New Systems + Harvest

We have had a lot of rain. In fact, the weatherman said the most in 75 years. It hasnt felt like summer at all. We had some flooding in the garden, so the corn, cantaloupes and watermelon were under water. It was about 3-4 feet of water.

The moisture has caused a lot of problems for many of the plants. Whenever there is excess moisture, things can get out of balance. Fungi can grow. Diseases can proliferate. Mold can thrive.  And since I dont use any chemicals, I had to pull up about 5 Cherokee Purple Tomato plants because of fungus issues. The cucumbers have had touches of powdery mildew and little developing cucumbers have had mold. 
 

Here is an example of the fuzzy white mold, {top left }cucumber that was developing. Also, the leaves have the powdery mildew. Ive heard great success stories about spraying a milk solution, yes milk, on the plant and it will re-bound. I didnt try the remedy because i had so many cucumber plants.

I did however come up with a method to combat the moisture with some of the cucumbers. I put some left over tomato cages in the ground and just trained the vines up the cages. This keeps most of the new growth off the ground so air can flow. And within a few days, the cucumbers were looking much better. And the white stuff, is just diatomaceous earth. And excuse the horrendous weeds.

And heres the long, over due photos of what we've picked

a few sweet peas

 first round of squash, zucchini and 1 pickling cucumber

1st cucumber of the season :: june 9

Kale

 june 14

june 17....note to self: plant more

june 17

the last of spring carrots harvested :: june 18

june 18

and this is usually my view after being in the garden in the evening

boston pickling cucumber

squash, zuchinni, cucumbers & eggs

Heirloom Black Cherry tomatoes....they are really delicious

It has been amazing to see the sunflowers grow & bloom

This raised bed has really gone nuts...next time, I will plant less morning glories or plan a bit better. The vines are over taking the cucumbers that I planted in the bed. I cant seem to find the cucumbers until its too late and then they are too large to eat.  Also I cannot find enough supports to contain the vines. They are really pretty, but they are a bit out of control. I have 3 upside-down tomato cages, 4 sticks of 7 foot bamboo, 1 bent rebar, 2, 8 foot twisted garden stakes and of course the PVC pipe trellis.

Here is an Amish Paste tomato that a mouse got into.
This is also an example of a typical harvest right now, 6-8 cucumbers, handful of cherry tomatoes and some large tomatoes (including the mouse bites). By the way, I dont eat the already eaten ones, Im just showing you. Ill toss it in the compost pile.

A baby Ananas D'Amerique A Chair Verte Melon. I planted these from seed which I bought from Baker Creek Heirloom in Missouri. It is a historic heirloom grown by Thomas Jefferson in 1794. It was offered commercially in the USA in 1824. Let's hope I get some before the mice do!

The Ananas Melon is growing visibly everyday

Im having to pick the tomatoes very early because Im having some mouse issues....

To be continued.......

a garden tour

I seem to be short on words and way behind on posting....so enjoy the visual tour of whats growing and being harvested.

 may 22 :: harvesting broccoli leaves

may 20 ::  sunflowers & beans are just wee little plants, planted from seed

may 29:: sunflowers up close & growing

 may 31 ::  sunflowers & beans are growing along fence 

                         may 31                         june 4:: should have picked it at this stage

may 29 :: {black from tula }tomato plant is growing!

The Black from Tula is a Russian heirloom from the region in Tula. Its suppose to be the largest of the Black tomatoes (really, really dark red). My first time growing this heirloom variety

pea plant is growing nicely...planted from seed

carrot bed....planted from seed

my beet washer

 kale, onions and shallots...planted onion bulbs

 kale

planted beets from seed

 i need a farm house sink + a bigger refrigerator

 may 16   planting more

may 16 :: stevie in the background watering squash, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes (i.e. His Garden)

we have been fortunate to have so much rain, but.....its causing the weeds to grow too

 corn....planted from seed (kernels)

june 6 :: look how quickly the corn grows & the weeds too...quite embarrassing

parsley

tomato plants:: black cherry , qmish paste & black from tula

 black cherry tomato plant

 pea & cucumber trellis, morning glories, sunflowers, zinnas and marigolds      (all planted from seed)

 marigold interplanted with tomatoes as well as cucmbers

75 stalks of corn

 pole beans

 squash amongst pigweeds

cucumbers

 this section has really grown

some sunflowers are over 6 feet tall

 black cherry tomatoes are multiplying

 borage. this is my first time planting this flower/herb. i read that it is an excellent companion plant for tomatoes. it helps to ward off the horn worm. it brings in beneficial pollinators to the plant in hopes the pollinators will also visit the tomatoes. This was planted from seed.

 amish paste

 black from tula

 zinna getting ready to bloom

 huge sunflower with a marigold wrapped around it

 finally getting some peas

 beans

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 cucumber with baby cucumbers

 this little tomato plant in the foreground was one of the ones i started from seed in the milk-jug greenhouse

Cherokee purple tomato plant

 overview

another view

sunflowers are huge!

Hope y'all enjoyed the tour.....i will also post this week about the vegetables we've harvested and a little something about bugs