Early July update

We have had lots and lots of rain lately.  So far, the plants are doing well, for the most part.  Some of the tomato plants are now taller than I am.  The squash seem to have a problem with the flowers falling off early.  Otherwise, everything seems to be growing well with no signs of pests or illness. 

We are starting to get baby watermelons and winter squash.  Last week, we ate our first summer squash from the garden - very good.

This is the first year that I have grown corn and been successful.  It is exciting to see the plants come along.

Fruit update

Grapes

Apples

Kirsten working on the Sunflower Hut

June update

Basil and Oregano

Watermelon

Potatoes

Cucumbers.

Squash, beets, and carrots

Tomatoes

Squash, with potatoes in the background.

Pumpkin Patch

Sweet Corn

Tomatoes

The final list of tomato varieties for 2013 is as follows:

Yellow Brandywine, Platfoot Strain
Red Brandywine, Regular Leaf
Red Rose
Flamme
Goldman's Italian American
Gold Medal
Pruden's Purple
Black Prince
Wapsipinicon Peach
Omar's Lebanese
African Queen
Amish Paste (appropriate that we are moving to central PA, and this variety is thought to have originated in Lancaster, PA)
Big Beef
Sun Gold
Super Sweet 100

All plants except for Amish paste, Big Beef, and Black Prince were started from seed.

Each plant was transplanted into approximately 0.5 cubic feet of Coast of Maine Quoddy Blend Lobster Compost.  I put a handful of Tomato Tone tomato food and a half-handful of dolomite lime into each transplant hole.  The plants were then watered with compost tea, which the kids helped me make.  The next day, they were watered with Actinovate, an organic microbial antifungal spray.

We won't be back to check on the garden until we move next month, so hopefully things go smoothly in the meantime.

Starting the Garden

We were able to start our garden over this last weekend.  Our landlord had tilled and leveled it for us before we got there, so we were able to get to work.  It has a shed nearby, as well as apple trees, grape vines, blueberry bushes, and raspberry vines.

 


The weather cooperated, with an overcast day on Saturday, followed by light misting rain on Sunday after everything had been planted.

Everyone except Jeeves pitched in.  He was too busy learning his new environment and trying to swim in the pond.  He made it there once.

Grandma/Mama/Lynn and the kids planted the seeds for a sunflower hut.  The walls are made out of sunflowers, with vines of morning glories growing up around the sunflowers. 

They used seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa:
1. Titan Sunflowers
2. Teddy Bear Sunflowers
3. Autumn Beauty Sunflowers
4. Cardinal Climber Morning Glory
5. Moonflower Morning Glory, one of Grandma's favorites
6. Grandpa Ott's Morning Glory

They also planted the corn, which was a sugar enhanced hybrid from Burpee.

Grandpa/Papa/David helped with multiple errands, keeping track of tools and the weather, making tomato cages, and fencing in the garden.  We already met the woodchucks, and our landlord says we have deer and racoons too.

Nikki helped with putting down the landscape fabric and planting beets (Chioggia) and potatoes (All Blue and La Rotte).  Her favorite was the blue potatoes.   She also helped me put in the tomatoes.

Other plants to go in were:

melons (Charentais, Boule d'Or, and Tigger)  

watermelons (Moon and Stars, Golden Midget, and Mountain Sweet Yellow)

summer squash (Crook neck, Early Prolific Straightneck, and Golden Zuchini)

winter squash (Potimarron)

Lemon cucumbers

Dragon (purple) carrots

Sweet Peppers (Tolli's Sweet Italian, Jimmy Nardello's, King of the North, and Miniature Chocolate Bell)

Pumpkins (Dill's Atlantic Giant Pumpkin)

We are going to use planters for lettuce later this summer.

The plants and seeds were watered with compost tea, which the kids helped me make.  Only the carrots and beets were planted from seeds.

All in all, it was a lot of work, but we got it done!

Getting Ready

Our pepper plants came in the mail yesterday.  They look nice and healthy.  We ordered 2 Amish Paste tomato transplants as well.  They look a little wimpy, but it may just be the type of tomato.  Hopefully they perk up with water and light.

The melon, squash, pumpkin, and cucumber plants are all coming along nicely.  I think they should be ready to transplant by next weekend.  Some of them are just starting to get their second set of leaves.

Pepper Plants

Tomato Plants (We grew these ourselves)

Melons, Squashes, Cucumbers, Pumpkins

Planning

We will be planting our garden in Central Pennsylvania at the end of next week.  We still don't know quite how big it will be, but it sounds as if it will be at least 30'x40'.  The cucumber, watermelon, breakfast melon (including the Tigger Melon) and squash seeds came up yesterday and were placed under the grow lights.  Hopefully they will be ready to transplant.

The tomato plants are coming along nicely.  They will be grown using Earthtainers, which I built 2 years ago.  I have ordered red plastic mulch, and new pea fences to make the tomato cages.

When we lived in Iowa, we were fortunate enough to visit The Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, IA.  We try to obtain seeds or plants from them whenever possible.  Our pepper plants and Amish paste tomato plants are arriving from them later this week.  The seed potatoes came last week.

The rest of the garden will be planted directly from seed.  We are planning on putting in sweet corn, purple carrots, beets, in addition to what is listed above.  I may try to grow peanuts in a container so the kids can see how they grow.

In the back of the garden, we are going to put in a hut of sorts for the kids, with the walls made out of sunflowers and morning glories.

We are also going to try to grow a giant pumpkin.  Check out our other blog, thegiantpumpkin.blogspot.com for more information.