The Constant Gardner Returns: The Wonders of the Harvest

I have to say that there is a lot of work that goes into being a Constant Gardner, but after all that work is the post at the end of the rainbow of the harvest.

Even Sunny-Girl has become a constant gardener assistant in that she oversees my work (while sitting in the shade I might add) and even enjoys bits of the veggies I cook almost daily. As usual click each photo for a better view.

It does not seem that long ago that I started the garden and rapidly saw it grow. It helped to have purchased seedlings for some items and unlike Daddy not have to wait for seeds to germinate.

I don't know about Sunny-Girl but there was a lot of anticipation on my part with each new day's growth. And then, to see the veggies sprout and wait with gleeful excitement to be able to pick and sample each one was a reward in itself.

But the day to begin harvesting finally came. We have cheerfully eaten and given away vegetables to friends and neighbors who seemed to enjoy them almost as much as we did.

Tomatoes are also a wonder. Most people don't realize that tomatoes are a fruit and you can pick them once you see a slight bit of orange to then let them ripen into the juicy red we all recognize. I keep a sharp eye for the slightest change in color which is my excuse to pick and watch them ripen.

And, while it has not been a bumper crop, I have gotten the hang of growing squash. I find myself picking one or two each day along with the daily haul of tomatoes. Back in Denver people grew them without effort but for me in Florida it was a test of will chore.

In fact, just the other day I had a taste for one of Chrissy's and Daddy's favorites: Okra and Tomatoes. It is a tasty dish and a quick way to stay on top of the constant stream of tomatoes I collect.

I included a photo of my preparation to add to the visual excitement. And guess what? Sunny-Girl likes okra as well!








Oh yes, watermelons are on the way. My little niece has not yet staked out her claim. The last time she was over they were just vines... but the little gardennapper cannot be far off.

And to pour a little salt into the wound, I took a few tomatoes over to Daddy and mentioned our dinner for the evening. He and his cane really went into action because that was visible evidence of just how far behind he is. He is now watering his garden day and night and in this tale the hare might just win...

The Constant Gardner Returns: The Tortoise Awakens

I have been basking in the glow of my garden and a constant stream of harvested veggies and one day spied on my competition to discover that the tortoise has finally jumped into action. As usual click each photo for a better view.

Daddy has grown all his seedlings from scratch and in a little corner of his back yard has a big group of young plants ready to begin his garden. He is a slick old devil because he said nothing but quietly began his work.

He has a good mixture with lots of tomatoes, his favorite okra, and of course summer greens.

The tortoise is now a force to be reckoned with because he has quietly entered the competition.


Me, the hare, with my trusty sidekick Sunny-Girl have seen my garden take off nicely.












We have been feasting on a weekly diet of Georgia Collards...



















and waiting on a huge crop of tomatoes to ripen.



(I couldn't resist the shot on the right because the tomatoes look more like little apples than tomatoes).

I recently learned tomatoes have gone up so much in price that bandits are now hijacking trucks loaded with Florida tomatoes. I guess Sunny-Girl will earn her doggie food by being on patrol. I just hope they don't out bid me and bribe her with doggie treats.


The Cucumbers, while the vines are not as big as they were last year are producing bigger fruit than before.

We even have the beginnings of Crimson watermelon plants, that will very soon turn into the sweet treat you see below.

Only time will tell what the old Constant Gardener has up his sleeves for the new Constant Gardner, but this little hare is still running as fast as she can. I'll say it again: "Don't look back, he might be gaining on you!"

The Constant Gardner Returns: The Tortoise And The Hare

The race is on in the garden competition but pleased as I am with my results so far, it also feels somewhat like the "Tortoise and the Hare." I have gotten off to a blazing start and yet Daddy seems strangely unconcerned. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

True, I am still somewhat a novice but I learned a good deal last year so you would think he would at least consider me a threat this year. But he is very slowly beginning to think about what he wants to plant this year and plowing under his winter greens.


Oh well, I have gotten a fast start and plan to enjoy it. As this current shot shows, despite the early heat my crop has really taken off.

A back view illustrates that my greens are already a good size. Twice a week now I go out to break off leaves to use for a meal.

I love this time of year and Squash. Their blooms are like magic as they appear in all their glory and just as quickly disappear.

The photo below was taken a few hours later and the flower has begun to fade. I guess that is what makes the first one even more precious.

The cucumbers too have taken off. I'm looking forward to the little game I played last year of lifting a leaf and finding a hiding cucumber ready for a salad. They were a favorite because there was always the element of surprise followed by a juicy treat.

Tomatoes are my largest crop this year as I doubled the number of plants. Unlike the cucumbers I can't pick them just yet but there is a wave of Early Girl tomatoes that has begun to build.








And so gang, I may not know what tricks Daddy has up his sleeves for this year's competition but this little hare is going to keep running as fast as she can. Don't look back he may be gaining on me!

The Constant Gardner Returns: Liftoff !

I feel like an old hand at this gardening stuff now after my bumper crop last year. And, I am pleased that I got my seedlings into the ground and things are moving along.

However, I am also finding out there is still more to learn this time around, despite my new found knowledge. As usual click each photo for a better view.

Despite a continuation of drought conditions in this area, my seeds have sprung to life and growing.

The tomatoes are leading the pack followed by the cucumbers. If you look closely at the photo below you can see the beginnings of a few tiny cucumbers.

I'm really glad Daddy let drop a few words of wisdom when he questioned last year that I was planting without the moon. At that time I found it odd and thought it was a little gamesmanship on his part. But, I did a little research and found out there is a body of knowledge that supports his statement.

Evidently planting by the moon is as old as man and some people swear by it. For plants that grow above ground it is thought that planting them during a waxing moon will encourage growth as this exposes plants to the longest period of moon light.

So I guess I did something right when I planted my seeds and seedlings. When I told Daddy this he just smiled with a caginess that said he might be old but time and tide were on his side in this competition.

American Gothic...The Harvest !

When I started on this farming adventure I will now admit I was more than ignorant and to a great extent made a good number of mistakes. But, along the way also made a number of discoveries and have come out on the other side a wiser farmer who truly can now enjoy the harvest! As always, click each photo for a better view.

Every morning I rise to go into the backyard and pick vegetables for the day and it feels just as I had imagined.

The sprinkler system has made watering effortless as it doles out the allotted ration for the day. There have been a few casualties along the way though. The Summer squash got a fungus and had to be pulled up. It produced squash but the fungus would cause them to rot before they reached even a decent size.

But the sweet corn is doing just great despite an attack of corn beetles (had to do a little reading to get rid of them) and corn is forming all over. By the 4th of July there should be corn on the cob for everyone.

The tomatoes are great but a surprising treat has been the cucumbers. They are sweet and juicy unlike what I have experienced from the supermarket. Sometimes I go out to cut a few and eat one as I am picking. I have placed them in cages so they grow up rather than out and it is always fun to lift the leaves looking for the juicy wonder!

The monster crop of spaghetti squash has just now begun taking off and I have made sketches of the barrier I plan to erect to separate them from the rest of the crop.

But, the watermelons have begun to spread just as much. I find it funny that one day you see this little thing the size of a marble and a few days later it turns into the makings of a melon. Very strange and wonderful indeed!

But, more than anything, I have new found respect for what real farmers go through on a larger scale. And, Daddy has not admitted defeat just yet but even he has given grudging respect to the work I put in to produce my harvest...

The Promise of Spring...

It is the day before the official first day of Spring and I am enjoying a warm, beautiful day. I love this time of year... everything seems to be waking up from the long sleep of Winter.

Even Daddy has shaken off his ground hog status and is planning his next conquest at the Senior Center. And so I thought it only fitting to give you an update on all the doings as the backyard once again comes back to life and I can enjoy, for a few months at least, why I moved to Florida. As always, click each photo for a better view.

Long before the official date the trees somehow knew that it was time and I could see buds. It feels nice most days now to sit on the pergola and watch the leaves develop almost like butterflies coming out of a cocoon.

My old nemesis, the dark spooky tree, that was tamed last year is still there but not much of a threat now.

in fact, so much light now comes through that I decided to make a small garden out of that corner of the backyard. Daddy says I am ambitious in that I have planted all kinds of vegetables to the point of making myself a full time farmer, but I think it will be fun to just go in the backyard and pick food from the ground. I will provide regular updates as it progresses.

The birds have also decided to return and it feels reassuring to hear either the tapping of a woodpecker or the cooing of a pair of wild doves that have taken up residence.

Daylight Saving Time now gives me time in the evenings to enjoy a glass of wine and ponder the plants that did not survive the hard winter,

the flowers that are blooming everywhere (even if they are weeds),













and yes, JLBO, even the makings of the afternoon barbecue!














That is truly the promise of Spring and what looks like a lot of work this Summer...