Here is a shot of some of my tomato plants, and as you can see, they are getting full of tomatoes. Pictured here are black krim heirlooms and a bloody butcher in the background. Not pictured here in the same plot are the Isis Candy, Sungold, and Kellogg’s Breakfast. I am already harvesting the tasty sungolds. (more…)
This simple method of capturing seeds will work well with many flowering plants (especially those which produce a flowering “stalk”). In this picture, I am holding the mature stalks from just one broccoli plant. After the plant flowers, I just wait until the seed pods are nice and full, and a few of them have started to fall off - and then I know that they are ready to harvest. (more…)
I have previously discussed the many benefits of compost tea and have also provided information sources in my links section. You can use regular compost or vermicompost, but the latter will generally be richer in micro-organisms. Pictured on the left, I am using a very simple system which cost me a total of about $20. (more…)
I discussed in a previous post, Artichokes in Florida, that I was going to try my hand at growing these. Well so far the results are outstanding. On the left is one of the artichoke plants which I planted from seed only last month! As you can see, it is growing like crazy in “my secret formula” (no secret really). I decided to plant them in deep containers (more…)
I previously discussed the cheap method I was utilizing for the purpose of staking indeterminate tomatoes. In case you haven’t followed, the first part of this process is here. Well, my tomatoes have gotten huge and some are already 4′ tall since I planted them from seed in the first part of the year. (more…)
Well the tomatoes which I just staked are starting to load up with blossoms, and I even have quite a few fruit. However, one thing that I notice is that a few of the heirloom varieties are dropping most of their blossoms. Seen here on the left is one nice Black Krim heirloom, but most of the surrounding blossoms just fell off. I have also noticed the same thing happening with two of my Kellogg’s Breakfast heirloom tomatoes. (more…)
I just wanted to post a few photos of the new growth, blossoms, and fruit as spring gets into full swing. To the left is one of my fig trees that is about 6 years old and is starting to leaf out nicely. It is a Brown Turkey and as you can see is quite large. (more…)
Well the heirloom tomatoes that I planted from seed 2 -1/2 months ago are already in need of staking. Because one of my main goals for this blog site is to promote the practice of low space, intensive, and “frugal” home growing, I am always looking for new ways to accomplish these ends. Therefore, I decided to try a different idea for staking my indeterminate tomatoes. (more…)
Previously, I discussed the development of my worm pit and how much wonderful vermicompost that I have obtained from it in just a short time. Therefore, I decided to photo-document my compost harvesting practice. On the left, I am shoveling into an area which I feel has suffiently matured, and I will filter this through a screen filter. (more…)
Even though the weather is still cool here in Northeast Florida, I found this parsley worm on my parsley today. This is actually called the black swallowtail caterpillar and will transform into the black swallowtail butterfly - a large, attractive insect that will visit flowers and suck nectar. The Black Swallowtail caterpillar changes appearance each time it molts. In the last few stages of growth, it is white and green, with black bands and yellow or orange spots.
