The Squashes Are Coming! The Squashes Are Coming!

So it begins.  When prevailing against squash bugs, another issue arises: an abundance of squash.  Sometimes too much to know what to do with.  I have to admit that my squash bug problem is in large part my own fault.  A couple of years ago, I had no idea what a squash bug was.  I *did* see these cute little bluish-gray beetle-like things on my plants, but didn't think anything of it.  A few weeks later, I saw the damage they did and discovered what they were.  The war has been on ever since.

Last year, I actually planted NINE zucchini plants because the first couple quickly succumbed to the squash bugs.  I hardly had any squash in spite of having so many plants.  This year, I have really stayed on top of the pests.  I don't get them all before they lay eggs, but for the most part, the war has gone my way.  So now, I have four zucchini plants that are really starting to produce.

So back to the issue at hand:  What to do with all that squash?  Well, first off, make sure you pick it when it's relatively small.  That will help you avoid getting absolutely overwhelmed.  For preparing it, I personally like zucchini sauteed in butter.  I had one just  yesterday with lemon pepper and some other spices and it was delicious.  My wife doesn't like it that way.  She prefers to steam it and melt cheese on it.  That's pretty good, but I think it gets too soggy.  Today though, I used some zucchini in such a way that even my pickiest kids will eat it:  Zucchini cake.  It's just your basic carrot oil cake with zucchini substituted for the carrot.  Carrot cake is pretty moist, but zucchini cake is even better.  And the kids ate it WITHOUT FROSTING!  Anyway, back to the garden.

The beans are starting to produce a lot.  I have basically two 8-foot double rows of pole beans.  The pile shown here was picked over about a three day period.  I also recently picked some cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and crook-neck squash.  By the way, chickens love to eat squash and tomatoes, so that's my fallback if I have too much squash.  And they do a fantastic job converting it (and other things) into eggs.  Can't argue with that!

This is a volunteer tree - at least I think it's a tree - that is growing in one of my pots.  At first I thought it was a canyon maple, but these leaves look nothing like a maple.  I have no idea what it is.

The banana squash vines have reached the top of the trellis and a couple of them have almost reached back to the bottom.  And because I planted these where I had already planted pole beans, I have bean vines all over through the squash.  Makes it even more challenging to find all the beans.

This is a Baby Pam pumpkin.  They're used to make pies, which Camary and I did a couple of years ago.  Good stuff.

These are the beefsteak tomatoes.  Still no sign of ripening, but they're getting big!

This is celery.  If I didn't mention it before, I started these seeds a looong time ago.  Somewhere around February or early March.  They're still not even close to being mature.  This isn't a crop for the impatient.

I picked a couple of cucumbers yesterday.  The first one was extremely bitter.  The second was good.  I have heard conflicting reports about bitter cucumbers.  The one I trust the most (because then I'm not to blame) says it's a genetic thing and you should remove any plants that produce bitter cucumbers because they will all be bitter.  I didn't keep track of which plant produced which cucumber, so I'll have to pay more attention next time and see if this is true. Other sources say bitter cucumbers are the result of inconsistent or insufficient watering.  I would have believed that in other years, but not this year.

Jalapenos.  I can't wait to be able to start using these.  The ones I get at the store are frequently very mild.  Others are extremely hot.  I'd like to have some consistency.

The kids are excited about the watermelon.  So am I.  But they're so small it's hard to imagine they'll ever be ready to eat.

The bell peppers are doing well too, but it might be another week or two before we get anything big enough to harvest.

Anaheim peppers.  I picked one today along with some green onions to make salsa

If the jalapenos aren't hot enough, I have these Hungarian hot wax peppers to try.  They're supposed to have a Scoville rating about the same as jalapenos.

So, all in all, I can't complain about the garden this year.  I think fertilizing has made all the difference.

The Harvest Begins

The first week of July is in the books and we've already enjoyed several varieties of fresh vegetables from the garden.  The broccoli and cauliflower are long gone.  We've also picked a lot of peas, radishes and lettuce.  And this week, we got our first zucchini!  Things are still looking good.  I've tried to stay on top of the weeds, but it looks like another round of weed control is in the offing.  I've also tried to keep track of the squash bugs.  So far, I've only found one batch of eggs on my plants.  I'm hoping they don't take over like they did last year.  I replaced my diseased A&C cucumbers with some more of the Straight Eight variety.  Those seem to be dealing well with the stress or whatever it was that the A&C couldn't handle.

Zucchini

Banana squash, pumpkins and green beans

Celery and tomatoes

Parsley, radishes, coriander and honey dew

I am doing one thing different this year: fertilizer.  I had an old box of Miracle-Gro in the basement and decided to use it.  So I've been giving all the plants some Miracle-Gro every two or three weeks.  I've also been applying a product called EcoVie Plant Minerals.  Between the two, the plants look lush and healthy.  The banana squash has already reached the top of the trellis, so I'll have to grow it on a taller trellis next time.  The same goes for the beans and the pumpkins.

Lettuce and cantaloupe

Anaheim peppers and butternut squash

Bell peppers and watermelon

Hungarian hot wax peppers and pumpkins

The weather has also been a positive factor.  This was one of the wettest springs we've had around here and June was possibly the wettest on record.  And we've already had a few days of thunderstorms in July, with nearly an inch of rain yesterday, and I'm hearing more rumblings over the mountains today. 

Cucumbers and tomatoes

Snapdragons, lupine and African daisies

The moat monsters enjoying some shade

More thunder rumbling over Mt Loafer

Oh, and one day, I'm going to increase the size of that little spot of grass in the back yard.  One day...

May 2011 Update

I took all these pictures a week ago, but haven't had time to post them.  Everything is growing well except for the cucumbers and the carrots.  The cucumbers have developed a white film over the leaves and appear to be dying.  Oh, and the Baby Pam pumpkins aren't looking so great either.  I don't think I hardened them off well enough before transplanting.  This week I moved the melons out into the garden and planted the winter squash.  All the cool weather crops are flourishing because we have had few clear sunny days and lots of rain this spring.  The moat around the garden is clear of most weeds, thanks to the chickens.  There are a couple of types of weed that they won't eat, but in general they do a great job.  So, on to the pictures!

Peas

Radishes

Lettuce

Cauliflower

Broccoli

 

Celery

Tomato

Pepper

Cucumbers

Volunteer Lettuce

Basil

Marjoram

Parsley

Daisy

Onions

Guardians of the moat

Peach tree

Apple tree

Cherry trees

Warmer weather is ahead, right?

I just got some seeds planted and thought I should do a quick post.  It has been a very wet spring.  Not as snowy as last year, but still cold.  I managed to get some peas in the ground a couple of weeks ago and they have sprouted.  I left some onions in the garden last fall and they're growing really well, too.  This morning I got some carrots, lettuce and radishes in the ground.  More rain is expected and possibly some snow showers, so I shouldn't have to water outside for awhile more.  I scattered some old lettuce seed on one of my boxes awhile ago, too, but none of it has germinated.

As for the other stuff, the broccoli and cauliflower are getting hardened off.  I should be able to put them out in the garden within a few days.  I'm going to need the pots to get my melons started anyway.

Inside, I have several herbs, celery, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, squash and cucumbers in various stages of growth in the house.  I moved my gardening table to the south end of the basement where I can take advantage of the south-facing window.  I am also using Miracle-Gro and ASAP Plant Minerals to give the seedlings a good start.  Hopefully that generates some good results.

 

This last picture is of a volunteer that started in a pot I had outside.  I think it's a canyon maple.  I'm going to let it grow and see how it turns out.  I'd love to have more of these trees in our yard.  The leaves turn a fantastic orange and red color in the fall.

So, just a few more weeks until outdoor gardening will be in full swing!  Now to take care of all the weeds in the yard...

Seed Ordering Time!

Amidst all the shoveling of snow, chipping of ice off the driveway and porch steps and dealing with ice dams on the roof, it's time to look forward to the garden!  I have a lot of seed left over from the last couple of years that should still be viable, so I only ordered a handful of things this year: green beans, celery, carrots, radishes, cauliflower, peas and some hot peppers.

I decided last year to try doing sets of onions rather than just from seed.  They didn't get very big before the tops died off, but that seemed to be the case for many people around the area.  So I left the onions to overwinter in the garden.  I have no idea how they will turn out, but I've got my fingers crossed!  Having a chicken-roamable area around the entire garden was very helpful in keeping the grasshoppers under control, but the chickens refused to eat squash bugs.  So I'll have to figure out another way to control those pests.

So, three more weeks until it's time to plant the broccoli seeds!  And before you know it, the snow will be melting and it will be time to start the growing season.