Heeey! How YOU doin’? I hope this blog post finds all you crazy cats doing well and enjoying beautiful weather. It’s been more than a minute since I posted. Taking a full load of summer session classes was not the best idea, but it was necessary. I am shoulder deep in homework. By the end of this week, I will be about halfway through. Thank F-ing goodness. Add that in with the kiddo’s marching band schedule, work, and trying to keep on wife and mom duties, I am spent! Today I spent my morning weeding, and STILL haven’t gotten them all. It’s a work in progress. This season is all about trying new methods and plants. I started with a ton of seeds I ordered online. Some worked, some didn’t. I wanted to share what I have done and what is working well so far.
I was able to get my veggies planted into my garden about three or four weeks ago. Fortunately for me, we have had a ton of rain and I have only needed to actually water it three times. So far, my little babies are growing up quick and strong, they look beautiful. I love this part of watching my plants grow. Some of them were a little iffy at first.
My radishes were so tiny when they went in the ground. My first bunch of seeds died while I was on vacation and I had to start over. Ideally, I would have liked them to be a little bit stronger before hauling them outside. However, they are thriving! I can’t wait to see how they turn out. I am growing two different types. Watermelon radishes that resemble tiny watermelons, green on the outside and pink inside. The other variety is called Easter Basket Radishes. They should end up looking like Easter eggs, a variety of pastel colors. I can’t wait to taste them. Those little preemie baby radishes are probably the healthiest plant I have right now, besides my potatoes.
Speaking of potatoes, holy moly are those looking sweet! Haha, yes, sweet potatoes. I am cultivating purple sweet potatoes in a tall laundry basket. I decided to try something new this year. Not only have I never grown purple sweet potatoes, I have never raised any veggie in a laundry basket. I started with a sprout or two, lined the bottom of the basket with newspaper to keep it contained, and then covered in dirt. Every time the plant stems grow a few inches, I cover with more dirt. I am on my 4th layer of dirt; the basket is just over half full.
I am trying my hand at Walking Stick Kale this year. Those were not seeds I started early; they just went straight in the ground. Pretty small yet, but if all goes well, they will be tall and yummy!
To conserve space in the garden, I am growing strawberries and cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets. Right now, I have them hanging on my clothes line pole. The white berries are not doing well, pretty sure they are dead. But the red strawberries and tomatoes are doing pretty dang good!
My corn this year should be very pretty when grown. Their seeds also went directly into the ground. I have “Glass Gem” and Turquoise going. I wanted to add more color, so I planted purple beans in addition to “Yard Beans”, that should grow to 3 feet long.
I am hoping my tomato beds do better this year. I added basil and dill plants to the beds to help nurture.
In addition to new plants and techniques, I am working on some alternative pest and fertilizer options. A couple weeks ago I fertilized with dried egg shells I’ve been saving for my garden. Today I added used coffee grounds for ant control. I am hoping these methods pan out, as they are such a great alternative to chemicals. I usually have grass in between my beds, that is a pain in the ass to cut (with a weed wacker). This year I added liner and mulch over the grass. I have a few sprouts pop out that I pull, but overall, much better! I also used an old hi-vis work shirt of my hubby’s instead of a complex scarecrow. Seems to be doing the job well!
That is all for now—time to get back to homework. Sorry, I don’t have time to proofread, there are likely errors and the photos do not line up. Oh well. Pick your battles. I can’t wait til this session is done and I can enjoy the rest of my summer. Who knows where it will take me!
