Strawberries Coming Along

The strawberries seem to be coming along fine. I've only had limited luck with Strawberries and really had problems with their invasive behavior.

One question for some of you, is it ok to the leave the leaf debris in the beds, almost like mulch?

Great Weather

We've been having unbelievable weather here in Mid TN lately. We've had a chance to get the two main garden beds charging. Now my son & I have decided to venture into the world of berry growing. After starting some research, we've decided we will try and grow blackberries, raspberries and blueberries this year.

I'm still deciding between varieties and the exact location in our backyard, but I'm excited to try something new!

A New Gardening Season!

Garden Bed Prep.

I know...I'm a little late getting started this year, but this is my first vacation week from teaching so far in 2009.

Josh (my son) and I have worked a couple times this week preparing the beds.  For my garden plan that consists of:

removing an residual plant material (yeah, yeah...shoulda all been done in the fall!)

double digging the length of the two beds

applying cottonseed meal (10# per 100 sq. ft)

applying mushroom compost (about 3"inches deep)

hoeing in soil amendments

turning over with a shovel

edging the beds with a flat end shovel

Well... we finished one bed completely and the other is about 1/3 done.  We got side-tracked cutting back the hydrangea bushes and playing football....

I raked out the one bed and re-measured.  Somehow I lost a foot since last year. I know they say people shrink as they age, but I didn't know there gardens did too! :-)

We're expecting rain for the next several days, so we may not get to finish charging the other bed.  At least we'll be able to get some broccoli, lettuce and peas (I know they're a little late!) planted in about 10-12 days.

Can't wait to see real plants in the ground! The prep part is boring to me! Especially since we don't have a rototiller!

Not so much gardening again - but COOKING

Decided to try modifying and combining a couple of recipes I found online. I think I'll call it Sweet & Spicy Veggie Soup (I know - how creative!)
1/2 Roasted Red Bell Pepper
Broil cut side down, sprayed with olive oil cooking spray, cool, and peel the skin. Dice
1/2 Cups Diced Carrots
1 Small Bulb of Diced Fennel (could use celery, but the sweetness of the fennel is wonderful!)
1/2 Yellow Onion Diced (Vidalia would be tasty in season!)
Saute carrots, fennel and onion in 2 Tblsp of Olive Oil
1 Medium Sweet Potato Diced (After microwaved without skin for 4 minutes)
1 1/2 Cups Uncooked Black Eyed Peas
1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
2 Cups Chicken Broth
6 Cups Water

Spices
1 Tblsp Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Rosemary
1 tsp Basil
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Parsley

After rinsing and sorting black eyed peas, place them, water and chicken broth in stock pot on high. Once a rolling bowl is reached add sauted onion, fennel and carrot. Turn heat to medium, cover and cook 20 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes and spices. Continue cooking for a minimum of 15 minutes (can simmer all day - smells delish!)

Serve with a great bread, like pumpernickel. Leftovers can be frozen.

technically not gardening, but....

OK, the garden is dead for the year, but I can still photograph nature! Here are some of my moon photos from our recent full moon (Dec. 08).

Some of the shots are through the Crepe Myrtle in my front yard (Yes - it's more of a tree than a bush!). The others have my Sugar Maple from the front yard in them.

Oh my...

WOW! I've really let my blog go... Things got busy during the end of growing season. I teach at a private tutorial and classes took much more of my time than I expected. My poor garden suffered because of it. It was still pretty kind to me providing our family with great bounty even through neglect.

Holiday Baking

Part of our family's holiday tradition is making edible goodies for the neighbors. This year we made the following:
chocolate dipped pretzels
spritz cookies
chocolate mint kiss spritz cookies
frosted sugar cookies
walnut fudge

Normally I make some type of bread and cocoa mixes, but this year we were short on time.