From the outside looking in, the vegetable garden looks like it is coming along nicely. The Sunflowers look awesome and the Marigolds underneath and bushing out nicely.
But don't be deceived. Come inside.
This is the Carrot Patch....can you even see a carrot top in there?
The Celery - oy! The poor, poor Celery. What the heck is wrong with the one on the right? They need blanched with milk cartons...but I don't usually buy milk, or juice, in a cardboard carton so this task has been put off, unintentionally.
And yes, the ground looks painfully dry. Hard to imagine with the record rain fall's we've had.
Oh the cabbage. Farewell Sauerkraut. Farewell Coleslaw....at least if I cannot combat what is tearing you to shreds. How embarrassing! And yes, I see all the weeds too ;)
And this hot mess is a patch of my Cucumbers. Can I get a double 'Oy'!
I planted seeds in mass, expecting that if they all germinated, I could just pull some. Well, I never got a chance to pull some before they turned into this nice, hot mess. So I was in there the other night trying to tame them, move some towards the fence they were supposed to climb up [rather than my bush beans] and just in general get some order!
So, is this embarrassing or what! The weeds are uncontrollable at this point! The bugs are out of control. But, it is always a learning process. I am already making plans for next year's garden. Things I am keeping in mind are to inter-plant more herbs in with the veggies to help combat some of the bugs. We 'd liked to also do raised beds and then, this way, we can fill the walkways with wood chips or something of the sort. This should also help cut back on the amount of weeding we have to do. And, the babe will be older this time next year, which may help with the demands on my time ;) He can play around in the yard next to me while I weed versus now, where he demands a tad more of my attention.
How about you? How is your garden looking? Has anyone tried Diatomecous Earth for help with the bugs?
Here are just some gardens I am currently envious of! Check them out!
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13 comments:
Ugh, my garden is due for a day long weeding session but I've somehow managed to put it off for another 2 days...this won't end well.
You carrot patch is looking far better than mine though, and I'm envious of your sunflowers (we never got ours planted this year). I had broccoli and cabbage coming along nicely but the pests have just discovered them so I'll bet they'll look like yours soon. We don't use diatomecous earth because we have young kids and pets and I've heard that it can really do damage to the lungs if accidentally inhaled. Any idea if this is true?
Due to problems similar to yours, I started a very small raised bed this year. I was able to put a weed barrier down under it and that sure has taken care of the weeds. If this one ends up ok, I'll go bigger next year. Was surprised at how dry your ground looks after all of your rain.
Hang in there! July is always an awful month in gardening- nothing but heat and bugs. I usually just start thinking about my winter garden and it calms my nerves!
I couldn't imagine anything harder than gardening in the heat of the summer with an infant to take care of, on top of the horses and everything else you have going! I think you're doing a great job!
Thanks for dropping by.I love experimenting with new gardening ideas.Pop raises a few things for the household, and we buy some things from the Amish,since they are all around us, and they know how to raise a garden,but I usually dabble with a lot of different kind of vegetables in my flower beds and around the edges of anything that has a speck of unoccupied soil.My beds get out of control quite often.All this rain we are having just helps it grow faster.
At some point I just give up on the weeds . . . I think I'm at that point already! We learn by trial and error. This winter I am definitely going to be reading some gardening books.
I have no garden - so you beat me.
I can never keep up with the weeds. Its just a fact of gardening especially if you do it organically.
Hello. This is my first visit to your blog and I am excited to look around so more.
You asked about DE. We've used it a few times here for slugs. I have no fondness for it. Each time it gets wet, it needs to be re-applied, so that nixes its use around the plants. If slugs are what you are trying to control, I've had success with coffee grounds this year.
As nikki said too, you'll need to be careful with the DE around you, children, and pets. It can cause problems in the airways if inhaled.
When you get your raised beds in, you'll really like them. I expanded mine this spring, and I'm finding that the new section takes in water differently than the 2 yr old section. I've got soaker hoses going out on a Y (one for the old and one for the new sections) and it's so very odd that the water seems to run over the top of the soil in the new section and in the old section it soaks in like it's supposed to. Hopefully next year they will be more uniform.
The weeding is a never ending battle...I can't imagine doing it with a newborn too!! Just do what you can and enjoy it.
I really do love your sunflowers with the marigolds underneath...great combo...I'll have to try that next year!
I, too, will say that raised beds are fantastic! However, I do have a question...Do you use any type of mulch? I started using straw as a mulch this year and it has saved most of my ground level veggies! And it's super cheap! It helps hold in the moisture and deters some of the weeds (especially if you lay it down thick). I put down a thin layer when putting seeds in, then, when everything starts to get tall, thicken up the layer a bit. Just a thought! Good luck!!! And keep your head up...whoever said growing your own food was easy was a liar ;-)
Bee Girl - Nope, we didn't use any kind of mulch, but we want to next time around. I suggested the straw and hubby suggested the newspaper method so we are defintely going to try it out!
It is indeed a learning process! We never blanch our celery - it just means that the stalk is green and it tastes more like celery (which may turn some people off if they don't like celery).
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