Well folks, in case you didn’t get the memo, summer has arrived. Wahoo! Our backyard is bursting with color {and vegetables} and I’m having a hard time photographing of it all. It seems like every time I turn around there is something I missed.
This I know for sure, this week we will be eating a ton of veggies. There is broccoli, cabbage, peas, lettuce, strawberries and chard to pick. Pots to replant and hedges to be trimmed. We’ll also try and clear a little more brush in the backyard to accommodate what I hope with be a giant squash patch.
Summer vacation is finally here and I have big plans {and a ton of new projects} for this summer, and I can’t wait to get started.
Here is this weeks tour of our backyard garden…
The 16 raised garden beds are overflowing with vegetables and herbs.
Onions and strawberries, beets, chard and our 1 year old rhubarb plant.
Carrots love tomatoes… Who knew? Celery, beets and now beans are growing in the pallet garden.
The bean teepee and hubbard squash is nice and green.
The potato tower is still going strong, and the zucchini and cucumber plants are coming along nicely.
Here’s a shot from the back of the raised vegetable garden. Pretty neat-o if you ask me. I’ll be shopping in my backyard for my groceries 24/7 in about another month. I can’t wait!
So how’s it growing in your garden?
Have you planted anything new recently?
I think I’m going to plant a packet of Tiger’s Eye beans today.
Peace Out Girl Scouts, I’m off to water the garden. Have a great day!
♥ Mavis
The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Heirloom Vegetables $14.77 ~ Amazon
Are heirloom vegetables more difficult to grow than conventional hybrids? The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Heirloom Vegetables debunks this myth by highlighting the 100 heirloom vegetables that are the easiest to grow and the tastiest to eat.
Marie Iannotti makes it simple for beginning gardeners to jump on the heirloom trend by presenting an edited list based on years of gardening trial and error. Her plant criteria is threefold: The 100 plants must be amazing to eat, bring something unique to the table, and — most importantly — they have to be unfussy and easy to grow. Her list includes garden favorites like the meaty and mellow ‘Lacinato’ Kale, the underused and earthy ‘Turkish Orange’ Eggplant, and the unexpected sweetness of ‘Apollo’ Arugula. ~ Amazon
Carrie says
Beautiful!
Sarah says
Looking good!
I can’t wait to get home and pick my second crop of radishes. I planted my first Swiss Chard seeds (a little late in the season), and they’re just sprouting – that’s the new thing I planted this year. I’ve already picked a few golden and red tomatoes, three huge cucumbers, lots of lettuce and spinach, bell peppers, tons of blackberries, and the sugar sprint peas just keep pouring in. I love this time of year!
Can’t wait to see your bounty really start taking off. I imagine barrels a day of colorful, juicy veggies and fruit! I might get jealous though.
Sarah says
P.S. Anything new with the chickens? How come you don’t count the weight of eggs you collect in your 2,000lb goal? It’s food you’re feeding your family. 🙂 Just curious. But I kind of miss the chicken updates.
sena c says
Mavis….I used newspaper instead of hay for the potato towers, and it seems to be working great! The paper decomposes so the potato plants can grow out of the paper, and the newspaper holds the dirt in. It is ugly, but who cares? I am curious to see if your new method of swirling the growth around will work.
Jenn says
That’s a great idea! I use newspaper under my mulch to prevent weeds. Just layed 2-3 layers, wet it and the lay your mulch over it. I had some bad area’s in my garden that always have problems with weeds. I’ve only had to pull 2 in that area over the last 3 months.
sena c says
ohhhhh…..I like your idea! I will try that.
olemike says
You have a beautiful garden.
Mavis says
Thank you. 🙂
Aileene says
Do you have any problems with Japanese Beetles? Your cabbage, broc, and everything lacks to wonderful holes I have all over mine! What did you do to control them? Anyone else have any suggestions?
Kristn says
I am new to your site and am in what is considered North Texas (as opposed to the Panhandle) in the Suburban Hell that is the outskirts of Dallas. I am very interested in the pallet gardens and have an ample supply of the pallets.What are some limitations with the pallet gardening. And, besides the tools/hardware, what are some pointers for making these work? I have a tendancy to get really inspired and then get over my head in a hurry.
I’m not sure what I can even plant at this point in the year. It’s already 100 degrees or close to it every day. I have all kinds of seeds (flowers and veggies) but was figuring all of that was going to have to wait until February. As you can tell, I’m not sure where to start with what I can plant.