Garden Update

The last couple of weeks for us have been cool and wet. I haven't been spending much time out in my garden. Every couple of days I would go out to make sure the outside tomatoes were covered and check the greenhouse plants. So today with the sun shining and blue sky showing, I spent a little time checking on my garden. I was pleasantly surprised to see most of the garden was doing very good.

This is my brassicas bed. The plants have tripled in size. They sure liked the cool wet weather, even though I didn't.

My corn and bean are growing great also. Along with the sunflowers in the middle of the corn.

I'm very happy with my tomatillos. They are huge and full of flowers and fruit. I'm looking forward to homemade salsa verda.

My cucumbers, sunflowers, cabbage, bean and potatoes (in the background) are doing good as well.

My peas and onions happily growing.

My spinach, red lettuce, and green lettuce in my deck boxes. I found the easiest way to water them is with an old milk jug.

Now what isn't growing good.

The zucchini and pumpkins aren't growing as good as the others. Hopefully with more sun in the forecast they with do better.

Who else is happy to see sunshine, besides me?

The Honey Bees!

What I have learned so far this season.

Alcosa a savoy Cabbage.

I had never grown this type of cabbage before. I bought these two plants at my local farm and garden store. They were on the half price rack. This cabbage grew very well, but because of its wrinkly leaves, it is impossible to keep the aphids off of it. These two heads are kind of small but I have decided to harvest them anyway.  I don't think I will grow them again next year.

Here are the two heads in my basket, along with seedless wild blackberries and basil.

The chickens will get the rest of the cabbage roots, aphids and all.

The next thing I learned.

This deck box gets too hot. The arugula barely grew and it is already bolting. See the flowers and what you can't see is the pak choi. They are struggling to grow. The kale is doing okay. Next year I will grow heat loving herbs there. I may pull them out and do that now.

After playing in the yard it was time for lunch.

I had salad fresh from my garden. There is radishes, green lettuce, red lettuce, cabbage, spinach, a pepper, and kale in it. Yummy!

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Frolic Through the Garden Friday

Here's what's happening in my garden.

Strawberries are ripening.

 Peas and onions are growing just as good as the weeds behind them.

This is my main garden, my husband build me raised beds this year. So far I find it away easier to plant, weed, and water my garden. In the first bed I have planted tomatillos, butternut squash, carrots, and pie pumpkins. The bed behind that is zucchini, radishes, carrots, and turnip. Next bed over is bush beans, sweet corn, pop corn and sunflowers down the middle. Behind that one is pickling cucumbers, slicing cucumbers, two cabbage plants, and bush beans at the end. 

The last row of beds I have broccoli, kraut cabbage, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts. The bed behind this is yellow potatoes.  In the back next to my greenhouse is my tomato bed. I covered them to keep the heat in and the rain out.

These are my potato experiments. I'm trying to find the best way for me to grow potatoes. In pots and in a garden bed. Both I planted with about 3 inches of soil on top of the seed potatoes then add more soil as they grew.

This is before I added more soil.

After I added more soil.

These are my peppers and basil in my greenhouse.

I always grow a few tomatoes in my greenhouse just in case something happens to the ones I planted outside.

I can't wait eat and make raspberry jelly.

I have had this plum tree for three years and these are the first fruit it has produced. I'm so excited.

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Fall is Definitely in the Air

It seems the animals are putting themselves to bed earlier and earlier each night. I can't walk anywhere now without going through at least one or two spider webs. Good thing I'm not afraid of spiders and we only have one poisonous spiders here. They are rare and hide in wood piles.

In the garden the sunflowers a looking beautiful. Some of them are over nine feet tall. I planted several varieties. I love the many different shades of yellow they produced.

My pumpkins are finally growing. I hope by the end of October they will be ready to be made into jack-o-lanterns.

I harvested the rest of my potatoes. They are mostly red potatoes. One is big enough to feed the four of us. I dug up small, medium, large and extra large potatoes.

It feels like my canner is going nonstop. I'm canning tomato sauce and pasta sauces with roasted vegetables.

Although my first clue fall was in the air was school started and I had to go back to work. No more playtime with the garden and animals. It's work from sunup to sundown until winter comes.

                                

Garden update

My first big harvest.

 

I have zucchini, peppers, swiss chard, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, basil, a carrot and green beans.
I will be use most for dinner the next few nights; salads, soup, and zucchini boats. I love eating a meal that almost nothing comes from a store.

Ducklings and Garden Update

Ducklings- I 'm amazed how fast they grow. I think the duckling with all black head and the one with all yellow head are both girls. I am unsure what the other is, I am hoping a boy.

It's hard to believe just two weeks ago they used to swim around together in their water bowl.

 

 

 

Garden- So far I have made a few salads and one crock pot dinner with potatoes, zucchini, onions, and green beans which all came from my garden.
 

As you can see my leeks, carrots, bean (right) and potatoes (left) are doing good.

 

 

I have lots of green tomatoes and finally they are starting to turn red!

 

 

My daughter helped me plan some fall crops. We planted kale, red cabbage, and purple cauliflower.

 

What fall crops do you plan?

 

 

http://www.twobearsfarm.com/2012/08/oh-henrietta-rural-thursday.html

 

 

 

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Country Garden and Duckling update

My garden is slowing making progress. I have harvested some potatoes, an onion, lettuce, and a couple of carrots.

My onions are getting bigger everyday. I finally have a few green beans. Look that one I can almost pick!

My tomatoes and sunflower keep getting taller and taller. There are lots of green tomatoes, hopefully they will be red soon.  And this sunflowers, you can't tell from the picture, but I am standing on my tip toes with my arm stretched all the way above my head to take this picture. I would say it is way over six feet tall.

The purple potatoes, what can you say about purple potatoes?

Now Ducklings

                          

 Aug. 5th                                            Aug. 9th           

These picture were taken today (8/13). Notice they are almost too big to all fit in the water dish. The were swimming carousel style. When they stand up they are pretty tall. They remind me of The Three Stooges, always bumping into each other and trying to hind behind each other.