soaphouse's Blog
soaphouse's posts about: okra
Sep 21, 2007 | 4:57 AM PST
Tags: veggie , fall , tomatillo , red , bell , pepper , okra , flower , spinach , kale , carrot , beet , parsley , brussel sprout , mesculin , peas , broccoli
Good things are happening in the garden! The other day I pulled out the spent veggies in one of the raised beds and added some compost. This weekend, my hubby is going to make some frames to support the necessary chicken wire barrier. Hopefully, this will make it much more attractive. When he has them made, I will then put down my seeds. I plan to plant spinach, kale, garlic, onions, mesculin, brussel sprouts, parsley, raddishes, beets and carrots. I am so excited!
Some things in the other bed are still producing, so I haven't yet pulled them out.
An okra flower:
The peppers are looking good and some are even starting to turn red!
Once this bed is finished, I will clear it and make way for broccoli, peas and probably more greens :)
Here is a fun picture of what happens to a tomatillo when the ants find it....
Almost prettier than the fruit itself :)
Happy weekend everyone!
Jul 31, 2007 | 3:57 PM PST
Tags: tomato , purple , okra , kohlrabi , spinach , tomatillo , eggplant , beet greens , patty pan , squash
We have been consistently enjoying harvests from our garden. Its so fun to go out before dinner and pick some yummies to come up with something with for dinner! Healthy, yummy and cheap! Gotta love it!
Beet Greens, Patty Pan Squash and Tomatillos:
The much anticipated giant Cherokee Purple Heirloom ready for eatin':
Okra, Kohlrabi, tomatoes, patty pan squash, eggplant, spinach and tomatillos!
More maters!
The joys of gardening!!!
Jul 25, 2007 | 3:31 PM PST
Tags: elijah blue fescue , coreopsis , moonbeam , euphorbia , blue haze , berm , sunflower seeds , okra , zucchini , beneficial insects , mulch , pine straw , salvia
Today, my daughter and I took a little trip to our FAVORITE nursery. I had a gift certificate and they are having a summer sale, so I got lots of goodies!
- 2
types of coreopsis, a yellow and a hot pink - 8 Elijah Blue Fescues
- 1 Black and Blue Salvia
- 1 Blue Haze Euphorbia
So fun to come home with this lot and plant them all...heres what I did in the front:
BEFORE:
AND AFTER:
I dotted around the Elijah Blues and put in the yellow moonbeam coreopsis in the new berm. In the fall, i think i will divide the coreopsis and spot it around a bit. There are several clumps from the one pot I bought, but I was afraid it would shock it too much to divide right now in the heat of the summer. The rest of the plants made their way into the back yard.
My hubby also went to get the rest of the free pinestraw I scored on craigslist and I got that all spread in the back. I still need a bunch more, but it looks great. Its amazing what a difference mulch makes!
Here are some other shots of around my garden today...
Sunflo
wer seeds showin up:
Snacked on this guy while pulling some weeds...yum, yum! Also harvested a giant eight ball zucchini today...will sautee for dinner tonight :)
Almost ready to pick :)
Found this guy on the sunflower today and I looked him up in my insect book and he is a beneficial. Maybe he will eat some of the squash borers!
Jul 13, 2007 | 7:13 PM PST
Tags: edible , vegetable , squash , zucchini , tomato , Cherry Tomato , okra , kohlrabi , blackberries , Sunflowers , Eggplant , Bell Peppers , succession planting , success , failure , notes , season , companion planting , Growing Season , cardoon
Now that I am well into the summer here in my garden, I am starting to take note as to the successes and failures in my garden. There are, of course, many of both and most of them involve my edibles.
I grew all of my veggies from seed directly into the vegetable beds. I was kind of nervous about this as so many things suggest starting indoors before spring. But, every time I do that everything dies, so I took my chances and selected a lot of fast maturing varieties...to my suprise, that worked very well! I am finding great joy and satisfaction in producing food for my family. We are also enjoying a nice financial savings as well. I spent about $50 on all my seed varieties and I would say that I have dropped our grocery bill by about $20 a week if not more....I would say that was worth the investment!
Successes:
- Tomatoes: I am growing a purple heirloom and a hybrid red...all plants are bursting with green fruits now :)
- Tomatillos: Plants are enormous and husks are forming
- Sugar Snap Peas: One of my daughter's favorites so none have made it to the table...she just eats em off the vine
- Beets: Have done several succession planting and have had many harvests of both roots and greens. Hubby like greens better than root
- Eight Ball Zucchini: Very vigorous and enormous in size...has provided many, many dinners
- Patty Pan Squash: Also doing well and just so cute
- Sunflowers: First year that I have grown sunflowers and it is proving to be very fun. King Kong variety that is about to open
- Blackberries: Planted 3 years ago from root...this is first year that we had a very steady harvest.
- Okra: Plants forming very nice large pods and the flowers are beautiful!
Failures:
- Broccoli: UGH!
Things that have yet to succeed or fail:
- Eggplant: Just started flowering, I am growing a white and a purple variety
- Peppers: Also just started flowering
- Carrots: First crop got infested with something icky, second crop looking better
- Kale: Just put those seeds in 2 days ago
- Kholrabi: Not yet big enough to harvest, but looking good
Things I wish I had planted:
- Cherry Tomatoes: a no brainer, don't know why I didn't do these :(
- Potatoes: To provide our carbohydrate need and to have some for winter storage
- Lots of different kinds of beans: have really enjoyed the sugar snaps, wish I had done more
- Winter Squash Varieties: to have something else to store for winter
- Marigolds: For pest control and to add color to the veggie beds
- Egyptian Walking Onions: just so cool and great pest control
- Garlic: also good pest control
- Asparagus: needs time to get established, wish I had started that this year
- Artichokes: love em!
- Cardoon: not even really sure what this is, but I have seen it on some gardening shows and it looks super cool
I just got a companion planting book and am looking forward to incorporating more of that in my garden!
Its so helpful to think all this through and get in all on "paper"...will help a great deal with garden planning.
Other things I have learned this season:
- Annual Potato Vines really do need full sun
-
Mexican Heather always does well, I should just buy it each year and have a guaranteed success
- Petunias need to be bought larger than the little 6 pack size to really do well
- Lobelia likes partial shade
- Impatients didn't do diddly squat...must mulch and fertilize!
- If i see something in early spring that i want...buy it, they are all sold out now!
Jun 30, 2007 | 6:18 PM PST
Tags: mulch , double knockout , red maple , fall , okra , weekend , datura
-I got all the mulch moved!!! It looks FABULOUS. I still need another load for the right side of the house and crepe myrtle alley.
-Laid out a new bed for the back yard, I will berm it up with the free city compost and plant a red maple as the center. (All in effort of operation lawn minimization.
-Okra is growing :)
-Broccoli is appearing :)
-Squash coming along :)
-Turks cap Lily Blooming :)
-Purple Datura Bloomed!
-T
he inlaws are in town and for my upcoming birthday they gave me a gift certficate to one of my favorite garden centers in Atlanta! Can't wait to spend it in the fall!
-Went to the nursery yesterday and when the sales guy asked me if I needed help, I told him I was looking for half dead plants for cheap....he hooked me up! 3 gallon double knock out rose for $10, 1 gallon Pink Dianthus for $2 and a guaera (spelling?) for $2. Woo HOOOO. I want 7 double knockouts for the front, so I am going to attempt to propogate from the one I got.
-Tomorrow morning is my watering time, so I will give everything a much needed good drink.
-This week my big plan in the garden is to clear out behind my back fence where there is a creek...it is SO overgrown with privet, wild grapes, and god only knows what else. I think I may try to make a wreath or something out of the grape vines that i pull. I'm going to post before and after picts of this one....
-All in all a great gardening weekend
Happy Gardening to all and to all a good night :)
Jun 27, 2007 | 5:32 PM PST
Tags: mulch , lawn , broccoli , okra
So I just had a load of "free mulch" delivered from the city yesterday. This is all part of my OPERATION LAWN MINIMIZATION. I have spent yesterday and today moving the mulch around to create path like areas in my garden where there used to be lawn. Quite a job but SO worth it! AND, its free!!! I should be all done with moving the pile by tomorrow night, then I will call for the next batch...think I will need more. There is nothing like the look of a freshly mulched garden! I also got the side bed that we recently topdressed with compost covered in pinestraw and it looks SO GOOD! Picts to come soon :)
On another note...I am super excited because I am starting to get broccoli and my okra plant is blooming, YEAH!
