Alabama Garden Tour #2

Below you will see just a taste of the bountiful harvest from Garden Tour #2!  This garden is located in the sunny southern state of Alabama.  Take a look and be encouraged learning that even a small garden can produce many tasty vegetables.

Eggplant, Red Peppers, Tomatoes and Basil

I was encouraging a family member to start a garden at their home in Alabama.  However, there were several challenges.  First, the yard was very small and didn't have space for a typical raised bed.  Second,  they needed a bed that was easy to assemble and something that could be disassembled easily if they had any future relocation.   Then most important of all it needed to be attractive so that it was accepted by the homeowners association.   I found this incredible solution at Gardener's Supply. It's called the 4 in 1 Modular Raised Bed and can be arranged in 4 different ways to fit your space. 

This Modular raised bed fits into the landscaping.

I passed along my new found knowledge companion planting to help guide her selection of plants.  She choose (2) Eggplants, (2) Peppers, (2) Tomatoes, Basil & (1) Zucchini.   She also added a drip irrigation hose to water the plants.   The plants were planted at the end of May, because that is when she received the raised bed.  However, next year she can start planting earlier because of the longer growing season in Alabama.

Drip irrigation hose on far right

Below you can see a picture of the bed in August.

Happy Happy Tomatoes!

 She also experimented by growing a Zucchini and a Tomato plant in pots on her deck.  These plants received more sun in this location and their leaves started to show signs of distress.  I researched this problem and found out that plants can get sunburn!  They can get yellow spots on their leaves and fruit and then the plant tissue is affected. 

Zucchini plant in pot

To remedy this she moved the plants on the deck to an area that was in the sun during the morning and shaded in the afternoon.  In the raised bed she then added a lightweight white fabric covering over the Zucchini plant. 

Banana Tree

Banana Trees

This garden also has (4) Banana trees!  At first you may think that these plants could only grow in the south, but I have discovered that you can grow a  Dwarf Cavendish Banana Tree if you live in zones 4-11.  Our garden is in zone 6 so we would make the cut.  In order for it to work for us we would have to keep the plant in a large pot and then bring it into the house during the late fall & winter.  (For the fruit to ripen it needs a frost free environment). This variety is dwarf-sized maturing to 8-10 feet in height.
  

You too can make your garden fit the yard that you have whether it is small or large!  There are even solutions if you have no yard at all!  You can use a planter, an elevated bed, pots and you can even grow vegetables and fruit on your apartment balcony.   Get creative and enjoy!

Sunflowers & Winter Squash Harvest

This past week I was able to harvest a variety of vegetables from the garden.  Winter Squash, Green Beans, Cucumbers, Summer Squash, Watermelon, Onions, Carrots & for the first time Sunflowers (for their edible seeds of course)!

Green Beans, Spaghetti Squash, Burgess Squash, Cucumbers & Summer Squash

How can you tell when to harvest Winter Squash?  The best way to tell is to push your nail in the squash.  It won't leave a visible dent if it is ripe.  You may also be able to tell when the vine starts to die and turn brown drying out (keep in mind this may also indicate that your plant has a disease, is under stress or early frost has caused this.)  

Cut the squash from the vine and leave about 3 inches of the stem.   Winter Squash can last in storage anywhere from a month up to 6 months (depending on the variety). 

Typical Shelf Life of Winter Squash:
1-2 Months: Acorn, Delicata and Spaghetti Squash
2-3 Months: Buttercup/Butternut & Pumpkins
5-6 Months: Buttercup and Hubbard

How to harvest Winter Squash properly to last in storage: 
1. Place the unwashed squash in a spot that is warm and sunny for around a week to two weeks.  
(NOTE: Don't do step 1 if you have Acorn Squash- move it to a cool location right away.)
2. Store them in a room that is cool and dry with good air circulation.  (Above 50 degrees F)

Watermelon ready to eat!

We have been amazed at the Sunflowers growing in the beneficial beds in front of our garden.  This is the first year that we have grown Sunflowers and they are incredibly beautiful.  We grew 2 different types: Summertime Mix (more for color and cutting) and Russian Mammoth (for their edible seeds).  See pictures and tips on drying Sunflower seeds below

Sunflower Summertime Mix F1 

(Helianthus Annuus) 

- mixture of colors

- good for mass planting and cutting gardens

-pollen free hybrid collection

-height 4'-5

Summertime Mix- beautiful red/orange color and light yellow flowers

Russian Mammoth Sunflowers 

(Girasol Mammoth Ruso)  

-9'-12' tall with 10'-14' flowers

-easy to grow heirloom

-gigantic single flower heads on stalks

-dry to produce thin-shelled edible seeds

We still can't believe how tall these Sunflowers are!  They are truly Mammoth in size.

Process for drying Sunflowers (indoors):
1. Harvest when wilted &  some yellow petals have fallen off. 
2.  Leave 3 inches of stem when cutting off head of Sunflower. 
3. Secure string around stem of flower. 
4. Hang Sunflowers upside down in warm dry area with good ventilation.
5. Check drying Sunflowers each day & collect seeds which have fallen off. 
(Seeds are dry & ready when the green part of the Sunflower is dark brown & dry).
6. Using your hand rub the top of the flower head & the seeds will come out. 
7. Rinse with cold water and drain.  
8. Allow to air dry for a couple of days on a towel. 
(If desired you can put them on a cookie sheet & toast in oven).
9. Store or eat your Sunflower seeds!

(IF DRYING OUTDOORS DO THE FOLLOWING): 
Do not cut off Sunflower heads.  Instead put them in brown paper bags and tie a string around the bottom of the stem to close the bag.  Continue to check each day.  When ready
cut the Sunflower off stalk leaving 10-12" of stem.  Leave paper bag on flower until it is cut off so you don't loose any seeds.  Continue above steps 6 through 9.

Sunflowers hanging in our garage to dry

Sunflower on the end is about ready for us to remove seeds.

Its now August and the vegetables in the garden are slowing down their production.  The weather has been unusually cool during these summer months.  We have really enjoyed being in the garden this spring and summer.  Its going to be hard to transition to fall this year.  Soon it will be time to clean up the garden and plant a cover crop for the winter.  Then in late fall and early winter it will be time to plan again for next year. 

I will miss the Zinnia flower arrangements in my kitchen this fall!

More to come next week with Garden Tour #2!

July 24th Update

If we can acknowledge that what we see in the world is not all there is, we are strengthening our eyes of faith.  We can live clinging to the good even when it feels like our fingers are getting rope burn.  Whatever we do we can't let go of the truth.  In the dungeon, the way out isn't found by lowering our expectations.  The way out is through letting the keys open the doors to free our hearts and allowing them to soar upward, toward the goodness they were created to hold.  

Plow straight ahead through the middle, no matter how uncomfortable it gets.  Stay down from the castles in the air.  Stay above the dungeons in the dark.  And don't forget- you have been recognized.
~Excerpts taken from the book:
Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of A Women's Soul by John & Stasi Eldredge

 Everyone has times in their life when things seem to crumble around them.  For me it was the year that my grandfather passed away.  It was some time ago, however may other things at that time in my life were challenging.  Truthfully I found it to be too much to bear (alone that is).  I pressed into my time with God and remember that it was so hard to feel him with me.  At that time I was reading the book "Captivating" and found the quote listed above.  It gave me hope and began to sooth my soul.   I remember writing the quote on lined paper and hung it on my bathroom mirror so that I could read it each morning.  Along with my friends and family encouraging me and my quiet time I slowly started to see my heart heal and my soul feel restored.  

Circumstances are very different now, but life still brings challenges.  Some are not so obvious to those who don't know us well, but that doesn't lessen the difficulty.  Situations may be in a different form, but they can still bring feelings of "rope burn".   This past month I reflected on that time years ago and could still remember some of the lines of this quote.   Then a couple of weeks ago while cleaning the basement I came across a box with that same lined paper and my handwriting.  What a God thing.  I have placed it over my sink looking out the window to the garden.  I read it every morning as a reminder "to plow straight ahead" and to remember "I have been recognized" and I matter to my heavenly Father. 

Texas Garden Tour #1

Unique. Creative. Beautiful.

That is how I view other people's gardens.  I love to see how someone else has tailored their yard, land, or space to make something grow.  

I find that I learn so much from "visually" seeing different ways of doing something.  I believe there are many other people out there that learn this way also, so I have decided to randomly select some gardens to tour (of friends and families we know) throughout the year.  Maybe this will spur you on to a new concept or simply show you that there are a vast amount of ways to garden!  

Along the way remember that your garden doesn't need to "look" one certain way or follow certain steps to be successful.  You learn as you go.  The key is to start a garden in order to gain experience and then keep at it to develop and have success. 

Last year we were able to see my Uncle's garden in Texas and I was amazed!  At the time were still newbies to the idea of raised beds and we had just installed 2 of our own beds back home.  Imagine my shock when the  I discovered the "small garden" my Uncle had consisted of 8 raised beds!  Not to mention the fruit he had growing along his fence line.

He took me on a tour and I felt like a child asking what everything was.  The thing that astonished me the most was the variety of plants that he was growing.  He had carrots, onions, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, asparagus, radishes, basil, lavender, cilantro, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and black berries.   Enjoy the pictures below!

Green Peppers

 

Banana Peppers

Lavender & Basil

Cilantro, Basil (both purple & green)

Bed of Strawberries with Asparagus plant

Red Skin & Yukon Gold Potatoes

Yukon Gold Potatoes & Cucumber

Grapes

4 varieties of Grapes growing on fence

Carrots

Blackberries

Hope ya'll enjoyed the first Garden Tour!  More to come.