rain barrels, and composters, and compost, oh my!

There is a local organization, Mills50, that is hosting a green fest tomorrow. I really like this area of town. It's very quaint, is walkable with many local businesses and has a unique culture. There is a big asian influence in this part of town. Some of the best peanut sauce you can find anywhere! Anyway, at the greenfest they will be selling composters and rain barrels, and these are exactly the same ones that I bought through work for a charitable organization:

and the prices are even cheaper than what I paid for originally. We're getting there early tomorrow to buy 4 rain barrels. Since we didn't have much rain this summer, we have used up almost all of our water from the barrels. One is empty and the other only half full now. These will come in handy next year during summer, if we don't get any rain over the winter. Sometimes we have a short rainy season in winter. Not as much as the summer downpours, but enough to get us some usable water. Hope to see you there!

Coytown Garden

hot peppers from the garden

We have quite a few hot peppers in our garden. We actually only have 2 large plants, but they produce a LOT of peppers. Needless to say, I give them away to friends. I think Nate likes to plant things to see them grow, because neither one of us eats these things. It's fun to watch them change color, and they seem to go through grow spurts. For awhile there won't be any peppers, then suddenly, we have a bunch on both plants. It's a pretty plant too, as you can tell by the different colors of pepper. I wait until they are very red before picking. They just twist off the vine then. 

I saw an ad the other day for community gardeners wanted. There is a parcel of land that used to belong to the navy base that is being looked at for development of a community garden, Coytown Garden, it's called. I know that a mountain bike park is going to be put in part of that land, but the rest is left open green space, and the city is looking to develop it for next years spring planting. I'll have to ask Nate what he thinks about joining. It's not far from home, and we could learn a lot from being around others that garden. 

The weather has turned COLD here! For us that is. It was very chilly yesterday morning as we went for a motorcycle ride. Thankfully our coats are impermeable to weather like that. I didn't feel a thing. But my legs did. and my hands. I did wear gloves, but these are summer in florida gloves, we aren't used to this weather. It makes for going to yoga not so hot anymore. Which is nice, I don't feel so claustrophobic. I am not complaining about the weather, not at all, it is just a sharp and marked difference from what we just had. No smooth transition from one season to another. Just HOT then COLD. This too shall pass...

much cooler weather...

Rogue

It's been so much nicer and cooler the past few days that it is pure joy to work in the garden. The kittens are running around with so much more energy, as am I, it is so refreshing! The lettuce is still doing very well; I have a salad almost every night. The tomatoes are done for the season, and the catnip has come back! I haven't dried it, but I pick off some leaves and leave it in the living room for the cats. They get a little possessive of their leaves. Moses loves to rub all over it, Wolfie doesn't so much with it, and Rogue will eat it all if I give it to her. Here she is coming out of a bag of yard waste that tipped over. Kittens are so funny!

It's supposed to be 44 here tonight. I am not complaining, really, I'm just saying. We need a break. I hope you're getting a break where ever you are...

Happy Halloween!

be safe out there!

day 2

the kids are doing well here and they enjoyed picking some lettuce and hot peppers last night. I had the lettuce for dinner and the hot peppers went in the sloppy joes they had. Every so often one of them would say, "I have a piece of the pepper" and make a strange, large face. I asked if they were ok. They said they were, and kept on eating.

good times...

kids visit

Nate's niece and nephew are staying with us for the week. They helped us when we originally started the garden. They were good at planting. Tonight before dinner we'll go out and pick some lettuce and see if the red peppers are ready to be picked. 

cooler weather, still no rain

Moses, our 3 legged cat

The weather has been so much nicer to work outside, but we still have no rain, and no great chance of rain anytime soon. Only 20% chance tomorrow and wednesday. That's not much. The standard saying here in Florida is that if there is a 50% chance of rain, you will get rain. One of our rain barrels is empty now. We have one that is almost full, but with watering the new bamboo we put in, as well as our other plants, I'm afraid it's going to run out before it gets filled again. 

This was a very dry season for us, and it doesn't bode well if this continues. We've had brush fires around here in years past, and we really don't want that again. 

Time for another rain dance...

lots of lettuce

Nate tells me the lettuce is really coming along and I need to eat some. True, I need to eat lettuce and I don't want it to go bad. After yoga tonight I'll have a good salad. It looks so good and healthy! I am so happy with our progress so far. 

tented food

no, it's not some strange bio-harvesting project subsidized by the gubment.

So this is what the backyard garden looks like at present. I have to admit, as much of a pain as it was to put up these things, it sure has saved us a lot of grief and headache and heartache. This fabric has saved our plants from pests, disease, and the burning sun, but still allowing for rain and sunlight to get to the plants to feed them. I thought Nate was crazy to buy such things, but I've found that we need it in florida. 

The weather here has been beautiful all week. I rode my bike to work one day this week, and we have actually had a chance to open the house windows and let some breeze in. It is beautiful. I always tell people; we suffer through the summers to have winters like this.

and here's what's in the garden tents...

here we have some tall, hot peppers, and views of cabbage...

2 different kinds of cabbage, and some lettuce. all is well, so far, thanks to the fabric covering our food. Let's hope it stays that way. 

new garden tents

well, I call them garden tents because that's what they look like. They are protecting our fall vegetables. 

hurray! cooler weather!

It is amazing! The weather has actually been tolerable these past 2 days! We've had the windows open today in the house for the first time in months! This is so refreshing! I know I could go on and on and on about this, and I just might, because this is what we have been waiting for since May. Now, it's tolerable for us, which means in the low 80's, but I know for many it would be way too hot. I am so glad that fall is finally here. I doubt that we'll get any hurricanes now, and we have planted for the fall harvest, and what we have already done has come along so well. I am just so thrilled that the plants that are covered are doing so well. 

I planted some cat grass the other day and that has already sprouted. I don't know that the cats have seen it, as they usually go for what they are not supposed to get into. Nevertheless, it looks good too. I'm waiting for it to get a little taller before I move it to pots. Then I'll put it in the screen porch for the cats to gnaw on at their leisure. 

Rogue got in the yard waste bag. She was trying to hide. I caught her as she was coming out. 

enjoy the weather wherever you are!