Nice Melons!

Not only am I having success growing zucchini, but I'm also having great luck with watermelons. This year I planted Crimson melons. They are smaller, round melons with seeds. They have really taken off as the heat has increased.

Peas - You Are Out!

On February 14, 2009, I planted Little Marvel peas (bush vine variety) from seed straight into the ground. Those germinated about 14 days later on February 28. I then planted a 2nd crop adjacent to the 1st. Since these are bushy, not much room is needed.

March 18, 2008 approximately 30 and 18 days since planted.

April 11, 2009 approximately 50 and 40 days since planted.

April 18, 2009 approximately 60 and 50 days since planted.

I harvested on May 2 and continued until May 22. On May 22, I pulled out the plants because they could bare no more. It just gets way too hot here in the summer time. The plants now reside in the composter and their bounty was consumed mostly in the garden, raw in salads, or blanched and frozen to enjoy later. On May 24, cantaloupe was transplanted where they once produced.

ZUCCHINI STATE OF MIND

Zucchini May 29, 2009

I can't believe anyone would ask me how to grow zucchini. This is my first successful season. It's so successful that I had to transplant my neighboring cantaloupe because these beasts were creating too much shade. Here's a look at the progress of these Black Beauties:

I planted 12 plants from seed directly in the ground in mid March. Unfortunately, I did not keep a garden journal. This is something I need to remedy quickly. Fortunately, I took photos and make sure to file them properly by subject and date. I know. Sometimes my butt cheeks get a bit tight.

March 29, 2009 approximately 7-10 days from planting.

May 2, 2009 approximately 50 days from planting.

Left to right: Ace tomatoes, Black Beauty zucchini, Heart of Gold cantaloupe, Crimson watermelon. The cantaloupe were moved on May 24, 2009, due to shading/crowding from zucchini.

May 12, 2009 approximately 60 days from planting.

Squash is harvested every evening and incorporated into dinner. Memorial Day BBQ will include a zucchini casserole. I'll try to remember to share the recipe soon. It's pretty danged good.

I Hate the Heat!

No words necessary.

Beets

My boy in Alabama called on Mothers' Day. He expressed the desire for me to send him some pickled beets. I don't believe they would travel so well. Since the phone call, I discovered that these gems can remain in the refrigerator up to 6 months.

I hope there will still be some for him when he gets here in September.

Happy Mothers Day

Success!

Never before have I been successful at growing zucchini. I know. Who could suck at growing something that most every home gardener ends up giving away? Me. That's who. This season is different. These Black Beauty zucchinis were planted from seed and really took off as the heat turned up.

I may regret being a successful zucchini farmer, but that's the risk I'm willing to take.

Produce is Producing

The peas probably won't even make it out of the garden. So far, I sit in the chair and eat them on the spot. They are so crisp and sweet. The flavor brought back a fond memory from years ago.

Grapes! The grape vine is taking off. The arbor is there for support. We're adding a garden gate and fence; so this lovely will have plenty to climb upon.

Flower Power

Summertime is on its way in the garden. Here’s how things are progressing:
The hydrangea is beginning to change color. Remember the pest problem I had earlier? The ladybugs must have taken care of the offenders.

Marigolds from seed fill the blocks that make up the raised bed for the tomatoes and peppers. This is a sure sign that summer is almost here.

A couple of “almost dead” lavenders were transplanted into the blocks. They were cut back and now they are all blooming.

The bare root wisteria didn’t look like it was going to grow very well earlier this spring. An older wisteria was transplanted on another post of the pergola. Surely the older plant would reach the top long before Junior. Now Junior is up to the top of the pergola. It beat the old wisteria in the race. Show off!

Potato Brown Spot

I planted potatoes in February. They grew beautifully. I knew they should be mounded. I didn't want to put soil up on those beautiful greens. Mounding would help increase the size and quantity of potatoes produced. I mounded them last week. Now the beautiful greens have brown spots.

This looks like the brown spot fungus I regularly get on my roses. I treat those by spraying a 2:1 mixture of water and white vinegar on the affected area. Any fallen leaves are cleaned up quickly so the fungus doesn't spread. The potatoes got the same treatment this morning.

The problem could have been in the soil. I added some bagged soil when I mounded. It may have had the fungus that spread to the potatoes. Nonetheless, I hope I can nip this in the bud.