Seedlings

[01-Feb-2012] The seedlings have sprouted. Everything came up, with at least one plant. Did a binch of brandywine and romas in ziplocs and they came up too. Transferred them to larger pots. The shelf system is working ok. Needs a lazy susan type so i can get to the front easier. The lower light needs to be brighter the peppers seem leggy already. Trimmed them back to one plant per pot. Planted the Luffa in a pot and in the corn bed.

New strawberry cages

[30-Jan-2012] The cages I have been using to keep the birds off the strawberries have gotten pretty beat up. They were cobbled together from older smaller cages and had a weak center. They have also been hit by the lawn mower and drug around the yard so it was time to replace them. built new cages with wooden frames that sit on top the bed not around them. This gets the off the ground so the lawn mower/weed wacker wont hit them. It also allowed me to put a hinge on one side so they stay in place better and flip off. The hinge will make it harder to get to the far side, when harvesting I usually dont reach across the bed, but I think the better cage will be worth it. The are still removable for when the bed needs reworked in Fall.

Way to early
[17-Jan-2012] The tropical sweet apple on the west side of the driveway is blooming. Only 2 blooms, mostly because I pruned it Sunday. This is way to early. I have photos from 2007, 2008 and 2010 where it was blooming on Mar 15 when I took the yearly house photo. Not in January. This does not bode well for getting apples at all this year.

Cold work days

[15-Jan-2012] Mostly put in about 150 feet of irrigation for the new Pineapple Guavas and Mayhaw. Finally sited and leveled the beehive location. Prune the apple trees. Burned some stuff. Came home tonight and there were 3 cop cars blocking the drive way. Apparently some guy got dropped off, and went for a walk around everyones backyards. So they had K9 units out, and cops all over the place. No idea what the end result was they just left.

More onions
[26-Dec-2011] Planted the other onion sampler. The one that came months after I ordered it from Rich Farms. Way to many onions planted now.

Build a Frame Assembly Jig!

[03-Dec-2011] Put together a frame last night (and forgot to glue it) it took forever. Went looking for another away and came across a frame jig. A simple box that the frame pieces fit in to fit in to hold them while they are put together. Built one this morning and built 9 frames in the time it took to build 1 last night. Started with plans from Robos World who also has some good videos. Modified it so it was easier to build. Used 2x6s and 2x4s with out cutting them down and used some plywood so I didn't have to notch the 2x6s. Borrowed Rons nail gun and will get nails tomorrow to finish the rest of the frames I have now. Planted onions from the sampler. They are mixed so who knows what kinds will come up where. After planting 162 (9 per cell, 18 cells) I have a lot left over.

Borrowed a Truck

[19-Nov-2011] Moved 3 loads of compost and filled in the sugar cane bed. Got enough landscape timbers to do repairs and add anything I need to for a while. Picked up a few extra 4x4 posts so I have them if I need them. Went back to lowes and got everything to build a raised desk. Washed the truck. Finally got the rest of the cane planted. Over the week planted 3 pineapple guavas to block the church light.

Beekeeping classes
[16-Nov-2011] Signed up for on Mondays through Jan 30 (with time off for holidays). Leon County Extension Office

Weekend work

[14-Nov-2011] Septic tank was pumped and checked out ok Thursday. Cleared off the area above it for that and straightened everything there while putting it back this weekend. Setup a new compost/soil storage with 3 pallets there near the potato bins. Finished blocking off the extended corn (nor sugar cane) bed. Relocated some of the sugar cane from last year so its all in the right rows. Got about half of the new cane planted. Bought a Mayhaw and 3 more pineapple guavas. The guavas are going in a line to block the church light from where I put the telescope. I may pour a pad for that later. Cleared out most the stuff that died from the freeze. Cut back the bananas. Investigated Leslies blueberries. They are scraggly and not really bushy which is why I went with the pineapple guavas as a hedge. Its going to take a lot of work to clear out the are around them at Leslies and a lot more work to prepare my soil. Everything they are growing in now is sand and I have clay. I still think I will plant a bunch in and around the berm/flower bed/new guavas but it will take time.

First Freeze

[12-Nov-2011] Its just after midnight and already 29, supposed to go down to 27. Everything Im keeping is inside. Will lose the pink lemon, and summer peppers tonight. Tomarrow: cut down the bananas, plant the sugar cane, go to Leslies and look at blueberries for transplanting. I'm thinking about moving the old blueberries when I do the transplants they just arnt growing well where they are and something else could go there. Leslies blueberries will form a hedge to block the church sign so I can use the telescope without it pissing me off. Septic tank was pumped yesterday. Everything is good and I dont have to worry about the drain field so planting on it can go ahead. Thats where the sugar cane above goes.

Sugar Cane Field Day

[07-Nov-2011] Went to Gadsden county for Sugar Cane field day. Brought home 2 kinds of cane for planting. Also learned that the Pioneer settlement has syrup making classes.Looking into that. Also found out there is a guy in the Southern Syrupmakers Association that nakes a portable 30gal kettle. Advice: replant 1/3 cane every year. Can use cardboard to block cane off and spray with roundup to control weeds in row center. Can spray the cut cane as long as no green is showing. Can also till up to very close to the cane to control weeds. Typical here is 3ft to 5ft row centers. Some of the chewing cane (CP 31-511) is going to Craigs yard the rest is going here as soon as I can be sure I dont have to dig up the drain field that is under the corn bed. The other variety is a syrup cane (CP 52-48) for my yard only. Im going to plant it all in the existing corn bed and then extend the bed out another 12 feet for spring to iplant the corn and such. I really need a truck (landscape timbers, goat manure and mulch from the landfill). Also Leslie offered large blueberry bushes which will go in as a hedge to block the church light when the spot where I put the telescope. Built a cane juicer last weekend, but all the cane I have now needs replanting so only juiced 1 cane. Next year there may be juice and depending on yield (doubtful I will have enough) syrup.

Hummingbird
[08-Oct-2011] A hummingbird just passed through the garden and off over the cow pasture. Stopped briefly on one of the trellis. Thats the first time Ive seen one in the yard. Built a new humming bird feeder and set it up right in the center of the garden cam. Maybe there will be others.

Relocated garden cam
[08-Sep-2011] I relocated the garden cam (see sidebar). The view was too low and behind the composter. This gives a better view of the whole yard.

Cool enough to work
[07-Sep-2011] Weeded the corn bed and removed the last of the corn plants. Found out one of the apple trees was covered with a morning glory. Prunes the tree and removed it. Did not die from heat exhaustion.

Corn and Grapes

[17-Aug-2011] Starting picking the first of the second corn harvest. The Silver Queen is vastly superior to all the yellow corn Ive been growing. The plants are corn height, the ears are corn size and fully developed. Its a winner for next year. Also started harvesting the grapes. Crop is very light. Pick 3.5 gallons of noble and there may be another half gallon out there. Thats compared to over 14 gallons last year. All the other grapes look comparable. Started on the Black Florida Fry.

Apple Harvest
[12-Jun-2011] Tropical Sweet: 55 Front Anna: 106 1st Back Anna: 41 Golden Dorset: 7 Total: 209 Now they have to be cored to make applesauce. I harvested them a little earlier than last year, they were really starting to drop off the trees in front, its also been warmer.

Lots of harvesting
[30-May-2011] Dill, Cilantro, Basil, tons of sugary cherry tomatoes, strawberries, eggplant, okra, parsley, blackberries. Cut the tops off the 1st of the potatoes. I think the apples are close if early. Replaced the kitchen light the ballast gave out and it was easier to replace the light since I couldnt find the right ballast. Have the old light for later use with seedlings.

Blackberries are early

[15-May-2011] Picked about 2 pints of blackberries off the Choctaw today, and ate them. Put up the electric fence around the corn bed, squirrels were eating the corn. Put the owl back out too. Cleaned up the irrigation some. Planted more okra and carrots. Picked one row of carrots. Cleared out the last of the peas and beans with the accompanying trellises. Planted some pole beans in their place. The washing machine is still leaking. I need to replace it, will talk to sears tomorrow when I get a replacement for the wheel on the lawn mower cart, the stem is leaking.

Garden report

[11-May-2011] Created pages to map out the Corn Bed. This is done by half rows rather than squares like the other beds. Each row is 12ft and its has 7 rows. I also set it up so I could have a low crop (usually a squash, pumpkin or watermelon), a mid crop (corn) and a high crop (trellised beans) on each row. The sugary tomatoes are doing very well and I have picked or three so far. The rest will be picked very soon. Strawberries are still producing, a few of the plants are producing runners but since they arnt the types I want to keep Im breaking them off. Ive removed all the onions but 2 cells Im going to leave them indefinitely. There has been at least 4 volunteer tomatoes this year. They were not in areas where I planted tomatoes last year so I have no idea what kind they are, they are doing well. I changed the maps so things started from seed have an asterisk so I can keep track of how well those do vs the nursery plants. Made some corrections to the transplants vs seeds. Moved the things like potatoes to the seeds category.