Woo, hoo! I had a great time this morning organizing the seeds that I have (a lot) and starting to order more. Tops on my list were callalo (edible amaranthus) that we'd eaten in the Caribbean, but is grown throughout the tropics (and warm-season temperate areas) and "seasoning peppers" - a Capsicum chinese variety that has flavor, but not the heat of traditional Caribbean peppers.I also ordered...
Monday, 31 December 2012
Sunday, 30 December 2012
A mild winter so far
Returning home from winter break travels, I was surprised that we'd still not had a hard freeze in the Piedmont. Some of the camellias near the house are loaded with lovely pink and white flowers -- the white-flowered ones are a treat because they're almost always browned by freezes!The cilantro and arugula are still looking great - both can withstand light frosts, and maybe more if they've been gradually...
Friday, 28 December 2012
A compost turning = happy gardening in 2013!
The old compost pile by the shed was last turned in midsummer.Last summer I turned this compost pile as part of the shed-moving project, and I've continued to add alternating green and brown layers* to the top since then.Now, it was time to turn it again to access the bottom of the pile, which I guessed...
Wednesday, 26 December 2012
Two weeks in the Caribbean
St. John view A couple of weeks on two relatively quiet Caribbean islands has been largely free of gardening observations. I didn't see many vegetables or fruits of any sort being grown on St. John, US Virgin Islands, aside from our friend's plantings (she's been planting tropical fruits such as bananas,...
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Winter Solstice and more...
The Mayan Calendar ends 12/21/12 6:12 am EST.Winter solstice has been a cause for celebration (both pagan and religious) since man's earliest days for now is when the days start to get longer. And isn't that reason enough?This year the day has new meaning, though, since the experts tell us that...
Monday, 17 December 2012
Scrubjay Trail Winterfest
A mocking bird surveys its space. Does it see that bug?I did see some scrub jays, but they did not pose as wellas this mocking bird.I attended the Scrub Jay Trail Winter Fest in Clermont, FL on Saturday. What a great event and the weather was fantastic. All for a good cause: the preservation and...
Friday, 14 December 2012
Bokashi Composting, a fast, anaerobic, fermentation process
Gainesville Compost Chief Engineer & Inventor Steven Kannermixes bokashi grain into UF Krishna Lunch food waste.A guest post by Chris Cano(I ran into Chris recently at Porter's Community Garden. You can read about this at The Gainesville community behind Porter's Garden. He talked about this different...