Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Garden Update


I have a confession to make:  I haven't weeded the garden in over a month!  Ok, maybe longer.  I've said it.  My secret is out.  
Please, please, look beyond the weeds.  
  • The onions are doing great.  I usually don't wait until they're fully mature before I pluck one out for an omelet or salad.
  • The lettuce is about to give me it's fifth harvest.  
  • The pole beans... lots of flowers but no beans yet. I'm still waiting.  



  • I've got great looking beefsteak tomatoes on the way.



  • I don't know exactly what kind of peppers these are.  It's not what the picture on the label showed but I'm still happy with these.  They are mild and delicious.



  • The Roma tomatoes are coming along nicely.



  • The basil and lemon basil plants are doing well.  



  •  The one pepper on this plant is growing beautifully.  It should be a yellow pepper.  It's still maturing.



  • The yellow squash are prolific and delicious...  in eggs, casseroles, on salads, roasted, stir fried... they're wonderful.
  • The zucchini has slowed it's production.  I think I crowded them.



  • The string beans, that were previously vandalized by a varmint, are recuperating but the cucumbers are invading their space.  I collect the string beans.  I don't harvest them.  I collect them one by one and I'm saving each one until I can justify turning on the stove to cook them.
  • Oh, and the cucumbers?  A big zero thus far.  I crowded them.

I'm so thrilled with the results.  I haven't seen bugs or worms chewing away.  Just bees.  For fertilizer, we just put a top dressing of a few bags of organic mushroom compost (thanks to a tip from Kris at http://georgiahomegarden.blogspot.com/.)  Oh, and we limed the soil when we tilled it up.  That's it.  

And on my way back to the house, I found three big piles of this.  I did what any sensible person would do:  I scooped them up and tossed them into the compost pile.
Then grabbed my 'Liquid Fence' spray (much cheaper than a wood and wire fence) and sprayed a barrier around the garden.  Note to self: wear gloves when using this next time.  Pee-Eww.

Here's a few changes I would make next season:

  • Plant more zucchini and squash.  Maybe just the two of them in one of the beds.
  • Plant a lot more string beans.  Rows of them.
  • Give the cucumbers their own row, away from the squash.
  • Plant more peppers.
  • And insert the tomato cages correctly in the soil.  Yep, we put the cages upside down.  With the spikes pointed upward.  That's embarrassing.  
  • Plant more onions.  They're great in almost everything.
  • And use the 'Liquid Fence' a little earlier to prevent unwanted guests.
  • And create three more beds.    
I hope you enjoyed my update.
Growing things to eat can be quite the healthy addiction.  
Love from Whippoorwill Road,
"Farmer Jane"
aka: Bernadine


        

11 comments:

  1. Hi Bernadine-
    Your garden looks scrumptious! The peppers look like Eisley Peppers. Don't feel bad about the weeds, it happens to all of us (whether we like to admit it or not). To really keep a garden weed free it is a FULL TIME job, and who wants to do that. Fortunately the weeds do not affect the wonderful taste of the veggies. Your garden is truly beautiful. Have a good day. -Becka

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    1. Thanks. I'll look up photos of Eisley peppers and see if that's what I'm growing.

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  2. for not weeding, everything is doing great!

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  3. Aha! So that's what I did wrong. I crowded some of my veggies. I put three Squash in one big pot..on the patio..and at first they did alright but no more. Also..there are little nits of some sort in the soil. I've sprayed with house and garden spray..and they are still there..I guess I've lost those.
    The tomatoes are doing fine..and.. LOL we did the same thing. Put the tomato cages up side down..and you are right..it's embarrassing. Your garden is wonderful. Husband won't let me make a garden..but I'm working on him. I want at least two above ground beds at the far end of the yard...with a nice path in between...you know..so he can mow? :) I learned a lot here today...for my future garden! :)
    Hugs,
    Mona

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    1. Well, now we both know how to install tomato cages! Hahahahaaa... I hope he'll succumb to your charms and let you make a veggie garden. It's ultimately rewarding. This is my first time growing one and I'm just amazed every time I look at it. :-)

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  4. Your garden looks great. What is the liquid fence? I plant dixie hybrid squash and they are fairly compact. I put them in a 2x2 area, so in one 4x8 bed I can fit 8 plants. Sure they spill out of the bed but they are pretty manageable. Those peppers look like they might be cowhorn peppers, do the grow with lots of curves in them?

    The expansion sounds like a great idea, that is what I did this year. I keep my raised beds for single plants like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, etc. My 16 x 25 "traditional" gardening space is where I am growing my corn and soon to be growing field peas.

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    1. I'm going to post a picture of "Liquid Fence" on my next post.
      Becka said the peppers look like Eisley peppers and I've never heard of Cowhorn peppers, but they sound interesting. MIne don't really have additional curves except what's in the photos. I'll have to do some research and find my solution. Thanks for your help.

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  5. Loved your update! Everything looks so good and the main thing is that your garden veggies have a huge jump over the weeds! That's enviable in my book, LOL. Love how you're already working through improvements for next year. :)

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    1. Thanks Leigh. Yeah, I keep my poor husband busy. I like to think of myself as his muse.

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  6. Your green thumb is shinning. I only got one raised bed built thus far but I really like growing veggies much better this way. Your sharing what you will improve next season are tips that wlll be helpful for me while still building my beds. Blessings!
    Lara

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  7. Thank you. I can't take much credit as I don't fertilize or weed, as you can see. It's all in the sun, soil and rain and well, OK, I do water when it's dry.

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