Let me catch you up......

So the last few weeks have been CRAZY!  Last Tuesday I had sinus surgery.  The third one, the last being 15 years ago.  Everything was going great until I heard after surgery the hospital pulled the plug on part of my treatment.  Not sure what happened and why but I WILL find out.  I'm kinda really pissed that up until my doctor walked into the OR that she thought everything was a go and then during the operation found out otherwise.  Nice for them to let everyone else in on that little detail.  Especially since I was unconscious.    And don't get me started on the last nurse I had to deal with.....there is a letter going to be written!

So the garden is planted with the exception of beans.  I tried to get everything done before surgery but it didn't work out as planned.  And now it is hotter than hot!  Ugh!!!

Our growing season lasts into October so that still gives me about 4 months of growing left.  I'm going to plant the beans anyway.  Crossing my fingers we don't get an early cool down this year.   I think the majority of the beans are 50-60 days so I still have time.  And I want to get some more corn planted.  Late sweet corn is a highly sought after thing around here so maybe I can capitalize on that.  :) 

Tomatoes are looking good, peppers....so-so and same with eggplant.  I need to get them some fertilizer since they are looking a bit yellow and not growing too much.  Maybe it's the mulch bed?  Who knows.  I haven't watered at all this year unless it was a new plant in the ground and so far they are all surviving well.

Oh and the sunflowers are up....let me tell you this much....don't buy cheap seed!  I had 2 packs of Burpee sunflower seeds that almost all of them sprouted and the pack of cheap mix flower sunflowers....well.....not so much.  Interesting factoid.  Won't buy them next year for sure.

When this heat breaks or I get out before night and it's cool I'll take some pictures.  Maybe a video.....we'll see.

  

Garden Update - those pesky deer.....

Yesterday was a race against the rain.  I had a ton to plant and get picked and try to fence things in....those darn deer! 

 

My poor lettuce.  Good thing this variety will grow back.

I started my day running something to school for my son and then decided to hit up the greenhouse next to the school.  Ugh why do I do this to myself?  Bought MORE plants.  Oiy!  I HAD to get more lettuce thanks to the deer and I picked up a few celery plants.  Never grew celery and what the heck, may as well try right?

And I replaced the plants I had on the brink of death and thought I resurrected....to no avail....again the deer.  Ate the leaves right off the little buggers.  But I see they don't like watermelon or basil.  They were right next to the plants and not a nibble.  Good for me!

I also picked up a few herbs....cilantro (my absolute favorite herb), oregano and dill for my pickles.

After this torrential rain we are supposed to get I'm getting the bean T-Pee erected and strings run and then plant the beans and peas.  It's the last day of school here and I really need the help of an older sibling.  Hard to harness a 4 year olds attention for very long.


Here's a photo of one bed of tomatoes.  These are the San Marzano, 12 of them.  Just beyond them are the Amish Paste and the lone Tim's Black Ruffle.  Another bed has my yellow Brandywine and Cherokee Purple and the final "tomato" plants are the Tomatillo.  I know they technically aren't tomatoes but I put them in that category for my garden's sake....

 

 

Finally some rain and planting!

I did finally get some of my plants in.  I thought I got all the peppers planted....then I found some more!  Whoops! 

I got the mulch in place for my faux raised beds although I may have put a few inches too much.  I think I had to dig down about 6 inches or so to find the dirt below.  Note to self, don't try putting mulch down then planting right away.  The dirt was SO DRY!  I did make holes in the two beds where the tomatoes are going so hopefully with the rain last night there will be some moist dirt under there!

I have the cucumbers, eggplant, tomatoes and tomatillos yet to plant and the rest are getting started by seed.  Beans, cowpeas and squash. 

I want to get them all done this week.  I'm crossing my fingers!  And hopefully the deer stay out!  Then it's time to sit back and wait for everything to grow.....  :)

What's planted now!

Yesterday was a hot and humid day.  I think it was near 80 but it felt so much hotter.  Especially when the clouds let the sun through.  I felt like I was baking! 

I re-tilled an area that was a new section of garden, connecting two gardens together.  It was a pain to mow and not get grass in either the strawberries or the garden itself so I just tilled it up.  It is now home to the corn!

So corn went in yesterday, 3 rows.  In another few weeks I'll get another 3 rows planted.  If there is seed left over, I plan on doing a row or two in the upper garden.  Hopefully we will get a good crop this year.

The past few years, we planted silver queen corn.  It was a disaster!  Hardly any yield to speak of and then the stink bugs got them.  This year I chose a bi-color variety, Luscious.  And I'm going to attack those darn bugs with a soapy water bath when they come around!

Things are getting there, but slowly!  I am planning to get the seeds I have started into the ground this week.  I must be done! 

Next time.....my new deer repellant system......cheaper and I hope it works!

Some photos

Here are a couple of photos of what's blooming.

More planted, more to go! And I saw some new flowers!!!

Yesterday I did some tilling.  Yes, I know you Back to Eden purists are cringing right now, but I did it anyway.

I did get about 1/2 a row of stringless stringbeans planted and a few lettuces I had growing in pots.  I plan to start some more and have a rotating crop.  Some didn't germinate.  I guess that is a good thing, then they aren't all coming in at once.  There is NO way to preserve lettuce and we can't eat all of it at once.

I planted today some spinach and the rest of the baby bok choy.  I tried some over a month ago and only a couple came up.  Crossing fingers I have better luck this time.  The ones that did come up I see are being eaten by something, so I am going to break out the DE and dust the dickens out of them.  And I found some slugs, baby slugs, but still....they'll be getting the treatment too!  *evil laugh*

I noticed this morning that my peas looked like they were either getting new growth or some flowers.  This afternoon I can confirm they are flowers!  That means peas around the corner.  This variety is called Strike Peas.   I purchase a lot of my seeds local from Amish farms.  They told me the must be staked.  I did some research on the internet and found they only get about 2 feet tall and staking is optional.  Hmmmm......I went the optional route!  Why not and see what happens.  They did only get a little more than a foot tall and seem to be ok so we are going to let things be for now.    I can do a fall planting and maybe stake them...or not...

I will have pictures to post later.  I must run to a baseball game for my son.  That's been my life lately.  So, check again tomorrow....I'll have more growing updates then.....

End of winter? Let's hope!

Boy has it been cold.  I don't think Old Man Winter wanted to give up his grip this year.  We got a snow storm on March 25!  And it's almost April 1 and I haven't even gotten my seeds started yet!  This is probably not a bad thing since it's not warm enough to get them outside anytime soon.  If it runs a little later in the season it's ok.  We stay warm here in Pennsylvania until sometimes late September.

So where are we with the garden?  I have my mulch moved to the garden area.  See post below to see my huge loads of FREE mulch!  I contacted my local appliance store and they saved me some cardboard boxes.  Apparently I'm not the only one that has figured this method of ground + cardboard + mulch = an awesome garden bed!  At any rate, I'll take what I can get. 

I have most of my garden layout done with the Mother Earth News Garden Planner software.  Check it out here: http://gardenplanner.motherearthnews.com/gardenplanner/gardenplanner.html

I am going to deploy a  mix of the Back to Eden method and square foot gardening.  Now I know the SFG method is for small spaces, but I need to pack a lot into my space.  I am hoping this works out!    I'm sure it will be ok and I'm worrying for nothing.  But like my dogs, the garden is a part of my family! LOL!

This year I'm going to try and film at least once a week to show you how things are going.  Maybe more depending on what is happening.  There is going to be a lot of planting and such the first few weeks but then it will die down until we get into harvest.  I'm planting a lot of tomatoes this year and hope to make quite a lot of tomato sauce to can.  I'll bring you along on this journey too. 

Oh and my asparagus isn't up....yet....and the strawberries look like they are starting to come back and I can see some new growth.  It won't be long and I'll be up to my ears in both of these!

I have lots planned for this summer....stick around!