During the yucky days of winter the Happy Hoer does a lot of surfing ……. I also subscribe to several blogs of interest. Just this morning a new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map was published, with a feature where you can type in your zip code and your map will magically appear Check it out [...]
Archive of posts filed under the gardening category.
Nutritional help for the New Year
We all could use a little help getting our minimum daily requirements of vitamins, fiber, minerals and all that stuff that our bodies need to thrive. Recently, during a surfing adventure, I ran across a new website published by the USDA. It’s called ChooseMyPlate.gov and it’s a wonderful resource for finding out exactly what’s in [...]
Healthy Holiday Snack
OK, so this is supposed to be the “slower” season for farmers. I still haven’t figured out “slow” in what way? Well, maybe slow in that I don’t have to beat the sun up every morning–that’s quite a break in itself. The high tunnel is going great; harvesting greens about every 10 days or so. [...]
Turnips and Rutabagas
Last year, while in the produce section of the local supermarket, I purchased a rutabaga. I did a blog about how wonderful it tasted and made a note to grow them this year. In mid-July I planted three rows, each about 180 feet long. The seeds germinated, I dutifully thinned them to 5″ apart, the [...]
Really Good ‘naner puddin’
Bananas don’t grow on the farm, but a friend of mine gave me a recipe for Banana pudding that I just can’t keep to myself: 1 c. flour 1 stick butter 1 c chopped pecans Cut butter into flour to resemble coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans. Spread in 9×13 baking dish. Bake 350 degrees [...]
Seasonal Decorations
I’m not one who’s particularly fond of Halloween decorations these days. Sure, when “we were kids” it was fun to dress up the house, our bodies, everyone’s yard in the neighborhood….too much information… Anyway, I do like fall decorations of corn stalks, pumpkins, gourds and such, but who has time to do all that when you’re [...]
Bad bugs gone “good”?
We’ve always heard the expression good guys gone bad, but bad guys gone good? In the hoophouse, tomatoes were planted in late winter. During the summer they produced and produced bunches of tasty tomatoes. In the process, the tomato hornworms found them, even inside the plastic surround of the hoophouse. There are parasitic wasps that like to [...]
It’s getting “kinky” around here
I know we’re not as dry as other folks are, but it hasn’t rained around here in several weeks. Needless to say, the irrigation pump has been working overtime. A lot of the gardens have drip tape installed in them which makes watering them as easy as turning a valve. Two of the gardens, any [...]
Thank goodness for heirloom beans
You know what? The best planning sometimes just goes to pot. I spent a good amount of time planning the green bean harvest so as to not be overwhelmed by beans ready to pick. Checking seed labels for days to harvest, staggering plantings, etc. Well, the best plans don’t always work! Mother Nature decided that [...]
M – I – C – K – E – Y
T – o – m – a – to Well, what else am I supposed to do in the sweltering heat while picking produce?