Posts Tagged ‘zucchini’
Pumpkins, Carrots, Turnips & Bison
Today I spent a lot of time in the garden. I tore out an area next to the pumpkins that had a couple of sickly zucchini plants and weeds. After cleaning it out I planted carrots. In a similar fit of activity I pulled out the remaining turnips – maybe 20 or so – and planted a fall crop of turnips.
Animals have chewed my pumpkins.
They've even chewed my funny-looking one.
The pumpkins continue to grow but word is getting around the animal world that pumpkin is pretty tasty. Does anyone have any idea how to protect pumpkins from the squirrels/rabbits/raccoons/birds that are sampling them? Do I use chicken wire?
I’d love to hear some ideas.
Katie asked if we could take a trip to Fermi Lab in Batavia where there is a great hike through a large meadow of grasses and wildflowers and woods. What she really wanted to see was the Bison herd.
It was a great way to wrap up the day.
Katie with wildflowers in the woods at Fermi Labs.
Katie photographing bison.
New Progress in the Garden
ripe cherry tomato!
There are some good thing to report!
• In spite of a cool, wet summer our first cherry tomato has ripened.
• Pumpkins are getting large and on their way to 25#, or so the seed packet says.
• We are learning many ways to cook zucchini! Katie had a zucchini Asiago cheese-omelet this morning.
• Wildflower seeds I planted are blooming, although I don’t know what most of them are.
Anyone who knows wildflowers please feel free to help me identify them.
Any Brooklyn pumpkins yet, Jesse?
How about Pilsen jalapeños, Andy? Does the el cast too much shade on your garden?
This pumpkin is about 12 inches long so far.
unknown wildflower
unknown wildflower with bee
Mid-Season Evaluation
unripe tomatoes
The All Star Game this week has put me in a mood to evaluate how things are going in the garden. Like the Cubs, there are both good and bad things to report.
The photos below tell mostly of the good things going on. The first peppers, both bell and jalapeño, emerged from their flowers today. Zucchini and broccoli are producing well. Noah is seeing the beginnings of what are supposed to become 25-pound pumpkins. Turnips continue to be available to pull as needed. Tomatoes are green, growing and prolific.
broccoli
black raspberries
Actually there are very few problems to report. A couple of my zucchini plants are wilting. I suspect either the Squash bug or the Squash vine borer is the culprit. I’ve seen both in the garden. Although there are Japanese beetles in massive numbers, they are not as fond of my garden without green beans this year. They are preferring the grape plants.
wilted zucchini plant
very small pumpkin
zucchini
first jalapeño pepper
small bell pepper
In evaluating this blog itself, it seems that a more regular posting would be good. This week I got rather involved with photographing insects and neglected my posts. (Well, I also had some work to do.) I will have some things to say – and show – concerning creepy crawlies in a future post.
turnip
very small pear on a nearly-dead pear tree
And finally, inspired by Jesse’s “bug’s eye view” of his pumpkin plant, I’ve included below a similar view of Noah’s pumpkin plant that long ago escaped it’s boundaries. The photo shows the point of escape.
bug's-eye view of Noah's pumpkin plants
Beauty of Sun
I don’t have the photos to demonstrate that the sun is beautiful but my stuff is growing and that’s all I care about right now.
I planted some zucchini in the middle of where the lettuce, radishes and turnips are. I figure I’ll pick all of these before they get crowded out by the zucchini. It’s part of my effort to get a lot of stuff in a small area.
Noah’s pumpkins are doing well except for two of them that broke in a recent wind storm.
Some of Mindy’s radishes are ready to pick. I hope she’s excited. And Jesse – thanks for the “don’t be sadish…have a radish” reference!
My experiment with planting some spinach in egg crates was pretty senseless. The ones planted directly in the ground are doing a little better than the crated ones so there was NO advantage planting them early in the crates.
More sun is coming tomorrow. I’ll let things grow while I pick up Katie at college.