Front garden quickie

The front of my house has more real sun than the back, but is on a main street. So I do a lot of container gardening, but also have started to amend the flowerbed soil and plant directly in it, too, like the artichokes. I think I planted them too close together...ah, well.

These front pototoes are part of an experiment to see A) where they grow better, back or front B) If you really get more yield the higher you hill them, and C) if there is enough sun right here to grow ANYTHING (if so, that decorative bush is gonna have to go!)

There is more planted here, but the pictures were really hard to identify (to the untutored eye, of course. I knew exactly what they were). There are 2 thriving cherry tomatoes, several peppers, a couple kale (for the chickens) and several celeriac. A couple asparagus crowns are here against the brick, some sunflowers, and lots of herbs on the steps. Also some very failed leeks that I am hoping will miraculously start growing. Hmm.

why are you growing ears already?

This multi-color corn (seeds from sister - thanks!) is growing little tiny ears with big kernels. The plant is only 10 inches tall. What the.....?

Feeding frenzy!

The chickens love their treats...and I love giving them lettuce that I don't want to eat, as the slugs attacked these poor plants mercilessly for months. I handpicked so many slugs off I dream about the nasty things at night sometimes. I'm sure the rain washed all the snail trail goo off, but I still don't think I can actually put it in my mouth. sigh. Maybe fresh lettuce for me in the fall, then. Hopefully all the slugs will be chicken feed by then.

Growing potatoes in tires!

This is the pototato tire experiment. I will keep tract of the yield from the many plants in the doubled tire stack as compared to the single tires, since they are in the same area, and see if I get more potatoes! Hedging my bets - I also have several rows in the back garden and a cage in the front garden bed, too. Pix later!

Bean and asparagus bed

I planted six different kinds of beans, but the black beans haven't come up at all. Surely the slugs didn't get them all! I replanted but still see no signs of life. Guess I need to sprout those guys in a paper towel to see if they really are viable. I wonder if I can get my money back? The cowpeas were seriously devastated by the slugs...no great loss. It's the green beans and purple podded green beans I am craving, and we want to make pickled green beans later this summer, a great way to start canning, I think!

The asparagus bed is right next the beans...ferning out and looking good! Next year we can harvest a couple of stalks, but the real harvest starts in 2011! I'm excited already.

The corn is on the other side of the fence from the beans (chain link fence). Oddly, some of the tiny plants have started growing little ears already but the plants are less than 10 inches tall...is that normal? I will take a picture soon to document this occurence. If all else fails, I will eat it as baby corn in a stir-fry with the other baby corn that is growing well (not started as a transplant).

green growing stuff

Okay, I have a garden full of green stuff that I'm not so inclined to eat...next year, I'm planting more things that I like! I need a good greens recipe...I guess not growing up being served such things, I don't really consider greens (except lettuce) food at all ...or else I haven't found a good enough recipe for my discerning palate.

Good things are in store eventually, though....garlic (almost up to my waist!), tomatoes thriving, brassicas doing the best they can in the shade (poor leggy things), and I hope all these potatoes make lots and lots of tubers (and I hope they store well)!

I have started celeriac (never tried it, too expensive at the store) and it seems to be pretty happy. I hope I like it! The cucumbers are growing, slowly, and even have a couple of blossoms. Some herbs are finally sprouting but I forgot what I planted! And I have one lone carrot. That's okay, I'll plant some more when we get back from Michigan. I did harvest one turnip but I need more to actually cook something! The beets are coming along fine.

THESE ARE MY FAVORITE GIRLS!

(In the chicken world, of course) Ivy (the boss lady), Cheeks, Bossa Nova (the more mature lady), and my favorite pet, Thorn. Great name, from my kid! (Oops, they are actually in reverse order. How do you work this stupid thing, anyway?)It fits her perfectly. I love it that they eat all the slugs I pick off the veggies! They don't seem to like the cabbage worms...who would have thought chickens could be so picky? Love them and the eggs:)

back again!

Too busy to write earlier, planting things, so now that everything is growing (some better than others) I hope to keep a diary of what I did, when I did it, where I put it, and (later, of course) how it GREW!

so here were the seedlings...a few, anyway. I guess I didn't take any other pictures...sorry, kids. I love ya anyway.