What's growing in the Greenhouse

My Greenhouse a dream come true..  That story and the details of the greenhouse to come later.   You know, on those cold winter nights....So for now lets just see what's growing this week.

 This is my growing area. Its faces southeast with full windows and only has 2 skylights.

My eggplants this year are producing abundantly.

  

  Everything is grown organically in plastic pots with a drip water system on timer.  Once a week I hand water to give them a good soaking right down thru the pots.   About once a month I add about 1 cup purchased organic fertilizer.  I use to make my own manure tea but the smell was too much sometimes.

 The eggplant produces beautiful flowers as well.

 Everyone's favourite.  The juicy red Tomatoes.
I have 4 different varieties.

 

  I trim older leaves and don't let them get to tall by pinching tops.  If allowed and fed enough they would turn the greenhouse into a jungle.  So keeping them smaller requires less nutrients and water.  They continue to sprout from lower branches producing more tomatoes.

  

 The humidity can be very high when the doors and windows are kept closed, but these plants just love it.  Generally because of the direction the greenhouse is facing and not many skylights it only gets highs in about 90's Fahrenheit or 30's Celsius on the worst of the hottest day. 

 

 The greenhouse is heated with a wood stove during the winter months when needed.   If its a good sunny day the stove doesn't have to be lit.  But with continued  cloudy days temperatures will drop below freezing.

 Here is a sweet pepper that will turn red later on.

 I use no insecticides.   When needed I use a mix of smashed garlic little liquid soap and water.  I have not had any bug problems now for 2 years.... I have lots of real spiders and of course these giants that guard the greenhouse.   You will also see a dried snake... 

    

 

If this guy doesn't scare the bad insects away I don't know what will. 

 Here is a regular green pepper which if left on will also turn red. 

 Last of the greenhouse dwellers, the mighty hot pepper.

 I hand pollinate all the flowers in the greenhouse with a small paint brush.  Its a lot of extra work but during those times I am making a direct connection with each individual plant.   Its like stroking a pet ,it can be very soothing .  

 

  Hope you enjoyed the tour of what's growing in the greenhouse.  I wish I could have given you the variety of all the plants and what organic fertilizer I use,  but I tend to do these blogs at such wee hours of the morning I don't have time to go around and get all the info I know I should be passing on.
This is still a very busy time of the season and I have been trying to visit all my new space friends.  I don't know how you all keep up on all this.  Its almost 3:30am and I have company coming for breakfast and more coming for dinner today........But I have found something I have a passion for and can share.....

Good Morning...Good Afternoon...Good Night...

Whatever it is to you.

Here I Am/Carrie

Me and My Camera

Since mostly what you have seen from me are my photos and I need to practice this writing business, I thought I would give you my photo credentials.
 
I have none.....  Never took a class never read a book. Just see, focus, adjust a little and shoot.


My husband gave me a fancy Pentax with a wide angle when I was 23.  I played with it a bit but mostly just used it for general picture taking.   Too costly on film and developing to play around with.   Gave my Pentax away to a new aspiring photographer when I bought my digital.  I had used that camera for 20 years.


In 2004 halfway thru our east coast trip I bought my first digital camera.   We were staying the night in the Walmart parking lot in our motor home (cheap way to travel) so I had lots of time to really check the cameras out.  I had read a few consumer guide blurbs so kind of new what to look for but not expensive.


I purchased an Olympus CAMEDIA  D-535  3.2 megapixel with 3X Optical zoom, Seamless 12X with Optical and Digital.  I am just reading off the lenses AF Zoom 5.8-17.4mm.  Also has 2 macro setting for getting up close.  I do a lot of that.  Paid on sale about $150.00 .  Back then it was not the newest but I wanted some descent optical zoom and had to have the macro.   It is small and fits in the palm of my hand.  All my photos so far except for a couple of mushrooms were taken with this camera.
Spent all night reading and re-reading the instructions.  I always read instructions.  Nothing bugs me more then people who get fancy electronics and don't know how to use them or use the special features available.
 
So I way hooked.  Wow!!!  I could now take tons of photos.  Delete the bad ones.  Yes we all have bad ones.  Now had to do something with all the pictures.  I only had an older laptop that had been given to me.  It was already outdated from  the previous owner.  Try as I may, working with just one photo, my computer would always crash.  One day I spent 3 hours trying to get one photo printed on a card for someone.   So it was always back to Walmart to get a photo CD made and print what I wanted.  Still couldn't share.


Finally June 2007 I made my first purchase of a new computer.   Always had free used ones. Went from Dos to Windows 95 to Vista.  Having come from Windows 95, Vista is amazing to me.  And of course I read all the computer magazine consumer stuff so I knew what to look for.  Wow a computer I could work with all my photos and a printer so I could print them.
  
Right away I started learning how to use the new photo program I got free with the printer.  Again nothing fancy.  But when I learned how to layer pictures to produce collages I started having fun.  Putting peoples faces in flowers and sending personal cards.  I call them Blooming Heads.
 
Yes I am ready for a much better camera, but the prices have to drop a bit more.  Would love to get a digital that did what my old Pentax did.   I am still very limited with what I have.  I need something that takes a big zoom.  I see so much wildlife but when I zoom in with my little camera it becomes blurred.
 
Well enough practising writing back to Photos

Wishing Everyone a
Good Morning…  Good Afternoon… Good Night…

from

Here I Am/Carrie

Fall is in the Air

Wow what a beautiful week. The colours are slowing creeping in. It has been blue sky's, warm days and freezing night. Yes the frost has been hitting hard the last few night.

This weeks harvest dug a few carrots, onions and more potatoes.

Picked and dried stinging nettles for Tea. Great iron tonic.
I mix it with wild peppermint.

I have a screened room on my greenhouse where I dry all my herbs.

Watchful Eyes of my Wildflower

So ends my 1st photo blog…
Wishing everyone a
Good Morning… Good Afternoon… Good Night…
What ever it is to you…

Photos & Words
by
Here I Am/Carrie