Jennifer Martin's Page

I'm glad you and John are so into nature:) Sounds like you do a lot of helpful things like gardening and not killing black widows--that's impressive! Thanks again for joining this site and keep in touch! Say hello to John for me.

My gardening is bug based. I plant things that attract beneficial bugs to help control the bad bugs. I have a pond and a forest so that is very easy. I grow scarlet milkweed because it gets very bushy and feeds tons of caterpillars. Pruning plants back and making them bushy helps produce more foliage to feed more insects and helps the plant out by giving excess and not causing major harm. I had aphids all over some of my plants and the lady bugs moved in and ate them all. If you want caterpillars you should grow dill, fennel, maypops, scarlet milkweed, citrus, paw paw, and cassias. Butterfly plants that are good are bottlebrush, fire bush, cassia, zinia, tropical sage, and my favorite porter weed pink and purple. I learned years ago that if you want to grow food in Florida go to the Jamaicans and Spanish people. I grow calabaza, malanga, yautia, pidgeon peas, hot and green peppers, ginger, and cherry and roma tomatoes. Go to a spanish store and ask for yautia and malanga. These are elephant ear type plants of the xanthosoma genus. You can also buy a calabaza and grow the seeds from it. Buy pidgeon peas and grow them in pots. Use them in the landscape as bushes and small trees and harvest the peas ripe or green. The raw green peas are great cooked or raw. You can find great recipes on the internet for these foods. Find a Jamaican and find out where you can get calaloo/Jamaican spinach. This is an amaranth plant that is grown and eaten by Jamaicans and grows great in Florida as will all these plants. This time of the year malanga and yautia will start to get smaller and sickly. This is harvest time but save some to replant. I grow purple malanga because it is ornamental and yummy. Micky mouse elephant ear is a variagated variety of a crop type malanga. Buy ginger root from the store. Make sure it is clean. Plant it in pieces. After you do this do a search for pickled ginger recipe and taste somthing awsome. I eat it whem my belly does not feel so well and the antioxidents are some of the best. Start making your list now.
Back to the bushes. I grow oleander and I grow it for the caterpillars. I like pretty plants but a plant being eaten and destroyed brings life and beauty to wonderful creatures. I love oleander moths in flower garden. When my plants are destroyed I know what wonderful things are in store. Plant your caterpillar plants away from the house and the butterfly plants aroung the porch. You can sit and enjoy the butterflies and relax and inorder to see the catepillars you have to venture into the garden and explore. I don't know about you but this makes my soul very happy.
I want to pass some more on to you. Since you are going to be eating spanish food now here is a fried bread.
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 cups bread flower
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil or 3 if you make rolls.
Mix the yeast sugar and salt in the warm water and allow the yeast to set and activate for about 5 minutes. A large metal bowl is a great needing surface. Need it real well together. Let rise before use. For rolls let it rise then beat it down and let it rise again.
I am in Citrus county. About 80 miles north of Tampa on the coast. Much of the county is preserved lands. If you go to Homosassa Springs state park you can go in a large glass tank room planted in the middle of the headspring and there are manatees that you can see there. If you like to hike you should visit the Crystal River buffer preserve. It is a nine mile loop trail that goes along the coast and through lowland flood plains. Another place you should go down your way is the USF botanical garderns. They have exotic plant sales as well as a nice plant shop that you can buy some realy cool exotic species. I would like to get down your way sometime and maybe get some of those cane toads. If you need anything else let me know.

I have been trying so hard for my cassia to look good and yours is way nicer. Mine was cover with giant sulfur caterpillars this year. I mean covered.