Florida Garden Update 5/27/2011

Backyard Garden Update

Hey all... I've been very busy lately. Lots of student loan stress and lots of programming at work. These private student loan companies are nuts. I want to pay them what I can afford, but they want a set amount or nothing. They tell you one thing and do another.... But anyways, back to the garden updates.

My camera is still broke, so I'm borrowing my father-in-laws. Garden is doing pretty well. Bugs here and there, but nothing too bad. I ordered some organic BT (because I did find one worm in one tomato), so hopefully that will arrive soon.

I've gotten powerdy mildew on some of the dragon tongue beans. I think this variety isnt doing the best in our very humid environment. I sprayed some organic fungicide on them last night, but that usually kills the leafs on these beans. I might have to just pull them soon if I cant get it under control.

I've harvested quite a few suyo cucumbers and they are always great. Lots of cherry tomatoes also. Tons of big tomatoes on their way.

It's been in the high 90's almost everyday, with little to NO rain the past few weeks.

Soil Garden Update

Garden Update

Unfortunately, I dont have any pics for this update. It looks like my HD camera is broken, so I will have to work on fixing it or getting a new one soon.

It was a pretty sad Easter this year. One of our baby chickens has been taken away from us by one of our hungry cats on Easter night. I put their pin in the greenhouse and put a screen over the top, but while inside for 5 mins, the cat managed to remove the top and get one of the chicks. And the worst part is, the cat took the only GUARANTEED female we have... so we will have to wait and see if the other two are males or not. But on another note, the other two chicks are getting big and doing well (except for the traumatic event of their sister getting snatched by the cat)

I should have known better to leave them out there for even that short amount of time, but things do happen. I need to get on building them a home (chicken coop), but I dont have the funds and it seems I have 100 things on my to do list. I do have lots of stuff lying around the house & yard, so I'm going to see what kind of design I can come up with, using what I have - and not having to buy much of anything (crossing fingers).

There have been lots of Blue Berries ripening and taste awesome! I've eaten a few, but I try and give them all to my son :) He loves them!

I've almost 100% completed my irrigation for my soil garden and surrounding plants. I added a couple new plant beds in the backyard and mulched them. The backyard is starting to look better every week.

I'm spring cleaning my greenhouse and getting it ready for its new hydroponic system this year. I think I will be going with a coco fiber mixture of sort (so the sun doesnt dry it out as fast - in theory at least).

I still need to get my kiwi, strawberries, pomegranate and blueberry plants in the ground (or big pot)... so that should happen soon.

All the plants in the new soil garden are doing great (except a couple tomato plants - one which I removed in fear it might have a virus).

I have been putting the chickens in the soil garden while we clean their pin and they love playing in the sand and eating the small bugs they find. Too bad their sister isn’t there to enjoy it with them anymore... but that’s Mother Nature - survival of the fittest.

On the side, I’ve also been working with Windows Phone 7 development and loving it. I’ve been really busy at work, so making time during the week to get anything done in the yard is a mission (most the time I can just do a couple small things, water and then its dark)

It seems like it’s going to be a hot one this Summer. Yesterday the temperature reading was about 95 degrees in my car.

Take care and hopefully I will have a good post with pics sooner than later =)

Spring 2011 New Dirt Garden Pics After Small Florida Hail Storm

Spring 2011 New Dirt Garden Pics After Small Florida Hail Storm

All is going well in the soil garden. No bug/fungus problems yet and the shade cloth has protected the plants from the hail storm/rain that rolled in this evening. I also added a twine trellis for the tomatoes plants in the center of the garden for extra support on the vining (indeterminatie) varieties. 

3 New Additions to the Family - Baby Chickens

Red Star, Barred Rock & Rhode Island Red Baby Chicks

 The Red Star is guaranteed female and from Texas... The other two are from Florida and sex is unknown. All are eating-egg producing varieties, if female.We will just have to wait and see. The Red Star is the chick in the very front, with a racing strip on it's back.

I will be planning/building a chicken coop w/run very soon. I've looked at lots of plans/videos, so we will see what the end result will be :) But I'm sure much better than their current plastic box with pine :(

When Grasshoppers Attack & Spring Garden 2011

Eastern Lubber Grasshopper Nymphs Attacking my Mulberry Tree

Garden Update

Spring 2011 - Fresh, Free Compost Added to Garden

Composting the Garden 

Today my in-laws and I went to the Porter Transfer Station to load up on some free compost. This stuff goes fast, so we got there pretty early. It's provided by the county and it's pretty much decomposed yard debris that is picked up in the yard trash or dropped off by landscapers. It's bring your own shovel and no machinery allowed, so it's a lot of work if you load up a truck load. (Good thing it was the 3 of us all shoveling) Today was not a good day to do yard work.... It was in the high 80's and I just finished, and I'm very tired!

New Garden Before Compost - Very Sandy

After adding compost.....

After adding 2 large bags of organic peat moss

I will be adding in the very near future:

• Create a roof with shade cloth (poles on the corners to hang it from)
• Irrigation from Rain-water barrel and hose backup
• Animal Barricade (cats, misc)... I'm thinking about about a gate and/or screen.
• Last but not least.... MY PLANTS

Spring 2011 - A pic is worth a 1,000 words

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