100 Mile Monday

Doesn't get closer to home than the backyard.....

I spent about 200 bucks on a garden this year, this included cement blocks to mark out our territory, dirt, peat moss, steel rods for stakes and plants. We pulled the weeds that were choking the yard pulled up the existing brick walkway, laid down trash bags to keep weeds to a minimum then filled the whole thing with soil. I bought a mix of plants that would grow easily as well as store for the winter. The picture is the view of the garden from Joe's room.

What has survived and thrived are:

2 pickling cucumber plants; they are just starting to throw out little cukes and I am trying to figure out how to keep the birds and squirrels away. Those are in the back corners of the garden snaking their way up some re-bar.

2 butternut squash hills; probably 4 plants in total are thriving, one of which wasn't even planted it was just tossed into the unprepared dirt around the garden area. See that thing creeping over the wall in the back next to the bucket? That's the one just thrown in the dirt, you can't really see the invasion of the squash that is planted here.

3 green bean plants; I don't care for them so far, I think I am picking them too late as they are very tough and hairy. Those are in the front in a bucket blocked out by the tree leaves.

a bucket of carrots and onions; I'm not sure when I am supposed to harvest them but they are easy and I think next year I'll grow them again but mark down when they are started to have a better idea for harvest

7 or so tomato plants of different varieties; so far the 4th of July variety (makes it sound like it gives off red, white and blue tomatoes huh? but no it is just supposed to bear fruit by then) has given us two little tomatoes and has quite a few more ripening. See all the other greenery in the garden? yeah thats all tomato plants

I also planted some basil to keep away mosquitoes (it kind of works!) and some petunias to keep some other kind of pest away, and some dill to draw the aphids away from the tomatoes.

The amazing thing is that a few days ago there was no fruit on the plants, and now there all sorts of little sprouts reaching up to the sun. The cukes and squash are most amazing to me as they are spreading like crazy and threatening to overtake everything else! I am really looking forward to the abundance.