Garden

Those of you know know me know that I’m a serious gardener. I grow tons of tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, and garlic to make my own salsa. As you can tell by the photo here, I use what we call “Southern Ingenuity” to avoid paying for store-bought tomato trellises. See, I hate to waste anything. These branches were picked up in the forest, and this fall they will be kindling. This year, my number one weed is... tomato plants. I scooped a lot of seeds out of tomatoes during processing last year and threw them into the compost bucket along with tomato peels and all the other food-processing byproducts. To give my window-grown seedlings a chance, I’m pulling up lots of volunteers. They are all over my flower gardens, too! I think I will let a few grow, just to see which variety they are.

But what am I supposed to do with this mess? Its a five-ton pile of topsoil, excavated when my new driveway was installed. Of course, that happened while I was at work, and unable to insist they take it an extra 20 feet to the garden. Its smack dab in the middle of my backyard! I've been whittling way at it for six months, taking soil off one wheelbarrow at a time. At this rate, I should have it cleared away by about 2008. Looking at the bright side, thats another 50 square feet I can't mow.

Here’s a pretty video, The Living Garden.

Amazing watermelon carvings.

I have found a cartoon about Brussells Sprouts!

This cartoon walks the fine line between cute and annoying. But she is swinging an onion!

Garden Gnome Man, a song about all that stuff that shouldn’t be in your garden. A garden doesn’t need decoration. It needs plants, and maybe a path and a place to sit.

The World Carrot Museum.

The vegetable orchestra.

Meet your salad.

TATER PEOPLE

(Thanks, Judy!)

 Some people never seem motivated to participate, but are just content to watch while others do the work.
They are called "Spec Taters".

Some people never do anything to help, but are gifted at finding fault with the way others do the work.
They are called "Comment Taters".

Some people are very bossy and like to tell others what to do, but don't want to soil their own hands.
They are called "Dick Taters".

Some people are always looking to cause problems by asking others to agree with them. It is too hot or too cold, too sour or too sweet.
They  are called "Agie Taters".

There are those who say they will help, but somehow just never get around to actually doing the promised help.
They are called "Hezzie Taters".

Some people can put up a front and pretend to be someone they are not.
They are called "Emma Taters".

Then  there are those who love others and do what they say they will. They are always prepared to stop whatever they are doing and lend a helping hand. They bring real sunshine into the lives of others.
They are called "Sweet  Taters".

And now, a music video to go with the above poem, Mashed Taters.

The Garden Gnome Liberation Movement.

Live the life of a third world farmer, for just a few minutes.

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:
1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends

Previously on Miss Cellania: Tomatoes

Thought for today: Gardening Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

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Comments

[jules]

What an amazing video of the garden. Wonder where that actually is?

[Raggedy]

Yikes! I spent too much time on my Father's Day post and did not get around to my regular visits here. Have a wonderful day! I have about an hour I need to spend here later....hugs

[Karen]

Your garden is looking great and what a good idea using sticks for the tomatoes. I loooooove home-grown tomatoes and veggies to make salsa with. It is the BEST.

The veggie photos were a hoot! I loved the daily living too. Oh my goodness at the chilipeppers!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROFLMAO!!!! It's a good thing they weren't banana peppers or I'd have to take a cold shower this morning ;-)

Have a great day!!

[Peter]

Hi Miss C, there were a lot more carved melons in your display than the email I got mine from, very talented.

[actor212]

Gardening is a most relaxing hobby...until you actually get around to doing it.

[goldenlucy]

Mis C!
Two fabulous posts for me to enjoy this morning. I'll be passing these on---you're getting better all the time! Can't wait to come back and look at more of the links. Have a great week, m'dear!
lucyd

[Old Horsetail Snake]

I think I want to be a Hezzie Tater. Not that I am one. It's just a neat name, sort of like Cellania.

[Dick]

I am not a gardner so your help in identifying weeds vs plants you want to keep is good. But, what do I do with the one I want to keep when I am holding it in my hand after identifying it by the ease with which it came out of the ground?

I will soon have a big pile of red lava rock to wheelbarrow around, too, and expect it will take awhile to get that done. Then I hope I'll not have as much to do next year because of the rock. Here in the northwest we often use bark to cover the ground but it lasts a year at best & breaks down to soil itself, so the weeds do well growing in it. I think they will have a harder time in the lava rock.

[Isabelle]

Hello Miss Cellania, first time commenting here and I would like to say WOW! I am super jealous of your garden. I do not yet have a garden but I am planning one for next summer.(have no yard now but will next year). I have a tomato question for you. Do you at any point cut off any leaves/branches off of the tomato bush? The thing is that last year I tried cherry tomatoes on my balcony in a big pot. Having never grown anything I got scared when the bush got to be really tall and had so many branches and leaves I could not see through it. I then cut off branches that had no flowers on but I think I overdid it since not many tomatoes grew. I also love the taste of a homegarden grown tomato but I don't want to be frightened next time I try it out. Thanks for the wonderful posts you bring everyday. I know in coming here I will smile.

Have fun in your garden and please post more photos as the summer goes along. I would love to see the growth process of your garden.

[Skunkfeathers]

Gardening is a knack; you have it.

[Miss Cellania]

Isabelle, I have heard people who take the sucker branches off the bottom or tomato plants, but I don't and here is why: I read that the intensity of tomato flavor is directly proportional the amount of sunshine absorbed by the plants leaves. So I figure the more leaves, the more absorbed sun, the more flavor. I have had tomato vines twenty feet long and more... thats why the extensive trellis system. On some of those, I have 15 foot rebar across the top. Tomato plants take up a lot of room, but if you've got the room, its worth it.

[maribel]

Dear Miss,
Seems like you are a very thoughtful gardener. Love your blog in a not unnatural way!

[Peter]

Re your comment, my "saying" was more inspired by Woody Allen's, sex is such a distant memory that I wouldn't trust my ageing mind to comprehend it.

[actor212]

I likes a nice firm set of tamaters....

[Dr. Blogstein]

You forgot to circumcise your first chili pepper.

[Saskboy]

The garden looks great. I wish I could do some, but I'm in an appartment. I planted some sunflowers last year though and one got to be 11'3" taking second prize nationally against 40 others.
With the dirt pile, I'd plant strawberries on it.