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Is It Global Warming?

December 27, 2012

Bishop Philosophical, Vegetables , , 1 Comment

I really do thinks it is. What the media and those that can profit by the hysteria, i.e. the governments of the world, don’t want you to know is that we are exiting a brief period of cooler climate, very conducive to the development and flourishment ( is that a word?) to “our species”!

ICE HOUSE or HOT HOUSE?

During the last 2 billion years the Earth’s climate has alternated between a frigid “Ice House”, like today’s world, and a steaming “Hot House”, like the world of the dinosaurs.

This chart shows how global climate has changed through time.

Ice House Or Hot House? I am a geologist and subscribe to the idea that the past portends the future.

Ice House Or Hot House? I am a geologist and subscribe to the idea that the past portends the future.

http://www.scotese.com/climate.htm

My garden is beginning to see the subtle chaanges…The eight years that I have been cultivating the current plot is not even a blip on the time scale above. The curve above has been smoothed to show the overall trend.  See one of my earlier global warming posts to see the variations.

https://bishopsbackyardfarm.com/2012/09/04/global-warming-yes-it-is-but/

So here is my current observation – my asparagus has been confused by the lack of a winter and as the picture below shows, so are my strawberries. It is December gall durnit! they are supposed to be quietly building root structure and not fruiting!

Just a representative sample of what I plucked yesterday...There may be more hiding!

Just a representative sample of what I plucked yesterday…There may be more hiding!

I decided to let this little guy continue bucking the winter . Let's see if he ripens up!

I decided to let this little guy continue bucking the winter . Let’s see if he ripens up!

An asparagus stalk that hasn't got the message! It is winter - sleep!

An asparagus stalk that hasn’t got the message! It is winter – sleep! It is December!

A beautiful glossy green Poblano Pepper on December 26th!

A beautiful glossy green Poblano Pepper on December 26th! Enjoyed a few yesterday in my fried potatoes!  Yum!

We, they human race needs to plan for the future… I think I will buy land quite a bit further north…the climate chaange may drive farmers that direction, eh…..need to learn to speak Canadian….My Australian friends may need to migrate a little further south, bloody well enjoy it mate!

TTFN

Bishop

So What’s Happenin” in the Garden?

December 9, 2012

Bishop Composting, Gardening, Healthy Lifestyle, Vegetables , , , , 2 Comments

I am back home for a full week before running off to California again. Now I don’t mind going to California mind you, at least they are having a California start into a winter. It was nice, cool, a little rain, some wind and a bit of fog. I didn’t mind that a bit. Houston will not budge, it is still stuck in a end of summer doldrums well into December. Today, December 8th, a day removed from one of the most emotional days in American history, December 7th 1941, the bombing of Pearl Harbor we are still running our AC unit!. Today in Houston we were “blessed” with 82 degrees for the high and 64 on the low side. Sunday should mirror today. Monday, yes Monday, our version of winter will arrive and may even linger for most of the week. The high will be 54 degrees and the low will nudge freezing at 34 degrees F. My tomatoes in the barrel on the patio are days away from being ripe but I am afraid that they will finish the process on the kitchen counter. I picked one and sliced it this evening and it is a bit too firm.

A barrel full of tomatoes nearly ready to pick,

A barrel full of tomatoes nearly ready to pick.

I picked some turnips and a few carrots today, one of the turnips had a growth runaway. It just dwarfed the rest of its bed mates. I made a mess of turnip greens for an evening snack and the turnips, well I will find a way to get them into play over the next several days. Turnip greens update – I just ate the greens with a little sea salt and crumbled, thick slice bacon along with a glass of my recently kegged Dirty Honey Blonde Ale. Turnip greens are something I didn’t grow up on but the great flavor and vitamin component will make them a more frequent visitor to the kitchen. Both the greens and the beer wee pretty durned good. Some further reading on turnip greens. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=144

Turnips and carrots ready fo the kithen

Turnips and carrots ready fo the kithen

An extra large turnip!

An extra large turnip!

The freeze or near freeze will finish off my tomato vines, the ancho/poblano peppers will hang on a little longer changing from that characteristic dark green of the immature Poblano to the red color of the mature Ancho – same pepper but two names based on color and maturity – as it matures it turns red and becomes hotter. The name ancho is associated the mature red dried version.

The rest of the garden….carrots are getting thick their beds, turnips are kicking butt, my curly kale is getting close to picking size, broccoli may be getting close to heading, the cabbage is showing signs of creating heads and the Brussel sprouts are now showing some energy to reach on up and develop some size. The sugar snap peas, I’ll have to wait as the sugar snap peas are just starting to flower. I have been pinching flowers off of my poor confused strawberry plants – they think it is a warm early spring…..I may have to chat with them as I have done with the asparagus – be quiet, develop your roots and wait for the real spring. My lettuces are looking good but sparse. I will put a third round of lettuce seeds out and hopefully it won’t be too warm for better germination.

Kozmic Purple carrots

Kozmic Purple carrots

Last week a spread a fresh batch of worm castings and have a very full wheelbarrow full of finished compost to spread. A brief visit to my friend John’s garden this evening showed a need for some of my compost. Some clean-up work will be needed as the tomato plants will have be pulled. I have some onion sets for him and I think some garlic cloves. By the end of the week I should get his garden looking good and ready for our brief winter.

The neighborhood is filled with leaves just begging for a visit from my leaf vacuum/shredder……I may have to go back to work for a week just to rest up from what I have planned this week!

TTFN

Bishop

The 25th of November – Where is Winter?

November 26, 2012

Bishop Composting, Gardening, Vegetables , , , , , , 7 Comments

Did a quick walk around in the garden and I can’t believe that it is late November and I still have tomatoes setting fruit, the ancho/poblano peppers are still producing, and the usual winter veggies are looking good!

Tomatoes – or at least one variety in my garden.

Juliett Tomatoes still seting and turning red!

Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard – looking very healthy.

Turnips are coming along nicely –

 

Turnips are gaining some size. This one is tennis ball sized and asking to be picked!

Lemons too

Meyer Lemons – I can taste some lemon curd in my future!

Peppers – aren’t they a summer crop?

Poblano or Ancho peppers – locally known as Poblano – great for Rellenos!

Roses and Camelias are blossoming!

I just love the blossom patterns!

Miniature red rose. Bought as a house plant for my wife but is now happily residing next to the Camelia bush.

The strawberry towers are getting filled!

 

Sweet Charlie strawberries are in place and growing.

 

I ate some fresh picked asparagus this moring and then cut the ferns back one more time! Spread some compost pulled weeds – duh! Every day I can pull weeds! I thinned the beets and planted some red and white onion sets….need to head over to John’s house and populate his garden too!

I am in town all week so I should get a lot done….more composting, harvest the worm poop, shred some leaves, make some lemon curd and did I mention pull some weeds?

TTFN

Bishop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shhhhh – Go to Sleep Asparagus

October 29, 2012

Bishop Fall, Gardening, Philosophical, Potatoes, Strawberry, Vegetables , , , , , , , 1 Comment

It is October 29th and my asparagus just won’t lay down and go into their winter slumber. This morning we finally had a low 40 degree temperature so maybe they will get the message and stay in bed! As a parent I remember those days when the little ones did not want to stay in their beds. It was a tiring and a bit painful series of nights but the kids finally figured out that mom and dad were not going to give in. They finally stayed in their beds!

The asparagus, now that is a different dilemma. They do not listen….their cue’s are taken entirely from the environment and they ignore my planned schedule for their winter sleep. I trimmed them back several weeks ago but the stubborn root crowns are still sending up shoots. It is a mixed blessing, the nicer, thicker shoots have found their way into the kitchen and the skinny ones that reach on up are sending a little more energy back into the buried crowns. I would like to get the bed deeply covered in mulch and fertilized for the next spring but…..as with the kids, I need to be a little more stubborn than they are and a little more patient. Yes, easier said than done.

I harvested a few spears today and plan on incorporating them into a meal tomorrow night. I inspected the new strawberry plants that my wife has so nicely cared for in my recent absence – nicely done Hun, they look healthy! I planted another round of beets, Danvers carrots, Cozmic Purple carrots, Watermelon Radish seeds and pulled a bunch of never ending weeds. I have a lot of tomatoes that are needing to turn red or at least break that direction real soon. The lemons are mostly yellow now, my little buddy Caleb down the street wants to pick them now! A couple of cucumbers are nearly ready and I have some turnips that are maturing. I have a bin with some potatoes that seem to be doing well…..an extension of the spring’s experimentation. Oh, the Ancho pepper plants(2) are overloaded and will be donated at the farmers market on Thursday. Wish I knew how to do chili rellenos ….. these are perfect size and flavor…..

I feel blessed to have this weather, high of 70 today and mid 80’s by Thursday. I can’t help but pray for and wish the best for the folks on the East Coast in the path of Sandy. At least the 13 days I spent without power after Hurricane Ike was accompanied by decent weather. I hope all y’all are well prepared and will work to help your neighbors in need.

One for the kitchen, one for the root crowns and couple just starting to break the surface.

A squad destined for the kitchen. Thank you lads for being so persistent.

Strawberry Towers with Sweet Charlie plugs looking healthy and snug in their new home.

TTFN

Bishop

Rose Petal Jelly and Other Gardening News

October 20, 2012

Bishop Dessert, Gardening, jam and jelly, Making Jam, Recipe, Strawberry , , , 2 Comments

I stepped out into the front yard yesterday and picked up the scent of my wife’s roses in bloom. What immediately hit my mind was an article I read a few days ago about “Rose Petal Jelly”. I knew that I had to get it made this weekend before I left for Long Beach California for a week-long session with a client.

I picked this recipe up from “The Creamer Chronicles” blog. Easy recipe!

The ingredients you need are:
1 cup packed fresh flower petals
3 cups of water
Juice of one lemon
1 box powdered pectin
4 cups sugar

“Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan and stir in the roses. Remove from the heat, and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes, as if you were making rose-petal tea. Strain the “tea” making sure to squeeze the petals to get every last drop of flavor out of them. Now this is where the magic happens: Pour in the fresh lemon juice and the “tea” turns back into the color of the flowers you used………”

The jelly making from this point forward is pretty straight forward. After steeping, I went triple the 10 minute suggestion. I poured the tea through a coffee filter before the jelly cooking process.  Stir in the pectin and bring to a boil. Add the sugar stirring constantly and return to a full boil. Boil for 2 minutes at a full boil, remove from heat and skim any foam off before ladling into clean sterilized jars. I went ahead and processed the jars for 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

A small rose shown with the jelly. The jelly does take on a hue very similar to the color of the petals used.

I also put a few more strawberry plants out this afternoon. I ordered “Sweet Charlie” plugs from Ison’s Nursery. They are a recommended variety for my Zone 9 gardening area. I filled my strawberry towers and filled in a few spots in my beds. I had 5 of the 50 remaining so I went over to John’s house, you remember him, Mr. 2 – 4X4 raised beds that I tend part-time. He has been smitten and does a pretty good job keeping stuff alive.

My home-made dibble used to plant some strawberry plugs.

I thought that my Asparagus bed was done for the season…beginning to yellow and die back. I cut it back a week ago and look what I find. A few of the root crowns are still pushing up spears. I love to just snap them off in the garden, give them a quick rinse and munch away…..so sweet!

Renegade asparagus – I cut it all back last week and I have a few trying to break out…Guess I’ll just have to eat them!

TTFN

Bishop

 

 

Gardening In Hot Water

October 13, 2012

Bishop Amends, Gardening, Humor, Optimism, Philosophical , , Leave a comment

If you read my last post,” A Letter to Home”, you probably realize that if I had indeed been serious, I would have been in serious hot water. Fortunately my wife somewhat tolerates my tongue in cheek adventures. I received some feedback on the post from my cousin Sandy how read the post and picked up on my intent pretty early on.

“By the coffee grounds I was LOL !  Yes, good thing you don’t have a dog house!

Sandy”

Now as for Ms. Gloanah Bruce, I am not so sure see immediately saw the humor that I had intended. She posted to my Facebook –

Gloanah wrote: “And this is my son, I didn””’t teach him that kind of behavior. His MOM”

Sorry Mom….I was only trying to have some fun – Uh oh, I can hear her words now, “It is only fun until somebody gets hurt!”

Let me try to redeem myself. I did not immediately rush out to the garden to check on it when I returned home from my trip. I waited a good 45 minutes, visited with my bride, confirmed that she had understood my last post as intended. She did, but she also reminded me that my Mom had made the comment about us maybe not making that 31st anniversary milestone on October 2nd 2013! I hope Mom was being tongue in cheek. There are risks to attempts at humor….should I put the disclaimer at the top of the post or is the bottom position OK???????

The garden looked very healthy upon my return. Kathy kept the moisture levels just right, appeared to have pulled a few weeds, Hun you really didn’t have too! I also decided to take a peek under the abundant asparagus foliage. The plants are doing very well. I also discovered another sweet potato hiding under the dense ferns. I suspect that I will discover a few more when I cut the ferns back.

I hope that I have stepped out of the hot water, at least for a bit…..I will probably find something to write about that will raise the temperature again….but it is always meant to be in jest, well maybe mostly in jest…..My Valentines Day post and poll hit a hot button amongst family and friends!!!! I still think the SS Sink was a great gift.

A view of the asparagus stems at ground level supporting the canopy of ferns above. I will cut it all back to ground level soon – and maybe discover a few more sweet potatoes lurking in the soil.

TTFN

Bishop

Gardening Promises

August 29, 2012

Bishop Gardening, Organic , , , , , 5 Comments

I promise to keep my promises this time.

I promise to thin the carrots I planted Monday. I will not let them crowd each other into a carrot top hedge of green. I helped my self by being a little less generous as I sprinkled the seeds into the rows.

I think I can grow bigger/longer carrots if I ask a few more to step up and become compost volunteers.

I promise to thin the lettuces as they emerge so they can develop into nice leafy heads of tender munching. New technique yesterday – I sprinkled seeds over a section that I am trying a no till approach. The area has a fairly deep mat of grass clippings, compost and some shredded leaves. After sprinkling the seeds I used a steel rake to tamp the seeds into the substrate, watered well and will monitor. I have read that lettuces like to be planted very shallow and benefit from exposure to light to germinate…..we shall see.

Lettuces and turnips crowded together in my friend John’s bed…I was just as guilty!

I promise to thin my beets so they can mature into good-sized globes of goodness. I started them in divots space about 4 inches apart – several seeds to each divot so I need to select the strongest to survive the thinning process.

I promise to thin my turnips – see reasons above.

A few made it to decent size but I had far too many nugget sized beets and turnips.

 

I added a few spinach seeds and a few chard seeds … may be a little early but I have many – many more….they may also need to be thinned as they sprout.

I should have reined in the sweet potato vines …. so if I plant some next summer I will do some thinning. We had two sweet potatoes that were sprouting in the kitchen so I just tossed them into the bed with my asparagus – no problems with weed control in that bed. The vines have overwhelmed the are smothering any chance the weeds may have had. The asparagus ferns are ginormous….also helping with weed control. The adjacent bed is also overwhelmed with the vines, also weed free. I did some trimming today but it is well after the fact…in hte process I have discovered new sweet potatoes….. how many more are hiding in the tangled jungle of vines?

This is an 8 foot bed by 4 feet wide. The sweet potatoes have covered this bed, choked out the weeds and climbed the cucumber trellis! WOW!

 

This is the asparagus bed – the two tossed out sweet potatoes landed here and spread like crazy! The asparagus ferns, if standing straight up are 6-8 feet tall. I used tall tomato cages to keep them partially upright! An 8 foot by 4 foot bed!

My long beds – 24 feet long – are somewhat cleared and seeded as discussed above. Some pruned tomato plants, some newer transplants in place, some cucumbers, are hanging on through the heat ( picked 3 this morning), a few flowers, ancho & anaheim peppers are still producing and i’m waiting for emerging seeds!

A look toward the asparagus bed and the sweet potato jungle. Early morning with a little shade from our big oak tree.

 

TTFN

Bishop

 

 

Ahhhhhh – Back Home & Back in the Garden

May 26, 2012

Bishop berrries, Family, jam and jelly, Relationships, Tomato Growing , , , , 1 Comment

I have just walked through the garden this warm and muggy Saturday morning. I picked a few spears of asparagus, a handful of blackberries –they  have been washed and sequestered in the freezer bag for jam-  and a handful of strawberries. I will let Kathy pick through the pretty ones for her snacks and the ugly ones will go into the neighboring freezer bag for strawberry jam. I wonder if the big jam and jelly manufacturers also use the ugly berries as I do? The ugly ones taste just as good and once cooked down their beauty is really from the inside……Naturally grown, no chemicals and caressed by loving hands.

Tomatoes are getting big! In some cases tipping the plants sideways. The Oxheart, I love the shape, are being grown in my garden for the first time and seem to be producing well. I have been dying to try one…I have a good sized one that is a uniform color of pink. A little reading the web shows a variety of possible colors when ripe of which pink in one. I will give it a squeeze today or tomorrow and use that as a gauge on its ripeness.

Yesterday was one of those days that epitomizes the value of “home”. I had returned form my trip to Louisiana Thursday night. My son Ben, 22, is home from LSU for a couple of weeks, Joe, 17, was off from soccer training that night so it was feeling very nice at the house/home. I usually rise early, a little late this Friday morning, about 6:15, you have to sleep in once in awhile!  Joe is a self riser and was down around 6:30 to make his coffee, grab a bite to eat and converse in his usual morning grunts. As is my normal morning habit I was heading out the door to bicycle down to my hangout at our local Starbucks® when I spotted a sticky note from Ben on the back door glass. – “Dad, if you are going down to Starbucks®, please wake me up so I can go with you.” Ahhhhh – that warms a father’s heart. I needed to finish a business proposal so asked Ben if it would be OK if while we sat I could bang out the email? It was agreed and off we went. A couple of my old cronies were there and were introduced to Ben, the Baristas called me a liar…..not in a mean way but when I ordered a Venti Caramel Frappacino it didn’t register and they they thought that maybe I was pulling their legs…..there may be a history of that behavior by some customers!!!!!!

Once we returned Joe was off at class, Ben was “fixin” to cut the grass and Kathy wandered out to the garden with me. She proudly talked about her efforts over the past week “keeping” the garden while I was gone. I was able to see firsthand how well things were doing rather than through the vicarious text message news feed. We puttered about a bit, I cut some asparagus spears and she expressed some surprise….”where did you find those? I just picked yesterday!”…. She was surprised because these were  quite tall and thick….I just grinned…

Later she came into the house with a monstrously large pickling cucumber. The week before I had brought a large one in and she said, “I was wondering if you would find that one…I hid it to see if you could.”  As she was showing me the large one she said, “This was the one I had hid from you on the vine….the one you brought in was one I didn’t see!” Big smile from both of us and to the both of us……warm and real.  That seems to be common with my cucumber plantings. I plant pretty dense and when the production amps up it is a bit like hide and seek with the cucumbers.

Such a nice morning in the garden. Family, green, green growings and a pace of life that just makes you sit back and say “Ahhhhhh!”

TTFN

Bishop

Growing Tomatoes, Beans and Other Things

May 18, 2012

Bishop Gardening, Philosophical, Relationships, Tomato Groeing, Vegetables , , , , 5 Comments

I am learning all the time……my recent lessons include “patience” and “trust”. The little back yard farm is a classroom of life’s little lessons. So – off to school!

Patience is a virtue – we have all heard that old and well-worn cliché but……..it is so true. I love to see my garden grow and most importantly watch it  produce, produce( isn’t the English langauge funny this way – same spelling but oh so different meaning) with the quality and taste absent from the supermarket produce….there’s that word again. So. my lesson on patience – I planted an heirloom variety of tomato this year that gets great reviews from many home growers, Mortgage Lifter. My friends, Jane and John here in Kingwood mention it frequently. The plant grew beautifully, tall, strong and lots of blossoms. The blossoms would bloom, then wither, die and fall off. Oh I searched the web for an answer – not much luck as  the symptoms did not show up on my adjacent tomato plants, in fact with the exception of the Beefmaster variety, everything is loaded with young and growing tomatoes. 10 days ago I was ready to rip that plant out of the ground and start over….. slow down Bishop, show some patience, let things develop at their own pace and by golly the plant stepped forward and showed me one developing tomato last Sunday – Mother’s Day! I was leaving for a consulting job off in Midland Texas….gotta pay for my hobbies – and I decided to give it another week. Well on my return, guess what – the one was looking good and several more are developing nicely – see photo below. I just did a little web search and may add morning and late evening “shaking” to my tomato cages to aid in fruit set. The Beefmaster….it too has a few tomatoes on it when I checked it this morning so it also earned a reprieve…

Mortgage Lifter – Looking good! And companions too!

Beans – they are doing well. I like the looks of the purple pole beans as they mature. They emerge from  the beautiful purple blossoms green! then as they gain size and length the slowly morph into that deep purple color. Unfortunately they lose that wonderful color while being cooked….oh well! at least for a bit…I can enjoy the color.

Well on its way to purple….they are fun to watch as they mature.

I have been gathering green beans from both my accidental plantings of bush beans and from my conscious efforts to grow bush beans…I have added more of the pole beans but they are a few weeks away from producing. I took a hanging bucket that hosted an upside down tomato plant last year and planted bush beans on the top side. They are doing very very well. Makes me wonder if “container growing” for bush beans might be a good option. My biggest complaint  – and it is not a big one – is that they grow low to the ground and I am up there at about 6’3″ off the ground….a long ways from those tasty pods. I am still limber and healthy enough at 61 to pick those ground hugging varieties but this hanging basket will make it easier to harvest the produce and actually looks pretty good to boot. There are some purple bush varieties many actually pass as an ornamental as well as a source for a side dish. Gotta give it a try.

Nice green basket – the flowers will be white – kind of boring so maybe I will try some of the purple ones too….a bit more aesthetically pleasing???

Cucumbers…asparagus…..strawberries…..blackberries…..peppers….. all are kicking in now. I checked a very dark purple/black blackberry for ripeness this morning and it fell off into my hand…….I was listening closely and I heard a plaintive cry……please, please don’t let me go to waste……so I didn’t – oh it was so good….can’t wait…wait a second, wasn’t I talking about patience….I better wait!

So close to being ready…..back off and wait!

I have getting some very nice Anaheim and Ancho peppers over the last few weeks. I roasted some on the grill last week and used them in a salad. So tasty. My Serrano peppers are a month or more away from producing. I had been looking at the nurseries for the last month and finally found some at the big box store – Lowes. I like buying at the local nursery but a man has got to do what a man has got to do.

A nice 6 or 7 inch long Anaheim pepper….I will be patient and give it a few more days!

Oh….I mentioned trust at the beginning of the post – well – I have been gone for  5 days and 11 hours, approximately….. in the past I have worried about my little plot while gone but I have become more comfortable in the last couple of years with trusting my wife to give the attention I want/need/like –  for my back yard farm…. I sent a text message early in the week as a reminder but I learned that she was tending to my babies in the back with nearly the same care I would give….Some of her efforts, I am sure, are driven by the benefits of the harvestasty goodies and maybe, just maybe driven by the love we share….. Should I run a poll on what y’all think the driving factor is?   I don’t think so…the Valentines day poll was a bit painful –  ;0  –

TTFN

Bishop

Did you all see the announcement – The 16th century home of Winnie the Pooh is on the market. Near the   ” 500-acre wood” –  is up for sale…just $ 3 plus million – USD – I wonder if I could put a big ktchen garden in on the property?

The Tomato Challenge – Close But No Cigar

May 5, 2012

Bishop Gardening, Vegetables , , , , 4 Comments

I have mentioned several times in my recent blogging that I “may” have a ripe tomato before May 1st. I am sorry to report that I was two days short of the goal. The first ripe tomato, a cherry tomato, was consumed by my wife on May 2nd. I am going to claim partial success though……in the garden I planted over at John’s house….the cherry tomatoes have been ripe for over a week now. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to consume that first ripe, red tomato of the season either. That honor goes to his golden retriever, Pismo. She LOVES tomatoes and it is a real challenge to keep her away from the goodies. The photos for this rambling were taken on April 30th. You will see that my efforts to grow tomatoes are going well but the target was missed by just a smidgeon!

My asparagus is really doing well this year. It is so tender and sweet that much of it munched on while tending to the other garden chores. I have pulled almost all of the carrots and have really enjoyed eating them fresh, steamed, sauteed in butter – with a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon – and tonight I will grill a few. The Royal Chantenay Carrot has been a stellar producer for the heavy Houston soils….becoming less dense every year as I add compost, the Cosmic Purple were pretty…..pretty small too. Lovely color but they were stunted – the descriptor in the catalog says -” The smooth purple skin contrasts beautifully with the bright orange coreless flesh. They have a very sweet flavor and are a hit with kids and adults alike. The tops grow to 15 “. Roots are tapered and best harvested around 7″.” Partially true – color and taste and the tops are tall and beautiful. They would make a a nice border planting. Size, hmmmmmm, not anywhere near 7″. The Danvers Half Long were also a great carrot to grow here in Houston.

Have not been traveling much lately so I have been tending the gardens on a regular basis. I have not written much lately as I have been busy finishing up a video for the High School soccer team….my wife nicknamed me the great American volunteer as I seem to find myself on the everyone’s list. I haven’t had a child on the local swim club team for more than two years but volunteered to do their year end video……maybe it is because I also enjoy working with the kids!

TTFN

Bishop

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