Monday, April 09, 2007

Garden Gamble

One of my teacher pals went off to Las Vegas over spring break ... "girls only." I meant to give her ten bucks to gamble with. She would keep half of whatever she won ... kind of a Las Vegas vicarous visit for me, but I forgot to do so. I could ask her how it went out there later today, but you know what they say about Vegas ...

My own gambling took place a few weeks ago when I planted beans, watermelon, squash, and tomatoes before the last frost date for Pure Florida. The top pic is my ready to blossom bluelake bush bean block.

Above, you see one of my yellow crookneck squash plants. I recently planted a second row to make the harvest last a little longer. These are for Mrs. FC and Emma. I'm not a squash eater.


The three tomatoes above are the Celebrity variety. There are more of them, including two floating in a fish tank as a rudimentary hydroponics experiment. I also have some grape tomato plants in a row not pictured, but they are babies.
Last week I picked a bell pepper from the potted pepper plant I purposefully protected through the winter. There's a two foot datil pepper that made it through the winter too.
It's actually raining outside predawn ... not much, but I can hear the pitter patter through the open window.
I was beginning to forget what rainfall sounded like.
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15 comments:

threecollie said...

Ooh, garden pictures....thanks!

R.Powers said...

Hey ThreeCollie,
You got here before the text :)

Anonymous said...

How did they all survive the weekend cold snap? I heard they had freezing temps just north of G'ville and was wondering how your garden wa

Leslie said...

Wow, beans, squash, and tomatoes.
We had snow here all weekend (surprise!) and I'm hoping my peas did not rot in the ground before they could germinate.

I'm also working hard on killing the broccoli I had started in the greenhouse :(

Alan said...

We got lucky. On Friday The Weather Service was predicting 29 for you and I on Saturday night/Sunday morning. I moved the container citrus back into the hoophouse and buttoned it up, but there wasn't much I could do for all of the orchard trees in full blossom. My thermometer read thirty eight about a half-hour before dawn so we might just get some fruit this year after all.

.....Alan.

Anonymous said...

Once again, FC proves that he lives life on the ragged edge, thumbing his nose at any and all dangers!

Just kidding, of course. Your garden is off to a great start.

SophieMae said...

WoW! Look at all that green! Is it still green? And you got rain! We got a tiny teaser Sunday morning, but nothing came of it.

Loved your tern eggs! They're surely the prettiest Easter eggs I've ever seen.

I was going to look for a blue house in St. Augustine, but we only made it as far as Ponte Vedra Beach. That place sure did change over the years!!!

Oh, and yes, CM=city manager. Having had a toddler under feet at that time, I wasn't as active in his work life as I once had been, but I'm sure Duller would know your family.

Deb said...

I'm looking at those beautiful plants, trying to tell myself "Spring will come. Spring WILL come..."

Anonymous said...

I rode by your moms after tne annual Easter cookout it looked great, and it is really bluuueeee also my favorite color

Anonymous said...

Beautiful early garden- no surprise there! I still say- there is no tomato to match an early September Beefsteak in Michigan, although some of the odd looking heirloom varieties are mighty good. Tomatoes are my favorites- I can't get enough of them when they are really good, with lots of acid.

We had a nice two hour rain today and now the sun is out and everything is happy and perked up.

Now, how could I have been missing in action for mullet gullet? Gak.
Better they be jumping for joy down by the Bay. Your poem, however, is quite fine.

robin andrea said...

So nice to see your beans and squash up already. Love all that early spring green. We're just getting ready to plant our beans this week. We're hoping for a real datil pepper this year. So far, it's looking pretty good.

R.Powers said...

Laura,
The cold snap didn't bother my plants. It's cold, grey, and wet here tho.

Leslie,
Hi! Hey, I've killed my share of plants. Just glad they don't feel pain ... or have the ability to organize a rebellion.

Alan,
I'm glad you made it past that late cold front. All my plants are fine and the blueberries are bending under swelling fruit.

Hal,
Thanks. We fear no frost!

Sophie,
Still green!
Probably even greener with today's rain.
Ponte Vedra is the land of the rich and the very rich now.

Deb,
Spring will come to MN, we're just not through with it here yet.

Rick,
Yes, it's back to it's full bore blue glory.

Vicki,
You can get them in St. Pete. Maybe that shrimp restaurant carries them :)

Robin,
I am as anxious for you to have a datil pepper harvest as you are.

cinbad122 said...

It's a good thing you forgot to give me your $10...let's just say that you would have been a poor man now!

OldHorsetailSnake said...

One of these days I will have pictures of my plants. Of course they're all indoor, so far, but still.....

R.Powers said...

Cinbad,
Maybe my 10 would have been lucky!
You'll have to go back.

Hoss,
You mean the ones under the grow lights in your closet?