Our neighbor keeps bees, so we always have lots around it seems. This is encouraging to me.

Feels very spring-like here today, too but we are still going down to mid-40s tonight so all the orchids and tender plants have been out basking in the sun but will have to come in tonight. Getting ready to deploy the frost cloth once more. After that it's supposed to stay warmer, with nights above 50 at least through Wednesday. Thank goodness!

You can tell here when it's going to get cold at night in winter - the sky is a much deeper blue when the humidity is low and that allows the heat to radiate away faster, and the temp to drop much more. Blue, blue sky today . .

Woe is me, I have to wait one more week to take all these pepper and tomato transplants to the school. We are expecting more cold weather, lows down into the 40's later this week! I've been schlepping them in and out of the house, seems like for weeks now along with most of the orchids . . .

My two tomatoes have been living in the earth box outside all winter and are doing just fine. No schlepping here.

Jim

Yeah, we just pulled out a dozen huge plants at the school last week, still loaded with fruit which we picked and sent about 6 gallon-size bags to the cafeteria. Delicious little yellow and red cherry tomatoes! But the plants were looking ratty, and sprawling all over. So since it is a new semester, the new classes of kids will get to plant a new bed of tomatoes next week.

I'm still harvesting from my fall planted tomatoes in the Earth Boxes too, but they're also looking pretty sad, so I think I'll be starting some new ones soon.

The only thing still alive in my Earth Box is oregano! Even my beautiful basil plants bit the dust in the cold weather!

Kudo's to you two for growing tomatoes!! I gave up on those years ago when I took some video of a blue jay eating my tomatoes, and discovered tomato hornworms---they are just too cool looking to squish, but boy they can do some damage FAST! I stick to herbs these days.

I gave up on Tomatoes here too! Groundhogs would tap them daily with their little paws until they were rip and then they ate them. Groundhogs can climb very nicely, so they are tough to keep out. Occasionally I place a potted Tomato plant over the Summer into the cage with the Orchids.
I always have Herbs in Summer growing in large containers which I place on the railing of the kitchen steps

The biggest critter problem I have is with my mangos. I'm still working on a solution.

Jim

If it's squirrels, I've got a bit of a handle on them now. You just have to patrol (and shake!) the tree first thing in the morning, and every couple of hours through the day and pick up any fruit that they drop to the ground.

Raccoons are a much harder problem - since they come at night. I had some success with spraying the fruit with hot pepper but it seems like they got used to the taste. At least they eat the whole fruit when they take one.

I should loan you my motion detector sprinkler to see if it does any good for you. I can't use it in the back yard because it gets the cat every time and she comes in very p'd off. I do use it in the front yard for my lychee tree, though. Usually the lychees are done before the mango tree really gets going.

I swore I wasn't going to do ANY gardens in this Florida house...and just stick to the orchids...
well..while unpacking some stuff, I found a box of old seeds and tossed some of them out at the patio
edge.. one of my all time favorite annuals has just started to bloom.

I'm with you, Lindsey. Aren't they gorgeous - almost like an orchid! I have several clumps of a paler yellow color going on here, too.

Pretty, Lindsey!
We overlapped, Elaine, yummy Nasturtiums!

Talking about critters in the garden? If I didn't have that cage to protect my Orchids, I could just give up! The other day I looked into the backyard and there were now four deer hanging out in our yard. It turns out they had taking up permanent residence in a small field just up the road from us and now like to visit the neighborhood for tasty treats or just taking a nap in the sun. My backyard neighbor had wrapped his young Cherry trees up to the gills or they would be toast. I hope, the Elderberry bushes I had planted last Spring survive this. I may not have protected them high enough.

Oh my, I'm not sure whether to admire them or say "uh oh" Ursula. Hope they migrate back to where they belong before summer.

Yes, we grow lots of Nasturtiums in the school garden too, and the kids get a big kick out of the idea that you can eat a flower. The seeds are nice and big, so the little kids have no trouble planting them. The kindergartners get to grow peas and beans for the same reason.

I did not realize you lived in the "woods", Ursula.

Tell me about it, Ken.

Regarding Nasturtiums, aren't also the seeds edible, as "capers"?

As to the deer, probably once there are more people outdoors in their gardens, the deer will move to less populated areas. Right now it's cold enough that everyone is staying indoors and they think it is a nice forest - with houses . ..

I have more raccoon problems in summer when it's hot and I'm not around the garden as much - leaving my scent etc. If I can remember to make a tour last thing at night, that seems to keep them at bay somewhat, too.

Use caution around the deer as rutting season is upon us and the bucks can get pretty aggressive then. We routinely have problems with the deer chasing dogs (and people) in the spring. One year DH tried to shoo a deer munching on my neighbor's roses, it was a big buck and it began advancing on Phil who, said Bon Appetite, and turned tail himself. I find it best to start using deer repellents now as the winter food supply is getting slim and they are actively looking for fresh new growth on plants. I get the best results using a combination of a spray to start with and the systemic tablets, Plant Saver, by Natura or Repellex. You definitely want to discourage them from your garden now or they will continue to munch on your foliage and teach the coming generation to do the same. Goood luck.

Ursula, I think during one of the world wars...folks did make capers from nasturtiums buds..but ( according to the all knowing Wikipedia).. They come from a plant called capparis spinosa that is found typically in Italy.
Your deer look quite content..they must be stuffed to the gills!

Ahh, thanks Lindsey! Capparis spinosa is indeed the real Caper plant.

Alice, you have a well taken point there, I really don't want them to teach their next generation to dine in my backyard!! I will look into repellents and perhaps some deer netting strategically placed.

We had a herd of deer and a flock of peacocks that decimated my vegetable garden every year. I got one of those Scare Crow rainbirds. It worked great on the deer (and me) but not at all on the peacocks.

Daisy