Lots of Veggies In

We've had a few days in the mid-80s, so I was anxious to get things into the ground. I've planted eight tomato plants, eight pepper plants, and two aubergines, all in the rose bed. I've planted zucchini and delicata squash and cucumbers in a raised bed, all ones I had started. Two melon plants went into the bed along the back of the house, in front of the raspberries.

I sowed some pole beans along the trellis on the deck where I killed the clematis montana by pruning it too late. I hope the ground is warm enough for them to sprout. And I sowed another row of carrots. Something is eating the first row, but I put Sluggo Plus down, so I hope that stops whatever it is.

The blueberries have lots of fruit coming, as do the new strawberries and the raspberries. And both the asparagus and potato beds are looking good. The pear trees has lots of fruit, and even the peach tree, which looks totally butchered, has quite a bit of fruit. And the mandarin is loaded with flower buds.

Butternut Squash Harvest

Last Spring I planted two Metro Butternut Squash seeds. I had read that with Waltham Butternut you could expect 4 or 5 fruits per plant.  After eating two and giving away five, here's what I harvested.

There are 41, not counting a couple that were not quite mature.  There was also at least one flower.  The darn thing just doesn't know when to quit.  Most of these will go to the Marion Polk Food Share.

Some Fall Vegetables

We just plain got tired of all the melons.  After having it every day on our cruise, we just couldn't face any more.  So out they came.  The winter squash is still there, doing amazingly well.

I sowed some chard and kale in an empty bed, but only the chard came up really well.  There are a few curly kale plants, but the Tuscan kale never came up at all.  So I found a six pack of starts at 13th Street Nursery and stuck them in. 

I also found a six pack of Brussels sprouts, which I tucked in a couple of other beds.

We're Back!

We've returned from our cruise, and boy, have things changed in six weeks. There must be dozens of melons ripe or almost ripe.  And there are about thirty butternut squash.

The tomatoes and peppers are doing well, although I'm not impressed with the Berkeley Tie-Dye tomato.  It tastes pretty good, although no better than Cherokee Purple.  It has some blossom end rot and is nowhere near as prolific as the CP.

I sowed some kale and chard in the bed that had greens previously.  And I pulled the strawberries (because they looked terrible) and sowed carrots and Romaine lettuce.  I'll put garlic in there as well.

More Things Planted

Today I planted the peppers in the tomato bed.  I also planted the small basil plants at the edge of the same bed.  The bigger plants, the ones I got at the MG plant sale, are now in pots, three plants in each pot.

I planted a couple of butternut squash starts in the front yard.  I'll need to keep them under control by pruning them back.

After several days of light rain, things are really looking good.  The beans are up and the potatoes have been hilled.

 We've eaten some of the spinach, and the chard and kale are coming along.

The new salad crops are up, and the pea pods are forming.

 The artichokes have settled in and appear to be thriving.

 The first planting of carrots and beets are doing well, and the second planting is up.