Trowel and Error

Smells Like Home

Of all the smells in and around a Southern garden, one of my favorites has to be honeysuckle. It grows wild behind our house at the edge of the back yard. That delightful sugary sweet smell hangs in the air, providing a delicious backdrop to an evening's sinking sun, chirping crickets and the first twinkles from flirting fireflies.

Growing up, we'd play in the yard at my childhood home and take breaks between King of the Hill and Freeze Tag. We'd grab a handful of honeysuckle and gently pull out the center stamen, which would draw out the sweet nectar from within the flower. It was a poor man's Kool-Aid. Add a cool drink of water straight from the hose, then we were back at our games.

Most people list honeysuckle on the same page as kudzu and other invasive vines. But just like with the blackberries that grow wild at the edge of the woods, I'm thankful for the honeysuckle. It's a tasty treat on a hot summer day and a wonderful way to bring back sweet memories of home.

 

Green Thumb Sunday

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Those Wascally Wabbits!

I seem to be having a little rabbit problem.

They creep in during the dead of night and nibble on my tomato plants. They love the tender shoots that hold the flowers and eat them and the flower right down to the main stem. My little owl deterrent doesn't seem to be cutting the mustard with these rabbits. And since I have yet to put up a fence, I'm basically leaving the garden completely wide open to these little scavengers.

Our next door neighbor, Uncle Nick, has a dog who hangs around our house most of the time. But even Pearl, who religiously guards the chicken house (or is waiting for the chickens to make one wrong move), doesn't seem to be able to stop these bold bunnies.

So a friend of mine recommended Deer Off. It's an all-natural product that helps to repel deer, rabbits and tree squirrels (what other kinds of squirrels are there?) And by the smell of it, I can understand why. It's a mix of garlic, rotten eggs and hot peppers, which burns the nose and eyes and is quite distasteful. Well, I reckon it's distasteful because I refuse to find out for myself. But if it smells that bad, it must taste absolutely horrible.

All you do is spray the plants and the perimeter area and it will keep the garden invaders at bay. Repeat every 2-3 months or so, more often if it rains much. And, of course, wash off all vegetables when you bring them in.

I sprayed the tomatoes and the bell peppers tonight and repositioned the owl. Hopefully this will do the trick. If not, I have a couple of other ideas regarding stringing up aluminum foil pans or installing scarecrows that I can try.

Or, in true Elmer Fudd fashion, I could sit out in the woods with a shotgun and wait for them to appear. But, come to think of it, that never worked for him, either. Bugs Bunny always found a way to outsmart him.

Wascally wabbits, indeed.

Green Thumb Sunday: Wild Blackberries

Our house is surrounded by about seven acres of wild undergrowth beneath a bunch of loblolly and slash pines. We carved out three acres where we put the house and have the beginnings of a yard. Grass, mostly, though it's hard to keep the weeds at bay. We put grass seed out instead of sod, which saved a lot of money but will take some time for it all to look like we want it to.

In the "way back" of the back yard, we have what must be hundreds of blackberry vines. They skirt the woods just behind the house and grow all along the perimeter of the back yard and into the side yard. We've had fresh blackberries for breakfast for the past two weeks, some of them incredibly large and juicy. And we've sent several bags of them to school with Muleshoe. The Wife's grandmother has made a cobbler with them. They've been enjoyed all around.

The heat is starting to get to them so I'm not sure how much longer they'll last. But they sure are beautiful and delicious while they're here.

And best of all, I haven't done one thing to make this happen. They're here, despite my trying or not. What a nice change of pace that is!

Green Thumb Sunday

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Much Ado About Mulch

Here in the South, we are blessed with abundant forests. In Georgia, about half are hardwood forests like oaks and maples. The rest are pines, mostly slash and loblolly. In fact, we have so many pines we jokingly refer to our home as Loblolly Woods, the way a duke or an earl might name his estate. And with all of those pine trees, we're also blessed with an abundance of pine straw.

Pine straw is the preferred mulch in much of the state. Some folks prefer wood chips or other shredded organic matter; others prefer straight compost. But it's pine straw that gets most folk's vote due to its abundance, relatively low cost, and decorative properties. That deep crimson/rust color really enhances a bed or garden.

Today I mulched half of the garden. I first trimmed the tomato plants to get some of the lowest growth out of the way and off the ground. Then I pinched off all the suckers that had developed while I was gone last week. In case you're unfamiliar with this technique, you simply pinch off the new growth between the leaves and the main stem. You're basically getting rid of these non-productive side shoots to help the plant conserve its energy for bearing fruit.

Once I'd finished suckering the tomatoes, I spread the mulch around the plants in a semi-thin layer. Spreading pine straw is easy. I use the shaking method rather than the on-your-knees-to-spread-it method. Just grab a bunch in your hand then turn your hand back and forth like you're turning a door knob. The pieces go flying and easily scatter, giving you an even layer of straw. Then you can go back and tuck in under and around the plants.

Once the tomatoes were done, I did the same thing with the plot containing the cucumbers and eggplants. It took about two bales per plot, leaving me enough left over to do the other two plots later this weekend.

For now, I'm trading in my clippers and gloves for a spatula and a gin and tonic. With so much timber around us, we even prefer our cocktails to have a slight pine tree taste.

Green Thumb Sunday: Flight of Fancy

My wife and I are in beautiful Naples, Florida, for a conference for work. We're staying at The Naples Grande Resort, a wonderful property tucked back from the beach surrounded by lush foliage and mangrove stands. On our way to the pool this morning, we were struck by the beauty of this Bird of Paradise, dozens of which line a pathway from our bungalow to the main hotel. Absolutely gorgeous.

Green Thumb Sunday

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Okra: Fried, Boiled, Pickled or Just Plain Raw

When people ask what's in the garden, I tell them it's stuff I like to eat like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and eggplant. But when I say "okra," some people look at me funny, usually who aren't from around these parts.

Well, truthfully, people look at me funny most of the time anyway since I have a garden, raise chickens, fish on the weekends, and work out of my house during the week. I guess all of that together makes for a curious situation to them, and I get quizzical looks as if I'm up to no good or something. Like maybe I've got some kind of scheme going and am trying not to get caught. I wish it were that exciting sometimes, like I imagine life as a double agent would be.

James Bond lifestyle or not, okra is high on the list of the things I like. It's a Southern staple and I have 24 plants in the ground growing up a storm to help me get my okra fix. Growing okra is really easy. I typically put in green Clemson Spineless transplants the week after the Masters golf tournament, which is held in early April. Here in Georgia, that's late enough to not have to worry about frost or freezing temperatures. I set them out 18-24 inches apart and water a good bit, especially early on. If they aren't growing vigorously, you can add some fertilizer around the base of the plant. But once they get started, they grow quickly. It normally takes about 60 days before you get your first harvest.

And once it's time to harvest, pick nearly every day. You want to harvest the pods when they are 2-4 inches long; any longer and they become leathery tough, much too tough to eat for the most part. The stems are tough so use your shears to cut them off cleanly. You might want to wear gloves, as well, as they can be a bit prickly.

Once you have them harvested and cleaned in the kitchen sink, what now? I'll eat them raw, either as a snack or sliced in a salad. Another great Southern dish is boiled okra, which creates a slimy, delicious mess. Lightly battered in corn meal after dredging them through a milk and egg coating is a good way to fry them. Use medium heat until golden brown, like these shown here.

Or you can pickle them, but that makes you wait a while before you can enjoy them. I'm not that patient!

If you're looking for something new to grow in your garden, give okra a try. They are a hardy over-achiever with a bountiful harvest per plant. And if you're really brave, boil them up, serve them with black-eyed peas and some cornbread, and get ready for a down-home Southern dish.

And don't worry if people look at you funny when you tell them you're growing okra. You'll get used to it.
 

Hootie (Minus the Blowfish)

I've yet to put up a fence around my little garden plot. I want to, I need to, I should. But, for whatever reason, I just haven't. I guess it falls way down on my list of things to do around the place, the list that seems to lengthen every week. Somehow, mowing grass is always near the top, though. That one always sneaks in and usually gets immediate attention.

So I've made do with Hootie here. He's a two-foot plastic owl who keeps a watchful eye on the garden day and night. Before I got him, I'd go out to the garden and find little paw prints here and there with tell-tale signs of nibbling on the leaves and stems. Rabbits! And I've also seen some hoof prints that seem to indicate a deer or two visiting at some point. We've also seen turkey, some kind of a huge fox squirrel (looked like a tree-climbing lemur), coyotes, wild dogs and snakes. Fortunately, none of these last creatures have been a problem in the garden. I'm not sure Hootie Owl would be much of a match for coyotes. But he's done a great job of keeping rabbits and birds out of the area.

He's a great helper. If only I could teach him to drive the mower.

Green Thumb Sunday: Happy Mother's Day!

When I was little, we'd make things for my Mother for Mother's Day. Usually it was something simple like a card made of macaroni words pasted to a sheet of paper. Or a bird feeder made from a pine cone with peanut butter and bird seed on it. She seemed to appreciate these gifts more than anything store-bought. No matter how simple or outlandish, she always displayed it in a place of honor on her fridge or countertop.

Now that my wife's a mom, Muleshoe does the same thing for her. Friday, he came home with this potted plant from his school. He's in a preschool program at our local Montessori school and his class worked really hard putting together these Impatiens in a hand-decorated pot.

You'll note that these Impatiens are missing their blooms. Simple explanation: one of our cats likes flowers. Specifically, she likes to eat flowers. Doesn't matter what kind of flower, she'll eat it. Whenever I bring home flowers for a special occasion (which isn't as often as it should be, honey), we always immediately pull out a rose or some baby's breath and put it out on the floor for Olivia. That way, she gets her flower fix without bothering all the others. Unfortunately, Olivia got to this plant before Muleshoe had a chance to give it Mommy in all its blooming glory. When he saw that the flowers were missing, we told him they were asleep and would wake back up in a few days. Hopefully they will.

Now we're impatiently waiting on blooms from the Impatiens. But even without them, Muleshoe's homemade Mother's Day gift is a wonderful tribute to his Mom.

Happy Mother's Day to my own mom and to my wife and to all those out there celebrating today. You have a profound impact on the world just by being you!

Green Thumb Sunday

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The Garden Is In

We live on 10 acres in the middle part of Georgia. Some folks, mostly those who don't know any better, would call us rural. But we have amenities. I mean, really now, isn't having your own Harvey's grocery store and a CVS uptown? We have high-speed internet with our cable TV. We have DirecTV. And none of our bathrooms are outside (unless you're way down on the other end and have to go and then it's ok, I guess). But, our friends in Atlanta think anything outside of The Perimeter (a highway that encircles Atlanta, much like Sherman did all those many years ago) is rural. So, ok. We're rural. Just don't call us "country." There's a big difference, and it mostly has to do with whether or not you live far enough out that people drop stray dogs off at your place.

The garden plot

On this 10 acres, we've cut out about a half acre and reserved it for the garden. I first planted one there in 2006, the summer after we moved in. I put in four 12' x 12' raised beds with some pebble walkways dividing them up. There is also a small 2' x 2' bed right in the middle for our three-year-old son, Muleshoe (not his real name, but could be if we were actually "country"), to have as his own little garden.

This year, I planted one bed with 12 tomato plants. Another bed got 12 zucchini plants. The third bed got 12 okra seedlings. And the fourth is split between eggplant and cucumbers. I've never tried growing zucchini or eggplant so I'm very excited to see how they turn out.

Muleshoe and me putting in the plants

In Muleshoe's plot we planted two yellow tomatoes and two bell peppers, one purple and one yellow. He's very excited about the prospect of having different colors growing in his plot. And, despite his age, he really did help plant. I dug the holes and he dropped the tiny plants in and we both set them in with that rich, black earth. Then we ran the hose from the garage out to the garden and set up the sprinkler system, which I'm not entirely happy with. I think I'll change it up next chance I get.

Last year, we had more cucumbers than we knew what to do with but hardly any tomatoes. An early storm and a blight got to the tomato plants, unfortunately. This year, I'll be more vigilant since there's nothing better than a fresh tomato to me. I personally could eat all I harvest. Well, I pretty much do since The Wife and Muleshoe aren't really tomato fans. Fine by me. Of course, I share some, as well, with the people I work with, my in-laws, and our good neighbor and distant relative next door, Uncle Nick. What's the point of having a garden if you don't share the bounty?

So begins our summer garden for 2008. I'll keep you posted on the progress. That is, unless some folks drop off some stray dogs in our yard. Then I'll be forced to deal with both the dogs and being "country." It might be more than I can handle.