Lemon Tree

So dance now in this bountiful garden of the lemon tree.
For all we have left in the end are our memories.
MPCooper, Cherish the Lemon Tree

If you are still looking for a unique holiday gift, consider a lemon tree. Back in the days when I sold citrus trees, I transcribed many messages of love and a few of repentance to accompany gifts of lemon trees. The hardest messages to write were those to accompany memorial trees.

Whether it is because of their bright colors in the dead of winter, their bitter-sweet flavor, or maybe the symbolism of the tree itself, lemon trees have a place in our homes and in our hearts.

I grow Dwarf Meyer Lemon, Improved because I like the sweeter flavor of this lemon variety. It is perfect for making preserved lemons. (If you haven't tried preserved lemons, email me for the recipe. They add a delicious salty/tangy flavor to chicken and fish dishes.)

Lemon trees are easy to grow and reward you consistently with fruit in late fall and early winter. Dwarf varieties grow well in containers and can be grown indoors. This makes it possible to grow lemon trees anywhere.

A few sources for lemon trees are included at the end of this blog. If your state does not permit importation of trees from these growers, ask your local nurseries for reputable tree sources.

Growing Lemon Trees:
Here's a series of articles I wrote for ehow on growing lemon trees. A more general article on growing citrus can be found on my website, The Gourmet Gardener

Growing Lemon Trees Organically
Pruning Lemon Trees
Planting Lemon Trees

Lemon Tree Sources:

Tampa, Florida
Harris Citrus
I've been to this farm and highly recommend them for Florida buyers.

Winters, California
Four Winds Growers

Mission, Texas
RGV Nursery

Blueberries

I associate blueberries with hot summer days and the Blueberry festival in Wellborn. If you are interested in growing your own blueberries instead of picking someone elses, now is the time to prepare your soil for spring planting.
Blueberry plants are picky about drainage and soil pH. Amend your soil now to reap a better harvest this summer!
Here are links to articles I've written about planting blueberries. Have Fun!
Container Blueberry Varieties
How to Acidify Soil for Blueberries
Blueberry Plants for Northeast Florida
Diseases in Rabbiteye Blueberry Plants

Articles with Gardening Tips

If you follow our Facebook link, you know I've been writing for Demand Media these days. How-to articles are distributed to EHow and other websites. I'd like to be spending more time on my blog and website, but writing for others is paying my bills! So--here are links to a few of the articles I've written. I hope you'll find them useful.
Recommended Spacing for Dwarf Apple Trees
Organic Pest Control for Citrus
Growing Lettuce in Florida
Amending Soil in North Florida Gardens
When to Plant Winter Harvest Vegetables
The Best Fertilizer for Carrots

Fall Planting in the South East

Looking for seeds to grow in Florida and other parts of the Southeast? Try our store: Gourmet Gardener Store
It's a beautiful day in North Florida today.  Temperatures were in the 60's this morning and I don't think we've hit 90 yet.  With cooler temps comes the urge to resume gardening.  The community garden in Wellborn is plowed and ready for fall planting.  A list of what we'll be planting this weekend can be found at the end of this post.
I moved all the existing herb bowls, olive, bay, citrus, and pear trees and tidied up my concrete pool deck in order to make room for two new raised beds and a trellis in the container garden area.
With two books to finish writing before spring, I think I will let the garden in my pasture rest for the winter under a bed of straw.
Here's a list of what we are planting this fall and links to garden companies who are selling the seeds/plants.  We select our varieties using the following criteria:
-The variety must taste good and meet my family's cooking/eating preferences.
-It should withstand growing conditions in Florida
-Seeds/plants should be obtainable in the U.S.  Organics are preferred.
-It should grow well in containers/small space gardens.
Fall Planting Selections from The Gourmet Gardener:

Beans:
Bush-Blue Lake  Seeds of Change, Fin de Bagnols Seed Savers Exchange
Pole-Kentucky Wonder Hometown Seeds
Beets:Tall Top, Detroit Dark Seeds of Change
Broccoli: Raab Seeds of Change DeCicco Johnny Seeds
Carrots:Chanteney Seeds of Change, Scarlett Nantes Seeds of Change
Cucumbers:Ashley Reimer Seeds
Endive: Tres Fine Maraichere Seeds of Change
Kale:Vates Southern Exposure
Lettuce:
Crisp-Nevada Johnny Seeds
Looseleaf-Red Sails Johnny Seeds
Oakleaf-Salad Bowl Johnny Seeds
Romaine-Parris Island Cos Johnny Seeds
Onions:
Bulbing-Granex Henry Fields (Will plant in the ground.)
Bunching-White Lisbon Reimer Seeds
Shallots-French Grey Kitchen Garden Seeds
Pumpkins-Winter Luxury (Will plant in the ground.) Johnny Seeds
Spinach-Melody, Bloomsdale Urban Farmer
Strawberry-Chandler, Camarosa Peaceful Valley Garden Supply --

Some of these, such as Camarosa Strawberries, Melody Spinach and Nevada Lettuce are old favorites.  Others, such as Winter Luxury Pumpkins and Ashley Cucumbers are new to us.  If you plant them, feel free to make comments on how well they grow for you and what you think of their flavor.

Aquaponics

Ok, so most of us have seen the aquaponics project at Epcot.  Everytime I see it, I commit to starting a small tank of my own when I return home, but then I never get around to it.  Guess what?  I'm finally going to do it.

Aquaponics is an integrated system with fish and plants.  The fish provide nutrients for the plants.  The plants return the favor by filtering the water for the fish.  Shouldn't all life be so in sync?

Ok, so the system is slightly more complicated than this, but is certainly do-able for home gardeners & fish lovers.

This blog will be short on details because I'm still learning.  I'll get more specific in later blogs.

We're going to start with four 55 gallon food grade plastic barrels.  (Stay away from chemical laden black barrels.  The red and blue barrels are usually food grade.) 

Basically, we'll cut out the sides of two barrels and lay them horizontally on my plant stand.  I'll fill these with gravel and plant lettuce starts in these planters.  On the patio next to my plant stand, I'll set up a barrel, vertically, for the tilapia.  We chose tilapia because they withstand our Florida weather conditions nicely.  The tilapia barrel will contain an aquarium pump and aerator. 

Water from the tilapia barrel will pump into a barrel of gravel and red worms.  The gravel will filter out large sediment from the fish waste and the worms will feed on this waste.  Once again, WORMS RULE!!   During this stage, nitrites from the fish are converted by bacteria to nitrogen (plant food!)

From the worm/gravel barrel, the nitrogen rich water will flow into the planters.  The plants will filter the water before it flows back into the fish tank.

If any of my readers have an aquaponics system, I hope you'll answer the following questions for me:

-How is the composted material from the red worms harvested? Or does this just flow into the planters?  If so, wouldn't the worm castings clog the tubing as much as the fish waste?

-What is the most humane method of harvesting the fish?  Call me a weenie, but I just don't like killing animals.

So that's my big project for August.  I bet I'm not the only person who likes working on new projects...keeps life interesting!

For more information on growing vegetables in containers, consider purchasing my book:  Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits & Vegetables for Your Organic Garden

Seed Counts

Isn't it annoying when seed companies list their inventory in ounces instead of seed numbers?  After years of clicking through to equivalency tables,  I have taped a list of approximate seed counts to my desk.  This year, I've added a column to my list.  It tells me how many plants I need to feed a family of four.  It's so convenient!

If you'd like to do the same, print this list and get out your tape.

Number of Seeds per Ounce/Number of Plants Needed to Feed an Average Family of Four:

Beans, Bush: 50/48
Beans, Lima: 100/40-50
Beans, Pole: 100/30-40
Beets: 1280/40
Broccoli: 9,000/15
Cantaloupe: 1,000/4
Cauliflower: 9,000/8
Corn, Sweet: 150/72
Cucumber: 1,100/8
Eggplant: 6,500/4
Peas: 90/24
Peppers: 4,500/10
Pumpkin: 200/3
Spinach: 2,800/20
Squash, Summer: 300/3
Squash, Winter: 120/4-6
Tomato: 9,500/15
Watermelon: 300/4

I have many other seeds on my list.  Email if you have questions about seeds not listed. gourmetgardener@windstream.net

Note:  I've gathered these numbers from numerous seed companies over the years.  Where numbers haven't matched my personal findings, I've substituted my own calculations.  Some of my more recent sources include   Burrell Seeds ,  The Free Library,  Corbett Report,  About.com , and Hume Seeds.

 For those who like to garden organically or garden in containers, consider purchasing my book:  Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits & Vegetables for Your Organic Garden

Peeling Tomatoes

Mmmm!  I love fresh tomatoes.  My husband and I walked back from the garden yesterday evening with a 3 gallon bucket full.  No one in my family complains about the many tomato recipes I cook this time of year.  They seem to especially like rigatoni with fresh tomatoes and basil.
This dish requires peeled, but not seeded, tomatoes.  I learned to skin tomatoes from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.  It is actually pretty simple.

Step One:  Fill a pot of water deep enough to cover tomatoes and bring it to a boil.

Step Two: Gently drop in tomatoes.
Step Three: Leave tomatoes in the boiling water for 1 minute.
Step Four: Carefully Remove tomatoes from water with slotted   spoon.  
Step Five: Let cool for a few minutes. The inside of the tomatoes will be VERY hot.

Step Six: Cut a small 'V' in the top of the tomato with a sharp paring knife.

Step Seven: Grasp the 'V' and gently pull it down the side of the tomato.  The peel will slide right off.







The recipe I use for fresh tomato sauce is really simple.  The just- harvested tomatoes are the highlight of the dish.  For a family of four -- 3 big guys and me -- I peel and chop 4 pounds of fresh tomatoes.  No matter how many I prepare, it's never enough.  Add these to a skillet with 4 TB of real butter, two cloves of crushed garlic, and an onion cut in half. (When I'm feeling health conscious, I cut the butter in half and add 2 TB. olive oil.) Simmer 45 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup torn Basil in the last 5 minutes.  Discard the onion. Season with a little salt and black pepper if desired.  Add in cooked rigatoni and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. 
Recipe adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan.

 For information on growing vegetables in containers, see my book: Container Gardening for Health