Thursday, August 5, 2010

Garden Update #5

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?"

I don't know about Mary's garden...but ours is beginning to look a little ragged. The weeds are taking over and it is just too darn hot outside to do much about them.
The tomatoes are really filling out. We have only harvested about a half dozen so far this summer. But we are beginning to see loads of green ones. Hopefully they will all be nice and pink in the next week or so.

The peas have fed us two family size meals, a small meal and we have two quarts in the freezer. I don't think we will be getting many more. The plants are still healthy, but I think they are about finished making for this summer.

We are thinking about planting the dry peas that we have taken from the garden so that we can get one last crop before it gets cold. I think we can pull it off, but Jim is not so sure. What do y'all think? We don't usually get our first frost before late November...and it is usually December before the cold really arrives.


Our squash plants survived the squash vine borer! It is true...just put fresh dirt over them after removing the dreaded pests, and TA-DAH. Nearly all of the plants not only survived but are putting on new blooms. See what a pretty green color has returned to their leaves. We should get a few more meals out of these plants yet.


I picked our first four okra pods on Wednesday night. The plants are nearly as tall as I am. We are all looking forward to our first skillet of fried okra. But that first pot of boiled okra and new potatoes will be all mine...mostly because no one else will eat it!


The cucumbers are going crazy! How many cucumbers can a family eat? I think we will have more than enough for all three of our families plus some.


The cantaloupes are coming along nicely as well. They are not quite as full as the cucumbers, but they are catching up quickly.


I think this baby will be the first to be harvested. Not sure how much longer we have to wait...but we keep checking on it to make sure nothing attacks it.


This was the fruit from the crops that we collected on Monday night after returning from our weekend in San Antonio.


Jim and I enjoyed the squash and peas on Wednesday night alongside a fresh pork loin. He sliced the tomatoes for salad last night.

Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to share with you the hot dill pickles that I put up last Friday night. You will notice eleven jars on the counter. The twelfth jar is in the refrigerator. Can you believe that in my first attempt at canning pickles alone I had only one jar that did not seal? I can't. I was scared to death that I was going to have a whole refrigerator shelf full. We have to wait three more weeks from today to taste them. I hope they are good. At least I now know what size the cucumbers need to be in order to fit in the jar.

The girls are wanting some sweet pickles. I may attempt that this weekend, if I find the time.

Well, thanks for stopping by and checking on our garden. We'll see you next time!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You can plant your dry peas for your fall garden, they will have time to make before frost. You can also plant more squash, tomatoes, and your greens. Plant your broccoli, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, green peas, in late January or early February because they like the cool weather. Although you have more snow than we do, you can still get away with it. Your garden really looks good. Aunt Fran

Brenda said...

Sure looks tastie pickles look great i want a garden saw tomatoe plants in Tyler alamost as tall as Art with tomatoes wish i had got one,
yes looks really great girl!!

melanie giant said...

Your canned pickles look great in packaging aspects. I just hope that your next post will all about how it taste. Your veggies are healthy and look delicious by the way.

Isabella Baby said...

Wow.Those peas are really tempting. I think i need to go to my garden and get some of my peas and have a quick cook! LOL. Your post just inspired me to cook for dinner! I love the look of your garden. Spacious and well-arranged. Thanks for sharing this post.

Melanie Piano said...

Pickle fever! I love jarring fresh cucumbers every harvest time! Hmm. Those pickles are perfect for chicago hotdogs! Hmm.. getting excited for hotdog weekend! Good for you, your squash thrived! Mine went straight 6 feet under! LOL. I think the heat has something to do with it.