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...

Crazy Over The Moon

I guess my thoughts about backyard gardening by the moon and the planets being aligned has made me a little crazy because it isn't often that I am of a mind to take out the tripod. But I was up late, happened to look outside and there was a beautiful crescent moon. It was then that I got the wild thought to go out and try a shot. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

What I got was a little noisy but marvelous none the less. What do you think?

My camera is not a super zoom but 12X is decent and I was really surprised that the result produced a little detail.

This one was even stranger. If you look closely you can see the outline of the dark portion that completes the circle. I know there is a scientific name for the effect, it just will not come at this late hour, but there it is...

And, just to add to the obsession, I'm providing a great link that highlights the moon in all it's glory.

And so my friends I bid you great moons and good nights!

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.

The Return of the Constant Gardener: The Garden Takes Shape

The hectic pace of late has not given me a good deal of time but the garden has begun to take shape.

I pulled out the irrigation system I created last year and shortened it. In this way I am able to saturate a lot more of a smaller space. The greens and tomatoes have responded in kind and begun to stand tall againt the rising heat of the noon day sun here in Florida. The cucumbers in the front, have also peeped out of the ground so full fledged plants can't be far away.

A tip Daddy seems to live by is always planting at or near a full moon, so I am taking no chances.

My final few seelings are up and ready to go. And, I hope the huge moon we have been experiencing will help my efforts!

The Constant Gardner Returns

Well gang, despite some of the trials of last years garden the Constant Gardner is back. I really enjoyed being able to walk outside and pick vegetables fresh off the vine and that was the draw to return to back yard gardening. As usual click each photo for a better view.

This year I have decided to be less ambitious and limit the plants I will grow. I have settled on Cucumbers, squash (I’m trying a store hybrid variety and hope to have better luck this time), collards, tomatoes,watermelon, and finally spaghetti squash (another round from the seeds I had last year).


My niece gave me a great suggestion to soak the seeds before planting them to speed up the germinating process. I bought seedlings to get a head start on the process

but also have some plants that I am growing in small pots from seeds that will be worked into the store seedlings. The advantage of doing both is that I get a jump on the growing season and will be eating a crop in a little over a month.

So yesterday Sunny-Girl and I spent the day digging up and preparing the ground or should I say Sunny-Girl sat in the shade and watched me, periodically doing her bit by digging a hole to bury her chew bone in the freshly turned ground. In the space of a few days it has turned fairly warm here so I guess we are well past the point of frost because even the trees have begun to blossom.

As I did last year, I will provide periodic updates and need to alert you that Daddy already has his collard greens up and growing. I have learned to listen to some of the growing tips he let drop last year. I say that based on the very telling expression: Age and trickery will always win out over youth and hard work. I mention that because his garden lasted almost into our first hard frost, long after mine had been plowed over. This year I plan to trick the trickster!

The Constant Gardener

Back by popular demand (that means you Chrissy, and I hope you are laughing your head off!) I finally remembered to take the camera and get some pictures of Daddy's garden. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

I mentioned before that I learned he is shy and to get this shot I had to wait for him to look up. Later as I was experimenting with the picture I realized it some how has more impact in black and white. The black and white somehow is more him than color.

The garden itself is not huge like mine...

but he has lovingly weeded it and is very proud of the fact that his okra returns the favor by producing an abundant crop.

His tomatoes have held up well despite the heat. He laughed and proudly told me that twice this week he had Okra and tomatoes and then with a satisfied smile commented on how great they were.

I asked if he wanted to stand in front of his crop but got a reply that his fans would have to wait until the heat cooled off, and besides, he had a gossip magazine to read! I can't wait to get his take on the latest episode in the life of Lindsay Lohan!

American Gothic...August in June!

I know it seemed like I had fallen off the face of the earth, but the combination of lots of work and unbearable heat have taken their toll. Thanks to all of you who let me know I was missed. And Ana, thank you! But how did you know I like the Beatles?

I don't know about the heat where you are, but this is the time of year when I wish I was some place other than Florida. It has been unbelievably hot, and this started a month ago. Today the high was 97 F and the heat index 105 so even for Florida that is HOT!

My tale of woe outlined, I thought I would provide an update on the garden because it has simply been too hot to attempt any real adventures. I wanted to provide a full shot so you guys could get a sense of just how big the garden actually is.

Things are moving along and I harvest more and more vegetables every day. The corn has really taken off. And, while it is not "Field of Dreams" volume, the ears are everywhere and getting bigger by the day.

One thing I have found interesting about the ears of corn is that some of them have red "hair" or strains that grow out of the top of each ear of corn. I've never seen that before.

The watermelons while not huge have become what I call "individual size." My little niece was promised the biggest one in the patch and you can see from her finger prints that she has literally been "weighing" her options.

But the biggest surprise of the garden has been the cantaloupes. There were only a few sprigs that came up and were slow growers so I did not expect much from them. In fact, a few times I considered pulling them up to make room for other seedlings.

You can only imagine my surprise when for some unknown reason they started to grow. And grow they did... now I have six cantaloupes and counting. They do not have a smooth surface so you can't see the telltale finger prints of "you know who" but I am sure she has "weighed" her options here too.

And the monster crop that I was afraid would overwhelm the rest of the garden has proven to be a bust. The same problem I had with the summer squash occurred with them. They sprout a bulb of squash and then it dies on the vine before it can even attempt to get bigger. A slight disappointment, but an ecological disaster averted!

A Cautionary Tale...

Madam Kjeldsen was right, when I first mentioned the garden she said "start small", but by then I had thrown caution to the wind and planted almost every vegetable known to man.

I particularly counted myself lucky after sampling some Spaghetti Squash and saving the seeds to try growing that as well. As usual click each photo for a better view.

Spaghetti squash is wonderful in that you bake or steam it and then it flakes out just like pasta. Any dish where you use pasta, you can substitute spaghetti squash and it tastes almost the same with fewer calories and lots of nutrients. That said I planted every seed I harvested from the tasty meal and was more than happy when they began to rise from the soil. Visions of wonderful cooking sessions danced in my head and it would not be long now...

Just in terms of an update: The garden is progressing nicely, I pick about two tomatoes daily for salads or sandwiches and Daddy is on the defensive in our competition because I have collected "style points" by planting such a diverse crop. But what has pushed me ahead is that I am already harvesting. Eating is 9 /10ths of winning!

But, dear reader I am on the verge of an ecological nightmare! I started doing a little reading on the Spaghetti Squash and found out it is a monster crop, and I have planted tons of the the seeds I saved!

One man started out with this, which seems harmless enough...

and ended up with this!

One woman even went as far as building a cage for the monster and still could not keep it contained! Another man said he had to daily check his corn to make sure the vines had not attached themselves to his corn stalks. Notice how the vines have grown over the chicken wire and in some places have managed to grow in between the spaces.

And, this growth was from about 10 seeds... I planted at least 30!

My one hope is a suggestion made by another gardener to build a climbing cage so that the vines will go up and not out.


Funny, but I see another visit to the gardening store in my future for chicken wire to build a barrier and a lot of those climbing cages.


And so I end this cautionary tale by repeating Madam Kjeldsen's warning to "start small".