Goldmine in your backyard

[flaglerestates.com]

After the most recent trip to the Saturdays Farmers Market in St. Augustine Beach I realized how much more value Flagler Estates residents really have in your acreage. Let

[money8]

 On a recent trip to pubics( not a typo) I was observed looking at the labels on the produce, and when I saw product of Mexico,Canada,Brazil,etc. I put it back on the table,and then the produce manager ask me what was wrong with it? I told him it was not U.S.A., he got a funny look on his face,and turned red as there were several other patrons there. The odd thing was that on the next table were taters,tomatoes all from Florida,and the potatoes were from Hastings,and the prices were 2-5 cents cheaper than the imports.
  My point is look at what your going to buy,the imports are not under any e.p.a. rules and they can put what they want to kill bugs and fertilizer on the ground.
   The U.S.A. stuff is better for you ,be an American, buy American,be proud.
   Does anyone remember Victory gardens? They were grown during WW.II by different comunities
because a lot of things were rationed, Did not The Church in the Pines have a garden a while back?
  Bill Fisher

[flaglerestates.com]

The odd thing was that on the next table were taters,tomatoes all from Florida,and the potatoes were from Hastings,and the prices were 2-5 cents cheaper than the imports.
  My point is look at what your going to buy,the imports are not under any e.p.a. rules and they can put what they want to kill bugs and fertilizer on the ground.
   The U.S.A. stuff is better for you ,be an American, buy American,be proud.

My point is that produce is overpriced, especially in Florida, given the fact that half of the stuff grows here anyway. Why would the potatos from Hastings be ONLY cheaper by 2-5 cents? They were not hauled from South America at record fuel costs. Publix probably has a higher profit margin on the local produce.

Did you know that produce in Oregon, California and even New York is less expensive than in Florida (except oranges)? We were able to pick cherries for $1/per lb, blueberries for $1.25/per lb, and buy raspberries by the pound at about $3 (and not by the silly little containers sold in Publix). The produce is also higher quality in the 3 states mentioned above.

[Willie]

WE'VE HAD A VICTORY GARDEN EVER SINCE MOVING UP FROM SO. FL.  EVEN WHEN WE LIVED ON THE BEACH!

THE TOMATOES YOU GROW YOURSELF ARE DELICIOUS, NOT LIKE THE "GREEN-HOUSE" VARIETY IN STORES.

WE PLANTED RED POTATOES, JUST A FEW EYES FROM EACH POTATO & JUST FINISHED THE LAST BATCH YESTERDAY.

I DON'T SEE MUCH DIFFERENCE IN COST, WHAT WITH LABOR & STARTER PLANTS (DIDN'T HAVE ANY LUCK STARTING FROM SEEDS INSIDE) HOWEVER, NO GAS TO BUY, NO POISONS, NO PRODUCE LAYING AROUND FOR 2-3 WEEKS FROM HARVESTING TIME TO TIME IT ARRIVES AT THE LOCAL GROCER.  AND THE TASTE & SATISFACTION OF EATING FREST PRODUCE IS PRICELESS!!

[sweetpea]

I like gardening!!! I've been doing it out here for years!!! I have raised all kinds of veggies and animals and believe me there is PRIDE in putting something on the table that you had a hand in.

Our farm animals, bought locally, and raised ALWAYS taste better than the 'plain' 'boring' meat in the stores!!! My kids have trouble eating what we've raised, but then again, they've NEVER left the table HUNGRY either.

I love my chickens the best!! They take care of my bugs and then I'm NOT putting down pesticides or spraying either.

One of the reasons we moved here was because we could 'help' our grocery bills!!

Funny that this topic is here, because it was only last week that I was thinking of expanding my garden and 'cycling' some of my 'side' yard to grow rotation crops. My animals provide not only food but fertilizer. Most of the horse owners would probably be more than willing to 'let' go of some of their horse manure. This is the best after cow manure because it's not HOT!! and can be mixed into the soil or added as a 'dressing' for FREE, or at least your time to load up a couple of buckets.

My animals, except the cats and dog, all provide the garden and compost with manure, which adds nutrient to the soil, which also means better yield.

I remember my kids now 21, 19 and 16 going out into the garden from the time they were all under 12 to pick veggies. I never got many into the kitchen. As I began to watch, it was 1 for A, 1 for D, 1 for T and MAYBE 1 in the bucket!!! Well, at least they snacked healthy.

I don't buy a lot of processed foods because I was brought up on FRESH stuff from childhood. My children like snacks but will admit Moms potato chips do taste better than the ones from the store.

There isn't much I haven't tried to raise out here. The soil is wonderful. There are times, like with the past drought that I've had to get a 'little' creative with the watering of the garden. I solved that one by hooking my hose and sprinkler up to the aerator. It helped because every time that 200 gallon tank had to be refilled, my garden was 'watered' automatically!! Okay, so we had a long hose to move when mowing, but it was better than remembering to go out and water the garden.

My point is that it only takes a little time, but the rewards are great tasting food. Seeds are a nominal cost and as long as you DON'T take/use seeds that are 'hybrids' you will be able to harvest your own seeds. Most HYBRIDS are sterile and therefore will NOT produce a plant no matter how hard you try.  I save the seeds from almost all of the fruits and veggies we eat and dry them out on the window sill in the kitchen. I sometimes forget about separating my tomato seeds from my pepper seeds so it can get interesting come planting time LOL

Try your hand. The local Agriculture Ctr on Yelvington Rd in E. Palatka, will test your soil for free and tell you how to amend your soil!!! Tax dollars at work here!!!

HAPPY GARDENING.....

~Nanette

[flaglerestates.com]

Nanette,
Thanks for your reply, this is the kind of input I was looking for. Would you mind answering a few Q's?
1. How big is your garden and how many people are you able to feed?
2. How many men hours would you say it takes to take care of the garden?
3. How do you cope with the animals and birds that might be having frequent dinners at your garden?
4. If someone was starting out with a wooded lot, would you suggest that the garden section need to be completely cleared of trees or could be partially shaded?
5. Any other tips and tricks you could give us would be great.

[sweetpea]

Nanette,
Thanks for your reply, this is the kind of input I was looking for. Would you mind answering a few Q's?
1. How big is your garden and how many people are you able to feed?
2. How many men hours would you say it takes to take care of the garden?
3. How do you cope with the animals and birds that might be having frequent dinners at your garden?
4. If someone was starting out with a wooded lot, would you suggest that the garden section need to be completely cleared of trees or could be partially shaded?
5. Any other tips and tricks you could give us would be great.

1. My garden isn't really that big, it was 40x 20 but used to be bigger 60x40. I have a 'drainage' problem, like most people here do so my rows are normally very high about 18 inches and about 18inches wide. This allows for more water retention in the soil. Rows are normally about 18-24 inches apart to allow the rotor tiller to get in between, which helps with the weeding and for working in the manures. I'm going to have 2 in the spring that will be about 50x30.
-I had 5 people that ate from the garden for the 1st 5 yrs out here, and I used my freezer to store my veggies. I've tried canning but have 'lost' that knowledge and 'lost' my tomatoes.......and it gets expensive buying all that glass. I used to be able to harvest enough to put up veggies for about 3-4 months. I know NOT that big of a deal, but I need a bigger freezer because my animals also go into the freezer. I'd love to be able to build a smoke house out here, but I don't really think the few neighbors I have would like to 'smell' that constant smoke smell. You know for most people, smoke means fire....

2. How many hours?? Well if you get up before it gets hot outside about 2 hours in the morning with a good hoe for knocking down the weeds. Must be vigilant here because the weeds will take over. You know, if you take a spot where you don't have much grass and decide to plant there, the surrounding grass WILL invade and become a nuisance.
-(The kids were all taught that 'if it doesn't look like the stuff we're growing in the row, it's a weed' that made it easier to enlist their help.) Weeding during the 'growing' season can be a full-time job, but what's a couple of hours outside in the fresh air and sunshine??
-Forget about hurting your back by 'bending over' bring an old towel for kneeling on. Weed only what's right in front of you and you'll last longer. A good weeding hoe can take care of the big areas and don't use it near your plants as most are shallow rooters and you'll destroy the root ball. Only hand weed around your plants.
3. Coping with the animals, well that's always going to be a problem. As for water based veggies like tomatoes, peppers, squashes, you need to have plenty of water available and the birds will leave those alone. Birds need water and soft veggies are a good source, so are buckets or bird baths. I also make sure that there is plenty of bird seed around to encourage them to eat elsewhere. Most others you'll have to live with, but leaving the dog out at night seems to help with the bunnies and other night creatures.
4. This is Florida and during the summer we burn, so does the garden, so mine gets shade in the morning from the wooded lot on the east side of me and shade about late afternoon from a big oak tree after about 4 pm. It all depends on what your growing. Tomatoes and their 'group' (peppers, eggplants, etc.) will do with partial shade. Corn however needs the most care with tons of water and light. It's all trial and error, but I've found no more than 50/50 mix of sun/shade works good too. I've even done tomatoes and peppers on the front of the house and it's really shady there, but convenient.
My winter garden is always the easiest because the weeds grow slower and most of these crops are root crops. Potatoes, carrots, beets etc. and don't forget the GREENS!!!!
5. OTHER HELPFUL STUFF:
-Free pesticide......plant MARIGOLDS in with your tomatoes!!
-Learn to companion garden: Here's a good site on learning to 'companion' plant. You are not allowed to view links.
Register or Login it does help to do this because you'll get to use more of your 'space'. Also it helps to cut down on bugs.
-Become educated and ever watchful of bugs.....1 bad bug will do you in!! BUT teach yourself and your children about the good bugs like Ladybugs, pests such as soft-scale insects, mealybugs, spider mites and eggs of the Colorado Potato Beetle and European Corn Borer. A few feed on plant and pollen mildews. One larva will eat about 400 medium-size aphids during its development to the pupal stage. An adult will eat about 300 medium-size aphids before it lays eggs. About three to ten aphids are eaten for each egg the beetle lays. More than 5,000 aphids may be eaten by a single adult in its lifetime. The lady beetle's huge appetite and reproductive capacity often allow it to rapidly clean out its prey; Praying Mantis eats Moths, crickets, grasshoppers, flies, and other insects;Dragonflies eat mosquitoes and and other small insects like flies, bees, ants and butterflies.
-support the library. They have TONS of books on gardening!! Or check it out on line.... You are not allowed to view links.
Register or Login is a good place to start.
-Buy good quality seeds, quality and expense are different. I've used tons of good seeds from the Dollar store and had success. Just watch for the 'best used by date' on the back of the package!!! Some OLD seed packets won't grow, corn is a good example. But once you get going you can 'havest' your own seeds by letting 1 or 2 plants go to seed.

Have fun. I'll update this from time to time........have questions email me...I have a little envelope thingie and I'll get back to you as I can.
~Nanette
 

[countryliving]

Anyone who has extra home grown produce and would like to turn that into cash is welcome to sell what they can't eat at THE LEMON STREET MARKET every Saturday. Just send me an email lemonstreet@bellsouth.net and let me know you'd like to participate

[jrichards]

    Maybe let us know who has some fresh items to sell.  We have a very small garden, I have chives and onions. I do not know if that is a garden. We also have several citrus trees, we would have more but we lost three because of all the rain a while back. Our lime tree is running over.....

  I would not wait on the goverment, 1929 when the depression hit, most of the "SOUTH" didn't feel it because we took care of our selves. Go back to hunting for food not trophies, fishing, exchanging veggies for fish, fruit for meat etc..

[flaglerestates.com]

Since about 30% of the poll participants indicated they are already gardening, here's and idea. How about if you guys post what kind of fruits and veggies you have in season and at what price you can sell it. I am sure many families in St Augustine and Palm Coast would be delighted to come by, say once a week, and buy the produce if it slightly below the fresh market prices. Post quantities and pictures, too. As I mentioned, if this service becomes popular, I will be happy to setup a user friendly online marketplace.

[sweetpea]

Okay, all you gardeners..........do you have all your plants and seeds in??? Now is the perfect time to get them going....the ground is still warm enough to sprout seeds and before long you'll have some thing wonderful to pick and eat.

I've got in 2 different types of lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, collards, carrots and turnips and potatoes too!!

Anyone care to say what they've got going??

Also Pleeman, nice idea about the virtual market.......

What you can plant now...........

Cool Season Vegetables:
-Beets                            -Cabbage           -Celery                      -Mustard            -Potatoes
-Broccoli                         -Carrots             -Chinese Cabbage       - Onions             -Radishes
-Brussels sprouts              - Cauliflower       -Lettuce                   - Peas, English      -Turnips
                                                                                                                     -Strawberries
 

[sweetpea]

Are you frost ready??? I have planted for the past 3 weeks. My cabbage is growing well and is beginning to make small heads....my collards are still really small.....my broccoli has only be 'up' for about a week........so yesterday I have to go and prepare for a killer frost, so all the news channels and the weather channel say........my root crops, the potatoes and carrots have not had enough time for sprouting yet, nor has my squashes or butternut squashes as I just planted the latter on Monday this past week.

What to put down??? Too many rows for sheets.........not enough hay on hand............so yesterday, we went and raked up a pickup truck full of pine tags!!! We had enough to cover EVERY THING with 3 inches of pine straw!!! Yes, this was an emergency,,,,killer frost predicted and payday has not yet come............

This morning about 10 am my husband and I went to survey the damage........surprisingly there wasn't ANY frost damage!!! I think part is due to the pine straw and the fact that I watered them 'in' on top of my precious plants early enough yesterday!!! Hopefully every thing will also survive tonight's even lower temps.

I know the Farmer's Almanac was saying that this year we were going to have an early and hard winter, but who would have thought that it would be THIS early???

Happy planting!!!!  Gotta protect those tender plants!

Also, for those of you who have plants around the house you want to protect..........PLEASE do yourself a favor and DON'T cover them with plastic or anything containing plastic!!! Your plants will BURN in the day!! Plastic doesn't allow the plants to 'breath'  or allow the air around the plant to circulate and worse it will cause them to burn worse than not protecting them at all. Recycle and collect old bed sheets!! Old bed sheets are light weight enough to allow air circulation and lets your plants breath!!!

Also, if we're going to have a couple of days of freezing temps...it's okay to leave your plants covered for a day or two, but don't forget to uncover them when the bad times are over...........they need the light.....without it you will deprive them of the necessary light to produce chlorophyll and the plants will wilt and possible die from lack of light.........

~Nanette

[flaglerestates.com]

We can watch hours of nonsense coming from talking heads on TV, wheres Jim Rogers puts it all into perspective in just 30 minutes. He has been right more times than wrong in the past.

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[sweetpea]

Well, you can tell winter is here and that the wild fauna has run out of choice things to eat on when they attack your veggies!!!

I've been invaded by wild bunnies and they LOVE my cabbage, and are now attacking my collard greens!! So now for the counter attack!! I've tried human hair and want to report that either I DIDN'T apply enough, or they are NOT offended by it. So now for the heavy duty stuff. I got some seed onions for Christmas and will be planting them today between my cabbage plants and scattering them among my collards.

I've researched online for natural rabbit repellents and have found that the following are supposed to be useful:

• moth balls-warning toxic to small kids
• empty milk jugs- you cut out the top and bottom and slide over plants, have too many and not enough milk jugs
• having your son or husband pee around the perimeter, sorry NOT going that route
• making up a soap spray with garlic and or tomato leaves.....this you ferment and make a weak tea out of and spray after straining it
• or companion planting with plants they don't like-I am going to try this route and hope for the best
• putting up a 24-36in fence
• putting cat hair out on the plants
• placing quart jars in the garden fillled with water, supposedly the rabbits see themselves larger than life and will flee, personally I DON'T see how this will work because my wild bunny visitors ONLY come to eat in the wee hours of the night, so UNLESS there's a moon or moon light, I don't see this one working for me
  

I'll also be making up a concoction with the tomato leaves, garlic and soap and spraying it on later in the week. But need IMMEDIATE relief so wish me luck.


Also here is the link to the plants that RABBITS DON'T LIKE TO EAT:
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[sweetpea]

Well, after several days of severe freezes & killer frosts the good news is that it's almost over.   For that I'm grateful because my winter garden froze more than 1 time to the point that 85% of what I planted is burned beyond hope.  This has been the hardest winter in many years. I didn't really need to tell many of you that LOL. For those of you around who had warmer spots in FE, congrats as your gardens are lovely. 

Now is the time to begin preparing your soil for the next planting. Tilling and turning under is the thing to consider doing now while the weeds are still dormant.

Planting seedlings in the house is in order. By the time these get big enough to go outside the soil and weather will be warm enough to support these.

Also, remember IF you planted tomatoes, peppers and eggplant last year, pick a new spot in the garden for them. They cannot be planted in the same spot you had them last year as they totally deplete the soil of necessary nutrients.

Point to remember, IF you want any of the cold veggies to grow...plant these as soon as possible. Soon the weather will heat up and they will not do well in the heat of late April and May.

By the end of April you also want to put in your warm weather plants so that they can begin and you'll be harvesting those prize tomatoes and peppers by June.

[1Marine]

Hi Sweetpea,

I just wanted to tell you really enjoy your gardening posts and even though I can't use them until I get back home, I learn a bunch...thanks...Chris

[sweetpea]

Thanks for the thumbs up Chris  It's nice to hear from someone who reads what I post here.

When are you due home??

Sempre Fi!

~Nanette

[1Marine]

Gonna stick around for a couple more years I think.  The economy, as you know, is not very inviting right now.  Take care Nanette...Chris

[sweetpea]

I was looking up companion planting especially for organic bug control and I ran across this "Nettles, Stinging

[FloridaBoy]

Stinging Nettles also have an edible root.  When I was a boy, we used to dig them up on camping trips.  They look like a white carrot.

[sweetpea]

Spring has unofficially sprung in our area. What are you planting or planning to plant??

I've got my garden mostly done, for the moment  Okay, I hear you.......mostly done? No, just started and waiting to see how much room I have let for all the stuff I need to plant!!

The following are down and popping up:
-tomatoes
-green peppers
-yellow and green beans
-potatoes
-peanuts
-sunflowers
-cabbage
-collard greens, these are left from my winter garden, and they are finally flourishing, I know they won't be as tasty as when it was cold but still will taste good!
-beets
-onions
-broccoli
-birdhouse gourds

waiting to go in:
-yellow and green squashes
-carrots

transplanting:
-low bush blueberry bushes
-blackberry bushes

......looking for a good spot to put them, being wild they come up where ever they please. Just remember if you transplant some of these try to plant them in similar ground and light conditions or you'll have wasted all that effort. I've got mine in some old black 1 gallon pots and keep them watered, not wet, but watered. As for me, I just want them more 'organized' than popping up in the yard willy nilly. I'm currently looking for a good spot to make me/us a blackberry garden for next year!

Remember the ground is still way to cold for planting corn.

So, what do you have in or are planning to put in the ground??

BTW....Have you been watching the wild blackberry bushes from the past years?? Well, they are in full bloom right now and that means a yummy snack is just around the corner. You have to keep an eye on them because the fruits will be appearing soon and you may miss them because the birds will get them first if you don't!

[sweetpea]

Okay, so we are now under the new and improved watering restrictions!!

Having a garden or gardens is synonymous with watering. Especially the tomatoes, they like water. Considering most tomatoes are mostly water it makes sense. But, past experience has shown me that watering according to the restrictions means small tomatoes or ones that burst when it rains. SO, I've gotten creative!

My garden gets watered EVERY time the aerator tank needs refilling. So, at least 2-3 times a week it gets a good soaking depending on our laundry loads. I simply run a garden hose to the garden and adjust the amount of sprinklers out there. There is a valve/hose bib on the aerator to allow me to 'adjust' the amount of water being diverted.

I'm not over watering or under watering. I have a homemade 'rain' gauge in the garden and put out approximately 1 inch of water where needed. The reward so far is that my seeds are sprouting well and right on schedule. My tomato seedlings have been outside for about 2 weeks and are looking wonderful.

Another good way to give your garden what it needs is to selectively 'pick' where to put out some 5 gallon buckets to collect the coming rain water. It so much better for the plants. I strategically place buckets where I know the water is going to run off the porch roofs and when it's over I have a decent amount to get through for a little while. Covering the buckets with their lids cuts down on mosquito larvae, and believe me it's that time already!

How do you water when 'they' are once again tightening the rules on watering?

[Tsikes]

My corn is up about 4 inches and yellow squash is up too. Figs are sprouting out and nectarines flowering. Apples havn't sprouted new growth yet and orange trees are about too flower.

[sweetpea]

I was always told it was 'too' cold to put down corn this early.

Thanks for letting me know differently Guess I'd better get my corn in soon   
Makes sense to put it in now, the days are warm enough and I'm excited. Maybe my corn will actually do something this year other than get the ususal 'heat stress'.

Thanks again

[sweetpea]

Thanks for the needed rains!! The nitrogen in the lighter rains we previously had certainly greened up everything in the garden. The corn shot up almost over night from 6 inches to over 16 in a week!!

The bugs are out and the cabbage & potato beetles will begin to get out of hand unless you take preventive actions now!
7 Dust is really good in controlling most critters in the garden and you can pick in a few days.

For other critters that are harder to get rid of try spraying in the early mornings or early evenings as that's when most of them are dining on OUR crops!!

Here's what we have in the ground:
-SWEET PEAS, Just made a 2nd planting before the rains
-GREEN & YELLOW BEANS, Just made a 2nd planting before the rains
-TOMATOES, sure do taste delicious!!
-Peppers, green, yellow, purple, habenero, cayennes
-CORN,, Just made a 2nd planting before the rains
-POTATOES ARE OUT & HAVE BEEN EATEN ...............mmmmmmm
birdhouse, yellow squash, zuchini, carrots, beets, turnips acabbage is still coming along.
-ONIONS, picked already and  Just made a 2nd planting before the rains

[thedreamers]

We're bummed  ,we lost about 1/2 the garden to the storm. Also lost some chickens too, mostly young ones not ready for so much rain. Trying to get everything out of garden as we can, means we'll have to buy fresh veggies from the road side vendors.  This sucks, we usually have enough to freeze and can to get us by to help offset some food cost.

[sweetpea]

I'm bummed too. Way too much water for much to survive. We lost a whole new planting block of corn, carrots, squashes. Of my 50 tomato plants I'm only going to be able to save about 10, maybe. All my older peas, yellow and green beans are a loss also.

My loss is about 75%.........truly bummed. Best garden I've had in years!!!

Surprisingly the older corn and sunflowers are holding on as are what's left of my late season cabbage. The corn and sunflowers look demented as they are seeking sun and are turned and leaning every which way. Looks like a tornado came in and twisted everyone this way and that way.

Here's to replanting............

On the brighter side, the peas, yellow beans seeds my daughter planted when this started are now 4 inches tall as they were in a new part of the garden and LOVE all the water. Also the yellow squashes and watermellon and collards I transplanted are also holding out.

Even though this rain was WAY TOO MUCH, it is a good time to replan my drainage for the main garden.

[sweetpea]

Trying to start over after having such a great spring garden is disheartening. The peas and beans that my daughter planted that survived the flooding waters are gone. I suppose it is a little bit too hot for them now.

On the lighter side, our squashes, gourds and the turnips are doing just fine.

I did manage to transplant some of my tomatoes into window boxes and they are doing well. Sad, I went from 50 plants to 8. Oh well, there's always next year.

The peppers didn't like getting their feet so wet either and NONE survived the transplanting, so I'm planting new seeds tomorrow.

The one thing when gardening I need to remember is the weather and by God, I'm ready now LOL


Good growing everyone~ Nanette