Backyard Farming W e e k - veggies & herbs

Hello, friends!
We're home from Colorado, rested and centered. I can't wait to share some of the pictures we took along the way- camping, hiking, and spending time on the open road.
Before we left, I started Backyard Farming Week. I believe the Veggies & Herbs are where I left off.

This year, I planted radishes, carrots, jalapenos, beans, sweet banana peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, strawberries, and a handful of herbs: basil, rosemary, patchouli, mint, dill, parsley, cilantro, and cat nip. Here are a few pictures over the last few weeks around the garden.



My cucumbers I planted from seeds that I got from Grandma. She seeds all her plants, and lots of veggies and herbs around my little farm are transplants from her own garden.
When you plant cucumbers, give them lots of room. I had about 10 plants, which was about 7 plants too many. It was my first year to plant them, and I worried that a lot of the seeds wouldn't make it. Well, they did. And I ran out of room. I let them climb up a few tomato cages we had laying around, and they started to fruit. Make sure you give them something to climb, they'll love it.



In no time you'll be making salads, or filling jars to make pickles.
The yellow blooms are what turn into the cucumber, so look for lots of healthy flowers.



My jalepenos are out of control. I planted 2 plants, and next year I'll cut it back to one. Even though I love to cook Mexican food in the Summer, there's only so much of these little guys I can throw into my nachos, homemade salsa, and omelets. I had about 6-8 jalepenos per plant, every week and a half. That's way too hardy of a crop for me to be able to use them, so I've been giving them away by the handful.
They love the heat, and are tolerant of dry soil. Which means that in Oklahoma, they grow like weeds. The longer you leave them on the plant, the hotter they get. Pick them young for a milder flavor, and leave them longer to burn the taste buds.



Most types of peppers grow under the same conditions. My sweet bananas also grow like weeds. I have one plant, which is just right for the two of us.

My beans were incredibly short lived:



In fact, that one bean is the only bean I got from the entire batch. You might be wondering what the plants are doing laid out on the kitchen counter. That was a result of one run through the garden, thanks to Hunter.
Please keep your labs out of your gardens :) Mine managed to wipe out an entire group of plants in less than 10 seconds.



My tomato plants took off, like always. Tomatoes are one of the easiest things to grow, and I'd really suggest them to beginners and part-time backyard farmers. Not to mention the smell of a tomato plant is one of my favorite smells in the entire world. I even had a tomato plant candle one time.



Give them a couple feet of space, a cage to grow on, and let them get busy on their own. They love the heat, and it's the mid-Summer warm, dry afternoons that really help them produce.
Be careful not to plant them too early. Our soil stayed cool for a long time this Spring, and for the first month I fought yellow leaves and droopy plants.



This year I bought a couple plants from the Farmer's Market, like I always do. A month into Summer, I noticed that I had eight volunteer plants coming up. I was amazed, because three years ago I bought my plants at the Farmer's Market, and these were the third generation babies of those plants. My rule of thumb is, by year three, the plant is considered mine.

I was slow to move them to better locations, and made a huge mistake in the farming-front. Carelessly, I moved 4 of my plants to where my beans once were, after they had already started to bloom. That night when I called my Mom, she was mortified of my news. Here I was, thinking she'd be proud of my green thumb for sprouting all these new little plants.
I think her exact words were: "Aura. Why didn't you talk to me and Grandma first?"

Guilt.

Sure enough, my fears were confirmed. She gave me a grim diagnosis for my tomato volunteers, and confirmed that moving a plant after it has already bloomed fruit in the dead of Summer is a death sentence for the plant.
I spent the next three weeks trying to save my little plants. I went over to Grandma's, so she could give me a lesson on how to save them.




She suggested I build a shade canopy over the plants, because the sun would burn them. She said the heat was enough to keep them alive. She also went to the cupboard and pulled out old bottles full of vitamins, shoved a handful in my pocket, and told me to bury them around the plants. She said to keep an eye on the plants, and sent me home to save them.

Over the next three weeks they plants wilted, and neared death. One had 17 little green tomatoes on it, and I was so sad that it would certainly die this season.
But it's been a month, and not only did they bounce back, but the green fruit is turning red. Once it was safe I pulled off the shade, and let them take care of themselves.

You can try the shade method for yourself, if you'd like. Since we have very hot, burning Summers where the sun feels like it's literally eating everything in sight, I don't think it's a bad idea at all. Grandma keeps her entire garden covered every year:



And every year I'm amazed that a woman that just digs a hole in the ground and throws in seeds can produce the kind of amazing tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs that she does. That's my Grandma.



My radishes were huge this year. Look at that monster! They were hot, too. One time my Mom told me that the hotter the weather is, the hotter the vegetables turn out. Radishes like cooler soil, and because I let some of mine mature well into Summer, I think they turned spicy under the conditions.

As far as herbs go, they are easy as pie to grow. Some herbs, like parsley, rosemary, lavender, and mint come back year after year on their own.
If you're having trouble with any of your herbs, you might look into what they need to thrive. Sometimes you can be over/under watering, not giving them enough sun, or planting them with plants that they're not compatible with. Here is a really good guide to the herbs you need to know about.

Persians eat a bowl of herbs with every meal, so it was in my blood to grow a huge herb garden.




The cats love their nip. I got out once a week and snip off a couple leaves, and bring them inside. I probably shouldn't get as much satisfaction as I do out of seeing my cats totally high on the good stuff.

If you've been following along with my gardening posts, you'll know that I tried to completely rid of of basil this year. I planted it in my garden year #1, and it has come back and plagued my ever since. The stuff is out of control, growing almost as tall as me, and spreading over the entire garden.



If you don't want this to happen to you, don't let your herbs (especially something so hardy like basil) go to seed. If you see them bloom into flowers, they've gone to seed, and already started leaving their little babies all over your garden.



This year I went ahead and let them go to seed, again. Next year the flower & herb garden is getting a huge overhaul, and I don't know that any of those seeds will make it past my big plans.
Basil is actually quite pretty, it smells nice, and it's a mosquito repellent, so it's not so terrible to have around. Just be careful of how invasive it can be.



When you bring your herbs inside to eat, soak them in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes before you chow down. I have a habit of walking around the yard, grabbing things, and eating before I even look. The other day I made the mistake of pulling a carrot out of the ground and assuming that a little shake would be enough to not make for a dirt-filled, crunchy mouth. Dirt never hurt anybody, but one day I almost ate this little creature on a sprig of cilantro.

That was thanks to Grandma, who also lives a little on the dirty side. My Mom immediately scolded her for not soaking her herbs in water before bringing them over.



Around the veggie garden, I made a handful of mistake this year. By year 5, I hope to have my official green thumb. For now I'm still learning, making mistakes as I go along, and correcting them with each year that comes. This year my biggest mistake cost me a handful of plants early on in the season.
When I started my garden, I planted my plants in wet soil. My impatience to get them in the ground led to some hardening of the mud, and then the quick snapping and death of one tomato plant, and multiple others along the way:



Plant in the morning, in dry crumbley soil.

I also managed to attract lots of pests this year, and because I didn't chose to deal with some of them early, they became an issue.
For my pesky little birds eating my strawberries, we built this contraption around one portion of the garden that holds my berries, and most of my tomatoes.



Unfortunately a few birds still managed to get in, but it only took me leaving them out there, trapped inside the enclose with all their friends watching for an hour to keep them at bay after that. I really do believe in the power of making an example out of one poor, innocent pest. Don't worry, I didn't cut off it's head and shove it on a stake at the entrance of my garden. No birds were harmed.



We also had ants like you would not believe this year. In my next landscaping post, I'll tell you about my failed efforts to keep them away.
They didn't do a lot of damage to the garden, they're just annoying to have around.

The mice proved to be the worst. Big, fat field mice that got into my enclosure and ate all my strawberries, gnawed on the tops of my radishes that stuck above ground, and pulled sweet tomatoes off the plants.
I have yet to come up with a solution on these little rodents. I considered taking Fig to the vet, loading him up on shots, and turning him into a mouser. Ultimately I decided that I would have to come up with something else. I don't have the heart for traps, so I'm kind of stuck when it comes to the field mice.



Caterpillars didn't seem to be much a problem, this year. We just had a few visitors around the yard that didn't stay for long.



I don't know who this guy was, but when he noticed I was taking his picture he stopped, turned to stare at me, then turned back around to go on with his business. After that, I felt like I had been warned and didn't take any more pictures of his angry, red face. Sorry, dude.

Well, those were a few of the veggies around the yard. When I finish up Backyard Farming Week, I'll show you guys some pictures of my crops, and the bowls of veggies I have been bringing inside to eat with all our meals.

This time of year it's easy to get lazy under the heat of Summer. I have only been in my garden every few days, picking veggies and pulling the occasional weed. I always start to get sad around this time, when my plants start to dry out, and I'm reminded that only a few weeks are left of Backyard Farming.

This Spring, you should plant a garden, friends. I promise you'll love it.

Heading to the wilderness....

We're off in the morning for our road trip, so I'll be offline for over a week, friends.

We found out just a couple days ago that our Yurt is not accessible by vehicle, so we'll be hiking to it with all our gear and food in tow.
Here's to new adventures, and an entire 7 days of camping, fishing, hiking, and watching the stars.

Have a wonderful week, everybody.
And don't worry, we have bear protection.

Sometimes, life happens.

This week I had planned on getting so much done. I am always full of worry right before we travel -worry about the animals, my garden, being away from home, and being in a new place.

I badly wanted to finish the Backyard Farming Week before we left, but dear friends, it will have to wait another week.



Yesterday my head was fuzzy. It was one of those days where I felt like I was living my life outside of myself, hearing my mouth say things my mind hadn't quite okay'd, yet. Our heat index was 113, my allergies were acting up, and my to-do list was growing by the second. Sheesh, why do we even have to have days like that?
My parents have been on a 2 week camping trip out west, and I've been taking care of Grandma and Grandpa. I'm missing my parents, and spending lots of time at my Grandparents house.



I was running errands all day and right around that time I remembered that I had found (this is a pretty sweet score, ready?....) Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits for $5.99. Remember the days of browsing through used cd's at the bookstore? I still do it. I also sat on the floor in the magazine section and read magazines on outdoor photography. Sometimes I am 16 years old, all over again. I love those sweet little bits of my day. And, that 10 years later, I still love the same things.



Yesterday I listened to my cd while I ran errands and I saw two kids holding a sign on the corner of a street for a lemonade stand. I have been known to frequent local lemonade stands, and can never resist not stopping.
I love to see the kids busy at work. It's pretty freaking cute, sometimes. I love the really young ones that need help pouring the drinks.

This is a mean confession. Ready? Our encounters always go something like this:

1. I ask for one glass of the good stuff, please.
2. While they're fumbling for a plastic cup awkwardly, I ask them what they're saving their pennies for. I am unzipping my wallet and checking out the bill selection, at this point.
3. They answer, proudly. Always proudly. Like they were just waiting for someone to ask.
4. I either like their answer, or I don't.
5. Tip accordingly.

Stop judging me.


First of all, the kid was selling a glass of pre-made lemonade for $.75 cents a cup. What kind of lemonade inflation is this?
Secondly, he was saving for a video game. Sorry dude, not a fan.


But, his bad taste or not, there's something about a kid with a lemonade stand that I find so sweet. It's amazing to see children develop that sense of independence at such a young age.
My Mom told me awhile back that when I was 6 months old, she would come into my room at night, hand me a bottle, and go back to bed.
What?! The more I learn about little humans, the less mysterious they seem. After all, they are just little humans.



My fuzzy day yesterday didn't turn out so bad, after all. Especially because halfway through the day, Bob Dylan playing, drinking my cheap, nasty-ass lemonade, I realized that my day could still be very sweet. So in my mental to-do list, I "cleared my evening," & we headed to our friends' house to take a break, and clear our heads.
I need these nights.

And fortunately, even though I make a lot of to-lists for myself, sometimes things just don't get done on time. Like Backyard Farming Week. Or cutting my toenails. Or mowing the backyard.
And the world doesn't end because of it :) Sometimes.....

life just happens.

















...and I think I'm completely okay, with that.


I hope you have a good weekend, friends.
Don't stress about your undone lists, you'll get to them, eventually.

This weekend we'll be spending time with family, packing up Petey with the camping gear, and getting some much needed rest. My sweet Brady is here, and Auva is bringing Michael and I our very first couch as a family. Can you believe it? Four years and we made it only on a little ripped love seat that the cats turned into a scratching post.



Things are good here.
Have I ever mentioned that I love Summertime?

Backyard Farming W e e k - The Flowers.

Hello Nature lovers!
Are you ready for a week of my backyard in it's entirety?

Here goes.

Once upon a time Michael and I were Newlyweds. Four years ago we packed a wedding's worth of toasters, sheets, glasses, and Target giftcards into our friend Scott's truck and moved into our 600 sq. foot apartment.
Just the two of us, and baby Olive.

We named it our nest, and honestly, it wasn't much different than our nest, now.




And even though the backyard-farming itch had been tickling away at me since I was a little girl, I first felt it strongly, here.
We had created this little home, and I wanted it to be everything I grew up loving. So right away business was in order, and on one 6 X 5 concrete patio, facing North, with a huge building blocking the view, I planted my garden.


Since then we've bought our home and I've spent the last 3 Summers with my hands in the soil.
The first two years I focused on light landscaping, we put in a couple trees, and I tended to my vegetable and herb garden.

This year I started my first flower garden, in hopes of bringing more color, birds, butterflies, and opportunities to practice my photography around the yard.

If you'd like to look back into the gardening archive, you can see what types of flowers all of these are.

So here are my little lovely flowers, my first year of flower gardening.








They make spending time outside every single day a little bit sweeter.

I am always in complete awe of the sunflowers.
I got two kinds that didn't require staking, and planted away.



They were my fastest growers. By the first 2 weeks they'd already started to sprout, and by the first day of Summer I was already filling vases full of clipped flowers to bring inside.




Please make sure you are soaking these in water as soon as you bring them inside. Sunflowers are known for bringing in the ants.
But don't worry, they also bring in lots of beautiful birds, who in turn eat your mosquitoes, and little pests along the way.

I've had a couple questions about how to keep pests at bay. Honestly, I believe in the most natural approach possible. I don't discount chemicals completely, but will always turn to the natural alternatives, first.

Try attracting predators, or spraying with soapy or red pepper + water sprays.

Honestly, at this point though, you might have to wave your white flag in defeat. It's late in the season, and the ants are in full force. If you treat problems very early on, they won't escalate to the point where natural remedies don't work.

I check my garden, head to toe, every single day. If I catch problems early on, I can quickly and efficiently deal with them as they come along. I can't stress spending time in your garden, enough. There is always work to be done, if you want to earn that green thumb.

I'll talk more about taking care of pests, later in the week.



PS. The ants in the bowl? I never have the heart to drown them. I just shake them loose into the water, then pour the bowl out in the yard. Thanks to my Dad, I inherited his inability to harm any living creature. It annoys my Mom, in the same way that I annoy my husband with it.



I guess it's hard for me to see the difference between the ant, the butterfly, and myself in this picture. The three of us are just hanging out, enjoying these flowers.


A lot of you have been asking what became of my garden, after our treacherous rains that we have been having.
Because of the hurricanes in the South, Oklahoma is getting hit hard with the storm traveling towards us. We have had a lot of beautiful lightning shows, cool evenings, and lazy days, but our gardens have also suffered. My veggie garden will wait for another day, because today I am going to show you what a weeks worth of Summer thunderstorms can do to a flower garden.


The pictures above were all from my garden, before last week.
These are from this week:




My dahlias have all turned brown and are officially grounded. They no longer stand on their own, and won't any time soon. You know why? Because this is right where they used to be:



You're probably asking yourself who Charlotte is. Let me give you a visual.



Yikes, right? Guys....I haven't seen spiders like that since Michael and I were hiking in the Sierra Madre Mountain range. Do you know where we were? In a tropical JUNGLE.
Do you know what this means? It means that thanks to a few mistakes I made, and a few bad weeks of weather that Mother Nature gave us, I ended up re-producing a jungle-like environment in my backyard.
I sat on the phone one night with my Mom for 30 minutes going on and on about how I couldn't believe that I didn't think to raise my flower bed when I knew that corner flooded, until finally she said:

Aura. Calm down. It's just a garden.

Okay. She's right. In Spring '11 I will lay out my new plan for the flower garden, post new tips for avoiding a jungle, and show you my new draw-ups of the yard.

For now I'll give you guys a couple tips on how to start a flower garden of your own.



Flower Gardening Made Easy is a type of website you need to be looking for, if you're wanting information online. There are tons of them out there, if you just search for flower gardening online.

The wildflowers that did best out of my seeds were the ones that grow locally, in Oklahoma. Make sure you're taking regional weather into account when you're planting. Figure out which gardening zone you're in, and go from there. Don't try to grow flowers that need cool temperatures, shade, and moist soil in a sunny spot in warmer climates.

Take into account what each flower attracts. One big heartbreak for me is not being able to grow any wisteria, clematis, jasmine, or other flowering vines around the house. Michael is allergic to bees, so we need to keep the patio bee-free.
But on a positive note, certain flowers will attract birds that eat your pests right up for dinner.

&. Don't make the same mistakes I did. My mistakes for 2010:

-Planting herbs underneath the sunflowers. The flowers are so tall that the herbs no longer get sun.
-Planting my sunflowers in a spot that floods. Their roots are shallow, and if the ground is wet, they TIP. I have tied every single sunflower I have to the fence with twine. Ankle deep in mud, with Charlotte 6 inches from my leg. The dahlias I'm willing to let go, since she built her web where they used to be.
-Planting too many things in a small area. My flower garden is crowded, and adds to that "jungle" feel I created. Hence Charlotte, a ton of mosquitoes, and dead herbs.


Besides those few little blunders, I didn't do too bad my first year.
But next year I've got some big plans. And already, I'm itching for Spring '11, and starting fresh again. I hope some of you backyard-farmers who have only worked with the edible crops will venture into the world of flower gardening.


Next up will be a post about my Veggies.
Happy gardening, friends.



PS. I'm terribly behind on replying to comments. I've had right under 16,000 visitors to the blog the last two days, and the comments have been flooding in. If you were waiting for an answer to anything in my St. Augustine post, I replied to you guys earlier in the night.