Three days in the garden

We've worked in the garden for the last three days.  We spent one day weeding between the rows and around the plants as well as the front walkway in the garden.  I didn't even attempt to weed the huge areas that are unplanted and covered in weeds.

Cucumber and squash plants

Tomatoes, Beans, Onions, and Garlic

Carrots, Lettuce, and Parsnips

The second day was spent pruning the tomato plants that are huge.

And the third day I added fertilizer to the plants and harvested the tomatoes and potatoes.

It looks like a few of the green bean plants have survived the damage the goats caused last month and are actually going to grow now.

Growing Potatoes

I decided to record the details about how I planted potatoes this year since I didn't do the traditional route and I am curious about how this method will turn out.  So far it isn't looking great.

We went the cage route this year.  With the boys help, I build 6 tall cylinder cages out of wire fencing.  I used a bale of straw to spread around the sides of the cage, poured in some soil, and then placed the potato spuds on top of the soil.  I topped it off with more soil and watered it.

It started with only about 6-12 inches of soil at the bottom and it didn't seem like it took very long to see green leaves poking up through the soil.

I decided to make have three more cylinders, but this time I used three that were already made and someone had just given them to me.  They were wider and shorter.

 The plants seemed to sprout like crazy, and now, at the end of July it's been two months since things were planted and seven out of the five cages have a lot of green growing in them.

I noticed a couple weeks ago that two of the cages looked dead.  Not only were the plants dead, but they were now completely gone.  Since I have been working in the garden a lot, I decided to knock the two cages over and see what the cages had produced up to this point.

It wasn't good.

There were only potatoes in the bottom 12 inches of each cage and although these will taste great, it really isn't what I was hoping for.

Cage One

Cage Two

Everything I read said that there should be potatoes in the entire cage, as soil is added, potatoes will grow in layers.  That definitely didn't happen with these two.

Based on what I've read, this isn't the best method and trenches are the best way to grow potatoes, with raised beds being the second best way.  I'm hoping that the wider, shorter cages will be more similar to raised beds and will have a better yield.

This blog was shared on the following blog hops (please click the name to go check out their blog hop):
Frugally Sustainable
Down Home Blog Hop
The Homesteaders Hop

The Bounty

I wish we had more to show for the huge garden and all of the work I put into it.  I am really starting to believe that the lack of bees to pollinate the plants is the cause of our small harvest.  There's still time, so my fingers are crossed that we will get more.

A funny shaped cucumber

It already looks like a pickle

No matter how hard I tried, this pumpkin vine does not want to stay in the raised bed

The Goods

Freezing Herbs

I've been really behind on the garden projects and the herbs that are already dying and dead are proof.

Basil

Dill

Parsley

Rosemary

I was able to get half of an ice cube tray filled with the good herbs and a table spoon of olive oil.  I read about this idea online and figured I would try it.  Once they're frozen, I will seal them in bags and then can pull them out and drop them into a pan anytime a recipe calls for any of these herbs.

I'm disappointed that I didn't get more because I was too busy with other projects, but at least I have something.  I may try to plant and grow more before the end of the summer so that I can dry and freeze more.

They just smell different

Each time I work in the garden I can smell the produce around me.  It's a smell that I realize I haven't smelled in a very long time, which is sad.

Real garden produce smells so much different and better than what is in the grocery store.

It dawned on me one day that the fact that I noticed it was sad proof of what our food system has become and what I took far too long to get back into.

Our first cucumber and several small roma tomatoes

Everything in this salad was from our garden

The most persistent perennial... weeds!

Every time I start a project I always think how I should have taken "before" pictures so I can see my progress.  The same thing happen this morning, about thirty minutes into weeding the garden I knew I should take a picture of how bad things were.

There is a path buried under those weeds

The sweet potatoes have gone everywhere

Not sure why I bothered to weed the Brussels sprouts when they've been destroyed by goats

Good thing these grow higher than the weeds

I spent about 2 hours weeding and laying down newspaper to help stop the weeds.  I only wish I had a ton of mulch to lay down so it would look as nice as the tomato rows.  I finally stopped, knowing that I still have a ton of work to do.

Weeds cleared and paper to help keep it this way

Add caption

And seeing this gave me hope for the fresh produce we will have soon, and annoyance at all the weeds under there

That sucker is huge!

I have been pretty disappointed with the garden so far.  I'm not sure if I'm just expecting things too soon or if it isn't producing when it's suppose to be, but besides the lettuce, this is the first thing that we have harvested.  It is pretty darn big though.

There are several pickling cucumbers and butternut squash growing and a bunch of tomatoes that are still green so my hopes are still up.

We may finally have our second garden harvest soon

The garden has FINALLY started to produce...

I just hope the sweet potatoes are looking as good under ground as they do above ground.
If only I could get rid of those weeds....

One of the stacked herb pots.  I still need to plant more.

Sunflowers that the goats ate.... Looks like only one is still alive.

The goats got to the green beans too.  Half the plants are gone.

The broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbages have been eaten by the goats :(

The tomatoes are starting to pop up

Calendula flowers

The first bell peppers

Potato plants

The first raspberries - and they tasted great!

The pumpkins are growing and I planted more watermelon plants.

The first butternut squash

The first zucchini