Preserving

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

It's starting to look like a Garden!!

The plots are really starting to look like a garden. Despite the weather, planting is getting done and everything is growing very well.

Beds 1 & 2.
Bed #1 will be planted with dry beans as a second crop as I pull the first crop plants out. Bed #2, the potatoes are doing great, the snow peas are finally growing and the Three Sisters is just about completely planted. You are supposed to plant the beans after the corn. Due to the fact that I am planting special beans  in both Three Sisters, I started them at home. They will be put in a couple of days as soon as this heat wave ends. The space between the Three Sisters and small bean plants will be left empty for some fall broccoli. I also planted watermelons at the one end of the potatoes and in a space between the two varieties. I got the idea from the book Carrots Love Tomatoes. The early potatoes will be done before the melons get too big.

The potatoes are starting to bloom and the potato beetles are under control! I have been picking the bugs, removing eggs and using DE on them. The gardener behind us is doing the same thing and it looks like it has worked.

Beds 3 & part of 4.
Most of the tomatoes have been staked in Bed #3 (Tomato Alley). Bed #4, the Three Sister has been planted the same as in Bed #2.

One variety of the cantaloupe has been planted in Bed #4. I put the stakes in at the ends which will hold the supports for the melons. I also have another variety of cantaloupe and korean melons to planted in this bed.

The Sugar Magnolia Purple Snap Vine Peas are finally growing in Bed #4. I even saw a couple of flowers on them! Maybe we will get some of those beautiful peas after all!

Beds 5 & 6
A zucchini has been planted at the end of Bed #5. I will sow another zucchini seed behind this plant shortly. Nasturtiums have been planted throughout the beds where needed as pest control. They also add a lot of color to the garden and the flowers are great on salads!

The Little Marvel peas are growing and blossoming in Bed #5. Most of the tomatoes in that bed have also been staked.

The Fava Beans at the end of Bed #6 (Strawberry Bed) are growing nicely. They also have some flowers on them that are ready to open.

The Blackberry bushes are loaded. I have to remember to pick up some bird netting to cover them before the birds get to them.

The older Raspberry bushes that were at the plots are loaded with young berries. These also need to be netted soon.

Well, that's a little bit of what is going on at the plots. There is a lot that I missed....but there will be more posts and pictures in the near future.

20 comments:

  1. We have so many blackberries that we can spare some for the birds but last year something much bigger and two legged seemed to have been helping itself so we had to net against them!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have done such a fine job on your community garden plots...I am so impressed...they are beautiful! You should be so proud of yourself!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Robin you have done a wonderful job with your plots, I think you should have a farm :o) You would be excellant at it...Wish I had those thoughts when I was younger.. (Even 10 years younger :o) I bet the "Italian" will agree :o)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great plans. Thanks for the tour. I can't believe your tomato avenue!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love that shot of the whole garden, that would be a great one to capture at different parts of the year to compare!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow your garden plot looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sue, It's one thing to share with the birds...but another when people steal and don't just ask!

    Thanks Lynda, I just wish that this darn weather would cooperate a little so we could sit over there and enjoy it a bit more.

    Ginny, I lived on a farm most of my life. I have only lived here for 7 years. Yep, I think that "The Italian" is about ready to move to the country. Then we could have chickens, a goat and bees!!

    Your welcome Mal. I think that I'm going to be a busy bee during canning season!

    Erin, I really need to do a post showing the progress of the plots. I can only get about half of the beds in one shot though. I'm thinking that I could stand on my neighbor's water catching system or on the roof of my car and get a picture of the entire garden.

    Emily, thanks a bunch...it's really coming along!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'd say you are beyond starting to look like a garden! That IS a beautiful garden! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looking good, Robin. Your plot is looking so organized and neat.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Definitely a job well done. Yes you sure will be busy come fall putting everything away for winter. Do you can or freeze or both?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks so much APGal....yes it has definitely turned into a garden!

    Thomas, thanks for the compliment....coming from the neatest most organized gardener out there!

    Wilderness, I do both canning and freezing....a lot of it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I second what everyone else has said about your garden. I remember what it looked like when you started. You should be very proud of yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'll say it has definitely turned into a garden!! Great job, everything looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  14. It all looks wonderful! Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Marcia, Megan & VP, Thanks a bunch!! I was just looking at the early pictures...now it looks like a garden!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Robin, as usual your garden looks great. You have a really big garden compared to mine. As for berries, I'm going to try to harvest the wild mulberry trees that are trying to invade my property from neighbor's yards. I fought them for years but I finally give up. I'm going to try to make jelly and jam from the berries. They are just starting to turn. Most of the berries are still very green. Maybe in a couple weeks they will be prime to pick and process.

    Have a great day in the garden.

    ReplyDelete
  17. It look gorgeous. I so love the look of veggie gardens.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have been wanting to try to grow some tomatoes in buckets instead of planting them in the ground. Hopefully it won't make that much of a difference in their growth.

    Your tiny raspberries look great! We harvested our first one a few days ago off of some plants we purchased a few months ago. It was a welcome and tasty surprise!

    ReplyDelete
  19. David, thanks for all your kind words. This is the first year for me to have a big garden. I think that your idea of making jam and jelly out of the mulberries is a good one! If you can't beat-em...join-em!!

    Daphne, You should see the garden now since we got many many hours of rain!

    PraireCat, My tomatoes are not planted in buckets. The bucket have no bottom and were placed around the plants to protect them from the high winds at the community garden. In the past, I have planted some tomatoes in buckets at the house and they do just fine!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks for the tour, I echo what everyone said, your garden is lovely.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment!