2009 Garden
A cool start this spring.....
It stayed cool until mid June this year...with cold rains and late frost. Kinda sorry looking, isn't it.
The beans are the same Provider variety mentioned again below. These seedlings survived the cold rains and frost (covered, of course) in June.
The beans are the same Provider variety mentioned again below. These seedlings survived the cold rains and frost (covered, of course) in June.
We expanded the garden area into the orchard area and added more growing beds, potato boxes, 4 more fruit trees, some hops vines, and a Nanking Cherry shrub. We put in 2 concord grape vines in a 4 x 8; 2 of a Canadian variety in another 4 x 8; yellow and red producing raspberry plants in a 4 x 16, and a 4 x 8 bed filled with strawberry plants.
Potato Boxes
We are experimenting this year with potato boxes. Supposed to be able to get a higher yield this way. If we got the yield the catalog says, we could have 3000 lbs of potatoes! But in our northern garden with short season, I don't think it will be THAT good! ;)
8/1/2009 NOTE to SELF: Don't plant potatoes too deep. They don't like it. :(
Next year, we'll add an inch or so less soil to the boxes when planting the potatoes. The boxes are working great otherwise. Especially on those that were not buried too deep to begin with.
We also planted 2 4 x 8 beds with potatoes in the main garden area.
Another NOTE to SELF: Don't plant potatoes too close together in raised beds. They don't like it. :(
I think we'll get potatoes this year, but I think our yield would have been much better if I had planted correctly.
8/1/2009 NOTE to SELF: Don't plant potatoes too deep. They don't like it. :(
Next year, we'll add an inch or so less soil to the boxes when planting the potatoes. The boxes are working great otherwise. Especially on those that were not buried too deep to begin with.
We also planted 2 4 x 8 beds with potatoes in the main garden area.
Another NOTE to SELF: Don't plant potatoes too close together in raised beds. They don't like it. :(
I think we'll get potatoes this year, but I think our yield would have been much better if I had planted correctly.
Onions and 'Maters
Onions and Tomatoes early in our growing season. The onions are yellow parma. This is the 1st year we've tried this variety. They look pretty good so far. I started them from seed in March for setting out in mid-May. But we had snow too late this year, leaving the beds too wet to work, and I didn't get them out until early June. The tomatoes are a yellow cherry type tomato that is delicious. I have grown them many times before. They're called Galina, an OP* variety, from SeedsTrust. They are indeterminate vines and have a fairly decent cold tolerance.
The next picture is what it looks like August 6th. The tomatoes are almost 5 feet tall! And the onions are bulbing nicely.
*OP is Open pollinated, not hybrid/F1
The next picture is what it looks like August 6th. The tomatoes are almost 5 feet tall! And the onions are bulbing nicely.
*OP is Open pollinated, not hybrid/F1
Garden view from the Road
Garden at the end of July
Calendulas as companions
This year I decided to plant a bunch of calendula seeds. They are a pretty flower and are supposed to be good companions in various places in the garden. For the last couple of years, we've had some kind of black beetle eat at anything that had a yellow blossom, including tomato blossoms! Even the marigolds are get nibbled on by these creeps! UGH!
So this year I planted calendula scattered amongst the beds. It is working out well as a trap plant to keep the beetles off our tomatoes. We still have to do bug patrol every day to kill the beetles but at least our tomato blossoms are safe so far.
So this year I planted calendula scattered amongst the beds. It is working out well as a trap plant to keep the beetles off our tomatoes. We still have to do bug patrol every day to kill the beetles but at least our tomato blossoms are safe so far.
Calendulas in the pepper patch
These calendulas grew well in the garden this year. We saved seeds till we got tired of picking them.. and plenty were left to reseed next year. We should have them all over the place for next year's garden! Another keeper! They made great cut flowers and garnishes. Next year I'll try doing more with them, too.
Tomatoes, Basil & Marigolds
A basket of basil picked for drying. These, I grow as companions with tomatoes, and marigolds. They all work together nicely as they enhance each others growth. In addition, the stronger scented varieties of marigolds repel certain bugs from their surroundings. They add bright color to the beds,too.
Cabbage and onions.
Red and green cabbage were interplanted in an alternating pattern for interest. It's coming out pretty. Also planted with them are Walla Walla Sweet onions that I bought as sets. They are supposed to grow good together. So far, so good! Normally I start onions from seed but after I ordered my onion seed, I decided I wanted the Walla Wallas.
Green Beans!
This bed has produced more than enough green beans to fill a 5 gallon bucket. There'll be more to pick in the next few days, too. These are the Provider beans. I really like them as they taste great cooked fresh, and they freeze well, can great!
Sept 2009:Update: Altogether we picked over 20 gallons (more than 4, 5 gallon buckets), and canned 130 pints of green beans. I froze up a few quarts also. This doesn't count all we ate fresh from the garden. These beans are rightly named.
Sept 2009:Update: Altogether we picked over 20 gallons (more than 4, 5 gallon buckets), and canned 130 pints of green beans. I froze up a few quarts also. This doesn't count all we ate fresh from the garden. These beans are rightly named.
Companion planting and green beans.
This is one example of companion planting. Beans and petunias planted together make good companions along with a pretty combination. Petunias are said to help the growth of the beans. I don't know yet, for sure, if it does, but they sure look pretty together! The green beans here are Providers and never seem to fail, even with the cool weather we had in June. They can produce a good crop in 6 weeks! Last year we picked 60 or so quarts to freeze out of one 4x24 bed!
Corn, green beans, zucchini.
Corn, green beans, and zucchini are in this bed, along with petunias of course!
Zucchini
This is the zucchini growing under the corn. Looks like we'll have zucchini bread soon! Yummm!
Sweet Peppers.
These are sweet banana peppers and taste soooooo good in a stir fry!
By the end of the season, we picked hundreds of these peppers! A box full! Enough to eat and dehydrate. This one's definitely a keeper and I will grow them again next year.
By the end of the season, we picked hundreds of these peppers! A box full! Enough to eat and dehydrate. This one's definitely a keeper and I will grow them again next year.
Apples
This apple is a Haralson that is supposed to be good for eating, with plenty of flavor, cooking, and storage. It looks like we'll have apples this year! Yaaaay! The tree finally got big enough to bear at least a basket of apples. It is a semi-dwarf variety we bought at a local nursery. It doesn't seem to be a very big tree so far.
Below is a picture of the tree.
The hoops over the bed beyond the tree holds up bird netting used to prevent the wild birds -and our chickens- from eating the strawberry plants we just put in this spring.
Below is a picture of the tree.
The hoops over the bed beyond the tree holds up bird netting used to prevent the wild birds -and our chickens- from eating the strawberry plants we just put in this spring.
Pear tree
One of the 2 lone pears on our pear tree after our pollinator pear died over the winter. Hope to plant a new one next spring. This year the local nursery didn't have any to replace it with.