How does my little Garden grow?
It's in my blood. I have to tend to my house plants, my small herb garden, and whatever other plants that I can coax to grow for me.
Currently, inside my house, I have 13 cactus plants, 4 Dragon fruit plants, 4 Grapefruit trees, a Japanese maple bonsai and an Azalea bonsai.
We live on a 1 acre plot of land in the Ladue area of the St. Louis Metropolitan demographic region. Most people would assume that with 1 acre of land, I could have as healthy of a garden as I wish to attend. However, that isn't the reality of it. When we moved to this area, the Dish (Satellite TV) Network was going to make us honor the 24 month agreement that we signed with them. We still had a year left on the agreement. They were going to make us honor this agreement unless there was a very good reason that we could not have cable installed in the new home. About 89 tall, old-growth trees that occludes 90% of the sun on our property seems like a good enough reason to break the agreement to me, but Dish Network's area manager had to see for himself before he agreed to break the agreement.
We already had Charter Cable installed before Dish Network's technician arrived. He was at our home about a half an hour before his manager met him on our front lawn. I could see the tech walking about the property, looking skyward, shaking his head. When the area manager approached him, I couldn't hear the tech speak, but I am very good at reading lips from across the front lawn! I noticed that the tech told the manager, "There ain't no way in hell that we are going to be able to install satellite services in these people's home!" The manager took a quick walk around the property, agreed with the tech, and they both left. A couple weeks later, we received the boxed from Dish Network to send back their equipment.
My minor point: Out of one acre, we have a couple tiny areas that receives enough (barely!) sun to grow anything besides moss! I took myself to the local Homo Depot, and bought two 4' x 4' raised beds.
(4' x 4 ') x 2 = 32 square feet of planting space. The average 12' x 12' room, for example, is 144 square feet. My lowly little 32 square feet is less than 1/4 the size of a 12' x 12' room!
I found two spaces on this property that might get enough sunlight to allow me to raise a few vegetables.
What did I plant in my little 32' ft garden ?
1) Two rows of green beans
2) Two rows of okra
3) 4 Zucchini plants
4) 4 bushel gourd plants (the gourds that are the size of large pumpkins)
5) 6 green pepper plants
6) One Big Boy tomato plant and one Beefsteak tomato plant
7) Two rows of beets
8) Two rows of radishes
9) One English lavender plant.
The good news:
Today, I already harvested enough green beans for a meal. I have lots of huge tomatoes on both plants, and they should change from green to red soon. My gourds and Zucchini are growing like mad. They have already bloomed, and they have tiny fruit starting to grow on them. My green pepper plants are waist high, the beets are looking very healthy, and my lavender loves life.
The bad news:
I'm guessing there isn't enough sunlight back there for the okra. ONE plant out of two rows survived. They all germinated, and grew to about 2" - then stopped. They stopped for several weeks before they started dying off. I had enough of their stunted growth, and replaced both rows of okra (with the lone exception of that one plant!) with other variety of green bean. Within **2** weeks, those seeds not only germinated, but they are nearly as big as the first 2 rows that were planted a month earlier, and that are already producing harvest-able beans!
For whatever reason, my radish plants got absolutely massive, but they produced only bite-sized radishes. They were a bit of a let-down, but I had them planted between the tomatoes and the green peppers, only to occupy space, and to squeeze a bit more produce from a few tiny square feet.
______________________
Planted in the actual ground, I have my herbs: Three different types of basil, cilantro, oregano, tarragon, dill and parsley. I also have a couple Artemisia (Wormwood) plants and a few Coleus planted in the same area. My huge Sensation Spath (Peace Lily) that is several years old and lives in a 16" pot has to live well tucked under the saucer magnolia tree. This is one plant that loves the shade. If **any** sunlight touches those leaves, they will burn crisp. Along our sidewalk, I have 2 full-sized pineapple plants that will produce a pineapple, 2 miniature ornamental pineapple plants, 2 avocado trees and one rosemary plant that I keep in a large pot to winter inside the house. I didn't realize it until just now that tarragon is in the Artemisia (Wormwood) family, and I have them planted next to each other just by chance. What a quinkie dink!
___________________________
Ever wonder what to do with that basil that is growing too quickly, and is getting out of hand?
Make tea!
Lemon - basil tea!
Take a couple hands full of basil leaves (and maybe some thyme, if you have it). Put a 4 qt. pot on the range and fill as full as you like with water. Toss in the leaves and enough tea bags of your favorite tea. Brew for an adequate amount of time, and then I let it sit a couple hours to steep. Strain the herb leaves out of the tea, and pour in a pitcher. I slice a couple lemons and add them to the pitcher, and put it in the refrigerator.
Because I am watching the waistline, I use artificial sweetener instead of pure sugar - but - this tea is great with real sugar, sweetener or honey, and as much as whichever sweetener as you like.
_____________________
I'm gonna "Cook up a mess 'a' somethin' !! "
There is no possible way that I can convey to you how much I hate that phrase. I was raised hearing "mess" when one was speaking about a bunch of beans or other produce, and every time I heard it, I was mumbling under my breath, "Is there any way possible that you can be any MORE hillbilly than that?" As luck / fate would have it, I found out that those that use that phrase can, indeed, be just a little more hillbilly than that!
_____________________________
The moral of this assorted saga: Tend to a garden or house plants - or both. It is good for the soul, and the benefits are that you don't become those who do not (although raising vegetation is obviously no inoculation against becoming an unsavory character. I do know unsavory characters who also grow vegetables!
- Michael
It's in my blood. I have to tend to my house plants, my small herb garden, and whatever other plants that I can coax to grow for me.
Currently, inside my house, I have 13 cactus plants, 4 Dragon fruit plants, 4 Grapefruit trees, a Japanese maple bonsai and an Azalea bonsai.
We live on a 1 acre plot of land in the Ladue area of the St. Louis Metropolitan demographic region. Most people would assume that with 1 acre of land, I could have as healthy of a garden as I wish to attend. However, that isn't the reality of it. When we moved to this area, the Dish (Satellite TV) Network was going to make us honor the 24 month agreement that we signed with them. We still had a year left on the agreement. They were going to make us honor this agreement unless there was a very good reason that we could not have cable installed in the new home. About 89 tall, old-growth trees that occludes 90% of the sun on our property seems like a good enough reason to break the agreement to me, but Dish Network's area manager had to see for himself before he agreed to break the agreement.
We already had Charter Cable installed before Dish Network's technician arrived. He was at our home about a half an hour before his manager met him on our front lawn. I could see the tech walking about the property, looking skyward, shaking his head. When the area manager approached him, I couldn't hear the tech speak, but I am very good at reading lips from across the front lawn! I noticed that the tech told the manager, "There ain't no way in hell that we are going to be able to install satellite services in these people's home!" The manager took a quick walk around the property, agreed with the tech, and they both left. A couple weeks later, we received the boxed from Dish Network to send back their equipment.
My minor point: Out of one acre, we have a couple tiny areas that receives enough (barely!) sun to grow anything besides moss! I took myself to the local Homo Depot, and bought two 4' x 4' raised beds.
(4' x 4 ') x 2 = 32 square feet of planting space. The average 12' x 12' room, for example, is 144 square feet. My lowly little 32 square feet is less than 1/4 the size of a 12' x 12' room!
I found two spaces on this property that might get enough sunlight to allow me to raise a few vegetables.
What did I plant in my little 32' ft garden ?
1) Two rows of green beans
2) Two rows of okra
3) 4 Zucchini plants
4) 4 bushel gourd plants (the gourds that are the size of large pumpkins)
5) 6 green pepper plants
6) One Big Boy tomato plant and one Beefsteak tomato plant
7) Two rows of beets
8) Two rows of radishes
9) One English lavender plant.
The good news:
Today, I already harvested enough green beans for a meal. I have lots of huge tomatoes on both plants, and they should change from green to red soon. My gourds and Zucchini are growing like mad. They have already bloomed, and they have tiny fruit starting to grow on them. My green pepper plants are waist high, the beets are looking very healthy, and my lavender loves life.
The bad news:
I'm guessing there isn't enough sunlight back there for the okra. ONE plant out of two rows survived. They all germinated, and grew to about 2" - then stopped. They stopped for several weeks before they started dying off. I had enough of their stunted growth, and replaced both rows of okra (with the lone exception of that one plant!) with other variety of green bean. Within **2** weeks, those seeds not only germinated, but they are nearly as big as the first 2 rows that were planted a month earlier, and that are already producing harvest-able beans!
For whatever reason, my radish plants got absolutely massive, but they produced only bite-sized radishes. They were a bit of a let-down, but I had them planted between the tomatoes and the green peppers, only to occupy space, and to squeeze a bit more produce from a few tiny square feet.
______________________
Planted in the actual ground, I have my herbs: Three different types of basil, cilantro, oregano, tarragon, dill and parsley. I also have a couple Artemisia (Wormwood) plants and a few Coleus planted in the same area. My huge Sensation Spath (Peace Lily) that is several years old and lives in a 16" pot has to live well tucked under the saucer magnolia tree. This is one plant that loves the shade. If **any** sunlight touches those leaves, they will burn crisp. Along our sidewalk, I have 2 full-sized pineapple plants that will produce a pineapple, 2 miniature ornamental pineapple plants, 2 avocado trees and one rosemary plant that I keep in a large pot to winter inside the house. I didn't realize it until just now that tarragon is in the Artemisia (Wormwood) family, and I have them planted next to each other just by chance. What a quinkie dink!
___________________________
Ever wonder what to do with that basil that is growing too quickly, and is getting out of hand?
Make tea!
Lemon - basil tea!
Take a couple hands full of basil leaves (and maybe some thyme, if you have it). Put a 4 qt. pot on the range and fill as full as you like with water. Toss in the leaves and enough tea bags of your favorite tea. Brew for an adequate amount of time, and then I let it sit a couple hours to steep. Strain the herb leaves out of the tea, and pour in a pitcher. I slice a couple lemons and add them to the pitcher, and put it in the refrigerator.
Because I am watching the waistline, I use artificial sweetener instead of pure sugar - but - this tea is great with real sugar, sweetener or honey, and as much as whichever sweetener as you like.
_____________________
I'm gonna "Cook up a mess 'a' somethin' !! "
There is no possible way that I can convey to you how much I hate that phrase. I was raised hearing "mess" when one was speaking about a bunch of beans or other produce, and every time I heard it, I was mumbling under my breath, "Is there any way possible that you can be any MORE hillbilly than that?" As luck / fate would have it, I found out that those that use that phrase can, indeed, be just a little more hillbilly than that!
_____________________________
The moral of this assorted saga: Tend to a garden or house plants - or both. It is good for the soul, and the benefits are that you don't become those who do not (although raising vegetation is obviously no inoculation against becoming an unsavory character. I do know unsavory characters who also grow vegetables!
- Michael
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