HomeGrown

September Blues

2010-09-18T10:16:00.000-04:00

I've been in hiding. I'll make no justifiable excuse. It is simply that I hate fighting the unstoppable growth in the face of daily monsoons. The rain is so thick that the ground and the air is saturated. Even when I push myself out the door and beat back the growth, it is inevitable the lighting will crack overhead, beginning the riskiest gamble "can I get 10 more minutes?" I received a heck of

California '10

2010-06-19T12:30:00.005-04:00

Spent 2 weeks with my aunt Claudine, aunt France and Uncle Jean Pierre out in Central California. We traveled up to Portland Oregon to visit my cousin Eric and his family (Zach, Josh and Dylan). There is much to say and too little time to say it all in one sitting. So as the blog evolves...

June 2010

2010-06-08T17:19:00.003-04:00

Round 2 from a store bought PineappleTomatoes gone wildFirst crop from the Irwin MangoSugar Apple

Banana Winds

2010-06-07T16:30:00.000-04:00

We escaped the humidity and storms down in Conch Key. Alas, the 1" hail and violent winds took their toll on yard. The Avocado and Bananas took the brunt of the hit. Looks like there is a trip back down to Going Bananas down in Homestead.

A New Toy

2010-05-23T13:17:00.001-04:00

Oh Chipper, How do I love thee? Seriously. I have wanted to get a chipper for so long I cannot remember when I first had the idea. Talk about delayed gratification. Of the last year, I started scanning the garden section of Craigslist. Then last week, I spied an ad for a little electric job for $150. I practically ran out of the house to get it. No haggling. Just a great big Thank You and we

When the rains come...

2010-05-18T09:30:00.003-04:00

A wet wave of weather pushed through South and Central Florida last night, co mingling with the humid tropical air from the south. In a few short hours the heavens released the cool spring rains. Of course.....I had planned on painting the house. Grrrrrrr Want to hear God laugh? Just tell 'm your plans. This morning is absolutely still, bright blue sky and a comfortable 78 degrees. (and rising

Grandma's Birthday Gift

2010-05-08T18:00:00.000-04:00

An awesome find of a blue glazed pot in an outlet store - $50 Two trays of purslane for $40 One extremely pot bound Pony Tail palm (not a true palm) Equals a handsome micro garden.

Gardening; Marathon Key Style

2010-04-30T08:21:00.019-04:00

First, this is a wonderful breakfast/brunch/lunch stop in Marathon. A cozy atmosphere, free wifi, with excellent coffee and menu plus a very friendly waitstaff. Now, about the veggie garden... While a little mish-mash in style, this is an excellent example on how to conserve/contain organic soil in a harsh environment. Don't let the green fool you. The Keys "dirt" is every bit an empty as a

2010-02-17T20:37:00.003-05:00

Dinner - Roasted duck, wild rice and veggies from the garden. The broccoli was so tender it was almost sweet. I always thought that bees had to get back to the hive before sunset. This one is either drunk on the scent of nectar or too chilled to make it home. Buds!!! on the baby Irwin (Mango). My first attempt at vertical gardening.

Winter - The cycle of change

2010-02-13T09:41:00.005-05:00

We had to say good bye to our beautiful Amber last Tuesday. With grief, thoughts mash up and unfold in due time. Today's contemplation is that life just keeps cycling on. Everything is in a constant state of change. As I adjust to the silence of her not following me around, I look upon the tomatoes and realize their time is short also. Another bone chilling front pushes down, dumping snow across

Chinese Cabbage or is it Napa?

2010-02-03T08:55:00.002-05:00

Well, there are several problems when one decides to run to the local mega home store to get a flat of seedlings. The moment of impatience is rewarded with unknown varieties (tag reads one thing, what grows up is something else), weakened plants and some infestations that are new to your small part of the planet. Then there is the social conscious of all things sacrificed for mega marts.

January 2010 continued

2010-02-01T11:16:00.002-05:00

Happy Self Irrigating PlantersPigeon Pea treeVery late season BananaThe ohh-soo- delicious Starfruit AKA Carambola

January - Come and Gone

2010-02-01T10:45:00.004-05:00

This is the second Calamondin tree here. The first was a graft that my grandfather gave to me long before he passed away. The Citrus @$!!#@ folks came and slayed five beautiful fruit bearing trees. I was willing to cull four. Truthfully the Grapefruit and Key Lime displayed some early signs of the Canker. However, I was willing to battle hard for the gorgeous and symptom free Calamondin. Alas,

Regrouping in December

2009-12-02T18:21:00.009-05:00

Whew.....it has been a long time. A quick recap of the summer production - the tomatoes were a complete failure, in ground and in SIPs, the herbs did good in the SIPs, only the hard core tropicals produced. Planted a pretty sunflower in the old soil in the Earthboxes. Will plan to do that again, next summer, as it was nice to see the multi-flowers peeking around the corner. No, for the most part

The Real Dirt on Farmer John

2009-02-28T18:10:00.009-05:00

For something a little bit different, I wanted to comment on an amazing movie I watched the other day, "The Real Dirt on Farmer John". This is the story about John Peterson's journey from growing up on the farm, to taking on the responsibilities when his father dies to losing most of the land. This is not only a story about one man finding his path and passion, but also a extraordinary chronicle

Tomatos - February 2009

2009-02-27T08:24:00.005-05:00