Thought I would post a link to the original article discussing the chemical makeup of wood ashes for garden use as well as the pdf stored here in case the original site is removed.
Month: July 2023
We have some apples
Greetings SNH’ers! As we work to improve our food security, we have landed some southern apples to add to the yard. Anna, Golden Dorset and Tropic Sweet will all work to pollinate each other. Come to think of it, we now have quite a few fruit options growing on our little pretend homestead.
- (3) Apples
- (1) Avocado
- (2) Peaches
- (2) Oranges
- (1) Lemon
- (2) Figs
- (8) Blueberries
- (2) Blackberries
- (4) Watermelon
- (1) Maybe beautyberry ..more below.
This afternoon I was trying to identify some plants in the yard.
If you know what these are, send me a message. I think beautyberry is also a nitrogen fixer.
Just a meme
Just felt like making a meme today after seeing all the news.
Garden Plans for July
Since the last of our big harvests in May, we have been pulling a few random items like everglades tomatoes, purple hull peas and couple of cucumbers. Today, I removed the cucumber plants seeing a fresh batch of insect damage and small black insect eggs on them.
Since our garden becomes a bit dull during August with sweet potato production being the real focus, I am thinking about starting a run of peppers for the fall when we comfortably get back into the 80’s and production picks up again. I’ll also re-order some seed stock to replenish the fall plantings like carrots and lettuces that did well last year.
The compost bins however are doing great work. I added a “trash can” composter to handle larger amounts of rubbish and it seems to be breaking down fairly fast in the heat. Maybe we can get a 6 month cycle to usable compost instead of my 1 year mark as has been in the past. The addition of red wigglers has also hastened the tumbler bin significantly and the kitchen scraps seem to be breaking down much faster than before.
The addition of a mechanical timer on the drip system has made watering much simpler allowing me to get out of that chore (mostly) and focus on the weeds. I am setting it for 30 minutes in the morning and occasional evenings when the day has exceeded 95 degrees and the humidity is high.
Lastly, a big shout out to the youtube community for showing me better ways to manage the garden and also show that my own struggles are not unique. It’s funny how we all want the perfect landscape with a massive harvest all the time, but its not the reality. Summer gardens, here in Florida, often look like a total mess in July and August, most just give up. With some tenacity and good crop selection, you can remain productive and keep the weeds at bay.
Happy Gardening.
Mr. SNH.
Happy 4th of July
Take this day to remember how our country came to be. Honor those who have fought for freedom and re-read a founding document. Happy 4th. Mr. SNH.