Gardening for 2012

[colorado]

I need a table in the south bedroom window. But got to bring seed up till be go in March to City. This is shorter season here for things but root crops should grow good and peas and greenbeans. I could not raise long season tomatoes where I was. Just only got a few. I can not have greens so if I put in any be for DIL. Root crops I can have and squash to eat. I eat small amount of greenbeans or peas to balance my pills per day. 1/2 cup. Or can eat small amount of tomatoes if the acid does not get me. I want to grow what I can eat. I will be limited in what I can grow here, small yard and shorter season.

Tomatoes will be early ones. Early girl is good but not large. I want to see if Better Boy will do it here. I had planted Early girl for early crop and Better Boy as main crop.

No squirrels here I guess but could be. Deer come in to town and graze on things. I have no back or south side fence. They can jump over fences but I think they go more where none. The community garden has a deer fence around it.

I have enough seed and then some. I save seed too. When I cut a squash I save the seed and I bought a variety of squashes when they had the sale at the store. I have used before before and they come out right okay. If mixed will not hurt. I have got to be cooking them as willnot last too much longer. Cook and freeze. No huge but not small.

[rockhound]

Squash is one thing I will miss with my reduced-size garden. Lucky to have tomatoes and peppers so I shouldn't complain. Still have a little yellow squash in the freezer from 2 years ago, lol. Hope it's still good.

[colorado]

I can eat peppers, corn, root crops, squash. I can not have the greens but would like to have some for DIL to eat. They do not garden, Her mom does a little out on the farm. She is giving some me of the extra eggs they can not use. She has like 5 or 6 hens. She has 3 cows and two will calf this year, and the 3 should have but seems she is not going to have one. Then she has a calf for meat they will butcher when ever. They have meat in freezer from sons two cows. We have meat. I will put in and pay what ever she wants. AS heart patient I am not suppose to eat much beef. I am not a big meat eater to start with. But this should be low fat meat anyway. If I can raise and can a big bunch of greenbeans that will sure help my food budget. Peas should do good here but still heat in the summer. At the ranch they would grow all summer. AS high and cooler. But here should be tomatoes would grow and ripen. Frame around the bed should make is so can hoop or frame for a cover. My older son has a cover over the greens and has then early and late. I will have to fight with son about putting things under the house if need me. I have a big pantry/storeroom. The littlest bedroom really. I put sets steel shelves in it with the solid shelves. My son liked them and bought him 6 sets for his shop and says may get more. He let me have the old desk he was setting things on to use as computer desk. He has a desk in the shop office. I walked up there to look where he has put shelves. I only stay couple mins as he I knew was busy and I was just out walking. Shelves really clean up the stuff. He saw what it did to my pantry. I still need more organizing in the pantry so can find things easier. I have labeled box and popcorn cans. I need some way to store root crops if I can grow and the squash. I got to go mix up cinnamon rolls. I got to figure out how much flour per month I am using. Once a month shopping.

[rockhound]

Maybe you can try some form of a "clamp" to store those root veggies. You just leave them in the ground and cover the whole bed with straw real thick, then boards. On a warmer day in winter you go out and remove the insulation and dig a part of them up and re-cover the rest. Of course planting them in a bed instead of long row will help with the covering.

[colorado]

I think it gets too cold here for that. And normally lot of snow. Under the house I am told is like 5' space from foundation to foundation. So is 25' by 56' about. They had to use ladder to go down there though the closet floor. They put the water meter under the house and the telephone lines. So people have been down there.

House cooled off this morning to 59 and I was up at 5 and I called son and he came and lit teh furance. Been running okay. Think the wind we had yesterday blew it out. I walked up town and like to been blown off the walk a couple times. Did realize it was that bad. No storm just wind.

IF I can grow the root crops I will figure out something. I need to put some insulation over the heat vent in the store room. It is shut and shelf over it but got put it under the shelf. I am use to having a root cellar. To put that and canned things. One set of shelves I am saving for canning stuff. I will slowly get things fixed. There will be some way of doing and just me I do not need a lot.

[rockhound]

Yeah, it'll take a while to get everything together but it sounds like you're doing just that. We had a couple real windy days here last week, not too cold or no snow, etc just windy and gusty. When you walk with a cane sometimes getting from the house to the car to the store is tricky, lol.

[colorado]

I can walk okay. I had torn up my left knee. Was in field and took a step and it went. The walking has helped it. I wore a support on it for awhile. It healed okay. I had heart attack year and half ago and heart was beating too fast. Week in the hospital and now take pills to control the heart beat plus blood thinner. Doctor says walk. I try to do a mile a day weather permitting. This winterhas been mild and pretty open. I have missed a few days of snow. Seems to melt off streets.

I have been told you plant crossways in the beds and have short rows. Ihave pleny of hoses. I will have to buy the boards to make bed frames. Lumber yard here in town and DIL can haul it I think. Might be cheaper and in the big city and son does the driving then. Probably one of the places down there would be cheaper on boards. The back yard is MUD and some snow. And his shed is in the middle. I will put the little greenhouse on the north side and my shed when I get on the south side. If get a shed sure I will need shelves for it. MY savings are going. IO thought best to buy all the shelves for the pantry/storeroom all at one time and have it over with. I am on SS. I bought a folding table to sew on. Making quilts. No over head light in the living room and had to by a lamp so have light there. Still have to have the movers get rest of stuff. Soon been hauling things. Got a borrowed bed. IT will take time and I want book shelves in the living room amd shelves in the diningroom. 10 ears ago I would have bult the shelves and not sure I can now. If I would go ahead with the drapes I need made and over haul to be insulated.

I can not do anything outside in the mud and snow. Cloudy today. I can not go out and measure and plan where and how many beds. Need my list ready for when we got to city again. Things I have to buy and things I need get moved up here. Son says he may buy more shelves for the shop.

[rockhound]

Funny how shelves fill up so fast

[colorado]

It is snowing today and it snowed last night. Yard was mud before yet. Be worst MUD. Wet snow as stuck in the trees.

Early next month we should be going to big city and I will bring up some pans to start plants and some bags of start mix. and table. I will have to learn to cage things and grow stuff upwards. I can make the paper pots and I use square vitamin bottle and set in a pan. If I start things that will help this short season.

[rockhound]

Maybe it'll be one of your last snows, hope so. Usually we have a muddy spell here after winter, but not last year. We went from winter to summer.
This past winter hasn't really appeared yet, so who know what spring will be like. I started my tomatoes a little early to allow for some mistakes and sudden death syndrome, lol. I hope I'll keep enough going to plant out around April 15.

[colorado]

We have couple months we can get snow yet. Should not be really cold though. Down home would have mud season end of Feb. That is when the snow would go. Only 80 miles but over a mountian pass and so different climate here. They are predicting more snow later this week

I am not sure when safe to set tomatoes out here. Home was May 10th should be safe. Used to not set till 20th. Canning factory one when in end of May. I am thinking late May. But way this winter has been mild it could go out wild and cold. I have the time to start them. I do not need hundreds now just a few. I use starter mix as the soil there had damp off. I had to buy as easier than trying to sterilize it. Were okay when set out. I can not put many tomatoes in a 4 x 8 bed. 8 tops? And cage up. Or kind than does not run around.

I am all set to go to the clinic this morning. Bloodtest. Got to watch the time and I am walking. Hope not another one for a month. Last time still had to wait even with appointment. I have to have my list ready of things I need when we go to city. Sun is shining.

Peppers I can eat and very few tomatoes. I want a few hot one not rela hot, like anaheim. I do have a dryer. DIL likes hot peppers to cook with. She has a dryer too and drys peppers. I like to freeze the anajeim for chile rellantos. I like a big long sweet pepper to fry.

[rockhound]

Getting harder to find a good chile relleno here, don't know why that should be. One place I like all the food except the relleno. Another mex place has good rellenos, little else that's seasoned right. Starting to sound like a picky old man, LOL. I am growing the bull's horn pepper for them this year. The pepper itself is mild but I can add enough real hot stuff to the recipe to the level I want. Or just use pepper jack cheese for the stuffing, add a little pico over the top. NOW I'm getting hungry!

[colorado]

No, I donot think you are gettig picky on the Mex food. I was to Mex resturant in Jan and the food was the same as I had order in their other smaller resturant in a smaller town. This was a chicken burrito and had beans and rice with it. There was not salt at all and not seasoning of pepper spices at all. Just flat and tasteless. First time I had ate in that one. The little resturant was excelant. Not to peppery but enough to be good. Yes, I like Mex food. I like the rice at the liuttle one as more like paella as had a few peas in it. Was good.

Chile rellantos I like and I order oen time it was a tortilla with cheese and green pepper rolled up in it and fried. I think some food they buy in bulk and thaw and heat. I wanted pepper in batter fried. My diert is limited and I like good food. I have made with half bell pepper that were boiled till soften and use green salas to pepper it with cheese, I think the large sweet long pepper I have been growing woud be good if seasoned up. I do not know what pepper it is as came in pimento bulk seeds ad real large and very good. I freeze anaheim and then run really hot water over and peel them then. Probano not have to peel or bell and I think the fry pepper too. I can eat a spit skins and still better than I can eat out with. I do not know what Mex food is coming too.

I have iron griddle two burner to put on this stove. It did not come with a grill. I should make up a batch of tortillas to have on hand. I do not care for corn meal ones. I learned to make tortillas as kid. Mom would mot make them after I got the recipe. I did and she never did make any. Home cooking I know what is in it. I can keep the soy bean oil out.
I have been getting a white pepper cheese in a box like velveta and I think it would be good. Has a little bit to it so should do it. They also have a yellow like velveta too. Krogers brand and store. Cheaper than velveta and I like it. Cheese has sure came up. 2# box for $5.99. Nice N Cheesey. I saved the seeds.

I ordered a bowl o chili over in a small town in San Luis VAlley and it was tomatoes with a few beans and some hamburger in it and and chili powder. It was tomato soup to me. I make chili and it beans and and meat seasoned up. No tomatoes. Plenty of cumin. Way prices for spices are now I want to domy own that i can. Chili powder was not peppery and say use a lot. I was buying bulk spices and mix my own. I can leave out the salt. I may try a jar once then try to make my own. I have to go light on ther hot stuff and salt.

I have 2 dozen rolls raising. I bake as I no doubt said since here. I share with son and his wife. Then another day I bake cinnamon rolls for us.

[rockhound]

That's another thing that's making it harder to eat out anywhere, the salt. You never know how much salt you're getting. I just want to be aware and not over-do it. Don't put salt on food at home except grits and black-eyed peas, gotta have a little there.

[colorado]

I do put sale in bread as is need to help raise I hear. I cut it down some. I am not salting anything. I do have to have salt on gravy and beans. Some place are low salt on stuff.

We went out last night for supper and had hamburgers. Not fast food place. It was pretty spicey, then went to book signing and had a piece of cake. Local authors. Between the lettuce and cake I figures I had enough Vit K. Hard to figure and I did not eat much salad dressing and skipped the dark greens in the salad. I do not eat oat meal now as I can't have much sugar. No diabetic but have to stay low sugar. That cake had more than I should have in sugar. I will skip any today. The woman author is very active in the commuity garden here. We will get together. It comes with river water I take it. But I need car to get to the garden and take tools. I am planning bed out in the back yard. This eating out can be a problem. I do not knwo which weekend we go to city. Got to get my list made out. Got to open that new sack of bread flour before I bake again. Been using bread flour and really do not know the difference. I will have son put from store room I guess to the kitchen. Will not fit in cupboard till half full. I get 25# bags. Neither does my mixing bowl.

Snowing this morning. Sure not gardening weather here.