Each year is better and better...

So I seem to be having a problem with voles, or at least I think they are the enemy. Moles tunnel around the yard and then these sneaky little voles use the tunnels to ravage my garden *okay, dramatic, I know*

You wouldn't know by looking at this potato bed that I had also planted 200 *yes, it's not a typo* pea seeds. Not only did I plant them, but I soaked and sprouted them first thinking I would out smart this small competitor. 100% germination going about it this way. Well, no such luck. Of the 200 seeds I planted, only 12 - 18 plants have made it above ground. But, that's still better than the Watermelon bed.

In the watermelon bed I also planted 200 pea seeds. (different variety). Only 4 of them have seen the light of day. And, one of my watermelon hills conveniently disappeared. So I'm left with the box spring tee pee I fashioned for my peas to be supported and will replant a couple more peas in the late summer in hopes that the little vermin doesn't find a midnight snack. In the mean time I will get some more watermelon in and see what they will do.

Then I have this awesome little find from last week. There have been many times I've seen really cute garden pictures where an old wood latter is used at a trellis support. Well, I'm not going to go buy one just to have it look cute in my garden! But wouldn't you know on my way home from taking Ty to Youth Group at the church, I saw one set out for the morning trash!

I was so torn! I want it for my garden, but Tyson is with me and I've learned that he has liberally adopted the attitude of "everyone else's trash is my treasure", rather than "some peoples trash is another person's treasure". I decided to get it then as by the time I would be awake enough to get it in the morning the garbage would have already been picked up. I'm sure I gave Cody a scare when he realized I had bought it home. He was very relieved to see it in the garden later in the day.

I really need to re-evaluate the pumpkin concept with beans and corn. I wasn't expecting them to grow so fast and thought by the time the pumpkins got "really big", the bush beans would be finished and I would have been a genius for utilizing my space in this way.

Well, I forget how well my fertilizer concoction works and now they are all going crazy! (The corn would be too if the vole had left it alone, but then, I'm thinking if all the beans and corn had come up, I'd have an even bigger "mess" on my hands! ) So, the lesson, You can plant corn and beans together, you can plant pumpkins and corn together, but pumpkins and beans will just make you nuts!

On a happy note, half of the beans I planted (and most of what actually came up) are purple "green" beans! They will be a beautiful purple color, and when they are cooked they turn green. I thought that would make for some fun gardening, easier to find and pick, and cooking too.

Then of course there is the entertaining conversation at dinner, "I thought we were having purple beans." "We are." "These are green." "No, they are purple." I'm sure you can continue the conversation just fine without any more help from me.

Incidentally, I already have little baby pumpkins on the way! They are Cinderella pumpkins and supposed to be one of THE BEST possible pie pumpkins around. The only other one I wanted more is nearly impossible to find the seed for.

 The Zucchini and onions are filling in fast. I plan to have some fun trying some cross pollinating later with the pumpkins... That is one of the funnest parts about gardening with Heirlooms... You can experiment and save your seeds if your experiment works!

 Five zucchini are already growing! Last year I had to wait several weeks after my plants started flowering because they were mostly male buds. I hope my neighbors like me when the summer is through...

 Last year when I planted my Strawberry crowns (50 of them) only 5 lived to see daylight. Needless to say I was a tad disappointed.

Well, over the summer they sent out their little suckers and by the end of the summer I had well over 100 plants to replant. This is the fruit of their (and my) labors. So far we have easily harvested 10 lbs. of berries. (thanks to the bird netting)

The strawberry plants haven't been "fed" yet or I'm sure there would have been more. They are slowing down for the time being, but I think they are supposed to put out a second crop in mid - late summer. Hopefully those will make it into at least a batch or two of homemade jam!

Speaking of Strawberries, that reminds me of our cherry crop this season. Not much, our trees are about 3 or 4 years old now, but the bird netting saved our small crop. (last year the birds got to them before I even had time to think about it. You might say my head was in the clouds...)

They are about the size of cranberries! That is something I will need to look into. It can't be for lack of water because we had PLENTY of rain this spring. If anyone has any insight, please pass it along.

These tall weed looking things you see here are actually carrots that I have let go to seed. I moved them from a different bed *they had grown over the winter* and I hoped they would just continue, but they had other plans. *Anyone need some carrot seed?*


This also happens to be the bed where I have our cucumbers. They are already growing vigorously and I'm sure they will be very happy when the carrot seed is harvested and opens up a little more space behind them.



The cucumbers were like the zucchini last year. A lot of male buds in the beginning, but not this year! on just one plant I have about 1/2 dozen cukes starting to grow. I have 5 plants. Can you say "pickles"?  That is if they make it past the kitchen table.

 I specifically planted pickling cukes this year because they are good eating too and it appears we have become addicted to them. I even offered some to a couple of little girls that are incredibly picky eaters (cucumbers in general, nothing from the garden yet.) I didn't tell them they were a vegetable, and they suspiciously agreed to try them.  A look of delight and "Wow! They taste kind of like watermelon!" They were SHOCKED to find out they liked a VEGETABLE!!! So was their dad. That was fun!

Lastly, the broccoli and cabbage bed. It's not so pretty, but it's incredibly happy to be in the ground. They sat outside waiting very impatiently to be transplanted, and now that they have been they are starting to look a lot better. Now if I could just finish getting in the cauliflower and marigolds/nasturtiums, I could finally say I'm all finished transplanting into the garden... for now.



Updates still to come on the tomatoes and peppers... and anything else that makes it into the ground.