Totally Tomatoes

Hey Everyone,

Next weeks Bed Time Talk, Tuesday, Aug. 6th, is dedicated completely to tomatoes.  Let me be your tour guide as we walk through the garden and learn the proper identification of some of the different strains of blight disease as well as discuss the proper control measures. Working together and adopting better practices in growing tomatoes can go a long way in preventing these blight diseases from taking such a hold. Our walk will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m., with any assistance you may need in your bed immediately thereafter.  This is a wonderful opportunity for us all to learn from each other!

Hope you will come,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Bed Time Talk July 2013

Summer Tomato Soup with Tasty Garlic

Hey Everyone,

"Cherokee Purple's"
Best Tomatoes Ever!

For those that love a fresh summer soup, here is one of our family favorites utilizing fresh ingredients from our veggie and herb garden.  I originally got the recipe from Cooking Light Magazine about 15 years ago and then tweaked and played with tomato varieties and herbs to suit my family's tastes. Most any of the heirloom type tomatoes work incredibly well in this soup. We love this with a nice quality Italian bread or a French baguette. This recipe makes either two hefty full size dinner servings or four nice size sides.  It is well suited for either a weeknight dinner or a lovely dish for entertaining! Yummy Yum!

Ingredients:

5 large Cherokee Purple Tomatoes or another heirloom variety with a nice rich tomato flavor
2 quarts water
2 quarts ice water
3 trays of ice

1 1/2 cups uncooked seashell pasta (small size)
4 - 5 teaspoons of Bertolli Extra-Light Virgin Olive Oil, divided
3/4 - 1 cup finely chopped red onion
8 regular size garlic cloves, thinly sliced as slivers

1-cup water
1 heavy tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 heavy teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1 heavy tablespoon chopped fresh flat- leaf parsley
1 heavy teaspoon minced fresh thyme (lemon or German)
1 32 oz. box of Swanson's fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Additional salt to taste if needed

1/2 cup freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley and/or thyme sprigs (optional)
Specialty bread

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, however, omit the salt and fat.  Drain completely and toss with 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of the olive oil.  Set aside and cool.

Using a Dutch oven bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.  In a large separate bowl, place the other 2 quarts of water and add plenty of ice.

Take a knife and score the bottom of each tomato with an X.  Place tomatoes in boiling water and cook 30 seconds.  Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into the ice bath to stop cooking.  It helps to prepare only a couple tomatoes at a time to avoid over cooking them and ruining the texture.  Let tomatoes sit in the ice bath for at least 5 minutes.  Once again, remove with slotted spoon, drain and peel.  Discard boiled water do not rinse pan.

Cut each tomato in half crosswise.  Remove and discard all seeds.  Dice the tomatoes into nice bite size pieces.  Set aside.

In the same Dutch oven, heat 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the onion and cook 7 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic slivers and cook about 3 - 4 more minutes or until the onion is nice and tender.  Stir frequently.

Stir in the tomatoes, 1-cup water, chives, oregano, parsley, thyme, and broth.  Bring mixture just to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes stirring often.

Add the pasta, vinegar, pepper, and salt if needed.  Cook for 1 - 2 minutes to allow the pasta to re-heat.

Garnish with 1 tablespoon of fresh shaved Parmesan cheese and a sprig of either parsley or thyme depending on the bread chosen.

Hope you enjoy,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Beautiful Bee or Wasp?

Hey Everyone,

With all the beautiful flowers in bloom, I have been enjoying taking some photographs of the pollinating insects in the garden.  My goal is to not only increase recognition skills of good bugs vs. bad, but also learn identification of the male and female within the species.  I ran across this beautiful bee or wasp (lower left) the other day and am trying to identify him proper.  Since we have some beekeepers and enthusiasts out there, maybe you can help me.  Have I stumbled upon a male Agapostemon splendens? In addition, is that his female counterpart above?

Beautiful Bee or Wasp?

Any thoughts or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Spotlight on Something Unique - Tomatillos

Hey Everyone,

Well we have visited one of our nation's leading research universities in the agricultural sciences, nestled outside the Cascades, to learn about Vann's Indigo Rose tomato plant.  Kimberly has taken us on a wonderful tropical adventure to expand our knowledge on a tasty green we can grow all summer.  That was so much fun getting to wear our bikinis and speedos!  Yikes, could you imagine?  Now, it is time to spice things up a bit, throw on a little Carlos Santana, and let Dalita and Sue take us on a road-trip south of the border.  That's right we are going to Mexico!

"Toma Verde" Tomatillo
grown by
Sue Plumb in Bed 30

No doubts about it, these plants are nothing short of stunning.  The Tomatillo [pronounced toh-MAH-tee-YO] has origins to Mexico and is native to many of the Latin American countries.  History has it that this intriguing variety came from Central and South America whereby it was cultivated in Mexico by the Aztecs long before the tomato ever arrived.  It is actually one of the most ancient vegetables dating back to 800 B.C.  Often, it is referred to as "Husk Cherry" or "Husk Tomato" due to its unique appearance and growing habit. However, while closely related to tomatoes and ground cherries, the flavor is anything but.  I find it remarkable how similar in appearance it is to the Chinese Lantern flowers I remember from childhood used by the Japanese during the Bon Festivals as Obon offerings to guide the souls of the deceased.

Chinese Lantern
Flower from
Burpee Seed Co.

As a close relative to the tomato and member of the nightshade family, the requirements and conditions for growth will be similar.  It is important to note, that tomatillos require two plants for cross-pollination in order to set and develop fruit. On viewing in the garden, these plants seem to stay more compact and manageable compared to their wild and woolly cousins.  They also seem to be slightly more resistant and tolerant to the disease pressures of blight that we all face.  The development of fruit is interesting to watch as the husk develops first, followed by a cherry size fruit inside, which then advances rapidly in mass.  As soon as the papery shell turns from green to brown and starts to split, they are ready. These particular cultivars are unique in the fact that they produce one of the few fruits used fresh before ripening.  A truly ripened fruit matures to yellow, but is then less desirable for use.  Dalita has mentioned that the fruit stores well for up to one month in a paper bag placed in the refrigerator, which provides excellent storage capabilities for the abundance of produce that these plants are setting. 

The most common uses for tomatillos are for Salsa Cruda's and Verde's, which it is said that the fruit adds the distinctive taste of tart lemony flavors combined with a tomato essence that enhances the tones of roasted green chillies and onions.  Many say the fruit is loaded with lemony and zesty citric overtones with a hint of an apple finish.  We will need to have Dalita and Sue report their findings on the nuances of flavor they experience.  While tomatillos can be enjoyed raw, this is their least desirable form due to the sticky nature of the fruit even after cleaning.  Many chefs utilize the fruit for "fusion cooking" recipes adapting Latin American flavor themes for contemporary North American tastes.  Since tomatillos contain no cholesterol or sodium, they are an excellent choice for health conscious recipes.  One medium raw tomatillo contains only 11 calories and has 91 mg. of potassium, 4 mg. of vitamin C, 2.4 mg. of calcium, 2.38 mg. of folic acid, and 39 IU of vitamin A.

"Toma Verde" Tomatillo
grown by
Dalita Bullock in Bed 4

There is little out-crossing with tomatillos and isolation distances to save seed for the cultivar are only 1 - 2 '. Fermenting with sterilization would be the best method to obtain quality seed for future plantings. Dalita was so kind to bring a souvenir of seeds for the Purple Tomatillo back from Texas so we will have another interesting variety to view next year.  I cannot wait to try these at the garden and in reading on this cultivar, it promises to stun us with its rare beauty as well.   

Kudos to Dalita & Sue for spicing things up a bit with something south of the border. This is such a unique and interesting plant for us to view and learn about. 

For those that would like to read more on the tomatillo or see some of the great suggestions for use, here is a link for your convenience. 

  http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/tomatillo-growing-guide

Seeds for "TomaVerde" grown by Dalita and Sue are available locally at Pikes through the Botanical Interests seed line.

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

What Can I Plant Now?

Hey Everyone,

Someone asked the best question in the garden this past weekend as to what can they plant now.  July is such a great gardening month as you are probably reaping the reward from all the hard work and dedication you have put in.  Besides being the perfect time to plant a second round of vegetables such as beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, okra, and squash.  It is also the perfect time to make your plan for the fall.  Do you want to try growing some transplants yourself, or maybe attempt direct sowing?  Both of these methods often provide you with healthier plants and better production from them.  The two links below have wonderful planning charts on what you should be starting now for the best success next season.  I also inserted a link to the Farmer's Almanac that has a chart listing the last planting dates for your second round of summer veggies.

http://www.almanac.com/content/succession-gardening-
planting-dates-second-crops
Last dates for planting a second round
 of summer veggies. 

As I am getting ready to start my seeds for fall, this weekend was a trip to Lowe's for some additional starting trays.  To my disappointment, Lowe's has pulled all their seed starting materials as well as their seed racks.  I asked at customer service and they are unsure if they will carry them this fall but will pass it along to the manager that people may be looking for these products.  Evidently, the store manager does not garden.  Oh, go ahead and smack me that was just nasty!  Lowe's currently only has a very narrow selection of Seeds of Change packets and they are marked down for clearance. (Still higher priced than seeds at Pike's or Home Depot, but part of their proceeds are donated to a worthy cause.)  Home Depot continues to have seed racks up; however, they consistently place them outside which does affect the germination rates of the seed and potentially can have affects that carry over to the plant.  In fact, the three largest factors affecting the longevity, quality, and germination rates of seed are light, heat, and humidity.

For those who do not like to order online or desire something locally available, Pike's continues to carry Botanical Interests year round and at present, they have a nice selection of fall varieties.  I have seen a few different cultivars between stores in what they carry and display.  Botanical Interests is actually one of the better seed distributors as they independently lab test all incoming seed from their suppliers before packaging, ensuring a better quality product with higher germination rates.  They proudly tout the safe seed pledge and assure us a non-GMO created seed.  Based on the tests I do at home they continue to run around 93% germination on fresh purchases.  I think the industry standard set by the USDA is somewhere along the lines of 80 - 85 percent, but do not quote me.

If I can be of any help in choosing cultivars, just let me know.

http://www.burpee.com/gygg/growingCalendarWithZipCode.jsp?catid=1000&_requestid=3296629 - link to Burpee Planning Charts

http://www.botanicalinterests.com/img/site_specific/uploads/LateSummFallSowingGuide.pdf - link to Botanical Interests Fall Planning Charts

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Spotlight on Something Unique - Malabar Spinach

Hey Everyone,

Red Stem Malabar Spinach
grown by
Kimberly Roberto, Beds 27 & 28!

I hope everybody has enjoyed the opportunity to take a peek at Vann's Indigo Rose tomato plant. For our next stop on the parade of something unique and beautiful in the garden, stroll by Kimberly's bed (number 27) and check out the Red Stem Malabar spinach plant.  Red Stem Malabar spinach is one that catches my eye as it has the beauty of a unique ornamental plant, but the versatility of a very healthful green.

When the days of summer reach 80 degrees or more, gardeners face the challenge to grow fresh greens as most including regular spinach will start to bolt, wither, and complete their life cycles.  Malabar spinach is an excellent green for bridging the gap between spring and fall allowing tasty growth all summer long.      

This particular spinach is a native plant to areas such as India and Indonesia.  It is commonly grown in these places as well as Southeastern Asia, China, and Africa.  As a perennial vine in tropic or sub-tropic climates, it produces an abundant crop of succulent leaves that simply laugh when the temperatures hit the 90's and above.  On hot and humid days, these varieties grow 8 inches or more per day.  In our zone, it is grown as an annual that dies off at the first hint of frost.  However, according to a few journal entries I have read, supposedly it can be overwintered in a greenhouse or a heated sunroom.

Green Malabar Spinach
grown in Denise's
home garden!

Providing a little shade does promote larger leaves that are quite tasty for wraps and such.  If we have any juicer's out there, these varieties of spinach are highly recommended due to their succelent nature.  Keeping the soil consistently moist prevents the plant from flowering, which may occasionally turn the leaves bitter.  All parts of the plant are useful and at seasons end the seed is easy to obtain for future cultivation. The taste is outstanding with a wonderful crisp bite that is so refreshing.  It is almost juicy due to its succulent qualities. The spinach flavor shines through (IMO on the green leaf variety) with maybe a hint of a young chard leaf finish.  We need to get Kimberly to let us know how the Red Malabar variety tastes!  Two cups of cooked Malabar spinach contain approximately 23 calories and less than 1 gram of fat.  This same serving provides a quarter of the Vitamin A you need each day as well as 8 percent of the DVs for fiber, iron, vitamin C, calcium, riboflavin, magnesium, and manganese.

Kudos to Kimberly for bringing us something so wonderful to learn about from the tropics!

For those that would like to read more on Malabar Spinach, the link below has some general information.

http://tcpermaculture.blogspot.com/2011/10/permaculture-plants-malabar-spinach.html.

Kimberly's Red Stem Malabar plants came from Farmer D's on Briarcliff Road in Atlanta.  Mine are from John Scheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds.

Next stop in the garden - Mexico!

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Spotlight on Something Unique - Indigo Rose Tomato

Hey Everyone,

"Indigo Rose" Tomato
grown by
Vann Gaskin in Bed 44

When taking a walk through the garden it is always such a joy to stumble upon something so unique.  Vann, in Bed 44, has one of the most beautiful cultivars of tomatoes that came out of Oregon State University last year.  What is so unique about some of the new cultivars coming out of Oregon State is they are breeding for a new class of tomato high in antioxidants.  While they are using genetic engineering principles, all are non-GMO practices.

Many of the wild varieties of tomatoes have the anthocyanin's (naturally occurring pigments shown to fight disease in humans) or powerful antioxidants in their fruit. However, until this cultivar was developed, these same compounds were only found in the leaves and stems of homegrown varieties that are toxic to us as well as animals when ingested.

The coloring of this tomato is so distinctive.  As you can see in the photo to the right, the indigo is quite intense.  Only the exposed areas to sunlight develop the deep purple color, while the shaded portions of the tomato remain green until turning ripe.  Upon ripening, the indigo color will dull somewhat while the green portions then turn a rusty red.

Here is an interesting link if anyone might enjoy reading about the background of Indigo Rose.  The link also has a list of suppliers carrying the seed for sale.  If this is a variety you would like to try and are unable to find seed, just let me know.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/purple-tomato-debuts

Kudos to Vann for growing such a showstopper!  Please let us know how they taste.

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Sauteed Squash with Red Onion & Parmesan Cheese

Hey Everyone,

I know I just threw a recipe out there but with all the rain, the squashes are growing faster than the blink of an eye.  Last night's dinner was truly a farm to table recipe as all I needed from the store was a block of Parmesan cheese to shave.  Everything else came straight from the garden, although a bit wet!

Simply delightful!

Sauteed Squash with Red Onion & 
Parmesan Cheese!

Ingredients:

Squash & zucchini need to measure 6 cups when diced.

3 - 4 medium size yellow crookneck squash

2 - 3 medium size zucchini's 

1 large red onion

1 large or two small minced cloves of garlic

1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons of Bertolli Extra Light Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. of fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. of crushed red pepper

1/4 - 1/2 cup of shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Wash all squashes with a vegetable brush.  Cut the squashes into 1/2 inch round slices and then quarter. Just halve the small round pieces.  You need 6 cups of diced squash all together.

Mince the garlic cloves and thinly slice the red onion into vertical pieces, about an inch in size.

Mix the salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper together, set aside.

Shave the Parmesan cheese and set aside.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes.  Add the squashes, onion, and garlic.  Cook 6 - 7 minutes until the onion is tender, stirring gently and frequent.

Remove from heat.  Mix in the salt and both peppers.

Add the Parmesan cheese and serve.

Makes two full plate dinners or 4 - 6 sides.

Hope you enjoy,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29    

A 100 year old quote applies to Green Meadows Preserve

Ever hear of John Burroughs, a naturalist companion of Teddy Roosevelt who, incidentally, was old enough to be his father?  Listen to this quote from his book President Roosevelt as a Nature-Lover and Observer.  "Presently we moved on along another path through the woods toward the house.  A large, wide-spreading oak attracted my attention - a superb tree.  "You see by the branching of that oak," said the President, "that when it grew up this wood was an open field and maybe under the plough; it is only in fields that oaks take that form."  I knew it was true, but my mind did not take in the fact when I first saw the tree."  I smiled last night when I read this because it was a perfect description of the neglected and forgotten oak pictured above that Jim, Bruce and Mike have cleared around and made so prominent.  If you ever want your mind to go to quiet places, read John Burroughs' work.  It's so old, that at least a dozen of his short books are free downloads on my Kindle.

Sloppy Joe's With Garden Peppers & Onions

Hey Everyone,

Denise's Family Sloppy Joe Recipe
with Garden Peppers & Onions

As a kid growing up this was one of our family's favorite weeknight suppers.  When the peppers and onions were fresh and cantaloupe was in season, it certainly brought us all to the table. In the winter mom always made coleslaw and fries for the sides.  Simply yummy!

I usually double the recipe for our family of four as this keeps and reheats so well.

Ingredients:

Nice Large Specialty Sandwich Buns -Toasted
Fresh Fruit
Bag of Chips

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef
1/2 cup diced sweet green bell garden pepper
1/2 cup diced yellow or white garden onion
1 can Campbell's Healthy Request Tomato Soup
1-teaspoon mustard
2-tablespoons bottled barbeque sauce (something mesquite flavored or a Jack Daniel's variety)
1/4 cup fresh grated sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

Prepare all diced ingredients.

Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat and drain all fat.

Add the diced green pepper, onion, tomato soup, mustard, barbeque sauce, and cheese, if desired, to the ground beef.  (I remove skillet from heat while adding ingredients to prevent sticking)  Mix well and cook over medium heat until the mixture just starts to bubble.

Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer for 25 minutes.  Stir several times while simmering.

While sloppy's are cooking, broil buns on a cookie sheet at the lowest setting for 4 - 5 minutes or until nicely toasted.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Serve over toasted buns with chips and fresh fruit for an easy weeknight dinner!

Hope you Enjoy,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Red Potato Harvest of Late June

63 potatoes (about 5 pounds) were harvested 5 days ago using the plastic tote method as taught by Mr. Mike in his Green Meadows class a few months ago.  I used a starter 'soil' mixture of half Nature's Helper and half Georgia red clay as the medium and Stone's Organic Fert. To top dress the stems as they grew, I used the finished, finely sieved soil from the garden's compost bin #3 and applied two additional rounds of very dilute Miracle-Gro.  Plenty of water, loads of sunshine, about two months time and voila! - the photo above!  The spuds range from marble size to fist size, well, my fist, not my husband's.  A simple scrub, a few days drying and we're going to have 31.5 potatoes worth of nutrition.  Why 31.5 and not 63?  Because my garden partner, Ms. Elise, gets half.  Only fair since she baby-sat them as faithfully as Dr. Seuss' Horton the Elephant watched over Mayzie's egg.  

 

Five of the above potatoes will be chosen as seed potatoes for the next crop = $0, my kind of price.  The soil used to grow the potatoes above was returned to Green Meadows' compost bin #2 so, most likely, the next crop will use compost bin #3 soil, also = $0.  This is truly the garden that keeps on giving ............

Increasing the Brix Content of Your Tomatoes!

Hey Everyone,

Who would ever guess that those sweet, beautiful, and delicious tomatoes could even taste better than they already do!

"Sun Gold Cherry Tomato"
Touts a very high brix sugar
content for those that like
them sweet!

Vintners use a Brix scale to determine when grapes are at their peak and ready for processing.  The sugar to acid balance is critical for the industry.  Years ago, the farm trade borrowed the science and it is now commonplace for them to use it as a measurement of when to start the mechanical harvesting process.  Many farmers also test frequently as a means for determining the overall health of plants and quality of their growing medium.  Aside from the science being used as an indicator of an excellent bottle of wine or best time to harvest, many labs across the country are using the scale for the development of new cultivars.  Oregon State for example, is working on many new varieties of tomatoes containing high antioxidants while maintaining a favorable Brix level.  One of these is currently grown in our community garden and will be the spotlight of a separate post.

As more and more are turning to the trend of home gardening, many are finding that the measurable sugars does not remain consistent within the particular variety of tomatoes and can often vary from plant to plant.  Many gardeners find art in fine-tuning and raising the brix levels by the way, you grow your plants, the type of fertilizers you choose, reducing the plant load, and how you feed and care for the soil. Fruits and vegetables containing a higher Brix number will taste better, are more nutrient dense, and provide a longer shelf life, both for the market and home grower.

"Cherokee Purple"
One of the richest tasting heirlooms
with a high Brix content!

I have used Brix scales in the past to choose better tasting varieties to grow, but have never been aware it is possible to take that flavor up a notch by changing common practices during fertilization and growth.  It will be interesting to test the brix levels of my tomatoes as I frequently use some trace minerals (Azomite & Actino-Iron) when planting.  It may even be interesting to test tomatoes picked a day or two out, preventing bird damage, versus those left on the vine until completely ripe.  I ordered a refractometer and if there are any wanting to test for fun or even for "The Sweetest" bragging rights, let me know.  This could be quite interesting and entertaining to compare different varieties within our garden.  Sounds like a Fracto Party with prizes in the works!

The links below have a Brix chart to determine overall vegetable quality and one with general information. It is also interesting to Google, "raising the brix levels in tomatoes" and read some of the common soil recipes.

http://www.healthy-vegetable-gardening.com/brix-scale.html - link to brix chart
http://www.healthy-vegetable-gardening.com/brix-level.html - link to general brix information

This link is one I use frequently for choosing which watermelon varieties to grow.  I love my Sugar Babies!

http://agsyst.wsu.edu/watermelonphotos.html - link to watermelon Brix charts

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

What a Difference a Year Can Make!

I had an occasion yesterday to take a few pictures of the garden.  Several turned out worthy of saving. When I printed one of them out and placed it in a folder that I keep, I couldn't help but notice that it was a similar shot to one I took just one year ago.   I thought some of you might want to see the comparison of what our garden looked like just one year ago in June of 2012 and what it looks like now.  Amazing.

Green Meadows CG  June 27, 2013

This second photo was taken early in the morning so I didn't have the advantage of the morning sunlight that is lighting up the first photo.  In the first photo the first section of 24 beds had just been finished at the end of April and most of the raised beds were planted in May so the vegetables were just starting to gain some size.  This year our beds were planted in March and early April.

When to pick squash

Can you guess which of these yellow squash has
just been sitting around developing lots of seeds?

At this time of year and with as much rain as we've been getting squash grows like crazy (as do the cucumbers but that is a story for another day.) One day you have tiny barely formed squash and 2 days later you have eating sized squash.

If you are trying to grow baseball bat sized zucchini than just leave them on the vine. But if you want nice tender zucchini, you'll need to pick frequently. And carefully look under every leaf.

The zucchini in this picture range from baseball bat
size to young and tender.

Picking frequently encourages the plant to keep producing and it also keeps the vegetables from getting rotten from sitting on the ground. The goal of all plants is to reproduce by flowering, fruiting and setting seed. The larger you let your veggies get, the closer to completing the life cycle the plant gets. Which means the plant will decide it doesn't have to flower and set any more vegetables for you to eat.



Mosquitoes and Taxes

This year the first mosquito bit me on April 15th. Kind of appropriate I thought since both are vexing issues.

All the rain we've had this year has been good - it means we haven't had to water in the garden as much and all the veggies are doing exceptionally well.

But all this rain is also bad because it is really hard to keep up with dumping out all the rain water that accumulates in anything that will hold water. We don't have too many places in the garden that collects water but there are a few so we still have to be pretty diligent about it  After all, mosquitoes only need a teaspoon of water to lay eggs, hatch and grow to maturity.

Don't forget to keep checking your slug and snail traps - if they aren't refreshed or emptied constantly they can end up raising a crop of mosquitoes instead!  (see picture to the left - oops!) Warm weather makes mosquitoes breed faster because there is nothing to slow down their life cycle.

There are two easy ways of combating mosquitoes. Do mosquito patrol after every rain and try to tip over everything that has caught rain water. (If possible, try not to have anything that does catch rain water. Or at least minimize what does catche rain water.)

Use mosquito dunks to prevent mosquitoes. These work really well to kill any larva present and prevent more larva from hatching.  The dunks are non-toxic to birds, fish, frogs, cats and dogs.  If you have spots that are hard to get to or you catch rain water to reuse when it is dry, just put some of the mosquito dunk in there and voila, your problem goes away. You just have to check every few weeks to see if you need to add more mosquito dunk pieces.

Usually you only have to add pieces every 30 days but because we have had so much rain (6.5 inches since June 1st), it is washing out my mosquito dunk crumbles that I had put in the saucers under my pots with plants.

You do NOT have to put dunks in birdbaths unless you never empty or clean them out. If you are keeping clean water in your birdbath you will never have a problem. If you don't do anything with your birdbath for a week then you will end up with mosquito larva in it.

Mosquito dunks can be found at Home Depot and Lowe's in the insecticide for homes area. At the Lowe's on Dallas Hwy it is found on the same aisle as bird feeders and birdseed.

Tiny visitor on coneflower aka (also known as) Echinacea

Passiflora incarnata aka Passionflower aka Maypop - waiting for a tiny visitor

Photos from Friday evening (6/28/13) in the pollinator beds. 

More Harvest pictures

6-25 Mike's Harvest

6-26 Jim's Harvest

Guess the number of Potatoes! Win a Prize!

Mike digging potatoes

The Ice Cream Social on Saturday has many parts to it.

Eating! Socializing & Fun in the shade of the pecan tree!

Homemade Ice Cream Taste Off !

Guess the Number of Potatoes we grew!



The Fabulous Prize for the Guess the Number of Potatoes Contest

Today and Friday the potatoes are being dug up. During the Ice Cream Social on Saturday you will be given the opportunity to guess how many were produced. There will, of course, be a fabulous prize for the person who comes closest to the correct number.

There will also be a prize for the best tasting ice cream. Be sure and have your ice cream at the garden, ready for tasting by the Judge by 12:30 pm. Also be sure to bring an ice cream scoop or other big spoon to dip it out with.


Another bad bug to destroy - Leaf-Footed Bug

Today's bad bug to watch for - leaf-footed bug. This particular species is Leptoglossus phyllopus. There aren't high numbers in the garden yet but they are showing up.

If you look at the lower part of his leg there is a big flat/winged spot which looks like a leaf (which is where the common name comes from.) In large numbers they can do a lot of damage just like squash bugs. Unfortunately, leaf-footed bugs aren't specialists like squash bugs and they will feed on tomatoes, bell peppers, egg plant, beans, cucumbers, and squash. They also like blackberry, apple, pears and pecans.

Leaf-footed bugs pierce plant tissue and fruits with their proboscis and suck the juices out. Unfortunately, their saliva injects toxins which do even more damage. And even more unfortunately, these openings create a pathway for secondary pathogens to enter and cause further damage to the fruit and/or plant.

We won't be able to control them on the blackberry bushes or pecan trees but we can control them in the garden. The best thing to do is hand remove them and squish them if you see them to prevent more eggs being laid. Consistent use of an approved insecticide (as in approved for our community garden) will help to control the nymphs and adults.

For more information and to see various stages of their life cycle -Leaf-footed bugs