bunch of on-line instructions and videos, but still felt a bit insecure about trying to make my own rain barrel. Fortunately, fate intervened, and I discovered that Rutgers was having an all day <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/03/im-planning-to-go-to-this-gardening.html" target="_blank">home gardeners program</a> on March 24, which included a class on rain barrels. At the end of the class, the participants would make their own rain barrels to take home with them.<br />
<br />
So, I signed up and went to the class, which was run by a guy from the <a href="http://water.rutgers.edu/" target="_blank">Rutgers Water Resources Program</a>. (The Rutgers website contains <a href="http://water.rutgers.edu/Stormwater_Management/rainbarrels.html" target="_blank">a lot of helpful information about rain barrels</a>, by the way). The class was very informative and I learned a lot about the importance of conserving water, and what individuals can do to help - including, you guessed it, installing a rain barrel - or eight:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UZrabRNSjkM/T8t-d2r4-5I/AAAAAAAAAYw/Pc6T7A837dk/s1600/DCP_1550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UZrabRNSjkM/T8t-d2r4-5I/AAAAAAAAAYw/Pc6T7A837dk/s400/DCP_1550.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is NOT my set-up. It is <a href="http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/adams/audrey/water_barrel.htm" target="_blank">this guy's</a> set up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is my rain barrel:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WIjdJIaYAu8/T8t_yG01hDI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/EU8MnB86lDk/s1600/Rain+barrel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WIjdJIaYAu8/T8t_yG01hDI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/EU8MnB86lDk/s400/Rain+barrel.JPG" width="242" /></a></div>
<br />
Once I got Mr. rain barrel home, he proceeded to sit in the garage (amongst several unpacked boxes of books) for the next two months. Every time it rained, I would feel a little guilty. I even ordered one of those rain barrel diverters from Home Depot, which arrived in early April - he has also been sitting in the garage for almost two months. So, yesterday, I decided to stop procrastinating and install my darn rain barrel already! This is the spot I chose. It is at the back left corner of the house, behind my vegetable garden. This will make it convenient to use the water collected in the rain barrel to water my veggies. Right now, I have to drag the hose over from the front of the house near the garage, where the faucet is. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MKnwrObawDk/T8uBgeX1uXI/AAAAAAAAAZY/TJPJPwGz2_Q/s1600/P1010100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MKnwrObawDk/T8uBgeX1uXI/AAAAAAAAAZY/TJPJPwGz2_Q/s400/P1010100.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future spot of the rain barrel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First, I prepared the ground where the rain barrel is going to sit. It is very important that the ground is firm and even. I removed the sod (and tossed it into Geoffrey, who sits just around the corner to the left) and used a spade to even out the earth. I had to dig up some soil from the backyard to fill in the holes made by removing the sod.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L05MFrPU2zA/T8uBnUhiRrI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/WMFdaeuwe0k/s1600/P1010104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L05MFrPU2zA/T8uBnUhiRrI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/WMFdaeuwe0k/s400/P1010104.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I checked the newly-flattened area with a level to make sure it was even:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLk14_FI9wI/T8uBlV6-c3I/AAAAAAAAAZw/DvqmXByg0JQ/s1600/P1010103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLk14_FI9wI/T8uBlV6-c3I/AAAAAAAAAZw/DvqmXByg0JQ/s400/P1010103.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Then I added some cinder blocks to form a base for the rain barrel:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RwF7ImJKEIU/T8uBpD16BsI/AAAAAAAAAaE/_h9oEvtXPQw/s1600/P1010105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RwF7ImJKEIU/T8uBpD16BsI/AAAAAAAAAaE/_h9oEvtXPQw/s400/P1010105.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Whoops, that third cinder block looks a little wonky. I moved him to the side and built up that side a bit more:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OUbUzc3Ulzo/T8uBtNyHmMI/AAAAAAAAAaU/9yK5rzFToQo/s1600/P1010107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OUbUzc3Ulzo/T8uBtNyHmMI/AAAAAAAAAaU/9yK5rzFToQo/s320/P1010107.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Next, I marked the area on the downspout where I needed to cut to insert the diverter:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-89Ow2f7LcZE/T8uBvLY5NOI/AAAAAAAAAag/fhRyMQcRNrw/s1600/P1010108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-89Ow2f7LcZE/T8uBvLY5NOI/AAAAAAAAAag/fhRyMQcRNrw/s400/P1010108.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
I unscrewed the fastener that holds the downspout to the side of the house:<br />
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Then, I got out my trusty old hacksaw (which used to belong to my dad), along with gloves and safety glasses:<br />
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I was slightly freaked out to be cutting up a piece of my nice new house. But I got over my fear, and started hacking away. I had to crunch up the end of the downspout a little bit, so it would fit into the diverter, but it seemed to work okay. I also had to drill an extra hole into the rain barrel, to attach the diverter hose. According to the literature, the rainwater should get diverted from the downspout into the rain barrel until it fills up, after which it should go back to the downspout, through the underground drainage tube, and into the gutter.<br />
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The hose was a bit long, so I cut it down a bit and reattached it.<br />
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Now, I'm dying to know if it will actually work! Of course, after several days of rain, there's not a cloud in the sky.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-35323343767803311852012-05-21T15:43:00.001-07:002012-06-04T09:01:41.715-07:00Need Help With Problem PlantsI'm seeing some problems on some of my plants. If anyone can help me identify the problem and what to do about it, I'd be very grateful.<br />
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First, there are brown spots on some of my tomato plant leaves. Interestingly, even though I planted four different types of seeds, the brown spots only appear on the San Marzano plant leaves. Here are shots of several different plants:<br />
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Second, I planted several carrot seeds outside over a month ago. Only one has had any significant growth and it was looking pretty good until yesterday. Now the leaves are all mottled, like this:<br />
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Finally, I bought some succulents at Home Depot, which I planted in a container. One of them is starting to turn an yellowy orange. The first photo below the top part of the plant, which looks pretty much as green as when I first bought it. The second photo is of the ends of the plant, which are now turning yellow.<br />
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Any help would be appreciated!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-89527458850309818252012-05-19T13:33:00.000-07:002012-06-04T09:01:06.626-07:00More Container Plantings and a Surprise GiftIt was a beautiful sunny day here in Metuchen, New Jersey, so I decided to plant my herb barrel. I picked up the barrel a few days ago and have been very eager to get some herbs into it. I had originally purchased one from Amazon but it was badly packed, so it arrived broken. I returned it but did not want to wait for a replacement to be delivered, so just bought a new one at the local Home Depot. I usually have great experiences with Amazon and have never had to return anything, so I was extremely impressed with how easy the return process was. I just printed out the label, repacked the barrel, slapped the label on and my mail carrier picked it up. A couple of days later, I had my refund. I didn't even have to talk to anyone to complain or ask for a refund. Amazon is pretty awesome, I have to say.<br />
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Anyway, some of the herbs came from the Rutger's University garden day (which we attended last weekend), but I grew some of them myself from seed. I started by putting some plastic bottles in the bottom of the barrel and filled it with potting mix, peat moss and some dry fertilizer. Supposedly the plastic bottles make the pot lighter because you use less potting mix and improve drainage. Also, it's great for us because the MOTH drinks tons of bottled water (which I hardly ever drink) and I always feel so guilty about throwing those little bottles into the recycling bins. Who knows if they don't just end up in some landfill somewhere anyway? So, now I can actually use them for something productive and positive. Then I transplanted herbs, watered them and added a layer of mulch. And Voila!<br />
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Clockwise from the top, we have: tarragon, flat parsley, oregano, curly parsley, sweet basil, thyme, sage and (in the center) lemon verbena.<br />
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I also planted a container of succulents. Again, most of these are from Rutgers, but I picked up a couple more from Home Depot to fill out the pot. I planted these in regular potting mix but I added some extra perlite to make it lighter and improve drainage. Here is the finished product:<br />
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Finally, I got a nice surprise gift from one of the landscapers who is bidding for the job on my property. He initially came by on Thursday (he's the one <a href="http://thecautiousgardener.blogspot.com/2012/05/we-have-nest.html" target="_blank">who noticed the bird's nest</a>). Then, he came by again today to take photos of the property, and gave me a Lily that he said was left over from another landscaping job. It was a bit sad looking and dry with a bunch of yellow fronds, so I cut off the dead fronds and gave her some water. Now I just have to figure out where to put her:<br />
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According to her tag, she is a Black Eyed Stella Daylily who should be planted in sun to partial sun.<br />
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<br />Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-3407155272647473722012-05-18T08:30:00.003-07:002012-06-04T08:59:40.410-07:00Probably More Than You Would Want to Know About TomatoesSeveral months ago, I signed up for a free e-newsletter from <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/" target="_blank">Mother Earth News</a>. In the issue I received today, one of the topics was <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/Growing-Tomatoes-Expert-Advice.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_content=05.18.12+FG&utm_campaign=2012+FG&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">Growing Tomatoes: A Collection of Expert Advice</a>. The link takes you to a page with dozens of articles about tomatoes.<br />
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Topics include:<br />
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<li>The best tomatoes to grow in your location, including here in the <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Best-Tomatoes-To-Grow-Northeast.aspx" target="_blank">Northeast</a>. Apparently, the best "slicers" are Brandywine, Early Girl and Beefsteak.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/vertical-gardening-zm0z10zhun.aspx" target="_blank">Vertical Gardening Techniques</a>, including caging, trellises, etc.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2003-10-01/Grow-Your-Own-Seeds.aspx" target="_blank">How to save your own seeds</a>. </li>
<li>Several tomato recipes, including <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/homemade-bread-cooking-skills/tomato-jam.aspx" target="_blank">tomato jam</a> and what they claim is the <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/blogs/blog.aspx?blogid=1508&tag=tomato%20recipes" target="_blank">perfect tomato sandwich</a>. I think the point of that last recipe is that any sandwich made from a tomato grown and ripened in your own garden is the perfect tomato sandwich. I'm sure I will feel the same way once I've tasted my first homegrown tomato.</li>
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For a beginner, it's always nice to find a resource that provides a lot of information about a subject in one convenient location. I'm sure I will be returning to these articles as I continue my tomato growing journey.<br />
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Oh and if tomatoes don't rock your boat, this month's e-newsletter also includes an article on <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/potatoes-in-a-barrel-zmaz80mazraw.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_content=05.18.12+FG&utm_campaign=2012+FG&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">growing potatoes in a barrel</a>.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151510507709820575.post-46067794801114350412012-05-17T15:40:00.000-07:002012-06-04T08:59:25.964-07:00We Have a NestOver the past week, we've been meeting with various landscapers and tree people to try to come up with a plan for our backyard. We have a number of large trees that hang over the yard (and in some cases quite close to the house). So, in almost every case, the landscapers and tree people have advised us to cut back various tree limbs both to open up the canopy and to protect against limbs hitting the house during storms, etc. Interestingly, the last landscaper who met with us today was the only one who noticed this:<br />
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We have a little bird's nest (with a little mommy bird in it) in one of the tree limbs that everyone has been telling us to cut down. Obviously, that tree limb ain't going nowhere until mama bird finishes her business. I'm not saying the other guys wouldn't have noticed it at some point before it was too late - I'm sure they would have. But it was interesting that only one person was observant enough to catch it right then during the initial consult.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220435677230258165noreply@blogger.com0