Remnants of the 2014 season's first hurricane (Arthur) are moving along the #JerseyShore today bringing some much needed rain and cooler temperatures. Thankfully there was not much to the thunderstorms usually associated with hurricanes and summertime and it was mostly a rain event for us. So far we've not had any major downfalls causing flooding but then I'm probably a good 30 miles inland.
I remembered to open my old recycling pail to collect rain water this time and hopefully there will be enough caught in the bucket in it's current location. Ideally I'd like to hook up a barrel to my downspouts but my current setup doesn't allow enough space to put the barrel due to having multiple crank style windows on 3 sides of my patio which is the only place I have gutters other than the carport. Might have to think of something to do with the carport spouts since that is where one of my gardens is. That would be an ideal location for water storage.
So it's already July. Where is the time going? Weren't we just complaining about getting frost in May? Didn't we just recover from Spring Break? I can't believe I've been back in NJ now for 8 months!! I think the honeymoon phase is over and it's time to get serious about unpacking now lol.
My gardening kind of got derailed a little due to management making me move all of my food plants from the front beds and front side bed to a new bed in the back and the remaining space in my back side bed. That has resulted in overcrowding my hot pepper plants and squash/zucchini but has allowed my peppers and tomatoes to actually thrive given their new location.
The front side bed where tomatoes and peppers were originally.
Pepperville - I have 4 plants per square foot here only because I wasn't sure if I'd have enough room when I was forced to move them. Ideally they should be one per ft. Not sure how it will affect production, but I believe it has stunted growth. Cucumbers on left trellis and butternut squash on the right. Zucchini in between (also over crowded but my intent was to put them up a stake.
The new back bed thanks to management. Day one of back bed after moving tomatoes from front and front side bed. Kind of an experiment in #Hugelkultur since I took mostly the twigs and branches and uncomposted waste left over from my shed compost bin as the base and used very little soil except what came with root balls and a little more to fill between plants from existing front beds.
This is actually about a month old already and the tomato plants on the left end are grown to height of back and back is topping out of their stakes already.
Aside from being a bit overcrowded and shallow because the bed didn't have a designed plan and I just kind of made quick rows to get stuff back in the ground, things are doing well. I did get the frame up, although I will probably modify that and lift the posts out of the ground to make the walls a bit higher so the bed is deeper. I have since gotten 2- 30 gallon buckets of compost from the recycling center but since I don't have a truck, I need many more trips to completely refill the other beds and this one. Most of those holes are still there as I have not been up to finishing since my daughter got sick last month and the weather got incredibly hotter. In the words of Emperor Kuzco, "D'oh! You threw off my groove!"
So now that I find myself in July it's time to start planning for fall/winter crops and better use of the beds for next summer. I will need to come up with a plan since I don't do so well just throwing stuff in the ground. Also, given the recent local gossip about said events of management overstepping their duties in making me move my food plants, I will also be sending said plans to corporate office for confirmation that food plants (other than corn) can be planted anywhere in the yard so long as they are maintained. This will actually give me the advantage of now having and additional bed in the back that wouldn't have been there otherwise. Yay homesteading! Having that extra space will allow me to space out my plants and plan properly for size and harvesting rather than just putting stuff anywhere to keep it from dying. We might just be able to live off the land and have a reserve!! Now, if I could only get my berry plants resurrected from the dead, I'd be one happy camper resident.
So far, I've planted 2 types of lettuce in a plastic window box container and they're on my enclosed patio right now being protected from the squirrels who find my containers irresistible for rummaging through when I'm not looking. They were planted about 2 days ago and they've already sprouted! Talk about instant gratification!!
The romaine I planted earlier in the year has provided a few good meals as leaf lettuce but is starting to turn bitter and is probably getting ready to seed from the heat of late.
Unfortunately I didn't get any broccoli heads out of the 4 plants (left)that I bought in the spring. The last one that did start to head (right) unfortunately was hit by a heat wave while my daughter was in the hospital and I didn't get to pick it before it flowered (left). Luckily I like eating the flowers as does my Great-Neice who will be 1 in August. I'm just thrilled to have such a young open mind to share my gardening with. Now if I could just convince her mom that worms, dirt and germs are GOOD for your immune system!!
This little beauty has become one of my pride and joys despite not being much of a flower person. I rescued her from Lowes one day for 50 cents where she was tucked away on a shelf all alone, dry and getting crispier by the minute. Just goes to show you that plants, much like humans and other mammals, are social creatures and need interaction and to be cared for in order to reach their potential. What makes this all the more special is that the macrame hanger is one I made in 8th grade and gave to my Grandmother Lottie (who passed away in 2011). I guess that makes this a triple rescue - the plant, the planter and her memory.
Rescue plant cost only 50cents and was about the size of a tennis ball when I bought it.
I was thinking the other night (instead of sleeping) that I should be blogging more. Not so much because I have so many readers right now but more for me as a journal of how my garden is going, what's working, what's not. I guess this is the first step on that journey. Now if it wouldn't take me all day to get things done, I might actually make some progress.
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