Well as everyone knows this has been a crazy weather season. People used to snow not getting much, some getting too much and the same with rain. Some with freezing weather and some with not enough of that either.
We did not get more than two inches of snow. We really need some rain and will hopefully get some. Was supposed to rain yesterday and did not. We have well water and if we when it gets low we start getting some grit in our taps. Need to change filter outside more often when that happens. So far we are good with that.
Our regular season for our plants that come up every year is usually late April. Well, my hosta's are full, our dogwoods are in bloom with the wild ones down the mountian also popping out. If we get a freeze the hosta's are done for however the dog woods will survive.
The radishes I planted two weeks ago are coming up already. The scallions are showing no sign of growth. I start these from seeds. My hubby's potato plants he put in are not doing anything but it takes them a while anyway, although we have volunteers coming from last years plantings. He is waiting to put in cherry tomato, regular tomato, squash and green bell peppers. I want to try some silver queen corn this year also.
With the weather being near 80 for over a week it can be scary as the last time this happened we had a hard freeze in late April. That hard freeze took out a lot of plants and I am not looking forward to replacing 73 hosta plants should they get hit. Even my angel trumpet plant is ready to pop. It can be moved inside if that happens.
If you know what Kudzu is there are people here who are now using it for feed for their animals. Some even cook it and eat it themselves. I am not interested, thank you. There are also wild ramps that grow here and from what I have been told about them I am not interested in them either.
This has been the strangest year and it will be interesting to see what survives. If you plant a food garden I hope you fair well. For those of you who do not plant some of your own veggies, you are missing all the great benefits of planting it, nurturing it, watching it thrive and finally picking it and having the best you can get and the pride of doing it yourself.
So for me I will continue to pray for no hard freeze. Too much to lose but then some would love to see colder weather for a while longer. It is beautiful here today and hoping it stays that way.
After you are done with your ourtside work I hope you take some time and visit my store at http://ola.com/store/chateycathey as I now have it in order, some new items listed and all pictures are where they are supposed.
Please comment as all are appreciated.
Showing posts with label veggies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veggies. Show all posts
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
The Earth Box
I have noticed several people posting about gardens so I thought I would let you in on something I have been using since 1998 when I still lived in Florida. I lived in Bradenton and the person who invented it lived in the next town over which is Palmetto.
I am speaking of the earth box. Having a Garden is fine for most however it was just hubby and I so I did not want to dig up the yard for just the two of us. I went to Palmetto and spoke with the gentleman who invented the earth box.
Since there are so many critters there he told me I could grow all I wanted or needed in the screened room that was already up for the pool. I had a hard time with believing him. I wanted cukes, tomatos, scallions, radishes and more. When I told him how many I was growing for and what I wanted to grow he told me I only needed two boxes.
He showed me around at what he was growing and I was totally amazed. He had cabbage (2 to a box) and they were so hugh they actually hid the box they were grown in. He grew corn in them and he told me if it will grow in the earth box it will grow in his boxes. I was so impressed I got two of them. That year I had all the veggies we could eat and I use these same boxes still today.
I hope this link takes you to their site. If it does not just google earth box, Palmetto, FL
http://www.earthbox.com/
These boxes are amazing. When you purchase them you are given any extra's you may need. I never used the plastic covers but you get them, soil treatment products, instructions and all you need to get started. Here is how they work.
When you decide what you are going to grow you can actually start them earlier than usually inside and them move them to your porch or yard where they get sun. The concept is to water from the bottom and only mist from time to time on the leaves. there is a tube that goes down one side where you water it as the roots go after the water and it is always there if you check the box daily. When you put the hose in the tube to fill the bottom with water, you cannot over water as there is a whole in it that lets you know you have enough water in it. I had the best crop of all my years living in FL and it is amazing that I am still using them here in NC with the same results.
Last year was not a good year for veggie gardens here and mine was not the greatest as it has been at other times but it was better than hubbies who insist in tilling, working the soil and all that comes with that. I do let him eat some of mine LOL.
Now I am going to attermp to put a couple of pictures off the net to show you what I mean and if that does not work you will see them when you check out that site.
I am speaking of the earth box. Having a Garden is fine for most however it was just hubby and I so I did not want to dig up the yard for just the two of us. I went to Palmetto and spoke with the gentleman who invented the earth box.
Since there are so many critters there he told me I could grow all I wanted or needed in the screened room that was already up for the pool. I had a hard time with believing him. I wanted cukes, tomatos, scallions, radishes and more. When I told him how many I was growing for and what I wanted to grow he told me I only needed two boxes.
He showed me around at what he was growing and I was totally amazed. He had cabbage (2 to a box) and they were so hugh they actually hid the box they were grown in. He grew corn in them and he told me if it will grow in the earth box it will grow in his boxes. I was so impressed I got two of them. That year I had all the veggies we could eat and I use these same boxes still today.
I hope this link takes you to their site. If it does not just google earth box, Palmetto, FL
http://www.earthbox.com/
These boxes are amazing. When you purchase them you are given any extra's you may need. I never used the plastic covers but you get them, soil treatment products, instructions and all you need to get started. Here is how they work.
When you decide what you are going to grow you can actually start them earlier than usually inside and them move them to your porch or yard where they get sun. The concept is to water from the bottom and only mist from time to time on the leaves. there is a tube that goes down one side where you water it as the roots go after the water and it is always there if you check the box daily. When you put the hose in the tube to fill the bottom with water, you cannot over water as there is a whole in it that lets you know you have enough water in it. I had the best crop of all my years living in FL and it is amazing that I am still using them here in NC with the same results.
Last year was not a good year for veggie gardens here and mine was not the greatest as it has been at other times but it was better than hubbies who insist in tilling, working the soil and all that comes with that. I do let him eat some of mine LOL.
Awesome Tomatos
One head of cabbage grown in an earth box
You can actually see where this young man is putting the water.
The object is to water from the bottom at the root system and you cannot over water them. There is a platform that goes in before you put the soil and seeds in and that allows for the roots to be free to go for the water. I firmly believe in them and when I went back to FL for a visit I bought 2 more. Which now have been leant to friends and they swear by them. They do not want to give them back but I give them the phone number and they will ship them right to your house no matter where you live. We surrprised hubbies dad one year with having 2 shipped to him. The older he got the harder it was for him to garden so we set these up on cinder blocks for him and he was so proud he was still growing things.
Garlic was his love and he has been deceased since 2009 and we still have fresh garlic he made and bottled himself. He also loved putting fresh cut tomatos he grew on the table when we visited.
Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you got something from it. Comments are appreciated. And when you are done here why not come on over to my favorite selling place at OLA.COM and look me up at chateycathey to see what I have now and listings I am still putting up for my 50% off sale ending February 8th at midnight, just in time to get it to you before Valentines day.
Be safe, be healthy and be happy
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