Garden Report: 8.18.08

I haven't spent a great deal of time in the garden over the last couple weeks due to that dad burned persistent August mugginess. However, the garden's been doing just fine without me with daily rains and plenty of sunshine. Here are some pictures of the first watermelons I've ever grown from seed in my entire life.
This is a "Moon and Stars" watermelon grown from heirloom seeds. I can't recall where I got them, but they were "organic" according to the package. Below we have another kind of watermelon that I must have mixed in the soil when I was planting. I'm not very scientific about it unfortunately and I have no idea what kind this is...
...but it looks delicious and I'm pleased as punch to see them because I was starting to get pissed off at this watermelon patch taking over the yard with no watermelons on it.

I also picked this off the vine this week:
It's a butternut squash that was volunteered up from the compost from seeds we threw in there a few months back. This is the third one we've grown in our humble little garden.

We been munching down on okra purty regularly over the past few weeks too. Sometimes I just eat it raw right of the stalk. Pretty damn good! But it's even better sauted up with onions and peppers from the garden.

In other news, the back yard just got 19 Asparagus bean seedlings planted in the ground from seeds bought at the Oceanic Market in downtown Tampa:
These beans are also called "Yard Long" Beans because they get this long.





















That's about it for now, stay tuned for more exciting news from my garden!

Papaya House, Seminole Heights

It's obvious these folks like papayas, but why they kept them all in the pots is anybody's guess.

Basil, Chaya, Milk and Honey

Journeyed on down to the weird world of South of Gandy, South Tampa yesterday, where a completely different vibe emanates from the rest of the city (sorta), born of obnoxious McMansions sitting uncomfortably next to squat little 50s concrete block ranch houses built to accommodate the Airforce families in the 1950s; white and blue collars living in uneasy truce. The first place we visited down there (after Schiller's German Delicatessen, who serve up some mighty good corned beef sandwiches, and Sunshine Thrift, a requisite not only for the one dollar shirts but for the twenty five cent buttered popcorn!) was one of those 50's concrete block deals on a sunny street around the corner from the Airforce Base. A guy named John lives there and he has an organic garden project/urban farm of sorts in his yard which is more like a small jungle threatening to take over his house any day now. John wasn't there, but he had an outdoor honor system plant store set up out front. We picked out some Greek Columnar Basil (a hybrid variety that doesn't seed and is rumored to grow up to 5 feet and produce the best pesto known to man) and a Chaya plant (Mayan spinach/tree spinach) said to be high in protein, iron and calcium and mighty good in an omelette. We shoved the money in the slot.

The next stop, just a few blocks away, was a hidden 4 acre fully functioning farm complete with a dairy cow, horses, pigs, chickens, and about 200 beehives. This is the homestead of proud Florida cracker Marion Lambert, a small scale organic dairy farmer, beekeeper, and civil war enthusiast who appears to have stepped into a time warp back in the 19th century and gotten spit out smack in the middle of 21st century suburban Tampa.

Now, I know a lot of folks don't like Marion Lambert seeing as he's responsible for that giant confederate flag hoisted up at the intersection of I-4 and I-275 recently, and that's understandable. I think the flag is obnoxious myself, but I'm intrigued with the guy who put it up and his farm is one of the coolest things going around here, despite his throwback political views.
(too be continued)

what is this?

I found this growing on a vine in an alley near my house. At first I thought it was a passion fruit but after taking a bite, I noticed the flower, all white, and the shape of the leaves was wrong. It tasted a bit bland, very juicy though. What is it?