U-pickin' with kids

There is a small u-pick strawberry farm just north of us. John stops in there regularly since they're on his customer route. He was asking the owner about bringing Kaity out. If I haven't mentioned it before, Kaity LOVES strawberries. The owner tells John to bring her out.

His response: "I'll have to weigh her in and then weigh her out."

I thought this was pretty funny. I grew up going to the u-pick strawberry farms down in Tampa and loved this time of year. Here in north Florida, we have a lot more small u-pick sized operations up here. The kids and I are going to try and visit a blueberry u-pick this year and there's a very nice muscadine grape u-pick just down the road from us. If you've never gone u-pickin before, now is the time to try out. For farms in your area, you might check the Local Harvest site.

Aaahhh!

I bought vegetable plants on the way home today. I got a 9 pack of silver queen corn, 9 pack of black beauty eggplants, a 6-inch ichiban eggplant (which I've been dying to try), and a 6-inch Mr. Stripey tomato. I was especially excited about Mr. Stripey. I also got some citrus fertilizer and a couple of large tomato cages. I'm trying to get ready so I can be a challenger in the First Annual Wacahoota Guy vs. Girl Gardening Contest. I put all the plants on the picnic table in the backyard with the rest of the seedlings that John's already started. We're borrowing Tom's rototiller this weekend, so I was planning on putting them in the ground tomorrow.

So, I was sitting at my computer catching up on my blogs and talking about my day with John, and I looked out the window.

Me: "AAAAAHHHH!!! He's eating my plants"

I rushed outside. Tebow had gotten Ichiban off the table and was eating the pot. I was able to rescue Ichiban and quickly replanted him. Tebow got a good scolding. And, everything was good.

Not 20 minutes later, I again looked at the window, and...

Me: "AAAAHHH!! He's eating more plants"
John: "Hurry, get them!"

I rushed out the door and into the backyard with John on my heels with the broom to swat the dog. The corn, eggplants, and Mr. Stripey were all over the ground. I was able to rescue most of the corn and eggplants, but Mr. Stripey bit the dust. I'm very upset over it. John is currently outside potting the corn and eggplants into small containers (outside the dog area), so that they don't dry out before we have a chance to plant them.

John: "It's just a stage. He'll grow out of it."
Me: "He better. Poor Mr. Stripey."

Gardening Through Books

As I've been researching secret gardens, I came across a neat article by the National Gardening Association - Planting a Love for Literature. I really like some of the ideas mentioned in this article. I've already used the JMG Literature in the Garden curriculum (which by the way is some of the best curriculum I've seen so far), but that's more on a book by book basis with small activities. I like the idea of reading the Beatrix Potter books and then getting my kids to help in the vegetable garden. Especially since we just got a couple 4-H rabbits. I could see them identifying with the characters in the book also. Peter Rabbit is one of my all time favorite characters and I hope to be able to pass on that love to them.

Secret Gardens

As we're really starting to think about summer projects (yes, it's already summer here - high of 85 today), I was thinking of building a secret garden for my kids. I remember playing in our plants when I was little and having all kinds of tea parties and such in there. But, the yard I grew up in was an established yard, and ours is not even close. I was talking with Tom about it and he brought up some good points.

• How big do you want it to be?
• What do you want inside it? Table, playhouse, creek?
• What kind of look do you want it to have? soft, textured, etc?
• Do you want a gate or arbor?

He did give me a good suggestion, though. He thought using wax myrtles (Myrica cerifera) for the walls would be really good. They're native here and I can probably dig them up from the farm. Pluse they make great shrubs or small trees, depending on how you prune them. And, they fill in pretty quickly. All good things when thinking about the walls.

I did a little Internet serching on secret gardens for kids and didn't come up with much. Anyone have any ideas? What other plant material should I think about using? It has to be sturdy enough for the kids and the massive puppy. My kids are yound and could play in this for many years. Should I think about putting a playhouse in with maybe a creek or pondless water feature? How big do you think it should be? Any suggestions would be helpful...

Chasing Dragonflies

When we got home tonight, the kids spent the first few minutes checking on the bunnies. Kaity soon spotted a dragonfly and went and got her butterfly net she got for her birthday. She spent quite a few minutes chasing the dragonfly, but "it's too fast, mommy."


"I don't know where it went."


I sat on the porch steps watching her and thinking how free and innocent she is. It's been a long time since I felt that way. But, I do remember being her age (or maybe a little older) and chasing dragonflies also. But, eventually we all have to grow up.

We finally went inside when the mosquitos got too bad.

Citrus Trees

It's time to fertilize those citrus trees! Most of mine made it through the winter with a little damage, so now it's time to prune off the dead wood and fertilize them.

I actually grew up on an orange grove, so I should now about these things, but instead I asked my mom who was a citrus grower for many years. She told me to use a citrus fertilizer and use one pound every 6-8 weeks. Then she says, "you do remember how to fertilize a citrus tree, don't you?" It's been awhile, but, yes mom, I do. Scatter it like chicken feed; don't clump it up.

I also asked Tom about it and he basically told me the same thing except every 4-6 weeks. He also recommended that I look at Your Florida Guide to Dooryard Citrus - Young Trees. It's a good reference for people with citrus trees in the backyard.

More on my citrus trees in a later post.

On another citrus note, I gave Kim a variegated pink lemon tree for Christmas as her secret santa. Well, it seems that she's let it go a little crispy. I bought myself one, too. I checked it last night and it seems to be okay.

Caladiums and other garden updates

I finally planted my caladium bulbs. I've had them for about 6 weeks now and haven't been able to decide where to put them. I put them in a front bed that receives morning sun and a little afternoon sun.

I have a few caladiums from last year struggling to come up. We'll see how they do. Tom's told me that caladium bulbs in Florida get 50 percent smaller every year because of the poor soil.

I'm giving away the last of my lettuce. I brought most of it into work today. I have a little bit left in the garden, but it needs to leave soon. I can't start my garden for the guy vs. girl contest until the bed is empty.

We've got a couple new additions at our house. April and Sawyer, Holland lop bunnies, are joining us. They're going to be my son's new 4-H project. I'll have to keep them out of the garden, but they are so cute!

By the way , I love this idea - cattle panel arch trellis. I'm going to try to talk my husband into making this for me. I think we have all the materials at the house already and it would be a great way to repurpose other stuff.