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Brandywine Tomato
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The last of my Tomatoes that I planted was
the Brandywine Tomato. I only had a couple plants that I grew for fresh tomatoes for
sandwiches. 
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.
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Feed bag potatoes
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Back on 6/9/23 I planted a potato in a feed
bag as posted on this blog. 
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
dont 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.

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Borghese Tomato
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This tomato is a small plum-shaped variety
that grows to about 1 1/2 to 2. Featuring a deep-red meaty flesh that is relatively
dry compared to other tomato varieties, this tomato is fantastic for sun-drying or
dehydrating.
The taste of this vibrant fruit has a classic rich tomato flavor that is great for making
tomato sauces. The Borghese tomato is famous for its excellent flavor and texture. When
dried, these tomatoes retain more flavor than most other varieties, so it is no surprise
they are a popular.
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
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Currant Red tomatoes are very tart and sweet
tomatoes that grow in large clusters, resembling red currants. Due to their small size,
one popular use is to make sun-dried tomato raisins. Currant Red tomato is an
indeterminate tomato crop producing fruit throughout the season.
As I showed you when I planted the Currant tomato plant it was very long. 
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
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This year I planted some beets and radishes
in 5 gallon buckets. I just sprinkling some seeds on the top of the buckets and worked
them in to the soil a bit. 
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.
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Straw Bale update
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This is an update on how my Straw bale garden
is doing. I planted the smaller leftover plants I had from my raised bed garden. The
eggplant is doing better than the ones in the raised bed garden.

The Pak choi is not doing so well. For some reason the bugs just overtook the Pak choi as
fast. I didnt 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.
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Swiss Chard
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Time to harvest some Swiss chard: A
Nutritious and Versatile Green. 
Swiss chard is a leafy vegetable that belongs to the same family as beets and spinach.
I cut the larger Swiss chard leafs and put them in a box leaving the smaller leafs to
grow.

I sort out all the bad Swiss chard leafs. I then wash off the Swiss chard leafs in the
sink.

Then I chop them up.

Take a pan of water and bring it to a boil. Then put the chopped up Swiss chard leafs in
the boiling water for just a short time.

I then scoop it out and put it in freezer containers.

I put it in the freezer to enjoy over winter.
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Bee Swarm
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I lost all my bees to yellow jackets weakening the hives and wax moth finishing them off
in the 2 years I was unable to take care of them. Last year I was hoping to catch a swarm
of bees so I would at least have one hive of bees. Because I was still having trouble
getting around outside I didnt see any swarms. So this year I was keeping an eye out
for a swarm that I could get. On July 11th when I was closing some windows I noticed that
there was a swarm on the telephone pole that was between my place and my neighbor. 
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
didnt like their new home and left. That was disappointing. I left Anthony a voice
mail saying he didnt 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 didnt 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 didnt 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.


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Garlic
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I dug up one of my garlic plants just to see
how they were doing. It was a good thing because they were too wet and starting to
resprout. I knew I had to dig the rest up fast if I didnt want to lose all my
garlic. 
I shook all the dirt I could off then laid them out to dry.

After about a week of drying I needed to clean them up and get ready to store. I used my
garden shears to clean them up.

I cut the stem off and left about 2 inches off the stem. Then I take all the roots off the
bottom.

Here is what I got left after cleaning them up. I will put them in the mesh storage bag to
let them dry some more. I will hang the bag up and take the garlic out of the bag as I use
them.

Time to stock up on canning
supplies before they run out.
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Saving Kale Seeds
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As I mention in my cleanup blog. I had a few Kale plants that survived the winter. 
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.
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Farm Fresh Lettuce
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I like to have farm fresh lettuce so I grow some romaine lettuce
in my garden. 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.
A better way would be. Grow Plants Abundantly with
AQUA-PONICS
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Farm Fresh Radish
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How to have farm fresh radishes at home. 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.
For more post from 12/9/22 to 6/30/23 go to https://thatnew.biz/pg1.htm
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I am 68 years old and have been doing websites for over 25
years. My first website is WESTNY.com . I had a website
business GLASSMARBLES.com for about 22 years. I had to stop that business because of my
health. I have to use a walker to get around so I am limited to what I can do. I am doing
a blog on this site THATNEW.biz. I am going to use this because I already own THATNEW.biz
and going to use it as a blog. I use to do gardening, keep bees, building things and other
things. This will give me something to do to keep my mind active. I hope this will give
you insight to what older people like to do. 12/12/2022 |
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