The End

Well, let's see, compared to other years' gardens, this one was quite a success. The rains came, so the plot wasn't dependent on my random watering patterns. And we got some very nice tomatoes. Our [unfortunately] hybrid cherry tomato plant was especially a favorite with Precious and Bubby. But, for a couple of weeks there, we were pulling in enough tomatoes to have a nice batch of homemade spaghetti sauce each week.

The corn got tall, and we saw the starts of some ears. But, then, it got brown. This happened at a point that most of the farmers market corn had already passed. I'm thinking I got the seed in the ground too late. Any other thoughts? Um, maybe I should have weeded the bed? I'm sure the corn wasn't too happy about having to compete with 3-foot-tall centipede grass.

The four okra plants that survived went on to produce very woody okra. Truthfully, I had no idea they were even producing, until I spotted a huge pod coming out of the stalk. By that time, they were just a little too fibrous for teeth. So, I bought two huge batches of okra from the local farmers market, chopped it, and froze it. Checkmark for okra.

My herbs started out well enough. That was, until my lavender was mistaken for a weed and eaten by a weedeater. And the local rabbits devoured my mint, and then was eaten by the weedeater. It's actually coming back! Then, my basil was sacrificed for pesto, and never revived. So, I went out and bought some rosemary and more basil. They are now sitting happily on my deck, soaking in the fall rains. Precious loves to chew on fresh rosemary, and we love it on baked salmon. I'm still thinking of a nice, rocky spot for a hardy perennial.

And that was the summer garden for this year. I'm still contemplating kale for the winter... or not. We'll see.

Tassels!

Well, I've been eyeing everybody else's gardens as I drive around, and it looks like we might not be the last ones to start getting tassels on our corn, but we're definitely not the first. When I came back from our various vacations, though, I was pleased to see them!

Our little plot never was entirely weed-free, and I tried cardboard boxes for a while. Well, they have failed miserably, and a squash plant was the first victim. It did give us two nice squashes before it withered.

The other problem I've been coming across is the thicket that we didn't get to burn before the burn restriction started. It houses a family of rabbits. Rabbits like chives, basil, and mint. My chives died, and my mint has no leaves at all. The only solution to the rabbits so far is to shoot at them with a kids' bb gun whenever we see them. It scares them, but that's about it. I am starting to sympathize with Mr. McGregor a little...

Tomatoes

Man! Where have I been for almost the last month? Hmmm... not really in my garden. My small tomato plants had scarcely survived The Turnover Move from Bubby, and then the lack of rain and sudden heat over the weekend took care of most of the rest of them. I was playing violin for a wedding, and I didn't even think about those poor plants! I know, I'm a bad mommy.

Aunt Mo alerted me to the fact that the end of this week is good for planting. So, I ran to Lowe's yesterday and bought more tomato plants. Got them in the ground this morning-- and afternoon. In the beautiful, drizzly rain. I used to think my mother was a caricature of the crazy gardener who had to get those plants in the ground, in the rain, of all things! But now, I've realized that gardening is actually a lot more pleasant in the rain.

At 1:00, we came in hungry, tired, and well-exercised. The kids took it upon themselves to start a bath. After I got Bubby's shirt unbuttoned, things went a little more smoothly (haha!). My babies really are growing up. I prepared lunch while they splashed around. After I dried them off, they found their own clothes and got dressed by themselves. They're all taking sweet naps right now; I think the gardening and rain wore them out, too.

The count:
2 German Queen (heirloom)
6 Better Boy (hybrid, I know, but all the old-timers love this variety)
1 cherry tomato (100-something variety?)

Now, here's the rub. I planted these babies right in the middle of a fire ant bed. Amdro, methinks? Or will the ants figure it out? Ug.

(ideas, anyone?)

Watering from the faucet

When I went out to water this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find that all of the plants that I had transplanted last week are still living, except for an okra that became detached from its roots when I planted it.  I had quickly covered it with dirt and hoped for the best.  Really, for someone who didn't grow up gardening, and who claims to have a black thumb, one casualty is an accomplishment.

But, the most exciting thing happening in the garden this morning is that I have corn sprouts!  I was so excited to discover nine howling mob shoots so far.  Woo hoo!  Does country gentleman take longer to sprout?

I transplanted the cabbage seedlings to a larger container, and added one marigold seedling to the container that the cabbages didn't quite fill out.  For good measure, yes?

Water from the sky

I was going to have to get up early this morning to water plants, but we had a brief shower around 5:30 this morning.  We're on a limited watering schedule: for thirty minutes from midnight until 10:00 AM on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday for odd-numbered homes, and on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday for even-numbered homes.  Maybe we'll keep on getting steady rains, so I don't have to refer back to this too often.

New Daddy tilled up my front plot again on Saturday, plus most of the strip of grass that was in between the two plots.  So, that means that I've got something to do on the next good planting day... which would be... (opens a new tab to look at "best days" for planting) the 14th for my beets and radishes.  And then the 24th for everything else.  Hmmm.  Looks like I'm going to need to transfer my rattlesnake beans into something.  They have overtaken their peat pellets and will probably die if I don't do something with them.  But, they are a vine crop, so I can plant them on the 19th, a little earlier than other things.

Are tomatoes a vine crop, too?  That means they can go in on the 19th.  I picked up my tomato supports from the old house today, so I'm ready when they are.

More stuff in the ground

You can check the farmer's almanac "Gardening by the Moon" for good planting days through the rss feed on the right side of the blog.

Today was another good planting day for above ground crops, so this morning I put in the Great Northern beans and the okra.  I sowed one row of beans next to the howling mob corn, and then two rows of okra next to the beans.  The Great Northern bush beans like a little shade, so hopefully, putting them between corn and okra will give them just that.

It was a gorgeous, gray day, perfect for working outside.  Maybe the gray will promise some rain to water in what I've planted so far.

My rattlesnake beans are more than ready to get in the ground, but I'm waiting on New Daddy to get some stakes and help me string up a trellis for them.  The trellis I bought is huge (5 foot by 30 foot netting), so we'll have to cut it down some.  Tomorrow is a good day for root crops, but my beets aren't ready to be transplanted yet.  Maybe I'll try the radishes?  New Daddy is also going to till my front plot for me, even though it's not exactly a barren day.

I'm realizing that I should have started my Marigold earlier, so I'd have plants to intersperse around the garden as I plant other crops.  Right now, my little seedlings are nowhere near being ready!  Maybe I'll read this next year and give them an earlier start.  Really, I should give everything an earlier start, but I'm always scared of a late frost.  I don't want to invest effort into something, and then have it fail.  So, I wait until it's almost too late, and risk not having anything mature at all.  Hmmm... doesn't make much sense, does it?

In the beginning

You know if I'm going to do something, I must fully enjoy it by writing about it.  Here goes...

New Daddy tilled up a couple of plots for me two weeks ago.  I went to put corn in today, and discovered that grass has already taken over some of the area.  He said he didn't mind retilling, and Uncle B can live without his tiller for another week or so.

Today, I planted four rows of Howling Mob sweet white corn, only three rows of Country Gentleman sweet white corn, thanks to the grass.  I gave up on extracting grass mounds out of the garden with a trowel after the first 10 or so.  The last row of Country Gentleman can wait until New Daddy has tilled a little more.

Currently, I have seedlings/small plants planted for the following:

• beets- bull's blood
• cabbage- late flat dutch
• eggplant
• okra- clemson spineless
• radishes
  
• squash- summer crookneck
• tomatoes- brandywine and better boy
• marigold- harlequin (for pest control- bugs think they stink)
• beans- rattlesnake pole, black eyed peas sprouted from organic ones at the store, great northern
• herbs: borage, chives, going to buy a few from the garden store
• and this shot in the dark: I planted three Pink Lady apple seeds that were already sprouting inside the fruit.  Will I get apples in several years?

The kids played outside while I worked, and Cutie fell asleep in her carrier, in the shade.