Harvest Totals July 28th

August is going to be very busy for us so I wanted to make sure to post an update on the garden before things become hectic!  Although this has been a very cool and wet summer we have still had success in the garden.  Some plants have struggled (tomatoes, cucumbers and onions) but overall things have gone well.   

 From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.  Proverbs 12:14 

Below are some harvest totals up to this point: 

Flowers in full bloom

I have loved looking out at the flowers which border either side of the garden gate.  This year I tried new types of Sunflowers and Zinnias and I love picking some of the flowers to bring indoors in arrangements. The textures and colors "pop" when they are up close and inside.

This year I have had the same pests and issues as last year (sad to say).  However, I haven't been able to get out into the garden everyday to try and prevent problems so I am half to blame.  I also discovered that the Asparagus Beetles overwintered in the soil so I couldn't have prevented them from coming back.  Cucumber Beetles have wilted the vines on the Cucumbers again and I find them to be very challenging pests to eliminate.

Ladybug (a beneficial insect!)

The Squash Vine Borer (SVB) has attacked again this year. So far I have noticed that only 1 Zucchini plant has been affected.  I noticed a sawdust like substance which is called "frass" around the base of the stem.  At that point the plant is infested with the larva and they are eating the inside of the stem.  I pulled up the plant and split the stem to find the pests munching away!  Then it was time to throw the plant and pests in the trash. 

Squash Vine Borer Larva

Despite the pests this year has still been a wonderful year in the garden.  There are 3 more Zucchini plants that are producing!  The Summer Squash are also happy and so far we have picked 3 colanders full of green beans.  There are 9 Tomato plants in BED #2 that have lots of green tomatoes!  We have been harvesting the red tomatoes on the deck and okra.  The harvesting is far from over.

I have especially loved the Sunflowers this year and so have the yellow finches!  The one below almost appears to be artificial but its real!

Garden Update- June 1st

 Everything is growing so quickly.  The peas are producing pods now and they have reached the top of the vertical frame!

BED# 1- (pictured below) Peas, Asparagus & Parsley



















BED #2- (pictured below) Corn getting taller!

Broccoli & Cauliflower in front- Corn and Squash behind

 Pots on deck & Flower Beds (pictured below)

Tomato plant doubled in size in 1 week!

(pictured below) Sunflowers in back row- Wildflower mix next row forward- Zinnias in front. 

Garden Update-May 25th

A quick picture update of the gardening growing!

BED #1- (pictured above) Peas starting to produce pods! 

BED #2- (pictured above) Broccoli & Cauliflower getting taller.  Winter Squash and Corn growing behind them.  Peas continuing to grow!

 BED #3- (pictured above) Onions, Bush Beans & Summer Squash.

BED #4- (pictured above) Zucchini, Peppers, Eggplant & Cucumbers.

Flower beds- (pictured above) Seeds starting to grow. 

Attracting Beneficials (Nature's Pest Control)

You may remember from an earlier post that we decided to add a flower bed in front of garden this year.  The reasons were twofold: we wanted to attract beneficials to our garden as well as add aesthetic appeal.  (Also our amazing neighbors had extra landscaping stones that they gave us for free)!

 

I had learned from my Square Foot Gardening Book that marigolds helped control pests and attract beneficial insects.  So as soon as I started gardening I planted marigolds by my plants.  This was a step in the right direction, but this past winter I discovered there was more that could be done.

It all started when I was researching ways to have a more productive organic garden (there is always room for improvement and gaining knowledge) and I came across information on attracting beneficials to the garden.  I found it was about more than just planting a few marigolds.  One helpful fact sheet I found was: A guide to beneficials in the Home Garden

Here are some of the quick tips I learned to attract beneficials:
1. Include plants of varying heights
2. Plant at least 6 varieties of plants that attract beneficial insects
    (for ideas on plant varieties see link to site @ end of post)
3. Provide water for insects (as simple as a small saucer on a dry day)
4. Give insects on the ground some cover (stepping stones, mulch, flat stones, boards)

In response to this I decided to add a bird bath, a bird house and some decorative garden elements to the flower beds (we already had stones.)  I also designed the beds to have the taller plants starting in the back and the shorter plants in the front.  

Spacing out Zinnia seedlings

So after our last spring frost (mid May) I gathered all my flower seeds and zinnia seedlings and started the planting process. 

 Transplanted Zinnia seedlings

 

             

The flowers I choose to plant in the beds:

Echinacea- Purple Coneflower
Poppy- Giant Peony Mix
Lavendar- Lady
Marigolds- Eskimo White
Sunflowers- Summertime Mix
Sunflowers- Russian Mammoth
Wildflower- Butterfly Mix
Yarrow- White
Zinnias- both Cut and Come again & Lilliput (some were seedlings I planted.)

I also found this site that lists flowers to plant to attract beneficial insects.  It specifically lists out the types of insects that each flower will attract. 

This site provides easy to understand tables listing the pest and then has a table for attracting beneficial insects by plant. 

Seedlings and Seeds planted! Now its time to sit back & watch them grow.

2013 Garden Expansion

Below you can see the most current updates to the garden.  We decided to add some decorative touches this year so that it looked more like a garden and less like "giant dog pin" in the yard.  It started with buying 9 Gothic fence posts to add some detail.  Then our amazing neighbor had extra landscape stones and let us have them.  We decided to make 2 flower beds which will be planted to attract beneficial insects.  We added compost to the beds and I moved the birdbath, birdhouse and some shepherds hooks from the front yard to the new flower beds.  The last step was to add some stepping stones and mulch between the raised beds.

Garden expanded for 2013.  Bed #1 starts on the left.

The compost tumblers are in constant need of carbon materials to balance out the nitrogen (mostly our kitchen scraps).  We had leaves left in our garden from last fall so I decided to rake them up and move them closer to the compost so I could add them easily to the tumblers. These stakes and the chicken wire are recycled from our very first 4 x 4 garden!  Things have certainly expanded since then.

Leaf pile

The compost tumblers are in constant need of carbon materials to balance out the nitrogen (mostly our kitchen scraps).  We had leaves left in our garden from last fall so I decided to rake them up and move them closer to the compost so I could add them easily to the tumblers. These stakes and the chicken wire are recycled from our very first 4 x 4 garden!  Things have certainly expanded since then. 

Compost tumblers

Bed #1 planted with- (3) Parsley, (4) 2yr. Asparagus crowns, (25) 1 yr. Jersey Supreme Asparagus, and (16) Peas. 
Bed #2 planted with- (16) Peas.  More plants to follow.

New cedar raised beds (#1and #2)

Asparagus & Parsley

(4) 2 yr. Asparagus and (3) Parsley

1 yr. Asparagus starting to grow

Bed #3 planted with- (32) White Onions, (64) Stuttgart Yellow Onions, (32) Red Onions and (16) Peas. More plants to follow. 
Bed #4 planted with- (16) Peas. More plants to follow.

2 year old pine raised beds (#3 and #4)

Peas

Onion tops with peas in the background

Onions

Center of the garden ready for future watermelon plants.

Stepping stones

Stepping stones between raised beds