Garden update

There are some gardening wins and fails this year.

Fails
-squash...I swear I am the only person who can't grow a zucchini . They flower, then the fruit turns yellow and dies. Three plants have only produced 1 measly zucchini.
Pumpkins took a hit when i tried to mulch them with sawdust...the leaves didnt' like it, turned yellow and almost died.
cucumber, i have one small plant trying desperately to live, still no fruit
sunburst squash, i've had some success, but not nearly enough fruit to use. Next year I'll plant twice as much
the rest- butternut, gourds, pickling cucumber, trying to produce...
- Swiss Chard...started out good, then got bug infested and stopped growing, maybe I should have thinned more? I don't even know how to cook the stuff, planted it cause it's pretty
-Cabbage, full of worms...

Wins
-Peas, here and gone, will plant twice as many next year
- Tomatoes, in the area of the garden that gets full sun, waist high with lots of fruit, can't wait to try canning them.
-potatoes, are ready, but the grubs are coming out too...not sure how to fix this.
-Broccoli, large heads, (the ones that weren't destroyed) have been steamed and made into soup.
-Carrots, ready to eat, but are short and stubby. I never had luck with carrots.
-parnips are doing well, but only in the full sun part of the garden. I need a chain saw, or a new location I fear.
- Beans are starting to flower, they are late, but hopefully good!
-Leeks are doing well, they are a lot of work so I hope they taste good.
-Onions, starting to bulb out, won't have any left come harvest time, next year I will plant twice as many.
-Peppers are doing ok, kinda slow, not flowering much.

The Horror...

It has been rainy. I guess I am a bad farmer for not checking the garden when it rains. What could go wrong?



Look at my poor broccoli. These aren't even cabbage worms! I have no idea what they are but I pulled that entire patch of broccoli cause they pissed me off. I should have been checking them. Lesson learned.

On a brighter note, my carrots are doing well, swiss chard is up and growing, even though no one will eat it. Peas are pretty much done by now, got a big bag frozen, next year I will grow twice as much. Broccoli (that wasn't ravaged by worms) is ready for eating. Zucchini is ready, I made two loaves of bread with it already. Onions are doing well, beans are doing well too. Tomatoes are out of control. Cabbage is riddled with worm holes and will probably end up in the compost heap. Leeks are getting big, potatoes are flowered and hopefully growing potatoes...I have a bad feeling I won't get any, I didn't have much soil to hill them with...fingers crossed. Late corn is up, first time growing it, the big fields of corn are already knee high...we'll see if it matures fast enough.

Found a live snake that scared the hell out of me, and a dead snake in the garden today. Good omen, bad omen?

Starting Over

I think I am the only "farmer" who can't grow a carrot or bean...

I replanted my beans today, the carrots are a different story. I may put some corn in and call it a day.

Everything else is doing well. A few broccoli plants have keeled over and died, but the onions, leeks, tomatoes, cabbage, squash are doing well.

Cucumbers are still sad.

Started hilling the potatoes. That is a big job, baby steps for that one.

Cold Spring

The weather has been wonky. I fear I put my peppers out too early, they are starting to turn purple. I planted my beans a week ago, and dumb me should have looked at the weather...four days of rain followed. I don't know if they will germinate. The packages says excessive moisture is bad.

On a brighter note my peas are doing well, onions and leeks are kicking ass. Broccoli, tomatoes and cabbage are doing ok. Potatoes are doing well too. Carrots, the bane of my existence are plugging away, I rarely have good luck with them. Here's to hoping.

Have already harvested radishes. Gave them to my parents cause I don't really like them. My spinach is also ready to be eaten.

Cucumbers are dying, can't seem to grow a freaking cucumber. I have 7 other types of squash, all doing splendid, but the cucumbers are dying. May have to buy some transplants.

Not far behind my good friend Jen my stomach is growing. I am trying to get all my grass clippings down so I won't have to weed soon. Getting harder to hoe every day.

Went to my local market for the first time yesterday. I have decided I no longer can support factory farming. I keep saying I don't support it, but come home with a basket full of grocery store meat every week. Enough is enough! I paid $40 for the following: 4 thick pork chops, 2 chicken breasts, 2 packs of ground beef, 1-3lb ham, 1 purple tomato plant and a dozen eggs. She also sells cheese, jam, baked goods and seasonal produce. Her store is only open on weekends, but I plan on doing as much shopping there as I can.

Going for it

I am planting my tomatoes today. Up until Jr bolted for the house. My Brandywine are great looking, stout and strong. My Classica are leggy and weak. I am trying to get them all in the ground regardless.

My parsnips are up, how exciting! I find it amazing when seeds planted in the ground sprout. Espically long germinating ones like parsnip. My carrots are weak, spotty germination. I never have luck with them.

Peas are growing strong. Hubby built a super trellis for them. Almost high enough to reach.

It's getting hard to bend over and dig. At 20 weeks pregnant my endurance is greatly diminished. Hubby will have to get the rest of the beds tilled soon, or we will have to make due with what we have.

Peas

My peas are growing like crazy. I have never grown peas before so I am anxious to see how they taste. The trellis is in the works.

Still working on the rest of the garden. So much to do, not a lot of time to do it.

New Digs, Planting part 1

I have three beds of the five planted. My radishes are coming up, marking the rows of my parsnips and carrots. Spinach and peas are slower. The peas keep popping out of the ground when it rains, I am sure all the innoculant has washed off them. Onions have filled one bed, they haven't done much yet though.

Still waiting on phase two and three and four. My screenroom is filled with plants waiting to get in the ground. Tomatoes, Peppers, herbs, leeks, and recently sprouted squash.

I can't wait to get the rest of my beds dug and planted.