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Volunteerism and Tomatoes

May 28, 2012

Bishop Buzz Polination, Gardening, Tomato Growing, Vegetables, Volunteerism 7 Comments

Not sure about where to go with this concept but I will dive in. My compost piles gets pretty hot but not hot enough, apparently, to damage or disrupt the viability of tomatoes seeds. How do I know this? Well, almost every time I spread compost from my pile I see tomato sprouts in a week or so. They get weeded out and life goes on. This season one of these “volunteer” tomato sprouts managed to escape my evil weed pulling eye and was discovered at about 12 inches tall and very robust. Since I tend to be curious I let it go. It is now 6 + feet tall and loaded with small cherry style tomatoes with GREAT flavor. It is absolutely prolific, even as the day time temperatures are up near 90 F! I have never saved tomato seeds but I will be tempted this year.

I have heard that tomato plants respond well to a bit of rough play…slap them around a little and they produce better. I was sure there had to be some science to it so off to the web I went. Even though tomatoes are self pollinating they seem to benefit from some Buzz pollination….honey bees don’t generate enough energy….you need some volunteer big bombers…the Bumble Bees!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_pollination

Now, after understanding the need to “buzz” pollinate I tried to find some Bumble bees and ask them over every morning and or evening for a while…..I haven’t seem any RSVP’s nor “crashers” of the bumble bee kind so I took matters into my own hands so to speak this morning. I became a surrogate for my tomato blossoms and did my buzzing best to mimic the action. I grabbed my “Sonicare” toothbrush, and no dear – I did not use your brush….. it was mine, put on my yellow and black horizontal striped shirt…..not really, and went out to buzz around. I took my new toy out…Nikon J1 on video mode to capture my impersonating actions….Check out the video. After a little experimenting I was able to determine which blossoms would dispense pollen….a very visible emission! Watch closely….

TTFN

Bishop

Handful of the volunteer tomatoes….still green

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

A New Gardening Convert

May 22, 2012

Bishop Gardening, Pest Control, Tomato Growing 2 Comments

I am smiling this evening sitting in my hotel room in Covington, Louisiana tonight. My good friend John, the one I have mentioned many times in the past, has become a convert. Now he hasn’t said it out loud but as they say…..actions speak louder than words. A couple of weeks ago he Pismo proofed his garden…Pismo is his tomato eating golden retriever. We both thought the problem was solved… Then there was evidence of a bird attack on the tomatoes… OK let them have a bite or two near where they can perch and the others can ripen… Then came the rodent attack and it was ugly. On my first view they had eaten the inside out of a nice sized Celebrity tomato. They must have put out a dinner call because in two days every single tomato at every stage of development was gone, disappeared, consumed and gnawed off to the stem. They left their telltale calling cards…mouse droppings.

The conversion bug hit John! We talked this past week about traps and such but I didn’t follow through. John did and did so in a big way. First night with the traps he dispatched two of the gnawing, nibbling nemesis of his efforts. Then he went over the top and bird proofed his two 4X4 raised beds. With his recent actions….I am convinced that the conversion is complete. John – welcome to the brotherhood of backyard gardeners and to be politically correct – an honorary sisterhood is bestowed on your wife Beverly for putting up with my tinkering in your back yard – The evidence is posted below in the form of photos sent just hours ago. Wear the mantle proudly!

Look closely lower right. John also warned me – I stop by and pull weeds once in awhile…it might be painful if not careful.

The support structure for the bird netting. Nice job John!

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?

Tomato War – Friendly of Course!

May 6, 2012

Bishop Philosophical, Relationships, Tomato Growing, Vegetables 9 Comments

I tried my best to have a ripe tomato before May 1st. I came close…..the garden that I put in for my friend John trumped me by over a week with multiple ripe red cherry tomatoes. Now, he has his own battle with his tomato loving dog Pismo…. Well I was checking out the lower level of one of the Celebrity tomato plant near the back of my garden and wow – a 4+ inch red globe of a nearly ripe tomato, a slicing tomato, a tomato begging to grace a sandwich, a tomato perfect for en echelon display on my plate next to some fried eggs…. in a  healthy oil like BUTTER! I grabbed the camera snapped my tomatoes smile  and rode over to John’s house, hopefully to gloat a little, but also to check on his tomatoes. The pictures don’t lie…. I am winning this skirmish! Aren’t we all winners by growing some of what we eat?

When visiting with John to take photos I noticed the new “Pismo” barrier. John has added a 3′ high fence to increase his odds of getting ripe and intact tomatoes into the house…..he now has a bird problem. One tomato shows signs of a bird beak pecking away at the tomato. I suggested that he leave it as is …… it is very available in the tomato cage and the bird is likely to go for the easy pickings leaving the others alone….seems to have worked for me in the past……..just a little bounty sharing.

TTFN

Bishop

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

Blossoms, Berries, Buds and Bounty

April 22, 2012

Bishop Beans, berrries, Gardening, pollination, Vegetables , , , 8 Comments

Wandered out this Sunday morning with my new tool – A Nikon J1 camera – all of the photos were taken this morning except for the bees….their results are shown first in the line of photos busy bees and the end of the line. Click on the image to see it full size…

 

TTFN

Bishop

Let Me Redeem Myself

February 11, 2012

Bishop Amends, Gardening, Recycling, Winter Chill , , 1 Comment

No more polls….or at least polls that seem to be a little too personal. It was all tongue in cheek but my sense of humor tends to be a bit “off” the garden path. By the way the sink looks great and the book is on display sitting on the mantle. So let’s rev-up the disjointed train of thought and let it hurtle down a track, any track because the destination changes quite often…..

Now for the weather;

Today
partlycloudy Mostly sunny until late afternoon then becoming partly cloudy.Highs in the lower 50s. North winds 10 to 15 mph.
It must have been a dream …….. Could the Houston Chronicle have been wrong?

 
The Lament –

Breathe deep the gathering gloom,
Watch lights fade from every room.
Bedsitter people look back and lament,
Another day’s useless energy spent.
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one,
Lonely man cries for love and has none.
New mother picks up and suckles her son,
Senior citizens wish they were young.
Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
Removes the colours from our sight.
Red is grey and yellow white.
But we decide which is right.
And which is an illusion?

The Moody Blues –
Tonight – The the cold hearted orb is 3 days past full – The positive attributes of a waning moon include – A time to review endeavors and correct mistakes. Settle disputes and make amends. Yes dear are two words that come to mind! I will ask forgiveness and maybe the frigid night will spare my tomatoes!
nt_partlycloudy Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 30s.Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.

I have wrapped the lower portions of my tomato cages with clear plastic and if I am sincere in making amends the cold weather will not do any damage. John, your tomatoes are similarly protected but if you need to make any amends, do it tonight before the temperatures drop.

I used the turnips the other night as an add in for a Butternut Squash soup. I am expanding my horizons by adding previously avoided items into my cooking. Earlier this winter I tried baked Butternut squash and found it to be very nice. The soup was superb! If the early offerings of strawberries are an indication, I may be wonderfully overwhelmed with strawberries this year. I had a great crop last year and still have 7 or 8 jars of jam leftover…. looks like some friends and neighbors may get a jar before I start “jamming” again.I see asparagus poking up in several spots now….please be tolerant of this, hopefully last, blast of chill! The onions, garlic, lettuce, beets, radishes, snap peas, carrots and spinach should all be fine!

Note to Bev – you asked “what’s up with the soy beans?” well here is a link for “what’s up with the soy beans”… http://www.edamame.com/ I have already planted some in my yard and will plant some for you and John today. Between the two plots we ought to have enough to enjoy.

I will finish hooking water up to the sink today and plumb it up so I can use the rinse water for spot watering. The soil rinsed off will fall out in the bucket under the sink and I can also dump the dirt where I want…a win/win for the garden. Photo documentary for the project coming soon.

The Crepe Myrtle has been trimmed/pruned/butchered……. I drove around a bit over the past several days to see how some of the professionals are pruning the Myrtles and I see several styles – “….we decide which is right and which is an illusion?” I will get another chance next year to correct my mistakes…in the meantime I get to use the long upright trimmings to support my beans, peas and cucumbers. The unusable trimmings passed through the chipper and are now residing in the compost bin….nearly zero waste.

OK conductor…pull the stop cord for a brief respite.

TTFN

Bishop

Pre-Valentine’s Day Blog and Poll

February 10, 2012

Bishop Gardening, Memories, Recycling, Spring , , , 3 Comments

Shown above are key elements of the poll to follow….but first I need to place everything into context so you, the readers, can make the appropriate vote. The poll will be good for only one week so be prompt. Click on the image to see more clearly which gift is the Best!

The context;

I 2009 my wife Kathy and I were able to extend one of my work trips to the Islands for an additional week. We chose to hop over to the island of Kauai and we spent a wonderful week there. I always have my cameras with me and I  filled up a big memory card with the stunning scenery on the island – aptly named the “Garden Isle”…. The memory card helps support my 60+ year old brain….so far so good but…..

The Book

I have been painfully slow getting the photo book put together and printed. (I used Blurb – simple enough even for me)  I was thinking about a gift for this Valentine’s Day so I actually planned far enough out to finish the book, started 10 months ago and recently revived, so that I could deliver it to her on or before Valentine”s Day. The finished book arrived on February 8th, yesterday…well before the day I needed it. I was so excited to, both get it done and wanted to see the surprise/enjoyment on her face…..that I gave it to her yesterday. I will not share how it was recieved in order to not bias your votes nor spend time on the couch. Don’t let that last comment taint your response.

The sink

…….after Kathy looked through the book, she smiled and said, “I got your Valentine’s present out in the back of the car. I followed her out and I was impressed! I had just mentioned to her a week or so ago that “if” she spotted one on Kingwood Yard sale or Craig’s List – for a good price – to grab it. I know how much she loves finding those treasures out there but didn’t expect this kind of quick result. I immediately removed the faucet so I could trace the outline of the sink on the potting bench in preparation for installing it. I think she laughed a little because I was right in the middle of pruning the Crepe Myrtle and just dropped everything to start the sink project. I did manage to get the sink set yesterday before dark but it won’t be functional until the weekend after I plumb up the lines and fittings. It is going to be so perfect….don’t let that influence your vote! I still have a bit more to prune on the Crepe Myrtle……manana, maybe.

So, all ya’ll……those that really do read the blog….please go back up to the poll and select the appropriate answer. I am curious to see which gift is “the best” !!!!!

Just a note for today in the garden – picked a couple more asparagus spears, a couple of strawberries, a handful of sugar snap peas and the remaining lemons…it is going to be a good spring….with a very early start. I have 6 tomato plants in the ground and looking healthy! Note to Bev…I found the soy bean seeds to plant in John’s garden….it is so nice that you have taken an interest in the plantings…and I aim to please.

TTFN

Bishop

Returning Home From Midland

October 30, 2011

Bishop Beans, berrries, Gardening, Vegetables , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

The Right Side is the Sunnier Side
Left side gets winter shade.

I returned Friday morning from a week in Midland Texas. Kathy kept the thirsty guys and gals in the beds well watered. We finally got some rain Thursday – not nearly enough to put a dent into the drought but it was a good soaking rain. I used my iPhone to shoot the two pictures shown. Not bad for an early generation iPhone…. I havent upgraded yet.

At the entrance on the left side my “volunteer” cucumber plants have been rewarding me nicely. I picked two very nice cukes for my salads and another 6 or so are maturing nicely. The green beans are doing well and I gathered about 3 handfuls. As you can see on the front right… the sugar snap peas are just reaching up to grab the twine. The bush cucumbers, back right, are beginning to produce little cukes but the weather may not let them become full-sized. Also in the right side beds are some radishes – I picked a few yesterday to go with the salads.
The butter crunch lettuce doesn’t seem to want to germinate so I reseeded two rows Friday AM…. hopefully the cool temperatures will help out. The kale has really taken off and the white onion sets put out a week ago are reaching skyward. I need to share a few  sets with my buddy John this week along with some of the extra garlic.  I also transplanted some broccoli today. The plants looked really healthy and they should do well.
I should be getting my strawberry plants week after next. I have 150 coming. 48 of them will be used to fill my vertical PVC towers, 24 per tower.  I am anxious to see how well they do in the towers. I will feature the strawberry plantings in a future rambling.
I am still waiting to see if the tomatoes will break color before the temperatures put a halt to their ripening.  It will be sunny and slightly warmer for the next 7 days and beyond!!!! So, fingers crossed, I will get some home-grown fall tomatoes.
TTFN
Bishop

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