Early this spring, my wife Nancy bought a little seed planting kit  from Ferry- Morse. It was a Smart Start kit with 8 tomato seeds in capsule form. “Water and grow” were the instructions. Of the 8 capsules, 4 managed to sprout and two finally made it to plant hood. One that did has been keeping us in fresh tomatoes. We get two or three each day and have been for a couple weeks. It is doing so … [Read more...]

Heirloom Tomatoes are truly “heirlooms”. Farmers Almanac confirmed that this unique tomato plant has come from seeds that have been handed down from generation to generation. Families and farmers saved the seeds from the tomatoes that tasted best and over the years, perhaps the most flavorful, juiciest tomato of all emerged. The Heirloom  is a purebred tomato, not a  hybrid variety. Yet you … [Read more...]

  I now have corn rows – not in my hair, in my garden. I planted 4 very short rows and am hoping for the best. I needed something to replace my early harvest of sweet peas. Green beans would have been a more sensible choice, but I gambled with bi-color corn. Corn does better when it’s planted with lots of other corn, side by side, so I planted my 4 baby rows about a foot apart. Hopefully … [Read more...]

    Tennessee Ernie Ford had a catchphrase: “Bless your pea-picking heart.” This week I was a genuine pea picker. I started not to sow peas in my garden this year. They seem like a lot of work and garden space for not very much return, but peas are one of just a few vegetables you can plant in March and when rotated, that space can yield two crops in a small garden. I also … [Read more...]

  One of my (many) weaknesses as a wanna-be farmer is the actual sewing of the seeds. My garden is not smooth and loamy. It’s more the consistency of a rock pile as the clods of red clay dominate. Therefore, it’s difficult to create that fine soil for planting that young seeds prefer. But I’ve found a way, a better way for me, anyway. I have been hoeing and chopping the garden as … [Read more...]

  In the Garden of Eden, I am confident there were no squirrels, deer, rabbits or groundhogs – otherwise Adam and Eve wouldn’t have had a garden to tend – only stubble. Or maybe the Lord arranged for a large cage surrounding the garden – like I have now. I am pleased to say that every pea I planted has sprouted and is still in place. Every stalk of lettuce, every squash leaf, every baby … [Read more...]

    I harvested my first crop from my new La Cage Mahal – the 50 x 10 foot, completely enclosed, wire cage I have installed to keep squirrels, rabbits, deer and groundhogs at bay. It was a picking of onions, from last year, actually. I had pulled about half on my spring onions last spring. but let the others go. They sprouted and grew, then shriveled away in summer’s heat. And … [Read more...]

I was having an e-mail discussion with fellow gardener, Sherman Shifflett, about squash. He said one of his favorite dishes was Squash, Potatoes and Onions, fried together. I have enjoyed Fried Squash and Onions and Fried Potatoes and Onions, but not all three together. I intend to try it soon Sherman also mentioned that his dad grew a small, white squash called Patty Pan Squash. My Dad did … [Read more...]