There's something in my garden!
Aug 22, 2014 18:14:52 GMT -5
Janene, simplynaturalfarm, and 10 more like this
Post by Lannie on Aug 22, 2014 18:14:52 GMT -5
Actual, live, producing, veggie plants! This is the first summer in YEARS that I've been able to harvest more than a few tomatoes (I'm talking a HANDFUL of tomatoes, not even enough to can a couple of jars worth).
We put up some snow fencing around the inside of the garden this spring, to leave the hedge outside for the chickens to access. That's why they kept breaking into the garden before - they wanted the shade and dirt of the lilacs, and the veggies were a nice bonus for them.
I did lose some beans to "something" (a disease I think, not a pest) and the cabbage moths have destroyed my cabbages, kale, and brussels sprouts, in spite of all my efforts, so next time, we're going to have to make some sort of physical barrier with row cover or very fine netting to keep the blasted things off of them. But other than that, everything is going great, so I thought I'd post some pictures.
This garden wouldn't exist without Rich's most strenuous labor, keeping it weeded and tended this last month while I've been preoccupied with Bandit & Oggie. He's done SUCH a good job out there, and because of him, we'll have plenty of jars on the shelf for winter.
Here are the tomatoes (not all of them would fit in the picture, but this is most of them). Rich has already come up with a plan for next year and beyond to hold these monsters relatively upright. They laughed at my tomato cages! These, by the way, are the giant Amish Paste tomatoes (descendents of some seeds I got from Karen several years ago). I quit growing every other kind because these are so hardy and produce so well. Yes, these are ALSO the tomatoes that were "killed" in the bad storms we had shortly after I planted them out in June. You can see they recovered well.
They're still green at the moment, but I see a few that are just starting to blush pink, so very soon I'm going to be busy canning tomatoes.
These freaking summer squash plants are chest high on me! This picture doesn't do justice to their sheer size. There are THREE yellow squash plants there. I've only had plants like this once before in the 10 years I've been gardening here. I think they liked the compost we layered on the planting beds. I'm just starting to get a few squash out of here, and we're having some with our chicken tonight for dinner.
And THIS! This is my butternut squash patch. There are (I think) 7 plants there. It's beyond description - I've NEVER seen winter squash this big, tall, and spreading. It's seriously going to take over the garden! Rich said if all the little baby squashes in there grow up to be big squashes, I'm going to need 12 more cases of quart canning jars! LOL!
Here's some cowpeas on the left, and peppers on the right. Jalapenos and California Wonder peppers. Both of the peppers are producing heavily at the moment (some of the pepper pots didn't make it into the picture). The peas still have a way to go. Hopefully, I can get enough peas off these plants to dry the seeds and plant a PROPER patch next year so that I'll have enough to dry and put away for us to actually eat! LOL!
And my melons! I'm canning melons this year, so we can enjoy them throughout the winter. We just can't grow good (sweet) fruit here at all, but the melons are going crazy, and I'm going to need another dozen cases of jars just to can all of them! (Rich marked out a couple that were in the picture, but hard to see because they're still green, but there are TONS of melons on these plants.)
My lettuce, in the foreground, that I didn't have time to pick, and now it's bolted. sigh... Oh, well, the horses will like it, and maybe the cows. I'm going to plant more this weekend and see if I can get a second crop. Next to it is my last 6 dill plants (my last 6 SEEDS!) that I'm growing for seeds. I like to have a big dill patch every year, because we use so much of it. Behind the lettuce is the sweet onion patch and they're almost ready to harvest, then the bunching onions and brussels sprouts, and the cabbage, which is all bug-eaten now. I guess you can't see the sorry cabbage in this picture - it's behind that ginormous catnip plant.
And this is just a nice picture, looking across the garden from near the back fence. In the foreground of this picture are some more green beans (that didn't catch a disease), my rutabagas, which are looking ready to harvest, and the cucumbers, which have already given me about 40 or 50 pounds (which is why I was so busy yesterday).
Rich calls this the Secret Garden, because it's tucked inside all the hedges and trees, and it really seems like another world when you go in there. I wish I had more time to just go SIT in there - it's a great place to de-stress.
I'm still having trouble believing that our garden is even producing this year. So many years, we've lost everything to hail, heat, birds, chickens, grasshoppers, you name it. It's always something. So this is like a dream come true. I'm going to work my butt off canning, but it will feel so good to see all those shelves full of jars when I'm done.
~Lannie
We put up some snow fencing around the inside of the garden this spring, to leave the hedge outside for the chickens to access. That's why they kept breaking into the garden before - they wanted the shade and dirt of the lilacs, and the veggies were a nice bonus for them.
I did lose some beans to "something" (a disease I think, not a pest) and the cabbage moths have destroyed my cabbages, kale, and brussels sprouts, in spite of all my efforts, so next time, we're going to have to make some sort of physical barrier with row cover or very fine netting to keep the blasted things off of them. But other than that, everything is going great, so I thought I'd post some pictures.
This garden wouldn't exist without Rich's most strenuous labor, keeping it weeded and tended this last month while I've been preoccupied with Bandit & Oggie. He's done SUCH a good job out there, and because of him, we'll have plenty of jars on the shelf for winter.
Here are the tomatoes (not all of them would fit in the picture, but this is most of them). Rich has already come up with a plan for next year and beyond to hold these monsters relatively upright. They laughed at my tomato cages! These, by the way, are the giant Amish Paste tomatoes (descendents of some seeds I got from Karen several years ago). I quit growing every other kind because these are so hardy and produce so well. Yes, these are ALSO the tomatoes that were "killed" in the bad storms we had shortly after I planted them out in June. You can see they recovered well.
They're still green at the moment, but I see a few that are just starting to blush pink, so very soon I'm going to be busy canning tomatoes.
These freaking summer squash plants are chest high on me! This picture doesn't do justice to their sheer size. There are THREE yellow squash plants there. I've only had plants like this once before in the 10 years I've been gardening here. I think they liked the compost we layered on the planting beds. I'm just starting to get a few squash out of here, and we're having some with our chicken tonight for dinner.
And THIS! This is my butternut squash patch. There are (I think) 7 plants there. It's beyond description - I've NEVER seen winter squash this big, tall, and spreading. It's seriously going to take over the garden! Rich said if all the little baby squashes in there grow up to be big squashes, I'm going to need 12 more cases of quart canning jars! LOL!
Here's some cowpeas on the left, and peppers on the right. Jalapenos and California Wonder peppers. Both of the peppers are producing heavily at the moment (some of the pepper pots didn't make it into the picture). The peas still have a way to go. Hopefully, I can get enough peas off these plants to dry the seeds and plant a PROPER patch next year so that I'll have enough to dry and put away for us to actually eat! LOL!
And my melons! I'm canning melons this year, so we can enjoy them throughout the winter. We just can't grow good (sweet) fruit here at all, but the melons are going crazy, and I'm going to need another dozen cases of jars just to can all of them! (Rich marked out a couple that were in the picture, but hard to see because they're still green, but there are TONS of melons on these plants.)
My lettuce, in the foreground, that I didn't have time to pick, and now it's bolted. sigh... Oh, well, the horses will like it, and maybe the cows. I'm going to plant more this weekend and see if I can get a second crop. Next to it is my last 6 dill plants (my last 6 SEEDS!) that I'm growing for seeds. I like to have a big dill patch every year, because we use so much of it. Behind the lettuce is the sweet onion patch and they're almost ready to harvest, then the bunching onions and brussels sprouts, and the cabbage, which is all bug-eaten now. I guess you can't see the sorry cabbage in this picture - it's behind that ginormous catnip plant.
And this is just a nice picture, looking across the garden from near the back fence. In the foreground of this picture are some more green beans (that didn't catch a disease), my rutabagas, which are looking ready to harvest, and the cucumbers, which have already given me about 40 or 50 pounds (which is why I was so busy yesterday).
Rich calls this the Secret Garden, because it's tucked inside all the hedges and trees, and it really seems like another world when you go in there. I wish I had more time to just go SIT in there - it's a great place to de-stress.
I'm still having trouble believing that our garden is even producing this year. So many years, we've lost everything to hail, heat, birds, chickens, grasshoppers, you name it. It's always something. So this is like a dream come true. I'm going to work my butt off canning, but it will feel so good to see all those shelves full of jars when I'm done.
~Lannie
That's OK, most people do. It's only cold in the winter. In the summer, it's as hot as blazes. 
