Spicy Stories

   So have you ever had that feeling where you have mistaken a person for someone else? And then they get kinda mad at you? I unfortunately had that feeling with these suckers:

Today's Fresh Food From The Garden

So it's been a while since I put up a post... you know the drill:

I'm Back!

    So you know that feeling when you almost quit a good habit and you get back into the habit of doing it again?
Guess what... I'm Back!!!! And if you remember from last year about this time, I had pomegranates (click here)? Well, they're ripe, ready, and red:

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

Here's another batch of my tomatoes... and most of them are purple in this one:

The Answer to My Problem

   So yesterday an old friend of mine, Julia, saw this post (click here) and her dad called me.
He asked me about my soil, plot size, what kind of Eggplant, and if there was only one plant. My soil is very fertile, my Eggplant variety is Black Beauty, and my plot size is 3' x 5'.

Ready for Winter?

   So Winter, a time for the garden to sleep and rest. A time to clean out your garden so that when it's spring of next year, you can jump right back in and get dirty.

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

So it's been about a month since I put up a garden post. Wanna see what''s been going on? Okay:

The Results Are In

So you guys are pretty good at identifying your flowers, the flower on the left side is in fact an Eggplant flower. But I'm having trouble with it... it ain't producing squat...

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

So it's getting a little cooler than it used to be. And because of this:

My apples are growing like crazy. These are very sweet, very green, and VERY delicious!

Heat, Heat HEAT!

   Its pretty hot where I am and some of my plants aren't doing so well. Sometimes watering a lot works, sometimes it doesn't. But what you can do that I have found to work is mix fertilizer (click here) in with the water. This gives the plant an energy boost so that it will take in more water.


IMPORTANT NOTE: You only apply fertilizer once to twice a week and you have to water about twice a day because it will need the water.

Today's (soon to be) Fresh Food From the Garden

So I've been in the garden practically all weekend and I've been checking out...:

My Prickly Pears!

   If you haven't heard of these guys, they are the fruit of a cactus and obviously are spiky, VERY seedy, and are very sweet and very healthy for you.

Today's (soon to be) Fresh Food From the Garden

   So unfortunately I don't have any tips for today. But here is another example of stuff from my garden that's from a tree:

These apples aren't ready yet, but they are the sweetest apples I've ever had. Much sweeter than any apples I've ever found at the store.

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

   So not only have I been growing annuals (i.e cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, etc.), I have also been growing stuff from trees. If you saw this post (click here) you know that I have citrus trees. And if you saw this post (click here) you know I grow pomegranates. But look below:

Three freshly picked Apricots right for the taking!

Today's (soon to be) Fresh Food From the Garden

So I've been busy so I didn't put a post for quite some time, so let me make it up to you guys:

   These cucumbers are the Burpless kind and are great for pickling, that's what I'll be doing with the majority of them. But that's not all:

Wanna guess what this is? You can leave a comment or vote on the pole on the top left.

Potted Plant Water Tips

   I've been gone a while due to reasons beyond my control so let's get right into this topic. So it's summer and you water your patio plants one morning and they look fine, but the next day you wake up late and they all are almost dead. That's what can happen to plants in summer, they die most often due to lack of water. But you can change that with water gels.

Make Up Your Mind!

   So remember last week when I posted that was going to be hot for the rest of summer? Well, it's raining. Yup, you heard me. It's raining here and temperature is no higher than 71°F. But for the rest of the country it's getting hot. Tucson is in the high 90's, and the Central US its getting hot. If you remember from about a year ago, the wether was pretty consistent going from cold to warm. But unfortunately some of my corn died because of the sudden cold snap. But I figured out a way to defend them from the cold. Just mix extra soil amendment that has been sitting in the sun for a while to warm the ground around the plant. And this will heat up the soil and keep the plant from dying. Also, because the amendment is black, it will absorb the sun's heat and keep the soil warm.

Surprise Guests

So I was cleaning the backyard and look what I found:

   A dead rat. This explains why some of the strawberries I found are bitten into. But this doesn't have to happen to you. You can kill those rats before they kill your garden.
You will need there tools:
XL-Rat Traps
Chunky Peanut Butter
Rat Poison
A Spoon
Measuring Spoons
Clean Container W/ Lid
NOTE: The chemicals should be kept in a safe place to prevent your pets or children from ingesting the chemicals.
Steps:
1. Measure out half a teaspoon of poison for every two tablespoons of Peanut Butter
2. Place half a table spoon of our peanut poison on the trap and set carefully (do this for every time )
   And you just store the extra in the container. But remember to label it so you don't spread it on your morning toast.

Mosquito... Oh No

   So this year was a pretty warm one. In January it was about 70.F and its around 88.F and it's expected to get into the mid 90's this summer. This means that the mosquito's have a head start. Mosquitos love warm, still, fresh water to breed. And when they find it, they can lay hundreds of thousands of eggs. You can protect yourself from these monsters with this ingredients... Garlic. Yup, mosquitos (like some of my friends) hate the smell of garlic. You can eat it and that will get rid of some of them. But to really deter them you have to either bathe in it or rub it on your chest... very appealing isn't it? But if you don't want to smell like Gilroy1, you would want to remove any still water you have in your yard. If you have a pool, clean it at least once a week. For bird baths, you have to change the water every four days. If you follow these steps, things will be taken care of.

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

So remember the radishes from a few months back? Well they are ready, but...:

And that's not the worst of it. They taste like wood. Seriously, how do you grow good radishes? Leave the answer in the comments.

Better Planning

   So it's been a while since I have been posting about my garden or about the weather. So I'm making a schedule for my blog posts. Monday I'll post Today's Fresh Food From the Garden. Wednesday I'll post a weather report. And Friday I'll post a how-to for the garden. I might not be able to make it every time, but I will try to make it.

The Results Are In

So remember the pool on the left side of this blog asking what kind of tomato I should get? Well, it's official. Im growing the Purple tomatoes this year. Here they are now:

   They're doing REALLY good. I hope to get some big ones out of this bad boy. And I think I know how. Click on the fertilizer page on the top, or click here.

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

   So latley I've been having a bounty of vegetables. But, none of which I can use with meat (with the exception of the tomatoes and peppers), until now:

Fresh Garlic! Now this is what I call potent!

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

   So far this season there has been no Tomatoes... surprise!:

And the Strawberries are as big as that Tomato!

Surprise in the Garden

   So remember when last year I had birds in my garden? If you don't, click this sentence. But if you do, Check this out, This was taken three days ago:

 This was taken yesterday:

And this is the exact same nest they were in last year.

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

   Today is an amazing day. Yeah it's raining, but I have Chillies, Strawberries and Mint ready:

   This is going to be made into a fresh fruit salsa. Mmmmmm mmmm Good.

Today's (soon to be) Fresh Food From the Garden

   It's been two months in the growing season and my garden has been growing better than ever, No rabbits, no rats, no nothing:

I transplanted the radishes from pot to ground.

My potatoes have been getting bigger.

My garlic has been around since november and will be ready by the end of May... when I'll have another crop in the ground. ready for winter picking.

   These guys are gorgeous. But I home the vermin don't even come within an inch of my garden.

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

   Well this may surprise you... but strawberries haven't been the best producers in my garden... until today:

This is the most strawberries I ever had from the garden, period.

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

   Well lately I haven't been in the garden. But don't fear... I always "Spring back" with a wonderful bounty:

 Unfortunately though, not everything is springing back:

   Half of my lettuce has been leveled. But not all is lost, they will grow back. And this time, I'm going to put out EXTRA-LARGE mouse traps. Like the ones on Tom & Jerry. That'll solve the problem.

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

   Well since the last post. I've been busy in the garden and found these guys:

   These are one of the bigger Strawberries I had. But they are considered small compared to the ones at the store. Now why do those strawberries in the store barely fit in the palm of your hand? Well, those guys were either the result of:

> Selective breeding so that the bigger strawberries can reproduce and made seeds that produce bigger strawberries

>  Fertilizers that contain Hormones that help the strawberries grow bigger

   So Next time you see those giant strawberries, imagine what it took to get it that big. And imagine what those chemicals... can do to you.

Today's (soon to be) Fresh Food From the Garden

   Well it's been pretty weird here in my garden with a low average temperature of 45.F (7.2.C) and a high average temperature of 78.F (25.6F). But fortunately nothing died and is even thriving:

Beets

 Radishes

 Carrots

 Lettuece

Strawberries

   The Carrots, Radishes, and Beets are going to either be eaten raw or in a stew. The Strawberries are going to be eaten with a little honey. And the Lettuce is going into my salad... All in a days work, and all found in my garden

Today's (soon to be) Fresh Food From the Garden

   Well I showed you the radishes and made this comment "These guys are looking good... I just hope the local rabbits, squirrels, snails, birds, and slugs don't think that too." well that came true...:

   You can prevent this from happening by laying transparent tarp over the plants, have a dog (like I do) scare away those critters... Or the never fail approach... Sit outside with a bunch of rocks and just wait. Well at least they didn't get my beets sproutlets: 

You might not see it because it's small, but it's there. : - )

Today's (soon to be) Fresh Food From the Garden

   So I haven't been posting anything lately... But her I am again to surprise you:

Radish Sprouts! These guys are looking good... I just hope the local rabbits, squirrels, snails, birds, and slugs don't think that too.

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

   So that carrot that was growing almost didn't make it on the blog. The reason is as cliche as "Show me the money"... a rabbit tried to take it out of the ground and eat it. But fortunately I was out there and scared it away. So here is the carrot:

And the oranges have been shooting up lately:

 And take a look at this image:

"You can be my brother, It don't matter if your orange or yellow."

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

   Well I've been holding out on you guys for a while. So here is my make up list. My Oranges have been growing like crazy:

I have a strawberry... the first one this year:

"And one more thing..." I have carrots:

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

   Lately things have been a little sour over here...:

Yes they're small, but they pack a killer punch.

Today's Fresh Food From the Garden

   The year starts, and for me so does next year's growing season. And already I have an early crop: