Lettuce in a Pot: End of Week 2

    Nothing is better than a show in progress, that in itself is a righteous reward. I have to be honest and say that within this past week I have not been as attentive to my indoor garden as I should of been. None the less, here is my update on my potted indoor plants.

Organic Eros Escarole 

    Eros escarole is one of the most pungent of escarole I have ever grown. This growth is some-what slow considering how fast they grew when I planted them in one of my raised garden beds in spring. I am going to try the "cut and come again" technique for my escarole so I can see if the leaves it reproduces are actually high in nutritional value. (Certain leafy greens should not be used with the "cut and come again" technique. Look out for a future blog post on my list of "cut and come again" leafy greens.)

Organic Giant Caesar Lettuce

    Look at the growth, it's amazingly inspiring. Giant Caesar Lettuce has to be a leafy green that I recommend and use in almost all of the salad mixes I make and eat. It is that divine to me. I have also wanted to try using this specific leafy green as "lettuce wraps", the size and width of the leaf make it the perfect candidate for such uses. I would recommend this specific lettuce for someone who is first starting out gardening, it is extremely easy to take care of and can reproduce well with the "cut and come again" technique.

Organic Gourmet European Salad Mix (Mesclun)

    Such a fast starter and producer this Mesclun is, requires minimal grooming and is a great for beginners. Mesclun usually only takes between twenty to thirty days to fully mature, which is great for people whom enjoy fresh grown salads. This particular mix will only need salad dressing to accompany it no seasoning because of the different mild flavours each leafy green being grown produces, which is an amazing healthy feat. I will be enjoying these guys fairly soon with some home made salad dressing that I will definitely have a post on for you guys to spread the recipe!

I hope this inspires you to start your own grow-log or maybe into eating healthier. Spread the word and pass on this clean feat!

Until next time, Keep it Green and Keep it Growing.


HyperSmash

Growing Lettuce Indoors for Winter: Seeds Sprouting!

    I decided to start some salad greens indoors a couple of days ago, so I can have some fresh salad greens during the Winter season. I love the taste of a fresh salad, especially when I grew each leaf from seed. With growing your own greens you are in control of the actual flavor of the end product. To me, if I let my plant mature past the average harvest date, it develops a bitter note of taste. I grew some new salad greens I haven't had the chance to try to grow before. Here are some photos of my salad greens sprouting.

Organically Gourmet European Salad Mix 

I wanted to try this mix and see what all the fuss was about it being "gourmet". The mix contains; Arugula, Tres Fin Endive, Radicchio, New Red Fire, Galactic, Red Saladbowl and Forellenschluss. I'm hoping that this was a good choice to try a new mix on a whim.

Organic Giant Caesar Lettuce 

This lettuce is a favourite of mine and I just can't stop myself from constantly growing this specific variety. If you are a salad lover and a gardener, buy these seeds from any organic distributor immediately. You will thoroughly enjoy this lettuce, especially how it can withstand any salad dressing.

Organic Eros Escarole

Anyone can tell you that if you want to make your own salad it is going to cost you a little bit. All growing your own salad costs is good soil, water and some care. Nothing beats eating the freshest greens that are rich with healthy nutrients and vitamins. Try growing salad greens sometime and maybe you'll realize that. Until next time folks, Keep it Green and Keep it Growing! 

Stay tuned for future updates of my Winter Indoor Organic Salad Greens!

HyperSmash

Morning after the storm in the Garden

      Man oh man! That storm was nuts last night! We had high winds with loads of thunder and lightning. It rained quite a bit and I'm quite certain that my garden was happy to receive Mother Nature's bountiful blessing. Plus, it was a pretty cool light show!

So I decided to check the garden pretty early to see how everything was looking, and of course there were some bugs. (But that is fairly typical with any morning after a big storm.) Everything in the garden looks amazing. I decided to take some pictures to share with you guys!

¤ Eight Ball Zucchini Squash : I love eating and growing this squash because its just so easy and flavorful. The crop grows as a little ball at the end of the flower. In the desert it usually takes 25-30 days to produce these flowers. I didn't have any problems pollinating them because of my garden ants and the garden bees that fly by to snack in my garden.

¤ Hungarian Wax Peppers: This is by far my most pepper producing plant in this year's run. I've harvested about 5 times and as you can see here, it's still producing. Lovely colors aren't they? ☻

¤ Italian Batavian Full Heart Escarole: What can I say? I'm Maltese! I grew up eating specific Italian greens because that's what my Mothers' side of the family ate on a daily basis. Plus, it's total eye candy! ♥

¤ Italian Rosalita Greens: Yet again, another Italian green. I love my greens. I love Italian things. ☻ Look at how pretty those leaves are. They get a bitter note once they mature about 2 or 3 more inches from this size.

¤ Waltham Butternut Squash: Another Winter Squash I'm starting in Summer! I'm crazy right?! I love the way this squash looks and the taste of the crop. It's just a Fall/Winter classic for any cold night. I'll eat these roasted over a fire or baked in the oven. Completely sublime!

Thank you guys for following and taking the time to appreciate my garden as much as I do. Nothing can be better for you than home-grown food. Especially food that you grew or food you and your family grew together! Until next time friends, Keep it Green and Keep it Growing!!

¤ BYE!! ¤

HyperSmash

First Garden Update!

Hey guys!
I'm gonna show you some of the stuff I was growing in direct sun! I got several fruit and veggies, some greens and even herbs that just love the sun up until the end of June beginning of July. First I'll show you a mini video tour of my garden. Then, I'll list what I'm growing in no particular order.


¤ Here's a list of what I'm growing organically ¤
-Lemon Thyme (Herb)
-Sage (Herb)
-Tuscon Rosemary (Herb)
-Thai Basil (Herb)
-Sweet Marjoram (Herb)
-Sweet Basil (Herb)
-Lemon Basil (Herb)
-Greek Oregano (Herb)
-Sugar Baby (Watermelon)
-Honeydew
-Cantaloupe
-Italian Torpedo (Onion)
-Cippolina (Onion)
-Rocket (Arugula)
-Roman Wild (Arugula)
-Black Seeded Simpson (Greens)
-Caesar Romaine (Greens)
-Carrots
-Spinach
-Red Russian (Kale)
-Vivian (Greens)
-Yellow Bell (Pepper)
-Green Bell (Pepper)
-Red Bell (Pepper)
-Sweet Banana (Pepper)
-Pimento (Pepper)
-Cubanelle (Pepper)
-Hungarian Wax (Pepper)
-Santa Fe (Pepper)
-Roma (Tomato)
-Brandywine (Tomato)
-Hawaiian (Tomato)
-German (Tomato)
-Yellow Pear (Tomato)
-Purple Cherokee (Tomato)
-Green Zebra (Tomato)
-Beefmaster (Tomato)
-Super Sweet 100 (Tomato)
-Italian Heirloom (Tomato)
-Heirloom (Tomato)

Thanks for watching and reading again guys! Remember we can change everything if we just each grow one plant or start a small garden anywhere! We can change people! Until next time.... Keep it Green and Keep it Growing!


¤ BYE!! ¤


HyperSmash

Harvesting Micro-Nutrient Rich Leafy Greens!

     Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, I'm back! This video's all about leafy greens, mainly Vivian Romaine Lettuce and Escarole. Anyone and everyone should be eating some type of green everyday! It's one of the healthiest things for you! I love these two greens because of the distinct flavor they have for my salads. They pair well together with most vinaigrette. They also do well in smoothie combinations. Well.......Here's the video! ☻


¤ About the Tip ¤
      The reason you cut 1 in - 2 in above the stalk of the greens is to promote the plant to regrow. Usually when you use this method, the greens will have several heads form. Around 2-4 from my experience.

This just goes to show, you can grow some amazing things in the desert. Remember guys, it's our choice and chance to change how we look at food. "Great things come to those who wait." I don't know about you, but I'm willing to wait for some delicious, nutritious, healthy food. Thanks for stopping by and remember....Keep it Green and Keep it Growing!
--The Desert Gardener


HyperSmash

Implementing Shade in your Desert Garden!

♥ Hey guys! My last post I mentioned something about needing shade in the desert garden. Well... I did it! I went the money saving route and chose 1/2" PVC pipe (the thick walled pipe), got some brackets to screw it into my raised garden bed, and finally had some burlap bags laying around in my garage. I unfolded the burlap so that its just one layer covering my plants. I then zip-tied the burlap to my PVC pipe structure that's screwed into my raised beds. Now, where I live the winds get up to 50 miles an hour and the structure is still sound.

 ¤ This is my biggest box. In here I have; Sugar Baby Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce, Caesar Romaine Lettuce, Escarole, French Classic Endive, Roma Arugula, Heirloom Kaleidoscope Carrots, Danver Carrots. 

  As always it's better to grow your food than buy it. It's fun, and rewarding. You can make it a family event and teach the next generation what it means to eat healthy. Until next time friends.....Keep it Green, and Keep it Growing! Bye! ☻

HyperSmash

First Garden Mini Tour!!

Here's a little tour of whats currently growing in my raised beds. See ya next time!!



HyperSmash

First (mini) Garden Update!

Hey Guys!! ☻

This is my first post, and I just wanted to share with you some pictures of my THRIVING DESERT GARDEN ♥ !!

Better Boy Tomatoes:

 I chose this breed of tomato to show you because its a juicy, red, beef master tomato that tastes amazing. This plant is only a couple of months old and should be ready for harvest around late summer, if I'm lucky it'll be earlier.

Black Cherry Tomatoes:

This breed caught my eye because of the fact that if you put them in the fridge for a while, it changes the taste of the tomato completely. Again this plant is still maturing, I will update once I get some delicious fruit. Maybe even make a video on it ☻

Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinach:

 I love spinach, but I live in the desert and found that most spinach breeds don't take to heat well. Except this one! It's been growing like no tomorrow and is about 35 days into the average 55-60 day growing cycle. I plan on growing this breed continually. 

Eight Ball Zucchini Squash:

 This is another heat resistant breed. I chose this breed because the crop is quite compact and comes in multiples. Yes, I didn't show any crop. And that's because I'll show you how to harvest these in a video. So be on the look out on my YouTube Channel! Subscribe even ☻♥!!

Lemon Basil:

 I love my basil, and I love lemons. So this was a done deal. This herb is extremely fragrant with that special hint of lemon citrus, and thrives well in the heat.

Sugar Baby Watermelon:

 This is another heat tolerant crop. I love watermelons, especially naturally sweet ones. These melons will get about 8-10 lbs. and are completely black except for one yellow spot. I cannot wait to show you guys the inside of this fruit!

Vivian Lettuce:

Heat Resistant is the key to any lettuce in the desert!! I love this breed not only for the taste, but just look at it. It's beautiful! I grew up with the notion, that you should eat with your eyes first. And wow! This takes the cake over the standard Romaine Lettuce.

That's it for the update guys! Thanks for stopping by!! Subscribe to my blog and check out my other channels! I update Instagram Daily!

Until Next Time,

Keep It Green and Keep It Growing!! ♥

HyperSmash