My First TomatoThe photo you see is my first tomato with my brand new camera! Best tasting vine ripe tomato because it was my first! The vine in the background is the plant I picked it from.
A Bouquet of EdiblesThree wonderful sunny days this week tell me that the darkest days of winter are behind us. The seed catalogues landing in my inbox and in my postbox are filled with possibilities to make even more colourful and tasty edible bouquets than the ones I created last summer.
Watching this Garden GrowA John Denver Song comes to mind when I see how my garden has grown.
Growing Dragon FruitDragon fruit used to be a rare type of fruit. Now it is distributed and sold to our markets. This plant belongs to the cactus family. Based on facts I have read about dragon fruit, it contains various vitamins and minerals that prevent diseases like diabetes and joint pain. It contains antioxidants and more.
Earliglo (Early) StrawberryI just noticed; some companies offer strawberry plants/seeds with the name 'Earliglo', while others offer 'Earliglow'. I wonder if they're the same strawberry. And, I wonder what the developer of the Earli????, named his original. Well, for now, that's beside the point.
BetterBoy Or TallBoy Tomatoes?These are BetterBoy tomatoes being grown in 5 gal. buckets. Silly me, after pulling all the ripe ones, I think of taking a picture. There are tomatoes at 5 ft., 6 ft., 7 ft., and 8 ft. At 9 and 9½ ft. there are blooms.
Edible PurslanesThere are several different kinds of Portulaca. Probably the most often grown by the home gardener is Portulaca pilosa. It's common name is Moss Rose. With a 25¢ pack of seed from a local dollar store, you can have a pretty, multi colored display of low growing, almost carefree flowers from Spring to late Fall.
Strange Watermelon VinesI live in a strange world. I could give you many examples. For now, I'll give you just two.
Escaping PumpkinsDo you think pumpkins know we want to carve them up? These three look like they did and wanted to escape from my garden! Ha ha ha.
My Two Garden HarvestersMy two harvesters in our home garden. My husband and our loyal cat Annie, who follows us everywhere on the property (our Guard Cat..lol) harvesting a bumper crop of Brussels sprouts, green beans, peas, zucchini, tomatoes, cukes, and more!
Overgrown GrapevineThis grapevine has taken over my gazebo.
Blueberry PlantI just relocated my blueberry plant to the backyard.
Tomato SeedlingsAt this time, my garden is under snow and frozen slush. I love gardening, and this nasty weather can really put me in the dumps. I find the best way to lift my spirits is to get some plants started indoors.
Hillbilly TomatoHere is a really odd looking tomato from our plants. My son Steve is the gardener.
Potato PlanterI saw several articles on how easy it is to grow potatoes so decided to give it a try. These are in about 3 inches of soil and doing super well. I was so happy to see the first signs of them blooming!
Garden: Giant OkraI think we have the tallest Okra in the South. My husband is picking it, because I am only 5 feet tall. I would need a ladder. And the stalks are like small trees!
Garden: A Couple of CarrotsThis was the first year in a long time that I have had a vegetable garden.
Garden: Illuminated Swiss ChardI love the colors of swiss chard, especially with the morning sun lighting it up!
Garden: Jalapenos From Blossom To YumMy veggie garden is limited to a few pots on a patio instead of in a yard garden now. No matter where you grow your veggies or herbs of choice it's inspiring, intriguing and beautiful to watch them grow from infancy to maturity.
Garden: Bees Pollinating the CornEarly in the morning when I was out picking in the garden, I heard a lot of buzzing going on in the corn. I decided to see who was so busy. I noticed not only bumble bees, but also honey bees working hard on pollinating our corn.
Before And After HarvestThese two pictures are the 'before' and 'after' in my garden. Once I have harvested all of the vegetables and flowers; I leave gates open, and the neighbors enjoy the rest of the garden.
Garden: Giant CabbageMy husband and I live in extreme northern California. We live off grid and our home is powered by solar panels and a wind generator. We have recently erected a large green house to grow our garden in since the growing season here is so short and harsh.
Bountiful HarvestThis year, we have so many fruits and veggies on our little farm that it has fed nine households.
Strawberries from the GardenThis is the first year I have been able to grow more than a small handful of strawberries. What a treat to eat them fresh from my own, pesticide-free garden!
Hanging TomatoesI recycled my milk jugs by planting tomatoes in them upside down, and fed them used coffee grounds, they are thriving!
Bleeding HeartI couldn't resist showing off my lovely bleeding heart this spring - it has been loaded with blooms!
Garden: Pumpkin and Watermelon HarvestWe had a really good garden this year, which supplied us with an over abundance of abundance of peas, beans, carrots, peppers, corn, cabbage, tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, and beets.
Garden: A Cabbage as Big as His HeadA photo of my son Joseph with a "cabbage as big as his head" grown in our last year's garden.
Growing Three SistersTesting three sisters mound with sunflowers and pole beans.
Sweet Potato PlantSweet potato plant, beautiful and easy to grow.
Flower Bed Okra PlantsThese are pictures of my okra plants. I purchase seeds from a man in Texas who developed this strain and have been using his special seeds for years. . .