Barry Estabrook's Tomatoland on itunes

It isn’t every day an article or book can change your lifestyle.  Of course for me it takes additional weeks during my prime growing season to get through an entire book because I’m more of a visual person who would rather be out taking photos or some where with my hands in the soil.   After being sent a publication by Barry Estabrook those tomato volunteers that were popping up in the middle of the  isle in the traditional veggie garden bed in my Ohio garden became more then just a question of should I ‘compost it?’.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have fetish with seeds so being the administrator to an event afflicted to #gardenchat called #supersowsunday will come to you as no surprise.  Seeds are like shoes to a fashion fanatic to this city girl who finds herself in the middle of  ‘tomatoland’.     Not only am I effectuated by the art on the packaging but the creative ways companies and gardeners chose to preserve them.  It was no surprise this late spring when it came time to transplant all those seed starters from my 10′x12′ greenhouse out into the soil that I had enough for my entire county!  As the season rolled on and most of those little seed starters were off to a strong growing start in my veggie garden areas I noticed a few volunteer tomato plants in various sections of the veggie garden and in my raised beds.   After reading Tomatoland by Berry Estabrook there is no way I could compost most of those volunteers.  Growing my own tomatoes from heirloom seeds has became even more of a lifestyle for me rather then just a hobby.  If you want good tasting vitamin packed tomatoe its even more important to grow your own.

On My Desk Today : shared on Twitter

I want to share with you my thoughts on the opinions and facts that were shared in this book because it not only effected my way of thinking as a year-round grower it inspired me in more ways to grow my own food and preserve it for during the months I can’t grow my own.    I’m sure you have come across someone at some point in your life that couldn’t stand the taste of a tomato.   Either it was the texture or the various flavors.  My opinion on that had always been that the person who didn’t like a tomato just didn’t have it prepared properly. Now ask yourself where does most of America buy their tomatoes?  In my neck of the woods if it isn’t summer time most of the tomatoes are purchased in grocery stores carrying hot house tomatoes.   In this book you will learn why the tomatoes we purchase at the supermarket are not ‘really’ tomatoes.   They contain less vitamin C, thiamine, niacin and calcium and have way more sodium as its 1960′s counterpart.

These are my 4th of July tomatoes by Burpee Home Garden

This book covers everything starting from the roots, chemical warfare, slavery, cost factors and a plan to help get the tomato back to a good tasting supermarket tomato.   All though I may not be a big fan of enjoying a good book during the summer months when I would rather be out growing this book is on my MUST READ for everyone who enjoys to eat.   Take responsibility for what is being put on your table starting with the tomato.

I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who enjoys to eat!  It is a fact filled book that will get you thinking about how gardening and buying local will effect your lifestyle.    Thanks for taking the time to check this entry out and I hope you will leave your 2 cents on the comments section below!

This is the bloom of a Hibiscus braided tree I have on my back deck.  This container has been wintered over in my zone 5 greenhouse for the past 2 winters.   With the way the bloom is kissing the lantana blooms below it I may have to find a larger container to see how big they will grow.

This is just some of the summer magic going on in my garden and outdoor living space.  I would love to hear what your magic is this time of year!

Image Collections Ready For The Family Album

As the gas prices this summer go up  I find myself discovering creative ways to keep the family entertained without going to far from home.  We have always been the family that kept travel for special occasions having a large  garden and animals to care for.  The landscape here at home  filled with edible gardens and greenhouse to grow in provides a personalized getaway we enjoy in our own backyard.   Living out in the country allows my family and I  to enjoy different commodities then many of our friends who live in town but however big or small your living space is it is possible to create a getaway.    Locally, I’ve seen a couple of yards where younger people live where they have converted their yard to a 4wheeler track ,  ‘greens’ being developed in backyards used for golf course activity, and my own pond with sand beach.     In the image featured in this article I snapped a photo of the deck on our pond at night.  Adding little things like Christmas lights to the trellis adds a special touch to the surroundings.   This year we found a paddle boat for the pond on ebay for $70.  It needed a little fixing up but we’ve for sure got our moneys worth watching our pup Olivia waiting for someone to join her on an evening ‘cruise’.

What are you seeing people in your community do to stay close to home?    I invite you to share with me and my readers what you are doing to create your summer getaway.

Tips On Creating A Getaway

• Keep it simple : use items that you have on hand to create a zone.  Example of this would be using  Christmas lights out of season to festively light up your zone.
• Think of what you enjoy most when you are on vacation away from home.  Maybe it is a Tiki Bar ?  This can easily be created at home by supplies found at a hardware store and adding inexpensive tiki touches to your patio area.
• Look on Ebay / Craigs list for larger commodities.  Remember I’m the queen of ebay finding my $4,000 greenhouse available for $350.
• Think green – of course I’m going to put a plug in for growing a garden or  patio container garden because I truly believe living a good life begins with gardening!
  

That's Me ... Sharing the backgrounds of Ohio!

They say the first steps to recovery is ‘admitting you have a problem’. However, I am fighting with myself to agree that  my addiction to sharing my gardening world by using the social networking site Twitter is an actual problem.   As a parent it is a general rule that we do not ‘text’ during dinner or while interacting with human beings present.    We teach our children that is it just right out rude to be ‘wiggling’ those thumbs hypnotized by a little  device that my appear to be glued to our hands.    As long as you can abide by a few etiquette rules does sharing a passion with literally millions of other human beings we share this planet with have to be considered a problem?

I’ve been busy like most of my garden network friends out digging in the soil and enjoying our time of the year.  Fabulous writers like Helen Yoest, Chris VanCleave , Carolyn Binder , Christina da Silva and many others who can keep up with their blogs each day totally amaze me.  When I finally sit down at my desk to collect my many thoughts I’ve gathered over the 18 acres I call BGgarden, visiting to support local garden centers, traveling across the Midwest to garden tours,  I can’t find the words to arrange on my website on demand.   It is not uncommon for me to take a few weeks or months to finally collect those words and lasso  them onto what some may call a blog. In todays busy world I’m finding it quit the norm to be a social networking guru using Twitter as my primary source for sharing.

It’s Easy & Inexpensive  To Become an Addict

Did you know that you don’t have to have a smart phone to be connected on social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and most blogs?  Really?!  I was shocked that many  garden connections were unaware of this.  I actually take pride in the fact that I ‘tweet’ using a non-smart phone.   The phone is as ‘smart’ as the person holding it! Let me share with you a few tips on how to get addicted at a low cost.

• First you need to  own a mobile phone.   Is there anyone out there who doesn’t own a phone?   This phone needs to have a photo taking capability if you are sharing images and a good texting plan.
• Second you need to  have a Twitter account.
• Third be sure to check out the ‘settings’ when you are logged in.   Take a few seconds to click on over to MOBILE while in your settings using Twitter to find where you enter your phone number.
• Fourth fingers ready to tweet…….

Above are some of my favorite tweets from this weekend.   Join us tonight on #gardenchat .

I’m gonna attempt to share a live webcast from my pond on the Ustream Account at : BGgardenLIVE.

Busy Bee takes on a whole new meaning if you are gardening back near my greenhouse in the  potting table area this time of year.  These big wasp type insects are buzzing away at the untreated lumber used to construct the hang over that shields my potting table from rain.   This type of structure is ideal to have so you can continue to work in full sun or rain because the over hang will keep the table shaded and dry.  The only inconvenience I have these days is the wood shavings falling on me as this bee tunnels away at my cover.

If you follow me on Twitter you may remember my TOTALLY NOT ME rant about how DH ( Dear Husband) and his ‘spray fest’ on my strawberries this late spring.    I kept this bug situation ‘hush- hush’ from my husband who is the first to grab for the chemicals to nuke the critters quickly.     His habit of reaching for the spray  leaves the area stinky and me running to find something to cover my precious plants.    We’ve had a few arguments as I’ve tried my hardest to stay totally clear of the chemical used on our property.   My greenhouse landscape area has been totally chemical free for the past 2 years so I was happy to find this solution for the wasp.  If something was used it had to be  totally  harmless to my rabbitry and the precious gardens I have growing inside and outside the greenhouse.

STOP THE INSANITY : I’m not going to ignore the bug just to stay green!

I contacted my ‘green’ friend on Twitter for a solution.  Unsure of what is really green and being some what new to the natural living lifestyle I must admit I was a little nervous to make public I needed a solution to for these critters.   Emily of Liquid Fence was kind enough to send ‘ Wasp & Hornet Killer’ by Liquid Fence.   I grabbed my husband and pulled him out to the greenhouse where these bugs were going to town on my shed over hang.   Before he could get out of his mouth ‘ WHY didn’t you tell me….”  I quickly placed the can of spray Emily sent in his hand ready to go!   “Fire AWAY my dear!” I urged him with an approving grin on my face. He quickly began to ‘nuke’ the critter with out taking a glance at the spray.  Within seconds of releasing of this fresh natural scent the critter fell to the table lifeless and hubby started reading the container.   Amazed at how quick this product worked knocking the bee down immediately, foam-less unlike most of the chemicals he had relied on in the past and leaving a fresh mint like scent I don’t think he will ever use another spray to keep the wasp under control.

ONE SQUIRT is all it TOOK – The Critter Was DOWN!

I’m happy to report that the next day I found one of my cans of Liquid Fence  ‘Wasp & Hornet Killer’ gone from my garden shelf.  My DH had taken it to his side of the yard to use.  Always remember you must find solutions that  work in your home & garden and not everyone has the same lifestyle.  Most important when sharing from my garden is to be honest and tell you what works for me.  That is my story…. and I’m stickin’ to it!

Basil Plant Loaded with Flavor Adds To The Energy Of This Raised Bed

Burpee Sweet Basil & Ball Annual Favorites

This is the second year of totally mixing it up in the gardens around the greenhouse.  In the images above I share a few of my favorites by Burpee Home Garden. Color dances early in the season by adding favorite traditional annuals that have been revamped for today’s gardeners.   You can find many of these plants by Burpee at your local garden center.  I found these locally at Bostdorffs in Bowling Green, Ohio and at the Andersons General Store in Maumee, Ohio.

Boxwood Basil by Burpee

My curiosity  got the better of me when I snipped a tiny leaf from this Boxwood Basil featured in the image above.  Committed to letting this herb grow larger before taking a really good taste in a favorite recipe.  I can’t wait to see how this Boxwood Basil will mature.  So far I’m loving the tangy flavor from a small nibble.

Pesto Pizzazz From My Kitchen

CLICK IMAGE – EASY Pesto Pizzazz Recipe

A pinch of sugar and a cost cutting tip in the recipe I share above.  Click on the image to view the complete recipe for my families favorite Pesto that can be used as an appetizer on fresh Italian bread, topper for chicken or mixed in your favorite pasta sauce for more punch.

Thank you @BrianDowd on Twitter for asking for a pesto share.  It gave me an excuse to step away from my desk to share some images from my garden tonight and inspired me to create some fresh pizza using the pesto in the sauce for a late dinner tonight.    Enjoy!