Welcome, September

It is POURING outside right now.  I am at work looking out at the parking lot and watching gigantic raindrops fall on the pavement.  I wonder how my tomatoes are doing at home?  The bell peppers and patio tomatoes are in containers and they are fine, I'm sure.  My beefsteak tomatoes are probably gettin pummled.  They are partially under the eve of the porch and so I am hoping that will help to keep them safe from the weather.

The good thing about being at work today is that I can grab the lettuce and chard seeds out of my locker and get them started.  I currently have nothing to plant them in once they are ready to go outside.  I'm going to plant the seeds anyway and just cross the container bridge when I come to it. 

I am hoping to also get some broccoli and cauliflower for my fall garden.  I will need to pick up some containers for them for sure.  There is no way that I am going to root around in the mud trying to get them in the ground.  I did enough mud gardening this Summer to last me the rest of the year.

Does anyone know if you can plant parsnips in the fall?  No one suggested them.  I hope I didn't miss the boat.  I have never eated a parsnip, but they seem to find themselves into stews frequently and so I thought it might be a cooler weather plant.  Thanks people!

Cursed Gastropods!

Something has been eating my broccoli, and it isn't me!  Something has been nibbling holes in the leaves of my broccoli plant. So far they have only eaten two of the leaves, but those leaves have turned yellow and I had to pull them off of the plant!  I don't like the looks of this!

Forgive me if I don't know what I am doing, but I am under the impression that if a leaf starts to die, you pluck it off right away.  My mom used to say that the plant would focus all of its energy in trying to revive the dying part of the plant and that removing it will remove the immediate problem.  I'm not sure if that is correct or not, but one this is for sure, it doesn't remove the root of my problem.

It looks to me, and again - I'm no expert, that some kind of snail or slug has been munching away at my broccoli leaves.  Not only does this anger me, but it also sickens me because snails and slugs are ugly and slimy and yucky.  I don't want one crawling (or slithering or slinking or whatever their mode of locomotion) any where near anything I am going to be eating!  Keep your nasty mucus off of my veggies, thank you very much!

I have yet to identify the culprit.  I have made several late night trips out to the garden to see if I can catch any of these little slime balls in the act, but nothing yet.  My mom has been sprinkling her veggies with snail and slug bait.  I don't have any on hand, so I will have to wait until tomorrow to borrow some of hers.  I thought about leaving out a pie tin full of beer.  I have heard that works.  Problem is that the only beer I have is a six pack of Widmer Sunburn and I am just as likely to share that with a slug as I am to willingly share my vegetables. ... not likely!

Broc a Lot!

This Summer weather has been doing wonders for my garden! My broccoli is not only confirmed at broccoli, but it's getter bigger and bigger every day! I have to say that so far, the broccoli is my biggest success.

This gardening season has been full of ups an downs for me. A few time in the last couple of months, I've wondered what the heck I was even trying to accomplish. Yesterday, Caleb ate snow peas fresh off the plant. He didn't even have to drown them in dressing. For dinner he picked up a piece of cauliflower and said, "Oh! Broccoli!" and gobbled it up. Close enough for me!

What I wanted from this garden was a way for Caleb and I to spend time together outside. It was supposed to be a little project we could do together. I was also hoping that it would get him to eat more veggies. At the very least, my green has accomplished those things. It's also taught me a lot about perseverance and patience.

This is really something... And I love it, good, bad, and wilty.

A Little Sun Goes a Long Way

Some sun has finally decided to show up! I am so excited that things are starting to grow in the garden. I think that the tomatoes may be gonners, but the banana pepper has grown a little pepper. The pole bean has started to climb its way up the post of the porch. I am pretty bummed about having to work today, but hopefully there will still be a little sun left when I get home.

I was supposed to put a pumpkin in the garden bed, but it has started to die since I was waiting for the sun to come out before planting it. I hope I am able to salvage it!

In other exciting news, little tiny broccolis have started to grow!  I can see little broccoli heads!  I was starting to doubt wether or not these were broccoli, but they are!  It's been confirmed!

See For Yourself

Here is a picture of my Vampire Broccoli NOT enjoying the morning sun. I am amazed at how quickly they start to droop when the sun comes out. It wasn't very warm when I took this picture; couldn't have been over 65 degrees yet. My broccoli sees the sun and it just recoils in sadness. I am so glad that I potted them in these containers so that they can be moved around my yard throughout the day.

At some point or another, every bit of my yard gets sun, and that is bad news for these little plants. I'll be able to scoot their containers around the porch and keep them in the shade. They have been really enjoying this nasty weather we have been having. No sun to speak of except for the lovely weather yesterday and a short sunburst today. I am wondering when my broccoli is going to start looking edible. I would love to see some broccoli heads already like somebody!

Crunchy!

I am excited to say that my garden is working! Today I went out to check on things, mostly the Vampire Broccoli, and everything looks great! The broccoli is growing strong, but no sign of little broccoli heads. The snow peas are starting to come in, and by next week I should be able to get quite a few of them. Also, the banana peppers are getting ready to flower.

I took Caleb outside to see the progress. "Mama's plants are growing!" he said. I told him that we could pick the snow peas and eat them. "You eat them?" he asked. Then he ate one! Then he spat it out! I think next time I will add a little salad dressing and see if that helps.

The only problem with my garden is that now I wish I had another 1 or 2 snow pea plants!

Vampire Broccoli

My broccoli hates the sun. The little tag that came with them cannot be trusted! Every time the sunlight hits them they start to wilt and droop. They get all saggy and that makes me sad all day. Fortunately they are in containers and so I am able to move them around. I scooted them all into the shade.

My mom suggested that perhaps they just needed to be hardened. She thought that maybe they were not used to being outside. This can't be true because they were outside when I got them. Even if they weren't left outside in the evening, which I am sure they were, they were definitely in the sun.

The broccoli was in the sun the day I bought them. I left them in the sun before I transplanted them. Now that they are in their containers, they hate the sun. I want to keep them happy, so I am letting them stay in the shade, but I am worried that they will never grow little yummy broccolis if they are left there.

The Broccoli Verdict

The broccoli looks 100% better today! The leaves are perky and feel strong. After being in the sun, allowing for some evaporation from its overly moist soil, they are back to life. I had been worried about the broccoli in my garden when I noticed them wilting. It looks like my theory of them being over watered and under sunned was correct and I think that I may have saved the day. Disaster averted!