Farm School Summer Series-Week Seven

Think it's too hot to farm?

Not around here.

Farm School rocks on through the summer heat.

The fall crops are being started and transplants 

will be moved to their permanent homes.

 The okra hasn't been fairing well.

Each season is different,

and from year to year crops have various succession rates.

 Rather than try to nurse these along,

Lynn decided to pull them out of the pots and start over.

With one tug, he lifts the tall stem out of the dirt 

and shakes it right in the pot,

leaving the soil neatly in place under the plastic ring 

for the next planting.

Can't get much easier than that!

Here's some okra planted a bit later.

Lookin' good.

Although at this stage, 

the okra is being bothered by something,

by the time it reaches this size, the bugs are no longer an issue.

Lynn thinks it's the texture of the leaves that repel them,

not necessarily the taste that changes.

I'm so happy that the beans are lookin' mighty fine.

These have been planted in a shady area.

 I've been taking these home for a couple of weeks now.

We are all surprised at the production, 

considering the weather conditions.

So tender, so yummy.

Basil not started long ago is growing strong.

The edamame is harvested for seed when it gets to looking like this.
Keep in mind, everything planted here is non-GMO.

When harvested fresh, it's an excellent addition to salads.

 One of the tasks for today was to transplant some of these stray 

New Zealand spinach plants.

They popped up in these pots,

and Lynn wants to give them their own space to flourish.

First, the receiving pot is prepared 

by scratching up the soil a few inches deep.

This claw-like device does the trick quickly.

Then the hole is dug using this method.

The transplant is gingerly placed in the prepared hole.

The top of the plant should be just above the surrounding surface.

One smart trick is placing the brick 

on the newly transplanted crops upright,

so he can distinguish them from the pots 

which were directly sown.

This will help provide valuable information for future planting. 

Some lil' guys might need a bit of support.

Lynn uses straight metal rods 

and wraps wire around the stem ever so gently.

Here's just a small portion of seed harvested 

from a past NZ spinach crop.

We also sowed two kinds of lettuces.

This time, three seeds were placed in each cell.

Somethin's bound to come up!

These will be covered with a clear top

and placed in sun for a portion of the day.

The banana tree is making progress since last week.

 Yeah, things are heatin' up in the garden alright!

A few steps closer to the fall harvest.

It never ends, this quest.

And in the end,

it's all worth it.

Enjoy the journey.

You can read all about the beginning of Farm School here.

Givin' It Up

This weekend we spent a bit of time tidying up the garden.

As our move is now on the horizon,

the time had come to pare down our multitude of plants.

 I put an ad on Craig's List for free plants.

Along with needing to reduce the number of things growing out there,

I'm an ambassador for natives and Florida-friendly gardens.

 This African Iris was given to a young man 

who is helping his momma start her own plant shop.  

I advised him that this plant is easily divided 

and will give her at least 12 new plants.

He also took a couple of shoots from the butterfly vine.

This variety is difficult to find and is a very easy grower.

Once the pineapples shown here (the two large spiky plants) are finished fruiting,

they may also be given away.

I never thought these would get so large 

and they don't fit the space anymore.

The pallet was for a mobile lettuce garden,

but it won't end up being used now,

so I'll see if I can find anyone who needs one.

The sod here in the backyard has come back pretty well,

so we won't have to do anything to the lawn.

The curves made all the difference in the way the garden felt.

We enjoy watching the birds daily at the bird bath.

The HOA here does not allow bird baths.

Know why?

They attract birds.

Yeah. That's what the manual says. I kid you not.

 It's a good feeling to know that critters large and small 
feel comfortable here and call it home.

I hope it continues.

This sweet thing has popped up 

throughout the front and back gardens.

It has delicate pink flowers.

This is one of the freebies for those who don't need things ID'd.

The sweet potato vine is doing well 

since being transplanted last week.

Soon the teepee will be covered with tender, lavender blooms.

There are a few pops of color here and there.

 Anything that can bloom in this heat and humidity

is appreciated.

crape myrtle

agapanthus

The 30+ black swallowtails that were brought home 

from Farm School this weekend were also posted to Craig's List.

I thought it would be a great learning project 

for kids out of school for the summer.

I got a few takers.

We had some this tiny...

to medium-sized...

to almost ready to form their cocoon.

I think this would be a great jumping off point for Maple Hill.

We could provide local kids 

with the opportunity to host caterpillars

by supplying the plants, seeds and cats 

to start their own habitat at home.

Sounds like a plan... 

We are sad that Jean is not hosting "Bloomin' Tuesday" any longer.

We have met some wonderful gardeners through her link-up.

I am considering starting a hop of my own.

It's a treat to hear what other gardeners are doing

in other parts of the country.

Stay tuned if you're interested in joining me 

on a garden or homestead blog hop.

***Update:  The Maple Hill hop is featured each Tuesday.
Hope you'll join us with your outdoor posts!

Enjoy this day and all of its gifts.












backyard farming connection hop






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Begins Wednesday, July 24th.
See ya there!