Category: Vegetables

Garden update

Posted on by dkelly

I wanted to share a little photo gallery of my garden and give you a quick garden update.

The tomatoes are doing well, got really large before having flowers, probably my fault because thier fertilizer was 10-10-10. Last week I added some Miracle Grow Tomato and flower specific fertilizer and they are so big, they can handle any extra fruit.

Squash is looking nice, there are 3 squash on multiple plants and look good. Almost ready to pick.

I’m growing a trellis of ornamental squash, along with birdhouse gourd and loofah. The last two listed just started coming up over the weekend, so glad they decided to make an appearance in this year’s garden!

Sunflowers popped up over the weekend as well. A smaller variety and I’ll be sure to plant more every 4-6 weeks to get them all summer.

Hope you enjoyed this garden update.

Zone 8 hardiness

New year, new garden

Posted on by dkelly

My dear husband cut down a few water oaks to give my new garden some sunlight.

It is in the early stages, but looking good so far.
On one trellis (left) I will be growing ornamental gourds including but not limited to loofas and birdhouse gourds. On the other trellis (right) I will be growing edibles, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, zucchini, cucumber, watermelon and beans.

Certainly cramming a lot on these trellises, but we will see how it goes.

Mid-July Garden

Posted on by dkelly

With all the social distancing these days, what’s better than rediscovering your own back yard?  Even making your own garden or filling a few pots with dirt and getting your hands a little muddy?

As we are in the middle of the hottest months of the year, you might be thinking there is nothing that will grow in this Tallahassee heat, but guess again.  I’ve compiled a list of plants that you may be able to fit in before your start your fall garden.  
Here’s the list: basil, beans, cauliflower, cilantro, cucumber, squash, sweet corn, zinnias, sunflowers, watermelon, chard… and even pumpkins!  

Did you know, according to the Orlando Sentinel, “In order to have pumpkins in time for Halloween, they should be seeded in your garden by July 4. “Howden” and “jackpot” are the two best varieties for jack-o-lantern pumpkins in Florida.”  

If you missed the July 4th timeframe, you can still start smaller watermelon and pumpkin varieties.

Don’t forget the flowers, they will attract the bees to pollinate your vegetables! Sunflower and cone flower are my favs!

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2002-10-27-0210260161-story.html

Gardeners need to think ahead… is Halloween too far away?

Fellow Garden Enthusiasts!

Posted on by dkelly

I love gardening and have since I was very young. My parents had 4 acres in central Florida and at 10 years old I had my own hot house… yes, a hot house in central Florida. It wasn’t covered in clear plastic much of the year, but we did have a few cold nights.

My parents instilled a love of gardening in me and I hope to pass that along to my children. To have food and herbs in your yard, to pick them fresh and cook them for dinner, a few left over to share with neighbors and family, even having some fresh mint for that mojito, can be very gratifying.

I plan to post about my garden, partly to share what I’ve learned, but mostly so that next year, I can plan a little better and learn from what went wrong and what went right.

Thanks for stopping by!