Two Days Of Harvesting

They might not be the biggest harvests, but yesterday and today I was able to go out to the garden and pick vegetables! Can it get any better than that? Finally all the hard work is paying off.

Yesterday I picked 3 cucumbers, 3 Romanian bell peppers, and 3 large zucchini that I can’t believe ballooned up so quickly. They were just finger length three days ago.

Then today I went out and found 4 more cucumbers, another huge zucchini (where did this come from), the first two cherry tomatoes, and peppers.

I actually wasn’t planning on harvesting the peppers yet but the plants are so full I needed to thin them so the peppers could actually grow. They were all crammed against the stem and beginning to curl.

The banana peppers will be canned so they can be picked at any size really. I was just hoping to wait a bit so they’d turn red and I could have a variety of colors in the jars. Oh well, looks like there’ll be more to come (lots more) so I’m sure I’ll get the chance.

The Anaheim I’m not sure if are ready or not. There are some websites that say to wait until they are red, while others say the green ones are fine. They sell green ones in the stores, so I’m assuming picking them will be okay.

These I’m going to roast tomorrow and can — or if Hubby is real persuasive I might make him some chili rellenos.

Lastly, I picked what might be the last of the peas. Some of the plants are beginning to dry up and there aren’t too many flowers. I’m not sure if I should leave the plants in the ground and wait to see if they’ll produce again in the fall or if I should pull them out and plant a new crop for the fall. Any suggestions?

Seeing the fruits of my labor really helps keep gardening in perspective and boosts my spirits in lieu of all the difficulties we’ve had this week, and for this I am — Simply Grateful.

The Beginning of July and All’s Well in the Garden

Although I am still struggling with tomato leaf curl on several of my plants, for the most part, the garden is doing well for the beginning of July.

Tomatoes:

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Peppers:

There are six different types of peppers planted in the garden: Anaheim, Jalapeno, Sweet Banana, Yellow Bell, Romanian Bell, and Pablano. Of these only the sweet banana and Romanian actually have peppers. The remaining are full of flowers and continuing to grow.

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Zucchini:

This being my first year growing zucchini, I’m very happy with the results. I think that perhaps I should have given the plants more space as they are taking over the radishes, beets, and even sneaking into the peppers. Next year I’ll know better.

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The rest of the garden:

Beets:

The beets are getting big and will probably be ready for harvest soon. I’m not too optomistic, as they seem to be small. I’m not sure the ground is soft enough for them to grow.

Cucumbers:

The cucumbers are finally big enough to climb the a-frame and there are tons of flowers already. Without many bees around though I’m not sure how many cucumbers we’ll get this year. I might be out there pollinating the flowers myself.

Radishes:

The second planting of radishes are doing well and will probably be ready for picking in a week or two.

Peas:

The peas continue to flourish and I’ve picked three times now and the flowers are still coming.

Overall everything seems to be on schedule so barring anything catastrophic, hopefully by late July we’ll be getting some pretty bountiful harvests, and for this I am — Simply Grateful.