So we have this garden....

Well, two actually. The one I thought would be a sure thing, the one to the east, has pretty much sucked. It was the one the previous homeowner used, and we only planted corn and sunflower seeds. The soil was sandy and loose, and for some dumb reason, I thought that would be okay. I admit it; I'm a rookie.

It's on the high ridge on the east side of our property; it gets lots of sun and isn't likely to be chewed up by critters of any kind. It wasn't okay, though. I realized this about halfway through our growing season when the corn began to slow down and turn yellow, which I learned signals a shortage in nitrogen, so we got some. It was too late. We watered and fertilized. We weeded and worried. Tough luck. The corn produced little, tiny inedible ears, and the "Mammoth" sunflowers are pretty wimpy.

The other garden, which we can hardly STOP from producing, is new. It used to be yard, green lush grass just this side of our pasture fence on the south side. It has a brief period of shade because of a nearby maple tree, but for the most part, it's sunny most of the time. In it we planted more of the mammoth sunflowers, cilantro, Yukon Gold potatoes, squash, zucchini, carrots, cantaloupe, scallions, and enough tomatoes to ensure *some* would make it in spite of the growers' inexperience.
Thing is, more than just a few things are growing. I've given squash and zucchini to the mechanic, the people at work, the dentist, the kids' friends parents, and the neighbors. Pretty soon, people will start to run when they see me coming with them. lol I guess it wouldn't be so bad if we *loved* them. They are huge and delicious, but after having them every day for four days, the little girl said, "Mommy, can we NOT have these again tomorrow or the next day?" The main mistake we made with the squash and zucchini was planting them not along the edge, but actually in rows in the garden. The result of this is that they have created shadow for other, smaller plants that need sun, and therefore, haven't grown very vigorously... like the scallions, poor things. Some are actually growing, though, so I'm excited to have whatever comes up. :)


The carrots are growing like crazy, the potatoes' leaves are now dead (the signal to dig them up, from what I understand), the cilantro came late but is here now and is becoming coriander, and the tomatoes.... ah the tomatoes. We *may* have gone overboard in our enthusiasm for them.

Currently green, but turning red, on the vine are cherry tomatoes (growing oddly in rows like grapes), Romas, Early Girls, Beefsteaks, and another kind I can't remember. We started more than thirty plants, and nearly every.single.one has tomatoes growing on it. I don't can, though I should; I don't even have the supplies to can if I wanted to. I make salsa, tomato sauce, and slice them for my people to eat. WHAT am I going to do with all the tomatoes?


We have so many good ideas for next year--the main ones are that the east garden is about to become yard, and the south garden is about to become a larger expanse of hobby farm goodness. Well, those and we're planting fewer squash and zucchini....