Skip to main content

successes and failures part 3 - the garden


 Success - Onions. We got about 150 onions, yellow white and red.

Failure - Storage. Most of them rotted before we could eat them. 
We need to work on a better drying rack, location, and dry cold storage for after that.

Failure - The pumpkin vines all got a blight and died before any pumpkins formed. :(

Failure - Watermelon and two other kinds of melons all grew but the fruits never reached maturity.

Success - The small warted gourd mixture I planted went crazy. We sold a few, 
decorated with a bunch, and are drying out some to try to make little bird houses and things.

Success - The six tomato plants we bought as transplants did really well. We didn't stake them up very well, but they gave us more than we could eat anyways. We sold some of the extra, but I really wish we had tried to can or freeze some.

Failure - The direct seeded tomato plants didn't do much, just a handful of cherry tomatoes, 
although they were delicious.

Success - The yellow squash and zucchini did fantastic, although next year we need to do several plantings in order to extend our growing season. 

Failure - Cucumbers. We only got a few from a bunch of seeds. 

Failure - Beans, peas, and peppers.

Mediocre Success - The potatoes planted in the halfed barrels seemed to work well, but we needed to start the plants with the barrels half full, and then hill them as SOON as the vines are getting tall enough. Harvest was easy, but there were only potatoes in the very bottom. Also, the same drying and storage issues as with the onions.

Mild Success - The garlic crop we planted last October came in small and we waited too long to harvest them, making the skins slimy. 

A few more garden notes for next year:

-same space, more walkways.
-stake the plants early.
-multiple plantings to increase harvest time.
-spread the vine plants around the property to save space.
-fence along the backside of the garden to protect from deer, rabbits, etc

Live simply,
Angela and Jonathan

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to check out this space. I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you think, or about yourself, or what brought you to my little piece of life here, but please, don't be mean. :) Thanks for reading!

Popular posts from this blog

real snow - the morning chores

When I woke up at 7 this morning it was still dark outside, but I could see that it was only a dusting on the driveway. Sigh. I fixed a cup of coffee, turned on the little heater in the bathroom, and got ready for work. Twenty minutes later when I came back into the bedroom it was a bit brighter outside, with a lot more snow. It was coming down hard too. We went outside and took care of the animals. The rabbits seem just fine in their new fixed up cages. The ducks, always impervious, swam and splashed about in their water bowl for a solid thirty minutes before retreating to the fresh hay in their crate to warm their feet. Not for long though, I can see them back out there now. Since I moved the fence yesterday I can see them perfectly from my bedroom window. It makes me smile. I'm glad that it snowed enough, early enough, that we could call into work. Snow day! The dogs are a trip to watch in the snow. Playful as ever, they run around kicking it up, eating it o...
1 comment
Read more

the good, the bad, and the embarrassing

Our first week and a half on the farm have not been uneventful by any means. In fact, tonight on the ride home I said to the Universe (or more accurately Jonathan, since that's who heard me) "thanks for all the tests you've been throwing at us lately, but that's enough for now, please?" We expected some hard times and lots of hard work, but we weren't ready for random mishaps and accidents that would set us back so soon in the change. Bad things that have happened since we arrived: Jonathan gets a tick and the head is stuck in his back. It's been a week now and I think it's all worked out, but I was really scared. We get locked out of the Jeep, and it's $120 for a locksmith to come unlock it. We have snatched Zaphod (our kitty) off of upstairs windowsills about five times. I smacked myself in the forehead with a knife (apparently I missed the day in class when they tought you basic knife-holding skills.) It was just a little cut, mainly my ego ...
1 comment
Read more

introducing... me.

At long last, I'd like to show you a little bit of my artwork. It's not the greatest, and I'm usually inspired by a particular artist when I paint, and I will always try to give credit for my inspiration. This first set of paintings were inspired by Nastasha Wescoat, a beautiful self-taught artist from Michigan. Her whimsical trees, kitties, and birdies are breath-taking, and also the inspiration for my next tattoo, which I am treating myself to for my birthday next week (and I am so excited!) You can see more of here artwork here. So, here goes. Enjoy. One final piece, not fitting with the rest, but I spent three hours on it last night, and I wanted to share. Until next time.
3 comments
Read more