Pigeon Peas

 Easy to start from seed, virtually disease free, and nutritious, pigeon peas are a great plant for thefood forest.  They thrive in hot, humid weather and are a staple in the islands.  Use them as you would any bean, but they are traditionally served with rice.

I hope you enjoy this new video.

God bless,

Pam

Garden Tour On YouTube

 I decided to start a YouTube channel to enable me to post content that is difficult to represent with photos.  

This video is a tour of my Spring garden here on the west coast of Florida.  Please excuse my nasal voice and throat clearing.  It’s caused by allergies and rheumatoid arthritis has affected my vocal cords.

I hope you enjoy and God bless,

Pam

Good Reads: Transforming Florida Yards

 Transforming Florida Yards: A Regional Food Forest Guide by Dr. Amanda Pike is the best book I’ve found covering the idea of turning your yard into a bountiful food forest and doing so in a hot, humid climate.

I learned about Amanda Pike and creating a food forest by following her on Facebook group Transforming  Florida Yards.  She shares her amazing original recipes and gardening tips in a personable manner.  Did you know that green papaya is a great substitute for zucchini?

The book not only describes the process for planning a food forest, but is filled with information sheets on unusual heat loving, edible plants.

I highly recommend this book for anyone living in a place where it’s hard to garden because of the heat and humidity.

God bless,

Pam

Spring Mulberries

 If you want quick fruiting, fast growing trees, I highly recommend planting mulberries.  I started mine from seed and after one year I had a small harvest.  It has now been three years and I have more mulberries than I, and my neighbors can handle.

Spring is such a fun time with the mulberries fruiting.  I love to go out in the evening to pick berries for the next day’s breakfast and other recipes.  Plus the trees are so attractive year round.

One caution is that mulberry trees can be messy, so plant them where there’s little to no foot traffic.  Pick them wearing clothes that can get stained.

So far I’ve frozen berries for future use and made jam for the family and neighbors.  I’ve invited friends and neighbors to come over and pick berries whenever they want.  The benefits from two mulberry trees are beyond eating berries and move into the realm of creating community.

God bless,

Pam

My link for seeds:  https://www.trueleafmarket.com/?rstr=TheFrugalMennonite

The Frugal Garden: Nematodes #3

 One of the best ways to fight nematode root knot is by applying beneficial nematodes to your garden soil twice a year.  Specific beneficial nematodes affect specific pests, such as fleas, grubs, tics and harmful nematodes.  Because of this I apply a three part nematode mix from Nature’s Good Guys.

The nematodes will arrive in a cool pack.  Remove the package of nematodes from the pack and immediately place in your refrigerator.  It’s important to keep them cool and apply them within a couple of weeks.

I apply them twice a year, spring and fall.  Mix the nematodes with water and place in a sprayer or watering can.  Pull your mulch to the side and apply the nematodes directly to the soil.  Then water the garden well to move the nematodes deeper into the soil.  Reapply your mulch and it’s that easy!

I have seen a big difference in the health of my plants since I’ve started actively been treating the garden with beneficial nematodes.

My upcoming posts are going to cover frugal Christmas gifts.  I’ve been experimenting with different ideas for gifts and look forward to sharing them with you.

God bless,

Pam

Mushrooms Are Thriving!

 Yesterday I was planting collards and mustard greens in the garden I had seeded with oyster mushrooms.  Every time I pulled the mulch aside I discovered a thriving network of mycelium.  There was even a baby mushroom, albeit very beaten up by Hurricane Nicole.

I am thrilled and very surprised by how easy it is to incorporate mushrooms into the garden; not only to eat, but to overall increase the health of the plants and the soil.

Later I was walking by the mushroom bed I started for shiitake mushrooms and saw a yellow oyster mushroom peaking out.  I had attempted to grow yellow oysters inside without success, so I threw the leftover spawn into the old mushroom bed.  Surprise!

I am like a little child when it comes to these mushrooms.  I think that by experimenting with something new it has added a fresh excitement for gardening and dispelled the ennui that comes from repetitive tasks.  So, try something new in the garden this year.

God bless,

Pam

P.S. I order my mushroom spawn from Northspore.  Use this link and use my coupon code: FRUGALMENNONITE for a discount.

The Frugal Garden: Nematodes #2

 Due to my ongoing fascination with fungi, I was thrilled to learn that seeding a garden with Wine Cap or Oyster mushrooms can make your garden plants resistant to root knot nematodes.  Here is a YouTube link to a video from Northspore about growing mushrooms in your garden.

I was advised to keep the Wine Cap mushrooms and Oyster mushrooms separate from each other.  I have two vegetable gardens, so I dedicated each to a separate type of mushroom.

The larger garden (above) is dedicated to the Wine Cap mushrooms.

And the small garden (above) is dedicated to the Oyster mushrooms.

It very easy to do.  First I raked back the mulch, broke up the bags of spawn, scattered the spawn throughout the garden, then recovered the garden with the mulch.

The large garden is usually mulched with pine straw, which works well in Florida, because our soil can be very alkaline.  If your soil isn’t alkaline just use regular straw.  The small garden is mulched with a layer of wood chips, then a layer of pine straw.  It also has decomposing oak roots from some oaks my neighbor had removed.

A couple of weeks after spreading the mushroom spawn I pulled back the mulch in the small garden and was quite happy to see that the Oyster spawn was already spreading.

You can purchase these mushroom spawns from Northspore.  Use the coupon code:  FRUGALMENNONITE  to get a discount.

I’ll keep you updated on the mushroom bed progress.

God bless,

Pam

The Frugal Garden: Nematodes #1

 Have you ever had a plant in your garden suddenly start to decline, then die?  Then when you pull up the plant it’s roots are gnarled and bumpy.  You are probably dealing with root knot nematodes.

Nematodes are a tiny worm like creature that can do incredible damage, and are prevalent here in Florida. Fortunately, there are ways to limit the damage they can do.

The first line of defense is solarization.  Several weeks before planting your garden cover the dirt with plastic, weigh it down and leave it.  The sun will kill the nematodes off, but the beneficial worms will just dig deeper and return when you remove the plastic.  In colder climates this has the added benefit of warming the soil and quick starting seed germination.

There is quite a debate on whether to use black plastic or clear plastic.  I use a dark colored tarp that I can use to cover other things in case of a tropical storm.  I’m not sure that the color even matters, so use what you have at hand.

There are two other methods that I use to control nematodes and I will cover them in future posts.

God bless,

Pam

The Frugal Garden: Raised Beds

 I have recently been trying out using a raised garden bed.  I am thinking ahead to the future and how to continue gardening as I age.  So I ordered a tall (waist height for me) Birdies raised bed from Epic Gardening.  I chose this type of raised bed because it can be configured several different ways and the materials should hold up to the Florida weather.

They come delivered in a flat pack and heavy box.  I assembled the bed by myself using the tool that was included in the box.  It took a half day, but only because I took my time and didn’t rush.

Next came filling it.  Based on the size of the raised bed, there was no way I could fill it up completely with garden soil.  I decided to use the lasagna method by adding different layers of materials.  The first layer was large pieces of wood from pruning trees and shrubs.  The second layer was smaller trimmings.  Third we’re several layers of flattened cardboard boxes.  The fourth layer was grass clippings.  The last layer was garden soil mix with perlite or vermiculite and fertilizer.

It’s interesting that I still have the same weed and insect problems with this raised bed as I do in my regular gardens, but it’s much easier for me to access for planting and weeding.  

I’ll keep using it and will let you know my thoughts on this type of garden bed.

Another seller of this type of garden bed is Vego.  Shop around for sales as these beds are pricey.

God bless Pm

Rehabbing The Dooryard Garden

Now that our construction is mostly done it is time to rehab my poor, beaten up dooryard garden.  It's going to be interesting because the basic shape of the garden is changed.  Instead of being a gentle curve, with the new walkway it now has some sharp angles.

As you can see the first thing is to replace the edging stones.  Then it needs a thorough weeding, a complete redo of the micro irrigation system, mulch, and then the fun part, planting.

I need to plan carefully when choosing plants.  I want some low, draping plants to cover the sharp turns the walk makes.  I am also looking for a solar lantern to add some low light to the walk at night.

You will be accompanying me on this project.  Stay tuned for more.

God bless,
Pam

Protecting Plants From Frost

Here in West Central Florida we can garden through Fall and Winter, but we need to be ready to protect our gardens from occasional frosts.  There are just a few simple rules to follow when covering plants to prevent freeze damage.

Do not use plastic to cover your plants.  You will still get areas of freeze damage where the plastic touches the plants, plus it does not provide high quality insulation.

Avoid Plastic 

Do use fabric to cover plants.  You will get good protection from frost and wind damage.  I use old sheets and can easily find mismatched pieces for a dollar at thrift stores.

Make sure that the fabric cover touches the ground all around the plant.  Any gaps will allow freezing to take place under the fabric.  You can anchor the fabric using stakes made from old metal clothes hangers.  Just cut off a section, then bend it into a U shape.

Cover Touching Ground

Remove the covers after daytime temperatures go above freezing.  Why protect plants from freezing just to have them die from heat exhaustion?

Don't get lazy and think that skipping one night won't make a difference.  It only takes an hour or two of freezing weather to kill a plant.

God bless,
Pam

Dooryard Garden: Fall Cleanup and Planting

The front dooryard garden took a beating this summer since I couldn't get out to keep it cleaned up or plant my usual summer flowers and herbs.  We had a pretty rainy summer and what I call witch grass took over.  DH took over the clean up a week ago and started with the planting for which I am very grateful.

Witch Grass

Our dooryard garden is right outside the front door and is usually planted with Florida native perennials, seasonal annuals, herbs and sometimes vegetables.  It also has our two lemongrass plants.  It is the garden that anyone passing our house sees.  It is very visible.

DH planted (from seed) basil, cilantro, and oregano.  He trimmed back the lemongrass and perennials and began planting some fall mums.  It's looking a little sparse right now, but will fill in soon.  We need to go to one of our County parks to get some free mulch.

One of the major tasks that I am in charge of is maintaining the micro irrigation system.  DH  told me that some of the sprinkler heads weren't working, so we spent part of a morning testing the system.  Most of the nonworking heads were clogged with a bit of dirt and were easily cleaned out with an unbent paper clip.  A couple of them are just worn out and need to be replaced.

We have two kinds of sprinkler heads in this micro irrigation system.  The older kind are fairly complicated with filters and shut off valves.  These tend to need alot of attention to keep them working. The newer kind, and the one I hope to completely transition to, are made by Rainbird.  They have no moving parts, are very basic and take almost no maintenance to keep them going.

Older Sprinklers

Newer, Simple Sprinklers

If we lived in a cold climate I would be cleaning up dead debris and heavily mulching the garden, paying extra attention to the perennials.  But, we live in Florida, so we are just starting our Fall gardening season.  I look forward to Fall and will keep you posted on how the gardens are doing.

God bless,
Pam

Summer Damage Control

This has been a very strange Spring for me, with my accomplishing little in the garden or around the outside of the house.  I have a good excuse though; I developed a chronic conjunctivitis, which has now been diagnosed as rosacea affecting the eyes.  I haven't been able to tolerate the sun or pollen at all.

So, here it is, almost June, and my gardens are empty and the yard overgrown.  My eyes are getting back to normal and it is time for Operation Summer Damage Control.  My plan is to plant the gardens in flowers and herbs.  I hate not having anything to can, but I can always hit the Farmers Market if the canning withdrawal gets too bad.

Living in Florida makes it difficult to garden during the summer, but with good micro-irrigation (see previous posts) I should be able to keep some heat tolerant flowers going.

The forced inactivity has not been without some humorous moments.  We like to spend time together as a family on the weekends and a big part of our family is our parakeet, Cooki.  Cooki has decided that his new favorite activity is sitting on one of our heads checking out the world.

Cooki Reading Over My Shoulder

Cooki Likes To Mess Up Our Hair

Not everyone in the family is fond of Cooki's new habit, so there have been some creative ways developing to discourage him from settling in.

Anti Bird On Head Device

I look forward to showing you my progress in the gardens and sharing some ideas for beating the heat.  Take care.

God bless,
Pam

The Frugal Garden: Micro Irrigation Troubleshooting

Earlier this week dear husband informed me that a connector had failed on the front micro irrigation system.  I fixed the connection, BUT I missed a critical step.  I should have removed the end clip from the poly tube and flushed the system to remove any dirt that entered the system.

So, we turn on the system the next day, it runs for two minutes, then every sprinkler head died.  I mean every single one.  I knew I had messed up and today I had to pay penance.

But I do get to share with you how to make this type of repair.  Plan on getting very wet!  I mean very, very wet.  Wear old clothes and put all electronics in a safe, dry place.

First of all flush the entire system to get any dirt and hard water deposits out of there.  Next you need to take apart the connection that attaches the riser to the main poly tubing.  It should unscrew.

Two Piece Connector From Riser

Most people don't realize that inside these connectors is a small filter.  This is the first place debris will accumulate.  Remove the filter with a unbent paper clip and use the paper clip to make sure the hole in the center of the filter is not clogged.

Filter In Connector

Filter Removed

Turn on the water to purge the end of the connector still attached to the poly tubing.  Stand back, it's going to shoot aways.  Reassemble the connector and it's time for the next step.

Turn on the water.  Is the sprinkler working now?  If not, the spray head itself may be clogged.  Unscrew the spray head from the riser.  Use your paper clip to be sure that the spray head is not clogged.

Spray Head Removed From Riser

Spray Head Disassembled

After being sure that the spray head is not clogged, reassemble it and screw it back onto the riser.  It should be working at this point.  If not, you may need to replace the spray head.  If that doesn't work you will need to try a new riser and spray head, but this is a rare occurrence.

Success!

Now your system is up and running.  Since you're so dirty and wet you might as well pull some weeds and dream of future plantings.

God bless,
Pam

The Frugal Garden: Micro Irrigation Start Up

I am still working on rehabbing the door yard garden.  Today I began dividing old plants that have become over grown.  Dear husband planted some basil in one corner for quick herb runs when cooking.

My main task, however, was to get the micro irrigation system back up and running.  After a winter of not being used the system was relatively easy to get running.  I love this method of irrigation for it's ease of use and water conservation.

Several years ago I attended a course on micro irrigation at the cooperative extension office.  Twenty dollars paid for the morning class and a micro irrigation starter kit.  After setting up the system in the door yard garden I was hooked.  It was so easy it only took me a morning to do everything.

Many people think of drip systems when they think of micro irrigation, but these systems can consist of drip emitters, spray emitters, bubblers, etc.  With micro irrigation you are delivering water to your plants efficiently and in multifaceted ways.

Starter Kit

Today I'd like to talk about the equipment you will need to set up a system in your own garden.  A starter kit will cover a small garden, but you may want to expand your set up or cover a larger garden.

From the faucet on out these are the parts you will need:  timer (optional), back flow preventer, pressure regulator, filter, 3/4 or 1 inch poly tubing, 1/4 inch vinyl tubing, risers (optional), emitters.  The only other tools I use are garden clippers and/or a heavy duty pair of scissors, a special hole punch and goof plugs to patch those errors.

There are many types of emitters:  spray emitters which are like mini sprinklers, drip emitters which deliver small amounts of water into pots or the roots of smaller plants and bubblers which deliver a larger amount of water directly to the roots of larger plants.  A riser can be used to lift the emitter over the top of the foliage to allow the spray to reach a greater number of plants.

By now you probably have a garden plan in place.  This plan will be used to decide how much tubing to purchase and the number and type of emitters you will need.

I will talk more about setting up a micro irrigation system in my next post.  This is a one person job and can easily be accomplished by someone with minimal upper body strength (like me!).

God bless,
Pam

Sweet Potato Starts

Being a southerner I just love sweet potatoes.  Not that super sweet, marshmallow covered casserole, but baked with a little good butter on top.  They are filled with vitamin A and high in protein.  Besides that they are easy to grow.

I used to order sweet potato starts from a seed company and I was always surprised at how puny looking they were.  Plus they didn't do all that well after being transplanted into the garden.  So, I decided to learn how to grow my own starts.  Easy and frugal.

Remember when you were a child and sprouted a sweet potato in a jar of water?  Well, that's what we are going to do.  Place the potato stem end up in a jar of water, suspended by tooth picks you have stuck in it's sides.  Keep jar filled with water and place in a sunny windowsill.  It will sprout fairly quickly.

Memories of Second Grade Science

When the sweet potato is filled with nice long, leafy sprouts it is time to proceed to step two.  Pull the sprouts off of the potato and place them into a jar fill with water.  Place this jar into the sunny windowsill.  Discard old potato.

Starts Developing Roots

Once the roots on your sweet potato starts are fully developed it is time to plant in the garden.  Sweet potatoes are easy to grow and are a good hot weather plant.  Just watch out for the bunnies; they love the leaves.

God bless,

Pam

Start Your Seeds: Seed Sprouting

For most people in the northern hemisphere it is time to start your seeds inside in order to have plants large enough to transplant into the garden after the danger of frost has passed.  People with short gardening seasons may need to start most of your plants indoors, while those of us in sub-tropical areas can plant many of our seeds directly into the garden.  However, even in Florida, we start our tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers in seed trays to give them a head start.

All you need is a sunny windowsill, trays, pots, sterile seed starting mix and seeds.  I'm not getting into how to treat each individual type of seed;  just read a good gardening book for tips.

Observe your chosen seed starting area; it should get at least eight hours of sunlight each day.  If not, you may need to move your trays around the house to follow the sun or use grow lights.  Those of you with greenhouses don't have to worry about the amount of sun, but should make sure that you monitor the temperature to avoid overheating.

Fill your pots with sterile potting mix.  I use new mix each year, but some people like to bake their old mix or a self made mix in the oven.  I believe the temperature should be 350 degrees F for 1 hour.  If anyone does this please correct me if I am wrong.  I don't sterilize mix in my oven because the smell is intense.

Plant your seeds according to the seed packages directions in the pre-dampened potting mix.  Large thick seeds may need to be pricked with a knife and soaked overnight in water before planting.

Place the pots in your trays and cover them with a clear plastic cover.  The plastic should not touch the top of the pots at all.  This is your mini greenhouse, but watch carefully; as soon as the plants germinate you want to remove the covers.

Keep your soil mix damp, but not wet.  If the mix is kept too wet your plants may succumb to a fungal condition called "damping off".  If the stem of the plant narrows and rots at the soil level you have damping off disease.  Throw it away and don't reuse the planting mix until it is re-sterilized.

If your plants are growing, but are tall and spindly they are not getting enough sun.  I will take my trays outside if the day is warm so they get a nice steady source of sunlight.

Your plants do not want to move from their nice warm spots to a chilly garden and they will protest unless you take the time to harden them off.  Start out by putting them out in the yard in their trays for a short period of time and gradually increase the time for about a week.

Once the danger of frost has passed and your seed starts have a good root system you can transplant them to the garden.  Your hard work will pay off; your plants will have plenty of time to grow and produce fruit before winter freezes begin.

God bless,
Pam