The Home Garden at the beginning of May

I haven't posted much about the Home Garden lately since I've been so busy with the Community Garden move. The garden is growing well...but it's pretty messy around here!

This is the Left Cold Frame Bed

All of the overwintered Kale & Collards have been removed in the back of the bed. I planted some Celery and Baby Choi in their place. Do you think that we have enough lettuce growing???? Maybe somebody needs to harvest some!

This is the Right Cold Frame Bed

The overwintered Kale in the back of this bed is still doing well. It does look a bit funny since I just harvested most of the leaves. There is also some lettuce in the back that definitely needs to be harvested. Maybe Miss Banana will take care of that for me today! The mid section of this bed has carrots growing in it. I am keeping the bird netting on to deter those darn squirrels and birds!

Look at all those little carrots!

The Garlic is growing like crazy!

And so are the Snow Peas behind it! 

I know that they are not supposed to be friends....but, I have growing peas and garlic next to each other for years and they do just fine. Look at those boards just laying there....what a mess!

There are 4 Early Tomatoes growing in Kozy Koats in this bed with carrots in between. The pill bugs were so bad under the boards that I had to remove them. I decided to put the shade cloth over them for awhile so they could get a little bigger.

This is Bed #1

There are two different varieties of Snap Peas growing on each end and Shelling Peas along the long side.

Bed #1

Garlic growing at one end.

Bed #1

Some Pak Choi, Lettuce and Spinach at the other end

Bed #1

I also planted a few Broccoli Plants, Chinese Cabbage and I think a couple of regular Cabbage plants in the middle

One end of the messy deck. The cushions and table tops need to be brought out of the basement and put on the furniture. Someone also needs to replace 4 boards on the deck and then power wash and stain it!

My new little Dwarf Carmine Jewel Cherry Tree is in it's pot.

The Herb Garden definitely needs a little cleaning up!

This is the part of the Herb Garden behind the messy patio furniture.

That's a bunch of self seeded Cilantro, weeds and greens from the daffodils!

There is one flower pot that is looking good!

I planted perennials in some of the pots last year and this one doesn't need a thing added to it!

My new Dwarf Tophat Blueberry bush and some weeds in the stone pathway in the background.

The Carrots that I started in this pot in the basement were very happy until I took them outside. I'm sure they will perk up and green up once they get used to being outside. I also have three more large pots that need carrots planted in. That will have to wait until after vacation. And there's that dirty deck again!

Not the best color in this pic.

Here are the Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplants and some herbs hardening off on the back porch waiting to to planted......

Here!! Yes, the beds at the plots are finished!!! Yippee!!

Well, it's going to be a busy week! Today I will be baking for the graduation picnic tomorrow. "The Italian's" daughter is graduating from college tomorrow. We will be leaving early in the AM. Then her graduation dinner here (not at our house) on Sunday....then the plots must be planted before vacation next week!

The State of the Plots............Part 2

Last week was very busy around here and I didn't post Part 2. Although things have changed a bit at the plots, here it is!

The other "Three Sisters" planting is very happy. There is popcorn, Long Island Cheese Squash, Fortna White Pumpkins, Greek Sweet Red Winter Squash (which never produced a female flower) and Trail of Tears Beans planted here. As you can see, the grass in the paths is very happy too. I was going to weed wack it today...but, didn't get to it.

Here are some dry beans, some leeks to the left and a few small broccoli & cauliflower in Bed #2. There are also dry beans planted in Bed #1 between the Brussels Sprouts in the back right of the picture.

This is the one Aspargus bed. There are Sadies Horse Beans and Trail of Tears beans growing up the fence in the back. All of the bushy stuff to the left of the asparagus is parsley. They are supposed to be good companion plants.

The tepee planted with Dean's Purple Pole Beans is really tall. I think about 8' right now. I will be surprised if this is still standing after Irene makes her way through our area this weekend!

Some broccoli & cauliflower was finally planted at the end of Bed #2 today. Don't mind the convalescing mummy tomato plants in the background. They are still alive...so, that's a good thing!

The Bell Peppers are huge! You can't tell from this picture, but, they are at least 3' high and loaded with peppers!

The hot & spice peppers are doing great also! They aren't as tall as the bells, but they are loaded with peppers! I left the celery (right end of pic) in the ground and it doesn't look all that bad. I can dry some of the leaves and freeze some of the stalks that are good.

The two remaining Moon & Stars watermelons are growing like crazy in spite of the little nibble that the groundhog took out of the one!

The Burr Gherkin Cucumber plants are growing like crazy! They are in between the two trellises were the cantaloupe and Korean melons were growing. I removed those vines today. You can also see some more convalescing mummy tomato plants in the background.

There are at least 4 more Fortna White Pumpkins on the vines....looking good!

And the zucchini plants are still producing!!

Well, that's all the Happy Stuff going on at the plots, with the exception of fall raspberries starting to ripen!!

So, what kind of Happy Stuff do you have going on in your garden??

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.

Home Veggie Garden at the end of May

It's has been one busy week in the garden. Our weather went from rain & cooler temps, right into the 90's with lots of sun and high humidity. I have to say that I'm not a big fan of hot and humid weather....so there will be no retiring in Florida for me!

With the change in weather, the greenhouse had to come down immediately. The temperature that day was in the mid 90's!

The bed in the front of this picture was covered by the greenhouse. After taking the greenhouse down I had to stake & wire the tomatoes and then put up some bunny barricade. Do you believe that I haven't seen a bunny since I put up all the fencing, made the hot pepper spray and put the trap out?? I guess that there will be no Rabbit Jambalaya until we go to New Orleans in the fall! You can't see the carrots too well that are planted between the tomatoes. They are doing really well. Some of the carrots in the pots rotted from all the rain. I am going to add some more seed to the pots this week.

The early potatoes in the bed next door are huge! They have been mulched with straw. I also put some nylon string around the bed to help keep the straw in place. They look like they are about ready to bloom. I also found a couple of cucumber beetles in there doing something :)

The snow peas in the bed next door have recovered from the haircut that they received at the hands of the bad bunnies. I also planted some tomatoes and peppers in the bed for our new neighbor.

Left Cold Frame bed planted with leeks, baby choi, lettuce, onions, dill and peppers. As one thing is done, I plant something else.  I can't believe how well the Baby Choi in the back is doing with all of this heat! I think we will be harvesting that this week.

Right Cold Frame bed planted with two tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, lettuce, dill and onions.

Some of the pretty little lettuce hiding in the cold frame beds

Spring Blush Snap Vine Peas. I am very excited about these...aren't they just beautiful!

It's hard to get a good picture of the vines. See how tall the are! They are over 6' tall and loaded with beautiful purple pink flowers!

Some celery tucked in between the garlic and english peas. The peas and garlic will be done before they get very big.

The "Little Marvel" english peas have recovered from all the rain!

I planted a few Spaghetti Squash along the fence. I put double collars on them. Last year the SVB's got all of my squash!! I hope that this works.

A little happy bell pepper. I started removing the bottom leaves from the plants a few years ago. The young man who mows my very little grass out front suggested that I remove them. It really seems to help them blossom and set.

Here's my first little baby CP! Seed from Daphne.