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| largest daily haul so far |
The tomato and pepper plants were put in the ground on the 4th of July. I have picked a pepper or two, here and there. Note one hole on the pepper leaves, way up to the top. This is the first bite so far on a pepper plant that I have seen.
Yield:
ripe Romas--0.25 lb.
Several days ago, I picked a pocketful of green tomatoes that were touching the ground. There had been no rain for a week; four or five days of rain were forecast. Thinking the green tomatoes might rot as they touched the wet ground, I rescued them. They are wrapped in newspaper to store and hopefully they will become green. The dry ear of corn was on its way to the hens, part of what I gleaned. It feels so farmer-ish to feed corn from the cobs to my hens and gather three things at once, little as it is of each. The hens were happy to see the corn. Of course, I stood there and shelled it for them...sigh...helpless hens because of my doting.
I love the Wedgwood plate I found along with a mate in an antique shop at least 25 years ago.
By the way, I think I have given up on indoor photography. I spend way too long trying to get the color right, retaking pictures, and fiddling with it all when I photograph most things indoors. So, hauling it all outside is really easier in the long run. The photo today was only "enhanced" and cropped. The Kodak Easyshare program has an "enhance" button that lightens the photo sometimes. Or something.
Your turn:
I know you all have a better garden than I do, so how does your garden grow? Have you had success with wrapping green tomatoes in newspaper until they ripen?
I think your harvest looks enough for a lovely refreshing healthy meal.
ReplyDeleteNo luck with newspaper for me. Sometimes they:ll turn if i leave them sitting in a sunny window. Usually I just make green salsa with green tomatoes, as usually I have tons of them!
ReplyDeleteYour haul is not pathetic at all. It's awesome. It shows just how easy it is for everyone to grow a little something, even with minimal space or minimal abilities, and cut down their reliance on foreign oil. I am very impressed!
FDU,
ReplyDeleteI never thought of it as a meal. However, eggs, tomatoes, and peppers would work. If everyone could raise one meal each day with neglible costs, it would work out well for our earth. Not that I am going to try, but I wonder if that corn is edible ground or cooked. Of course, if unseen mold is in it....not good. It was a "one person meal" and a "three hen meal."
Wendy,
I never thought of it that way. It is always so impressive when I see even a gallon of mixed produce on a blog. So, maybe I can be the "poster child/inspiration" for those with limited abilities or limited knowledge or limited land...lol. "Look what you can do." Thanks for the thoughts and encouragement.
Wendy,
ReplyDeleteMy friends swear by the newspaper method. I wonder what the difference is in when they ripen or don't ripen. We will see. this is my first time for wrapping green tomatoes.
Linda
ReplyDeleteThose eggs are impressive if you ask me. The corn could be ground because it looks like dent corn in the photo. Thats the kind you want for corn meal.
I agree that you should be a poster child;)
Gorgeous photo to.
hey PP - just followed you from MMpaints' blog. i left a long and corny message in response to your comment about making clove oil.
ReplyDeleteanyway - i have added you to our blogroll and will catch up on all of your backposts - i love finding a new blog and reading all of the backposts on a night that i can't sleep - really gives you a chance to get to know someone.
as for harvests this year - well this is our first year in our Bug-Out-Location (BOL). we moved to a 3-season cottage in the middle of the worst winter any of the old-timers here have ever seen. you can find out more details at our just-newly created blog.
anyway - we scrambled during the most dreary and rainy and gray spring to get in about 20 raised beds (14 x 4ft) and about 100 tires (we grow potatoes and herbs in tires - we were very successful using these methods when we lived 1,000 miles away). ok - i am blathering eh?
continuing on - after 4 yrs in the city of being some masterful gardener - my gardens here have sucked bad! but so have everyone else's. it has been an awful spring and summer and over the past few weeks success has been harvesting 3 peas, 2 beans and a radish! i mean - who can't grow a zuchini? apparently - ME!!! arghghghgh!
but because of our terrible weather, no one has had any success. but we have been having a beautiful september and as we don't normally get frost until november, we plan on covering some of our raised beds and tires with plastic sheeting in order to try and harvest some stuff!
'nuff blathering eh?
i am adding you to our blogroll now and will check out all of your previous posts. nice to meet you, madame. i have met some really nice people over the past little while - i encourage you to check out some of the great people on my blogroll. i think that you will like them!
sorry to hog your comments but i have a tendancy to do that regularly!
kymber
We've had our garden evolving for around 4 years. I meant to put a blog post up yesterday, talking about our experince. For us, gardening is definitely a learning process.
ReplyDeleteWe look at bad crops as tithing back to the garden. They didn't give us a huge haul, but during their cycle of life and death they fed a battalion of pests, went to seed, fed some bees and then go back into compost in the ground.
Something we learned this year was not always to pull up dying crops. We've had a cabbage patch spring up by itself, which we've been plucking leaves for stir-frys and feeding the chickens. It's the most non-maintenance crop we have, next to the sweet potato. No love or maintence is given this little cabbage patch.
I've read if you place tomatoes near bananas, they help to ripen them. Also dandelion flowers and leaves. They give off (can't remember the name of the residue now) but that's what tricks the fruit into ripening.
I think you should feel happy with your haul. It's such a simple pleasure to provide some of your needs from the garden. :)
Chris,
ReplyDeleteGardens everywhere around here have been growing like mad. So, I cannot blame the weather. Funny, I have had next to no pests all summer. Weird.
I would never have thought about pulling leaves all along. I might try that next year.
Ethylene gas from apples helps to ripen bananas. I suppose putting bananas near tomatoes would work on the same principle.
For the little effort I have exerted, what I got is excellent.
kymber, I will have to go read your comment. Did you say 1000 miles from from BOL? My harvest is large compared to what you listed.
Some worry about the chemicals that come from tires. I do too. But, it is such a good idea. I will check your blog. Thanks for coming by.
LindaM,
ReplyDeleteCorn can get a fungus, not good to consume. So, since these were old, dried, splitting, and growing sprouts, I just gave them to the hens. I have a coffee grinder that would grind one half cup at a time of corn, so if that were necessary and I could get some of this next year soon after harvest and dry it away from the ground, it would be interesting. Although I am not soon planning to be hungry or impoverished, I think it is interesting to figure all the ways one can feed oneself without a grocery store.
Thanks. I am trying to get better acquainted with my little, cheap camera and do what it actually can do. I love to take photos.
Hubby harvested the rest of the sweet potatoes yesterday and came up with a 4.5 pounder!! our dog even dug a big ole sweet potato for herself the other day!
ReplyDeleteDmarie,
ReplyDeleteThat is funny about the dog digging herself a sweet potato. I did not know sweet potatoes grew that large. What variety did you plant?
PP - i did a lot of research into the tire gardening thing. apparently tires take 2 million years to decompose - and anything that is in the tires is in the air due to 70 billion cars with 4 tires each driving around everyday. i use water and baking soda and vinegar to give each tire a good scrub and then a good rinse.
ReplyDeleteback in the city i had a garden of 70 tires and grew the most awesome herbs and veggies, tomatoes and potatoes for over four years. it has just been such a sucky spring and summer here this year.
i love using the tires for growing herbs and especially potatoes. the tires maintain moisture and keep the soil heated very well.
we have been harvesting potatoes for over a month now and they are delish! thank god for the potatoes! oh wait - look - i think i see one single zuchinni trying to grow - gotta run and take care of it - bahahahah!
lovin' your blog btw!
kymber,
ReplyDeleteTires for growing plants is a brilliant concept. I am still afraid for my food. Maybe I can delve into this a bit more and change my mind. My friends who grow potatoes in tires swear by it. Weather here has been great for all plants. My four tomatoes and one jalapeno plant have been neglected and yet, they thrive.
I hear you can just pull off one tire at a time and keep the harvest going for a while instead of having to dig and then store lots of potatoes.
It is not something I can afford, but I have to replace two tires this next week. Since the wires are showing, I am driving in danger due to my poverty. I intend to keep them for flowers and a tire swing, but I might convert them to food one day.
Linda (but i can't stop thinking of you as PP!) - am not trying to change your mind - we all make our own informed decisions. but i must say that when it comes to potatoes - your friends are dead right from my experience. and the great thing is that you do not have to harvest the potatoes all at one time - you can leave them in the tires AFTER frost - just be sure to pile a goodly amount of hay on top of the tire and around the tire - this means that the containers (tires) now become storage. and i have found that even in temperatures as low as 0 F (-18 C) they will keep well. and yes - when harvesting - you just dig out a tire at a time - we do ours 4 tires high for potatoes.
ReplyDeleteand the really great thing that i know that you will appreciate - get ready for this - you can walk into any garage anywhere and get tires for your garden for FREE!!! garages have to pay for pick-up of old tires, or have to bring them to garbage sites themselves - and we have had many garages thank us for picking up their tires regularly!
do your own research and make your own informed opinion.
i am sorry that you are in such a situation with your car tires. please do not continue driving in danger. our thoughts and prayers are with you!
kymber,
ReplyDeleteYou may call me PP...lol.Well, anyone can.
Yes, I will use garages for tires if I decided to do this.Garages charge me $6/tire to keep them! Four tires high sounds about right. I cannot help the tire situation right now. My plea at the top right was for hen security (against raccoons). But, I may have to convert it to "Linda security." Tires are getting worse and I am getting more frightened. Thanks for the thoughts.
I saw a site about making tire swings where the tires lie horizontal instead of vertical. That was my first thought for the tires...lol. I just wanted one for my grandchildren who were going to visit this summer...nah, too hot for that kind of work!