Garden Update

I'm back! Yes, it has been that long and I have so much to update. So what have I been up to? Well, idunno really. I started working part-time last year and thought I'd have oodles of time to work on some side projects and blog more, but that never happened. Life happened...and it goes by fast when you're having fun.

The start of the garden season was very busy and productive. I started most of my veggies and flowers from seed to save money but mostly to enjoy watching the seeds sprout and turn into lovely plants. It's such a fun process but caring for seedlings is so much work! I doted on them daily and worried for them when we went away to the cottage for the weekend. I admit though, not everything was started from seed. In late spring I ordered some tomato plants and pepper plants because I just don't have great luck with those and I never start the seedlings early enough.

My favorite new crop is peas! I grew the most delicious variety, "British Wonder". And how wonderfully sweet and tasty they were. I picked and ate them right off the vine.

The cherry tomatoes and cucumbers grew in abundance and I had enough to share for weeks.

Sadly, I lost many of the large tomatoes that I didn't harvest in time and some were eaten by birds or some other vermin. Then July and August came and I gave up. Soooo hot and humid! The vegetation however didn't mind too much and took over. What a mess it became. Some days, I'd spend all day in the garden and not make a dent with the weeds. I blame the heat and the mosquitoes for not allowing me to get out to weed more often, it was just miserable. Below is a before and after of what my veggie beds looked like this summer.

Top photo: early June; Bottom photo: late August

In July, I just barely managed to start a pumpkin patch and some red corn (I know, a bit late for corn). Tim had finally finished his boat project in the back yard which freed up a lot of space. Perfect spot for a pumpkin patch. Next year, I'll start them earlier. I had also hoped to grow brussel sprouts and cauliflower but I was too late for those too.

The eggplant is looking great. I put these in after the radishes were done. Hope it bears fruit soon.

Peppers are doing better after I cleared out the sad tomato plants.

Late summer harvests. Butternut squash, huge purple dragon carrot, some kind of winter squash, and one cucumber (about to be eaten - hopefully not the last). Really disappointed that I didn't get more winter squash. The plants just didn't make it. Given the size of that carrot, it's probably time to harvest the rest.

This little squash is doing much better.

Table Dainty Squash

Since the heat kept me away from the garden a lot, I spent most of August indoors working on organizing my closets and trying to keep the house tidy. Of course the garden was always on my mind - thoughts of next spring and all the garden chores to be done in the next growing season were being planned out even before I could finish what's needing to be done this year. I was getting catalogs for fall plantings, ordering bulbs and roses for my flower gardens and getting even more excited for what all of my many gardens could be next year. I just wish I had more time...and energy.