Wildwood Country Acres: raised beds

Thursday, June 16, 2016

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!

Linked to:

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Friday, June 3, 2016

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.