The lost summer of 2015!

I never got things in gear in 2015 as I was heavily involved in selling my home of many years and replacing it with a condo in the same town of Forsyth MO! Both processes lasted from June until September and so, other than a few token pepper plants, not very much got done.

Now, I find myself in a new location, three stories up with a western facing balcony that has a nice view. Of course, my planting situation has changed as I will now have to address container gardening, and that's really not a bad thing for someone of my age!

This coming winter, I'll make some plans, get some equipment and seeds and will be raring to go come the spring of 2016!

November frost puts the kabosh on my SW MO garden!

As November the 1^st 2014 rolled on in at midnight the temperatures were well on their way in a plunge into the mid 20's! Outside, my veggies which had bravely survived some cold spells thus far, gave up the ghost. The next morning, all was limp carnage with just a few small peppers that could still be salvaged.

Well, there's always next spring to look forward to!

Growing carrots in 5 inches of soil!

If you select the correct variety for shallow soils like Burpee's Short and Sweet – carrots can be easily grown just about anywhere! This 70 gram specimen was harvested on this posting date for steaming as part of a mix of carrots and broccoli for my dinner.

Carrots are extremely nutritious to eat as one 10 year study revealed the effects of eating this vegetable on heart disease;

“We are fortunate to have the results of a new 10-year study from the Netherlands about carrot intake and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)—and those results are fascinating. Intake of fruits and vegetables in the study was categorized by color and focused on four color categories: green, orange/yellow, red/purple, and white. Out of these four categories, orange/yellow (and in particular, foods with deeper shades of orange and yellow) emerged as most protective against CVD. And even more striking, carrots were determined to be the most prominent member of this dark orange/yellow food category. Participants who had the least carrot intake had the least amount of CVD risk reduction, even though they still received risk-reducing benefits from their carrot intake. However, participants who ate at least 25 more grams of carrots (with 25 grams being less than one-quarter of a cup) had a significantly lower risk of CVD. And the groups of participants who ate 50- or 75-grams more had an even more greatly reduced risk of CVD! We're not sure how any study could better demonstrate how easy it can be to lower disease risk by making a food like carrot part of the everyday diet in such achievable amounts.”

Of course, some of the carrot went into a nice romaine salad creation....

First day of Autumn coming!

Well, Summer is pretty much over, even though we can expect some 90 days to sneak in now and again. The meteorological beginning of fall began on Labor Day while calendar-wise it is September 23^rd. So, the small raised bed areas that grew some terrific veggies this spring and summer are now in decline. That said, I'm hoping for a few more peppers and even a tomato or two before it's time to pull the plants and prepare the soil for the coming winter.

Speaking of winter – this graph from Firsthand Weather, seems to have a pretty good handle on what to expect over the nation! It looks like some folks might have quite a wild ride coming.

Lima beans – a costly item to purchase at the store.

Some people like Lima beans and some don't. I'm cool with that. I happen to like the taste and the fact that eating them brings a load of natural fiber with each forkful. But, at $1.25 for a small 8.5 ounce can, I've been given pause when buying them at the local grocery. What with all sorts of grocery items going up, I make the purchase only once in a long while.

So, what to do.... Well, I guess I could just grow them myself next year. Burpee Seed offers a Fordhook Lima bean that I've successfully grown before. So, that item will go into my 'bucket list' for 2015. They will be added to bell peppers and onions, both which I grew this season and which saved me quite a bit of money at the mart as I used seed from the year before.And, yes! That is an Estes rocket in the background!

Bermuda grass is what grows in the Mid West!

My lawn was a bit over grown and the Bermuda grass had sent seed heads up all over the place! I was going to let it go to seed, but then remembered the following:

Close up of a seed

Bermuda grass makes for a nice home lawn because it can tolerate a very low mowing height, which is also a reason it is widely used on golf courses in the South. It spreads by both stolons and rhizomes, which helps it to form a thick, dense turf. It is usually found in the south, but may grow as far north as Kansas City. Its maintenance requirements (fertilizing, watering, mowing) are high.

• Width: 1/8" wide
• Tip/blade: sharp point
• Color: deep green
• Growth: forms a dense, close-cut, high-quality turf
• Additional: most popular lawn grass in the central US. Rough along the edges. Has a distinctive, 3- to 5-fingered seed head.
  

Therefor, I don't have to worry too much as this grass will spread, just fine, on its own! Time to get that lawn mower out!

A hot summer day makes perfect basil drying wx!

On a late July day when the temperature was expected to be in the nineties under a sunny sky, I thought it would be a good idea to dry some basil!

Earlier in the spring, I started basil form seed in an improvised cherry tomato container! The basil grew quickly and before long, I was able to transfer some to a spot in a cold frame out in the front yard! That was in April and now in late July my three or four plants are being harvested and dried in the sun!

By the end of the season, sometime in August, I will have enough dried basil to meet my culinary needs all winter long!