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 [...]
Archive of posts filed under the gardening category.
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?
Squash bug capital of Tennessee
After this spring, I’ve dubbed Crab Orchard, or at least Wild Things Farm the “squash bug capital of Tennessee”. I practice crop rotation every year, but seems like the bugs have a radar or a spy at my computer looking to see where the squash and cucumbers are going to be planted. As soon as [...]
OK so now it’s white
Earlier I picked blackberries and thought my favorite color was black; I think it’s white. I just got back from one of the gardens and what a pleasant surprise! Enough cauliflower for the delivery tomorrow–woohoo! This is the first year cauliflower has been grown on the farm–it won’t be the last! Beautiful, crunchy, white heads [...]
My favorite color today is black
I find the question “What’s your favorite color” very hard to answer. I like all colors–it just depends on what the color is on. Today I like black–the glossy black of yummy blackberries! There is a patch of thornless blackberries on the farm, planted about 3 years ago. I harvested a few berries for the [...]
How to wash your favorite garden hat
I’m sure every die-hard gardener has their most very favorite gardening hat. Mine is a Scala hat, very wide brim, that has perched on my head going on three seasons now. It’s made of palm leaves, but very tightly woven and durable. Margaret the Mantis ( a pin) guards the hat against insect predators……. Anyway, [...]
Busy, busy, springtime
According to the NWS records, April 2011 in Tennessee was the wettest on record. Yes, on record. I can vouch for that–the irrigation pond ignored its boundaries and tadpoles moved into the grassy areas. Last week, Monday and Tuesday, the thermometer read 41 degrees. The eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and sweet potatoes were shocked! Now this week [...]
Awesome online gardening tools
I buy a lot of the seed used on the farm from Johnny’s Selected Seeds and yesterday they sent out an e-mail that has a BUNCH of online tools for when to plant seeds, how many to plant, harvest dates–I was amazed, and impressed, and tickled to get them! Someone has put a lot of [...]