Sunday we worked in the garden, trying to get it weeded and get more plants in the ground before the storms that were predicted this week rolled on in. We got most of our to do list crossed off, and I even tricked Matthew into doing a few extra little jobs. I am sneaky like that sometimes.
Our first job was weeding, and boy is it a big job. I don't know how people with acres of garden keep a handle on the weeds. I guess that's why pesticides were invented, but since we don't use them we are on our own. Damn. Every time we go out there, I start complaining about how we really need to mulch the paths, we really need to put something down there, we really need less weeds. Its falling on deaf ears. Matthew is too busy weeding to listen. Once we finished, we stood back and admired our weed free garden. It actually looked really nice. And probably will for about 2 days when the weeds start growing again.
We got the mini bell peppers planted. I started these from seed, so I grinned like a fool while planting them in the ground. Such a feeling of accomplishment! We now have 20 pepper plants in the garden (6 bell, and 14 mini bell), which is probably overkill. But they are easy to grow and Matthew and the kids eat them like candy, so they will be very happy this summer!
We also got in the T-Posts that we use to support our tomato vines. We have tried everything from those flimsy wire cages they sell at Home Depot, to the beautiful, but very impractical sticks of bamboo. The T-posts have worked the best so far, and are strong enough to support the heavy tomato laden vines.
And speaking of tomatoes, lookie here:
A whole bunch of our tomato plants have flowers already. The three that we planted early and then protected with the wall-o-waters seem to have more flowers on them, but I am still not sold on the idea that we are really going to get tomatoes earlier by using them. I am going to keep a close eye on them to see what happens.
We finished up the day by planting a block of corn, some flower seeds in the front beds, along with flower plants in the hanging baskets. We also re-seeded the front yard, it really needs some serious work getting it green and lush again.
On Sunday, when we did all this work, I checked on my bean and pea seeds and didn't see anything happening - no seedlings peeking up above the dirt. Imagine my surprise on Tuesday when I went out to find the bean sprouts at least an inch tall, and that the peas had all come up! Its amazing how fast things grow when they have the right conditions.
This is a row of pole beans (I don't remember what variety):
(Ack! Is that a missed weed in the background!?)
Another row of pole beans, a little slower to sprout, but so cool looking!
Bush beans sprouting like crazy:
Two nice rows of shelling peas coming up:
I also discovered a whole bunch of potatoes sprouting up - like the peas and beans there had been nothing happening in this row just two days before:
Our green bunching onions are coming up nicely from seed:
In my pumpkin bed, you can see the border of lettuce starting to sprout. I have my fingers crossed that we will have more luck with lettuce seedlings over here than we have had at the other end of the garden. I have a few pinwheels placed around the garden to discourage the blue jays that have been hanging out. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt at first, and thought they were just hunting worms. As seedlings have slowly been disappearing, I have less faith in their innocence:
Nothing is eating our radishes though...including us! These guys are probably a week or two overdue. Good thing we have salads on the menu a couple times this week, so we can get these used up!
One last interesting addition to the garden. We went to our favorite garden store over the weekend, and used every ounce of restraint we had not to snatch up every single tomato plant they had. They had so many new varieties in, next year we will be waiting until after Mothers day to do our serious tomato shopping. I did manage to sneak one plant in the cart that caught my attention - its called a Long Keeper. Basically these are tomatoes that store well, and slowly ripen over a 4-6 month period. The internet says:
78 days. (Semi-determinate) Due to the slow ripening characteristic of this variety, fruits become ripe 1-1/2 to 3 months after harvest, ensuring a supply of fresh tomatoes into the winter. Some customers report storing Long Keeper 4 to 6 months. Though the quality doesn’t match that of a fresh garden tomato, flavor and texture is superior to most winter supermarket tomatoes. Unblemished tomatoes are harvested before frost and allowed to ripen at room temperature. Store at room temperature so fruits are not touching and check for ripeness and rotting weekly. Used apple boxes with their fruit separators are convenient for this. Fruits are mature for harvest when they have a pale, pink blush. The 4 to 7 oz. fruits ripen in storage to a satiny, red-orange color. Flesh ripens to medium-red. Best planted in late spring or early summer for fall harvest, start seeds in early May. Long Keeper is often grown as a supplement to the main crop. Pkt.
Fascinating! I may have to run back and get another - tomatoes are something that I HATE buying during the winter, and since we are trying to eat more seasonally this may be just what we need. It will be an interesting experience at least!
Our first job was weeding, and boy is it a big job. I don't know how people with acres of garden keep a handle on the weeds. I guess that's why pesticides were invented, but since we don't use them we are on our own. Damn. Every time we go out there, I start complaining about how we really need to mulch the paths, we really need to put something down there, we really need less weeds. Its falling on deaf ears. Matthew is too busy weeding to listen. Once we finished, we stood back and admired our weed free garden. It actually looked really nice. And probably will for about 2 days when the weeds start growing again.
We got the mini bell peppers planted. I started these from seed, so I grinned like a fool while planting them in the ground. Such a feeling of accomplishment! We now have 20 pepper plants in the garden (6 bell, and 14 mini bell), which is probably overkill. But they are easy to grow and Matthew and the kids eat them like candy, so they will be very happy this summer!
We also got in the T-Posts that we use to support our tomato vines. We have tried everything from those flimsy wire cages they sell at Home Depot, to the beautiful, but very impractical sticks of bamboo. The T-posts have worked the best so far, and are strong enough to support the heavy tomato laden vines.
And speaking of tomatoes, lookie here:
A whole bunch of our tomato plants have flowers already. The three that we planted early and then protected with the wall-o-waters seem to have more flowers on them, but I am still not sold on the idea that we are really going to get tomatoes earlier by using them. I am going to keep a close eye on them to see what happens.
We finished up the day by planting a block of corn, some flower seeds in the front beds, along with flower plants in the hanging baskets. We also re-seeded the front yard, it really needs some serious work getting it green and lush again.
On Sunday, when we did all this work, I checked on my bean and pea seeds and didn't see anything happening - no seedlings peeking up above the dirt. Imagine my surprise on Tuesday when I went out to find the bean sprouts at least an inch tall, and that the peas had all come up! Its amazing how fast things grow when they have the right conditions.
This is a row of pole beans (I don't remember what variety):
(Ack! Is that a missed weed in the background!?)
Another row of pole beans, a little slower to sprout, but so cool looking!
Bush beans sprouting like crazy:
Two nice rows of shelling peas coming up:
I also discovered a whole bunch of potatoes sprouting up - like the peas and beans there had been nothing happening in this row just two days before:
Our green bunching onions are coming up nicely from seed:
In my pumpkin bed, you can see the border of lettuce starting to sprout. I have my fingers crossed that we will have more luck with lettuce seedlings over here than we have had at the other end of the garden. I have a few pinwheels placed around the garden to discourage the blue jays that have been hanging out. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt at first, and thought they were just hunting worms. As seedlings have slowly been disappearing, I have less faith in their innocence:
Nothing is eating our radishes though...including us! These guys are probably a week or two overdue. Good thing we have salads on the menu a couple times this week, so we can get these used up!
One last interesting addition to the garden. We went to our favorite garden store over the weekend, and used every ounce of restraint we had not to snatch up every single tomato plant they had. They had so many new varieties in, next year we will be waiting until after Mothers day to do our serious tomato shopping. I did manage to sneak one plant in the cart that caught my attention - its called a Long Keeper. Basically these are tomatoes that store well, and slowly ripen over a 4-6 month period. The internet says:
78 days. (Semi-determinate) Due to the slow ripening characteristic of this variety, fruits become ripe 1-1/2 to 3 months after harvest, ensuring a supply of fresh tomatoes into the winter. Some customers report storing Long Keeper 4 to 6 months. Though the quality doesn’t match that of a fresh garden tomato, flavor and texture is superior to most winter supermarket tomatoes. Unblemished tomatoes are harvested before frost and allowed to ripen at room temperature. Store at room temperature so fruits are not touching and check for ripeness and rotting weekly. Used apple boxes with their fruit separators are convenient for this. Fruits are mature for harvest when they have a pale, pink blush. The 4 to 7 oz. fruits ripen in storage to a satiny, red-orange color. Flesh ripens to medium-red. Best planted in late spring or early summer for fall harvest, start seeds in early May. Long Keeper is often grown as a supplement to the main crop. Pkt.
Fascinating! I may have to run back and get another - tomatoes are something that I HATE buying during the winter, and since we are trying to eat more seasonally this may be just what we need. It will be an interesting experience at least!