October 22, 2012

Crepe Myrtle tree brightens up in our front yard.

Garlic row.

Our third crop of broccoli at the new place is finally approaching the quality that we achieved in the old garden, where we would routinely see broccoli heads a foot across and larger.  The head shown below was still growing when we photographed it, and it did reach 12 inches.  It has taken 2.5 years to amend our subdivision soil with compost, leaf mulch, and a cover crop of red clover in order to boost fertility to the point where it really pays to grow organically.  There are nine heads this size ready to harvest now, and what we cannot eat fresh will be blanched and frozen for later.

A cabbage head or two could be harvested also; they weight about five pounds each and are still growing.  Garlic is shooting up.  Red clover is beginning to turn our future corn patch from brown to vibrant green.

Not much else is green, however, and our attention is turned upward to trees of many types that have caught the hint that it's autumn!  Morning temperatures have consistently been in the mid 30's F on our hill top, and sunny warm days to follow are excellent for creating anthocyanin in leaves, the pigment that gives them their flaming red-orange colors.  If this weather pattern continues, we are in for a very colorful show by early November.

Broccoli head, 10 inches across.

May 7, 2012

A head of broccoli six inches across.

We've enjoyed a week of "tomato weather."  All seed planted last week popped up in about three days and is rapidly growing; our summer vegetable garden is taking shape with some harvests in the very near future.  Broccoli heads are now six inches across, protected with nylon hose tied at one end and fitted over like a sock to keep out cabbage moths and their hungry little green worms.  It should double in size this week, and we expect to harvest some by the weekend.

Green beans sprout in rows.

We gathered a last spinach harvest before tilling to make room for pumpkins.  Peas are in flower and will be filling out pods before we can blink an eye.  Some tomatoes, too, are starting to flower.  They are now pushing over two ft. tall; we caged them and staked with conduit pipe; one variety, "Amish Paste" is known to grow more than 10 ft. tall.  We pounded a whole 10-ft conduit pipe in their cages (had to get the ladder out to do this!).

The last spinach harvest.

One half of the sweet corn was planted on Thursday evening.  With temperatures in the mid-to upper 80's F and supplemental sprinkling, it has sprouted on a fast track.  The garden is going to green up as we watch this month.

The garden in May.