Garden Update 6-24-13

As always, you can click on a picture to make it larger.

First icicle radishes

The acorn squash is spreading out and getting huge!

Something is eating my fairytale eggplant, but the flowers are lovely.

First Melrose peppers

Flowers on icicle radish that is going to seed.

Supposedly, if you let icicle radishes go to seed near zucchini, squash bugs will stay away. 

We'll see!

Baby zucchini

Tomato row

First of many (Rutgers)

The Heinz is huge! 

My poor, pathetic Red Haven peach tree.

Peaches

Watermelon isn't doing much yet.

Beautiful nasturtiums 

French marigolds

Garden 2013

Bought Another Pepper...

I was at Walmart earlier and of course, went to look at vegetable plants.

I ended up picking up a "yummy snacking pepper". According to the picture on the tag, they should be like the ones in the bags in the produce section. Small, sweet and very easy to eat.

Pepper overload coming...

4 orange bell peppers
2 chocolate bell peppers
2 Melrose peppers
4 jalapenos

and now this one...

Garden Update: June 3rd

We added three bales of straw to the garden beds (except for the bean bed).

Preen was also spread before the straw was added.

First tomato blossoms (Box Car Willie)

Baby acorn squash! 

However... I discovered that I am still very allergic to straw.

I did an internship at a horse breeding farm in 2001 and could not be in the barns when they were cleaning the stalls. I would start wheezing, could feel my airways closing, got itchy, etc. It was bad enough that it was diagnosed "straw-induced asthma". I had to take allergy pills and use an inhaler.

Yeah, happened this time too, even with an allergy pill. Just shaking flakes out into the beds.

When I came in, I showered and just left  my clothes in the laundry basket.

Mistake!

The next morning, I could barely breathe. I threw the clothes in the wash and vacuumed the bedroom. I started feeling better almost immediately. 

Ugh.

Garden 2013 is in!

Plot 1

1 Rhubarb

1 Acorn Squash

1 Fairytale Eggplant (not planted yet in this picture)

Inside row r-l: 2 Melrose peppers, 2 chocolate bell peppers

Outside row r-l: 4 jalapeno

Sage

Shallots

Close up of peppers

Crimson Rhubarb!!

Acorn Squash

Plot 2

4 zucchini

1 nasturtium

1 bee balm (lemon balm?, forgot)

Icicle radish

not shown: watermelon

The watermelon is in the open area, not planted here yet.

New tomato plot

Outside (fence side) row, front to back:

Rutgers

lemon thyme

Black Krim

carrots

Italian Giant Beefsteak

Box Car Willie

Inside row, front to back:

Rutgers

Black Krim

basil

Heinz

thyme

Giant Italian Beefsteak

Plot next to the tomato plot is a new bush bean plot.

Garden 2013! 

Oh, and I should have peaches this year! 

There are little peaches started! 

Garden and Baby?

We've had an ongoing problem with a pesky woodpecker digging holes in our 3-seasons room. My husband closed up a big hole in the fall, and over the winter, Woody opened it back up. Before Jon could get it filled in again, I spotted a bluebird flying out of it. Crap.

He was able to check it out today. Yep, there is a tiny blue egg in there. I looked up some info on Eastern Bluebirds and they love spots like that. If this hatch is successful, I want to put up actual nest boxes for them next year. Bluebirds are supposed to be great for insect control.

I am checking out a new greenhouse this year. They are about a mile from the house and start everything from seed themselves. According to their Facebook page, they have heirloom tomatoes for $1.37/pack of 4. I don't need 4 of any of them, so I may try to sell or give away the others. OR I could just plant what I buy and either set up a small roadside stand or give away the extras. I will need lots to can and it takes a lot of tomatoes to make sauce.

I have it narrowed down to:

Tomatoes:
Heinz 1370, Italian Giant Beefsteak, Abe Lincoln, Black Krim and Box Car Willie

Peppers:

Jalapenos, Melrose, Chocolate Beauty Bell, Orange Blaze Bell and maybe one red or green bell

Other:

Zucchini (only 2 this year), eggplant, and a friend wants to put in a watermelon. 

Radish (to go to seed to protect against squash bugs)

Hoosier Horse Fair

Jane and I went to Hoosier Horse Fair last month. I didn't get many pics, just a few of these little guys. I love the mini donkeys and want a few so badly!

April Pics

 I finally trimmed back the monster butterfly bushes (in the back).

I love my bunny welcome sign.

Damn woodpecker. 

Lovely daffodils

Bonfire this summer?

I still love my little chicken coop!

Pretty Ruby

Not the best pic, but Sutton has lovely coloring.

Madison keeping watch.