Such a nice surprise. Two little tomato plants have sprouted in the area where the tomatoes were planted last year. Will they be beefsteak or cherry? And will they have a chance to produce any fruit? Time will tell!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Volunteer Tomato
Such a nice surprise. Two little tomato plants have sprouted in the area where the tomatoes were planted last year. Will they be beefsteak or cherry? And will they have a chance to produce any fruit? Time will tell!
Monday, June 29, 2009
A Fabulous Garden Day!
The garden is looking fabulous! Kevin and I spent most of yesterday out in the hot sun working, weeding and admiring. I got a wicked sunburn on my back but it was worth it. Its so hard to get a good tan in the garden.
Everything is growing and showing their true colors - I am loving the contrast of all the greens - the bluish broccoli, the yellowish beans, the red beets & swiss card, the cool green lettuces, the dark green peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and the color splashes from the marigolds. I could just stare at it for hours!
Finally we are getting to work on hilling the potatoes! Kevin built this potato patch of sorts. The plan is for it to be like a big sandbox - only filled with soil and potatoes. We still want to plant more to replace those that didn't sprout - is it too late for this year?
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Peas Galore!
The peas are so exciting! They are so prolifiq! Do peas continue to flower all summer long or do they just give the one crop? Either way, I am satisfied. We hope to be eating fresh peas next week!
Friday, June 26, 2009
First Tomatoes!
An awesome discovery in the garden this week! Tomatoes! I couldn’t believe we would get them so early. The plants don’t seem to be big enough yet. But sure enough we have several on each variety – and the JetStar are pretty big! I checked my photos from last year, and the first tomato was found on July 6th. So we almost two weeks ahead of schedule!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Photo Update
Kevin covered the eggplant and pepper beds with a thick layer of black mulch. We hope that this will help to warm up the soil and retain moisture.
Earlier in the season, Kevin made a really simple trellis for the peas. We had planted them along the fence, but not close enough to use it to climb on. Instead, we laid wooden stakes diagonally from the peas to the fence and tied them on with zip ties. Then we wove string around the stakes to create a simple grid. It has worked perfectly.
This is a shot I want to continue to take in stages. Earlier this month, the same photo looked like empty mounds of dirt. Now, we have onions sprouting in the front, cucumbers, zucchini, and squash in the mounds - all growing true leaves. In fact, the zucchini are quite ready to be thinned.
Just another view of the progress to date!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Prez Likes Him Some Good Eats
When he is not eating from Michelle's White House kitchen garden, check out
"Where Obama Eats", A photo gallery from Life.Com. He is actually showing his eats in a few of these pictures. I cannot get the captions to appear here, so I suggest checking it out on Life.Com directly!
"Where Obama Eats", A photo gallery from Life.Com. He is actually showing his eats in a few of these pictures. I cannot get the captions to appear here, so I suggest checking it out on Life.Com directly!
You can look, but you cannot harvest...yet.
Tiny broccoli forming! One of the vegetables I am most excited about this year!
Another newbie for 2009. Cannot wait to taste these shell peas. I wonder how many meals we will actually get out of the 8' row?
The peppers are finally looking acclimated and healthy. I wonder if we should pick the early peppers so that the plant have more energy to produce more.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Community Gardens
I have been monitoring the community garden plots in the city on my lunch hour from work. I don’t know if it is appropriate to take photos since I don’t actually have a plot there...I probably will risk it one of these days.
It is interesting to see what each person decides to plant and how they go about it. You see some plots with just two or three veggies and some who are making real good use of their 17’ x 10’ plot and fitting in a whole slew of things.
Most people are growing a combination of tomatoes, green beans, onions, and/or peppers. There are a few potatoes, a few squash, one herb garden. There is one person growing almost all broccoli and cabbage. One is doing only the three sisters (corn, beans and squash). Some people are using a raised bed type technique, some using various types of mulch, some using different types of staking techniques for the tomatoes.
I like to compare my growth to theirs. The city tends to get better weather than I do, but I think my garden is growing better for the most part. One thing I notice is that some people have little seedlings of peppers, tomatoes and peas right now – seems they might have started a bit late - and no one is staking their peas either. Other people have big flowering beans and I’m jealous of that. Overall though, I think our garden is way cooler.
It is interesting to see what each person decides to plant and how they go about it. You see some plots with just two or three veggies and some who are making real good use of their 17’ x 10’ plot and fitting in a whole slew of things.
Most people are growing a combination of tomatoes, green beans, onions, and/or peppers. There are a few potatoes, a few squash, one herb garden. There is one person growing almost all broccoli and cabbage. One is doing only the three sisters (corn, beans and squash). Some people are using a raised bed type technique, some using various types of mulch, some using different types of staking techniques for the tomatoes.
I like to compare my growth to theirs. The city tends to get better weather than I do, but I think my garden is growing better for the most part. One thing I notice is that some people have little seedlings of peppers, tomatoes and peas right now – seems they might have started a bit late - and no one is staking their peas either. Other people have big flowering beans and I’m jealous of that. Overall though, I think our garden is way cooler.
Monday, June 22, 2009
I'd Rather Be In the Garden Today
This weekend it rained, scratch that, POURED - all of Saturday and a good portion of Sunday. At least we are saving on having to water everything as Mother Nature is doing that for us. But at the same time, plants do enjoy sun every once in a while!
I did get a chance to swing in quickly to check out the progress yesterday – but I did not get to take any photos or do any weeding. I hope to do so tonight if it is not raining. My sister was visiting from Rhode Island. She was very impressed with the garden set up and even more impressed with the fresh basil we used to make Bruschetta. The spicy bush basil will now be a staple in my garden.
The new planting of beans are emerging. (Fingers crossed about no slugs). The peas are blossoming and look really beautiful. We found our first pea pod! The new planting of beets are coming up. The broccoli has tiny heads forming! Even the seed started broccoli in catching up!
I did get a chance to swing in quickly to check out the progress yesterday – but I did not get to take any photos or do any weeding. I hope to do so tonight if it is not raining. My sister was visiting from Rhode Island. She was very impressed with the garden set up and even more impressed with the fresh basil we used to make Bruschetta. The spicy bush basil will now be a staple in my garden.
The new planting of beans are emerging. (Fingers crossed about no slugs). The peas are blossoming and look really beautiful. We found our first pea pod! The new planting of beets are coming up. The broccoli has tiny heads forming! Even the seed started broccoli in catching up!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Pepper Leaf Problem
A few of the peppers have developed this purple tint...I read that it might be a deficiency of phosphorous. I am not sure what we should add to the soil to remedy this issue. So far, at least, it doesn't seem to be affecting the plants in any negative way, but I wonder if they will still produce.
I am concerned because we have so many bell peppers - but no blooms yet. Only the hot peppers are producing fruit. Do bell peppers just bloom later? Or are they doomed?
Photo Update From 6-12-09
Now, over a week late, I am finally posting some photos that I took last weekend. I hope today to get more recent photos - a week's growth in June can be significant.
Bean Damage:
Continued Growth:
Bean Damage:
Continued Growth:
Friday, June 19, 2009
SLUG-O
We are quite sure that the slugs are responsible for all of our bean damage. They are everywhere! I read somewhere that Marigolds attract them...so perhaps it was not a smart move to plant so many of those. I picked a slug off of one of the squash seedlings and noticed the damage is just like with the beans – it looks like the whole leaf just disintegrated. That is just want happens with the beans. Kevin is going to string trim the perimeter, and I think this weekend I will place a few trays of beer around in hopes they will all drown. It has been so wet here lately with more rain to come. If we ever get sunshine it looks like I will be replanting beans for the 2nd time.
In other news – still no basil – what is up with that?
In other news – still no basil – what is up with that?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
BUGS! UGH!
I have a terrible feeling that this year is not going to be as prolifiq as last year, despite the fact that we planted twice as much. The weather has been cool and rainy - even the sunny days are mostly cloudy. And if that wasn't bad enough, the bugs have moved in! I was hoping to thin some mesclun yesterday to add to a salad..but the poor little leaves were all shot up and covered with flea beetles! Then I found these two wierd looking bugs on the potato leaves - they were mating. The do not look like the Colorado Potato Beetle. In fact, they looked like tiny clumps of dirt - until I looked closer. Kev took a picture with his cell phone. I will try to post it.
On a much brighter note: the first pea blossom opened yesterday!
On a much brighter note: the first pea blossom opened yesterday!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Update June 16, 2009
Yikes! It has been almost a week since my last post. There has been a tremendous amount of growth in some areas, and dissapointment in others. Here's the lastest:
Potatoes: One row is growing insanely fast and I need more soil to mound it up. Are potatoes growing in there if there have been no flowers yet? It is hard to follow the growth process when everything is happening underground!
Greens: Mesclun is almost ready for thinning and a yummy (but small) salad. The other two rows of lettuce are growing very slowly. The spinach is a disappointment. I think we got six plants out of an entire 6’ row – must be we planted it too late. Friends of ours have been eating spinach for weeks. We will replant in August I guess. Swiss Chard is coming along.
Beans: Interestingly, the row of yellow bush beans did extremely well and the others, both green bush and pole came up sporadically, then something ate the top. I am sure that it was not rabbits or other rodents – the lettuce and carrots are still intact. What does this? In any case, we replanted in the dead spots over the weekend.
Peppers and Eggplant: While we now have a handful of baby hot peppers growing, the bell peppers are not even flowering. Many of the pepper leaves have a yellow hue or purple variegated leaves. I am hesitant to feed them with something (I try to be somewhat organic), but I want them to produce. What do they need? The eggplant have recovered from the destruction a few weeks ago, but they haven’t done anything to speak of.
Squash and Cucumbers: All have sprouted. Waiting for true leaves.
Onions, Carrots, Broccoli: All coming along nicely! Slowly but surely.
Peas: When do these flower and where should I be looking for the flower? They are up to my knees.
Herbs: Strangely, none of the three different types of basil that I planted have come up. It has been about two weeks I think! I will have to replant those. The cilantro I planted last Thursday has already sprouted! The bush basil is flowering (so early!) and the potted herbs are growing nicely. One of my goals for this year is to actually USE the herbs, dry them properly and store them or give them away.
Beets: Last year, the beets were arguably our best producer. This year, the two rows are sparse and sad. We replanted in the dead spots. Kevin thinks that we need to pay more attention to where we buy our seeds, and also thinks that we just need to jam the whole seed packet into the row.
Tomatoes: Are Flowering. According to another blog, the rule of thumb is 30 days from flower to fruit. I don’t quite think we will have tomatoes by July 15th, but hopefully soon after!
Potatoes: One row is growing insanely fast and I need more soil to mound it up. Are potatoes growing in there if there have been no flowers yet? It is hard to follow the growth process when everything is happening underground!
Greens: Mesclun is almost ready for thinning and a yummy (but small) salad. The other two rows of lettuce are growing very slowly. The spinach is a disappointment. I think we got six plants out of an entire 6’ row – must be we planted it too late. Friends of ours have been eating spinach for weeks. We will replant in August I guess. Swiss Chard is coming along.
Beans: Interestingly, the row of yellow bush beans did extremely well and the others, both green bush and pole came up sporadically, then something ate the top. I am sure that it was not rabbits or other rodents – the lettuce and carrots are still intact. What does this? In any case, we replanted in the dead spots over the weekend.
Peppers and Eggplant: While we now have a handful of baby hot peppers growing, the bell peppers are not even flowering. Many of the pepper leaves have a yellow hue or purple variegated leaves. I am hesitant to feed them with something (I try to be somewhat organic), but I want them to produce. What do they need? The eggplant have recovered from the destruction a few weeks ago, but they haven’t done anything to speak of.
Squash and Cucumbers: All have sprouted. Waiting for true leaves.
Onions, Carrots, Broccoli: All coming along nicely! Slowly but surely.
Peas: When do these flower and where should I be looking for the flower? They are up to my knees.
Herbs: Strangely, none of the three different types of basil that I planted have come up. It has been about two weeks I think! I will have to replant those. The cilantro I planted last Thursday has already sprouted! The bush basil is flowering (so early!) and the potted herbs are growing nicely. One of my goals for this year is to actually USE the herbs, dry them properly and store them or give them away.
Beets: Last year, the beets were arguably our best producer. This year, the two rows are sparse and sad. We replanted in the dead spots. Kevin thinks that we need to pay more attention to where we buy our seeds, and also thinks that we just need to jam the whole seed packet into the row.
Tomatoes: Are Flowering. According to another blog, the rule of thumb is 30 days from flower to fruit. I don’t quite think we will have tomatoes by July 15th, but hopefully soon after!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS = NO GOOD
Rain is appreciated in the garden, yes, but yesterday we had a torrential downpour which nearly ruined my eggplants which are not yet planted in the ground. They were outside of my house hardening off. When I arrived home from work, they were all tipped over, covered in slugs, and many of the leaves were torn or had holes in them. I work 20 minutes away and we often have different weather than my home. I was told that there might have been some hail. That might be the reason for the destruction.
The garden is a few minutes away from my house and miraculously was undisturbed by the rain. Actually, I believe it helped a bit. However, it just reinforced the fact that we really need to decide on a staking method for the peppers and get moving on it! One row of peppers was really weepy and falling over to begin with – they need to be upright in order to grow at all!
I did get ½ of the eggplant planted in the soil in an attempt to “save” them. I will plant the rest of them tonight. We have 16 eggplant plants and not enough room to space them according to the seed package directions. I scattered them about 15” apart. I don’t really expect them to do much. Our season is not warm enough or long enough for them to produce real well.
In other news, we still have about 80 marigolds to put in the dirt! There is just not enough time in a day!
The garden is a few minutes away from my house and miraculously was undisturbed by the rain. Actually, I believe it helped a bit. However, it just reinforced the fact that we really need to decide on a staking method for the peppers and get moving on it! One row of peppers was really weepy and falling over to begin with – they need to be upright in order to grow at all!
I did get ½ of the eggplant planted in the soil in an attempt to “save” them. I will plant the rest of them tonight. We have 16 eggplant plants and not enough room to space them according to the seed package directions. I scattered them about 15” apart. I don’t really expect them to do much. Our season is not warm enough or long enough for them to produce real well.
In other news, we still have about 80 marigolds to put in the dirt! There is just not enough time in a day!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Tomatos Are In The Ground!
Last year, we planted 12 tomato plants (6 sweet cherry and 6 big beef) and had LOADS of tasty fruit which filled up my parents freezer all winter long and made excellent sauces and chili. This year, in keeping up with our apparent motto regarding gardening of "Go Big or Go Home!", we planted 24 tomato plants! 6 each of Large Cherry, Jet Star, Mountain Fresh, and Roma. Roma for salsa, bruschetta, and dicing; Cherry for salads and sweet sauces; and the other two for slicing and sauces! We'll become professional canners by the time this season is over!
What's Happening In The Garden...
Kevin helped me set up the herb garden today! In addition to the Rosemary, Lavender, Spearmint, Pineapple Sage, Spicy Basil and the Chives and Oregano, we also planted a couple small rows of Cilantro. Definitely will need that for the SALSA!
Early Hot Peppers
The peppers have only been outside for a few days, but already the bees have been busy! We noticed this baby pepper late yesterday!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Peppers In The Ground!
Whew. Seems like forever ago we planted these little seedlings and now they are enormous flowering plants. I also discovered that I have not taken any pictures of them since they were just little babies. Damn. In any case, we got twenty plants in the ground last night - one row of hot and one of bell. Also, Kev staked up the peas and we planted my spicy bush basil that smells AMAZING. Yesterday, I planted. three kinds of Basil: Purple, Genovese, and Sweet. Hoping for a good crop with nice color schemes. Desperately need to get pots for the Rosemary, Lavendar, Mint and Pineapple Sage that we purchased this weekend from various nurseries in our area.
In other news, everything is sprouting! But there is still sooooo much work to do. We have a whole plot to plant (Squash, Pumpkins, etc.), and we need to find a place for about 80 Marigolds, Red Onions, 30 Peppers, and more potatos. Luckily, we have plenty of space.
Hope to post pictures tonight!
In other news, everything is sprouting! But there is still sooooo much work to do. We have a whole plot to plant (Squash, Pumpkins, etc.), and we need to find a place for about 80 Marigolds, Red Onions, 30 Peppers, and more potatos. Luckily, we have plenty of space.
Hope to post pictures tonight!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Update 6/4/09
Did a quick run through of the garden this morning. We had to plant a pepper plant that Gert nearly destroyed by trampling it on her way to chase a deer in our yard. She doesn’t seem to understand that the peppers are FRAGILE, I guess she doesn't speak Italian. In any case, she gets a pass for being a dog, after all.
Miraculously, the sun shone for a small bit yesterday and I think the beans were appreciative. We saw a few pole beans breaking the soil and a few bush beans popped up with nice baby leaves. All the greens are visible now, except the Swiss Chard, which you really have to look closely for. Carrots are emerging in one of the rows, but not the other two. Excitingly, Potato leaves are peeking out in several spots of one row, but again, not the other two. Weird. Onions are shooting up fine green stalks and the peas are going crazy. They need to be staked this weekend and helped toward the fence. Currently they are attaching themselves to each other and dragging the whole lot of them down. Very happily, I can also report that the broccoli looks fabulous, albeit still really small, but growing nice healthy leaves with no signs of insect damage. I hope they stick around. Brocolli is my favorite vegetable.
I just realized that I forgot to water the garden this morning like I had intended. 4 and 1/2 more hours before I can get home to tend to it. This work stuff is for the birds. Hope everything is enjoying this BEAUTIFUL sunny day! Looks like the weekend will be perfect as well!
Miraculously, the sun shone for a small bit yesterday and I think the beans were appreciative. We saw a few pole beans breaking the soil and a few bush beans popped up with nice baby leaves. All the greens are visible now, except the Swiss Chard, which you really have to look closely for. Carrots are emerging in one of the rows, but not the other two. Excitingly, Potato leaves are peeking out in several spots of one row, but again, not the other two. Weird. Onions are shooting up fine green stalks and the peas are going crazy. They need to be staked this weekend and helped toward the fence. Currently they are attaching themselves to each other and dragging the whole lot of them down. Very happily, I can also report that the broccoli looks fabulous, albeit still really small, but growing nice healthy leaves with no signs of insect damage. I hope they stick around. Brocolli is my favorite vegetable.
I just realized that I forgot to water the garden this morning like I had intended. 4 and 1/2 more hours before I can get home to tend to it. This work stuff is for the birds. Hope everything is enjoying this BEAUTIFUL sunny day! Looks like the weekend will be perfect as well!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
FROST IN JUNE!
Just wanted to note that we had a frost - hopefully our LAST on June 1st. What a pain! Should be some sun today and hopefully some new growth and new photos!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Killdeer
I did a quick bit of research on the eggs we found in a nest in our yard. Looks like this might be the nest of a Killdeer. This photo is from Wikepedia. In comparison to my photo, the eggs look very similar, and Killdeer tend to nest on the ground. I guess we will have to stake up around the nest so they do not get mowed down!
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