Anyway…

Our garden or what’s left from our garden… ain’t much! It was thrown away as you all know, but that’s fixing to change. I shot a video of it this morning and once I took a look at it I was like, “MAN, it’s going to be awhile before you can relax again!” LOL!

I bet ole Deb’s crackin up…dern her time!

I tell you though, our friends have been eatin pretty good, but now even they have evidently had their fill. Honestly though, you’re scrapping for what you’re getting. But thankfully, very little has gone to waste, and then the cows got that. Things find a way of working themselves out.

We’ve got some peppers we’re drying on the bush. Our grandson Devin is coming back this coming weekend and he wants to take the seeds and replant them. I’m just happy to know that he’s taken an interest in gardening and will help him all I can.

I figure 10-15 minutes with me, he’ll bout know everything I can offer him. I never did say I was very bright, huh?

I’ve got a meeting to attend tomorrow, then will be going to pick out a headstone for Debbie Wed. or Thurs. I wanted to make sure I got it right. I think I have.

After that, we’ll be planting seeds once more to get started again. They’ll be tomatoes, beets, radishes, peppers, and probably some more cucumbers.

We’ll be starting okra for sure and some onion sets. Then prior to the full moon in August, we’ll plant our peas. Deb and I came to the conclusion that our peas always did better in the fall. We found there to be less bugs, and our pea crop ALWAYS just seemed to make more peas than they did in the spring.

Another project I’d like to do is plant about a quarter to half an acre of some different varieties of blueberries. We’ve always wanted to do this, but just never seemed to get around to it.

One other thing I’d like to plant, is again, about a quarter to a half acre of peaches. There’s a couple new varieties that are supposed to do very well here in Florida now, and I’d love to try some. The Florida peach was always SO small that people seldom tried growing them. That is supposed to have changed. I’ll look into that a little more.

Most of you guys know that Deb and I had purchased two more greenhouses and had put them under our equipment shed. I’d like to get those up and running as well, but in time. Both these houses are 30 feet wide by 72 feet long, so they’re considerably larger than the one we’ve been using. It is 18 feet wide by 60 feet long.

I’d like to get these set up as you come through our gate, but back against the wood line. This way you’ll be able to see them from the road, but they’ll be back about 300 feet off the road.

I’d really like to retail sell our vegetables and fruit right here on the place. That would work out great for me. It’d give me a ton of things to do, plus generate income for me right here. Deb and I had talked about keeping our paving business for about 3 more years, then letting our son Mark buy it out.

That’s still in my plan…we’ll see.

I do believe though, that our land here will sustain myself easily once I can get this all off the ground. All it takes is time…and money. Time’s not a problem, the flipside to time…IS! LOL!!

This will work though. The few times that Deb and I opened the gate to sell a few plants, the produce wasn’t coming in yet, was actually a surprise to us. People responded. Then, we just couldn’t keep things going with Deb’s ordeal, but the people were calling, “We’re coming by, plus, we’ve told all our friends, BUT, the gate’s never open.”

I had to tell them that Deb was having a few problems, but eventually we’d be open again. They all were very understanding, and promised to keep checking back with us, and some still are.
So, I know this will work for me, but just take a little time. I love doing it, and Deb did too. It was going to be our little niche together.

We had been raised around farming, and agriculture in general, as children growing up, and as we’d grown older, we realized that we’d like to be doing some of the very same things when we… “check-out” from this world! Deb did…I’d like to do the same thing when it’s my time!

You guys take care, and God Bless! Please…keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

Well, as you’ve seen, I’ve been kind of on a tirade in regards to the fraud in the government programs, and the IRS. I’m sorry, but in today’s economy I find such wastefulness and complete unconcern by our elected leaders appalling! This statement being true in good times, or bad. Why…because it’s OUR money!

Here we are, the taxpayers or the funders of our Country’s economic system, faced with tremendous challenges of keeping our own family’s fed, a roof over our heads, and all the other costs we incur in our daily lives.

Yet, our elected officials have decided that what we do…is still not enough. Take, take, take from the producers to give to the non-producers, and even ILLEGALS, and further burden us with such total incompetency to even be accountable for the money’s we give them?? What have we come to at this point in our Country?

But, let’s change gears again and get back more on topic of what our site is about…gardening, canning, sharing a recipe or two, and just kinda having a good time. Jerking each other’s chains, and hopefully, many times you guys leaving with a smile on your face! I know through your e-mails you sure put one on our faces! Thanks!

I’ve got a meeting first thing this morning, so I’ll be short winded. Yeah, yeah, I know that’s hard to believe, BUT, I am capable of that…in a pinch! LOL! We’ll see though, won’t we?

Our first video is of the greenhouse again, and ole Deb pickin a few cucumbers. They’re Japanese cucumbers, which we’d never grown before, shoot, I might as well own up that I’d never even heard of them before!

But, we both love the taste, and even when they become very large they still are tender. Most times though we make pickles out of the larger ones. Same with our squash. If you’ve never eaten them, squash pickles are very, very good, and I personally prefer them over cucumber pickles anymore.

Here’s the video…

Ole Deb’s looking pretty good, huh? Honestly though, she’s doing good! The Good Lord smiles on my Deb, doesn’t he? Good night, we are so blessed!

The other video is of our juicing. We’d done a video of this before, but we felt it appropriate to show once more. This, juicing, is one thing we think ALL you guys need to at least consider.

Again, although Deb was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer 13 months ago, every blood test we do comes back perfect. She’s aced every one of them! We do another next week.

Anyway, several of our friends and family are now juicing, even some of our fellow YouTubers, and every bit of feedback we get all praise the benefits they’re seein from the juicing!

All speak of the energy they now have, and how well they feel as a whole. Most all speak of weight loss they’re experiencing as well. Personally, I’ve lost 50 pounds. Talk about feeling better, Phew, I’m like a new man!

I tell Deb I feel like the 6 million dollar man, and she says I ought too…that’s about what the juice has cost us! LOL!!

Juicing, when you juice the quantity and variety that we do each morning is fairly expensive. Actually when we started out it was costing about 100 bucks a week, and recently went to about 160-180 bucks a week. No kidding.

But, Deb’s health can have no cost put on it, and this is the reason for our greenhouse…year round vegetables in a climate controlled area. We of course, supplement our juicing with our other gardens as well.

A couple reasons for this…first off the cost of food today. I know you guys are all seeing this firsthand!

The second is the AMOUNT of fruits and veggies we juice each morning. The reason is because in Deb’s regard, we’re trying to build…a SUPER immune system, and we feel this is exactly what we are doing. It’s working for us.

Now juicing is not the only treatment she’s decided upon with her alternative cancer treatment, BUT, it is one of THE major players.

Our point though is that we feel juicing is so beneficial, you guys may just want to give it a try, healthy or not!

You would not have to juice anywhere near what Deb and I do, again, we do so many for a reason. But, research your fruits and veggies, see for yourself the nutritional value of each, then juice the ones you feel would benefit YOU, the most!

Here’s the video…

As you can see, Deb was having a little problem. Our juicer is beginning to…get tired. That dern thing is a workhorse though, and has been doing just what you just witnessed for over a year now! Plus, we’ll pick enough oranges, tangerines and grapefruit to juice about 4 gallons at a time…on top of what you see we do daily.

So, we love the type of juicer we use, and are very, very satisfied with the job it does, and the longevity of the machine.

By the way, there’s a brand new one under the stairway, still in the box. We’re going to order a new cutter blade though, and we both feel that will make our old one just like brand new. It has, we know, become dull from all the use it’s gotten!

We’d by this brand again, and again, and…well, you get the message!

Well, I’ve got to run!

You guys have a great day, and God bless! Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

As you see by today’s title, Deb’s Garden, then it has to be obvious to you all just exactly who wears the britches in this household…and it ain’t me! Basically I’m just “the hired help,” and also she claims on her tax return that I’m…sub-contract labor.

By this she has no tax liability on my account, but this in itself, ALMOST throws me in another tax bracket in regards to my taxes. But by her only paying me $3.50 a day, no not per hour, but a day, I just barely stay under going into another tax bracket.

Her philosophy to me is simply, “Look Dub, I’m really doin you a favor here. If I paid you more, you’d end up paying more taxes, right? On top of this, I keep a roof over your head, let you borrow my vehicle IF, you need to go to town, and I cook your meals and wash your dern clothes. Ya got a pretty good thing going on here, so my advice to you is very simple…DON”T MESS UP A GOOD THING! Comprende?? I thought you might…cause I KNOW the judge would!”

Hence…IT IS, Deb’s garden, on top of everything else around here too! Marriage…isn’t it grand?? LOL!

The garden is doing very well, and my only complaint so far is…where’s the dern rain? Good night it’s been dry. Our pond is about 8 feet below where it should be, and may possibly be 10 feet. I believe it’s the lowest I’ve seen it before.

You know, I just got to thinkin, everything else around here is Deb’s to hear her tell it, so I wonder if she’s gone and took the water outta the pond too? I sure wouldn’t put it past her!

No, the greenhouse is doing great, the grow areas around the greenhouse are doing fine, and in our garden out in front of the house, what we’ve got in there so far, is doing good too! We’re blessed in all sorts of ways. The Good Lord does provide!

Well, here’s a few pictures for you guys to let you in on what’s going on…

Okay, this first picture is of, left to right, sweet peppers, squash (lemon and straight-neck), onions, and cucumbers. We’re getting squash pretty much daily now, and I’ll probably put up some squash pickles this weekend, or the first of the week. We’ve also been eatin some onions out of…Deb’s garden! LOL!

The next picture is of our tomatoes. If you notice, we cut the suckers and lower limbs off. Thanks for the tip Miz Sandy and Mr. Bill, from Mobile!

Inside the greenhouse now, check out our beets comin up between our okra sets. Beets are really, really good for you! Ours aren’t quite ready, but, they’re getting there! We planted Bulls Blood, Detroit Dark Red, Lutz Salad, and Golden.

Check out the height of those volunteer tomatoes. A couple are now bumpin the top of the greenhouse at the low end.

There’s the cucumbers. They’re the Japanese cucumbers. They get 22-26 inches long, but thin. We love the taste, and they’re supposed to be excellent pickling cucumbers…we’ll soon see! If you look closely, you can see some hanging off the vines. We’re fixing to have to tie more string across the rafters and let them run towards the center of the greenhouse.

There’s a close-up showing the cucumbers.

From left to right, watermelons, squash (crook and straight-neck) eggplants, and far left is hot peppers.

Another view of our tomatoes, again Sandy, we removed the suckers. And lower limbs. The cows ate good! I believe they’d of enjoyed us just pullin the whole dern plants up and chunkin em over the fence to them!

The missing spaces, a row and a half, will have black tomatoes planted in them by next week.

Here’s the garden out front, we’re planting a little as we go out there. Got irrigation to it too, now! YES!! The pictures out here were a little fuzzy, but you can see what we’ve done. Check out that water runnin!

This is a partial row of tomatoes, with eggplants finishing the row on the left, then squash and peppers in the right-hand row.

This is two full rows of tomatoes.

Last is a picture of the greenhouse from the other garden…

We hope you guys enjoyed the photos!

Please take care, and God Bless. I’m relaying a message from Deb for you to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

This is Dub…from Deb’s garden, out!

Dub and Deb

The wind though blew the squash around pretty good. We lost two, just broke em off at the ground, but surprisingly we have maybe 3-4 more that need a couple broken stems cut out, and I believe the rest weathered pretty well.

Watching those things blow around brought back memories of my killing those 50 + plants to get our growin season off to a great start! LOL!

I was talking to our good friends, Bill and Sandy, from Mobile Alabama, who by the way are… “Auburn Tiger” fans (hee-hee-hee Sandy), and she’d sent us some pictures of what’s goin on gardenin wise up in their “neck of the woods.”

Their garden was looking great, and I believe Sandy said they’d just brought in 50# of potatoes! They, like us, love piddlin around in a garden.

Both these guys have green thumbs. The proof in the pudding of their having green thumbs was evidenced to me last year. I called them in January, it was about 15 degrees out up there and I ask, “Sandy, where’s Bill?” Her answer, “Oh…he’s out in the garden pickin some tomatoes.”

“???? 15 degrees and Bill’s in the garden picking fresh tomatoes???”

Sandy’s like, “Yeah, he’s been a little disappointed with em though…he don’t think they’ve done quite right.”

“Okay…”

I have to tell you guys, although I hate to, they’re actually Alabama Crimson Tide fans. Gotcha Sandy! Roll Tide!

Anyway, I’ve got about three videos for you guys to look at if you’d like. One is our other garden we’d just prepped for planting, and one is of the greenhouse and grow area. Honestly, all these plants are doing well. We’re pleased.

The last video, which in reality will be the first was sent to us by a friend, this being Wayne, from Alma, Georgia.

Wayne’s a sport-model in his own right, and that scoundrel grows some great blueberries, but he’s pretty stingy with the dern things.

L:ast year as an example he told Debbie and I he’d send us down some blueberries by my brother, and he did. TWO! When I called he told me, “Shoot, that’s one apiece!” LOL!

Here Wayne’s video…

Not a bad idea actually, huh? If I still drank, I’d be takin a ride up to Ace Hardware!

The next is of our garden are we just prepped, followed by the grow area. Hope you enjoy them!

You guys all have a great day, and God Bless! Deb’s hollerin for ya’ll to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

So far, so good with the garden. After getting off to a flying start this year by immediately killing about 50 +plants, we’re going along pretty good now.

If you didn’t know, well, we’d put up a greenhouse, and started most of our plants from seed. We wanted to use all heirloom varieties mainly on account of Deb’s juicing, or, our juicing. By doing so we’d have no genetically altered seeds, but in essence, basically the food God provided for us, and in Deb’s regard we felt this vital.

Quickly, while going through a Sports Illustrated” the other day, I read something that floored me, really. There was a little write up on cancer, and it claimed that in the US, 1 out of every 2 men would contract cancer in their lifetime. ONE out of every TWO! Half!

I found that just incredible?? What’s up with that?

In women’s regard…1 out of every 3. Still, 33% of women in the US today will contract cancer. Why is becoming so rampant? Is this our diets? Is it from most produce today being genetically altered? Is it what is being applied to the crops for insect control?

How about our poultry? You guys taken a look at the size of chickens lately? Hard to find a small fryer these days, or have you noticed? Is this from growth hormones? I don’t know, but I am asking…help me out somebody.

Anyway, as a whole, we’re just trying to eat a little healthier, but I did find those numbers literally staggering!

Back to my killing our first plants…we didn’t have any idea that if you’d started them from seed in a greenhouse, you had to harden them up prior to setting them in the garden in full sun. This is just setting them out in the sun for a few hours a day until they harden, or toughen up to the elements, for about a week. Once that’s done, everything works out great!

By my not knowing this, I set that first bunch straight out of the greenhouse into the garden, and killed the dern things…graveyard dead!

We have been prepping our garden out front the last couple days, and we’re pretty much ready to get started setting out some plants there now as well.

I tilled it in yesterday, both directions, and man, the soil is really looking pretty good. We’re anxious to see how it grows things off this year. We’d added cow manure and leaves over the entire garden area a couple, three months back. We let it set for about 3 weeks then tilled it in.

We then put out more oak leaves over the entire area again, and after building our grow areas around the greenhouse we put about ¾ of a semi load of compost we had leftover in it as well. This and the leaves are what I tilled in yesterday. Honestly, it’s starting to look pretty rich now.

We’ll be planting tomatoes, peppers, and okra for sure, but probably a couple other things too. We almost decided on peas too, but backed off that. We do so well with planting our peas in August, we’ll just keep planting them then!

We’ll also run irrigation to it after planting. The irrigation around the grow areas beside, and in the greenhouse, has just absolutely RUINED me. No more hose draggin if I can help it! LOL!

I’ll share some pictures of how the greenhouse is coming along, and the grow areas too. The vegetables in both are now really taking off! Everything outside when we set the plants in their hole, we added ½ teaspoon bone meal, and then filled the hole up with Jungle Growth garden soil.

Evidently it was just what the doctor ordered getting the plants started off, as again, everything looks good!

I went out earlier to check things out, plus we’d had a pretty good couple of showers, and good night, it doesn’t matter how much water you put to your plants…NOTHING works as well as rainwater! It all just looked…so alive, after the showers!

Anyway, how bout a laugh before we take a look at the garden? This comes from my sister-in-law Patricia, but just plain ole Patty to us!

God Loves Drunks Too

A man and his wife were awakened at 3:00 am by a loud pounding on the door.

“Over here on the swing,” replied the drunk.

Here’s our watermelons on the right, our squash in the center, and eggplants on the left.

Cucumbers on the right, onions to the left, squash further left, and sweet peppers on the far left. Many of the onions we grew from seed.

Our tomatoes. Some are now on their third tie.

Red-seeded Simpson on the bottom left, iceberg in the center, and Romaine up top. Okra top right, beets scattered through it, and sweet peppers.

Japanese cucumbers…headed into the rafters.

The volunteer tomatoes headed into the rafters as well.

Another view of the tomatoes in the grow area.

Melons, squash, and eggplants again.

Melons, squash and eggplants taken from upstairs porch.

We hope you guys enjoyed the pictures! Take care and God Bless! Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

Well, the greenhouse and grow area are really beginning to take shape. I got everything hoed, fertilized, and really, it’s startin to look pretty good. I guess it does anyway. Deb hasn’t complained about anything yet, so that’s always a good thing, and a pretty good gauge that you’re sittin alright in her book.

Poor ole thing. She doesn’t like to offend anyone, her bein so shy and all! LOL! That woman ain’t much bigger than a full grown skeeter, but she’ll get on me like white on rice! Whoever said that dynamite comes in small packages nailed it when it comes to her!

She reminds me of a dern ant. You guys ever watched one? Those little things CAN WORK! Then to sit back and see what they can tote, is amazing! She’s the very same. If that woman weighed 150 pounds, I swear she could take over the world if she set her mind to it. I thank the Good Lord fairly often that he made her no bigger than he did.

Anyway, you guys don’t want to hear about my troubles, do you? LOL!

We staked a few tomato plants in the greenhouse today. This was a couple rows in the middle bed. We’d already staked the ones in the beds with the volunteer tomatoes 2-3 days ago. Next week, we’ll be staking a couple three rows in the grow area.

I believe I’ve bout got that “hardening thing” down pat. The bench we made to get them out in the sun is working great, and we ran micro-jet to it as well. Man…this micro-jet has really made watering a breeze!

We’ve got over a couple hundred plants hardened off, put into 6” pots and ready to sell. Most are different varieties of tomatoes, but there are some eggplants, squash, and peppers as well. Matter of fact, this afternoon I made Deb a sign…vegetable plants for sale.

We’ll set it out by the road tomorrow and let em come in and get a few. I caught the cows in the back pasture, so I shot down there and shut the gate. This allows us to leave the main gate open for traffic to get to the house and they don’t have to jack with opening or closing a dern gate.

Once I put the cows in the back pasture, I took the sign and set it out by the road just for the heck of it. Didn’t say anything to Deb. This was about 5 in the afternoon. It wasn’t 15 minutes I’d sold 20 bucks worth of plants.

About 6:30 I went and took the sign down, turned the cows back out and locked the gate for the night. I’ll move them back in the morning, then reset the sign, and we’re open for business once again. We’re havin a ball! Deb is anyway!

An example…Deb was in the house when I’d sold that lady the plants. By the way, this lady, Fran, was really an interesting lady to speak with. She was a nurse too, so we did have a few things to talk about. The juicing, and some of Deb’s alternatives she does (no Sandy and Mississippi, NOT that one, LOL!).

Anyway, after I’d made the sale, I went inside. Deb goes, “Dub honey, everything alright?” I’m like, “Yeah, why?” She goes, “Are you sure ya don’t have anything to tell me?” I’m like, “NO, why?”

She then says, “Well, I could be mistaken, but I really don’t think I am, BUT…didn’t I hear a distinct, Cha-Ching out there in the greenhouse?” So, I coughed up the 20 bucks! I swear, women can SMELL money, can’t they? LOL!

Maybe tomorrow I can send her up town and POSSIBLY pocket me a dollar or two, huh? I doubt it though!

Well guys, I’m tired, dirty, hungry, fixin to get a shower, eat some supper…AND BROKE! So I’ll close out for now!

If you’d like to watch it, here’s a video of the greenhouse and grow area. Check it out, things are indeed movin right along!

Also, you were goin to send me some pictures last week of your garden Sandy…what’s up with that? LOL! We would love to see how its comin along though for sure!

Plus before I forget…Hey Mississippi, how’s Tennessee? We hope you, D-Lo, and all the rest of the gang are havin a great time! Enjoy yourself Sandra, you deserve it!

Here’s wishing you all the very best, and God Bless you and yours! “Ole Tightwad” says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

Ole Deb and I are planning to go to sunrise service, swing back by the house to change clothes, then headin up to my Mom and Dad’s for dinner, no not supper dinner, lunch dinner! My Mama loves to cook, and dern if her first born son…don’t love to eat!

Anway, we spend most Easter’s up there with them, and most all the family attends. You know Mama’s, if they have their kids around, especially when they’re getting to cook for them too, then they’re right in the middle of their environment! Ya gotta love them Mama’s! I know I love mine!

Well, we’ve bout finished up in the greenhouse. We have a little room left, but that will soon be taken by three more rows of tomatoes, some celery, and a few bell pepper plants. After that, it’s waitin on it to come in.

The grow area is complete, all but the row and a half we’re savin for the black tomatoes. All our squash, peppers, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, watermelons and cantaloupes are in the ground.

Good night a livin though, that dern topsoil we brought in is sproutin weeds, ALMOST as fast as Deb can talk. For those who don’t know Deb, she can bump them gums well. Actually, very, very well! LOL! So that ought to give ya a good idea as to how fast those little weeds are growin off.

That’s okay though…I got something for em! My hands, and my “hula hoe!” That’s a dirt bustin, aeratin, weed gettin, sucker. I’ll ATTEMPT to get Deb back behind that scoundrel again, but that hasn’t been workin out real well.

I take the derrn thing outta the shed, try and put it in her hands, and she takes a 9 mm. out of her back pocket…everytime! I ask her if she’d REALLY shoot me over the hula hoe, and she just grins and says, “Yeah, I’d shoot you, but not over the hula hoe.” Wonder what that means??

After that, let’s take a joke break…this from our buddy Wayne, in Alma, Georgia.

Pinocchio, Snow White, and Superman are out for a stroll in town one Day.

As they walk, they come across a sign:

“Beauty contest for the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“I am entering” said Snow White.

After half an hour she comes out and they ask her, “Well, how’d ya do?

“First Place,” said Snow White.

They continue walking and they see a sign:

“Contest for the strongest man in the world.”

“I’m entering,” says Superman.

After half an hour he returns and they ask him, “How did you make out?”

“First Place,” answers Superman. “Did you ever doubt?”

They continue walking when they see a sign:

“Contest! Who is the greatest liar in the world?”

Pinocchio enters.

After half an hour he returns with tears in his eyes.

“What happened?” they asked.

“Who the he.. is Barack Obama?” asked Pinocchio.

Okay, let’s share a few greenhouse pictures of how things are doin.

This, from left to right, are eggplants, crookneck squash, and watermelons. Look at the weeds coming up, but again, this Monday those will be…history. The new dirt must have been full of them, but, we’ll work through this and have em under control. We’d been so busy getting everything set out, these had to wait.

From left to right, sweet peppers, lemon and straight-neck squash, onions, and cucumbers…and weeds!

Our tomatoes. The left will be our black tomatoes when they’re ready to set out. In the pic, there’s 121 already out.

These are some tomatoes in the greenhouse.

Japanese cucumbers in the stands, with peas for our juice behind them, then some lettuces on the far end.

There’s our volunteer tomatoes on the left. In the middle bed are some vegetables Deb has put into 6” pots to sell. We first have to set them outside on the benches you see in the 3rd. picture from the top. This is to harden them, or get them used to the sun after being raised in the greenhouse. It takes about a week.
If you remember, I killed about 50 plants by not doing this.

Well, we once more would like to wish you all a Happy Easter. Take care, and God Bless! Deb’s hollerin for me to tell ya’ll to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

We’ve gotten about three quarters of the grow area planted. Well, two thirds anyway. I believe I counted 101 tomato plants today, in the ground. There are seven different varieties in the ground, and two more hardening off to be planted.

We then have three different black tomatoes up, that are still in seed trays. Those are the Southern Nights, the Carbons, and the Sarah Black. Deb and I have never eaten a black tomato before, so we’re really looking forward to tryin those babies out!

By the time with finish settin out tomato plants, we’ll have in the neighborhood of around 170 in the grow area. Plus probably 35-40 will be in the greenhouse.

Deb’s convinced she’ll be able to sell the heck out of em, so…we’ll see, huh? I do know she’s having a good time with this so far, AND I haven’t killed anymore plants! There is something to that hardening your plants off after all!

We planted bout a half a row of onions, just yellow and Texas Red I believe, that we brought in from our other garden. We planted 14 lemon squash, 14 straight neck, and 17 crook necks. These are all in the grow areas beside the greenhouse.

We’ll be planting 4 types of sweet peppers, and two types of hot. We have some bell peppers in a seed tray. Watermelons and cantaloupes are in the ground, and just beginning to run a little.

Inside the greenhouse…good night a livin! It’s now about 2/3 full as well. Still some little plants yet, and we just planted 4 more types of lettuce to go along with our Romaine, Iceberg, and Black-Seeded Simpson. Honestly, even as hot as it is, they’re doing pretty dern good. These fresh salads are niceeee!

We just set out our second batch of radishes, and have 3 more beet types, and 3 types of carrots that are ready to go in the ground in the greenhouse too.

The end result will be lettuces, beets, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, onions, beans, peas, eggplants, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, mustard, collards, and arugula greens. All inside.

There’s not a lot of room for some of these things, but, it’ll supply us with juice supplies daily. Some of this, some of that, toss this in, and don’t forget that. It works for us.

Combine this with the cost savings, the freshness factor, the taste factor, the nutritional factor, AND the Deb’ll be doin most of the work factor, and shoot, I’m in hog heaven! LOL!

Thios is beginning to work out very well, and we’re trying to learn or pick up on something every day. We aren’t even scratching the surface good of just knowing a little about this type of gardening, but, it looks as if it can be very productive. We’ll keep you up to date.

You guys wanna see a few pictures? You don’t?? Well, ya are anyway! LOL!

This is the tomatoes we have planted so far. From right to left…a row of Beefsteak, a row of Green Pineapple, a half a row of Homestead, with a half of Rutgers. Then a half a row of Mini-Orange, with a half of Fox Cherry. Then a half a row of Isis Candy.

You see our hardening bench on the right? It’s obvious, YOU CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

Tomatoes on the inside.

A few more.

Some of our lettuces. Onions behind them against the wall.

Our “volunteer tomatoes” that came up in our compost pile from our juicing remnants of each day. The first stake on the left is 6’. That’s radishes ready on the right front, and new radishes to the left that we just planted.

Our watermelons, and crook neck squash on the left. We planted it today.

Well guys, that’s about all that’s goin on, besides finishing up the micro-jet irrigation. That is REALLY working out too!

Let’s start headin out today with a little food for thought.

Diane sent this to us, and I thought it very well said. We better wake up my friends…evil people are taking away our freedoms and liberties. We have to start standing up for what’s right, instead of sitting on the sidelines.

“Fathom the hypocrisy of a government

must prove they are a citizen.”

Ben Stein

Thank you all for stopping back by to visit with us today. God Bless each and every one of you. God Bless America, Merry Christmas, Happy Easter, and…In God We Trust!

Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

We’ll be settin out a few plants today, more Beefsteak tomatoes, and settin cucumbers out too. Although this time we’re goin in the ground with seeds.

I know the sun scalded our first cucumber plants and Beefsteaks, but we’d set them straight out of the greenhouse into the direct sun. This, we found out…is a no-no! At first I thought it was our compost was just “too hot,” and brought in topsoil to mix and possibly “cool the compost” down some.

We found at later, through good advice from “our friends” who watch our videos that, this was probably not the problem, but once again, we just were not hardening the plants up first. Still I’m glad I added the topsoil, as this will work out good for us, too.

Here’s a comment from our good friend Bobby. Bobby lives in Virginia and is one fine gardener. He’s a heck of a great guy, husband, Father, and good Christian man. Bobby has a couple greenhouses, and he takes care of 5 large gardens on his place as well.

Here’s his comments involving “hardening” your plants prior to settin them out in full sun, after having started them in the greenhouse.

“I found out about the hardening off deal last year, first hand. I didn’t lose any plants, but they sure did look rough for a while. Being inside under plastic is just so protective they aren’t strong enough to face the elements all at once. Lots to learn, but you’re doing good.”

This from another good friend, Bernard, who I believe lives in Virginia as well. Bernard is also a “master gardener,” not just by name, but by trade.

“The sunlight the plants get in a greenhouse is different from direct sunlight. They need to be shielded from the sun and exposed a little more each day for about a week.”
The main reason tomato leaves turn white is that the plants were not hardened off before being planted in full sunlight. They curl because there is no water left in the leaf. Plants will get sunburn if they are moved from a shaded place into direct sun. When I take my plants out of my greenhouse I have to cover them or they will be sunburned even though they have been exposed to the sun. I use a tarp over a frame and expose them at little more each day for about a week and then I remove the tarp. On cloudy days I do not cover them. When bad storms are in the area I cover them to prevent damage.

If the tomato plants only lose their leaves but the stems and roots are not damaged they may put out new growth and you will just lose time, do to a later harvest.

Here’s another from a good friend as well.

“Hey Dub did you harden them off before putting them in ground, sounds like that’s the problem.”

So you see, we learned a valuable lesson, even if I had lost about 50 plants. Since we’d never grew in a greenhouse before we just had no idea. It could have been much, much worse. Have you noticed that I’m using the word WE now, even though I made the goof.

You see, if they’d have taken off and done real well, then I’d have taken all the credit, but since I goofed, I decided I’d share the goof with ole Deb. Now…it’s WE! LOL!

I cringe to even think about…what if I’d have set out plants in the whole grow area?? All of a sudden you’re talking a WHOLE lot more we could have lost. I call it a beginner’s mistake. My wife calls it…ignorance, but I’ll have to compromise a little and say we’re both right! Dad-gummit!

So, we’ll now be planting 22 Beefsteaks, and 4 varieties of melons. Yep, I’ve hardened them all off for a week. I set them on a bench we made and they get full sun until about 2 in the afternoon. At this point the greenhouse itself shades them.

The melons we’ll set are 6 Georgia Rattlesnake, 5 Jubilee’s, 4 Sugar Baby’s, and 2 cantalope’s. We have 1 more Jubilee and 1 more Sugar Baby, but they’re not quite ready to set yet. They’ll be another week or so.

We’ll probably go ahead at this point and set a few more seeds of the melons and stagger them to get a couple crops hopefully.

Tomorrow as well, we’ll start settin out more plants on the bench to start the hardening process. We’ll be putting out three varieties of eggplant, the Listada De Gandia, Ukrainian Beauty, and the Florida Market. We’ll be settin out to harden 2 types of hot peppers, and 4 types of sweet peppers, too.

The tomatoes we’ll be hardening are the Homestead, Green Pineapple, and Rutgers to go along with the Beefsteaks which will already be in the ground. The Cherry tomatoes are the Mini-Orange, Black Cherry, Reisentraube, Isis Candy, and Fox Cherry.

We’ll set at least 15, and no more than twenty plants each. I’m talkin tomatoes still. We’ll set out 6 eggplants each, and the peppers we’ll set out probably most of what we have.

We’ve got 3 types of squash, 5 types of lettuce, 2 types of spinach, 3 types of carrots, brussell sprouts, 3 types of beets, radishes, 3 types of black tomatoes, and celery in seed trays that are sprouted now. Those won’t be too awful long from being ready to go as well.

As we set each new vegetable out in the grow area, we’ll be running micro-jet for each row. I personally, like to set my row, then install the lines. This shows me exactly where to put the heads for each plant to put the water right where it’s needed. After that screw up of killin those first plants, I SURE DON’T want to tick Deb off at me again!! The “heat’s” finally easin off from that go round! LOL!

I gotta say this though, it HAS been work, and a whole lot of it. Getting the pad for the greenhouse, erecting it, digging out existing dirt and going back with good soil, building our beds, setting up where we wanted to plant what, building seed tables, racks, and now planting and installing a water system. PHEW!!

BUT, it has all been worth every minute! The benefits of what we’ll be producing from a freshness standpoint, a nutritional standpoint, and a cost saving standpoint are tremendous. The very best thing though is that Deb’s having a good time with this!

She’s bending and stooping, she’s out in the sun and fresh air, she’s learning how to set seeds, transplant them into larger pots, she’s learning the different vegetable varieties, and is loving every minute of it.

The biggest part of the work is just fixing to be over with once we get all our water system in. Then it’s to see that everything is getting what it needs, and watching everything grow off. It then becomes less of a work thing, and more of a managing thing.

This project, like most any project you start, was heavy work on the front end, but with more of a keeping everything maintained, and just keeping an eye on things from there on out. This will be bringing us both much pleasure in the years to come!

Thank you guys for droppin back in to visit with us today. We sure appreciate ya’ll doin so! Please take care, and God Bless! Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb

I know you guys are probably tired of hearing it, but that dern Deb’s a slave driver, and she’s hit her full potential of bein one too! I get through with one project and shoot she’s lined us up with another. No rest for the weary!

All joking aside, I’m happy to oblige her. I’m so happy she’s doing so well that there isn’t too much she could ask me that I wouldn’t do for her. The main one that does come to mind though, is… “Honey, can I see your credit card?” Ah, not really Deb, for some reason I just can’t seem to locate it at the moment??

Anyway, I’m very proud of her, what a woman. God surely smiles on us.

Quickly, let me thank you guys for your prayers in regards to our good friend Bob, and his wife Linda. They were well received and appreciated. You all are great. It looks as though Bob is having a rough go. Linda told us yesterday that they now think he’ll not last until Monday.

No one knows but our maker, and if it is his time, he’ll take him home when he’s ready for Bob to come home. I tell you, it still amazes me the speed this has taken place. Our prayers are with him and his family too, and thank ya’ll for yours once more!

Well, we’re still tryin to get the greenhouse squared away. I know that this pace will slow down to an extent, but good night a livin, between this, our regular chores, and everything else, PHEW, my big ole rear-end has been tired come black dark!

Honestly though we’re accomplishing quite a bit. We put down mulch in the walkways of the greenhouse, and brought a walkway all the way to the house with it. Although we didn’t take the time, or the effort to put up some type of containment for the mulch, we just had to go ahead and put it down.

Not so much in the greenhouse, although it gets really dusty in there, but the walkway to the house. We were RUINING our side porch with…black dirt! We were tracking that mess like there was no tomorrow. I’ve washed my dern feet under the water hose till I’ve bout scrubbed the bottoms off of em!

So the mulch walkway just had to happen! That, or Deb was talking bout runnin me off! It’s kinda funny to me though, that her dirty feet didn’t seem to bother her as bad as mine seemed to. She kept mumbling something about hers not being as big as mine??

We also hand dug a trench from the house to the greenhouse. We have now run our water and power lines out there. We’ve not hooked up either one as of this moment, but Elmo and I might run some tomorrow.

Our good friend Billy will connect all our outlets and fans for us. Ole Dub don’t screw with any electricity. Shoot, I really wasn’t wanting to pull the wire into our breaker box, but did anyway. That was a sight to behold, I’m sure.

My two biggest fears…electricity, and spiders! Not countin Deb of course!

We set out some cucumbers and tomatoes that we’d grew from seed. It won’t be long we’ll be setting out quite a bit more. We have radishes, romaine lettuce, onions, eggplant, tomatoes, okra, and beets growing in the greenhouse, plus fixing to fill our seed trays again.

Gonna try out Atomic Red carrots which are supposed to be high in Lycopene, a cancer preventative from what we read. Deb and I both have really become firm believers in good, healthy food. The fresher the better, hence…the greenhouse!

Well, why don’t I stop runnin off at the mouth so much, and we’ll look at a few pictures we took today. After that, let’s take a little time and crack a smile or two at some of the e-mails we’d gotten the past few days. Laughter IS the best medicine!

And…we’re off!

First off though, I’d like to share something with you guys. You may have seen this before, and it may happen all over the Country, though I’m not aware of it if it does.

Right before Easter, the pines down here start busting out with little crosses on them, some absolutely perfect. It’s where the new needles are forming, I believe. This amazes Deb and I every year!

Here’s the greenhouse after we mulched it.

The next two are some of our tomatoes we’re growing off from seed.

The last two are of our watermelons we grew off and are fixing to plant in the garden, and then our romaine lettuce and onions.

That’s some of what’s going on…now, a little humor!

These come from Diane, in Virginia. Diane as you might notice is quite the card too, and fits right into our philosophy of…ya gotta laugh! She might as well be family, and actually is considered such! We appreciate everything she sends, and sometimes turn the tables on her and send some back her way! Turn about…is fair play!

WOMEN’S REVENGE

‘Cash, check or charge?’ I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase.

As she fumbled for her wallet, I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.

‘So, do you always carry your TV remote?’ I asked.

‘No,’ she replied, ‘but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally.’

WIFE, VERSUS HUSBAND

A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.

An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position.

As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, ‘Relatives of yours?’

‘Yep,’ the wife replied, ‘in-laws.’

CREATION

A man said to his wife one day, ‘I don’t know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time…

‘The wife responded, ‘Allow me to explain…

God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!

The last today comes from our sister-in-law Patty, who is my brother’s wife…is a nut!! LOL! It’s about a lost dog, for all you pet owners out there.

Lost Dog

You guys have a great day, and God bless! Deb says for you all to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb