BACK IN THE GROOVE - Garden

After several weeks of nursing tendonitis in my right elbow, I'm finally able to spend more time on the computer past buzzing email. I'm ready to get back to work.

While I've been off, I've been watching lots of YouTube, researching various stock up/ prepping methods. Again, not the SHTF kind of thing, but just being prepared for anything that comes down the road. I'll be introducing you to some of those folks in the coming weeks.

While the temps rise to the upper 90s here in the Ozarks, I'm already looking forward to fall. Not so much wanting to escape the heat but planning for winter. The FoodSaver is getting a workout and the pantry is getting an overhaul.

For now, life is about the garden. Everything got a late start because I had problems finding straw bales. I finally had to settle for some hay bales and I have to say, I am not as happy with the hay. They seem to break down faster and do not drain like the straw bales do, which creates a root rot problem.

This is a shot of my horseshoe bale garden. There are 13 bales here with five separate double-stacked tires down the center. Closer inspection of the individual components:

Brandywine tomatoes. I have each plant staked. We'll see how they do. Normally, I would have put them on the cattle panel like last year but I had a good paste tomato there and wasn't planning on doing slicing maters at all. But those bales were hay and I lost every single paste plant. I've since planted those bales with a Solar Fire... heat/ drought resistant plant that turned out to be a bush plant. I'll show those next week.

Here's a close up of one of the Brandywine loaded with blooms. I think I'm going to pluck one bloom from each cluster so the energy will produce better quality. 

I finally got to plant some herbs this year. This pot is about 95% Basil. LOL I'll be creating basil/ oil cubes, pesto cubes (both frozen) and drying basil in the dehydrator over the next few weeks. 

I'm still in the process of revamping some of the blogs but I' hope you'll hang with me as I get back on the road with this one. Lots of things to share!