Showing posts with label Red Sails Lettuce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Red Sails Lettuce. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

The Florida Fall Veggie Garden - Let the Planting Begin!


Winterbor Kale and Packman Broccoli 
Saturday in South Florida was overcast and gloomy, loved it! The day was a tad cooler at a mere 88 deg.F and as I wrote this post at 5.00pm it was already down to 75 deg.F.
Lemon Boys, Sweet Pepper, Red Sails Lettuce and Radicchio

I thought it would be a good day to get some transplants in the above-ground-veg boxes so I made a quick trip to Home Depot. I'll explain why I'm mentioning them in a moment.





They have just about everything! Broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, peppers, zucchinis, kale, and a plethora (I love that word) of both tomatoes and herbs. Also they have a HUGE selection of seeds available which I don't remember - in previous years - being readily available until late October.

At the moment Home Depot have a sale of a 9 pack of vegs for $2.50 - that's .30 cents a plant!

When I got home with my goodies, a thunderstorm had blown up so any delirious ideas about planting was squished.

Sunday though.....


Packman Broccoli
I planted 9 of the broccoli in the garden and, as a companion plant, also sowed seeds of Nasturtium in between broccoli. 

Other good companion plants for broccoli are: carrots, bush beans, cukes, lettuce, potato, radish, onions and celery. Herbs include: dill, sage, basil, rosemary.

Note: Various sources do not recommend planting onions with bush beans.
Lemon Boy with Red Sails Lettuce and Radish seed
After the disastrous tomatoes-in-the-ground harvest of last season, I'm growing all my tomats in pots this year!



One is sharing a pot with the Red Sails Lettuce and the other is nestled in among the bush beans. I included a few radish seeds with the lettuce.



Other companion plants for tomats include: basil, cabbage, carrots, celery, chives, garlic, onions and peppers.

I buried a ripe banana with its skin on under both the tomats here. In years gone by I have noticed they take off once their roots reach the banana. The brick is to hold the pot down so the raccoons cannot dig banana up.

Flowerlady Lorraine over at Flowerladys Musings asked me how I prevented the raccoons digging my vegetables up, this is one of my techniques. The good old brick trick! And here's my other 'secret' weapon. Our fierce little guard dog Pikachu!


"Did someone mention Raccoon! Let me at 'em!"
Elsewhere in our backyard paradise. I want to show you my rose bush, Chrysler Imperial.

See all that new growth? This has occurred over a four week period.




The rose is blooming it's head off! Julie over at A Succulent Life told me she uses banana peels in her rose garden and has had fabulous success with her roses.

I followed her advice about and agree that Roses go bananas for bananas! Who would have thought! Thanks Julie!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Harvest on Wednesday, Then Dinner

We have had some very cool nights over the last three days, and we are LOVING IT!!

Here's my produce count for today.


From left to right,
Packman Broccoli "sprouts" (for broccoli this is my daily count)
Blue Lake Pole Beans - love this variety, very crisp and with a nutty flavor
I picked the tomatoes early to ripen them on my windowsill because the vine scrambled up into the 15 foot Bottlebrush thereby providing a convenient perch for the Cardinals to peck a few holes (they might be Early Girl, which I am not enamored with at all, due to poor production)
Below the tomats is the Red Sails lettuce (of which I only eat the inner tender leaves)
Purple Carnival Pepper, and above the pepper is
Tyee Fi Spinach

I bought the Broccoli and Early Girl Tomato as transplants. I grew the Blue Lake Pole beans, the Tyee Fi Spinach, and Carnival Pepper from a seed packet. But the Red Sails Lettuce, I harvested the seeds last year and planted in the fall of 2012.

My "Carnival" peppers have really taken off with several peppers on each bush.
Zone 10 you have time to get your seeds underway and, if you are interested in planting the "Carnival" variety of peppers, go here:

Burpee Carnival Peppers

What's For Dinner?
The boys will have brisket of beef tonight with the fresh broccoli, chopped pepper, and the pole beans as a side. No photo, I'm still cooking it!


Seeds of Change stock Tyee Fi Spinach
Oh, and did I mention we have Pineapples growing again?


Pineapple Floret
......love, love Florida!
go here to see my blog on getting Pineapples growing.
Growing Pineapples - It's Easy!!

Happy Passover or Easter!
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