Elizabeth's Secret Garden

  Starting plants from seed is one of the most rewarding things in gardening. Seeing a seedling push itself up through the dirt has never lost its excitement for me. Every new seedling is a victory. My first time starting most of my vegetables from seeds was in the fall. This year the vegetables are even more productive. I have had only one pest problem this year which was a cutworm hiding around the dirt of my eggplant. It was relentless as it consumed the leaves. I have found that starting plants early and keeping them in the seed greenhouse above, gives me a head start so that by the time the pests really get bad, the plants can fight back. It also makes it easier for the plant to recover while a small plant would be quickly defoliated.    This tomato seed has just reached the surface. It  took five weeks for my tomatoes to reach transplanting size (see tomato flower in right corner). A good tip is to cut toilet paper rolls in half and use it as a col...

This entry will take you on a tour of the Econ Farm which is applying sustainable practices and organic gardening techniques. As the Econ Farm strives toward self-sufficiency, its owner, Tia Meer, is using practices such as worm composting, rain barrels, chickens, organic gardening, and more to accomplish her goals. This is the essence of permaculture which means the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient.   The Econ Farm is five acres of Florida Land located on the Econlockhatchee River, between UCF and Christmas. The Econ Farm was purchased in 2003 by Tia Meer, and is used for the educational classes on topics such as organic gardening, permaculture, and sustainability. Tia Meer has a wealth of knowledge on the proper care of plants and how to use the land in a way that benefits nature as well as the grower. In this century it is becoming increasingly important to learn how to live off the land as our ancestors did. Tia shares ...

In my last entry I shared our stay at the Westgate River Ranch. http://elizabethssecretgarden.blogspot.com/2012/03/westgate-river-ranch-resort-fl.html   We had so much fun walking around the ranch and trying archery. In this entry I will share pictures of the petting farm and rodeo we attended Saturday night. Above is one of the new baby goats. They were so cute! Mama goat is looking after the kids. The horses were very calm and friendly. My sister, Andrea, was thrilled to spend time with the horses. My brother was able to lead some of the horses to the pasture. The donkeys weren’t too anxious to leave the pin. I wasn’t too eager to get near to the llamas for fear they would decide to spit! Wow! That is a big turkey. The Watusi Cattle are native to Africa. Their horns can reach up to 8 feet from tip to tip. This is not the kind of cattle you want to mess with.   Rodeo The last night of our stay was spent ...

The West Gate River Ranch has its own community in Central Florida two hours south of Orlando. The western architecture style blends right in at this authentic “Dude Ranch”. The ranch has a few options when it comes to eating. There is the Westgate Smokehouse Grill, the general store with its own deli and ice cream selection, and the Saloon which has line dancing every Friday and Saturday. The interior of the general store is western themed as well with a nice selection of necessities, food, candy, deli, and a large frozen desert selection. My brother Joshua blended right in with the cowboys! The marina offers fun for the whole family. They have boat rentals, fishing, swamp buggy rides, and airboat rides. Right beside it is the Westgate Smokehouse Grill. For those who want to go camping and have a RV, the ranch offers RV parking and tent camping as well. This is a nice strip of land to be along with the view of the river, but just beware of alligators! Golf cart...