Just a quick post on how the Good Better Best Organic Garden is doing this year. We have had an interesting summer weather wise. We will have days that are 100 degrees plus (like last week) and then this week we have no humidity and I have all of the windows open drinking in the cool air. Periods of crazy rain and then nothing. But all in all the garden is fairing pretty well.
As loyal readers of this blog may remember, I put the garden in Memorial Day weekend. I always want to get it planted earlier...but life always gets in the way. We had a lot of rain while we were away the week of the 4th of July, and when we came back....oh my! The tomato plants are as tall as I am (and I am not short), the cucumbers are out of control and everything else seems to be coming along nicely.
Once again we planted beans in pots, and they came out great. I think next year I will add another large pot of beans and maybe even try peas. Those that have known me since a child will be surprised about the peas...but it is only a concept at this stage.
The tomatoes pictured above are a combination of early girl, cherry and heirloom. This is my first try at heirloom and I am feeling pretty fancy! I have been picking them a little bit early as I have spotted more than one pesky squirrel sitting on the back fence eating my neighbor's tomato like an apple. I have so many tomatoes and a decent amount of cucumbers (more about that in a bit) that I am thinking I might make some gazpacho this weekend.
The Sweet Boy loves cucumbers, and this is a byproduct of our garden in 2011. He never ate cucumbers until we grew them that year and now he is hooked. When we bought the plants this spring he talked me into getting a lot of cucumber plants. Oh have they taken over our small space. They are producing plenty of cucumber, I just hope they don't overpower the other plants.
We have two small yellow squash coming in, and I think tomorrow night might be the night to pick them. Both the yellow squash and the zucchini have a lot of flowers on them. In regards to eggplant, another Sweet Boy recent discovery, we have flowers but no actual eggplant. At this point in 2013, I did have mini eggplants. Patience with my garden is not my greatest virtue. I also worry that if I don't pick things a little early...the critters will get them.
I am still a firm believer that the Coast of Maine Lobster compost mix that I top the garden off every year now is totally the difference in having a bountiful garden as opposed to a few small tomatoes all with blossom rot like I had in the past. It's a hard product to find, but I will not garden without it if I can help it.
All in all I am pleased so far with the Good Better Best Organic Garden 2013. My goal is still to not purchase a single tomato in August.
Feel free to tell me about your garen in the comments section below or via twitter @pcrichey.
Enjoy the Best Food!
