Time To Plant For Fall, Unique Ideas For You?

    We have heard about a lot of people getting those fall gardens in the ground this week. The end of September is a good planting time in Florida. Turn the soil, plant shallow, water, and add mulch once the sprouts come up. It really doesn't matter what you plant. Gardening is just fun to try.
   Andy Palmer is having fun growing some peppers and tomatoes from seeds. He said that he has just been saving the seeds from peppers he has bought and dried them out. He said that the sprouting number has been very good. Tomatoes, too, are doing well. Sounds like a pizza garden to us.
   Katie Conn Chesser shared a picture of some of her garden friends. A pretty pair of chickens call her place home and have free range. Some folks count on chickens to be natural pest control. We remember our chickens being a bit heavy-handed with some of the flowers, but fencing can help that issue.
   Leah Fisher shared some lovely photos of her outer space-looking cactus plants. Her Starfish Cactus (Stapelia Gigantea) and her Lifesaver Cactus are really beautiful. These succulents are very drought tolerant and can really take the summer heat.
   Leah got her cactus starts from her grandmother. She gave Leah the first Star Fish clipping many years ago, and Leah said she is glad to share a clipping, too. A few weeks ago, she was visiting some friends and noticed their Life Saver cactus. She thought they were playing a joke on her by gluing lifesavers to the plant because it looks so real. Also, the bloom around the lifesaver looks so much like the starfish cactus.
   We really enjoyed seeing these unique and wild-looking plants. You just never know what you can grow if you try. Keep trying everyone, don't get discouraged. Success is right around the corner.
   Grow what you can, and share with friends who are getting started. Once again, my thanks for the beautiful garden pictures you all share; keep them coming. Please send us pictures of your garden, critters, blooming plants, vegetables, fruits, and garden projects to hollynewby1@aol.com or mail them to P.O. Box 1099, Umatilla, FL 32784. We love to share the fun in the garden with others. Keep growing…