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Saturday, May 17, 2014

Mid-May Garden Tour

Whew! School is out as of yesterday and the last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. In the meantime, the weeds and grass have been growing happily along with the vegetables we planted. Now it's time to get ahead of them again.


The potatoes had suffered from weed encroachment more than anything else, so they were first on the list this morning. The ground is still pretty moist from the last rain, but the Mantis tiller was able to work the ground pretty well. So now the potatoes are at least partially weeded and have been hilled up again.

 






The beets are doing very well this year. This is only our second year to grow beets, so I'm not real sure why they are doing great. There are several that look like they will be ready to eat before long. About every other evening I pick some beet greens and take them to the chickens and goats. We have also added some small, tender greens to a salad recently.
 
 

The onions are doing their thing, I think. I have yet to grow a good crop of onions, and the verdict is still out on this batch.

 







The sunflowers are coming up thick and look great. I planted seeds we harvested last summer and didn't know how viable they would be, so I planted them pretty thick. Guess what? They are doing great. Now to plant some more of them here and there to increase the harvest. We are intending this entire harvest, minus some seed saving for next year, to be animal feed. It will be quite amazing to see these rows full of big, beautiful sunflowers.

 
The corn looks great and is coming right along. It's also lucky, because a few weeks ago, I worked over the grass and weeds in between the rows.

 









The purple hull peas, or cow peas, are also growing well. They have more competition from the grass and weeds, so they will need attention in the next few days.
 
 





The squash looks great. I am hoping that the late tilling and frosts have impacted the squash bug and squash vine borer population. So far I haven't seen any at all, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm sure they will make an appearance before long.



The okra doesn't like the cool weather we've been having lately, so it's growing, just not very fast. This is also the worst patch of weeds, now that the potatoes have been taken care of. That makes them next on the list for some serious weeding and mulching.



The tomatoes are growing and look very healthy despite the cool weather we've been having. We did have a few very warm, humid days before the last rain and the cool north winds today. I found a volunteer tomato coming up in the okra patch as well. There were Roma tomatoes growing close to this area last year. There are also a few volunteer potatoes.


The snap peas are looking great. They have finally started really growing, blooming and producing. I will need to pick our first batch of peas in a few days.

 













The carrots are growing. It seems they should be farther along, but they look healthy and happy. Another volunteer potato has come up over here as well.


The peppers are still pretty small. I think they have joined the okra in protesting the cool weather. Most of them look healthy, they're just not growing a whole lot.


We had a big handful of potatoes left from last fall that had sprouted and grown these long, spindly sprouts in the house. I was just going to toss them out when I decided to pile them up in the corner of the garden and scoop some dirt on top. Well, now we have this huge potato bush growing there. We've learned another lesson. Don't give up when things don't appear to be doing very well. This is a great lesson that can be applied to many things besides potatoes. Don't ever give up. 

Clematis

 Until next time - Fern
 

10 comments:

  1. You have a lovely garden. And you are so much farther along than I am. I haven't even planted my squash yet. Though I think I can late this week. I'm hoping so.

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    1. Thanks, Daphne. There is always work to be done out there. I look forward to our first harvest this week.

      Fern

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  2. Your garden looks to be coming along nicely. Will your corn be 'knee high by the 4th of July?' as the old saying goes? It surely looks like it. Do you find volunteer tomato plants to be sturdier than those specifically raised from seed to be planted out? That stand of sunflowers will be lovely to look at when in bloom - always liked how cheerful they looked, brightened up my day no matter how miserable it might be.

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    1. I think our corn will be more than knee high by the 4th of July, Bellen. I think last year it was about shoulder high.

      Last year we had a few volunteer tomatoes come up that we let grow, but the tomatoes they produced were pretty small. I will be pulling up any volunteers we have this year because I want to save some seeds. We have planted Arkansas Travelers and Rutgers this year. I know they will cross pollinate, but I don't want to add a third type to the mix.

      I really enjoyed the few sunflowers we grew last year. They were our first ones. It will be neat to see so many more this year.

      Fern

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  3. Wonderful post..I think it is the year for NOT giving up. We have a tomato called "Bronson". It gives us hope...I found it as what I thought was a weed in my Christmas cactus....Ralph said no it was a tomato seedling about 1 inch high. It survived low light and a cold house until February when Ralph transplanted it to its own pot. Then it really grew. Late March saw us put it out one sunny day to enjoy the warmth....something ate a leaf....the fresh sap made the cat sniff it and although she has Never ever eaten any of our plants she ate every leaf from this seedling! Now we had a tall stem of a tomato. Ralph didn't let me throw it away though. Finally it regrew leaves and began to look like a tomato plant again. It seemed to have a Death Wish so, since we are Charles Bronson fans, we had to name the plant...yes Bronson! The next wreck was on a Sunny still day with not a breath of wind....sudden gusts came up and Bronson took a sail off the step and lost a pile of dirt. He looked limp for a few days....anyway you get the picture. Today "Bronson" is out on the ground and soaking up sun..a very nice tomato plant almost ready to be put in the garden........

    Happy gardening and enjoy the potatoes from the pile.

    God Bless you both

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    1. Well, Fiona, you will have to keep us informed on the saga of Bronson. I hope you get to eat a few tomatoes from that plant.

      Fern

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  4. I so enjoy your blog. Thanks for sharing your life. I thought I'd share something I learned recently. A friend introduced me to sautéed greens in eggs for breakfast. It's simple - rough chop the greens (including beet greens) and sauté in olive oil until wilted. I like a little onion in with mine. Then add eggs that have been beaten and cook as you like scrambled eggs. Salt and pepper to taste. Yum. I had never had greens at breakfast before and now include them on a regular basis. Also, it's a great use for greens that are a little too tough for a salad. All the best. SJ from Vancouver BC Canada

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    1. That's very interesting, SJ. I would never have thought to eat greens for breakfast. I think I would have to try them for supper first, though. We aren't big on greens, but I'd like to try a few more.

      Fern

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  5. We had a hard time with onions too untill I read that you just put the little roots in the ground if you are planting started plants. We got the instructions when we bought our starts from Territorial Seed, they also sell onion starts specific to the part of the country you live in because onions are picky about the amount of Sun they get. Love your blog by the way.

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    1. Well, if that's the case, maybe I am planting them too deep. I will have to remember that. Thank you very much, Spinnersaw. I'm glad you enjoy your time here.

      Fern

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