Almost Time to Harvest! {More Progress in the Backyard Garden}
Hey there friends! Well @simplymike has put out the monthly post calling for our garden journal updates, so I didn't want to miss out on the action as our garden is really getting close to providing quite a bit of fresh produce! What a difference just a week makes, as I just shared some photos last Tuesday. Come take a nice little stroll around the beds before the rain passes through again...
Lots of blossoms have the bees buzzing all around. I used some on my squash pizza that I shared a few days ago, but I need to pull off some more to enjoy before they disappear for the season. The different squashes we have growing are just about ready to start pulling off, as well. Our biggest producer is still the acorn squash as you can see from all the different ones popping up around the garden.
The picture in the middle is one that we will probably harvest before the weekend as it seems to be ripe for the picking. I think we may also pull off one of the little baby butternuts as they don't seem to be growing much bigger either, though I did find another new one growing underneath the cucumbers. (@puravidaville I totally named this collage "buttnut" in my photos🤣 ) The current lone spaghetti squash may join the harvest basket, as well!
Speaking of cucumbers--holy moly did they start to go nuts with the rain we are finally getting more regularly! Of course I had @dksart grab some at the farmers market this weekend, then his mom gave us some from her garden, and now we've got quite a few just about ready to pull off from our own vines. Good thing I've gotten all kinds of good recipe ideas from folks lately like @fionasfavourites and @akipponn for a few of the things that are in season right now.
We are also finally getting some zucchini that also seem to start producing fast and furious when the conditions are right. I'm starting to plan my next nutrition event at work, so it's great to have plenty of options to play with right from the backyard. I am nailing down the recipes that I'm going to share so I can get the photos ready for promoting the event.
As for the new awesome raised bed that @dksart created, the melon plants are growing fairly well. The eggplant are taking their time, so I'm hoping we didn't plant them too late. It stays hot well through September here, which means there should be plenty of the growing season left for some of the slow starters.
Of course I can't forget the tomatoes! The cherry tomatoes seem to be producing quite a bit of fruit, but nothing getting red just yet. I was amazed to see the tomato plants that @dksart's mom has going in her garden this past weekend. I should have taken pictures to share. She did use starter plants as opposed to seeds like us, but she should have quite the harvest soon! At least I know if ours don't become too fruitful, she should have plenty to share.
For fails, the pepper plants are struggling a bit. They had a few peppers on them when I bought them, but they rotted off before they were ready to harvest. I suppose we need to do a little research to see if there is anything we can do to help them thrive more. I'm also "failing" to use anywhere near the amount of mint that is growing! I keep trying to use it in everything from salads to tea to smoothies, but it is getting really out of hand. Any inventive ideas that use a lot of it at once I'd be grateful for, haha!
To finish out my update, here's the haul of fresh green beans that @dksart's mom gave us this weekend from a friend's garden! I've been working on putting these beauties to good use today. I'll leave that for another post, though, and just tease you with how fresh and delicious they look. 😉
Thanks to all the folks who share their gardening knowledge and just the joy of vibrant, homegrown, whole foods with us all! It is a blast to virtually visit each of them to see what everyone else is working on! @mariannewest is a master, and @erikah always shares some awesome growing skills! @porters was a bit behind me being further north with colder weather, but I hope it's warmed up a bit now for some outdoor planting! I know @zekepickleman has some stuff he's working on, and I always look forward to @abitcoinskeptic's updates. I'm sure I'm forgetting some folks, but I figure if I tag some that means I might actually remember to make sure to stop by their latest updates!
Happy gardening all! 🌱
That's a gorgeous looking garden
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I'm so proud of you STEEMians
Thanks Nathan! I have made so many wonderful Steemian friends, that it is always so nice to interact with everyone. The gardening community is especially strong, so it is awesome to get great tips and tricks from all around and share the fun of working outdoors!
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Oh, your garden looks awesome! Have you made some mint jelly yet? I usually will make a batch or two and spread it out among the family. I learned to only plant ONE plant of mint! It never goes away!!
Oh, Mary, Mary, your garden is really growing!!! Everything looks awesome! My peppers do best with a lot of sun and ignoring them. :)
Thank you for being a member of #SteemUSA!
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Oooh, I've never made mint jelly before. I'll have to look at some recipes to see if I can make it vegan and without too much added sugar! Sounds like a fun project. It just keeps creeping out everywhere, so it's about time to really cull it back to the one spot it's supposed to be in, haha!
My cucumbers finally caught up! And it seems most everything else is doing pretty well. It has been raining a good bit the last week, so maybe that's why the peppers aren't doing so hot at the moment. The plants still look pretty healthy, it's just the fruit itself isn't really thriving. There are a few baby ones growing, though, maybe they'll stick it out. :)
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What’s better, butnut or buttnut? 🤔 Probably two T’s, huh? Yeah, we’ll go with two.
Mint—Duh, toothpaste!
Yeah, definitely double T's. 😜 Because you just gotta go all in on the childish humor. No holding back!
Hhmm, might have to look at some homemade toothpaste recipes. That's a thought, too--looking at some other homemade personal care or cleaning items made with fresh mint. Genius @dandays!
Your garden seems to be thriving and will produce so much for you
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Thanks Jay! It's fun to keep watching it grow and really get excited about eating the fruits of our labor soon!
Growing up I never understood so much the excitement and pleasure my dad got from his garden it really was a LaCour of love for him, Npw I do understand it and may even see if I can work ona small garden area when I retire and have more time
That al said I did love the fresh vegas from his garden :)
I was the same way! Although back then I didn't eat that many veggies (picky kid). Thank goodness I outgrew that. We started out small and have worked our way up to more beds, so it's fun to progress and see what all we can get going! I'm sure you'll enjoy that when you get the chance to take more time. :)
I grew up with the if you don’t clear your plate including the vegas no desert, and even had meals re served to me for the next meal if i didnt finish them so growing up I was a good vegetable eater, that all changed when I left home, but now getting back into healthier eating patterns
Beautiful! :) I’m doing this kind of thing too. I’ve got pumpkins. Good luck with everything.
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I finally got some pumpkins to plant soon, too! I hope yours come out well. So much fun to see as they grow. :)
That yellow is a punkin flower...? Simply like the garden set up. We are still waiting to get the rain to start our garden...hope to get some good veggies this year
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The flower is on one of the acorn squash plants. The bees are really happy back there, so I'm glad we can have that wonderful symbiosis where they pollinate the plants and we help keep the population going! I hope you get some really good veggies this year, as well. What are you planning on planting?
Yahoo! I have garden envy now. It has been so cool and rainy that my plants are all runts. I am hoping a slow start is making for some good roots and a bit burst of growth soon.
Looks awesome.
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Just last week we only had one tiny cucumber, and now we keep finding more that are almost ready to pick! Hopefully you'll have the same quick turnaround and get some better weather soon. It really is amazing what a difference a week or two can make sometimes!
Oh it's so lovely to see your garden starting to produce! We are way far behind you but I did get some spinach which I actually planted last fall so we've had a few feeds of that and lots of pesto that we use on our zoodles (zucchinis made into noodles).
Have you ever tried a lettuce pear mint smoothie? You can use a lot of mint in that and also your lettuce. I thought about making it and freezing it when the pear season was on.
Also did you know that putting mint on your potatoes when you store them is suppose to help to prevent them from sprouting so quick.
I've got to get my camera out and snap some more garden picks to get my update in.
Thanks for sharing your garden and enjoy all your harvest goodies!
I love mint in my smoothies! Though I don't know if I have used it with pear before. Sounds delicious! Makes me think I should do some mint pesto, too, since you mention that with your zoodles. That's a great tip about the potatoes! I had never heard that one before. :)
Looking forward to seeing where your garden is! It's fun to have this community to share with.