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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Counting the Harvest in Pounds
We have finally reached that point! Some of you will be in awe, some of you will be as excited as we are; and, for some of you, you’ll think it’s no big deal as you’ve been doing it for years! 
Well, this is our first year to count the harvest in pounds…and it’s an amazing feeling! We’ve been able to sell some of our produce (local and chemical/pesticide free) for really good prices–and still have enough to share and for just ourselves!
What are the stars in the garden right now? Well, of course, the tomatoes are! That’s what everyone wants to know about, right? Do we have tomatoes?
Do we?
I picked 10 pounds of tomatoes this morning. I am beyond thrilled by that number. Of course, we have put a lot of work into that number, but we feel blessed hugely to see such a wonderful return on our investment so quickly!
What else is starring? Siberian Kale–a noted superfood and delicious to boot!
Herbs: thyme, marjoram, rosemary, basil (two varieties), tea herbs, elderberry, yarrow and echinacea.
Peppers! Jalapenos, sweet banana peppers, sweet bell peppers and cayenne.
Coming soon: keep your eyes open for an abundance of limas, pole beans, green beans and field peas!
Little Green Harvest to date
Just a quick update on the garden. I am adding an official harvest page to keep track of the amounts but wanted to make an official announcement as well! Today was the first day to harvest from the spring garden. We have been harvesting cabbage, kale, collards and herbs for a while now. I don’t even know how to account for them: several pounds??
Today’s harvest–>
green beans: 1 pound
mixed peppers: 1 pound
Pole beans are up in the Back 40 and tomatoes are about chest high. I’m also cloning the tomatoes this year to try for a continued harvest!
Blessings in the garden
Better Boy Tomatoes
Just making a quick list today of items I can walk outside and eat or use from the garden. It’s humbling…and makes all that weeding and watering worth it!
- onions
- garlic
- cabbage
- kale
- collards
- jalapeno peppers
- banana peppers
- bell peppers
- green tomatoes
HERBS
- nasturtiums
- basil
- marjoram
- lemon balm
- fennel
- cilantro
- rosemary
- calendula
Planting Today–>
- lettuce in containers: not sure if this will work but interested in growing tender greens for summer. Can I do this?? I’ll keep you updated!
- carrots: I always thought these were a cool-season crop in our area. Turns out, they’re pretty much year-round!
- green beans
- asparagus beans
- vegetable spaghetti (in greenhouse)
- okra (in greenhouse)
Little Green Bees Newsletter
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Gardening Tips
I pulled out my trusty Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte today to discover what plants are good companions for beans. Well, turns out that our little picklebush cucumbers are going to be the best bet for companion planting there. As usual, once I start reading this book, I just can’t stop! It’s so well written and there’s always something I need to know in there.
As I’m brimming over with information from the book, I thought I would share a few tidbits with you as well. They are, in no order whatsoever…
- interplant cucumbers and beans as they are mutually beneficial. summer savory is also a good companion plant for the beans as it increases production and flavor! keep onions and all onion family members away from beans!
- if you have trouble with nematodes on your cucumbers, spray them with a sugar spray. Ms. Riotte recommends a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar to cups water, stirred well and allowed to cool. mix with one gallon of water and spray plants. for some reason, this application is supposed to dry out the nematodes! BONUS: even if nematodes are not present, the sugar water will attract bees and other pollinators and you’ll have a bumper crop of cucumbers. WIN!
- bee balm helps improve the flavor of tomatoes, as does basil
- garlic is great for apples, roses and strawberries
- keep fennel away from pretty much everything in your garden.
- elderberry aids fermentation of compost. (for more composting ideas, be sure to check out Chris McLaughlin’s wonderful book The Idiot’s Guide to Composting)
I really could go on and on and on but there is so much information!
If you’re interested in learning more about companion planting, take a look at a post I made several years ago on the subject:
Planting Onions, Part Two
Taking Donald’s advice, I replanted our onions today! Basically, they were the same size as the ones he grew over the winter. So, I followed his steps from the transplanting point. Dug up the small sets, chopped off the tops and replanted them in a double row, six inches apart. I have photos for you to see!
Since I’m having trouble inserting the slideshow of the photos here, simply follow this link: Planting Onions
Planting Onions
Donald is in South Louisiana, so his information is applicable to us as well! He is planting “candy” onions.
Finalizing the garden
It feels like we’re coming into the home stretch with the garden plans for this year. We’re uprooting a brand new section in the yard for five new raised beds. They’ll run east to west, to maximize sunlight on the little plants. Composted and mulched to lower watering needs. The beds will measure about four feet wide by 15 feet long.
What will be in these beds?
- tomatoes and basil
- eggplants (florida market)
- peppers (jalapeno and cayenne)
- okra (cowhorn)
- squash and zucchini
In the greenhouse, we have:
- better boy tomatoes
- jalapeno seedlings
- cayenne seedlings
- picklebush cucumber seedlings
- ornamental eggplant seedlings
Soon to be started seedlings:
- squash
- zucchini
- cantaloupe
- watermelon
- various herbs
- okra
To sow directly in the ground:
- beans: lima, yard long, green
- peas: southern
March planting–>
- lima beans, pole: 20 ppp
- green beans, bush: 50 ppp
- cantaloupe: 6 ppp
- cucumbers: 3-5 ppp
- eggplant: 3-5 ppp
- peppers: 3-5 ppp
- squash/zucchini: 4-6 ppp
- tomatoes: 3-5 ppp (for eating fresh); 5-10 ppp (for preserving)
- watermelon (sugar baby): 2-4 ppp
Looking to add: bee hives and another rabbit for green manure.
Plants per Person (or, How to Feed your Family)
I admit it. I’m guilty of starting a garden in the spring and planting one or two of about fifty different kinds of plants. And then, at the end of the season, once again I’m disappointed because I don’t have enough to feed us! Never enough tomatoes to can. Never enough eggplants to make a meal. Never enough squash to make a casserole. There’s just never enough!
If you’ve had this problem before, you know that it can be mighty discouraging. You start to feel that you’re just doing something wrong. Well, turns out I was.
Going through the trusty MacCubbin book this morning, I spotted his recommended “plants per person” section. Now, if you’re in any way interested in feeding your family this season, I suggest you take a good long look at these recommendations.
I’m just going to list the ones that we’re interested in growing. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask!
Corn: 15-20 ppp
Pole Beans: 20 ppp
Bush Beans: 50 ppp
Cucumbers: 3-4 ppp
Eggplants: 2-3 ppp
English Peas: 60 ppp
Cowpeas: 20 ppp
Peppers: 3-5 ppp
Summer Squash: 4-6 ppp
Winter Squash: 2-4 ppp
Strawberries: 20-25 ppp
Tomatoes for eating Fresh: 3-5 ppp
Tomatoes for preserving: 5-10 ppp
Watermelon: 2-4 ppp
