Full moon FutureCast

With tonights full moon we will run out side an howl at the moon.
Just kidding. hehehe
A penumbral lunar eclipse will take place today on July 7, 2009, the second of four lunar eclipses in 2009. This eclipse will only enter the southern most tip of the penumbral shadow and thus will be very difficult to observe visually.
Read moor about it at wickpedia.
A lunar eclipse is an eclipse which occurs whenever the moon passes behind the earth such that the earth blocks the sun's rays from striking the moon.

In the garden today We will have a fresh salad ,

And side shoots of broccoli are a ready I should have picked them yesterday.

But we went to St. James to get our grandson Cullin.

Now for the near future. I see a carnival coming to town.
Yea! It's the Miller Co. Fair.
I can see this through my bedroom window.
It is not quite this close I used a 75-3oo mm lens from the side yard for this photo.

In my garden I will soon have a Minnesota midget melon.

My 2nd crop of corn in top soil bags are taking off quite well.

A zucchini is getting ready to ripen.

And the first crop of corn is ready to drop its tassels.

Each tassel will fertilize a strand on the ear and create a kernel of corn.

The blackberry's are starting to ripen.

And Reba is taking a nap in the old doll buggy. My friend found this and gave it to me. It is in need of repair but I love it. She also gave me a box full of dolls.

Have a wonderful day and remember to laugh and play.

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. - George Bernard Shaw

Pot of potatoes

I am not quit up to gardening yet. I have a 2 week after surgery restriction. But this did not stop me from taking photos today.
I have been trying diffrent ways this year. Using top soil bags self watering containers. Even colored mulches. I placed one potato plant in this red bucket it seem to be doing the best.

The one on the left is in top soil bag is 2nd best.
The one on the right side near fence is direct in the ground.
All 3 were started on the same day.

The top soil bag to the right has geranium starts.
I added aluminum foil to the bottom of the cabbage . As silver mulch is said to deter bugs and enhance growth.






To see more of how I am using colored mulch in my garden click here. To go to my garden journal.




Have a wonderful day and remember to laugh and play.

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. - George Bernard Shaw

Garden thoughts.

As some of you know I am trying a number of diffrent ways with my garden this year.
I have learned that the moons pull on the earth not only affects the ocean but the ground water and is part of the reason sap goes up and down in a tree. I am going to keep a log of my garden this year so I am adding the information to another blog called it's green day. I wish my Aunt lived near me as she understands the farmers almanac. And all the old ways of gardening. I have looked high and low on the web for a blog to guide me. But I guess, for now it will be trial and error. All that I have found are wonderful Aussie blogs and UK. And we are in a diffrent cycle than them. They are getting ready for fall and we are in spring. So for now I am looking at 2 online calendars and the farmers almanac digital page I purchased to guide me through what days to plant what veggie or flower.
I have learned allot from Australian blogs. I am going to try some of there ways this year too. They use Permaculture .In this context, permanent agriculture is understood as agriculture that can be sustained indefinitely.
So at this time I feel like I am studding for a final in high school again.
I have to put into practice what I have been learning about this winter.
Have a wonderful day and remember to laugh and play.

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. - George Bernard Shaw

Learning to garden by the moon

I am learning to garden by the moon.
And recording data here with links to where it came from in color purple .

Many old-time farmers and gardeners swear by planting in accordance with the moon phases
Some of the rules these early gardeners strictly adhered to included…
1.For an abundant crop, plant your potatoes while the moon is dark (not at night, but during the day!).
2.Plant your seeds within two days of a full moon to enable quick germination.
3.To avoid failures do not plant anything on the day of the New Moon or Full Moon.
4.Pull your weeds during the darkened new moon, to prevent them growing back.
Now, while these rules should be taken with a pinch of salt, especially the one about the weeds not growing back, there is at least a grain of truth in most of them. Just as the moon controls the tides, it is believed that it also influences the water tables within our soil and sap within our plants, this combined with moonlight is thought to steer growth rates.

2009 Phases of the Moon
Universal Time


NEW MOON FIRST QUARTER FULL MOON LAST QUARTER

..........d h m................ d h m ............... d h m ................ d h m

JAN. 4 11 56..... JAN. 11 3 27 ....J AN. 18 2 46.......JAN. 26 7 55
FEB. 2 23 13 .....FEB. 9 14 49 .. FEB. 16 21 37 ......FEB. 25 1 35
MAR. 4 7 46.... MAR. 11 2 38.. MAR. 18 17 47......MAR. 26 16 06
APR. 2 14 34 .....APR. 9 14 56 ...APR. 17 13 36......APR. 25 3 23
MAY 1 20 44 .....MAY 9 4 01..... MAY 17 7 26.........MAY 24 12 11 ...MAY 31 3 22
JUNE 7 18 12 .. . JUNE 15 22 15..JUNE 22 19 35. JUNE 29 11 28.
JULY 7 9 21 ........JULY 15 9 53.....JULY 22 2 35 ...JULY 28 22 00
AUG. 6 0 55 ....AUG. 13 18 55....AUG. 20 10 02 ....AUG. 27 11 42
SEPT. 4 16 03 ..SEPT. 12 2 16....SEPT. 18 18 44 ....SEPT. 26 4 50
OCT. 4 6 10 ......OCT. 11 8 56......OCT. 18 5 33 .......OCT. 26 0 42
NOV. 2 19 14 ....NOV. 9 15 56.....NOV. 16 19 14 .....NOV. 24 21 39
DEC. 2 7 30 ......DEC. 9 0 13.......DEC. 16 12 02 .... DEC. 24 17 36... DEC. 31 19 13


Planting by Moon Phase Type of Crop When to Plant Moon Phase
Today is a Waning moon: it occurs midway between the new and full moon.

Moon Phase: today
Waning Crescent Moon: occurs between the full and new moon. “Waning” means fading or going away. The moon is simply moving into position closer to the sun
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When the moon is waning, the earth is inhaling and absorbing. The growing energy is pulled down towards the roots.This is the time to water, or use natural fertilizers which will be well absorbed by soil and into the plant, as well as hoeing and weeding.
Sow crops that produce their yield below ground. This includes root vegetables such as beetroot, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions and turnips.
Traditionally some people plant potatoes on Good Friday falls on April 10, 2009. Unlike some holidays that occur the same date year after year, Easter is determined by the moon. It is the first Sunday after the first full moon of the spring.
++++++++++++++++++++++
My weather condition. Very Windy! some mild rain as I write , Partly Cloud Temp: 73°F Humidity: 31% Wind Speed: S 18 mph Gust 41 MPH
Barometer: 29.8 in. Dew point: 41° Heat Index: 76°F
Sunrise: 7:08 AM CDT Moon Phase: Waning Crescent Moon
Sunset: 7:25 PM CDT Normal High: 60°F Normal Low: 36°F
Tonight. Chance of rain 60 percent. Lows around 60f South winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts to around 35 mph..
By Saturday Lo: 35°F So I will have to cover crops for possible frost.

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A general overview of the signs
Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio are water signs (wet) and are generally good times to plant leafy things.
Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are Fire signs (warm/hot) generally good for planting fruiting things.
Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are Earth signs (cool/cold) generally good for rooting things.
Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are Air signs (light/bright) generally good for flowering things.++++++++++++++++
What to plant today
flowering plants, baking bread, sowing of flowers and herbs,
Moon calendar

Links to read more.
Love to know
The heart of New England
Flower and garden tips
Planting by the Moon
Have a wonderful day and remember to laugh and play.

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. - George Bernard Shaw

IT'S Spring !

Today should be Thankful Thursday!
Lot's of miracle's have happened here.
Hubby picked up baby Jozlyn for the first time.
He also is talking more.
So my vacation has been more than a blessing in many ways.

The new pup is down to 3 name choices Angel, Allie, Aussie. or Triple A, LOL.













I came home to seed's sprouted for my garden Thanks to Amy. And I have a sago palm from Houston Texas. Azaleas were only .99c in Bellingrath Alabama. My new Camellia japonica "Kramer's supreme" was 1/2 price $14.00 in Texas. Some of my spring mix lettuces is growing on its own from last year. The forsythia is in full bloom. Crocus daffodil and hyacinth are in bloom.




Hubby is cooking fresh pork chops for dinner. Amy had these 2 butchered last Tuesday. They weighed in at 550 pounds together. One was named bacon and the other was pork chop. Amy dropped by with a bit of the meat today. I told her I wanted to shop at Amy's market.
Have a great day and remember to Laugh and Play.

My garden design

I did my garden design with windows paint and adobe photo deluxe. 4.0 I have version 6 & 7 to but do not like them yet.
I did an overview of the yard. Then added photos of last summer to remind me of what I did then.
Now I have to decide how to expand. Where to put things like tomato and corn so not to cross pollinate. I need more information on distance. So I can keep the seed pure. I also need a place for melons. as they did not do well last year.

I looked for an online designer or free soft ware.

So far this is the first one I have found it is simple and basic.
virtual online plan graph designer
I will use it later for placement of veggies

.My first plan above is the whole yard. placement of trees house etc. The tan color is house or buildings. gray is rock.The color yellow is where the is a chance . either full or part sun. White is full shade. Blue is water. Red is fruit tree or berry. Green is flowers , bush or veggies. We have allot of trees so there is not much full sun locations. My main veggie garden is the top of photo beside the house. I do not use the back because there is a dry creak bed that will flood . We have crawdads in that area also. I my try corn back there near the property line. or container or top soil bags this year.





This is my basic design . I used the 3 sisters method of growing last year. beans using the corn to grow on and yellow squash between the plants. It worked quite well in saving space.
I plan to try self watering buckets.
And the no dig method of top soil bags . This will help to expand the garden.

I also used companion plants to prevent insect damage to the veggies.
I will expand on that and add more flowers.





Have a wonderful day and remember to laugh and play.
Grammy

My heirloom garden seed 2009

This is not a paid advertisement.

I have chose to be a Harvest keeper this year and have joined the grower challenge.

I bit the bullet and ordered some of my heirloom garden seed for this year.
I have never tried any of these veggie types before.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co Was my choice to try this year.
You may ask why I paid more and chose these seeds.
Really it was not much more and shipping was only $3.00 for all this. With these seed being open pollination. Saving the seed each year will feed us forever.

1. They are not genetically engineered.
2. Some are endangered of becoming extinct . Like the dinosaur.
3. I feel honored to be a seed keeper.
4. This was the heritage of my ancestors and the past farmers.
5. I will know my family will not be fed pesticides or genetically modified food.

You will see me grow these over this next summer. Plus others not listed here.



- melon- Ananas D' Amerique A Chair Verte (Green Fleshed Pineapple)This historic heirloom was grown by Thomas Jefferson in 1794. It was offered commercially in the USA in 1824, and it was illustrated in color in France in 1854 in the Vilmorin Album. This wonderful variety has become very rare. The fruit have netted skin and light green flesh that is firm, sweet and highly perfumed. Productive plants can be trained up a trelli
- Minnesota Midget ( OP) (Reticulatus Group) 60-70 days
This very small, very early heirloom was Developed at the University of Minnesota and introduced by Farmer Seed in about 1948 . The fruits are five to six inches in diameter, weighing thirteen ounces to one and a half pounds, they have sweet, orange flesh and are perfect miniature versions of the "Classic Muskmelon". Compact, 3'-4' vines, produce good yields.Fruit slips from vine when ripe.This is not a small plant, but it's very manageable in a large container. It's an especially good choice for northern gardeners who usually can't grow cantaloupes, as well as being the best cantaloupe for containers.
Note:melons crave warmth and sunlight, so early summer is the best time to start a melon patch.It is esistant to fusarium wilt.

- Mary Washington Asparagus, green long stem




- Precoce d'Argenteuil .Asparagus An old traditional heirloom, this gourmet variety is highly esteemed in Europe for its delicious stems that can be blanched white with rose-colored buds. Italian Seed






- Calabrese Green Sprouting.broccoli , An Italian heirloom brought to America in the 1880s; 5"-8" heads and many side shoots

- Romanesco Italia. broccoli
The true and popular Italian heirloom with spiraling, applegreen heads that are so superbly flavored. This variety is widely grown in northern Italy. A must with many of the finest chefs.

- Stowell's Evergreen Sweet Corn, This is among the oldest sweet corn that is still in production, predating 1949. It is still a favorite of many, producing tasty white kernels. The plants used to be pulled up when completely ripe, and hung upside-down in a cool pantry; the ears would last well into the winter, in a semi-fresh state. In 1873, the seeds sold for 25 cents per pint.



- True Gold Sweet Corn, Attractive ears are filled with sweet, yellow kernels that have a fine flavor. This newer open-pollinated corn is becoming a favorite of gardeners everywhere. Productive 75-day corn that is a great home and market variety


- Chires Baby Corn . picke fresh and put into stir-fries and soups. This variety produces up to 20 tiny ears on its multi-stalked plants; pick just after the silk shows at the tips of ears, or let mature for popcorn!
- Lemon Cuke, 60 days. The shape, size and color of a lemon but the flavor is sweet and mild! This heirloom was introduced in 1894, and is still a favorite today.
a cuke is a cucumber in Australia.
- Crystal Apple Cuke. Small 3" oval fruit are a bright, creamy white, about the size of a small apple, and sweet, mild and very tender. This variety has become almost extinct in America after being introduced here from Australia around the year 1930 from Arthur Yates and Co. But this type of cucumber is likely to have originated in China. The small fruit are so tender you can eat them skin and all.

Chinese Green Noodle Bean
Here is an early variety of long bean imported from China. 20" pods are straight and smooth, bright green, and of excellent quality. This hardy long bean is easy to grow almost anywhere. Very tasty stir-fried.
Henderson's Black-Seeded Simpson
60 days. Introduced in the 1870's by Peter Henderson & Co. Sweet and tender leaves, light yellow-green, very popular.
Lau's Pointed Leaf
This variety was collected from Lau, a Chinese farmer in the highlands of Malaysia. It produces star shaped plants with long, thin, bright green pointed leaves. The flavor is sweet and very tasty. This variety was the fastest growing and most vigorous of the many lettuces grown .
- Rossa di Terviso Precoce radicchio from Treviso, ItalyMakes a long slender bunch of leaves, turns deep brilliant red they're said to be good for insomnia and purifying the blood

- Brandywine Pink 80 days. The most popular heirloom vegetable! A favorite of many gardeners, large fruit with superb flavor. A great potato-leafed variety from 1885!
Beautiful pink fruit up to 1-1/2 lbs. each!





Flame (Hillbilly)
80-85 days. A huge, bi color heirloom, brilliant yellow color with red marbling. Very large with a rich, sweet flavor. Beautiful when sliced. An heirloom believed to be from West Virginia.

Gold Medal
75-90 days. The 1 lb fruit are among the smoothest bicolored tomatoes we carry and are one of the most beautiful we have seen. Lovely yellow fruit are blushing with rosy red that radiates from the blossom end. The firm flesh is of superior quality, being sweet and mild. The low acid content makes them great for fresh eating. From the late, legendary seed collector, Ben Quisenberry.
- Sugar Baby
79 days The #1 icebox-sized melon! Early! 6 to 10-lb melons are great for the North and have sweet, deep red flesh.

The Tropaeolum or aka Nasturtium flowers and leafs are editable and repel some unwanted pest in the veggie garden. I used them last year and they worked well. My corn was not chewed by any thing but me.

double and large. Plants set flowers earlier than many varieties; the 4’ plants
Nasturtium- Dwarf Jewel Mix









- Nasturtium-Milkmaid
Nasturtium- Jewel Peach Melba
Nasturtium- Empress of India

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Caution All of the next plants are Toxic if eaten.

(Ricinus communis) Castor Beans This will help to control moles and voles.
- Ballerina Mix (Datura metel) A dwarf version
Sacred Datura
- Double Golden Queen Datura (D. metel) Gorgeous pale lemon-yellow blooms are ruffled, double and large. Plants set flowers earlier than many varieties; the 4’ plants
Splash of Cream (Nicandra physaloides) aka apple of Peru or shoo-fly plant
Said to be a repellent against white flies. Toxic. Flowers July-September. Reseeds Annual. Bushy, 1 to 1,5 m tall plant with 3 cm blue flowers

I will update this later with more info one each plant. As I find out more about them.
If you grow any of these or have a favorite you use, pleale let me know .