Pam – Page 44 – Hydrangeas Blue

October and November Vegetable Gardening in Florida

raised garden bed in fall — Raised Garden Bed November 2017

Now that the weather is cooling off here in central Florida, gardening is on my mind. I can comfortably step outside and work in the yard. October was a little hot, but November has been nice.

My Gardening in Florida book says that October is the time to think about growing cool-season crops. Now it’s November and I still don’t have enough dirt for planting. But if I did, this is what I would have planted.

Also, further down the page, see what is still growing and beginning to produce vegetables!

What to Plant in Fall

Suggested planting includes carrots, beets (I seldom eat) and turnips (I never eat), which can be started as seeds. No need to buy seedlings. Last spring I planted carrots in a fabric pot and they did pretty well.

My book has a section about building strawberry pyramids – so I assume I should plant strawberries this time of year. I don’t really have the space for them, so maybe I need a pyramid? There is probably no time or money for that this year, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Or maybe I will use one of the ideas found at this page: Top 30 Stunning Low-Budget DIY Garden Pots and Containers. Some look cheap and easy enough to do! Makes me want to go to the dollar store.

What I really need is a fence. It will give me some place where I can add containers and keep the raccoons out at the same time. There is no money for that right now.

I must deal with reality, so here is my list of vegetables I could have planted in October. My garden is 10 feet long by 3 feet wide. So not a lot of space, but I do have fabric pots to use as well. If only I had a garden full of good dirt.

Lettuce
Kale
Onions – plant around the edges, take up little space
Peas – Will need a trellis

Some Plants Are Still Growing Well After Summer

I all but gave up completely on growing anything over the summer. I had planted tomatoes, eggplant, squash and peppers in Spring. I did get some small tomatoes but the raccoons helped themselves. The squash plant got bugs and died before it gave me any squash. The Eggplant and Peppers are still going strong. In fact they are now doing well.

My neighbor, who does no gardening in summer, said that when it’s too hot the plants won’t produce. She covers the ground with plastic to kill the nematodes. However, I wonder if she realizes that burning out the bad also affects the good. I’m not sure it is wise to do that. And because my plants survived the summer and are now looking good, I plan to keep the garden going all summer long next year.

eggplant in raised bed garden — My Eggplant “Tree” and green pepper plant in the raised bed

I honestly thought everything would eventually die in the summer heat. I kept watering, just in case. My eggplant grew into a small tree! It was pretty, and has plenty of purple flowers, but never gave me an eggplant to eat. Finally I cut it back hoping the excess energy put into growing would be used to possibly give me some eggplants.

And then…. today (maybe 2 weeks after trimming it) I was watering in the morning, as I do every day, and I found a small Eggplant beginning to grow! Yay… more please.

title eggplant beginning to grow — November 15th – Finally, a Little Eggplant is Growing!

The only other vegetable producing plants that have survived are the peppers. The hot pepper plant gives me a pepper here and there.

I have 2 bell pepper plants. One is in a fabric pot and it has produced a couple of peppers over summer. Now that the weather is cooler, the other pepper plant is producing like mad! I’ve never been able to grow peppers but maybe the secret is to plant in Spring and wait until Fall to eat them.

So, what I’ve learned so far is that planting in Spring gives me vegetables in Fall. The plants seem to go dormant over summer and then produce when the weather gets nice.

I’m continuously amending my soil and will continue to do so. I think poor soil was inhibiting growth.

Walking in Fall and Finding a Tree Tunnel

When I visited New Hampshire recently, one of the first things I wanted to do was get outside and take a walk.

Fortunately my daughter lives in a rural, wooded location with a walking trail nearby. We could have walked down the road to reach this trail, but we decided to take the (nonexistent) path through the woods instead.

We only got lost once, but at least we were headed in the right direction! The section of the trail we walked is only a small part of the 6.5 mile long path. No motor vehicles are allowed, but walking, biking, cross-country skiing, skating and fishing (it follows a river at places) are allowed.

There wasn’t much foliage to view, but this cool “tree tunnel” was interesting.

walking trail among tall pine trees — Walking Trail

Moose have been seen in this area and I would love to see one. On the other hand, I have heard about how they can be aggressive. It could be scary to come face to face with such a huge animal and have nowhere to hide but behind a tree!

This is the river that the trail runs parallel to. My daughter’s boyfriend was nice enough to take us out on his boat and we cruised up and down this section of the river. The water was icy cold!

The Croton is Flowering, Cats, and Other Happenings This Saturday Morning

flowering croton — Flowers on the Croton

Before I left on my trip north, I checked (and watered) all my plants and discovered that my croton is flowering! Pretty fluffy little off-white flowers are shooting off the tops of the big-leaved stems. Long ago I may have seen croton flowers, but if so, I had forgotten that they have flowers.

It’s Saturday morning already. I lost a few days this week it seems.

All my mornings begin with me making coffee for myself. While the coffee brews I take care of the cats. My two black cats simply want to go outside. I change their water and make sure there is food in the bowl.

Then I deal with Earflap aka Mr. Mites aka Bitey. He is the stray who adopted us a few months ago. He manages to fill his litter box every night, so I empty that. He gets special canned food, so I serve him breakfast. The porch door stays shut overnight so the raccoons won’t come in and eat his dry food, so I open it and give him his freedom. Usually he goes back to sleep on the chair inside the porch.

stray cat on the patio — Earflap the stray cat

Two days ago I walked into the garage at 8AM and it wasn’t sweltering. I put the door up and a wonderful breeze hit me. As I walked into the driveway I stretched my arms and breathed in the air – something I haven’t done in months. Trying to breathe outside here in summer is like slowly drowning. Okay, I am exaggerating a bit but the humidity here is stifling – 24 hours a day.

With the breeze blowing for the past three days, the heat seems less and it gives me hope that cool nights are in the future. Daytime temperatures seldom stay cool, but overnight it can get nice. I’m thinking about gardening, and considering having a yard sale. Continue reading “The Croton is Flowering, Cats, and Other Happenings This Saturday Morning”

Had to Travel North to Find Pumpkins and Fall Air

pumpkins for sale at roadside farm — Pumpkins at Tenney Farms, Antrim, New Hampshire

I hadn’t been back to my old home town in New Hampshire in over a year, but recently I took a trip to New England.

I expected to see some nice fall foliage, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. Probably because of the unusual heat and humidity that Hurricane Maria dragged up from the south. At least the air was crisp and clear by the time I arrived and I certainly enjoyed that. Sleeping with the window open at night – ahhhh, heaven.

My daughter and I took a trip to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and visited Castle in the Clouds. The weather was incredibly perfect. It was a Monday, so there were very few visitors, which was also wonderful.

I’ll share a few photos here, and if you are ever in New Hampshire and it’s beautiful weather, I suggest you visit this place.

We began our visit with lunch at the horse stables turned restaurant, and what a view the horses used to have! You can see the old stables and the new seating area at the restaurant in my image below.

horse stable restaurant — Horse Stables Turned into a Restaurant

Inside seating includes tables within the old stalls.

My daughter and I chose to eat outdoors because the weather was so beautiful, and the view was fabulous.
Our sandwiches were yummy and we brought a cooler where we saved the leftovers in the car after eating. Then we climbed aboard a trolley car for the short ride up to the Castle.

lunch food sandwich — A delicious lunch of sandwiches, chips and onion rings (and a glass of wine) to start our tour.

We took a short trolley ride up to the Castle and then did a self-guided tour through the mansion.

view from the Castle in the Clouds — Road up to the Castle

sunny day at castle in the clouds — The mansion museum front yard

Lo and behold, I found a hydrangea plant on the grounds! I believe it might have been a Limelight hydrangea but I am not absolutely sure. The flowers look elongated and the flowers are creamy white. It was nice to see a flowering hydrangea. I miss the ones I used to grow.

hydrangea shrub with white flowers — Limelight ? Hydrangea

This is only one thing we did while I stayed in the north for a week. We also ate ice cream at a roadside stand (I had raspberry chocolate chip) and we took a walk, and a boat ride on the river. I also got to meet my daughter’s new cat who has unique coloring. Isn’t she pretty?

The best part of my trip, besides seeing my daughter, was the breathing that wonderful Fall air. It was a relaxing time and was nice to get away. I dislike flying, but it was worth it to spend time in an area I love.

My short experience with Fall was nice. It will never be true Fall here in Florida. Temps are still in the 90’s and even what they call Fall here is really not.

I will be getting my raised garden bed ready for planting soon, as soon as it cools off.

Read more about Castle in the Clouds at their website.

view of mountains and lake from Castle in the clouds — What a View!

Sea Plane at the Lake, Fall Photography

I took this photo of a little yellow sea plane one day as I walked along the road where I lived. The water was so flat and smooth and the plane was surrounded by color. I couldn’t resist taking this photo many years ago.

The plane was usually docked at a lake house until winter when it was taken someplace else. The owner would taxi down the short tributary which led to a small lake. He used the lake to take off and land. Occasionally the kids and I would be at the beach on the lake when he came in for a landing.

sea plane fall foliage lake — Sea Plane in Autumn

When I began to work at Zazzle, I used this photo to make a postcard to sell. Recently it sold to someone in France. It always amazes me to know that something I made, or a photo I took, or drawing I did, could be purchased by anyone in the world.

The sale caused me to revisit this item, which I had pretty much forgotten about. Then I had the idea to share it here.

So, I thought, why not share more Autumn photography? Just because I live in boring Florida doesn’t mean I can’t go back to a time when I had these views for a month, or more, every year.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

This big tree stood in front of a house at the entrance to my small neighborhood. Each day in Fall I’d watch it turn more and more red. It was stunning.

fall leaves — Red Tree in the Neighborhood

New Hampshire has a lot of pristine lakes. Some are large – Lake Sunapee is a favorite – and many others are small. Leaf color usually begins alongside water. I was lucky to live just up the road from a small lake and I walked to it on every nice day. Fall at the lake offers wonderful scenes with brightly colored foliage as the main focus.

orange maple leaves at edge of lake — Brightly colored maple tree at the edge of a New Hampshire lake

All seasons offer their own opportunities for photographers in New England. In Spring I photographed the early blooming flowers, like the Lenton Rose.

Summer gave me the opportunity to photograph my vegetable garden and flowers growing everywhere.

red tree in fall — One tree is bright red and the other hasn’t changed color yet

Fall, of course, is a great time to get awesome photos. I didn’t have to travel far to get lots of great shots. With different types of deciduous trees changing color at varying times, the leaf color lasts from mid-September thru the middle of October.

Even the hydrangeas turn color in fall. Look at the stunning array of blues and greens in this once bright blue hydrangea flower, which is drying on the stem.
View more Hydrangeas in Fall.

blue hydrangea flower in fall — Pretty colors of a fall blue hydrangea flower

And there were two big Burning Bush trees in front of the house, which become bright red in late Autumn.

Winter can also be a wonderful time to take pictures. My favorite times to get out with the camera were right after (and sometimes during) a snowstorm, when the snow was still stuck to the branches of the trees. It’s a winter wonderland. Once the sun begins to warm the snow, and the wind picks up, the snow comes off the trees and the opportunity for shots like this are gone.

snow covered trees right after a snowstorm — Snowstorm Loveliness

The northeastern US has been having some unusually hot weather for the end of September, but hopefully the leaves will be turning soon. I am taking a trip up there and really hope to see some nice color.

My daughter likes to go paddle-boarding so it means we will probably visit some nearby lakes. Hopefully I will get more foliage shots to add to my collection.

Scallions On The Windowsill and a Hurricane Irma Lesson Learned

It’s funny how a hurricane can change your way of thinking. I was excited about growing these scallions from the little roots I cut off the ends while cooking. Just put them in dirt, or water, and they shoot up green stalks.

I grew some last year outside and they got huge. I always thought it would be nice to add flavor to food by reaching for herbs growing right in the kitchen.

Over the past months, since I got a new chest freezer, and a new refrigerator with a double freezer in the bottom, I have been freezing little containers of homemade meals. I was excited about having scallions ready to add to my cooking.

Soup is something I enjoy creating because I can add only what I like to eat. That usually means no meat. My homemade soup has no recipe and always ends up a little different, but it’s always packed with fresh, organic vegetables. I never finish it all and usually save at least 2 containers to freeze for later on. I have the freezer space, so that makes sense.

Or so I thought. Hurricane Irma taught me a lesson.

Our power was out for six days. I lost hundreds of dollars worth of food, frozen and refrigerated, including all my extra soup and stew meals that I labored to create from scratch.

We hadn’t had time to even consider adding a generator to our new place. We haven’t even lived here a full year. Money was spent on a new AC system and other necessities. The dishwasher was old, as was the side-by-side fridge. When we moved in here we didn’t even have a couch to sit on – we used lawn chairs!

When we saw that Irma was going to hit us, we figured it wouldn’t be that bad – and it wasn’t – but for some reason my little section of the neighborhood never got power back for many days. Across the street they had it on day two. We had to wait six. After day three, I knew the food wasn’t going to make it.

We were always searching for ice which was a rare commodity in this heat. We weren’t the only ones without power. (Thankfully my son is a firefighter and could bring ice from work). For days I dug through coolers searching for food. It’s not easy to find anything in a big cooler.

I stayed soaked in sweat day and night from the humidity. Without a generator we couldn’t run anything – fans would have been so helpful. I had a tiny battery operated fan that I set on my bed next to my head at night.

Finally on day 5 we found one generator (Yes, there was only one) at the local Home Depot. We hooked it up, started up the fridge, and ran fans at night. The next day, a little after noon, the power came on, but it was too late to save the food, or my sanity.

Now that the garbage disposal worked, I could dump all my delicious soups down the drain. All that work and money. Shopping, chopping, cooking, packing… for what? I am a changed person.

Some lessons are hard to learn, but I do learn. Even though we now have a generator and that should mean we will not lose food again, I don’t know if I will ever believe it. I will do things differently from here on out.

What to Plant in Fall

Some Plants Are Still Growing Well After Summer

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing!