Garden Update

FYI I am not an expert gardener by any means, everything I do is hit or miss basically.  I guess a lot, some guesses turn out great, other times, not so much.  I have gotten ideas from a gardening friend on occasion.  I am trying the organic route, I don't use pesticides or chemical fertilizers.  The only pesticide I have used is a Liquid Seaweed I mix with water and spray on.   Seems to work pretty well.  I need to get some more soon.

The rains have been plentiful and they have helped the garden tremendously.  While I haven't harvested any tomatoes yet, the plants themselves have done amazingly well.  I only have six plants.  I planted three different strains, two of the strains being the same as last year, German Striper and Mortgage Lifter.  I wanted a repeat of those as they were some really big a juicy ones, although not very prolific.  I thought giving them more space would help with production.  The other strain is something I was not at all familiar with but chose them randomly.  They are a Florida something, I don't remember the correct name and can't see the tag.  They are much shorter but put on fruit much earlier.  I will harvest from them first.  Click on each photo for a better view.

The Florida somethings.

Each strain has displayed different characteristics early on.  They are each of differing heights in the garden, with the Mortgage Lifter outstripping the other two in height by quite a lot, and the Florida strain is much much shorter but is producing much more fruit earlier.  As you can see in this photo the tallest are well over six feet.  They are so large it is hard to even find green tomatoes in all the foliage.  I expect to harvest the first batch of tomatoes in a couple weeks. 

You can just make out the onions on the right.  These were planted last Spring.  The just withered away by Summer.  This past Winter they started spouting and I have been pulling one or two as needed for cooking.  They are great.

I also have a couple Jalapeno plants and some Bell Pepper.  The Jalapenos are starting to produce but I don't see much action with the Bells.  Lots of blooms but no little peppers.  They may be getting lost in the tomato foliage and not getting enough sun.  Still have strawberries from last year and have picked a few, but evidently I don't know what I'm doing with them.  I don't pick more than one or two every week or so.  Not enough to do any good compared to how Kim likes to use them.  

I have seen a rabbit near the garden a couple times but my small fence is evidently deterrent enough.  We have other critters I worry about too, like squirrels and coons that my fence won't keep out.  They haven't shown an interest, yet.  But they have hit the bird feeder pretty hard of late.

Something heavy enough to break the baling wire I use to hang it with has been around.  I have seen the squirrels on it but the glass tube in the middle that holds the feed, had been pried up and and almost out of the cage the day before this.  It has to be coons.  Don't think the squirrels could do that.

I just hope they don't like veggies.

Happy Trails