This afternoon the boys and I needed to cool down in the backyard, once the shade began covering it and the breeze kept it cool. Our walk home from school was very hot in 89 degrees sunshine, and although the boys wanted the pool out, I said no as I was too tired for the work of emptying and cleaning it afterward.
While the boys were playing, I did a bit of gardening, and I got a great surprise, when I found several ripe grape tomatoes. Last year I had lots of tomatoes growing, but the bugs got to a lot of them before I actually got to taste them. This year I decided to go with mainly grape tomatoes (all grown from seeds of locally grown produce), and it seems as if it is a success.
The grape tomatoes do get ripe much faster, and the marigold I have planted around the tomatoes seem to work great as well at keeping the little creeps away. I have replanted a lot of the Marigold seeds from the flowers, but it seems that I am getting more plants than I have Marigolds, so I am adding this to my Home Depot shopping list. I just found out today that my Home Depot card from Gather is listed as completed, so I hope I will see it very very soon.
The chili peppers are growing with high speed, and even though my husband has been out of hot sauce for a couple of weeks, he does not seem to mind. His hot sauce is HOT (the Jamaican kind), but he just sits there and eat raw chili peppers seeds and all with his meal instead. I shake my head every time I see it, but I am happy that he is eating raw veggies:) Right now he has a very hot Habanero pepper in the fridge that he needs to finish, so that I can plant the seeds.
The basil is finally growing beautiful again after the landscapers seem to have considered it weeds. It was basically cut to the ground a few weeks ago.
We have a beautiful bush at the corner of the house, and it is giving us some beautiful white flowers.
The hibiscus bushes are not doing well at all. I do not know if it is due to the bug infestation that it suffered this winter, or if it has just suffered due to the drought. Now that we are using the pool a few times a week, I make sure to water the Hibiscus well, so I am hoping this will help.
This little seed fell down from one of our trees. It used to bloom with beautiful white flowers, although the bugs was eating it up. Now it seems to be changing leaves though, and a seed fell down in one of my planters. I did not even dig it down, it just started growing, so I'll wait and see what happens to it.
Of course there are the beautiful mangoes. We have two mango trees, a huge one that gives a wonderful shade in the back yard, and a younger one which is about six years old. This beautiful mango is from the younger mango tree, but it needs a bit to go before it will ripe.
Have you started your garden yet? What will you be growing? Our season starts early, but in the mid summer months it will be difficult for a lot of it to grow due to the South Florida humidity and heat.
This was my dinner tonight. A garlic pesto wrap with a black bean veggie burger cut in pieces, lettuce, cucumber, red onion and homegrown grape tomatoes. As a side I had oven-roasted sweet potato fries.
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Comments: 35
Your garden is much farther along than mine is, but it is still chilly here some nights, so I haven't planted much. So far I have basil growing, from seed & starters. I also have some leeks started as I love to make soup with them.
I will be adding cherry tomatoes for sure soon.
Right now we have two types of lettuce, spinach, carrot, radishes, garlic and onions growing. Come two weeks from now the tomatoes, peppers and melons will all go in the ground.
I've got two nice tomato plants left, one cherry and one grape tomato plant. The rest I cut down and I noticed I have one baby coming up which will be a large size tomato.
I harvested all tomatoes and I'm making pesto tomorrow as soon as I cut down all the basil.
Priscilla, I have used both seeds that I had left out and dried a bit, and I have planted seeds right after I have eaten something....it works great both ways. Just make sure that there is not a lot of the fruit left on the seeds to prevent bugs.
Can't wait until I can plant my tomato plants... still too cold at night here!
Your dinner looks fabulously yummy!!
My husband just bought a tiller earlier this week, and used it today. He got started on putting up the fence, but will have to wait and finish it up Friday. Tomorrow he has meetings until 11 am, so he won't feel like doing it then, since he has to be at the gym tonight at 9, and then work his regular schedule. He'll be ready to go to bed when he gets home after being gone for 16 hours.
We have started growing a few seeds in the house. I'm not even sure what all it is that he's planted, though. I think we are supposed to start planting the first part of our garden around the middle of the month.
Alex we really do not get much sun most of the day, because of the big trees....which is a great thing in Florida. I have been experimenting with the right places to put them though, and it seems like the once that are only getting a few hours of morning light are doing just as good as the ones in the afternoon light.
Carla, it sounds like your husband is a very hardworking man. I know I would be headed straight to bed, if I were him.
Monica, I eat lots of fruits and veggies since I am vegetarian, but I do love ice cream and chocolate as well:)
Nora, I actually have zucchini on my Home Depot list....if the Gather gift card stretches far enough. I had the same problem with the frost, when we were living in Europe.