Garden progress

The tomatoes have been pleased with the little coverings, have reached the top and are flowering.  However, they may have preferred if I flipped the top of the cover back over them for these past few cool days.  For certain seedlings, I’ve added anti-slug wire fences as recommended by my neighbor. Sunflower seedlings are planted in the flower/herb/perennial bed. The rain was helpful and now some sunnier days would be most welcome!

Into the Ground

The tomatoes were looking good and strong enough time move to the garden. The warm morning encouraged me but then it cooled off so I hope they don’t protest. The zucchini starts and the remaining broccoli and chard went into the ground outside the cloche too.  All four beds are weeded and mulched. Happy to see the tadpoles in the pond, too. 

Tomatoes, About Time

Finally planted the tomatoes.   They were getting tall in the pots, but I planted them as deep as I could dig so they are really short now.

 

This year, they are in this former herb row.  This area has been covered with burlap bags since last fall.  The garter snakes had made themselves at home and two large snakes were surprised when I removed the covering today.   Later, a small snake was watching me from under the lemon balm.  I think they will adjust to living under the plants.

 

This is one of the first rows in the garden and has had herbs in in since the beginning.  See links here:
First year - part I
First year - part II
First year - part III

Signs of Frost?

Congratulations to Matron ( http://veggies-only.blogspot.com/ ) and her 191 pound pumpkin!  They brought home 4th place in the London pumpkin contest on their first try.

Yesterday, I harvested this squash collection, including the Queensland Blue pumpkin from Matron's seeds, and a little broccoli.   Today I picked more pumpkins, scalloped squash, lettuce and a basket of tomatoes. 

It appears the garden was frosty last week while I was away.  It will happen again, so I left only a few green pumpkins that have a little protected by other plants.    

September Garden

Remember the garden?  It's been on its own for these past warm and dry weeks.  Along with these tomatoes, I had a basket full of sungold and chocolate cherry tomatoes and a giant pattypan squash (ideally, you don't want them to reach giant size).   I cooked the squash, some of these red tomatoes, onion, a few green beans and basil.  

The cherry tomatoes are now frozen for winter cooking.  We've also frozen blueberries from our neighbor.

I just noticed another late planted squash with many small squash and one larger one.  I'll figure out which type of squash it is, and try it tonight.

And my mission of using up older things in the cupboard is progressing.   We never have pudding (hmmm... so that's why it is old), but now we have pudding with bananas to eat.

Back to vacation posts.

Tomato Progress

This is one of the small Sungold tomatoes from the earliest blossoms.  

Tomatoes, mini-peppers and borage inside the cloche, before I removed it on July 7th.  With their cloche start, some of the plants were taller than the tomato cages I used.

Sprouts!

While I was gone, DH was watching the tomato seedlings and the planted beans in the garden.  Just before I returned, he asked about the plants in the garage window.  They had sprouted!   I had given up on them before I left.

Matron - this includes your Queensland blue pumpkin and Jubilee tomatoes I planted at the end of April (some Jubilee already in the garden).  The other sprouts are delicate and patty pan squash planted in May.

I knew it was a little risky planting squash in these starter pellets but did it anyway. I was still surprised to pick up this pumpkin to find these roots.  I had to go find a larger pot.

Garden Math

Neighbor asked if I had a place for some of her tomato seedlings from her amazing greenhouse. Yes, I have space for two.  The types she has are Legend and Golden Nugget. 

I like garden math:
2 plants 'taken' by e-mail = 11 plants in person.  Usually, we stop here.
This time, I can return with tadpoles and little frogs.

Can you see the shadow of Emily, the garden inspector?  See her garden story here and picture here.

Thanks, neighbor! 

Covered Wagon Cloche Returns

Since I came home Saturday with some tomato plants, they needed a home.  I prepared one of the garden beds and moved the cloche frame in.    See these links to part I and part II of the cloche's first days.

Inside the cloche, I planted the tomatoes and mini bell peppers.  Outside of it, I planted broccoli and Flashy Trout's Back romaine lettuce.   Then I put the plastic in place using the clips from Japan.  The photo, above, is before I closed the ends.  

That's a large Oriental poppy seen through the other end.  It's not yet blooming like Alison's. 

Here it is closed up for the evening.  On hot days, I don't open the ends all the way.  I undo a clip at the top of each end which opens up a "vent" simply due to the way the plastic fits over the frame.

This same frame recovered from this snow damage and here too.  

Tiny Tomatoes

The tomato seeds I planted on Saturday spouted, one on Wednesday and two more yesterday.  These are Golden Jubilee, from Matron.  I'm hoping for a really long summer so it won't matter that these are just getting started. 

I'm hoping for sprouts from the Queensland Blue pumpkin seeds.  Since I cannot find my seed starting book, I checked some internet sources and confirmed that squash & pumpkins don't want light to spout.  I've left them in the warm spot under the sink. 

Now to keep this indoor garden pest from from finding them.  Actually, I'm keeping them under a clear cover to keep them warm, yet near the kitchen window.

My Garden Looks After Me

What a nice surprise to finally slink out to the garden and find a little dinner (some weeks ago). Without watering (or rain) the beans are not so prolific, especially the runner beans. These purple climbing beans have produced just enough for dinner now and then. The tomatoes probably had too much shade from giant hyssop plants and not enough water for a bumper crop.

I cannot complain. I've left the gardening to the bees this year. ... and Petunia (the snake). They've done a fine job, just to their tastes.

Too many trips and interruptions this summer, but these years happen.

Another (fun) trip later in September and then a good fall garden sort out is on the calendar for October!

Garden Dolly

One of the things I brought back from Kansas is this lightweight, but sturdy, dolly/hand truck. Pretty sure my dad had made it about 40 years ago (but not for a garden). As you can see, it is just the thing for moving the window cloches I like. They are heavy and awkward to carry but now I'm set!

It was time to move the cloches from the tomatoes and thin out the borage. All four tomatoes had grown up through the top of their cloches while I was gone.

This row was intended to hold some vegetables this year, but the herbs and flowers have filled it up. Much better than a row of weeds and grass at least. The catnip is huge already this year. I'm surprised since it has been so cool and rainy.

Lead Tomato of 2010

Here's the only baby tomato that sprouted so far. I think I need to move to round two with the seeds. The peas were also being stubborn. Brought them in to the house, from the garage and now several more have sprouted. I hope to keep them safe from my indoor garden pest... and then get the peas in the garden very soon.

Squirrelling Habits

The foggy morning yesterday helped confirm we are working our way into fall. After not seeing any squirrels during those hot/dry days we had, we've been hearing them everyday now. In the garden, things have changed from watching the new growth, to managing the harvest. Like the squirrel, we'll want to have some tasty treats come January.

Tomatoes: In the last week, the tomato harvests have become more than we can eat each day. Cherry tomatoes may not be the usual cooking sort, but we've been enjoying them in pasta dishes. So, I washed these and put them in the freezer. This morning, I moved the frozen tomatoes into airtight (vacuum sealed) bags. I love the colors. Maybe I can see a Christmas card design in the next round of the tomato harvest...!

Potatoes: Two of the potato plants had died back so we dug up our first potatoes. The other plants are still mostly green so I guess we should wait a while longer before harvesting those. We'll have some of this harvest for dinner tonight. My friend gave me the starts so I don't know what type these are.

Beans: The green beans have been the hardest for me to stay up on the harvesting. Actually, the happy grower this year has been the purple climbing beans. After my big pick last weekend, I had many more that were the right size for picking. Yesterday, I picked, blanched and froze several bags full. There should be a few more rounds to go, but there are few blossoms now so there will be a final harvest one day.

Carrots: I also harvested two nice size, tasty carrots last night. While I did thin, I could have done more. Some may be too close to grow to their full potential. I'll be looking at them closely today to see if there are some selective harvesting I can do to reduce some crowding.

Pumpkins: Some of the pumpkins are turning orange already! It is usually a rush to get them there by the end of Oct. The early orange ones are a different variety than I've grown before, and probably more of a jack-o-lantern variety. I also have others that are still yellow and green.

There are signs of powdery mildew in places. This time of year, our weather becomes just right for PM. In the past, I've tried to delay the progression of PM by spraying with a baking soda mixture or cutting leaves. I may let it take its natural course this year and see how it goes with the pumpkins.

Uncovered

The tomatoes have still been under the "covered wagon" cloche. It's coming off tonight! That will give them a chance to work on their tan before the holiday. And a little more room for those green tomatoes to fill out.

(this would be the picture of the crowded cloche, if I wasn't computer deficient at the moment)

Hope to be back, with photos, soon.

Blooming Borage

Self-seeded borage plants are now blooming. They are some of the happiest plants. And they make the bees very happy. Slugs don't seem interested in the prickly leaves. They have a cucumber flavor, but I don't care for the prickly leaves in my salad, either.

The Sweet Million tomato I purchased is also blooming. Can you see the similarities to the borage flowers? This tomato is under a window frame cloche. The Sungolds, started by seed, are under the covered wagon cloche. They look quite happy but no blossoms yet.

Borage does reseed itself in the garden, especially from any plants that end up standing until winter. Often, I cut them out after they get too large or stop blooming. The seedlings don't take much to remove where they are too thick or in the way. And they made great green additions to the composter.

I love having borage in the garden and even more so because it plants itself in the spring when there are so many other things to do!

Plant Progress

Molly - Look what your black willow cuttings are doing! Do those little white roots mean I could have my own shrub?


Most of the the Sungold tomato seeds planted last Sunday sprouted by Wednesday. The rest by Thursday or Friday. I think every seed planted did sprout. Not bad for 2007 seeds.

Being warmth lovers, I start them in the "oven" under my kitchen sink, but must be sure to move them to light when they sprout. Some of the tomatoes stayed in the oven longer and are now leggy. Hopefully, they'll work it all out.

Just today, however, I witnessed my indoor garden pest in action. Maria edited out one of the tomatoes in the pot. I should be thankful. It is so hard sometimes to thin the crop. Instead, I'll try to divide the seedlings which probably stresses them. I didn't expect them all to sprout so I planted 2 or 3 seeds per pot. Matron's post reminds me that I must plant peas asap!

Quick! Before They're Gone

The Sungold tomatoes are especially good this year. This summer, we'll take the sun wherever we can get it.
Above, the Ildi are being harvested now. If the rest of the green ones make it to yellow, we have plenty more to eat. Thanks, Matron!
This tomato came from our Port Orchard Farmer's market outing (& geocaching flash mob experience). They are firm, mid-size tomatoes. I cannot remember which variety. At first, before they turned red, I thought they were mutant sungolds and was quite puzzled. Eventually, I had a fuzzy memory of buying a seedling somewhere!

Tomatoes

Here are the tomatoes planted about the 3rd weekend in May, on their "plant out" day. We are running a full 10 degrees below normal highs, so they are still tucked in their window frame cloches even now. I don't have a photo from today, but they have grown and one has a blossom. It is supposed to be warmer next weekend, although I doubt we'll see much sun until after July 4th.
Pumpkin seeds I planted in the garage haven't sprouted yet. I do so enjoy the pumpkin patch, but it isn't looking promising! Some of the beans planted last weekend have sprouted. I need to go anti-slug them tonight as they look very tender and tasty.

Now I'm running out of photos from the days prior to the computer's self-inflicted permanent retirement, plus I left my camera's battery charger in Arizona. Haven't had time to solve either of those issues. I think a little sunshine would motivate me to action on both parts. Until then, it is just gray sky, and green everything else (from all the rain).

Beans in, photos stuck

Some travel and a stubborn computer are still holding off photos. However, Monday, I did plant bean seeds.

The tomatoes I planted out last week are looking good. I think the clue for when to plant tomatoes is when the volunteer tomato seedlings start appearing. Also, I now see regular volunteer sunflowers in addition to the red sunflower seedlings that appeared some time ago. Must be a sign that things are warming up, even if it is rather gray.