Central Fl. RU

Charlie is fine today. Takes meds all the time for BP and has always had it down.

We are still waiting for AC company to install. Hope they get here before hot weather does.
They had to order outside unit and it just got there today. Seems they are all busy as I see lots of AC companies running by the house all the time. They came out and put in some old freeon just to keep us cool. BTW did you all know next year coolant that's used now will no longer be made. New stuff is very expensive. Guess who will have to pay for it. Consumers as usual. Oh well that's life.

Good weekend all.

Glad to hear Charlie is doing better.

A/C and FL must have and they companies have us over a barrow.

Jan

Present system has been in for 14 years so if new one lasts that long I won't be here to worry about that anymore. Great!!

It's daylight so got to get outside and get going. Several projects need doing.

Have a good weekend.

Bonnie

Hi, everyone.

I was reading yesterday how the citrus greening disease is threatening to wipe out a substantial amount of the citrus crop this year. Already, limes were 2 for $1 at the fruit & veggie store the other day. I almost got a case of the vapors. Orange juice may become more expensive than Dom Pérignon. I prefer champagne, anyway.

Take care.
Sylvain.

Husband just came home with 2 large tomatoes and they taste great but $1.50 ea. that's ridiculous. I'm sure I'll have a garden this winter no matter what. I'll make time for it and it will be my priority. Good thing we raise our own beef. Chicken is climbing in price also and I eat a lot of that. Maybe I had better raise some of them again also.

My youngest son has 5 in his family to feed so we give him 1/2 a cow for his freezer but his food cost is still pretty high.

Bonnie it is good that you have land and can raise your own food. With limited internet here at the house I was at the library watching this 1 1/2 hour long presentation about this new HR bill 2847, of course at the end the guy would like you to buy into his investment firm newsletter. But the stuff he was talking about is SO TRUE. Our government is printing money left and right. American and the dollar is on the verge of no longer being the reserve. Which WHEN that happens prices of everything will be so high, I don't know how we all will make ends meet.

so for those of you who like history lessons and want to hear what is going on with this HR 2847 which will take effect on July 1 2014, please listen. Just remember it is 1.5 hours long so be patient.

www.pro.stansberryresearch.com/1310PSIEANEW/PSIQ465

Jan

Limes were 2 for $1 at the fruit & veggie store a few days ago. Oh, come on! This is Florida. The citrus greening disease is killing our citrus industry, not to mention our gin and tonic and cosmopolitans. This is Florida: we can't all be at The Olive Garden, Disney World or Wal Mart. What is Florida going to do if the citrus industry dies? Tourists want lime in their drinks. Hey, I want lime in my drinks, too. If they can't get them here, they'll get them somewhere else. I won't move because of a lime shortage. It's supply and demand. If you can't supply to the demand, someone else will have the supply and the demand will go away. The times, they are-a-changing.

Worrisome.
Sylvain.

Once I get my koi pond done, and get the fish out of my pool, I'm planting a garden in it's spot. It's an above ground rectangular pool, 17 feet long, so it will give me a great spot in my mini-yard, to set up some raised bed planter boxes. Swiss chard, tomotes, etc...nothing magor, just enough that I'm not dropping cash constantly at the store. And with all the free "fish emulsion" fertilizer I can possibly use!

The citrus industry has been gone for a long time. If I remember right the 3 big back to back freezes started in 1985. We only had 10 acres in oranges but it more than paid our taxes plus kept the ag exemption on land. That's why we have cows now to have ag execmption but county is getting pretty stringent on just keeping 8 or 9 cows on 15 acres. They are taking ag away from many land owners around us that have lots more acres than we do.

Cal. will up their production of citrus and vegies if they can get water. Right now they have severe water problems.
Mary good idea. You can plant a lot in raised beds. One gal made her raised beds 3 high and got lots of produce from them.

Somebody asked me the other day if we could eat koi. I said sure can if it becomes necessary but I wouldn't really want to. What a thought.

Food for cows and chickens isn't cheap either but at least we would have good fresh food.

Jan I will listen to that HR2847 shortly. Thank you.

Jan that links not working. Will see if I can find it another way.

I've ready several articles over the past few days regarding citrus in Florida. Limes will be especially hit hard and expensive. I already bought 2 key lime small trees to try to keep what I personally use up and running. My little leman tree looked amazing, but apparently froze below the graft, so the fruit is junk. It will be pulled and replaced. Years ago I purchased an amzing book, but Tom McCubbin, called the Edible Landscape. It was amazing. I packed it away somewhere, so had to look for another copy. Found a used one on ebay for $40! Shocked at the price, but so few people know what grows in Florida (and that the planting season is almost opposite of northern states) It has month by month, and what types of fruit/veggies can handle our heat, lack of water, high humidity, and sand. It's great!

Hi, everyone.

Koi are edible. I had some in Montreal's Chinatown. They're part of the carp family: cyprinidae, imminently edible throughout the world. We had huge carp swimming in the river (4 or 5 feet long) when I was a kid. Sometimes the commercial fisherman would catch them in their nets. They made great smoked fish, but there were a lot of bones, large and small. Mom would mash it with a fork, lest we choke on a bone. Really... has anyone ever died from choking on a fish bone? I don't think so. Must be one of them there Mother's Household Legends like shooting your eye out with a BB gun and cramps while swimming after lunch.

Yes, California might take over from Florida in citrus matters if they can find the water, if the fires can stop, if El Nino stays away, if La Nina follows El Nino somewhere else and if the earthquakes don't cut California off the contiental shelf and send it the way of Atlantis. That's a lot of ifs, isn't it? Good thing I can't stomach citrus first thing in the morning.

Even more worrisome is that virus that is attacking and destroying the cacao vine, threatening the world's production of chocolate. I have had carob and chocolate it ain't. Carob is a member of the fabaceae. It will bloat you until you sing

Carob, carob, the musical fruit.
The more you eat, the more you toot.

The world is going to pot and I don't have enough wood to build an ark.

Take care,
Sylvain.

Sam's club $8.97 for a bag of limes. Counted the limes and there were 18, so even there they are fifty cents each.
;)

Asked for a lime tree for Mother's Day! I use a LOT of lemons and limes, so the heavy hint just may work!
The bananas apparently are having a very hard time though, I'm sure you've already seen the prices creeping up. There's a fungus they can't get rid of, and its killing a great deal of the world's production. They may have to switch to a different small banana, like we grown in our yards, as their main commercial banana. Not trying to be Debbie Downer, just found it interesting.
Guess we'll all be eating dandelion greens as our food source! Can't get rid of THOSE buggers! :)

I don't eat catfish cause they are too boney for me. My son wants to raise some tilapia in our canal but just like grass carp, you have to have permit from Game & Fish and prove their sterile. I think we could raise some in a pond not connected to any public body of water with a permit. Geeze you'd think we were in the middle of town. I do understand why, they don't want them taking over our chain of lakes. Soon people would be happy to catch some to eat the way things are going.

M Mary, I was wondering about bananas they keep going up and Charlie eats them like a monkey. Love them in smoothies too. Guess we had better plant some lady finger bananas but they are very cold susceptible. A neighbor down the road has a bunch of plants and she said they just let them rot. Maybe I could get a couple of plants from her.

Charlie said when he was a kid he ate dandelion greens all the time. Never tried them but do like greens coked with ham pieces.

Hope you get your lime tree for Mothers day.

With all the disease that is affecting the public food sources (whether it be produce or livestock), you almost need to try to grow your own food. I read somewhere that they are expecting a massive pork shortage due to some disease the wiped out about 1/3 of the piglet population. The year before that, everyone was talking about beef shortage.

I have an old tangerine tree that looks as if its lifespan is coming to an end and if/when that finally dies; I want to invest in one of those grafted citrus trees (or cocktail trees as I think they are called).

Shauna

My brother has bees, and the bee drop disease wiped out all of his hives. He restarted all of his colonies this year, but it was very costly, and there's no guarantee the new ones won't contract the same virus. Without bees, we have no crops anywhere!

It is a very serious issue, and I don't think our government gives 2cents about have to fix it.... It is left up to individuals to figure it out.

So get busy everyone.....LOL

Jan

Many years ago Charlies father did some grafting and created what is now known as a fruit cocktail tree. Shauna you might be interested in one of them. He just tried it for his own use and back then everybody laughed at him but it produced very well. He was another Ohio farmer when he was young.

Bees are very important Mary that's for sure. Without them we are sunk. A man trucks his bees down to Audrey's ranch here every year from Michigan. His family stays until they truck them all back up there. He gave her some jars of homey butter and boy is that good on toast.

Jan I think the folks that have even a little backyard will plant vegies soon. I know I am thinking of expanding backyard garden this winter. Raised beds will also raise quite a bit.

Hi, everyone.

I'm around, just not much time to post. Lurking, for now. BBL.

Sylvain.

Just a bit of info for those of you thinking about planting your own citrus - about 10 years ago, we had someone from the department of Ag come around checking neighborhood citrus trees for canker or whatnot. Anyway, he told us that if you are limited on space, a good way to plant citrus for the home yard is to plant four trees - they could be different types (lemon, lime, orange, etc)- in one large hole with the trunks about a foot apart (a square formation). He said they would grow fine that way and then you only have one area to worry about watering and fertilizing. We haven't tried it ourselves, but thought I'd pass it along. :)

Very interesting. I would think once grown the branches would be a tangled mess. We have tried growing naval tree and a tangerine which looks sick now. After we lost all of our grove sure was discouraging. Sure miss all the citrus that was in our area.

That is interesting information FLSunshineGal. I love lemons and limes and have very limited space.I saw at Walmart last year a combined Meyer lemon and Key lime tree, but I hem-hawed too long and it was gone. I read that no limes are grown now in the US for commercial sales now. Even in So. FL they stopped due to disease. I really miss my orange tree, we had it about 18 years before it died. I have such a small lot and love my house, but boy if I had more room, I'd be growing my own food, I'd have a cow and chickens too if I could. ;-)

I have a huge yellow grapefruit tree that has been around for as long as I can remember and it seems to be doing fine. My tangerine tree looks pathetic and I am 99% certain the blood orange tree is gone. Both of those are much younger than grapefruit. I only wish I liked yellow grapefruit! LOL

Right now Lowes has a combo pot with a lemen and key lime tree. In the past, they've had a cocktail tree, with 4 citrus grafted.

MerryMary thanks for the heads up on the Lemon and Key Lime Trees at Lows, going tomorrow.

Shauna, when they are rip I'll be glad to come down and harvest them....LOL

Yall wish me luck, I have an interview for the Hernando Master Gardener Course tomorrow at 1:30. I've been trying to get into a MG course for a very long time, 25+ years.

Jan

Great Jan! Best of luck to you!

I had asked my hubby for a key lime tree for Mother's Day, and he had a hard time finding one. The guy at the nursury told him that Lowe's, Home Depot, and Walmart have massive deals with citrus growers, so they get most of what they grow for retail sale. They always have a lot to offer. I know Home Depot carries the Cocktail mixed citrus tree too.

Thanks Merry Mary, I will be checking Lowe's out today.

And good luck to you Jan!

I went into HD last weekend looking at trees, and all my local one was carrying were starfruit and persimmon trees. They didn't have a single citrus tree in stock.

Good Luck Jan!!!!

All went well, I'm now in the Master Gardener course for Hernando Co. I start late June and it runs through mid September.....

Hurray, doing the happy gardening dance at my house.


This message was edited May 18, 2014 4:43 PM

Jan, you are or you're not in? Think you meant to say you are now in, so congrats to you! I had to read about the program it sounds like something I'd even like to do. Now you can share you new knowledge with all of us.

Congrats Jan I think that course is a great idea.

These pics are the lazer cut steel butterflies from son Jeff and wife for Mothers Day Gift. He snuck into front yard and put them around large pond while we were on the way to his house for lunch that day.

A very talented welder up Hiway 27 makes them. They will outlast me I'm sure. I have admired them for years but Jeff didn't even know it. He just figured cause I liked butterflies I would like them. They are a little over 2 feet wide and in height. Really a beautiful addition around pond.

Those sure are pretty butterflies, nice Mother's day gift, such a sweet son you have, Bonnie. ☺

sorry about that, did a quick edit and now all is correct...

Bonnie they are so beautiful, what a sweet son you are blessed with.

Jan

Other son in Cal. sent Muckers boots which are the best for garden work, youngest dgt. sloggers shoes, and oldest dgt. foot and hand scrub. Plus taken out for dinner.

Got really spoiled this Mothers Day.

Hope you didn't wear the boots to dinner! ;)

The boots are so pretty its a shame to wear them outside and crud them up. Both types of outdoor shoes will always keep my feet dry. When I wash out all ponds filtration material I am in a muddy mess so they sure will be handy.

Right now all fish are happy and appear healthy. No brag just fact.

Jeff brought a little Wakin (Wa-Keen) over for me to raise bigger. Pretty white with red markings. Reminds me got to go feed fish.

I've got insomnia again so makes me draggy during the day. Think I'll go to nappy town this afternoon.

Happy ponding all.

I've been so busy at night that come day time I can hardly stay awake, but then I've always been a night owl. Got to head to the Dr's for my thyroid, I hate starting with new doctors......

Well, today was my first day for the Master Gardener class. I had a headache when I left...lol It was a good headache. I am so thrilled to have a formal training class to go along with what I have been taught by other great gardeners.

Hope all are doing well.

Jan