Anyone who’s been growing tomatoes for a while has that one reliable variety that doesn’t necessarily look the coolest, or even taste the best, but it always puts out plenty of fruit. For me that that trusty tomato is the Early Girl… well it was the Early Girl, until this summer.
When ordering seeds for spring planting I read about a new variety from @johnnys_seeds called New Girl that boasted better flavor and more disease resistance than Early Girl, so I had to give it a try. This summer we grew one Early Girl and two New Girl. I had the usual great results from Early Girl which is always the first to fruit and yields tasty fruit all summer long and into fall. The two New Girls also fruited early but had larger, sweeter fruit with greater yields and very healthy plant with no sign of disease gong into fall.
My conclusion is that Early Girl is an excellent tomato variety but New Girl is just a bit better. I recommend trying them both in your garden next tomato season.
?@dailyflourish

? Nearly 12 pounds of homegrown Russian Banana and Yukon Gold potatoes from three 15-gallon @rootsorganics fabric grow bags (that we mostly neglected after planting). Not too shabby, I’d say! Clearly not enough to store and last over winter, but that wasn’t really our intention when we planted – it was just to enjoy some fresh tasty tates.
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Someone asked if homegrown potatoes tasted better than store-bought. My answer? “Uh, hell YES!” As is the case with any homegrown food, but especially potatoes. So creamy and buttery and richly delicious. I always say I can still taste the soil, in the best way possible! Does that make sense? ??
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In the past, we have used the method of layering soil and straw, adding a few inches more of each on top as the potatoes grow, adding sulfur to acidify the soil, and had decent success. This year, we stumbled upon a bagged “acid lovers” organic potting soil from Gardener and Bloome at our local Farm Supply and decided to give it a go. So instead of using straw and sulfur this year, we mixed up some of the acid lovers mix, some compost and aged chicken manure, other potting soil we had, heavily amended with sphagnum peat moss, and I’m pretty happy with the results! When peat moss is added to soil, it helps to create aeration and fluff (keeping the soil loose), aids in drainage, while also promoting moisture and nutrient retention – a perfect combo for potatoes – who like a consistently moist and nutrient-rich environment, but one that isn’t soggy or compact! Peat moss is also highly acidic, making it a perfect amendment for acid-loving potatoes, but should be used in moderation a garden filled with neutral-soil loving plants.
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This is one of things I love most about gardening: experimenting. Sure, there are some general rules of thumb that any gardener should follow to be successful in their endeavors, but there is also SO MUCH room for trying new things, products, methods, varieties, timing, and so on. There is no “right way” to garden; we are all constantly learning and evolving. And what works well for one gardener may not work well for another for a multitude of reasons, and that is totally okay! ?
? Keep playing and grow

My heart actually skipped a beat when I saw these today……
Purple Globe Artichokes are making their first appearance of the season, and I couldn’t be happier. When left to blossom Globe Artichokes are my absolute favourite flower EVER! Big call I know. Of course you can eat them if you so wish, but then you don’t get to see the flower…..a big decision to make. The purple variety is actually referring to the purple headed flower bud, they have a smaller and more elongated flower head than the Green Globe Artichokes I also grow. Only down side is their stunning silver foliage is definitely more prickly than the other variety, so keep them away from paths where you might accidently brush past them….Trust me ouch!

Say hello to my Cucurbita moschata. ? I was struggling a lot to take this photo. I don’t know the weight but it was way to heavy for me. ?
Sagt hallo zu meinem Langen von Neapel. ? Dieser Kürbis ist zwar noch nicht reif, aber bei den kalten Nächten wollte ich nicht riskieren, dass er mir eingeht. Nächste Woche geht’s wieder zu Oma und Opa in die Niederlande, dann erzähl ich euch wie er geschmeckt hat. Dieses Foto war ein Selfie-Meisterwerk. Das Ding ist kaum zu halten mit nur einem Arm, aber Selbstversorgung macht ja bekanntlich stark. ?? Rote Birne inklusive. ?

The figs are finally ready. I shared and let Lia try one, and she really liked them. Hopefully I can get the tree to overwinter, and have even more next year.
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#permaculture #growyourown #foodnotlawns #organicgarden #urbangardening #urbangarden #urbanorganicgardener #allotment #garden #gardening #growsomethinggreen #homesteading #homestead #urbanfarming #gardenactivist #kitchengarden #vegetablegarden #organic #vegan #instagarden #homegrown #greenthumb #veggiepatch #growyourownfood #harvest #thehappygardeninglife #backyardgarden #hydrovegan #figs

For more than a decade, Laxmi Nadendla was fond of the vegetables she grew in her own garden in Hyderabad. Being a nutritionist, she knew the importance of consuming home grown healthy food.

In 2013, when Laxmi got to know about a local non-profit, Aranya Agricultural Alternatives (AAA), she enrolled for a permaculture design course and learnt how to apply permaculture practices in urban spaces, such as a home garden (about 280 sq yards). She soon stopped using pesticides and depended heavily on organic compost. Today, her family gets 60-70 per cent of their vegetables from the garden in winters. In fact, last summers, some days the output was about 17 kilos of fruits and vegetables per day.

Permaculture, a concept which emerged in the 70s in Australia has three key concepts- Earth care, fair share and people care. While it was started by ecologists, it gradually found acceptance among both rural and urban dwellers. In India, permaculture is a rapidly growing movement and can be a huge benefit to most farmers. 

When I visited Laxmi’s home, I saw an allée near the entrance lush with trees, including silver oak. Trees are intrinsic to permaculture design (see links below). Apart from providing shade, they are a source of biomass as well. While the bamboo patch near the entrance has never been watered, it is always heavily mulched. This helps retain moisture in the soil. I also saw begonia, and hibiscus.

Medicinal plants such as, tulsi, aloe vera and lettuce are also grown. The front yard has pollinators, vegetables, herbs and spices, such as tapioca, sweet potatoes, string beans, tulsi, peppermint, green chillies, sorrel and two papaya trees.

The kitchen garden also grows ridge gourd, various types of spinach, turmeric, mint, moringa, potatoes, garlic, chives, and spring onions. There was a single harvest of Brussel sprouts. A varieties of tomatoes, ranging from wild to cherry are also grown in the middle of the garden. Papaya, mango, lime, custard apple and pomegranate trees too thrive here. In fact, the lime tree grew on its own. The huge banana plant, barely three-years, are fed by the recycled greywater from her kitchen. The centre of the banana tree has been mulched with coconut fibre.

Every 20 days, Laxmi usually adds compost and mulch around all the plants. Light mulching during monsoons and heavy mulching the rest of year is followed to preserve moisture in the ground. She waters the tree entrance allée every alternate day through drip irrigation and uses only 25 litres of water or one big bucket of water. She maintains two compost pits and a small drum of vermicompost.

Animals are also integrated on her property. At one point, she had 8 rabbits and 40 chickens. She fed the chickens millets, broken rice, flaxseeds and greens grown in the garden. To improve the food and health of the chickens, she applied Lactic Acid bacteria, a Korean natural farming method. The anaerobic microorganisms (obtained by washing rice with water and milk) help prevent diseases and also reduces smell. She would distribute the 20 eggs produced per day among her relatives, neighbours and friends. The birds and animals have passed on and now she plans to integrate new ones.

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/an-urban-garden-which-produces-17kg-of-fruits-and-vegetables-per-day-58892

On – 17 Oct, 2017 By Smriti Agarwal

Vegepods in-situ. Can’t wait to plant out now!! Reposting a Sarah Pascoe on Vegepod Owners FB page.
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Two large pods in custom built-ins, The Entrance ???