We Escaped the Winter Storm !

Sunday, February 10 - South Jersey was very fortunate as we escaped the much anticipated Nor'Easter this weekend. With only a thin coating of ice and snow we have in our thoughts those living in New England who are struggling from the brunt of this storm.

Before my wife and I went to the Philly Home Show Saturday, I spent the morning planning when and were I was going to plant my spring crops. I also took a few pictures of how beautiful the winter weather is around our home.

Time to Get Ready for Planting !!!!

Saturday, January 19, 2013 - Happy 2013 Everyone !!!! As we enter a New Year and work our way thru the winter months, I have already started preparing for my spring planting.

Last year, I was able to plant my cool weather crops early as we had a mild winter. Keeping my fingers crossed, we have not had many cold days and our snow fall has only been minimal. With that in mind, I spent time this afternoon working on my compost pile and tilling some of my garden.

We have had much rain this year which has left my compost pile soggy. Today I turned over what was in the pile and also spread the pile allowing the air to dry out much of the moist areas.

I also tilled the new part of my garden. In the fall I decided to add on to my growing area by adding another 3 feet. This area will be used to grow either watermelons, cantaloupe or zucchinis; making the final decision after I decide on how I am rotating my crops this year.

This evening, I finished ordering my seeds through mail order. It is a tradition for me to always order from Rohrer Seeds located in Lancaster County Pennsylvania.

This tradition started many years ago when my father had a vegetable garden. He always believed Rohrer's had the best seeds and always provided him excellent yields.

I will be checking in soon when I begin planting seeds outside sometime late February, mid March, depending on our winter.

Stay warm everyone and feel free to drop me a line with your spring garden plans.

Fall Cleanup Time

Sunday, October 14, 2012 - Yesterday I spent the day saying "good bye" to my vegetable garden for the season. I spent the morning raking leaves in my back yard and then raking the leaves over the top of my garden.

In the afternoon, I tilled the leaves into the ground and raked out the dirt once I was done. I also checked on my strawberry plants which I planted in the fall and  already started to produce runners.

Friday evening we had our first frost of the Fall. It was cold Saturday morning, waking up to temperatures in the high 30's.  I picked the last tomatoes and peppers for the season and brought them in the house preparing for the cold weather.

I am now preparing to think about next spring. What to plant, how to rotate my plants in the garden and the possibility of starting some of plants from seed in my home during the winter months. In the past when I have done this, I have not been met with much success. The plants grow but never seem to be strong enough to plant outside once the growing season begins. It is time for me to do some research in this area to see what I have been doing wrong. If anyone has any suggestions on what do do, please let me know!!!

It also has been time to make sure the bird feeders are filled and cleaned. As you can see from this picture, the finches started their afternoon feast right before 4pm. It will be great to see these finches in another month when their feathers will turn yellow in color.

What a Beautiful Weekend !

Sunday, July 22 - Waking up this weekend to temperatures in the 70's has been quite refreshing. We have had two heat waves this summer with temperatures at times in the low 100's and the heat index hitting 105 on one day.

My vegetable garden has survived these extreme conditions however I am disappointed with the yields from the tomato plants so far . Usually by this time I am picking daily up to 10 - 15 large tomatoes and with the grape variety, I have picked up to 1/2 a bucket at times. Yesterday, I had one of my largest yields of the summer, picking 3 4 heirloom and around 25 grape and cherry.

Last weekend I planted 6 each of  tomato, eggplant and cantaloupe plants. Also, I planted 14 zucchini seeds hoping for a second yield during the end of September.

Rain also has been scarce this summer. We did have a downpour this past week but besides that small amount, rain has been hard to come by. I am sure this has played a reason for the slow yield this summer as the well watering I have been doing just is not the same.

My flower gardens are doing well. My hydrangea tree is beginning to bloom and the limelight hydrangea bush has been in full bloom the last 3 days. It is nice to see these colors this time of year adding a special touch during these hot and humid times.

I am beginning to think about how to expand my garden. Once I determine what I am going to do I will share my ideas with everyone.

Rain, Finally !!!!

Friday, June 29 - I did not mind being awoken this morning by the sound of rain hitting my bedroom window. Finally we had a thunderstorm, typical for South Jersey summer days, especially when we are beginning a heat wave.

The rain we received in my area was the first in 10 days. It is most welcomed with the predicted temperatures for this weekend to be in the high 90's and possibly reaching 100 !!!

Luckily my flower and vegetable gardens are still doing well. We have been watering all areas but as you know, nothing is better than rain water for flower growth and vegetable yields.

My vegetable garden has been providing us and friends with huge numbers of zucchini and yellow squash. Tomatoes are slowly ripening and Thursday I picked my first plum tomatoes.

Another pleasant surprise where the "mystery" plants which have started from the compost pile. We have identified two plants; pumpkins and acorn squash. It is so strange to see pumpkins forming this time of year. The acorn squash is producing long vines which is beginning to tangle with the watermelon and peppers.

Today is a rest day from garden work. Having the day off from work, I plan to head to the shore, hopefully to cool down and relax. This weekend, I plan to do my usual garden chores and hope to begin to clear the brush down by the creek.

Hot Air Balloons

Sunday, June 24 - After taking my dogs out this morning around 6:30AM, I heard the burner sounds from above. Looking over my tree line in the back yard I saw two Hot Air Balloons flying over and beginning to descend.







It was a beautiful site and so peaceful watching and listening to the balloon as they flew slowly out of sight.  The quiet morning added to my excitement as I thought about what I was planning to do the remainder of the day.
I decided with the heat, to cut back those tree limbs which were in the way while I cut my grass. Using a combination of my chain saw, small and large tree cutters, I was able to finish this job in about 3 hours. The task then in hand was the cleanup, picking up all the cut branches and hauling them to the woods.

Summer Time is officially here !!!

Saturday, June 23 - The hot, humid weather we have had the last 3 days has finally left us for a brief time. Yesterday, was a day where I needed to run errands, pick blueberries and also purchase a new weed trimmer.

My wife and I begun our day by going to Mood's Farm to pick blueberries. Mood's located on Rt. 77 in Mullica Hill New Jersey is a great place to go if you want pick various fruits throughout the growing season. This is a place my wife and I visit on a regular basis especially during the early summer and fall. Yesterday we picked 23 lbs of blueberries which we freeze and use throughout the year in smoothies and home baked products.

I have been researching which brand to purchase and decided on a stihl weed trimmer which can use interchangeable attachments. My purchase yesterday included a trimmer and single blade which is used to cut brush.

 Our flower garden is beginning to grow with the hot and humid weather.

 The sunflower seeds, which have fallen from our bird feeders have grown to 4 ' in height and are almost ready to bloom.

 Flowers are starting to bloom and attract hummingbirds throughout the day.

 The vegetable garden is beginning to yield zucchinis, tomatoes, broccoli and yellow squash.

 All of the plants which have grown from the compost pile are doing well and are beginning to flower.

 The raspberries plants are beginning to produce fruit and are now beginning to turn red.