Sugar Baby Watermelon from our in-town back yard garden

We have picked two or three Sugar Baby watermelons so far this month.  They are a nice size to fit into an already crowded fridge. Washed clean And then, way down here (where only the most dedicated readers will read) I’ll make an offer.  If you would like to try this variety of melon next […]

Garden Overview, Early May

Okra, Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes, Garlic, Cabbage, Strawberries, Beets, Carrots, Peas, Potatoes, Squash, Watermelons, Zucchini. I need to plant cucumbers where those peas are, but I’m giving them ONE MORE week before they are evicted.

Garden overview as fall begins

I tore out many of the vines I had been mowing around and had a marathon lawn mowing event this past weekend.  Seriously, my compost pile is FULL!  Most things in the garden are dead or quickly dying. I’m still producing a few straggling tomatoes, I harvested a handful of gourds and cucumbers, and I […]

August Garden Update

The garden looks very lush this time of year.  The gourds and jackolanterns, cucumbers and watermelons reach farther and farther into the lawn every day.  We have harvested a decent crop of green beans, a few tomatoes for eating raw, a nice bunch of carrots, lots of herbs and a handful of zucchini. “Cabin” is […]

Planting hills in the garden

In the kids’ square foot gardens, they are going to have quite a few vining crops.  In just the bed for H., there will be Watermelon, Zucchini, Jackolantern and Gourds.  Of course I realize that these vines won’t stay in their 4-square-foot space for the next 3 or 4 months, but I will try to […]

First week of May Garden Overview

Things are coming together. This weekend I got most of my direct-seeded warmer-weather seeds planted, including zucchini, gourds, pumpkins, watermelons*, honeydew* and cantaloupe*. I still need to put up tomato* trellises, plant the cucumber seeds, plant our blueberry bush, mulch the pathways and clean up the cluttered corner and behind the fence. The view in […]

Seed Germination Trials

Last year I saved seeds from as many things as my waning fall motivation would allow.  This week I need to determine if my efforts were successful.  I am attempting to germinate a few samples from each type in a wet paper towel.  In case the seeds require darkness, I also covered the paper towels […]

Community Garden Plot

I haven’t shown you my community garden plot because I never remember to bring the camera.  So here are some blurry cell phone pictures. At the front right corner is an improvised trellis trying to support 9 tomato plants and already sagging in the middle. The rest of the space contains alternating hills of either […]

Wacky seeds for Christmas!

My mother-in-law got me seeds for Christmas, among other things! I got lettuce collection that includes Romaine (Lettuce Green Towers), “Summer Glory Blend”, Green Ice, and a packet of mixed greens. She also gave me a collection of some slightly zany varieties that I will enjoy trying. Purple Haze carrots, Eight Ball Zucchini Squash, a […]

Harvesting back yard garden veggies

My apologies for no pictures today.  The darn Canon Powershot S1-IS has NOT been repaired yet.  Their 7 day repair estimate has taken almost 4 weeks now…and counting.   I went out to the garden and picked a whole bucket of stuff this morning! Green peppers, Jalapenos, Tomatoes, decorative mini-pumpkin gourds (yes, they are way […]