Green Sexy

Attack of the Giant Mutant Tomatoes!

What a gardening season it has been!  Here in Western New York we've had the perfect combination of sun and rain.  As a result, our garden has produced all manner of delicious vegetables, from green peppers to an especially scandalously-shaped squash! 

Our tomatoes are just starting to come into their own, from delicious little grape tomatoes to some unbelievably gargantuan and delectable tomatoes!  This one tomato was so huge that it barely fit in my hand and completely dwarfed the cd that I placed it on for scale (so I put the cd next to it to give you an idea if its prodigious size).

Check it out!

   

Grow Green Gardens!

All gardeners love to brag about their gardens (that is, unless they're having a bad growing year), and my wife and I are no exceptions!  This year we planted baby bok choy, carrots, swiss chard, mustard, spinach, various lettuces, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, green beans, fennel, basil, dill, parsley, sweet peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, raspberries, and squash.  We were pleased to get some "volunteer" veggies this year---that is, vegetables from the previous year that grew without intentional planting (they either reseeded themselves or were in our compost)!  Our "volunteers" are some more swiss chard, more parsley, more carrots, grape tomatoes, and green onions!  This year we dug out a good chunk of our front lawn right in front of our house and planted a garden there.  The foliage of the plants is aesthetically-pleasing, the vegetables are omnipresent, so you don't forget about them, and that's all the less grass to cut---yay!

Growing your own vegetables is not only emotionally satisfying, being able to see the "fruits" of your labors, but also economically beneficial.  We have saved probably hundreds of dollars in the amount of vegetables we have already and have yet to consume from our garden this summer.  Homegrown veggies are also essentially organic (granted, without the official accreditation), so no need to worry about pesticides.  Also consider the fact that you yourself are the picker of these veggies and the only transportation required to get the veggies into your house is are your legs.  No wasted fuel there!  There are also numerous health benefits to eating vegetables, from the fiber that helps clean out your pipes to the vitamins your body extracts from these yummy treats!  Also consider the fact that having a robust garden actually forces you to consume more vegetables, being that you want to eat them up before they go bad.  Having a surplus of vegetables gives you the option to can, make preserves, freeze for use in wintertime, create sauces, or even to "pay it forward", and give veggies away to friends and family!  Right now we're in high gear when it comes to giving away squash!  It's amazing how many squash one plant can put out!  Speaking of squash, take a look at this interesting specimen that grew in our garden---talk about "GREEN-SEXY"!!!!!!!!!!!!

Plant Markers: Yet Another Use for Plastic Food Containers

Today my wife and I spent some time turning over our garden and adding some of our high quality compost to it!  Then we set about the task of planting our vegetables.  Today we added some carrots, lettuce, and bok choy seeds.  We realized that we needed to mark what vegetables were planted where, so I ran into the garage and picked out a plastic McDonald's cup that we had picked off of Hamlin Beach earlier this spring.  Then I set about cutting up the cup into nice plant markers and my wife labeled each with a permanent marker.  When the need arose for more plant markers, I ran inside to the recycling corner in our kitchen and produced a plastic yogurt container, and divided it up into more plant markers. 

So, if you're a fellow gardener, consider reusing plastic food containers by converting them into plant markers---I think that's one green sexy idea, don't you?