Harvest Monday 5/23

Pak Choi, ugly Strawberries, and peas.

My first attempt at pak choi wasn't super successful, but these were good, though not very big. They were getting ready to bolt. There are still a couple in the garden, but with this heat I don't expect them to stay out too long!

Peas and snap peas and a single strawberry. I have my strawberries in on of those topsy turvey things, and they don't seem to be doing any better than in a giant pot.

Some are super ugly, some are eaten by birds, going to cover them with some  net. But the plants don't even look to healthy. Maybe they are waterlogged from all the rain.

I got a bunch of corn planted on Saturday, and still have some seed, even though I ran out of garden space so I think I am going to till another section today to finish the planting. I would just store them, but I already soaked them. Almost everything is planted. I still have beans and squash to plant amongst the corn when it gets going a bit. Also cucumbers. I hope to be done with it all by the end of the week, but it is suppose to rain all week AGAIN. Doesn't make it too easy to get the garden chores done!

Don't forget to visit Daphne's Dandelions to check out what others are harvesting this week!

Happy Harvesting!

Harvest Monday and May garden updates

This week I have Peas and Spinach! Don't forget to visit Daphne's Dandelions for more gardener's harvests! 

These snap peas never even made it into the fridge. The kids saw them and wanted one, and one turned into all! It's a wonderful thing! I often have friends and even strangers ask me how I get my kids to eat veggies so well, and I always say that growing a garden is the BEST thing, other than just putting things in front of them over and over again! I actually have gotten a couple of friends interested enough to start their own gardens and it is so fun! 

These were harvested on Saturday. 1 1/8 oz.

3 3/8 oz of spinach, 3/4 of an oz of peas (some may be on the small side), and 3 3/8 oz of super sugar snap peas. 

Bed 1, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, pak choi, kale and a bolting cilantro (I cut off the rest for use!), and lettuce. I put the pop up green house with a shade cloth over this bed to keep the cabbage moth out and the shade cloth to try to keep it cooler since they are a bit behind! But I'm still gonna try!

Bed 3. My peas, spinach, chard, onions and garlic. I picked most of the spinach out today. I didn't have as much as I had hoped for. Plant more in the fall! Peas are doing well though. There are a bunch on there filling out!

Bed 2. Carrots, kale, lettuce, pak choi, chard, onions.

Bed 5. Lots a radishes that probably need to be thinned so they don't crowd out my parsnips!

Potato tub. I have 2 of these to try out! This is my first time growing potatoes so I hope this goes well! They look great so far!

We tilled the section along the fence where I am going to crowd in some corn, beans and squash (three sisters!) It has been raining though and I haven't been able to get it planted yet! I also hope it does not get washed away because this is an area that can pool if it rains too hard. Maybe I'll dig a trench!

Bed 7 and 8, the new beds. I tried to cover as many tomatoes as I could with some milk jugs. It has been a very cool couple of days,  and I just got them planted. Bed 8 is also filled with onions and lettuce, and a few carrots. Bed 7 has onions, carrots, and tomatoes.

 My husband is thinking I am getting in way over my head with the garden! Only time will tell! But I am excited about all the new things in this season's garden!

Happy Harvesting!

First Small Harvest of Season

My small but first harvest of the season! I returned from vacation to find my cilantro almost ready to bolt. This was only one plant, the one that made it through the winter. Now I need to find something to do with it! Maybe a little in some guacamole or something, but that's a lot for just that! I am just happy to get in on the harvest!

Today, I have been out in the garden transplanting many of my seedlings, peppers and tomatoes mostly. This week I hope to get a strip of ground tilled next to my beds to plant corn, beans, and squash! Let the gardening season kick into high gear!

Last week we celebrated my twins 5th birthday at Disney! Here's a family shot, minus the baby, he stayed with friends!

Happy Gardening!

And don't forget to stop by Daphne's Dandelions to see what others are harvesting!

Can Anyone Build Me a Boat?

I would post some pictures about the chores I have been doing in the garden, but it has been raining here, hard, for what seems like an eternity! I think they are saying it is over a foot of rain we have had. There are some amazing sites along the Ohio River and even some of the boat channels.

Our back yard, a nice river along side our burn pile!

Our river running into the neighbors yard and beyond... 

The water coming from our other neighbor's yards!

Maybe soon I can get some more garden stuff done. For now, I am waiting for a little sunshine to dry up all that mud!

Hardy Cilantro and Feeling Behind

I had a terrible time with Cilantro last year. I kept planting seeds all spring, summer and fall. I got this little tiny one by the end of the season but it was so pitiful I just left it there, and the thing kept going through winter! And here it is today. Probably one of the fullest cilantro plants I have ever grown!

Almost all the beds have something planted in them so far, but much of it is too small to photograph. This one is going pretty good with peas, garlic, spinach, and chard. Doesn't seem like I am going to get much for peas once again. I just can't seem to get my timing right on it.

I am feeling pretty much behind on everything. Things either just don't seem to be germinating, or I am getting them started too late or both! Tomatoes and peppers are one of them. The tomatoes took a while to germinate and are quite tiny and the peppers don't seem to be germinating at all! Hmmm. I began putting a bunch of the seeds in wet paper towels and in a baggy to get them germinated, and those seem to be doing better, but behind! It's always something to work around every year isn't it? I am sure I will get stuff out of them, just later than I had hoped. So far, the items growing the best are the onions and the garlic. 

It's a Rainy Day...

So I have my seeds out, my graph paper out, books, etc and I am making layouts and gluing carrot seeds to napkins (as suggested by Annie's Granny). This did not work out well for me last time, but I am going to give it a shot again and hope it works. I think it was just too hot and dry last time.

Over the weekend DH filled my 2 new boxes and I began transplanting and moving things around. He topped everything off with a little bit of Zoo Poop! Composted of course! We'll see how the zoo poop works for us. Every year in the spring the Louisville Zoo has it's "Zoo Poopy Doo" event to sell compost and mulch as part of a celebration for the Earth. This year is April 2, 9, and 16 if you want to get in on it.

 It's all wet and muddy out in the garden right now though. I drew up the layout and where I am planning to plant everything that can be found under Garden Layout and Plans  <--here or above. It won't be long and it will be all filled in! Hooray for spring! Even rainy days...

Kentucky Gardening Resources

As I am preparing for the new gardening season, making charts, planting seeds, and more, I have been putting some of my favorite resources to work. One of my favorites is the Kentucky Gardener magazine, I love the "how to's" and the reminders of what do and when for specific plants. I often stock up on ones the library throws out after it gets a new supply in! Gardening tips are rarely outdated! And, I just got a subscription as a gift, and I couldn't be more excited! Especially since you can only check out the previous month's edition at the library, it doesn't help too much now when you are reading Marches edition in April! Still, I am glad my library carries it, or I would not have known what a wonderful resource it is.

Another invaluable resource to me has been the UK Cooperative Extension Service and the publication that they put out, "Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky."(Louisville) It has everything from how to start your beds to dates and charts to insects and diseases that often do their damage in Kentucky! I have the book folded open to the seed starting charts at this time! I have noticed them offered all kinds of places, including the Y.  There is also another publication that is put out around Lexington, "Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky."(Lexington)

And of course the University of Kentucky Insect Files has helped in identifying the good, the bad, and the ugly of our area.

My friend has also let me know about a group called 15Thousand Farmers, I have checked out their website and signed up, but have yet to visit one of their meetings. But it looks like a great program that gets lots of local businesses involved and offering discounts on gardening supplies! I don't know about you but I could always use a discount.  They also have workshops, seed trading and all kinds of help and information for growing your own food.

I could list several more invaluable resources that I like to use, but this is all about Kentucky! If you know of good Kentucky resources, I'd love you to share.