Food Forest Update (June 2018) - Garden Journal Showcasing Photos from My Food Forest

It's time for another food forest update. We have hardly had a Spring to speak of this year. We went from freezing temperatures directly into consistent 90 degree and dry conditions. There is also nothing in the near term forecast that indicates any change from this current pattern. The normal Spring rains didn't come this year. We really have only had one substantial rain since our last frost date (April 15th). So, the lack of rain and the unusually hot Spring temperatures have made it a little more difficult to get everything watered. But on the other hand, that also means less mowing and weed pulling. Luckily, we are fortunate to have two artesian wells on our property. So, we have been watering with the well water, but nothing beats the wonderful rain from Mother Nature. It's the dry years like this one that make you truly appreciate rain.

Red Potatoes & Sweet potatoes

For the reasons listed above, I noticed our food forest growth is slower this year. We have been harvesting red potatoes here and there and they are turning out great. I only relied on rain to water my potatoes. Perhaps that was not the best idea this year, as I have definitely noticed the potato harvest is less in quantity, but they still taste great. A couple of potatoes were chewed on, probably by grubs, causing partial decomposition and rotting around the affected areas. Man, even a small amount of rotten potatoes smell like the opposite of good. I accidentally got some rotten potato juice on my fingers while harvesting and the smell lingered in my nose for a few hours. Let me just say, it was not pleasant.

I have been planting sweet potato slips in the spots where red potatoes were recently harvested. It was perfect timing because without harvesting the red potatoes, I would have no room to plant sweet potatoes. Sweet potato vines are loving the heat we are having now, growing by the minute it seems. Every time I water my purple sweet potato plants, I imagine how tasty they will be in one of those purple sweet potato pies.

Peaches

Due to the lack of rain, the peaches are slightly smaller this year. They are taking longer to mature as well, but there is still time for them to gain additional size. Both peach trees are loaded. I thinned buckets of immature fruit in early Spring, but it looks like I will need to be even more aggressive next year.

Last year at this time, the peaches were red and soft. We harvested the majority of the them on June 3rd. However, this year, the peaches have not yet turned red. But again, there is still some time left. So, we must have patience and observe the new and different maturity phase. Again, time is a friend in the garden or food forest. The more time that passes, the more we learn how differently life can come about. It always amazes me how plants grow and mature differently in the food forest each year. Being in the forest always remind me that I am not in control, I am mere caretaker and observer.

Garlic

I harvested all the garlic from both raised beds. This year's garlic harvest is even better than last years. Since we didn't get the Spring rain this year, we didn't have to put plastic sheeting over the crop. Normally, we have to protect them from rain that occurs within the last few weeks of full maturity. All the harvested garlic are hanging and curing. They should be ready in a few weeks. We have been cooking with some of the fresh garlic, even before it is fully cured. The fresh garlic is super pungent compared to the cured ones. They really, really, burn your eyes while cooking. But they are so tasty and worth the aromatic macing. We are so pleased to have our home grown garlic back. Last years clove stash has been depleted for a couple of months.

I normally would plant cover crops right after I harvest the garlic. This way, there are always plant roots in the raised beds for Mycorrhiza fungi. However, this year without rain, it has been hard to keep everything alive trying to water by hand. I am super late in planting the cover crops. Hopefully, I can get them planted this coming week. Fingers crossed.

Tomatoes

Okay, tomatoes are tricky and something I may not get each year (at least for certain varieties). For whatever reason, some years my tomato plants just die. One by one, within a week, they are gone. So far so good this year. I have only had one Black Cherry tomato plant that started showing the signs of defeat. So I just cut it off a couple of inches above ground , pretty much killing it. Not sure why, but no Black Cherry tomatoes will grow in this particular spot in the food forest. For the last three years, all Black Cherry tomato plants planted in this area died just after they started to produce fruit. And again, this year is no different. All other varieties of tomatoes seem to be fine planted in this spot. If you know what might be causing this, please share with me, as I have no idea what's causing this. And I love (and miss) cherry tomatoes.

All other varieties of tomato plants are showing nothing but perfection. Many of the fruit are three to four inches wide and there are an abundance of newly formed ones visible. We have been hand watering all of the annual vegetable beds, so when we finally get that rain, hopefully the tomatoes and peppers won't swell and split. We are already on patrol for the tomato hornworm. It's not if they will come, it's when they will come. Then it's how much damage they will do prior to finding them. Happens every year and there is no getting around them. Since I started growing, these virtually invisible monsters have caused more damage to my tomato and pepper plants than any other living creature.

Cucumbers

I had some issues with bugs eating my cucumber seedlings this year. I had to replant twice. They are finally establishing. Normally we would be harvesting our first cucumbers around mid to late June, but looks like this year, our harvest will be a few weeks behind.

Flea beetles are dancing all over the cucumber plants right now. Last year I planted radishes around the cucumbers and had very little issues with flea beetles. I forgot to do that this year and can really see how effective it was last year compared to now. I promise myself will forever plant radish seeds with cucumber seeds.

Blueberry

Some varieties of blueberries are starting to change colors. Without fail, birds start diving at the bushes the moment they started turning blue. My husband and I have been putting up different kinds of bird netting to stop the thieves from stealing our berries. We do have a few bushes that we do not cover. This allows the birds to consume what is rightfully theirs as well. Plus, I think they were chirping in disappointment when they saw us putting the netting over the majority of the bushes. We should have ripe blueberries very soon.

Blueberry plants have shallow roots. The lack of rain this year is somewhat affecting the berries plumpness, even though I have a thick layer of mulch to help keep the moisture in the soil.

Peppers

I tried something different this year with peppers. I didn't knock the flowers off after I transplanted them into the raised bed. I think that was a mistake. The pepper plants did not have a chance to establish their roots. They used up energy into the maturing fruit that were already present prior to planting. I can tell comparing photos from the past that the pepper plants planted in the raised bed this year are not doing near as good as past years. The marigold & calendula planted around peppers have added great amounts of additional colors to the food forest. I plant basil at the base of pepper plants. This is to supposedly confuse or disorient pests with it's powerful fragrance.

We planted some of the extra pepper plants in a new area where we had been piling up logs, leaves, sticks, and pine needles over the past two years. Pepper plants seem to be doing a whole lot better in this area. However, I didn't knock off the flowers after I transplanted to this area. So I guess my theory earlier did not make sense. Never mind. Don't listen to me. I don't know why the peppers planted in the raised bed this year are not growing as fast as past years (lol). Maybe in a few years I will figure it out. Remember, time is a friend to the garden or food forest. Without it, how can we learn just how finicky Mother Nature is.

Melon

I sprouted the melon seeds indoors then planted them in the garden right after they popped out. It's just so dry this year, I thought sprouting them inside the house would have a better germination rate. I love homegrown melons, so this year I planted a little less sweet potatoes and few more melons. The volunteer melons came out a few weeks before I planted the seeds, so they are way ahead of the ones I just transplanted. I love seeing what plants are going to be successful volunteers each year. It's so nice to get that bonus and be rewarded without having to do extra work.

Squash & Zucchini

They are loving this heat. We harvested a few last night for dinner. They were so sweet and tender. I guess pollinators are doing their job. I did not hand pollinate anything as I would have done in previous years. Of course squash bugs are already out. Mating, laying eggs, and just doing their thing. We hand pick all the squash bugs and scrape off their eggs anytime we find them.

Ground Cherries

Ground cherries are doing wonderful this year. Earlier on, I had some issues with caterpillars but we hand picked the leaf chewers and it appears there are no more issues with them. Birds love ground cherries as much as they love blueberries. There are always volunteer ground cherry plants each year and this year is no exception. In the beginning of each growing season, I always wonder where the volunteer ground cherry plants will show up this year. It's like a game I play with myself. If I am right, I get ground cherries. If I am wrong, I get ground cherries. It's a win win for me and the birds.

Wild Food

We usually cut down the wild blackberry plants on our property before they get too big. But not this year. We decided to let them grow and there is an abundance of them this Spring. They are sweet, and really who doesn't love having blackberries without having to plant or care for them. The only problem with our patches is the fact poison ivy has become good friends with the berries. And if you want some of those berries, you will have to risk getting some itchy ivy oil on you.

Everything is in full swing now, so lots to report and record. I will stop now and do another update on the orchard in a different post. Thank you for taking the time to read my food forest update.

All photos come from my food forest
Photo copyright: @thelaundrylady

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