How Did They Grow? Reviewing Five New Garden Varieties in 2013

Every year I like to pick out new garden varieties to try out for the following season.  It keeps gardening interesting and allows me to experience different vegetables and compare them to what I am already growing.  For 2012, I chose 5 different plants that I picked based on productivity, uniqueness and compactness.  You can read my original post here where I picked them - "One Way to Beat Garden Boredom."

So here were my picks with the garden packet photo on the left and my produce on the right...

 

1.  Summer Green Tiger Zucchini:  

 I chose this zucchini because it was a compact plant and because it was described as having a pleasant nutty flavor.  What was the result?  I would give this squash an A+ for productivity, compactness, disease resistance and delicious flavor!

It tasted great no matter what size it grew to and we gobbled this zucchini up all summer.  I had one plant that withstood all the fungus our wet and cool summer provided and it was faithful to give us lots of zucchini!

My small amount of beans are located in the right photo, bottom middle.

2. Dragon Tongue Wax Bush Bean:

This yellow wax bean caught my eye because of its unique markings and that fact that it was an heirloom made it a fun try in the garden.  What was the result for 2013?  I would give this bean a B - as it was a good tasting bean but it germinated very poorly even after two plantings.  Of course, some of this could be the season or it could have been the seed lot, but it was very spotty in germination and I had a lot of blank spaces in the garden.  The plants that did grow were semi productive.  This was a fun plant to try but I don't think it'll make it to the garden in 2014.

 

3. Sweet Pickle Pepper:

This little pepper plant looked adorable in the seed catalog and its little fruits were too hard to resist!  How did it grow in my garden?  Well I planted some in the garden and some in containers.  I would say they both grew equally well.  How did they fare?  I would give them a B.  They weren't as productive as the catalog photo but they did put on a decent amount for fresh eating.  I didn't get enough to can even though I grew at least 8 plants.  The taste was okay, not too sweet, the skins a little tough but not bad.  I will grow these again because I like having snack peppers to eat while working outside.  I would classify these as a novelty plant and not a heavy producer.

My Tumbling Toms got hit by late blight.

4. Tumbling Tom Yellow Tomatoes:

I grew these because I love how they are made to tumble and what fun to grow them in containers too.  The yellow variety was a nice change from the usual red tomatoes.  How did these little gems do?  These tomatoes get a C as a grade.  Unfortunately, they were difficult to germinate as well and the plants that did make it succumbed to blight and leaf spot. They managed to give me quite a few tomatoes, not as many as in the seed catalog photo, but enough to enjoy them.  Our wet cool summer wasn't a help for these tomatoes, but I am willing to try them next year hoping our summer temps next year will produce better results.  I really want to grow these as I loved growing vegetables in a vertical space.  Stay tuned to see how they work!

5. Small Wonder Hybrid Squash:
Last but not least was this smaller variety of spaghetti squash.  I grew it for its relatively compact vines but especially its smaller fruits.  It was listed to be very productive.  The result?  This one gets an A+!!  I have so many of these squash ranging in size from a softball to a small pumpkin.  They taste great and they did very well in the garden.  They held up well despite the fungal disease going on because of the wet weather and I have more than enough for winter.  I loved these and am going to include them again for 2013!  It was a rough year for many garden crops because of the weather and whatever made it through is definitely a keeper!

And that was the results of my 2013 Garden Trials.  Overall, I was very happy with my newest additions and most of them will be making a comeback in 2014.  It's great to keep a record of your garden plant varieties so you can make the best choices when it comes to planting time.  It's hard to believe, but you don't always remember what plants grew the best in your garden.

What was your favorite garden plant for 2013?

Blessings!!


Linked to these amazing blog parties.... Waste Not, Want Not Wednesdays
Natural Living Link Up Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways
Sustainable Living Link-Up 

Natural Headache Remedy

Headaches. We all get them and some of us more than others.  I fall into the second category as being a chronic headache sufferer.  Tension headaches and the worst of all...migraines.  

I have been searching for years for a natural remedy or relief from headaches in general. Looking at everything including my diet, exercise, sleep, caffeine usage, herbal remedies including feverfew and homeopathic remedies, etc...I have been pursuing a way to naturally relieve them and prevent their onset.  
 

To be honest; I had just about given up trying until I recently attended a women's conference and the speaker chose to talk about health one evening.  She quickly mentioned about how she would take "a couple of Omega 3's" at the onset of a headache and it would take care of them immediately.  I jotted down what she said and forgot about it later.

 

However, the very next day I was feeling the onset of a headache that was destined to become a migraine.  I remembered what the speaker had said and quickly took two fish oil pills (Omega 3's) and didn't think much about it until later when I realized that I ended up not getting a headache OR a migraine.

Wow...this is pretty amazing stuff!  I was a bit surprised because I was used to trying everything to avoid one and nothing seemed to work.  So, all week I took two fish oils in the morning and two at night before bed because those were the times that I would tend to get them.  I would feel a bit muscle "achy" but I never got a for two weeks.  When I did get a mild one, I would take two fish oils or Omega's and they would keep the headache at bay.  

The Omega 3's seem to have eliminated my constant headaches to the point I am able to work out with weights again. However, I have had two days of migraines since then but I woke up with them in the morning and wasn't able to take anything to prevent them.  I did use fish oil with other remedies including pain reliever and valerian to help relieve the pain.  The fish oil seemed to help but I did need the extra boost of pain relievers to get through the headache.

So they seemed to be the most effective when taken before a headache comes on and it's important to be able to "read your body" on when you think this is happening.

  

How does fish oil or Omega 3 supplements work?  

This is a great question and to be honest, the medical community is not completely sure how it works exactly but they do know that this type of oil does have benefits that may contribute to migraine relief.

You can use fish oil to help and or other supplements that include, evening primrose oil, flaxseed oil, chia seed oil, borage seed oil, extra virgin olive oil.  Food that are rich in Omega's include, walnuts, winter squash, kidney and black beans, and wild rice. 

"According to the American Heart Association the ingredients of fish oil help reduce inflammation, reduces blood clotting, lowers blood pressure and steadies the heart rhythm. These actions, particularly the reduction of inflammation or swelling, may be helpful in reducing the head pain and other migraine symptoms of migraine attacks because it may reduce migraine head inflammation." 1

"Some research suggests that since Fish Oil prevents constriction of blood vessel, it can prevent the actions in the brain that lead to migraine attacks." 2

"A 2002 study of 27 adolescents who took fish oil found that they had fewer migraines, shorter headaches and less severe migraine headaches." 3

"Omega-3 fatty acids do decrease inflammation and relax blood vessels. These may also reduce the tendency of platelets -- blood cell fragments that play an important role in clotting -- to clump together or aggregate. Some studies link platelet clumping to the migraine process, and many standard migraine drugs serve to decrease the tendency of platelets to aggregate." 4

So far, they are taking care of most of my migraines.  I am also learning how to regulate my hormones so I can eliminate the migraines associated with them as well.  

You can use fish oil to help and or other supplements that include, evening primrose oil, flaxseed oil, chia seed oil, borage seed oil, extra virgin olive oil.  Food that are rich in Omega's include, walnuts, winter squash, kidney and black beans, and wild rice.

What to do when you feel like a headache is coming on?  Take a couple of fish oils or Omega 3's and see if you notice a difference.  Our 17 year old son took a couple when he had a mild headache and it went away for him.  If it works then you've just found a great simple, low cost remedy!  If it doesn't, keep trying as it may not work with hormonal headaches the same way it does for tension ones.  

All in all...it's certainly worth trying.  I am so thankful!

Have you found a natural cure that works for you to eliminate headaches?

Be blessed (and headache-free!)

*Here's a link to another great post from an M.D. about eliminating migraines.  He has some more suggestions on symptoms and treatments that are valuable to know.  You can read it here.


References:

1. http://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/natural-remedies/fish-oil-for-migraine-headaches/
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. http://headaches.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Conditions-and-diseases/Dietary-Supplements-and-Botanicals-for-Migraine-Headaches.htm

Linked to these blog parties:  Waste Not, Want Not Wednesdays
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways Natural Living Link Up
Homestead Barn Hop 

Celebrating the Harvest 2013

 

As a gardener, the most important outcome of the garden season is the harvest.  That is what all the digging, weeding, planting, sowing and weeding is about; the harvest.  I'm always amazed when I begin to fill bowl after bowl of vegetables from a picking - it's really gardening "nirvana."

So I decided to put together a post featuring some Instagram snapshots that captured this years harvest.  It's a quick look at why we do what we do in the garden.

This past 2013 season was certainly no disappointment either.  Besides the fact that we had so much rain and cool temps, we still managed to bring in haul after haul of garden produce.

 

Sure our peppers languished for the early part of the season, but September proved to be a great month with nice mild temperatures; more sun and less rain.  All of a sudden our peppers really began putting on lots of fruit. 

 

We have scores of them and mostly hot peppers at that.  I'm not sure when I'm going to learn how to not plant SO many hot varieties.  Yes, we love them hot, but we do have our limits.  

By the way...if you ever want to learn how to eat hot peppers - start growing them and you'll soon find ways to use them.  I never ate a hot pepper 20 years ago, now we have a slight addiction to them.

 

Sadly, our tomatoes didn't fare as well.  They always suffer from Septoria Leaf Spot (a fungal disease which affects the plant) in our garden at home, but I usually still get a decent crop.

We did manage to get enough tomatoes to can this year, but many were under-ripe and very small.  All the rain and cool temperatures wreaked havoc on those temperamental Mediterranean plants.  It may not make the best sauce this year but at least it's our tomatoes with no added pesticides; thank you very much!  

Despite a bleak outlook in the beginning, most everything did well and we had more than enough to eat, preserve and share.  Which, I think, is really what it's all about.  I really love the harvest, it makes me feel so wealthy and successful.  I guess that's what it's supposed to do. :)

How was your harvest this year?  Blessings! 

Shared on these blog parties...Waste Not, Want Not Wednesdays
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways  Natural Living Link Up
Monday's Homestead Barn Hop 

Eating Well in the City: West Side Market

One thing is for sure; the city offers some amazing spaces, great architecture and interesting places.  We live only 40 miles away from Cleveland and manage to go downtown every once in a while.  When we do, discovering the food it has to offer has to be top on our list. 

The food doesn't have to just come from a restaurant either.  As a matter of fact, visiting its city market is one of my favorite places to go.  With roots going back to the 1840's - this market boasts of not only great food, but is full of history as well.  I end up feasting with my eyes as well as my appetite.

 

It is home to over a hundred vendors and believe me, they sell everything.  It's an eater's paradise.  The variety is endless and begs of repeat visits to at least get a glimpse of all that is for sell.

This leads me to my next thought...Eating well in the city is actually easier than I would have thought.  Sure, you have to walk past all the racks and displays of cookies, pastries, cakes, and candy (it's really ok to nibble along the way) to find some vendors that offer artisan breads, cheeses, and produce.   

A city market does so much for the local economy.  It provides small businesses great opportunities to thrive and grow.  It provides an outlet for small farmers and gardeners who need to sell produce.  It encourages artisanal foods and recaptures old world methods of growing, baking, cooking and eating. 

 

 It also is a vast artistic display that encourages creativity not only in food but in the way we think about food.  There's no way I'm thinking about french fries and pizza here...too many other great foods to discover and explore.

It really is a center and a gathering place for young and old alike to celebrate ethnic heritages, great food and learn new traditions.

 

With this constant traffic flow of produce and food from the burbs and countryside, it ensures the quality of food for many urban dwellers.  I am almost thinking that it's a bit easier for them to eat well at least when it comes to having more healthful choices.  

 

 

I know we ate really well that day and came home with some prizes too.  With new vendors selling Black Tuscan Kale and other organic produce, I felt as if I was walking through a garden. Looks like city pavement owners have their own bit of livin' in the green as well.

 

What's your favorite town or city market space?  Blessings!



For more info on the West Side Market, click here.

Linked to these amazing blog parties... Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways ,
Homestead Barn Hop
Waste Not, Want Not Wednesdays 

Helping Monarchs: Plant Your Own Milkweed

 

Over Labor Day Weekend, we enjoyed a great visit to a neighboring fair.

 One of my favorite exhibits there is a parks area where all kind of natural living is exhibited, everything from choosing a great hunting dog, making maple syrup, archery and wildlife shows.  This year we happened to attend a butterfly tagging workshop for Monarchs. Like many of you, I love butterflies and try to plant as many flower varieties as I can to attract them.  I found out that this year though, the butterfly population was way down.

I found out that it was because of two reasons.  The first is loss of habitat.  That of course is understandable because of cultivation, building, herbicides and so on.  The second is because our weather pattern in the northeast last year was very dry and it led to the lack of enough plant material to host the monarchs.  So, the weather last year affected the population this year, including the monarchs overwintering in Mexico.

The naturalist showing how to tag a monarch.

How do they know about the populations and where the monarchs travel?  It comes from the tagging program.  Basically tagging monarchs is putting an ID sticker on one of their wings which doesn't interfere with their flight and helps other naturalists to track the population and it's health. Who tags them?  Anyone who would like to... I'm in.  

Obviously not everyone wants to chase butterflies with a net and place a sticker on them, so how else can we help?

Butterfly Garden at the Nature Center Display

Well, that takes us back to the first problem facing the monarchs...loss of habitat.  This is an easy remedy.  There's only one plant the monarchs need as a host plant and this is milkweed.  Milkweed comes in many different species including, tropical, swamp, showy, purple, as well as common milkweed.  

Milkweed gets its name from the white latex type sap that comes when you break any part of the plant.  This sap must be milk to monarchs because it's their number one caterpillar food of choice!

One of two caterpillars we found at our community garden.

You can help the monarch by including Milkweed in your garden space.  We don't actually plant ours because as it is a weed, it comes up by itself.  We just let it some plants come up in our community garden space for the butterflies. Remember, common milkweed is a, well, a weed.  It will get very invasive if it's left to itself in fertile soil.  So, we keep some around but weed the rest.  

This year, we actually found some monarch caterpillars on our milkweed!  Not just one, mind you, but two bit fat caterpillars!  It's the best kind of nursery to have...we really did it by not interfering with nature's process too much.  Allow a few plants to grow and bloom and let the butterflies do the rest. 

This monarch caterpillar is just about ready to pupate!

Experts suggest if you would like to grow your own common milkweed, try planting it in pots so it doesn't get take over your garden or buy some more exotic varieties that aren't quite as vigorous to reproduce.  You can find some more info here.

As for us. we have found the perfect balance by letting it grow where it's already at and enjoy helping out these amazing butterfly wonders.  Here's hoping you can help you too.

First: Identify milkweed in your area or property and allow some to grow.

Second:  Purchase some special varieties of milkweed to grow in your garden space.

Third: Plant lots of flower varieties like zinnias, marigolds and echinacea to feed the mature butterflies.

Fourth: Limit your use of any herbicides or pesticides in your garden space to encourage these winged wonders.

Thanks for reading!!  To find out more about tagging Monarchs, go to http://monarchwatch.org/
to order tagging kits and nets.  Be blessed!

Have you noticed many Monarchs in your area? 



Linked to these amazing blog hops....Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways
Homestead Barn Hop 

Easy and Natural Bee Sting Remedy!

Bee stings...they're bound to happen to everyone sometime in their lives.  We live with nature and nature includes stinging things; which means bees and wasps.  My own stings only amount to three which is pretty amazing considering how much I'm around them in the garden.  The interesting fact is that only one of my stings was connected to gardening.

This goes to show you how mild-tempered most honeybees and bumblebees are.  They are very occupied in gathering nectar and pollen and are very uninterested in human beings for the most part.  Most stings that occur from them are connected to their hives or if they feel like you are going to harm them.  Case in point: One of my stings was from gathering some leaf mulch in the spring while not wearing gloves.  A honey bee was in the mulch and I kept disturbing it until it finally stung me.  Ouch.  Learned a lesson there. 

The next one was from me walking barefoot (I think it was the only time too) in the yard.  There was white clover all around in the grass and that's where this honeybee was hanging out.  Needless to say, I limped for a bit that day.

The most obnoxious sting was from yours truly (pictured up above.)  I was minding my own business, sitting on our front door stoop when this yellow jacket kept hanging around my hand.  I did what I could to deflect it but it chose to sting me right then and there.  I think it was attracted to my shiny wedding band...at least that's my theory.  

So what did I use for all these bee stings?

Yep.  Plain old, free, readily available, all natural mud.  The very best remedies of all are the easiest ones and this does not disappoint.  I've used it for all my stings, my husband's stings, and our two sons who seemed to get stung quite a bit.  

Yes, I know you can use baking soda, cornstarch and flour (to name a few) but I was always stung outside, usually away from our house with no resources to these items.  (Oh, and if you have bee allergies...use the mud but also use your EpiPen!) 

While driving with the windows down to a trip to a local park, a bee came into our car and promptly stung our youngest son.  While everyone contemplated going home, I had my husband pull over to the side of the road where I gathered as much loose soil as I could find.  We had a water bottle in the car and I made up the mud and applied it...wall - la!  In a matter of 2-3 minutes he was feeling perfectly normal.  He washed off the mud with soap and water when we got to the park and we had a great afternoon together.

Another sting occurred while hiking during a camping trip.  First I applied plantain to the sting but the pain didn't go away.  So, we went to the mud poultice and within a very short time, the pain and the swelling were gone.  The faster you apply it, the less swelling and pain you'll encounter.

Why does this work?  Well, mud has amazing "drawing" abilities and it actually draws the poison into itself.  We've used this remedy countless times and it's simple...tried and true.

Okay, there's no rocket science here but I was able to take care of screaming kids on a playground within a minute from yellow jacket stings all from the most humble remedy of all...mud.

Blessings!

What's your favorite bee sting remedy? 

Linked to these amazing blog hops...Homestead Barn Hop
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways 

Hydrangeas: Amazing Color for the Shade

I have to admit that I'm a diehard hydrangea fan.  Not because they're the easiest plant to grow but because I'm mesmerized by their fluffy ball of petals and their unique and intense colors...they really can be a show stopper.

If you live in the right location, they also can be a beautiful plant for the shade.  Their deep green foliage and intense shades of pink or blue captivate you quickly and make you look more than once. 

There are different varieties of hydrangeas and they look quite different from each other.  I'm going to be talking about the mophead/bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla) and lacecap varieties in this post although the oak leaf hydrangeas are gorgeous in a more understated way. 

There are two main colors in the mopheads and lace caps being the pinks and blues but I often see light purple flowers and different shades of blues on some bushes.  If the soil ph varies too much this can cause the flowers to change in shade although pink varieties will stay pink and blues won't necessarily turn pink.  That being said, it's best to buy the color hydrangea you would like and don't worry about changing the colors around by amending the soil.

Hydrangeas are not made for deep shade, but I've found that planted on the east side of our house, they do much better in the shaded areas.  They grow beautifully if they are in rich moist soil and I actually lost a few plants last summer because it was so hot and it was relatively dry.  My hydrangeas will often wilt during this kind of weather so I would water them as much as possible to keep them healthy.  

They also bloom in early summer for weeks at a time taking over the blooming from your spring bulbs and perennials.  They really fill in the gap for extended blooms in your perennial bed.

They also didn't put out leaves or bloom well during the last dry summer.  That means I'll need to put down extra mulch and be dilligent about watering the next time our summer is hot and dry.

A photo of one of my own hydrangeas in early bloom

They will do better in warm climates if planted on the north side of the house or at the edge of a woods.  Hydrangeas are not shy about letting you know if they aren't happy where they're planted.  Their drooping leaves and lack of blooms will let you know right away what they need.

I told you they can be fussy.  But in the right spot, in rich moist soil in indirect sun, they are a thing of beauty.  I snapped all these photos taken on one of my walks along the lakefront.  We have four bushes at home too. 

This lace cap variety had fertile flowers on the inside surrounded by large showy flowers on the outside.

What I also love about these mophead/lacecap hydrangeas is that they are only 4-6 feet tall and perfect as a landscaping plant.  It's one of the reasons I picked it to put in our front flower beds.

This is a neighbor's bush and I LOVE the blue color.  I have pink myself but the blues always draw me too.

I've even cut the flower heads off when they get close to being done blooming (the flowers begin to fade a bit) and just bring them inside in a vase (no water) and let them air dry.  You'll want to do this NOT on a humid day so the petals don't wilt.  You may want to try one flower and see how it drys to make sure you don't lose them all.  I would make a wreath completely out of the blooms...gorgeous!

If you haven't grown these beautiful plants before, you may just want to check them out and see how much they can brighten the loneliest spot in your garden!  Blessings!

Do you grow hydrangeas?  Which is your favorite color?



Check out this link for more info...
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/hydrangeafaq2.html 


Linked to these amazing blog parties: Homestead Barn Hop
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways Wildcrafting Wednesday