A Garden Paradise...

The Island of Capri off the Amalfi Coast of Italy

Just off the coast of Napoli, Italy is a small island where the rich and famous of Europe go to vacation. Them, and the average American gardner with a ton of Marriott points to cash-in.

But the true riches of Capri aren't found in the pockets of Armani designer jeans or Luis Vuitton wallets. It doesn't take but five minutes to see that succulent produce is overly abundant on the island.
The colors are rich and plentiful. But no fruit is more prevalent than the lemon. Everywhere you turn, a lemon tree stares back at you. The lemon is without question the staple crop of Capri. Why? Well, the climate is certainly conducive to growing citrus. The average temperature in the winter doesn't dip below 50 F degrees. And, when you are the world's main producer of limoncello, it's probably a safe bet that you need to be growing a lot of lemons.Aside from the lemons, Capri locals are devoted to growing a lot of other amazing veggies and fruits. Just from what I saw in a couple days, artichokes, tomatoes, oranges, olives, and asparagus are just a few of the Capri cash crops. These home farmers are meticulous in maintaining their beautiful gardens. And they do it without the help of a garden center or Home Depot. Everything is planted in perfect rows and supported by fences and posts built from limbs and vines of the local trees.I could only dream of having the land, rich soil, climate, and knowledge these Italians have for growing bountiful and delicious vegetables.

Where The Buffalo Roam

Floating Down The Snake River In Grand Teton National Park

The farmer surprised his better half with a trip to Wyoming for her birthday/Bar exam completion. We've spent the weekend visiting a couple of our nation's beautiful national parks. Part of our visit included a float trip on the Snake River. During our venture, our guide explained the settlement of the Jackson Hole valley back in the 1800s. The big industry of the time was fur trading....more specifically beaver pelts. But the folks who didn't fare so well (and still do not) were farmers. Two main reasons for the lack of good agriculture in this area: it's an arid climate in the summertime and there are only 60 frost-free days each year. That gives you about two whole months to grow anything....and that's not much.

The only thing that is prevalent around here is sagebrush, which is pretty useless. Not even the native bison will eat that garbage.

So if you move here, don't plan on much of a home garden unless you plan on building a greenhouse.

"Excuse me, can a bison get a homegrown tomato around here?"

Seriously? What Could Grow In This Heat?

I see Cacti. Any Cucumbers?

Ever been to Arizona in July? Wow. Forget the, "It's a dry heat"argument. It's like sticking your head in the oven out here. So how in the world can anything grow in this arid climate? And with this heat, I'm guessing the growing and harvesting season happens a lot earlier in the year.

Well I found someone who seems to have found the right equation. Tomatoes, eggplant, corn, and......wait.....is that an artichoke? Oh man, I'm super envious. I would love to grow artichokes. Anyway, check out his blog...especially you folks living back in Nuevo Mexico. The Desert Garden

That Is Culinary Heaven, Right There

By the way, it's 75 and raining at home in Virginia. Very nice.