Morning Glory Family

The Morning Glory Family of seeds is more than just beautiful morning glory flowers. This week we will look at them all and learn a bit about them.

Morning Glory Family - 5/27-6/2/2024

Monday, May 27, 2024

The fog was so thick this morning.

Happy Memorial Day and is it hot where you live? It feels like we live in a very hot, wet oven. When we woke up early this morning, there was thick fog. It didn't burn off until after 9am.

We ordered some tasty ribs.

This is about half of the brisket. I forgot to take a photos before David started cutting it.

This is about half of the brisket. I forgot to take a photo before David started cutting it.

We got brisket and ribs from a friend of David's who smokes them. It cost us $170 but they are good. Matt came over for lunch and the three of us watched war movies. It is supposed to rain a lot but I don't think it will at all. Matt went home. It is now 7pm. The day flew by and tomorrow it is back to pulling and mailing orders. There are a lot of them. Thank you to everyone who has been ordering from us this weekend. Our sale ends tomorrow so hurry and get your order in to save 25% on seeds when you spend $25.

Morning Glory Family

Here is a newly planted sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are members of the Morning Glory family.

Hey there, green thumb! Are you ready to dive into the world of the Convolvulaceae family of plants, also known as the morning glory family of plants? This fascinating group of plants is as diverse as it is beautiful, and it includes everything from vibrant flowers to nutritious veggies.

The Morning Glory Family consists of over 1,600 plant species. They include these more popular plants:

Bindweed
Four O'Clock Flower aka Jalapa
Moonflower
Morning Glory
Sweet Potato
Water Spinach (sold in Asian specialty stores)

If you're new to gardening or just looking to expand your plant knowledge, this guide's tailored just for you. We'll break down what plants belong to this incredible family, how to grow and care for them, along with some handy tips on what you can do with them right from your backyard!

First off, let's clarify what we're dealing with. The Convolvulaceae family, also commonly known as the morning glory plant family, includes more than 1,600 species of mostly vines, although you'll also find trees, shrubs, and herbs among its members.

Key members of this family include the well-loved morning glory vines (Ipomoea) with their characteristic, vibrant, trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom early in the morning, and the versatile sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), a member of the sweet potato plant family segment of the Convolvulaceae.

Additionally, this family includes the silverbush Morning Glory (Convolvulus cneorum) and the exotic moonflower (Ipomoea alba), which blooms at night, adding a mysterious allure to the garden.

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Look at this huge grasshopper on the kitchen window taken by Matt.

It is Tuesday morning already. I had another rough night and woke up again just before 6am. Right after that, the dogs started barking a lot. Someone came in the house. It was Matt. David asked him to pick up an early breakfast for us. So he put it on the island and went outside to feed the animals. He is such a good son.

Ethel barfed in the night. Fun times. It is 77° and slightly foggy, not as thick as yesterday.

Today is the final day of our Memorial Day sale where you can save 25% if you spend at least $25. Last week, I sent out an email letting our subscribers know about the sale. Eleven people unsubscribed and 18 emails bounced so they are fake emails. Why would you sign up for emails and then unsubscribe or put a fake email in? We don't send emails very often. Only half of the emails were even opened. So close to 3,000 who signed up did not bother to open it to know about saving a lot of money. They will be the ones to complain about the prices later in the season. Right now, a lot of seeds are just $2.75 before the sale. I guess that is life in this crazy, electronic age.

We have so many orders to pull and fill today. I think it will take us all week to complete and I have jury duty this Friday.

The grasshoppers were here, in various sizes from tiny to big, back in 2019. Since then we had not seen them until this season. They are everywhere, all over the garden areas plus in the grass and on my windows!

The wind picked up around 4pm and the air got a bit cooler.

We worked until about 8pm and came in the house for a lovely surprise. Turns out Pamela's tummy is upset. She peed and made number two all over the den. I should have come in sooner. So I had the lovely task of cleaning it all up. Then I made some rice to go with the brisket. Around 9pm, we started getting thunder and by 10pm, it was pouring.

Morning Glory Family

Bindweed has funnel-shaped blossoms, usually colored white or pale pink with a lighter or darker pink flush. Each flower displays five slightly hooded petals and a yellow center.

Growing plants from the Convolvulaceae family is exciting and rewarding. These plants generally love the sun, so you'll want to choose a sunny spot in your garden.

When planting, ensure your soil is well-draining. You can improve your soil's quality by incorporating some compost or other organic matter, which will help keep it fertile and aerated.

Watering is crucial, especially when the plants are young and getting established. Aim to keep the soil moist but not soggy, as overwatering can lead to root diseases such as root rot.

Most morning glory family plants are climbers, so providing a structure like a trellis or a fence will give them the support they need to grow beautifully and healthily.

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Good morning. I was eating scrambled eggs when David informed me that Pamela did number two all over the guest bed and all over the living room. More fun times. The washer is going and I cleaned up the carpets. David and I gave the puppies some rib bones on Monday. Apparently, that upset Pamela's tummy but not Sue Ellen's.

Matt harvested a lot of tomatoes yesterday so I need to process them today. They are beautiful, especially after not getting tomatoes for the last two years. They are just delicious but there are too many to eat fresh. We have given some away but we need to freeze and enjoy them like homesteaders do. David always wants to give all of them away or sell them. Whenever we have fresh produce, no one comes to buy it. When it has gone bad, then they show up.

I spent the day until 6:30pm filling orders and getting them mailed out. Then I went in and got ready to watch two hours of new Gordon Ramsay shows.

We were once again supposed to get rain but did not.

Our pregnant bunny had her babies. There was one dead one and we have not seen if there are any live ones as they are in the nest.

Morning Glory Family

The silver moonlight softly illuminates the surrounding garden, casting beautiful shadows and making the moonflower, a member of the morning glory family a show-stopper.

To encourage lush growth and blooms to the morning glory family plants, apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season and then sparingly thereafter.

Keep an eye out for pests like aphids and spider mites. These can be managed with insecticidal soaps or natural predators like ladybugs.

Regularly check for and remove any sick or infested parts of the plant to prevent the spread of pests and diseases.

Thursday, May 30, 2024

A shot of the field, chicken houses, and deck in our backyard.

Well, today has been another hot, rainless day. It got very dark this morning around 9am but no rain, just some wind. It is now 2:45pm and I am all alone in Fulfillment taking care of orders.

This morning, I watered all of my plants in the backyard. Then, I opened the store and fed the fish. Then I went back inside and started washing three baskets full of hot peppers and all sorts of tomatoes. David wanted all of the large ones boiled so the skins would pop off. I did that and then pulled the skins off of them so he can make ketchup for the first time.

I got all of the ends cut off of the rest of the tomatoes and all of the hot peppers. I was going to make salsa but David found out that today was the last day of work for one of our teen helpers. We were supposed to have a large lunch at Triple C tomorrow to celebrate birthdays and his graduation but he had to change plans quickly. We left at 11am and there were 14 for our birthday lunch.

During that time, we found out that another teen helper who has not been to work in a month so she could finish out the school year will not be coming back to work. She told us she wants a job in the culinary field. Wow. She should have told us that earlier. She will be off at a military type camp for the month of June and then she was supposed to come back to work in July. That is sad. She has been with us for almost two years and we paid her well.

So we celebrated three birthdays and a graduation. I did not take one photo. Not only did we lose the teen girl today but it was also our part time male teen's last day. So we lost two part time teens at once. We can't seem to retain many employees and we pay well. Oh well...

Then we got back to the farm and Matt had to leave at 2pm for a dental appointment in San Antonio. David is working on the computer in his office so it is just one full time employee and me out here, I am pulling orders. She is counting seeds. We have not had any customers at the farm today. The wind is blowing and it is sunny and hot, 94°. Alexa says we have a 50% chance of rain at 7pm. I totally doubt it because it usually passes us right by.

Well, we finally had one customer after 4pm and then it was back to orders.

Norton, our baby goat, is getting his horns. They are about one half inch out now. He is so cute.

Our goat yard is almost ready. We just need to put up the gate. Of course, now we have less help to do this. Also, we have no one but us to water, harvest, weed, and plant.

We are expanding our chicken run. A fence has gone up but still needs the gate. It is a non-covered run so the chickens can peck for worms and eat grass during the day. We need to put up the gate as well as cut a gate in the current covered chicken run so the chickens can run outside in their new, bigger area.

Part of the new uncovered chicken run.

Front view of the new chicken run.

Morning Glory Family

A tranquil garden scene featuring an aromatic and color-rich ensemble of Four o'clock flowers, members of the Morning Glory family.

When it comes to ornamental varieties of the morning glory family, such as the regular morning glories, harvesting is more about pruning and managing growth. This helps maintain the plant’s shape and encourages more blooms.

For edible varieties of the morning glory family, like the sweet potato, harvest time is a bit more exciting. Wait until the end of the growing season, usually marked by the first frost, and then dig around the base of the plant carefully to unearth your homegrown sweet potatoes.

Friday, May 31, 2024

Good morning! Today I have jury duty in a justice of the peace court. I did not even know there were juries there. I am not looking forward to it. All it means for me is that I will have to work tonight to make up for the waste of time I have to go through this afternoon. Yesterday, we lost two employees and there is much to be done. The one who just told us yesterday she was not coming back had previously told us that she would be back in July after not coming in for May and June. It was a shock.

Also, the other one was supposed to come every other week during the summer and he did not tell us earlier that yesterday was his last day. Neither one of them is now eligible to come and work for us again. This is why a two week notice is important. David, Matt, and I are three people and now we have to do more work than we already do, covering the others who quit without notice.

I am already doing the jobs of three people. I know, complain, complain, complain. But when you are good to your people and pay them too much, they tend to take advantage. Not sure why they want to quit. They won't find anything anywhere else that pays as much or will work with their schedules like we did, at least not out here in the country. In San Antonio, they won't find any place with the same pay that will put up with them working so few hours on the days they want. They are about to find that out as the others already have.

David's Sunflower Seeds

Here is part of the envelope we are receiving today from a mixed up customer.

I get daily emails from USPS about what they will bring each day. Today, we are getting a letter (again) addressed to David's Sunflower Seeds aka David Seeds, a company that sells salted snack sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. They actually got bought out by ConAgra. We get lots of mailed addressed to them as well as emails and phone calls. For some reason, people think that David's Garden Seeds® is the same as David Seeds.

I wonder what will be in the handwritten envelope...Will it be a request for a refund of some moldy snack? Will it be a request for free snacks because someone is having a birthday? Will it be a complaint or a suggestion for a new snack? We will find out once the mail comes. We get these almost every week.

These folks need to do their research a little better. All they need to do is type in David Seeds on a Google browser and the correct address will come up. They do not sell garden seeds so we have no idea why they keep sending stuff to us.

So Charlie in Mount Vernon, IL wants some of his favorite varieties, sweet and spicy and dill pickle, sunflower seeds to eat. Unfortunately, he sent his request to us instead of to ConAgra.

I took this photo when the rain started this morning. You can see it coming down hard.

It is now 8:20am and it is finally pouring and very windy. After two days of promises of rain, here it is. The rainstorm lasted for about ten minutes. Then it was lovely and cool. That coolness lasted for hours. Now it is 5pm and it is 92°.

At noon, a teen who just graduated from high school came for a job interview with magenta hair and three earrings in one ear. The job entails working out in the heat, weeding and harvesting and you have to have a normal color of hair, one set of earrings (if any), and her pretty nails would not have lasted out in the sand. David was willing to pay her $14 an hour if she would comply but she said no. Everyone thinks we need to accept them as they are and accept the days and hours they want.

I am sorry but if you want a job, you need to meet our requirements and work when we need you. We are hiring because we need help. We are not hiring to do you a favor. We have done that since we have moved out here but after yesterday, when we lost two different workers with no notice, we are through.

After that, I changed into nicer clothes and David took me to Pleasanton to the Precinct One Justice of the Peace Court for jury duty. There were eight chairs in the lobby so eight of us got to sit and the other eight got to stand by the wall for about 20 minutes or so. They finally opened the courtroom and we had to go in and sit on three rows of hard, wooden church pews without cushions. After about 15 minutes, they called us one by one, gave us some papers and a badge to put on and made us move to different places on those same awful, wooden benches.

The bailiff looked around and saw one man in shorts. He took him back to the judge. The judge sent him home. Then there were 15. We all sat on those fun, wooden benches, silently for an hour. No one talked to us about the glories of jury duty and how we were making a difference like they do in all of the big cities where I have been in jury duty.

After sitting there for about 20 minutes, we heard some commotion out in the lobby. Someone asked a man if he had any weapons. The man responded, shouting, "Of course I don't have any weapons. I am in court." The doors to the courtroom were then closed and I heard someone tell the man he needed to go see the judge. He said, "Whatever."

After that, the silence was horrible. Not one person said anything. My butt grew numb and I was bored out of my mind.

After an hour, a judge came out and we had to stand. He introduced himself and said he was a visiting judge and that the case had been postponed until July and that we were dismissed. Yay! I got in line to turn in my badge and my papers and then called David to come get me.

About 30 minutes later, David showed up and I was very happy to see him. I certainly hope I don't have to go through that again.

I got back to the farm and continued with orders. We had no customers today. I wonder if we will have any tomorrow.

Matt harvested another huge basket of tomatoes today. I still have not had time to process the ones from yesterday because we had to have the luncheon yesterday at the last possible moment. Anyway, the week is over except for tomorrow. The wind is blowing again and it is overcast. I need to go close the store, feed the fish and go in.

Morning Glory Family

Here are some beautiful morning glory flowers in a variety of vibrant colors.

Beyond their aesthetic appeal, several plants in the morning glory family have practical uses. The flowers of some species can be used for decorative purposes in floral arrangements, while others, like the sweet potato, are staples in the kitchen.

With sweet potatoes, you have a versatile ingredient that can be baked, boiled, fried, or mashed. It’s a nutritious addition to your diet, packed with vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants.

Remember, while morning glories are stunning, their seeds are toxic if ingested. Ensure to handle them with care and keep them away from pets and children.

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Here comes the rain!

Good Saturday morning and happy June 1st! Can you believe May is gone? I got up early and got outside to feed all of the animals before 7am. It was dark and cloudy. I opened the buildings and fed the fish. I approached the meat birds and the rabbits and got them all squared away. Then I went over to the goats. That is when I started feeling raindrops. As I was filling their trough with water, I began to get pretty wet.

By the time I finished that and made my way back over to feed the chickens, it was pouring and I was drenched. I got the chickens fed and watered and came back in the house with the rain still coming down. I got back in at 7:35am. I got all changed and, lo and behold, the rain has stopped and the sun has come out.

Matt is supposed to be here soon so we can clip all 53 of the hens' wings on one side so they cannot fly over the new fence we have put up for them. We have made a nice, new play yard that is not covered. All we need now is the gate. They will be so excited.

Matt's got the scissors and the first chicken. I actually did the first clipping. Then we let her out into the fenced in yard.

I clipped a few and then Matt took over while David caught and held some. I was surprised that David would help as he normally doesn't.

Well, Matt showed up. David, Matt, and I all went out to the chicken coop. David and Matt caught them and Matt and I took turns holding them and cutting their wings. It was much easier than I thought it would be except for the catching part...Once we clipped their wings, we put each one out into the new yard to eat the grass and have fun. They are loving it and they are going in and out with no problem as Matt cut an opening in the covered yard fence.

The white birds were very hard to get but the Easter Eggers were even harder.

Here is a Black Sex Link that wasn't too difficult. We have just 2 of them.

After being clipped, the hens are enjoying playing out in the yard with fresh green grass to much on. They are going in and out of the coop freely.

We purposely let the grass grow for the chickens. At night, they will locked away safely in their roosting area so no predators can get them.

I was drenched at the end and I am now wearing my third outfit of the day. It is now very hot out and humid. We are open with eight dozen fresh eggs and no customers yet. What is up with that?

Now I will be pulling orders and getting them ready for the mailman.

Well, it is now 1:30pm and the mailman has not yet made it, yet he came before 11am all week long this past week. Funny when the gate closes at 2pm, he doesn't make it....

Now I have to take it back. It is 1:42pm and the mailman is here so he made it. Last week, we left the farm at 2pm and passed him. About ten minutes later, he called saying he was at the gate. I had to tell him we had left so he could not pick up the mail. We are grateful when he picks up all of the outgoing orders.

Also, not one customer has come by today. So remind me again why you get upset when we are not open on Saturdays yet when we are, no one shows up. We now have 15 minutes left until we close.

I went out to check on the chickens a bit ago and most are back inside but there were a few out there amongst the blades of grass having fun. The sun has gone away and the skies are overcast again. It is 91° and per Alexa it will not rain for the rest of today.

We finished watching Gotham last night and boy Bruce Wayne leaves town for ten years. When he comes back, he is Batman. Now we know the rest of the crazy story.

Tonight's Svengoolie movie is The Tingler with Vincent Price. Now, I like Vincent Price but it seems like we saw this movie not very long ago. Not sure if we will watch it or not.

It's 2pm. The gate is closed. I am finally going in to start my free time.

We watched several Star Trek Generations episodes instead of the replay for the movie. Matt made New York strips. It was good.

Morning Glory Family

Here is a lush field of water spinach plants. They are members of the Morning Glory family.

Safety first—while many members of the Convolvulaceae family like sweet potatoes are safe and nutritious, others like the seeds of some Ipomoea species are toxic.

Always ensure that any morning glory family plant parts your pets might access are safe for them. Sweet potatoes are generally pet-friendly when cooked and given in moderation, but always double-check with your vet.

Sunday, June 2, 2024

This afternoon, I found Kitty in a harvest basket on the back deck, sunning herself. She is crazy!

Happy Sunday! I got outside early and got everyone fed before 7:35am. The chickens are so enjoying their new yard. I made scrambled eggs and found an article on Facebook about Agritourism so I clicked on it and I think we need to implement it to make money. We are certainly not getting customers to buy seeds and eggs here. There was a book so I ordered it.

We decided to try a different church today and enjoyed it. On the way home, we stopped by the UPS store in Pleasanton to mail five packages because the UPS man has not been out here at the farm in days. Honestly, I did not know the UPS store was open today but David knew. We stopped at Golden Chick and picked up lunch. Then a friend came by for some tomatoes. We went outside and picked them fresh. David is out working on orders and I am going to do some more research on this business idea.

Now it is almost 3pm and it is 95°.

I decided to go in the pool. There were about ten million bugs in there, dead, of course. I spent a long time getting them out and noticed there was some algae. I shocked it and fed the animals. It got up to 98°.

The hens are loving their outdoor space, eating grass and digging for worms. They automatically go in when it gets dark. I have not had to chase any in.

Baby Norton is getting big! He is the only one who will come up to me.

Morning Glory Family

Here you can see the natural growth of a sweet potato vine. It flourishes in a well-maintained garden with rows of fertile soil.

Keeping your morning glory family plants healthy and thriving involves regular care and monitoring. Engage with a community of gardeners or a local gardening club to share tips and experiences for best practices.

Explore using the vines of flowering members like morning glories to create natural green screens or privacy curtains on porches or balconies, adding beauty and privacy to your home.

Lastly, enjoy the journey of growing the Convolvulaceae family of plants. Whether it's for their visual beauty or the nutritious sweet potatoes, they can bring significant joy and satisfaction to any gardener's life.

So, there you have it—a complete guide to understanding, growing, and enjoying the Convolvulaceae family of plants also known as the morning glory family of plants. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting, these wonderful plants can make a lovely addition to your gardening adventures. Happy gardening!

Return from Morning Glory Family to Early Spring Varieties

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