While I wait for the freshly swept, mopped and waxed floor in the living room to dry I’ll take time to write about our 2016 garden. We thought we were very late getting it started but in fact this is the second year in a row that spring has come early to our farm and this neck of the woods. We had three, maybe four, heavy frosts/freezes in May but did get the old and new garden spot plowed, worked and tilled (three or four times).
New garden plot plowed in March.
Second plowing and tilling.
We started planting the last week of May and it’s all worked out really well. We’ve had lots of rain but with a couple of days of dry weather and the wind we could get in to till and pull weeds.
Last year hubby said we would cut back and only plant about half of what we normally plant and I smiled!! 😉 He says this every year!! Not only do we have most of the old garden plot full, we also have the new plot which is attached to the old full. I’m going to be very busy come the middle of July!!
In the first row of the old garden plot we have summer and winter squash. I’ve already seen two summer squash about two inches long. In the second and third rows and half of the fourth we have onions.
In the third and fourth rows we have onion and cucumbers. In the fifth row we planted broccoli and green peppers. Last year I had beautiful peppers but they’re not looking so good this year but we’ll keep working on them.
The sixth row is cabbage and 7th is brussel sprouts and at the end of that row are a few watermelons.
The eighth row is sunflowers (for my chickens) and sometime this week I’ll plant Blue Lake green beans between each one so they can run up the sunflower stalks. I also need to hill them like we do potatoes to keep plenty of dirt around the stalk as they grow. They tend to lean somewhat and with beans growing on them they’ll need all the support they can get. I may even stake them as time goes on. I planted a whole row of indian corn beside them that was saved from a few years ago but none of it came up and that’s why there is a wide space between the sunflowers and the next row.
The tenth row is a very crowded row of tenderette green beans. They are stringless, early and great canning beans when picked young. I love green beans!!!
We planted another later batch of cabbage and then we have this large space which is empty for the moment but I will probably plant a couple more rows of corn and summer squash about mid-July.
In the new plowed ground we started with three rows of potatoes. We had a few spots where the potatoes did not come up and hubby filled those in yesterday. They’ll be later but he can’t stand empty spaces between plants.
Next we have one row of green beans and two rows of Silver Queen corn.
THEN, we have lots of tomatoes! There are 32 Mr. Stripey tomatoes, 12 Roma’s and 4 of a new yellow tomatoes we’re trying. My spaghetti sauce and barbecue sauce that I canned last year is such a hit that I’ll be canning a lot more of it this year and lots of salsa and diced tomatoes.
The tomatoes are blooming and full of little green tomatoes.
Last but not least are the sweet potatoes. We have a dozen plants and they’re spreading out.
The sweet potato sets were started in my kitchen window. I placed a large sweet potato in a large bowl and kept it full of water. It soon sprouted and now they’re in the ground.
I”m just waiting on them to bloom and produce big sweet potatoes to can and to bake.
We’re currently bringing in black raspberries and freezing them. Soon there will be transparent apples to make applesauce and apple butter with.
Don’t you just love growing your own food????
A beautiful garden–straight rows and no weeds! I love the idea of allowing green beans to climb sunflowers. You’ve inspired me to give that a try next year. We planted a lot of green beans this year (as usual) and my back is complaining about all the bending over!
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LOVE your garden, your pictures and your writing!!! Thanks for the add, I look forward to reading more from you!
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Wow .. What a garden! Oh I’m so impressed. Gosh is that all for you? And to think you can grow brassicas in summer, our pests would nail them. I love growing my own food ..
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The garden is mainly for us but I can and freeze for my two adult children and their families because they don’t have gardens. We have a lot of elderly people that live on our road and we share with them and our friends. We just love to grow.
Now, tell me what brassicas are???
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Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage … Isn’t it great being able to share 😃
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It really is!!!
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Wow – I see a lot of time for you in the kitchen in the months ahead, slicing, dicing, canning and freezing all that produce! Your garden is looking very full and prolific – congratulations!
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I just told a friend that if it produces half of what’s in it I’ll still be busy and the cellar will be full for the winter and I can provide plenty to my two kids for their families.
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Yes! And your neighbors, and church friends, and……… 😉
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Holy cow! I have a hard time keeping up with Gorden’s garden, I can’t imagine! Promise going to see you soon.
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I can’t wait until you can visit! I promise I’ll make the trip very special. Just let me know a little ahead of time.
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yes, I do love growing our own food!! Your new garden is awesome! Tina
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It’s almost overwhelming, but I can’t wait to start canning and freezing that produce.
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