No Summer Garden

I am sad.  Because I am SO behind in anything gardening, there is not going to be an early summer garden.

I am hopeful.  Because I am going to sow seeds and hope for a wonderful late summer / early fall garden.

Mail order seeds that have been patiently waiting

Not the best sowing medium, but it is what I have on hand.
Fingers crossed. 

Tomatoes, peppers (hot and sweet), squash

Last year was so hot, but because I had soaker hoses and everything going well by this time and was still at home full-time, the garden did very well. This year...only the Lord can help me.  Let's bow our heads now.

Garden Journal 5/7/15

Now that the Holidays are over (May the 4th be with you, Cinco de Mayo), it's time to get back to serious food production in the garden.

Admittedly,  I have done a horrendous job of labeling.  I hope that from this point forward I can do better job.  One will never make it to the Farmer's Market that way! "Do you have Homestead tomatoes?"  "Yes, I do."  "Which ones?"  " I dunno."
But it seems I am somewhat cursed.  The ones that do have a label die and those that don't seem to do fine.

Nonetheless, I carry on sowing and planting.  Right now in the garden I have lettuce, radishes, snap peas, cucumbers, 1 green bean?, kale, beets, hot peppers, sweet peppers, wheat and corn (a patch of each for experimental purposes and hopefully animal feed).  Things are up and growing.  It is the best it has been at Lost Arrow Acres since we now have a fence.  However, we did find a dip in the ground that something (a rabbit) must have gotten in and decided to eat half of my beets.  But on the upside, nothing else.

With a possible rainstorm over the next couple of days, I sowed a few more seeds.  More beets, kale, lettuce (green towers), glory blend lettuce, Kentucky Wonder pole beans,  Avalon and Honey Select corn, and a new green bean from Park Seed, Advantage.  So we shall see. 

In my raised bed where I planted lettuce, spinach, radishes and tomatoes, my radishes were growing amazing leaves, big and beautiful, but a teeny tiny radish.  So I harvested all of the lettuce and 2 radishes that are actually a good size and planted some corn that would suck the overly abundant nutrients out of the soil.  Now my menu has changed a bit for tonight. Chef's Salad it is!

 
 
 

Overgrown...or Organic

Yes, I am trying to put a good spin on the fact that my garden is out of control.  With the rain except for when I am at work, no lawn mower, no weed eater, and a bum elbow, this is the result. 

At least we are getting tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, peppers and green beans.

Cucumbers on the fence

The peppers

Asparagus to go to seed

Where the garlic was

Strawberries gone wild

Remember the game Where's Waldo...where's the green bean

Now, don't you feel better about your garden and yard!!

My First Garlic Harvest

Garlic.  To roast, to stir-fry, to ward off vampires or spouses. 

 

I love the smell...on my hands for days.  I love the feel of the papery skin.  I really love smashing it with my knife and going all ninja on it.  No wonder they say it is good for stress.  Kiai (or hi-ya)!

Seriously, the health benefits of garlic are pretty amazing.  Most people have heard that it is good for your heart by helping to reduce blood pressure, blood thinning properties, as well as reduce cholesterol.  We use it for the antiviral and antibacterial effects.  It is suggested that it helps diabetes and insulin control, as well as cancer prevention, and just general detoxification.  Why aren't I eating garlic everyday?  Oh yes, the bad breath, tummy troubles, including gas or nausea, and as mentioned the juice can seep into your skin and can be irritating or just odoriferous.  I think it is worth it anyway.  After years of hearing about the benefits and learning to love garlic, I decided to add it to my garden.

I recently noticed with all the rain and/or lack of care other than some straw mulch on top, they were either drowning or were ready to harvest as they were turning yellows and browns and there were some already flowering.  Why not, I decided to go ahead and dig them up.  Worse comes to worst I will plant more next year with a little more TLC. 

Donning my boots, folding up my yoga pants above my knees and grabbing my shovel, I headed to the garlic bed somewhere between the 6-foot asparagus plants that are in full fern and the strawberries that are "running" rampant.  (I am so embarrassed and ashamed at the state of my garden that I HAVE to post pictures so everyone can feel better about themselves in the very near future.)

 It is a small harvest, but it is mine and I love it...

Getting ready to dry