How Does Your Garden Grow? August 22, 2012

Hi...Are you still there? I feel like I am sliding in here rather sheepishly. If it means anything, I miss ya.

The camera is back out and I took some photos for fun with my iPhone macro to share with you.

Things are growing. The zucchini and green beans are plentiful. We have sunflowers. WE have SUNFLOWERS! WE have CORN!! This might appear to be amateur garden excitement, and it is. We have a tall garden this year and the way to the chard which I let go to seed and is turning into a small Sequoia.

Our potatoes went pffffffffft. You can't win them all!

Please share how your garden is growing...here is a glimpse at ours.

Basil flower

Corn silks

Hidatsa Red Beans - hidden garden jewels

Kale - empress of color and texture

Nasturtium leaf

If I were a bee, I would jump right into this nasturtium. How could you resist?

Jack-o-lantern potential

Russian sage

Busy bee 

Complexity

Zuke flower stage 1

Zuke flower in it's glory. Welcome bees!

Happy Fall from San Juan Island

How Does Your Garden Grow?

How does it grow? To be honest, I don't know. Thursday I opted for toes in the sand since the sun was shining. We did take a quick break as the sun was setting and water our beds since we were officially experiencing "warm weather" days and we would be heading out camping for the next three days.

As my little helper was watering the beds, I checked on the zukes and yellow zukes. Oh my. Well, we had grilled zucchini for dinner. I cut 8 from the garden, gave 5 to our beloved neighbors and we ate 3. I pulled 3 onions to chop for beef stew in the Dutch Oven heated with well-tended coals and breakfast potatoes hot in the cast iron skillet over the morning fire. (Side note: We also dined on fresh Dungeness crab both nights. We do not skimp when camping!)

Back to the garden. My snap peas are done *wince*.

For the first time, I am going to just head out, shoot, upload and share. Ready, set, go.

Oh dear. 5 more zucchini. 7 more yellow zucchini and 2 patty pan and there are SO MANY MORE!!! Any takers?

For the last two years, I have lined my beds with marigolds. They bring in bees and a flash of color.

French pumpkins are growing!

Delicata squash - a first for us

Pumpkin bed gone wild. The watermelon are kaput. 

Weeds, pumpkins and grass living in harmony.

Pumpkins S T R E T C H I N G out onto the "grass".

Soon to be...

Ah yes. Perfection.

When you run out of room, create your own path.

My lil' helper

Odd tomato

garlic

St. John's WOrt - merely for the color, not for the focus

This is what happens when you don't harvest for 4 days.

Calling all neighbors!!!

The Octomom of Squash

Today I was christened the "Octomom of Squash" by a friend.  This is a title that I am going to hold with pride, this year. My tomatoes and potatoes have given a less than stellar performance so far and after a friend (we'll lovingly call her Martha) just pulled over TWO HUNDRED pounds of potatoes from her garden, nothing we produce will begin to compare. We have been eating zucchini, yellow squash and carrots on the grill 3-4 nights a week. I can't complain. However, I can boast about our over abundance of spaghetti squash and pumpkins. 

Last year, I had a lone little pumpkin plant that produced beautiful little flowers, but never did a pumpkin show up. This made for one sad little boy. I couldn't bear it and so this year, I planted two varieties: Howden and Sugar. Did I mention that I planted 4 plants of each and that they are FLOURISHING!?! Each plant holds at least 8 pumpkins and the vines are taking over the yard. I am ok with this. We will have pumpkins and my son thinks I am growing pumpkin pie (his favorite) so I can handle the insanity that has ensued in our beds. Everywhere you look there is a little pumpkin sitting like a billiard on the end of a long healthy stalk with precious little tendrils grasping onto everything and anything that is nearby. Ok, so lesson learned for next year, but this year the jack o' lantern carving contest is at our house and we are providing the pumpkins!

Little Howden

Pumpkin vines taking over the sage and venturing into the yard

As if the surplus of pumpkins weren't enough to overwhelm even the most dedicated squash lover, you should see the number of spaghetti squash we have growing!!! My husband and I thought all of the beautiful little yellow heads poking out of our verdant squash leaves were crookneck and we were ready to grill, then the other night I pulled out my gardening journal and looked at my mounds again. Yup, they are all spaghetti squash. 

Everywhere the eye wanders and then focuses in our garden bed, there are spaghetti squash. Large, small, yellow, green. All are represented. On the first plant I counted 14, we have 5 plants so I stopped counting. I may have to start a barter system based on spaghetti squash.  Given my current state, I fear that I will start to dream that I am going to give birth to a spaghetti squash or a pumpkin instead of an little baby girl. True story, my son wants to be a pumpkin for Halloween. Where does he get his inspiration?

So, if you are reading this: 1) you just won a spaghetti squash or a pumpkin, 2) PLEASE post a link of your favorite spaghetti squash or pumpkin recipe.  I have a feeling we will be eating them every way known to man this fall and winter.

Oh, and a little proof that there is life beyond pumpkins and spaghetti squash in our garden:

Yellow zucchini - quarter, cover with olive oil and grill

Russian sage attracting lots of bees makes a gardener happy

One of our few little tomatoes

Oops...that is another spaghetti squash

 Ah yes, and another pumpkin playing peek-a-boo amongst the mint and sage

Again, please post your favorite pumpkin and spaghetti squash recipes to help a family in need of variety this fall and winter. I appreciate your kindness and I do advise that you lock your cars. You never know what you might find in your front seat. 

Sincerely,

The Octomom of Squash

Let the sun shine

We have had an incredibly un-sunny June...and May if we are really going to get into it! My poor tomatoes are trying their hardest to unfurl their leaves and not give into the wind and cold. We have had some serious insect battles that I have not won, but it appears we came to a draw for now. My cucumber plants withered away from mold and I had to yank them all out last week and put in some new starts. Finally, I chose to yank all of my onions and garlic since I pulled a tester and they were rotting since we had so much rain. Waaaa Waaaa Waaaa.

Now for the good news.

Yesterday was sunny and today is sunny and by george, we have sun and high temperatures (low 80s) forecast through next weekend.  Ok, garden. Start your engine because it is time to RUMBLE!  I am so full of confidence that our true growing season is about to begin that yesterday I planted new cucumber starts along with cantaloupe, nasturtiums, more marigolds, 3 varieties of lettuce, and carrots.  I am feeling renewal!!!  While I am being a bit of a "Debbie Downer" a lot of wonderful growth has been happening. Take a look.

My pumpkins are flourishing this year.  Their precious little curly-q tendrils are starting to reach out and there have flowers. Flowers with BEES in them! Ahhhhh.

This is the crowded jungle where my zucchini, yellow squash and orangetti are growing. We were battling aphids and squash bugs. But from the looks of things, I think we are in control for now.

Pea madness. Every day for the last week I have been perching with my son on the edge of the garden bed and eating peas for at least an hour. He will only eat peas outside. Who can complain? One day we sat with a friend and shelled, chatted and tasted for two hours. Love it.

These tasty treats have been our ticket into the garden every morning. My little man goes to our picture window and looks for some red, ripe strawberries to snack on as a morning treat. He has been amazingly patient during the waiting process. Sometimes he will go 2-3 days without strawberries, waiting for them to ripen.

My acorn squash experiment appears to be going well. Fingers crossed.

 

Pretty soon we will not need to buy a single zucchini from the Farmer's Market.

Pumpkin flower

Yellow squash soon to be eaten!

Rainbow chard is hiding out. We almost forgot about it!

Greeness

These are the tasty peas we have been snacking on. I think they are beautiful.

Yes, I am suffering from pea fascination. I love the symmetry.

Our garlic that was spared. Not first rate or market worthy, but, it will taste good when we use it!

Marigolds are doing their job in the garden: beauty and bug detractors and bee attractors.

Testing to see if our carrots are ready. They are getting there and ooh la la the taste is amazing!

The following pictures are from our front porch. It was being terribly neglected since all of my time is spent with the veggies. This week I decided to spruce things up, so the little man and I took a trip to the local nursery. Thank goodness for my little helper.

Delightful dahlias. 

Garden madness in full swing.

Final thought. I know it is referred to as a "green thumb", however, I think of mine as brown since I don't think I will ever see the day when I don't have some amount of dirt under my nails. 

Dirty nails. Shelling peas. Sneaking strawberries. Vegetables on the verge. Fresh lettuce every day. 

Let the sun shine.

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