Brandywine Tomato

The Brandywine Tomato slice great for sandwiches because you only need one slice to cover most of the standard size bread. They can also be used for canning.

The Brandywine varieties are some of the most popular heirloom tomatoes grown in North America. The Brandywine tomatoes are large, plump beefsteak like tomatoes with thin skin. Brandywine tomatoes are full-bodied and non-acidic, with an excellent, robust tomato flavor. The indeterminate plants produce high yields of the eight to twelve ounce fruit in clusters of four to six along vigorous vines.

Feed bag potatoes

Just wanted to see how well it would grow that way. On 9/12/23 I went out to see how it did. The potato plant was dead and time to harvest. Because of all the weeds it was hard to see what was left so I put a circle around it.

As I was digging the dirt out to get to the potatoes I noticed the dirt was very dry. I had only put a couple holes in the bag to let water out if it rained too much. Potatoes don’t like to sit in water. As you can see in the photo. I got 2 nice size potatoes and 4 very small ones.

Next year I will put more holes in the bottom of the bag so they can get some moisture from the ground if it is dry like it was in parts of this summer. I will also give it some fertilizer as potatoes like a good amount of fertilizer. That should help bring in more potatoes.
The potato I used was an old red potato that was starting to sprout.
Red Potatoes have a waxy texture, the flesh of red potatoes stays firm throughout the cooking process, whether they are being roasted or cooked in a stew. Their thin red skin adds appealing color and texture to side dishes and salads. Reds are frequently used to make tender yet firm potato salad or add to soups and stews, as well as being served baked or mashed.

Borghese Tomato

Here is my Borghese Tomato in my garden. The plants are loaded with tomatoes and are starting to get ripe.

I saw a person tell that when a bunch of tomatoes grow in a cluster, it is best to pick the full cluster when the first couple turn ripe. They said that if you pick only the first couple ripe ones the energy would go to the next ones in the stem. They are will often grow fast and split open. Then the bugs will start getting in the tomato splits and spoil the tomato. By picking the full bunch you can let the green ones ripen inside without splitting open. So that is what I am going to do.

I sorted out a bunch of the ripe tomatoes from the several bunches and left the green ones to ripen.

I clean them cut off the top and cut them in half to dehydrate them.

It took over 18 hours to dehydrate this batch of tomatoes.

A good friend said that he roosted them in the oven at 275F for 2 and a half hours. Then put them in the freezer. I think I will try that next time.

Time to stock up on canning supplies before they run out.

Currant Tomato

This is one of my favorite tomato plants because it produces hundreds of tasty tomatoes to snack on when I go out and work my garden.

Just one plant can grow in to a large bush of these tasty tomatoes.

The clusters start with the first tomatoes ripening first then keep ripening down the stem every few days. They are smaller in size than cherry tomatoes.

They are an easy plant to save some of the seeds and plant them again next year.

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Beet Greens

The beets started to grow with some spots heavy.

When the beets got bigger I had to thin them out. This gave me enough beet greens for a meal. I just washed them off.

I just took a pan of boiling water and put the greens in the pan. When the leaves and stems got tender, they were done.

I just added a small amount of vinegar to them in a bowl to eat them.

Beet greens are the leaves that grow on beets. They packed with nutrition. The greens, stems and tiny beets have a mild, sweet, and slightly earthy flavor. They can be used in many of the same ways as kale, but they're less bitter.

Straw Bale update

The Pak choi is not doing so well. For some reason the bugs just overtook the Pak choi as fast. I didn’t have time to catch it before they were almost gone.

I only had a couple jalapeno peppers left after the frost killed my first planting. They are doing as good if not just a bit better than the ones in my raised bed.

The romaine lettuce did well and so did the marigold followers. So far Straw bale garden looks like it is doing well.

Swiss Chard

Bee Swarm

 
I went out to take a closer look. Because the ground was ruff and hard to get there with my walker. I would need help to get them. I decided that if they were still there in the morning I would see If I could get my next door neighbor to help. My next door neighbor Anthony who wanted to learn about bee keeping . By the time I was getting ready to call Anthony I check to make sure they were still there but they had already left.

On July 13th my neighbor Sue out back called and said there was a bunch of bees on her mail box and Tom could help me bring my swarm box out so I could get them. I scooped up a bunch of the bees using the bee frames and put them in the box. After getting a couple frames in the box. The rest of the bees started leaving the mail box and going in to my swarm box. I was going to let them settle in overnight and see If Anthony could give me a hand moving the box out back where I keep my bees. He said he would come Saturday the 15th early in the morning and move them for me. I have had good luck moving the bee swarms early in the morning before they start flying for the day.

On the 14th in the afternoon I found that the bees didn’t like their new home and left. That was disappointing. I left Anthony a voice mail saying he didn’t need to come early to move the bees. Later that day Sue call and left me a voice mail saying there was a swarm in her oak tree in her front yard. I went and looked and there was a swarm about the same size that was on the mail box. It was getting late in the evening. Tom helped get my steep ladder and a different swarm box. Sue and Tom put the ladder a swarm box close the bees hoping they might just go in the box. I called Anthony and told him what was going on and he said he would be here early Saturday morning to help get the swarm.

The swarm was still on the branch so we both suited up to go get the swarm. He climbed up the ladder and I told him to take out a couple frames and try to scoop up under the bees and put them in the box. That didn’t work very well because there was a branch hinging down that the bees were on. I told him to hold the box under the bunch of bees. I reached up with my reacher and gave the branch a good sharp shake. A bunch of bees landed on the box and some fell to the ground. I told him to put the box back on the ladder and slowly put the top back on the box. We watch the bees for a short time and it looked like they were starting to go in the box.We went inside a visited for a while to let the bees settle down. Then we went back out to check on how the bees were doing. All the bees where off the branch with a few flying around. I asked Anthony to take the box and set it next to the hive body that I would move them in to in a few days if they stayed.

The following Saturday I went out and moved the bees into the hive body. I looked to see if I could find the queen or at least some eggs or larva. The bees were getting a little worked up so I just got them moved and didn’t see any queen, eggs or larva.

The following Sunday I went out and checked the bees. I found that they already had 3 frames of caped brood. This made me very happy that I finally got a bunch of bees. Thanks to Anthony, Sue and Tom. I will have to keep an eye on them to make sure the keep doing fine.

Garlic

Time to stock up on canning supplies before they run out.

Saving Kale Seeds

I was able to get a few kale greens early this spring. As it got hotter out these kale Plants began to bolt and have yellow flowers. I keep a few of these plants to let them go to seed.

They will develop in to seed pods.

When the pods started to turn brown I cut the plants down and hung them up to dry.When they were dry and a few of the pods already started to pop open. I put them in a bucket.

I ran my hand up and down the branches giving them a slight squeeze to release the pods in to the bucket.

I then picked up a hand full of pods at a time and rubbed them lightly to release the seeds from the pods. Letting the seeds fall in to the bucket and throwing the empty pods away leaving the seeds in the bucket.

With a light breeze I poured the seeds in a smaller container letting the wind blow away the small pieces of pod.

I will let the seeds dry some more then put them in a paper envelope, mark them with the type seed and year. Before planting them next year I will test the seeds to make sure they will germinate and make that they are good seeds.

Kale is a good plant to have your kids save the seeds because it is easy and a fun project for them.
If you have a children's garden, be sure to have them plant kale one spring and harvest the seed in the summer or fall of the following year.

IF you are going to save seeds from your kale it is best to not have any broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, collards, kohlrabi or brussels sprouts nearby to avoid unwanted cross pollinating.

Some people save seeds to sell to earn extra money.

Farm Fresh Lettuce

I plant a few lettuce seeds inside to get an early start on being able to start harvesting it early.

I plant the seedling about 8 inches apart. I then spread a few seeds in the row between the seedlings.

I grow the romaine type of lettuce because I have had the best luck with that type. Lettuce is a cool season crop; it thrives when temperatures are between 60? and 70?. Hot weather often causes lettuce to bolt and/or become bitter. There are some varieties that growing in warm climates and some that will grow when it gets quite cold. It is best if you water them in the morning and if you can do not water over the leaves for best results. Lettuce has a shallow root system and requires frequent watering. Dry conditions cause lettuce to become bitter and/or bolt. To avoid problems with disease, try not to get water on the leaves when watering. Water the lettuce in the morning if possible. I harvest the entire plant, cut off with scissors � inch above the soil line when thinning out the smaller plants.

Then I use the cut and come again method when they get bigger. Harvest outer leaves as needed and allow them to grow for future harvests.

You can also grow lettuce in containers or hydroponically.

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Farm Fresh Radish

This year I planted radish and beets in my 5 gallon buckets about the same time I planted the tomato plants in buckets.

I just scattered the seeds on the top of the bucket and ran my fingers around on the soil to work them in a bit. When I was watering them, the seeds were pushed to the sides of the bucket causing them to bunch up. Next time I do this I will use a lighter spray.

I needed to thin out the radishes so I started pulling out the biggest ones even though they were small. They were about the size of my little finger or smaller but they were still tasty.

Just a couple days later, some were bigger so I picked them along with some lettuce for a salad.

I am going to sprincle a few seeds in the bucket every time I harvist some radishes. I am hoping this will keep me getting fresh radishes all summer.

When you think of a radish you most likely imagine the root vegetable that's small, round, red, and tangy. Most radishes fit this description, while radishes can be round or oblong; hot or mild; red, pink, purple, white, or bicolor. Radishes have fast growth rates, with some varieties ready in 30 days

For me I found that I like the French breakfast radish so that is what I grow. I like this smaller, oblong variety of radish for its mild, softer flavor compared to traditional radishes, and the beautiful white and pink colors. The radish skin is thin and smooth, with a crunchy, tender bite.

Radishes are a good source of antioxidants like catechin, pyrogallol, vanillic acid, and other phenolic compounds. These root vegetables also have a good amount of vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant to protect your cells from damage. Radishes also contain coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant that helps block the formation of diabetes.

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