How did I get so busy!

It's been pretty hectic in the garden recently. I have been planting my transplants into the garden directly and seeding in some beds while I tend to my plants in the greenhouse. So much to do and so worth it in the long run. Where to start is the real question I am perplexed by right now.
I planted sets of potatoes in the garden and in two grow bags about a month ago. I was a little apprehensive as I was trying a new technique and the potatoes I bought from a local source seemed dubious. Last year was my first foray into potatoes and they turned out okay. They were a tad bit small for my liking but it was, my first attempt.
The local potatoes had very few tubers but I planted them anyways. The red potatoes had numerous tubers which made me feel okay. Well after a month, here is how they are looking in the garden.

The ones on the left are Yukon Golds and the taters of the right are Red Potatoes.
The grow bag potatoes which are more of the Yukon Gold potatoes have taken off rapidly. I would venture a guess that their growth has been faster than the ones in the ground at this time. Here is a side by side shot of their present state after I mounded them up.

Hoping for larger sized potatoes this year as I feel I just might know what I am actually doing.
I also have been seeding in successive green bean plantings. My first planting was almost totally destroyed by what I presume were the neighborhood squirrels.
I replanted the first batch and then planted another set of 9. I always plant them in sets of 9 as that is what fits in a square foot. Green Beans are prolific so I space the plantings about a week apart. We'll share any excess with the in-laws. And, if there are even more, we'll find someone in the neighborhood who I am sure would take them.

I do have tomatoes and cucumber plants that I'm holding in the greenhouse. How much longer is anyone's guess. They can't stay much longer as that will affect the plants output. Here in my region, Mother's Day is the prescribed date to plant the summer season plants. But, the weather isn't exactly following the script. We are looking at highs into the next week or so of only the mid 60's. That means the lows will be at or near 40. And, another factor is most of the days will be partly to mostly cloudy. I will transplant them under cover by mid-week next week if the weather isn't to straighten out. Here is a picture I took about 4 days ago of 5 of my tomato plants. They are healthy at this point so there is hope.

The onions are doing great in the garden but the ones I planted in the container in the greenhouse are having some issues. Not sure what exactly but I believe it's just too hot in there. Even if I open the vent fully and leave the door open with a screen, it's getting into the 80's in there. Next year, I will plant my complete set of onions in the garden under cover.
I am growing plants this year that I am not that entirely familiar with. The change in weather (for whatever reason) is not helping with growing the plants either. Most of the gardeners I know are noticing the weather more than usual. It definitely is a bigger factor than normal.
Well, this is all for now. I will loop back and will try to be more consistent. Until next time, Happy Gardening Everyone.

Mid Point Review

I know tomorrow is the first day of Summer officially, but if you have a garden, it's the mid-way point of the growing season.  And, it's also that time of the year when the garden needs the most attention.  On this Fathers' day, I took inventory of where my garden is and what I needed to do to continue or improve the garden.
As we are heading into the heat of the summer here in Baltimore, I decided I needed to have a back up system for watering - a hose.  I usually hand water with rain water I store in rainbarrels but inevitably, I get too busy at times and may put off the watering given the 100 degree heat we have here.  So I set up a hose and a sprinkler as shown below.

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Notice the state of the art equipment I am using.  This is a Rain King rotary sprinkler commonly found in the 60's and 70's.  But it does a great job and it was dirt cheap to buy at an antique store.
And it works!
Here is my patch of 14 Pepper plants.  All looking healthy at this time.  These represent two successive plantings.  Don't need many of them but they are easy to freeze and great tasting to bring out in the Winter.

I also have 8 Cucumber plants that are just starting to grow up the trellises I made from various items I have scrapped over the years.  I another month or so, the trellises will be a flush of green.  Just need to keep training them up and they will do the bulk of the work on their own.

Next I have about 60 bean plants in various states of growth.  I have planted them successively for the last 5 weeks which should insure a constant crop over the next couple months.  

Then finally, I have my 14 Tomato plants of various types.  The summer heat will bring with it rapid growth over the next month or so.  As you can see from the one picture, there are buds galore on some of the various early type tomatoes.

So, all in all, and compared to my neighbors and what I am hearing from various gardeners I know, my garden looks productive.  I'll have to keep an eye on it of course and do the things that will keep the momentum going, but that's all in the nature of having a garden.  Till next time, Happy and productive gardening everyone.

Early July musings

After partaking in the usual festivities of the July 4th weekend, I woke up this morning to pick my first batch of green beans in the early morning hours of a calm, quiet Sunday morning.  Of course, my trusty companion Barkley meandered along with me as we made our way out to the garden. I think he was expecting some kind of treat but it was not meant to be.  It was the first set of beans for this season which reminded me that I needed to plant some more seeds for future crops.  There is nothing that can even begin to describe the taste of fresh picked green beans.  I mean, just look at this scad of beans I picked this morning.

Don't those look great?  Can't wait to eat them as these are so far superior in taste to that which you will find in any grocery store.  I didn't plant a ton of these but rather have spread them out over several weeks by planting about 18 seeds every week.  That way, they don't lose their taste.  

On another note, I am getting ready to pick a bunch of Bell Boy and California Wonder Peppers in the next couple of days.  I took a picture of one Cal Wonder just to show the quality you can get in the garden.  

And, in further proof that I am succeeding(I think) in my organic quest, while perusing the garden this afternoon, I found a guest that I never would have thought I would have seen.  Take a look. 

I am no expert, but logic tells me a frog would not be in my garden if I were using pesticides and such in it.  The tiny creature surprised me as he just hopped out from under one of the pepper plants and stayed still while I went about my business.  I can't really remember seeing a frog in my garden before so I will take that as a sign things are going in the right direction in my organic quest.  Frogs, for the most part, are very good to have in the garden as they eat insects by the bunches.  Now, with that being said, they aren't that selective either and thus can eat beneficial insects too.  Most of my experience says they are good for the garden so I am very happy to oblige this little visitor.  Who knows, he may stay.   

Well, that's all for now.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding your garden space, let me know as I would be glad to assist you with your needs or issues.  Until then, happy gardening everyone!