Hurricane Preparation and Busy Gardening Month - September

My mind is going in so many different directions this month.  This is my first year of trying to be prepared for hurricanes in this area, mainly because recently hurricane "Earl" formed and luckily just went up along the coast toward Canada.  Maybe that will pay them back a little for all the cold weather they send down to the U.S.  Hah!  At the time of my writing, "Igor" is listed as a Category 4 Hurricane that will hit Bermuda and aim north, they say.  "Julia" is in the eastern Atlantic and so far is a Category 3. 

Last year there weren't any hurricane formations to be worried about in Florida, but the media are really pushing it this year.  Every store has the merchandise you would need to purchase for your needs in case one hits.  Things like flashlights and fresh batteries, cleaning supplies, water, canned goods, first aid kits, disinfectant, garbage bags and so many other items you may not be able to buy once a hurricane hits.  The Hurricane Checklists tell you to get extra cash from the ATM since they will not be working later on.  I gathered my Important Papers (such as Birth Certificate, House and Car Insurance papers) to take with me in case of evacuation.  I would also take my photos, as well as computer and charger and phone and charger, and clothing of course.  I drove the evacuation route and tried to choose a town and hotel I would stay in during the storm; at least 2 options.  We are told to keep our cars filled with gas in case of evacution.  The idea of being prepared is to prevent last- minute shopping and waiting in long lines. 

Then of course, before leaving for a safe haven, we are to cover our windows to protect them from flying debris.  In my case, closing the metal awnings and locking them down securely.  Turning off the water and electricity at their main sources is also recommended.  Thinking, planning and preparing for all of this has really made me nervous and on-edge.  My neighbor, who has lived here for 10 years, keeps assuring me that chances are likely their won't be a major hurricane.  It's been 5 years since one has done any damage to Florida.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I also cleaned my gutters, caulked around several windows to provide extra protection against leaks, trimmed all the shrubs around the perimeter of my house and stored my grill and extra seating from the porch in the shed.  All loose, empty gardening pots are also stored away.  Basically,  anything that will fly around in heavy wind needs to be stored indoors.

In the meantime, I'm trying to get my Fall plantings started.  All of the vegetables I plant will be in containers but the remaining plants, such as shrubs, are planted in-ground.  Just yesterday I planted a small Black Mission fig tree in a containter in order to keep it a smaller size by pruning it back as it grows, since they can grow to 10 feet.  I hope this works.  Today I've got to get out there and plant a Natchez blackberry bush.  I'm planting it in the ground so it can spread to it's full 3 feet.  I'm really hoping it grows quickly and produces berries for me since picking blackberries is a fond memory for me.  We had tons of blackberry bushes growing around the edge of the property where I lived in Pennsylvania.  I loved going out in the morning to get a big bowl full of berries to put on my cereal.  (Sigh.)



Natchez Blackberry



Black Mission Fig



So far this September I've started 2 tomato plants, one of which has been completely eaten by Something (unknown) except for it's main stem!  What is that?  So far so good on the second one.  They are both slicing tomatoes.  The cherry tomato I planted for summer yield is still producing well. 

I've got a small watermelon plant, a zucchini plant, a baby pumpkin plant and a crookneck squash plant all started from seed that need to be transferred to larger, self-watering containers soon.  I'm also planning on trying to grow Swiss Chard this year, as well as lots of beets and spinach.  I always have a container of spring onions growing, as well as a garlic plant.  If I had a stronger back, I'd turn my entire back yard into a vegetable garden! 

I've bought several packets of Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) seeds.  They are perennials and are supposed to flourish here in my Zone 9b.  We'll see.   So, I have lots of work to do.  I better get out there and get started! 



Here are a couple of photos of other fruits and vegs that seem to be growing steadily. 

Avocado

Meyer Lemon

Pineapple

Eggplants

The Story of Sandy and Fraser Crane

Recently our community bulletin presented this lovely story about the birth of 2 little Sand Hill Cranes, written so well by Bob & Joan G., residents of our village.  I've excerpted some of their story below:

"We had watched over the past months as they (sand hill crane mama- and papa-to-be) came every morning for about 2 hrs and pulled reeds from the lake bottom and piled them at one spot.  We hoped they were building a nest as some cranes had done so in the same area seven years before.  With the egg laying, we knew they were.  Then they both left that evening.

They came back in the morning and the female laid another egg and then sat.  An internet search told us the eggs should hatch in about 30 days and the baby chicks can swim within 24 hours after hatching.

As the days went by, Mama sat on the nest all night and in the morning, about 9:00 a.m., Dad appeared.  He sat all day till about 5:00 p.m. when mom re-appeared and he left.  During the month, the birds continued to add to the nest as it seemed to sink into the water.

On day 30, we had some folks sitting on lawnchairs waiting for the big event.  That started the EGG VIGIL.  We used our binoculars frequently during the day to observe the eggs for any signs of cracks.  On April 9, the birds gave out long calls early in the morning and then both stayed by the nest all day and all the next day.  The next day we noticed Mama pecking at one egg.  In the morning, the 35th day, we saw a lovely little yellow chick and decided to name him Fraser Crane.  We watched the chick struggle to walk, falling over its long legs, all wet and very young.  Mama kept using her beak to fluff up the feathers and help it to dry. 

By the end of the day, it was actually swimming in the lake around the nest while Dad proudly watched.  It was April 11.  The next day, Dad began pecking at the remaining egg and in a few minutes another lovely yellow, wet, weak tiny bird appeared (Sandy Crane).  It too staggered around, falling, while its older sibling watched with interest. 

As the day drew to a close, mama bird sat on the nest and moved her wings apart from her body a bit and we watched as the chicks awkwardly tottered into the space she left for them.  When they were totally in there, she drew her wings in again.  Sure gives new meaning to the phrase "having someone under your wing" doesn't it?"

Florida's Summer Heat!

Whew!  We're in a blast furnace, full force at this point - end of June.  Any outdoor activities like gardening, walking, or even shopping, need to be done in the early morning.  By 7 a.m. it's in the 80's.  The air conditioner is a life-saver; what did people do before it was invented?  And thank you, whoever it was who thought of such a wonderful thing.  Right now, at 9:00 a.m. the humidity is only 75%, but as the temps rise, so will the humidity. 

Last year during June, it rained everyday and I MEAN everyday.  After all, this is Florida's rainy season.  But there has been very little rain so far, so it's been necessary to water my really small garden daily. 

(Above) I did get ONE butternut squash off the vine that I babied for 3 months.  I'm happy that I accomplished that much because 4 or 5 of them dried up after reaching 2 or 3 inches or so of growth.  Disappointing.  The taste of a homegrown vegetable like this is so worth the months of extra care!  So far, no acorn squash have matured.  They die by the time they reach 1 1/2 inches.  The vine is still producing blossoms, so I have hope.  The zucchini plant also is still alive and producing blossoms and at this point there is one tiny zuc on it.

Below is an update in photos of what I've planted in June.

Butterfly Bush.  I'm eager to entice some of Florida's amazingly beautiful butterflies to my yard.  I've made a start with this bush and as time goes on, I'll plant more shrubs that attract them.

Meyer Lemon.  I may plant this in the ground later on, depending on my ability to keep it growing for an extended time.  I've been thinking of planting a lemon tree since I bought this home 3 1/2 years ago.  I'm not sure of my growing skills where fruits are concerned because I don't have any experience in this area of gardening, so for now it's in a container.  If it flourishes and looks like it's going to outgrow the pot, I'll move it into the ground. 

Blueberry Bush.  My dream (my gardening dream, that is) is to have a whole line of a variety of fruit bushes across the back of my yard.  I'd love to have an assortment of berry bushes or dwarf trees  (blackberry, raspberry and blueberry, as well as lemons, limes and oranges) but I'm unsure whether the berries will survive my 9b climate.  All the varieties I see in catalogs will not grow here.  Since this was sold at Home Depot, I'm counting on them to have chosen a variety that will grow well here if I take good care of it.  Keep your fingers crossed!  Surprisingly (to me), I get a small handful of dark blue berries EVERY day!  They just keep on comin'. 

Eggplant.  I planted these seeds the beginning of June and they're growing pretty fast.  I have read online that eggplants should grow during the summer here, so I'm trying it.  I have grown them as a Spring crop before and they do very well.

Dill.  These seeds are growing like weeds so it seems they aren't averse to the summer weather.

Plumbago.  My very favorite shrub.  The cool blue flowers are so welcome on these flaming hot days.  I'll plant more, maybe in front of my home.  Some of the homes in this community have these bushes in their landscaping, so apparently they grow well here.

Another Vero Beach Area

I went for a drive today and headed north up Ocean Drive to see what new (new to me) restaurants I could find and came across a very pretty beach area (below) with a boardwalk.  Perfect for a morning stroll.  I did see two restaurants I wasn't familiar with, within one block - Red Onion Eatery and Seaside Grill.  I looked their menus up online and they both are places I'll definitely try out.  There isn't a photo of Seaside Grill online yet, so I'll take one and post it here the next time I go up there.

This will be a great place for me to walk as soon as my allergies subside a little and I can't wait to use my metal detector here as the man in the first photo is doing.  You never know what might be under that beach sand!  (Mostly tabs from cans!)

Last Week of April

This is my only rose bush.  I planted it about 3 1/2 years ago and it hasn't grown 1 inch since then!  But it's still alive; that's a plus.  It's a Peace Rose, a tea rose.  The coloring is so beautiful - a pale pink on the outer edges of the petals, to peach, to yellow in the center.

The temperatures are now in the 80's during the day and we had at least 12 hours of heavy rain 2 days ago, so everything is exploding into bloom or fruit!  This is also, unfortunately, the time when insects (flying or crawling) really invade the garden.  Most of my plants are in containers, so they are being visited by flying insects that are trying to eat all the young vegetable buds before they grow into full-sized veggies.  They are attacking my strawberries before I pick the ripe ones; they are flying around my tomatoes like bees making honey. 

I'm wondering if these flying insects might be the "love bugs" we get down here at this time of year.  I suspect that they are not because I don't remember love bugs attacking my vegetables last year at this time.  The bugs I have look similar to small flies and there are hundreds of them around my plants.  I don't want to use any chemicals on my garden, so if anyone knows what they may be, let me know so I can find a safe option to get rid of them.

(Above) The azalea bonsai I received in early March has begun producing pink flowers on it today.  I was worried about overwatering it, but it must be doing well. 

(Above) This is the first time I've tried growing bush beans and I'm pleased that they look so healthy and so far no insects have tried to eat them (cross your fingers).  I've probably jinxed myself by saying that.  Anyway, they've got flowers on them now so I'm really eager to eat the first fully developed green bean this year. 

I've picked and eaten zucchini, strawberries, potatoes and tomatoes from my little container garden this year and I can't even begin to find the words that describe how much flavor there is in a home-grown fruit or vegetable.  They taste the way they were meant to taste originally, I guess.  I eat them the same day I pick them, so there isn't time for them to lose an iota of their flavor.  Full taste.  Wonderful!  That's why I find it so rewarding to grow a little garden, I suppose.

Speaking of potatoes, I have to say that planting potato eyes that have sprouted really gives back about 10 times the amount you planted.  One eye has produced anywhere from 6 to 12 potatoes; some small, some medium.  If I could be patient and wait a little while longer, they would all be bigger, but I had to make some potato salad for dinner yesterday.  Below is yesterday's little haul.

I have a second butternut squash beginning to form.  I think you can see both of them in the photo below.  The larger one is at the top of the picture, just left of center, and the new one is at the bottom with the blossom still attached.

And below is a not very good picture of my Hungarian hot pepper plant which is left over from last season.  It produced very well last fall and lived through the cold of winter.  Now it's come back and it looks like I'll get a few more hot peppers this year, as well.  They are really hard to see because they are the same color as the leaves, but there are 2 teeny peppers in the photo.

My Garden's Progress in April

My daylilies are beginning to bloom now and they are so bright, almost glowing!  This is a Stella D'Oro lily I planted 2 years ago.  It's smaller than I expected so I planted additional lily roots in mid-March to fill in around my palm tree.  Below is a photo of how much they have grown since then.  I'm expecting them to bloom in a couple of weeks.

By the look of the size of these lilies (above), I think they'll be much taller and fuller than the Stella D'Oros.  The two pictured here aren't around my palm tree.  I planted these, called Buttered Popcorn, in the back yard.

(Above) My aloe plant is blooming for the first time since I moved here!  I really wasn't expecting it and when I walked around the side of the house, there it was, about 3 feet tall!  I like plants that do all the work by themselves.  It doesn't even need me to water or weed or trim it.

Above is the pineapple top I planted on the last day of March.  It definitely has new bright green growth in the center and when I tug on it gently, it feels firmly rooted.  Looks like I may have success with this - I'm thrilled about it.  Now I'm beginning to wonder how long it will be before I can pick a pineapple!  My neighbor's pineapple plants do produce fruit for her.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I think zucchini blossoms (above) are so beautiful as flowers, even if they didn't produce one of my favorite vegetables.  I picked the long-anticipated first zucchini this morning.  I'll have to think of how I might want to cook them for supper tonight - there are so many ways to prepare zucchini; even raw or cooked.  This is the first time I've been able to get the plant to grow long enough to give me actual fruit.  At least half of the little zucchini are dying before they mature, but I've got 3 good ones growing that look as though they will make it.  And still more blossoms, so I have high hopes!  Below is a photo showing the size of the whole plant now, April 21.

And one last snapshot for today is of the tiny Butternut squash forming.  It's just beginning, so I don't know whether it will mature or not.  I had 2 tiny acorn squashes start to grow and they both just dropped off the plant.  I hope this squash does better and survives.  I'm thinking maybe the really cool nights we had when the acorn squash were forming may have killed them.  Below, baby butternut squash.

Kumquats or Loquats?

My wonderful neighbor came over this afternoon with this beautiful "bouquet" of kumquats from her tree.  Aren't they just gorgeous?  And they're just as delicous as they look.  I'm so lucky to have these happy, generous people all around me.  They are so willing to share the "bounty."  But I'm thinking these are loquats, not kumquats.  I think kumquats are almost like little oval shaped oranges and are a little tart, with skin that's similar to an orange.  These are smooth-skinned and softer and hardly tart at all.

I just planted 3 seeds in a container of potting soil from one of these fruits I ate.  I think I'll just throw the seeds out in a garden strip I have in the back yard.  If they grow, wonderful; if not, then at least I tried.  I'll put a few more in a pot and see what happens.  My neighbor's tree is about 8 or 9 feet tall and is really producing a lot this year. 

When she came over today, she told me there are 3 new baby cranes in the neighborhood just newly hatched and following their mother around (she's assuming it's the mother).  I'll take my camera out and see if I can locate them so I can post a picture of them here.

(I found the sandhill crane with her young one almost a month later than this post, so I've added it here.  They were strolling on the golf course behind my house, looking for something to eat.)  The baby is a little over 2 feet tall now.  How fast they grow!

The last thing I did out in the garden this morning was plant a sweet potato (below) that had started to sprout because I didn't pay any attention to it after buying it a couple of weeks ago!  Since potatoes do so well here, I cut it up and put it in a container.  I'm wondering whether it will produce sweet potatoes or just pretty vines.  Either will be fine with me but I love sweet potatoes and wouldn't it be wonderful to go to the backyard and dig up some for dinner?

My First Ripening Tomato!

Yay!  My first reddish tomato of 2010!  This is mid-April now and my little container garden is looking good.  Healthy.  Except for a few leaves that were hit by a low temperature after I planted them, which was the end of January and the beginning of February.  Now the weather here on the Treasure Coast is like summer would be in PA, if we had much of a summer in PA.  The temps are reaching low 80's in the daytime and 60's at night. 

At this point, I'd guess I have at least 80 little green tomatoes on the 2 bushes.  More than I ever had in Pennsylvania.  The trick here, though, is to baby the plants until the fruits ripen and can be harvested.  In PA, I just let the garden do it's thing.  Here, I have to check every day to make sure there aren't any bugs or diseases and to see if they need water.  These container plants definitely need watering every day.  It rained a little this morning but that wasn't enough to wet the garden soil thoroughly.

The zucchini (above) is doing well so far.  Several zucchinis have already bit the dust but I have at least 5 more that look like they will be maturing, as well as 7 more blossoms.  I'm itching to try stuffing and cooking the zucchini blossoms; I'll post it if I'm at all successful and remember to take a picture.

My poor strawberries (below) are being eaten by birds (or other bothersome critters).  I ate a few off the vine, so to speak, but now that the birds have found them, I may not get any more!  I think I should look around to see if I can find a net that goes over them for protection.  There must be something like that out there.  Sad looking, isn't it?

Update on My Vegetables

The two tomato plants I bought as potted starters are growing like wildfire, and that's what you can expect from plants in a self-watering container.  The smaller plant is a patio tomato which is a bush tomato plant and the taller one is a Big Boy that is about 4 feet tall now.  There are at least 6 to 8 green tomatoes on them, and dozens of blossoms.  I'm hoping they stay healthy and produce a great tomato crop for me this year.  I'm so happy with their growth so far.





In the picture on the left, you'll see how fantastic the strawberries (left) are doing!  Lots of flowers and green berries.  I've picked two nice red berries so far. 

In the photo on the right are the zucchini plants in the smaller self-watering container.  These plants are about to take over.  There are several blossoms which I'm keeping my fingers crossed will turn into nice green zucchini.  Last year my zucchini plants died after blooming.  I'm not sure why; I didn't see any pests, so maybe underwatering.  That's why they are in this self watering container this year.

I planted bush beans (below) three times and they finally sprouted.  They may be getting a later start than they need to produce beans this season.  Last year I tried pole beans which did fairly well, but were a little too straggly.  I hoped these bush beans would yield a good amount, but I'm not sure they have enough time before the rainy season to produce.  I'm hoping, anyway.

And last, but not least, I've got 2 little green peppers growing well.  This plant, below, is left over from last Fall, when it gave me about 4 nice, medium-sized peppers.  I didn't dream it would bud and produce again this season, but I got a bonus.  Two growing seasons for the price of one!

So, as of April 2, everything is healthy and growing well.  I can only hope it continues along this smoothly and I get a nice basket of veggies to harvest.

Just a little note:  I'm also growing a few herbs - parsley, thyme, rosemary, chives and spearmint.  They all do very well here in Florida and haven't had any insect problems.  The only complaint I have is that the man who weed whacks around our houses, accidentally (I hope) cut off my spearmint down to the ground, along with a Plumbago I was nursing back to health after this tough winter.  They must have looked like weeds to him!

My Lily Roots at Last

I've finally received the long-awaited lily roots from QVC that I ordered from Cottage Farms on February 8.  Naturally QVC waits until the recommended planting date before sending them to you.  I've never planted bare roots before and certainly never planted them in Florida soil/sand, so wish me luck!  I bought my favorite Miracle Gro Garden Soil to put around the roots to give them a good healthy start.  The soil contains fertilizer so all I have to do is keep them watered.  I've had pretty good luck with plants from Cottage Farms so far but this past winter's colder weather has almost killed several plants.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they spring back now that the days are warmer.  The nights are still cooler than normal, though.  The ugly picture below is how the roots look when you get them.

I dug a hole twice as big and twice as deep as the roots and filled it with my garden soil.  I mounded the soil up in the center, positioned the roots so they would surround the mound, then put good garden soil around the roots up to the level of the ground.  A good watering and a little bark mulch finished it off.

Looks dead, doesn't it?  It's really just dormant.  It will grow beautifully - I have faith in Cottage Farms roots and plants.  They've always done well for me.

And here it is all finished with mulch.  The weather on the Treasure Coast is perfect now and I've been doing a lot of cleaning up around my established plants, as well as weeding around the vegetables I planted a little earlier.  Everything is going like crazy.  We're having 70-80 degree days and plenty of sunshine.  The tomato plants are really growing well with at least 6 or 7 green tomatoes.  I've had a ripe strawberry already and lots more to come.  This is the exciting part of gardening:  seeing what is new each day on the plants and watching them ripen.  Usually I just pick a tomato off the vine or a pepper or strawberry and eat it right away. 

Below is a photo showing how much the lilies have grown in only 2 weeks!  I planted them in a circle around the palm tree in my front yard.

It's hard to imagine that this is the bare root I planted on March 19, isn't it?  Hopefully, they will be blooming in a month or two. 

Birthday Surprises in the Mail!

I was expecting the mailman to bring my order from QVC: lilies and phlox, so when he delivered 2 boxes, I thought, "Must be my plants."  I hurriedly slit open the first box and what a surprise!  It was a box of giant chocolate covered strawberries!  From my grandson in Ohio!  They were the largest, juiciest strawberries I've ever seen!  You'll notice one is missing...hmmm, wonder where it went?

I checked the return address on the next box, thinking that it might not be the plants, either.  I didn't recognize the return address and wondered what was going on.  Another big surprise!  This one was a bonsai azalea tree, which I've never heard of, from my daughter!  It's got dozens of tiny buds ready to bloom.  I can't wait to see this in full flower. 

The night time temperatures are still pretty low (48), so even though the days are nice and sunny and around 70 to 75 degrees, I bring the azalea in at night.   I've never attempted growing a bonsai of any kind, so I'm hoping I can keep this one alive.  I'll have to read some tips on the care and feeding of azaleas, as well as bonsai trees.  Pretty tricky.