Here Come the Veg!

[Aggie]

I dug up the (soon to be) potato patch last night. I think I've got four or five potato variety...  blues, yellows, reds, some 'Miss Blush' which are mottled yellow and red, and some white potatoes in the ground already (plus some reds, they are already up).  All are supermarket potatoes.  I'm going to pick out any obvious bindweed roots, but will mostly just mulch the heck out of the patch to control it.  Taters like being up to their ears in straw anyways, and it should keep most of the bindweed knocked down.  In any case, I'll start pulling potatoes by mid-summer.

I'm planning to take the same approach with the squash...  posthole/hill to prepare a small area, and mulch to control weeds. Alternatively, I was given some corn seeds and will likely try planting some Three Sisters hills this year.

[Opsa]

You must have a goodly portion of land to farm there. I don't have enough room for corn, but I do like the Three Sisters method.

[Aggie]

I've got 0.14 acre, which is surprisingly a lot of space if you have to hand-dig it for bindweed.  I don't properly have room for corn either, and wasn't planning to plant it except that I was given a pack of seeds.  If nothing else, it'll make good poles for the scarlet runners. I'm going to let the squash run rampant across the lawn to save watering and mowing during our scorchingly hot summers (the shade of the squash leaves should slow growth and conserve moisture). Don't tell my landlord.

[Roland Deschain]

*tells landlord* I'm sure your landlord won't mind once you give him some squash.

[Aggie]

Just pulled a rather large radish (China Rose) out of one of the early beds. They get larger, but it looks like I won't need to buy daikon for the rest of the summer, since the second crop of big radishes is already sprouted. The turnips and beets are still babies, but looking close to edible size (if I had more in this sowing, I'd likely start eating them.

The greens crops are starting to bolt and/or get too big and bitter, but I'll be sowing more of those.  I've finally thinned enough to let the lettuces get some light.

[Opsa]

I've had beets the size of a small fist all ready.

Some of my lettuce is starting to rise. Yesterday I cut down a few of them and salvaged a bunch of leaves for salad.

I have flowers on my three volunteer tomatoes.

My cabbages have big leaves, but I don't know when I'm supposed to eat them. I've never had any luck with them before.

I pulled a big wheelbarrow full of weeds this morning. Everything's growing like crazy after the rains we've had.

[Aggie]

Yes, here too.  Weeds are starting to flower, so I need to get out there and do some clearing ASAP before things go to seed.

I bought a small Japanese sickle for $2 at _{THE BEST DOLLAR STORE EVER} which should help reduce repetitive strain injuries from pulling out the blessed things. Most will come back eventually, but it'll knock them down for the moment.  I am going to start mulching with wet lawn clippings to smother weeds today, too.

[Opsa]

Sometimes that's all you can do.

My beds are so packed that it is difficult to remove some of them with roots intact without uprooting things I'd rather keep. The sweet autumn clematis weaves it roots around the rugosa roses' roots and always breaks when I pull at it. But I just keep pulling at it so the tops will not strangle and smother the roses.

[Roland Deschain]

Mmmm, radishes.

I planted a small patch of broccoli last week. It's a red variety (can't find the packet of seeds for the real name atm), and hasn't sprouted seedlings yet, but it should do in the next week or so. I look forward to harvesting this some time in the next couple or three months. Mmmm, broccoli.

[Roland Deschain]

Double post, etc...

I've noticed that many of the broccoli seeds have germinated, and I must have in the region of 30+ seedlings coming up. When they're large enough, they will be thinned out. Happy days.

It is called "Red Arrow", which will overwinter, and is apparently a cut and come again variety.

[Opsa]

Cool! Let us know how they do.

[Aggie]

Why did no one tell me....  that fresh garden turnips were this juicy and delicious!

Wow... ate the first one of the year, and it were spectacular. Probably better raw than cooked, but good either way. 

[Opsa]

Yeay!!!

Shhh! Don't tell everyone! They'll all want some. I know I do!

[Roland Deschain]

/whisper Aggie I demand to be sent your whole turnip crop by way of tribute. I've always dreamed of owning a turnip of my very own.

The broccoli are now coming up to around 1-2cm tall. They need to be 10cm tall before they're thinned out, but they're getting there. If only the weather stays like today and yesterday have been, it won't take long.

[Opsa]

Sodoff, Balderick!

(Loved that show.)

We have little bably tomatoes. (Actually, I meant to type "baby" there, but I think I'll leave it. I like to think of them just hanging there babbling to themselves.)