I have put together a list of what needs to be completed this weekend. It is all garden related this weekend.

The first thing I need to to is the one thing I do not enjoy, thinning out a few rows of plants. I never like the idea of pulling out plants that are growing. I wish I could just leave them all grow, but spacing is critical. A few extra seeds are planted to ensure ample plants in a row. These extras have to then be removed to allow the remaining plants sufficient room to grow. I have been known to transplant rather than toss extras in the compost pile.

My potatoes all need to be mulched again. They are growing very well and and some have been mulched in twice already. I use mulch rather than mounding my plants with soil. This approach works very well for me.

My onions need a few weeds pulled from their rows. Onions do not compete well with weeds at all. I see a few weeds peeking through the mulch. I will pull the weeds and add another layer of mulch.

The tomatoes, peppers and cabbage will receive a quick hoeing and they will also need mulch. I usually mulch with grass clippings. I also have leaves left from the fall stored in my leaf silos. These make great mulching material.

The cucumbers are growing well and I have already placed cages around them. I will be adding a layer of compost around them. The zucchini will also see an additional layer of compost. I will thin the hills of watermelon and cantaloupe, and add more compost to the hills. As the plants begin to spread I will mulch the area with a layer of straw. Any trailing plants welcome a layer of straw. The crops come in cleaner and healthier if they are not touching the soil.

I can not believe the way my pole beans are growing. I made a support for them by stringing strong rope between poles. I am literally watching them grow every day. I will be sowing a row of bush beans soon for a later crop. The beans do very well with a little compost added to the soil at planting time. A second application of compost never seems to be needed.

I am just sitting back and watching the gourds, pumpkins and sunflowers grow. I may thin the pumpkins yet, but that is about it. As they grow a little more they will also receive a layer of straw mulch. The gourds are planted within rows of Indian corn. This keeps them off the ground as they use the cornstalks as a natural trellis. I added one extra area of birdhouse gourds this year. I will be creating a trellis for them soon. These are growing along the back of my garage and need to grow up rather than out.

The lettuce and other items in our kitchen garden will just receive a quick weeding and/or hoeing.I don’t mulch them with anything other than compost. It does not take long to keep it weed free, and the plants enjoy frequent watering.

When this work has been completed I will tackle those raspberries. That may be next weekend.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I found the following to be interesting and informative. It is a nice collection of tips for the gardener. Many of these tips are similar to things I have posted in the past.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Plant-Care-Summer-Garden.aspx

I’ll see you in the backyard!

That is the question that has been on my mind. It gets real close to being dry enough to work, and more rains come. I know that it will eventually dry out. That day will not come soon enough.

I am now officially behind in my planting. I have some cooler weather crops that I had hoped to have in the ground already. I hope to have them in as soon as possible. My potatoes and onions are waiting to go in the ground also. Before I know it all the later crops will be ready to go in.

This is one of the joys of growing a garden. It is our perseverance versus Mother Nature. Our crops may not always go in when we want them to, but we always manage to pull off a harvest. Oh the joys of growing our gardens.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I have this year’s garden plans just about finalized. This has taken me longer this year because I was debating an expansion. It looks like the expansion will happen.

I had my garden divided into two sections with a path through the middle. One section was mainly vegetables, and the other section was pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn. Beyond the pumpkins were a row of pots with various plants growing in them. These act as a border to end the garden. This year the pumpkins and gourds will be growing on the other side of those containers. This will give me quite a bit more room. I have already started building the soil in the area of the expanded garden, as I knew it would grow eventually to include that area. I also grow a few gourds within the corn. The gourds climb the stalks and grow upward rather than out.

The layout should be set. There will still be a row or two of sunflowers in the back of the garden against the fence. The left side of the main path will still be tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, cantaloupe and bush beans. The area where the pumpkins used to be will still have the Indian corn, but will also include potatoes, onions, climbing beans, cabbage and a few other plants I’ll decide on later. The pots I used to use as a garden end marker may hold gourds or mini pumpkins. Pumpkins will be grown in the newly expanded area. I really want to grow some bushel basket gourds this year.

I may also grow lettuce and other salad greens in the garden in addition to the other areas I grow it in. I will try to keep you updated as I decide what other items will be going in the garden area. There will also be information coming on installing trellising for the garden plants and any other preparations I make. You will also find more information on getting the new pumpkin patch area ready for the season. Seed starting will be coming soon also. I only have enough room to start seeds as entertainment right now. Most of my plants are purchased until a greenhouse can be afforded.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I found a helpful tool for figuring out seed starting dates.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedFiles/articles/issues/2006-12-01/Seed-Starting-chart.pdf

This should be an asset to new and seasoned gardeners alike. It is time to start thinking spring!

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I can’t believe we’re already in October. It has been quite a year when I think back on it. From too much rain to none at all, and all the other challenges associated with growing things. There were some successes and failures along the way.

The only major garden disappointment this season were the pumpkins and gourds. The dry weather really took it’s toll on them. I tried to use water from the rain barrels as my main source of water. That meant the vegetables were the priority when it came to watering. But we’ll try again next year.

A stroll through the garden this first day of October still shows there is a lot going on. Both the hot and bell peppers are still producing. The tomatoes are still producing and all the green tomatoes tell me they won’t be done for a while. I’ll be picking the last of the cantaloupe this weekend. The mini pumpkins did better than their larger counterparts. They will be harvested any day now. The birdhouse gourds still have some time before their harvest. These were the ones grown on the trellis and did well. I’ll be watching the sunflower heads closely as I’d rather harvest them before the squirrels help me. The Indian corn will be picked soon and any stalks I don’t use as decoration will be ran through the shredder. Most all the plants will see the shredder as the season nears a close.

There is still new life in the garden as well. The late crop of beans are flowering and a harvest won’t be far behind, weather permitting. I have a nice crop of lettuce coming in as well. Add these to the plants that are still flourishing as mentioned earlier, And our garden will be feeding us for some time yet. I’m very happy with my successes in the garden. Looking around I see many gardens have already been finished and tilled under. I’ll be trying to make the most of these last few weeks.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

Today I’m trying one last row of beans. The first row I had planted this season has now produced its last. The rows that were planted later are still producing.

The plants will be removed and ran through the shredder and added to the compost barrel. Soil prep will be no more than working the area up with a hoe. I’ll sow the seeds, water them in and lightly mulch the row.

They will take 45 to 60 days to be ready to begin harvest. An early frost could prove problematic. Covering the plants in anticipation of a frost may solve that problem though. It will be nice to have fresh beans that late in the season if it all works out. Even if I just get a small crop of them.

I have never started beans this late in the season. I’ll keep you posted on the results.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I can’t believe I’m already looking ahead to next year. I have learned that this approach works best for me. By now I see what has worked and what hasn’t. I know what changes I’d like to make and begin planning for them. I’m fortunate that everything is going well and my plans are simply to add more space for plants.

I start planning early simply to save money. I decide what I need and begin my search. Whether I find material on sale, or used at garage/yard sales, flea markets or the Habitat for Humanity Restore- just to name a few possible sources. Here’s a quick tip- Know what retail prices are for whatever you’re looking for. I like to be certain it’s a good deal.

The two projects I’m planning are an additional bed to grow raspberries and additional space for vegetables. I’m planning on using some existing space to grow additional pumpkins. I also have declared that next year will be the year I try bushel basket gourds. I’m planning on building raised beds and using some large containers. I’m already on the lookout.

There may be more projects coming for next spring as well. I may build some potato cages and add space for ……………? Time will tell. It’s not even August yet.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

Another weekend is almost over. I was able to get through a couple of projects this weekend. I’ll be sharing them with you later this week. At this moment I’m happy because there appears to be no rain in the forecast this week.

I have not been able to get anything done in my vegetable garden since June. It poured down rain the last Saturday in June as we were leaving out of town. More heavy rain occurred while we were gone. When I arrived back home the garden was underwater in spots. The puddles went away but more rain last week kept it too wet to work in. It is finally drying out.

Tomorrow I will take my garden back from those pesky weeds. The mulch helps so much. If it weren’t for the mulch I would have a mess! I also have other odd jobs out there as well. My cantaloupes need some fencing to keep them somewhat contained. The gourds will have to be checked to be sure they’re staying in their cages. The cucumbers will be needing that as well.

The only problem I have with the weeds is they’re getting tall. I don’t want to just dump them in the compost pile. I’ll take the time to shred them before I add them. This will speed their decomposition.

I’m sure I’ll find more to do as I get into it. But the more I find, the longer I can spend doing what I enjoy.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I was not sure what I would find when arriving home today after being away. I had heard the stories of the heavy rain and storms that hit the area. I was anticipating at least some minor damage or problems.

My vegetable garden weathered the storm nicely. The worst I could find was some Indian corn bent over. The soil is still very wet but I hope to be able to straighten those few stalks tomorrow. Adding soil to the base of the plants should be enough to hold the straightened stalks upright. Everything seems to have doubled in size.

It never ceases to amaze me how much things seem to grow while I’m away. The new perennials are thriving and blooming. The only landscape related damage from the weather was just a few more sticks down in the yard.

I did have one nice surprise while walking through the yard deciding it would be a day or so before it would dry up enough to get anything done. I did it while snacking on some of the first black raspberries to ripen this season.

I’ll see you in the backyard!