Crop Failure

This year I have a lot of experiments going on around the house, both inside and out. Some have been a success, others...not so much.
I started all my plants from seed this year. Everything from nasturtiums to tomatoes. Everyday, I would pull them down and fuss over them. I thought I was taking really good care of them, until 3 weeks passed, and I had nothing but dirt. I dug down into the pots to look at the seeds. They had never sprouted. Apparently, I hadn't watered them deeply enough.

 So, I started over. I ditched the potting soil, and got some seed starting mix. I pre-sprouted the seeds by wetting paper napkins and setting the seeds inside. Then I slipped them into plastic baggies for a few days. After they sprouted I transplanted them into their little seed pots. I also found out I should water them from the bottom. They came up beautifully. Everyday, I would take them down from the top of my oven, and move them from one sunny window to the next. One morning, the sun was coming in my dining room window, and it looked so bright and cheery. The only place I had to set them was on a low bench. It was breakfast time and the baby and I were going into the kitchen. We ate, and I was trying to finish up some project I had going at the kitchen table. Bink sat quietly and watched me for awhile. I was nearly finished when the baby started to fuss. So, I put her down on the floor and went back to my project. I finished what I was doing and sat there a moment enjoying that good satisfying feeling you get when you accomplish something. Then I noticed it. The silence. The awful, horrible silence. I looked around and the baby wasn't in the kitchen. I scrambled up out of my chair and looked into the dining room. "NOOOooooo!" I yelled. Bink came crawling toward me scared, screaming, and covered in dirt. It was everywhere. Little paper pots sat crumpled in heaps. Tiny uprooted plants lay like bodies on the floor. My crop had failed a second time.

I salvaged what I could and replanted the rest. The newly planted seedlings pushed their way up out of the soil and with them a new problem appeared. I had watered them too much and without proper lighting and air...shrooms decided to nestle themselves between my little seedlings. And some fuzzy furry white mold was creeping along the edges of some of the pots. I discovered that seedlings started indoors are prone to dampening off. It's a fungal disease that causes plants to wither and die. While there is a lot you can do to prevent it there really is no suggested cure.
 I know that tea tree oil is used as an anti fungal treatment in beauty products. So, I thought I would try adding a splash to the watering can. For the most part, it worked.  I lost all of my tomatoes though.
So I watered too little, I watered too much, and I left them in harms way. But, it seems I will get a few veggies to put  out in the garden this year. I hope...

Squash Living

PUMPKINS, BUTTERNUT, and ACORN SQUASH! With all of the excess squash around the house I've been up to my elbows in pumpkin innards and seeds.  I understand now, why these guys were so important for Native Americans, and later for the Europeans, who came to call this place home. They're easy to grow, they keep well, and they're suppose to be packed full of vitamins.
So far, we've eaten them in soups, we've baked em', we've mashed em' up like potatoes, and we've roasted their seeds for snacks. There is plenty more left too. So, the experimenting continues. I'm hoping to make some breads, pancake batter and biscuits. Oh, and I've also read you can add them to smoothies. But, I think I'll pass on that one. I am also going to pass on the pie, because my mother in law makes the best pumpkin pie. Here is a "recipe" I made up the other day:

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-Butternut Squash Mash-

 One whole butternut squash

Handful of Maple Sugar

Salt

Pepper

Palmful of Fennel Seed (opt.)

Wash squash and then chop the stem off. Slice the squash in half and then in half again. Remove any seeds or goopy stuff from the center (We use an icecream scoop). Then, rub oil onto the squash. Bake in the oven 350 Degrees until the flesh is easily pierced with a fork. Time varies depending on the size. Allow to cool a little and the skin will peel off easily. Place in a bowl with your spices and mash with a potato masher.   

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I know the measurements aren't very good but, that's just how I cook. I guess that's why Boy does most of the cooking. I'm usually the baker. :)

So, got any good squash recipes for me?

Harvest Time

So, it's October 1st. Brian pulled in the last of the garden veggies. As I said before, this years garden was pretty much on its own. But, we still did alright in the end.

Right now I loathe tomatoes. I started out the summer dying for a REAL one too. I meant to keep track of #'s to get an idea for planning next years garden. But, somewhere around basket # 6, and pot of tomato sauce #8, I lost count. Hopefully, that will keep us, in pizza and pasta heaven, for a couple of months.

The other award in the Survival of the Fittest Garden Contest goes to our squash. Which is awesome since it makes perfect baby food. I only processed a few and I already have two gallon size bags full of frozen baby sized portions. Sweets has been loving it. The rest are "decorating" my dining room until Halloween. Then, they too will suffer the same baby nibbling fate as the others.
Runners up for the Survival of the Fittest Award: Cucumber, Red Pepper, and Radish
Before I sound like a total braggart here is a list of other things that did not do so well:  Corn, Beans, Bell Pepper, Leeks, Cauliflower, and Carrots. 

 I can't help but imagine what it would be like if I had put some effort into it.

The Lazy Homestead

Look at this nice clean little garden plot. So full of promise. It really captures the optimism of spring:

Hmmmm....lovely. Lets see what are little patch of land looks like today, shall we? :

I suppose this explains why both my neighbors, to the north and south, moved away this summer. Anyways, we still got a pretty good haul of fresh veggies.  Not enough to get us through the winter. If we were reliant on our little kitchen garden to sustain us until next spring...well, we would be screwed. But, we did prove that you can have a garden with very little spare time and cash. Here's how to do it:

 Step one- Have a baby. This is a must for the lazy gardener. Assuring you that any time you have the itch to do some actual work in the yard, you will be trapped in the house as far away from your garden as possible. 

Step two-Then, start the garden weeks past the recommended start date.

Step three- Then, invite all of the neighborhood squirrels to come and feast on your newly planted seeds.

Step four- Toss the sprinkler in the center of the garden and turn it on occasionally. Be sure to wait until some plants are wilted and screaming for moisture. Oh, and at least one time during the growing season, forget to turn it off and leave the sprinkler running all night long.

Step five- Decide to play the at home version of Survival of the Fittest. Never weed. Weeding makes for sissy plants who will never learn to fend for themselves.

And finally, Step six-Harvest time. Bring in those veggies and eat up.

See that wasn't so hard was it? You too can be a lazy gardener. Imagine the possibilities, the unkempt rows, the abundant weeds, the trailing squash vines that will threaten to creep into your neighbors lawns.