I can’t believe it is the 9th of July already and my garden is still producing tomatoes and green beans. I have decided to stop picking my greens beans and let what is on the vine go to seed.
We have been getting LOTS of rain almost every day, sometimes 3 times a day and my pumpkin plant is as long as 8 bales of hay and is branching out into the raspberries. I lost my large pumpkin to bugs……I still have a smaller one that seems to be doing ok.
I am not sure how my potatoes are doing in the hay inside the big planters. We may be getting too much rain. I was able to pull one small potato out.
This is the first time I have ever harvested corn. I planted 2 bales side by side against the fence which made it easy to tie up. It was not easy for them to pollinate though. If I ever decide to plant corn again I will plant 4 – 6 bales and have them in a bunch with a bit of space in between. I don’t know how I will stake them though.
This is also the first time I have harvested a ripe watermelon ( Georgia Rattlesnake variety from Baker Creek Seed Company) and boy is it good. I actually had 2 but one burst, guess because of all the rain? I also have three small Black Tail Watermelon just about ready to pick. I already picked one but it was not fully ripe, we enjoyed it anyway.
I starting to get lots of eggplants and didn’t realize they were thin and long. They are called Early Long Purple. I think I am going to try pickled eggplant.
The carrots in hay bales are a bust. They just don’t seem to be growing well. My lemon basil is going great guns though. I have already made a recipe of basil pesto and boy was it good.
The zucchini plant is doing great but every zucchini has been eaten by something.
I have actually have a stalk of bananas this year before October. Hopefully they will ripen.
My beets are still doing well and my mint is getting very big. I will be making mint oil soon. I would love to get a kit that allows you to make true essential oil but it is $400.
Here are my totals so far:
- Green Beans – 137.9 oz, canned 33, 1/2 pints, almost 8 lbs
- Cucumbers 43.7 oz
- Onions 15 oz (grown in raised bed)
- Celery 15.6 oz (grown in raised bed)
- Parsley 1.0 oz
- Beets 77.8 oz
- Corn 59.4 oz
- Roma Tomatoes 599.7 oz, this is almost 37.4 lbs
- Tomatoes 2.2 oz
- Carrots 18.5 oz (in grow buckets)
- Pineapple 28.9 oz (in ground)
- Potatoes 5.6 oz (in containers grown with hay)
- Eggplant 17.7 oz
- Watermelon Black Tail Mountain 8.4 lbs
- Georgia Rattlesnake watermelon 18 lbs
- Big Max Pumpkin 34.6 lbs (lost to bugs)
If you would like to see what I planted and the layout please click on this link.