"Your SALAD Madam..."

"...but I don't have enough room for a garden!"

Many a gardener (or non-gardener like moi) has uttered these words. And it is for all of US that I write this post. 

DH has been putting together some wonderful little "mini" gardens all around the place (along with all of his other "experiments," as he likes to call them) and I must say, I LOVE them! We call them our "salad gardens" and they appeal to me from an aesthetic perspective but they are also very functional - especially for those folks who don't have enough room around their place to grow a large garden. 

These little creations can pack a cornucopia of food (a LOT more than I realized) and can pretty much be grown anywhere. DH, who is one of the math whizzes of the family, says that these little salad gardens are the equivalent of almost a six foot row in a traditional garden! And here is the amazing part - each of these gardens contain three spinach plants, six lettuce plants, nine onions, and lots of radish seeds (the red ones, not the Daikons) in the middle. So basically, a wonderful salad mix in each container, which are situated right outside of the house!

We like to recycle as many things as we can get away with on the farm, which includes things like mineral tubs that we feed the livestock (a.k.a. garden containers). For the tall garden container, DH took an empty mineral tub (thank you goats!), drilled holes in the bottom, and put it in the spot he wanted. Then, he added some well-rotted wood (holds water and adds nutrients) and dirt from around the place, and finally some potting soil. For the shorter containers, he cut mineral tubs in half and simply placed them one after another and repeated the same mixture as in the tall tub.

Then came the fun part...the planting of our nutritious, flavorful salad plants! And as for me, I cannot wait to start harvesting my lovely green (and red) salads. Add a little Balsamic vinegar, oil, fresh ground pepper and a little Kosher salt and we are ON OUR WAY!! We love eating our own food.


More to come,

Ciao, Adios, and Later gators!

Apple Update for January

They're growing, they're REALLY growing!!!

 

So my little Opal apple trees, in their little pots, started peeking through the soil around January 11, 2016. For those of you who do not know, I (Mrs. Gardener) am not a grower; well, I haven't been in the past. However, I have to say that my first dip into the gardening pool is really exciting (like a kid, I am)! When I saw the little bit-o-green pushing its way up out of the dirt, I have to admit, I was ecstatic. My DH thinks it's amusing, but to his credit, he believes that everyone has to start somewhere, with something. I just like apples and I never start with anything small.

Anyhoo, below are a couple of pictures of my journey. When Dear Daughter (DD) gets a bit older, we're going to get her started with her own little plants so she can track this miraculous process and, here's hoping, she will also be as thrilled with partaking in the adventure.

Apple trees as of January 11, 2016

As of January 22...

As of January 29...

And as of January 31...

Next up, our February stats. Some exciting stuff is happening kids!! :-)

Plunging for Apples

"This is no ordinary apple, it's a magic wishing apple. Yes! One bite, and ALL your dreams will come true."

Ah yes, we all remember those infamous words to sweet little Snow White from the old (not to mention really beauty challenged) witch (a.k.a. the Evil Queen). Luring the poor, innocent child to her doom, temporary as it was, with a shiny, plump, and juicy-looking apple. The apple was purportedly the fruit that also led poor Adam to HIS doom; well, it and his female counterpart of course.

Many of us can remember the first time we bit into one of these delicious orbs of the gods. The apple. I don't know that I have ever met anyone in my life who doesn't, at the very least, "like" apples. I happen to be quite a lover of them and have always wanted to grow my own. Well, or wanted my dear hubby (DH), the gardener, to grow them.

So I know what you're thinking..."You live in Northeast Texas." I KNOW I KNOW!! Apples don't GROW in Texas.

Or DO they???

In actuality, there are several varieties of apple that grow well in Texas. Cultivars include Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gala, Holland, Jerseymac, Mollie's Delicious, Fuji, and Granny Smith (taken from the Texas A&M AGRILIFE EXTENSION Aggie Horticulture website). Three (or was it four) years ago, DH planted several apple trees just for me, to be part of our natural orchard. I think they include several of the varieties above. But I wanted to carve out a little bite of my own apple territory and try a little experiment with THE best tasting (seriously) apple the world over. It's a little-known apple with the name of Opal. Oh...my...GOSH this little yellow gem is to absolutely die for in a horrific way (okay, it's not THAT good). It's gorgeous, small, crispy, and tastes just like a SweetTart (one of my favorite Halloween treasures). It really is amazing.

So, I carefully removed the seeds from three or four Opals (before devouring them) and placed them on a paper towel for several weeks. Then, I put them in a little snack bag, carried them outside, and...

...planted them in two tiny pots.

Then, I watered them and placed them in the front of the garage, with a lot of other plants that we plan to put in the ground.

Apple trees will grow from store-bought seeds, although they will likely not be anything like the trees on which the apples grew originally (which is really too bad); but, even though the trees won't produce the lovely Opals, it should be interesting and quite fun to see what they DO grow. This is the first of the long, long journey (about six to 10 years, evidently) of my little Opal apple trees.

Stay tuned...