Success!

I planted my gardens sort of piecemeal and late this year, with all the rain we had I just didn't know if anything would actually produce crops.  I stay pretty busy around here and with working on the new chicken coop and all the baby chicks that have hatched I have not really paid a lot of attention to my gardens.  

Well, we finished the chicken coop enough to put our chicks that I got from the hatchery out there and I started paying more attention.  I had to weed.  Note to self: I will need to give myself more room if I am going to use the tiller between rows to do it next year!  I had to use a hoe to weed and a hand cultivator...and just my gloved hands to pull the weeds that looked more like small trees...and there are a lot of those.  It is going to take a long time and a lot of maintenance to keep the weeds out.  

I have had good success with my tomatoes, I planted San Marzano, Arkansas Traveller, Black Krim and Sweet 100's...I have to pick tomatoes every couple of days and get all of the ones that are just starting to turn red, if I don't the bugs and birds will eat them.  I have used zero pesticides on my gardens and really have not had to worry much about bugs...but, there are ants that will cover the overly ripe tomatoes that fall...and the ones that touch the ground.  I will have to come up with a better method than tomato cages and stakes...the weight of the tomatoes bent, broke and pulled the tomato cages out of the ground.  I think I planted about 20 tomato plants, and even with all the bad tomatoes I still pick around 10 to 15 pounds or better when I pick them every time.  I have canned tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce and hot sauce.  I pick around a gallon of fresh green beans twice a week, have picked enough jalapeños to can a couple of pints and make 12 pints of hot sauce, brocolli has been harvested 4 times and each time it is enough for a couple of meals, pinto beans...a little over a quart but I doubt I will plant them again, I harvested my corn and even though the cobs were small and the birds pulled out a row and a half we got probably 60 ears.  My herb garden is doing pretty well, the mints are huge, basil and oregano did well, Stivia is so so, dill almost non-existent (weeds crowded it), Cilantro died.  I put pickling cucumbers in the herb garden and have had a good crop...made a lot of pickles for the first time, Kosher, sweet hots, and even am fermenting 3 gallons at the moment.  I had to uncover my strawberry plants and blueberries...they are doing better now...it took a few days of weeding to find them.  Oh, I harvested some bell peppers too.  I am sure once the weather starts cooling off everything will do better especially if I keep up with weeding.

When you buy all your produce at the store you never realize how bland it tastes compared to home grown...the taste difference is remarkable and so much better.  I think this years garden was a success, even with all the set backs.  I have watermelon and cantaloupe on the vines too...just trying to wait patiently to be able to see how they turned out.  Now, to figure out what to plant for my fall garden.