Greta's Garden

Spring Planting

2011-02-21T18:55:00.002-05:00

Oh, it feels so good to sit down in freshly tilled soil! Today I planted 3 rows of Half Danvers carrots, 1 row of red onions, 1 row of Swiss chard, half a row each of lettuce and broccoli.

I also purchased a St. Patrick yellow tea rose for my mother. I'll plant it this week.

2011-01-25T17:10:00.000-05:00

Are you interested in learning how to start your seeds - NOW?

Catnip doesn't care what the weather is like ...

2011-01-25T17:02:00.000-05:00

My catnip has weathered the winter storms pretty well. The neighborhood cats periodically come by for a whiff.

January 2011 - A little frozen lake

2011-01-25T16:59:00.000-05:00

When the snow started melting off the carport, I used the bucket to catch some of the water. When it warmed up a little this week, I dumped out the bucket - this is what I found --- a small frozen lake!

Fall 2010

2010-11-10T22:02:00.000-05:00

Summer 2010 was the hottest on record, so I didn't get outside. Now that temps are in the 50-70 range, and the bees are gone, I'm getting my fingers in the dirt.

I cleaned out my little greenhouse and have put my citrus, herbs and geraniums in there. The catnip garden is all tidy - and I have two plants left - gave all the rest away. I harvested some seeds and scattered them so I'll have a lush bounty for neighborhood kitties next spring.

Now I have lots of trimming and pruning to do - lots.

July 2010 Update

2010-07-26T23:08:00.000-04:00

Well, I was busy the first 7 months of the year. A neighbor tilled a portion of my garden and I laid down some black plastic to control the weeds. Historically, they grow higher than the plants.

I'm fortunate to have very black, rich soil that I feed on a regular basis.

So I got about a dozen tomato plants and half that many peppers planted. In a small planter, I have some herbs. The rosemary is still in the kitchen sink because 1) I never had time to plant it, 2) bought it midsummer and 3) it's been too darned hot to be outside. I have to be careful.

So now, it's harvest time. Joel has made two batches of banana pepper relish. Oh, it's so good. He first made it 4 years ago. Now, I'm relishing my relish. Will it get processed in the canner? Maybe. It's really good!

The guy who does my yard has been working for his parents at their beach house, so my grass and weeds are growing. Today, I tried mowing, but both lawn mowers are going to the shop. I'm stranded. YIKES! I'm overcome with weeds and need to get them out of the way so I can harvest.

In the meantime, I am working the soil to stop the blossom end rot. That's a simple fix, but you do lose some fruit along the way.

But the glowing star in the garden is our globe artichoke. I planted it last year.

Lime

2010-03-20T21:44:00.003-04:00

I dumped lime on the grass and in the garden today in preparation for a good rain tomorrow. Lime not only neutralizes the soil, but also gets rid of white clover in grass and helps prevent blossom end rot on peppers and tomatoes.

I use the pulverized lime this time of year, because it breaks down quickly and is absorbed by the soil and plants. I anticipate sometime in the next 10 days someone will till the garden and prep it for planting ...

Ambrosia Melons

2010-03-13T22:17:00.003-05:00

A bit late, but we have germination! Can't wait for my ambrosia melons to ripen.

Prepping Your Garden For Spring

2010-03-11T17:42:00.001-05:00

I'm going to add that you should get your soil tested to determine what nutrients it may need. For example, in my yard, we've had an above-average amount of water this winter so I know I'll need to add some lime - no - probably a lot of lime. I don't know what else. So, before I start planting, I need to send off some soil samples.

If it's still cold where you live and your nut and fruit trees haven't yet started to sprout leaves, it's not too late to give them a good bath of volck oil to temper the bugs and diseases you may encounter later this year.

What's in bloom? March 2010

2010-03-11T17:29:00.001-05:00

Set out for gardening success, not failure

2010-03-11T16:28:00.000-05:00

If gardening is new to you, I suggest you find a mentor. A great place to find one is at your local home and garden store. If you see someone gazing over the flowers, vegetables and shrubs, strike up a conversation. Ask some questions. Green Thumbs are typically more than happy to share their knowledge and help you along.

You certainly don't want your garden to wind up a disaster, as cited by some in this Wall Street Journal story!

2010 Garden

2010-02-16T09:49:00.002-05:00

I'm a little late in getting started. I ordered my tomato and melon seeds from Totally Tomatoes over the weekend. They'll arrive this week.

I am fortunate that I have space in my basement to start seeds. I use heating pads to speed up the germinating process, so my wonderful little Sweet Chelsea 'maters will be popping out of their shell by this time next week. I put the plants under grow lights.

Unfortunately, there's no easy way of attaching a timer to the lights. So I have to remember to run down there and turn the lights ON and OFF.

Greta's Farm - on Farmville

2009-07-05T23:42:00.003-04:00

I now own a cyber farm - Greta's Farm - on Facebook. Feel free to visit me there and become a neighbor. I'm growing strawberries, eggplant and wheat. I guess I have to sell the strawberries at market to earn enough coins to expand my operation, but if I knew which v-a-r-i-e-t-y I'm growing, I might make up some preserves - or drop some in the blender with some rum ...mmm.

Rain, Rain, Rain, Rain, Rain

2009-06-18T13:29:00.003-04:00

Between 1:30 and 4:00 this morning, we had a terrible rain storm here in Asheboro. Radar indicated the storm just kept reinventing itself - not moving anywhere. Just as soon as it started to die down, here it would come again. Some lightning and thunder, but primarily rain. Lots of it. We had 3-1/2 inches during that time. When I went to bed the first time, this garden cart was dry.

Garden Colors

2009-06-14T18:12:00.006-04:00

Here are some other colors around my yard right now ... the pink rose is a climber... the azalea is seasonally-challenged ...

Making Money

2009-06-14T18:08:00.004-04:00

I think it's time to harvest my money plant. The leaves dry and appear as "coins." You rub them together and the seeds drop out - ready for planting. They don't do much good at the gas pump.

The Rose from Hell

2009-06-14T14:47:00.009-04:00

I'm a Barbra Streisand fan. I could watch Funny Girl over and over and over. As a little girl, I sang with her records - and still find her fascinating. I know, not everyone does. And no, I don't care for her editorial comments or her politics either. I just like her movies and music.

So that leads me to the rose from hell.

I just planted two rose bushes in my garden. Yes, I'm slack - still have 3 more to go and one's a climber. They should have been in the ground by now. Of the two just put in the dirt, one is a Mr. Lincoln and the other is a Barbra Streisand.

My bright red Mr. Lincoln has such a heavenly, strong rose fragrance - the one written about by poets throughout eternity. Flowers are bold and striking against the green foliage backdrop.

Then there's the BS rose. It stinks. It's a strong sour, citrus smell. The petals are tightly wound up. It's a pale lavendar that pales in comparison to my Mr. Lincoln. And the card that came with the rose said that Barbra herself picked out this variety for her name.

Her nose works differently from mine.

I'm surprised that in this heat they're blooming. But, we have had plenty of rain and some cool nights.

NC State Bird on my Porch

2009-05-28T11:20:00.004-04:00

Shhh. They're nesting.

This basket last year held a beautiful fern, but I got slack and the ferns all died. I hadn't taken them down all winter. When spring came, Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal found one and set up a home. They have 4 little babies - and my cats want 'em!

Digging Up Dirt

2009-05-21T20:26:00.006-04:00

I went to my parents' house yesterday and made a raised bed for their tomatoes. Oh, they're going to be crowded. In a 6'x2' planter, I put 3 tomatoes, 2 sweet basel and 1 green bell pepper. I hope the stands support and hold the Topsy Turvey tomatoes I hung. I think I'm going to have to go back and fasten them to the side of the tool shanty. One good wind and I think those Topsy Turvey hangers will land in China!

My mom always wants her tomatoes where she can pick them, which means the soil never gets a break. She had difficulty understanding why she needed to rotate space. So, I dug up the dirt where her 'maters typically are, mixed in some fresh soil, covered all that with newspaper and a little mulch - and then started adding new dirt. I included some lime, Black Cow manure, sand and vegetable garden soil. Not the ideal situation. Needs clay to hold the water. But my dad likes to water the plants, so I know they'll stay moist. I really should have taken some dirt from my garden, but didn't have time to dig some up and strain the weed roots out.

2009 - Up and Running!

2009-05-16T08:06:00.007-04:00

We've had a lot of rain this year, so getting the ground prepared has been delayed. I didn't think I could get a tractor in my garden, but my neighbor, Bill Kenan - a long-time gardener - proved me wrong. Here he is turning the soil. Now this particular area hadn't really seen daylight in 3 years. It had been under black plastic. My thought was to till the entire garden, amend and cover this year with mulch.

Instead, I'm using the area seen in this photo for my garden and have planted Ambrosia cantaloupes to run over the rest of it. That area is where I've had my tomatoes for the past 4 years. I'm letting it rest with a lot of leaves and kitchen garbage so it will be ready for a larger crop of tomatoes next year.

And besides, there are only so many hours in a day. I can't tend to all of it. Weeds kill me. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Centipede Grass

2009-04-07T22:21:00.004-04:00

My front yard used to have gorgeous light green centipede grass throughout the hot dry summer. Well, several years ago, I had my huge oak tree deep-root fertilized. MISTAKE. The auger that drilled holes into the tree roots pulled up dormant seeds -- weeds and grasses that hadn't been mixing into my beautiful centipede grass.

So I wound up with a ring of unknown grasses surrounding the tree - 21 holes. After a tornado took out my favorite tree, I ended up with a real mess in my front yard.

Now it's loaded with all kinds of grasses and weeds. Since the rains have softened the soil, I"ve been digging up quite a bit of the unwanted greenery. In the basement, I've got flats of centipede seed germinating - and I'll plant the plugs in June.

Local landscaping companies don't carry centipede sod. So I'm making my own.

Camarosa Strawberries in NC

2009-03-18T19:48:00.002-04:00

If you live in North Carolina, camarosa strawberries are now available at Lowe's Foods. Well, I imagine they are at other grocery stores too. I just shop at Lowe's. It's nearby.

These particular berries come from Plant City, Florida. Joel and I were there in January and learned when this variety would be coming in.

They're here. Get the ice cream and shortcake !

Actually, my favorite berry is the Sweet Charlie. However, growers don't like it because the berry cat faces. It's not pretty, but is packed with sweet, strong strawberry flavor. If I can't get them, then I opt for the Camarosa or Chandler - in that order. Both are pretty, firm and full of sweet flavor. They also can pretty well.

Finally Got Snow in '09

2009-03-02T07:55:00.012-05:00

Across the street, these Leland cypress are resting upon my neighbor's car.

Here is my snow-covered compost pile. What is growing out of it? Plum trees. The original plant was not placed far enough in the ground and I'm dealing with roots spanning out from it - nearly all over my back yard. Now that the ground will be wet, I can easily pull them up. This is my catnip and tansy garden. They haven't been cut back since last fall. They have stalks about 6 feet tall.

Doc didn't really like the snow.

Katie, on the other hand, who normally loves to be outside, took a fireside snooze.

We finally got some snow. March 2009 came in like a lion, but with gentle new-fallen snow. Well, it apparently wasn't so gentle - WSPA-TV in Spartaburg lost their tower because of the high winds. I know what it's like to work at a TV station that has a downed tower - did that at WWAY in January 1981 when an F-104 fighter jet hit one of the wires. So my heart goes out to the employees at my former SC station.

Here are some photos around my house and neighborhood. The make-shift greenhouse is mine and inside it's raining. The Myers lemon isn't ready to pick, but will be soon. I got one off the tree a couple of days ago. I see I have a rose getting ready to bloom. Note I use a small steamer, the kind you put in a baby's room, for heat and humidity.

Doc preferred looking outside.
Some of my camellias just collapsed under the weight of ice and snow. The one on the left is normally about 25 feet tall.

Last week, I collected my soil samples. They're in the Easter egg buckets on my porch and were drying out for me to mail.

Four inches? Out in the yard it was more like five or six. The wind was blowing, so measurements differ all over the place.

Snow came last night and into the wee hours of the morning.

This is my snow-covered garden.

Green Thumb in-waiting...

2009-02-15T22:18:00.002-05:00

I've ordered my seeds. Waiting on them ....

Campfire Talk in February

2009-02-07T21:07:00.002-05:00

Warm southern breezes made being outside today very enjoyable. Several of us ended the night sitting beside a campfire outside under a full moon. There's nothing better than eating food outside - even in the dead of winter.

I cranked up the lawn mower and got some of the remaining leaves out of the back yard. Looks much nicer.

On Monday, I'll get my soil testing boxes and begin that process. The vegetable garden, my rose garden and the front yard where the centipede grass is need to be tested.

New Agritourism Group on LinkedIn

2009-02-02T11:24:00.001-05:00

I invite you to sign up for LinkedIn (free) and join the Agritourism group.

Spring '09 Coming Early

2009-02-02T10:57:00.003-05:00

Today is Ground Hog's Day and we're supposed to use that as a measure as to when Spring comes.

Well, I use the male cardinal's beautiful mating song. I heard it this morning about 8:15 a.m.

Last year, he didn't start singing until mid-February - and the year prior to that was early that same month.

Clearing the Garden

2009-02-01T16:39:00.002-05:00

Ok, I'm late again. But at least I got some work done in the garden today. The warm temps and gentle breezes got me in the mood to pull up the old black plastic and cover the ground with leaves. I added some lime, too.

I'm going to till the garden this year, add some amendments and then cover it back up with black plastic. I would love to use mulch, but the logistics of getting it into the garden is challenging. I have a composte pile in the back yard, but it's gotten full of plum trees that have branched out from the mother plant. I've got to get them all out of there before I can till the composte pile. The roots are about 8 inches under the ground and can be pulled if the soil is wet.

So you see plastic is easier.

Now to order my seeds. I'm late doing that, too.

Learning About Coffee While my Garden Grows Winter Weeds

2009-01-03T17:22:00.004-05:00

No, I can't grow coffee trees here. And actually, I'm not a coffee drinker. However, I've been working on a press release for a restaurant/coffee shop/music hall that serves up certified and registered Bird Friendly coffee. (I don't know how to make the "registered" symbol in the blog format.)

I've learned Bird Friendly coffee is actually registered and certified by the Smithsonian - particularly the Migratory Bird Section of the National Zoo in Washington, DC. The Internet is full of interesting educational material regarding Free Trade, shade grown and Bird Friendly coffees.

Bottom line - trees are grown under a canopy of trees providing shade so that the beans will grow for a longer period of time. The resulting taste is a lighter, less acidic, fruity coffee. No more bitterness.

So while I'm looking at all the leaves that are still in my yard, the weeds still living in the garden and all the pruning that needs to be done, I can dream about my next trip to Statesville to The Second Fret where I can grab a cup of coffee and not have to drown it with sugar and creamer.

Plastic Mulch Works

2008-12-10T21:55:00.005-05:00

This photo shows two years worth of plastic and weeds that have popped through. By the way, this is a yellow tomato that produced until the first hard freeze in December 2008. The plastic keeps soil loose and moist, something my 'maters really like!

I attended a meeting in Spring Lake, North Carolina last week. While there, I met a farmer who used black plastic mulch on his garden. He said he got the largest yield he's ever had.

We discussed preparation and amending the soil, laying down the soaker hoses and then installing the black plastic. He is going to pull his up in February, amend the soil, till it and then lay down new plastic.

I'm going to try and do the same. My black plastic is rotten and needs to be removed. The soil needs amending.

I will till up my garden and recover with the plastic. I think that's really the way to go to increase the yield and reduce the number of weeds.

Before Returning to the Garden ....

2008-08-10T23:35:00.005-04:00

I guess most of us are picking produce now. I've not had time to can any. Joel and I had a house guest this past week - and I was spending time to get the place just perfect. If you've ever watched The Andy Griffith Show, then you are probably aware of the Darling family. They came down from the mountain in a flatbed truck. Daughter and sister Charlene was the apple of their eye - and she wanted to marry Sheriff Andy Taylor. Well, Charlene was here!

Her real name is Maggie Peterson and she lives in Las Vegas. She routinely performs with the two remaining Dillards - Doug and Rodney - and The Mayberry Tribute group. They were putting on a show in Troy, North Carolina - and needed a place for her to stay. Since the show was a fundraiser for the Montgomery County Sheriff's Dept. DARE program, the organizer was watching expenditures. You don't want to spend all your money on producing the event. So I invited her to stay here.

Afterall, I was handling publicity for the sold-out event!

Visit http://jeffbranchpromotions.blogspot.com to see more about the fun!

Should have a good garden in '08

2008-06-16T19:19:00.008-04:00

I see by the analytics that a lot of people have been viewing my blog. Sorry you got here and it was out of date. Happens. (But I do have others that are current...)

I thought I'd share with you what happens during 2nd quarter - that's my busiest season with lots of festivals and events. I'm even teaching a tourism class this month.

I've planted white half runners that are full of buds, 2 hills of Ambrosia cantaloupes, about a dozen different tomatoes, some colorful Swiss chard that needs to be trimmed up, Chandler strawberries, butternut lettuce that has gone to seed (but will produce some goodies in the fall...), and hot and sweet banana peppers. Joel makes a really good salsa with them.

The roses aren't yet in the ground, but the money plant is ready to harvest. Wish I could spend it on gas for the car!

I just got a new camera. A cannon PowerShot S51S and have been playing around with it. I'm impressed. Check out the Myers lemon. It will be ready to eat this winter. That's when they turn yellow.

Now the great big mound of green is catnip and tansy. If I had known that tansy would overtake my garden, I would have kept it in a pot. But it grows to be 6 feet tall - as does the catnip.

Enjoy the photos. Check out the bee.....

Sept. 2007 - No Rain, No Garden - Not Even Healthy Weeds

2007-09-13T01:41:00.002-04:00

Well, all I can say is that the drought of 2007 overtook the garden. Oh, it looks like crap. So - I'm waiting on rain still.

I doubt I'll even try for a fall garden or to plant grass again. Perhaps I'll simply cover it all with black plastic. That seems to control weeds and things. I could paint a picture on the plastic so I wouldn't have to ever water again.

And according to the National Weather Service, the geographic center of North Carolina will suffer a dry winter. No snow here. Not until fall of 2008 does the agency foresee that Mother Nature will shed a tear over Asheboro.

In the meantime, I'll prune.

Oct. 18 - Picking out bulbs

2006-10-18T23:17:00.000-04:00

This is the time of year I envision the bright yellows, purples, pinks and blues of the first peek of spring. You know the look. Popping through a layer of freshly fallen springtime snow you see a little crocus poking it's pretty face out to announce warm weather is on the way.

I took my mom to Lowe's today in Hickory to get some daffodils. She'll hopefully plant them along the patio. She's a painter and loves to capture the yellows, golds, whites and even pinks and reds of daffodils. She says you can't dilly dally around when you're painting them because the don't last long.

She enjoys working with oil, watercolor and pastel.

My mom's health isn't as good as it used to be, but she still loves the feel of fresh dirt. I'll have to make another trip home, I bet, to be her hands and strong back. She'll tell me where to dig, how deep and offer advice on how much bone marrow to use.

I treasure those times.

Sept. 4 - Cicada Killer Wasps

2006-09-04T20:31:00.000-04:00

I know I've posted something since July, but poof, it's gone. Over the Labor Day weekend, Joel and I spent most of it harvesting and canning. We started at the Farmer's Market on NC Hwy. 211 near Pinehurst and got a bunch of peppers. From there, we went to Auman's Orchard for some Big Red peaches. I'll tackle that project tomorrow.

Then we went to his dad's house in Lexington. I got some figs off a huge tree and saw these. The NC Cooperative Extension office there identified it as a cicada killer wasp. They are about 2 inches long and have the body of a bee. I was not sticking around to get any more figs. I ran.

So, if you're out in the yard this time of year and see these monsters, and they really are, just leave them alone, go inside and find out how to get rid of them next year!

July 26 - Mortgage Lifters

2006-07-26T09:31:00.000-04:00

I've never planted Mortgage Lifters before. They have a little unusual color, being a little darker on top than others. But by golly, these things are huge! And there are twice this many in the garden needing to be picked. Guess I'll do some canning later on today.

My yellow tomators are doing well, too. The picture with the plants shows the yellow ones in the foreground and the morgage lifeters in the back.

My rich black dirt combined with lots of lime and the black plastic to keep moisture in the soil has surely paid off. Check out this melon - I've already picked 7. They're very sweet.

July 22 - Harvesting

2006-07-22T15:23:00.000-04:00

I never realized how much tomatoes love lime until this year. My plants are huge and are producing an abundant amount of big, heavy fruit. My German Johnsons are the largest I've ever grown. I'll take some to my parents tomorrow.

When we planted them, Joel's dad, who is a farmer from way back, showed me how to mix a quart of lime with some dirt and fertilizer in a deep hole. With his method, there was a lot of preparation to the hole and dirt before you plant the tomato.

And my Ambrosia cantelopes are coming in. I picked five today. When one of them gets cold, I'll cut it open and see how it tastes.

This past week, I stopped at the Southeast North Carolina Farmer's Market on US 74 between I-95 and Pembroke. Got some more peaches. The Winblo are really good for canning and I hope to get some of that accomplished this week. In a day or so they'll be ready to cook.

The Contender variety is available in some places. I haven't found any yet. They're a good table peach. Rinse, split apart and take a bite. Mmm!

June 26 - Red tomatoes, green melons, brown grass

2006-06-26T21:30:00.000-04:00

Joel beat me to it. Here are two of the three tomatoes he picked today. I'm concerned that one, despite putting nearly a quart of lime in the dirt with each plant, has blossom end rot. Well, I'll fix that with some more lime!

The cantelope are continuing to grow and the plums are starting to ripen. Wish I could say the same for the front yard. I'm starting from square one.

I got a bag of centipede seed with mulch at the Lowe's hardware in Rockingham on Saturday and spread it out on the dead grass area yesterday during the rain. The seed will germinate in 27 more days, if I keep it wet. That will be a challenge, but I may just have to suck up the water bill for a month. I've got to restore the beauty of my front yard. Centipede loves hot, dry weather - but wants a lot of moisture to germinate. Then it spreads very slowly. Once established, you don't have to mow as often and your grass is a beautiful shade of green all summer long.

June 24-Two Storms Converge in Asheboro

2006-06-24T13:08:00.000-04:00

That's according to the people in the know - local paper, weather service. Last night, my neighbor recorded a little more than 4 inches of rain in his gauge. Apparently some people around here got upwards of 7 inches. The mall parking lot and streets were flooded. For about 3 hours last night, Mother Nature provided all kinds of fireworks - with rain coming in all directions and at all angles. So, Joel's outside this morning cleaning out the gutters. I showed him what happens inside the house if the outside isn't cared for.... here I am, a maintenance woman who orders "the maintenance evangelist" around- what power!. (Check out his song at http://www.mpactlearning.com/resources and click on "Find Me a Maintenance Woman.")

I hope weather is better in Burgaw, Oakboro, Pembroke.

Today is the Third Annual North Carolina Blueberry Festival. Ivey Hayes is the local artist who creates an annual poster. Today is the grand opening of The Art House in Oakboro. And, I've got a photo shoot scheduled for the outdoor drama "Strike at the Wind!" in Pembroke.

I staked up the tomatoes that were blown down last night. Today's a good day to push metal poles into the ground. They go deep and that makes staking heavy tomato plants easier.

June 22 - I picked 3 tomatoes today!

2006-06-22T21:53:00.000-04:00

Today a good family friend was buried in Hickory. Alfred Whisnant was a close business and personal friend of my parents - and later in my own life became a good friend of mine. He and his wife, Betty Gail, were just super. It was so nice to see her and her children, even under such stressful times.

I went home to take my dad to the funeral - and gave him and my mom three German Johnson pinks freshly picked this morning. I knew that would cheer them up. Two of them had already turned pink. The other was on the verge.

Photo you say? Joel had the camera.

Now, I still have several plants yet to be put in the ground - an assortment of peppers and tomatoes - yellow and roma. Yes, we'll have a LATE garden!

I encourage you to check out my links. Joel set them up for me. And, I'd like to introduce Annabelle Morgan's blog. She lives in Oakboro, North Carolina, just south of Albemarle. She's been bit by the blog bug too.

I know there are a lot of people who read my blog but don't post messages. I hear comments in person at various functions. So, if you've got a blog that you would like to link to mine, let me know. We can have a garden blogging network!

June 18 - Father's Day

2006-06-18T12:25:00.000-04:00

My dad grew up on a potato farm near Alma, Michigan. So naturally, he's always considered himself a connoisseur of the root, opting to have potatoes at every supper. Mashed, baked, fried, fresh fried, potato salad, hash browns, French fried, stuffed, twice baked, - he loves them all. In my house, supper just wasn't supper without potatoes.

A few years ago, in early March, he helped me plant some.

We created a long mound of dirt and then cut out the middle. I had purchased some seed potatoes at the nearby garden supply store and we dribbled them in the trench. Then we covered them up and let them grow.

When I bought my home in 1995, the former owners, who were also avid gardeners, left a homemade potato digger. My dad found it in the garage, immediately recognizing the shape. So, we used that to dig up our harvest later that summer.

Fresh potatoes - fresh string beans - sliced tomatoes and cucumbers right from the garden -some barbecued chicken and a cold beer on a lazy hot summer's afternoon is pretty tasty. So as newspapers throughout the world today recount stories about fathers everywhere, I take this moment to share one of mine.

June 17 - A baby melon is growing up

2006-06-17T19:36:00.000-04:00

Shortly after Good Friday, I planted 6 ambrosia cantelopes. They seem to like my soil and are spreading out just as they should. Here's one of the fuit. At $2.50 in the produce department, these melons might help me break even with the garden this year. It sure would be nice for a change!

You know, the black plastic really is making a difference with the amount of watering of need to do. I may use this again in 2007!

Seems everyone's hydrangea is in bloom - blues, violets, purples, lavendars, pinks. Oh, they're so pretty. Here's one of mine.

June 6 - A Grassy Dilemma

2006-06-06T23:30:00.000-04:00

No, this photo doesn't come from my front yard, but it does give you the idea that not all is green where it should be..... My front yard was once covered in lush, apple-green centipede grass that really didn't need mowing in the summertime. The thick grass is designed for hot summers. It worked fine until I had the large oak tree deep-root fertilized three years ago. Shortly thereafter, a tornado took it out, leaving a large hole and 21 holes of super strong fertilizer.

With a newfound source of food, weeds of all sizes and grasses of all names started popping up. My yard had been invaded with "grass-terrorists," loaded with all kinds of ammo to kill my beautiful centipede, allowing cults of crab grass, goose grass and dandelions to overtake my yard.

I've been at war. No fence, no soldiers and no legislation could help. It's been a battle of mind, spirit, soul and the pocketbook! I've tried chemicals, horticulture-grade Roundup and more - to no avail.

It's been a mess. And now the yard has to be mowed on a weekly basis. My boyfriend Joel Leonard has been a real trouper in helping me maintain what is left of what used to be one of the prettiest yards in my neighborhood. Half is green. Half is dead.

You might say I'm working in research and development and he's in production. I'm trying to figure out how to salvage my yard while he mows the green part.

Today, I learned from the NC Cooperative Extension Office that it will take up to three years to regain my yard's health and beauty. Before I do anything else to my yard, however, I'm going to get the soil tested. Who knows? Perhaps it needs a little more than a good trim and TLC!

June 1 - Leaf rollers

2006-06-01T16:55:00.000-04:00

See the curled leaves? That's a sign that my tomatoes have leaf rollers. A good way to get rid of the moth is to spray the plants with Pyola.

Available from Gardens ALIVE!, pyola is a mixture of canola oil and pyrethrin, a perfect organic match to kill bugs. It's safe and can be used on the fruit. (Click on the title of this blog and you'll be linked to Gardens ALIVE!)

I'll spray pyola on all my plants, including my roses, azaleas and dogwood trees.

Checked out my cantelopes today. I've got some tiny ones. The plants are starting to run. I need to cover the black plastic with straw or something to keep the plants and fruit cool.

Lettuce loves cool weather. When temps heat up, lettuce bolts. This is lettuce bolting. Leaves turn bitter and it just needs to be pulled up and thrown in the compost pile.

You can see I've not been tending my garden well - and why I'm using black plastic this year. My lettuce is surrounded by weeds and catnip.

May 29 - Memorial Day - Tomatoes and Roses

2006-05-29T12:11:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd share with you the size of two of my tomato plants. They're huge. They far surpass the neighbors' who have only once, in eleven years, had fruit on the plant before me. You guessed it. We do have a little rivalry going.

Then there are those that haven't made it to the garden to be planted yet .....

I was in Fayetteville on Thursday of this past week and stopped to smell the roses. Literally. The rose garden there has 1,000 bushes with more than 3 dozen varieties. I've been doing some work in that area and had seen the plants last winter when they were dormant. I'd not had a chance to see them in full bloom.

This is a picture of my "Double Delight," a tea rose with a very strong smell. I learned about it while working at Chinqua-Penn Plantation, in Reidsville. (That facility is owned by NC State University - who closed the house a couple of years ago. )

While at the Fayetteville Rose Garden, I met the rose expert who said roses like to be fed, watered and groomed. He said roses need 6-7 gallons of water per week, should be fertilized (there are different kinds - read directions) and dead headed. That means the roses, just as they're beginning to fall apart, need to be clipped off. Clippping, watering and feeding are essential to keeping your roses blooming all summer long.

He also said roses don't like wet feed. No, I didn't say cold feet, just wet ones. So, he suggested making sure roses have really good drainage and good soil. He recommended planting them in a raised bed.

He added it's imperative to prune the plants in late fall, early winter. They'll be happier, live longer and bloom more if you do.

May 24 - Creating a Garden for the Road

2006-05-24T22:15:00.000-04:00

I celebrated Mother's Day this past weekend. I had a project and couldn't break away, so we postponed the celebration. She was a real trouper. We went shopping, went out to dinner and had fun.

Each year, I try to plant something at my parents' house that will bloom around Mother's Day. Well, I didn't get there this year. But, I did something better. I took them tomato plants - already planted in rich, black composte - straight from my pile!

Joel drilled holes 3-4 inches above the bottom of 5-gallon pails. A friend of mine said that was a good way to container plant tomatoes. You still have drainage, but you never lose the moisture. Hope it works! I filtered the weeds and roots out of it. That should cut down on the nasty week population in each of the pails.

Later this summer, they'll have a bounty of juicy, meaty red tomatoes. I planted Mortgage Lifters. The old saying is that if you plant this type of tomato, you'll be able to save enough money to pay the mortgage - or something like that. Anyway, that variety is a heavy producer.

And, I planted some pink pentas on the patio. My mom can watch the butterflies dance around the petals this summer.

As for my own garden, well, I'm late in getting everything else planted. But, I now have 2 large tomatoes and a few more on the way!

May 10 - I HAVE A TOMATO!

2006-05-10T17:49:00.000-04:00

It's tiny, but this is May 10, 2006 and I have a tiny tomato. It's either a German Johnson or a German Pink. The mayo is in the cupboard and the bread is at the store along with the cold milk. I'm waiting!

I'm so excited!

May 10 - and to think it was just a tiny little plant, NOT one of those already 3 feet high and loaded with big fruit!

Guess that lime, fertilzer, deep hole and the plastic to warm the dirt is paying off!

May 6 - Tomatoes are in bloom!

2006-05-07T12:45:00.000-04:00

After wrapping up three major projects, I took today off. OFF. I think today was the first full day I've had OFF in months. Now I have a clearer mind to proceed with my next projects, all of which are fun ones!

(By the way, I've got two other blogs. For some reason, people have been having trouble getting to the marketing tips. So, click on MY COMPLETE PROFILE and you'll find two other blogs - travel story tips and marketing tips. )

The tomatoes we planted on Good Friday are in full bloom with big, sturdy stalks. In the past, I always dug a hole and laid tomatoes down on their side, with the tops popping up through the dirt. Joel's dad showed me a different way - and it looks to be paying off!

We dug a hole about a foot deep, added a quart of lime and a little granulated fertilizer, the plant and some water. The result appears to be very happy plants!

Today, Joel, his dad and I finished putting down the black plastic in the garden and planted some more German Johnson pink tomatoes (oh, one slice is all you need for a good, thick 'mater sandwich!), some basil, okra and a few cantelopes. I purchased some Mortgage Lifters and Mountain Pride, both heavy tomatoe producers. They're not in the ground yet, but will be next week after today's steady rain. And, I'll probably put the Sweet Chelsea (http://www.tomatogrowers.com/small.htm) and yellow tomatoes in the garden shortly after the 15th. They're still under grow lights in the basement. Yea, I know....

For Mother's Day, I'm going to plant some tomatoes in containers and take to my folks. They live 90 minutes away. Health issues prevent them from doing much gardening anymore. My mom loved digging in dirt and my dad didn't mind using a shovel. I suppose that's where I picked up my desire to do the same.

So, today's Sunday, May 7 and I'm back on the clock. A good, solid day's work in the garden - not the office - is just what the doctor ordered!

April 23 - Everything's coming up ROSES!

2006-04-23T17:51:00.000-04:00

SO many blossoms! The secret, roses experts tell me, is to keep your roses fed and watered. Maybe I'll be better at that this year. My roses can only hope.

"Golden Showers" is a climbing yellow florabunda with no smell. A thunderstorm this week broke one of the canes, but another will grow back. The fragrant David Austin lavender rose is "Othello," which vigorously grows quite tall. It's loaded with blossoms. They start off as a dark pink and turn lavendar. The pink is another climber with huge blossoms. It's flanked by the brilliant "Blaze," a red with only a faint smell.

At the top of this page, you see the beautiful multi-colored "Double Delight" that I learned about when I was working at Chinqua-Penn Plantation in Reidsville. A stroll through it capped off every afternoon. The large rose has a very strong rose fragrance. My own collection is rounded out by a salmon tea rose and the famous dark red, "Mr. Lincoln." Sniff most anywhere right now in my back yard and you'll smell roses.

The tomatoes we planted on March 14 have buds just waiting to pop open. Two days of steady, soaking rain helped everything - including pollen-clogged noses. Callie Baby, my short hair Calico has been checking on the 'maters.

The gardenias and Myers lemon trees are loaded with of blossoms. Smells pretty good in the greenhouse, too!

In the middle of all this, Joel and I have been on the road going in opposite directions. While I've been calling on media throughout North Carolina, he's been their focus - huge articles in a Triad publication, called "Yes! Weekly" and then today on the front page of the Triad Careers section of the Greensboro News and Record. Log onto www.yesweekly.com to learn about his songs. Maybe I should play the opera version for my plants!?

April 14, Good Friday - and I'm pooped!

2006-04-15T01:56:00.000-04:00

I added a lot more muscle and brainpower to my garden today.

Since my garden blog has garnered a lively Internet following, (I didn't realize that until I was at a public function recently in Siler City and artists and gardeners were asking me about my blog.) I feel I now have to back up my garden aspirations or will receive future electronic ridicule. I recruited more brawn and more brains to make my garden really grow.

You see, my boyfriend, Joel Leonard, loves to cook with fresh vegetables. Now he says he will provide the muscle, tilling, weed killing, watering, etc. -- and to provide gardening wisdom and nutritional expertise, his dad, Dr Joel Leonard, a retired physician, says he'll lend his advice and moral support to my garden. I appreciate anything they'll help me do.

Good Friday became a good gardening day when Dr. Joel brought over 8 German Pink Tomato plants and 3 German Johnson plants. He planted the first one. Here, father teaches son how to prep a hole for a tomato and plant it.

For hours, as we rested while Boyfriend Joel, slaved over the tiller, churning through weeds, leaves, lime, fertilizer and compost. Then, I laid out about a dozen soaker hoses, put some newspaper on top and then the black plastic (got it at Tractor Supply) and then cut holes to plant the 'maters. Yes, we did it!

On a totally unrelated matter, if you'd like to get some marketing tips or ideas for a travel story, view my profile. There, you'll find my other two blogs.

April 13 - True leaves have arrived!

2006-04-13T22:06:00.000-04:00

I got out the spray! Okay, okay, okay. I know about organic farming and know I should not use chemicals. BUT, I found a tick on me two days ago. Haven't seen indications of fleas, but they're next. So, I sprayed. I also knock off the grubs and all the other nasty critters that make my life complicated during the growing season.

Here's a picture of the Catnip Garden. Yes, it got sprayed too! Seems all the neighborhood cats enjoy marking their territory here. It can be a haven for fleas and ticks, too.

The large plants are tansy, a beautiful herb that has lush dark green leaves dotted with brilliant yellow flowers all summer. Tansy and catnip grow very tall - sometimes higher than 6 feet - until a good rain comes. Then they flop over each other, creating hiding spots for my feline children and their friends. And they do a fantastic job attracting bees.... and THAT's ANOTHER STORY:(

IN THE BASEMENT --- Oh, watching the true leaves pop up between the tiny cotyledans is so exciting! Why, I bet if I get my nose close enough, I can now smell tomato plants.

My peppers aren't doing as well as the tomatoes. I think perhaps I'll put them in the sun this weekend, keeping an eye on their fragile stalks so they don't pass out from the shock of natural light. They've been couped up in the basement under grow lights for two weeks.

Good Friday is typically the day we're all supposed to get our gardens planted. For me, it all depends upon getting manpower in place - tiller, man to push the tiller, laying out the soaker hoses on the newly tilled soil, placing newspaper on top and then laying down the black plastic or weed control fabric and securing it. A friend of mine who is a master gardener has the tiller on the other side of town. He'll let me use it - and Joel will push it through the chickweed, leaves and compost that I put in the fallow garden this winter.

If I miss Good Friday - well, there's always another day. I hope you have a nice, safe Easter.

March 28 - We have germination!

2006-03-28T12:34:00.000-05:00

Two days after sowing seeds, I'm pleased to announce the Romas are germinating! I got my seeds from Pinetree and finally got them in soil. I planted a variety of hot and sweet peppers, yellow tomatoes, Romas and my favorite large cherry tomato, Sweet Chelsea. The rest should begin germinating in the next 24 hours. I use the horticulture heating pads under the seeds to speed up the process and keep grow lights on until all are germinated. Plants do need some darkness, you know. I'll most likely sow squash, melons and a few other plants before I'm finished in the basement. Then, everything goes to the greenhouse.

But the really BIG news is that my red maple has been installed. I'd forgotten how big the trunk was from the oak tree. The remaining hole needed to be prepped, filled with dirt and then prepared for the tree. A horticulturist planted it for me, but needed to use a lot of topsoil, much more than expected. I finally have a tree in my front yard again. A red maple offers spring and fall colors.

March 18 - Getting ready!

2006-03-19T13:22:00.000-05:00

The garden, and most of the yard, is covered in chickweed. It's gotta go! I'll take care of that with a little spraying. Have a formula that I spray over the grass. Kills the weeds, but not the grass.

Joel and his dad covered an area with black plastic that usually spawns weeds higher than pole beans grow. Next fall, I'll pull up the plastic and plant some strawberries. Should get the first crop in spring 2007.

And, I'm finally getting a tree installed in the front yard. Two years ago, a tornado ripped through my neighborhood, pulling up my huge old oak tree. The hole has remained while I've pondered what to plant. My new red maple will provide beautiful bright yellow flowers in the spring and smashing crimson red glitter in the fall.

Oh, spring is finally here! Regardless, my geraniums continue to bloom all year.

2006-03-13T16:37:00.000-05:00

March 14, 2006 - Just returned from a trip to Lansing, Michigan. My aunt was very ill so I took my parents to see her. We left on March 10 - the same day my seeds arrived! From the WV/VA border south, we saw grass starting to green and little red buds on trees. North of that, much of what we saw was slush-gray in color. That will change in the next several weeks.

One of my cousins is a butcher in an upscale grocery store near Michigan State University. The freezer and cooler are stocked with all kinds of premium cuts of meat. And, he knows how to cook it! I learned many grocery stores don't carry the best cuts of meat. You have to get to know your butcher and he'll order them for you.

2006-03-01T20:22:00.000-05:00

3/1/06 - Oh, how I long to get dirty and talk to my plants!

Today's climate was right for Katie Bug to bring me a present -little brown rat snake. I expected it. No, I don't kill the little snakes anymore. They're about the size of a pencil and would prefer staying in the ground, not on the back porch. After the cats stop playing with them, the poor snakes slither off to safety. They're not poisonous and are good to keep those which are away.

The garden is full of chickweed. When I lauched my own business, I gave up organic farming and resorted to some chemicals to kill the weeds. That's quicker and time is a premium these days. Will spray this weekend and till a couple of weeks later.

Joel, my boyfriend, will ultimately work with an assortment of peppers. He likes to make Hot Dot Salsa. I'll go into that later.

Joel's dad wants to plant some asparagus. Since it spreads, we'll need to build a raised bed for it. I am considering putting that right in the compost pile. The dirt is very black and rich. I hope we can get to that project this weekend.

Still waiting on my seeds to arrive. I can't wait to get them started in the basement, where I've set up grow lights. Once the seedlings are strong enough, I'll put them in the greenhouse. But in the meantime, I wait.