The garden is surviving but not thriving. The weather has been in the upper 90's almost every day and we have only had a little rain once. This is unusual for the month of June but would be typical weather for July and August. The soaker hoses are being used on seedlings, the rest of the garden is mulched under deep layers of grass clippings and so far, we have plenty of well water.
Everything is growing and is covered in blossoms but nothing is producing fruit. The day following a drenching rainstorm, the garden will explode with food, and canning season will begin. I feel like a racehorse straining at the starting gate. I watch the weather report and wait.
The cool weather cabbages under the tomato plants are almost all eaten. When there is an empty spot, it is immediately planted with winter squash seeds.
The lower leaves on the tomato plants have been removed to give the seedlings sunshine. Soon, the squash will overtake the whole area and spread into the yard. It will become a big mess. I know.
The strategically placed blue tubs have kept the much-used garden hose from smashing everything as I pull it from one parched area to the next.
In the first row beside the yard, the tomatoes are getting tall and the small row of green beans beside the short chicken wire fence have at least produced a couple of beans.
The next row over is lush and full of various varieties of beans. Blooms are everywhere but there is nary a bean pod to be plucked.
The two rows of Orange Icicle Tomatoes have been a disappointment. After adding saved eggshells accumulated over the long winter, plus amending the soil with everything anyone suggested, and keeping them always watered in this drought, two plants have already developed blossom end rot. They have been given more fertilizer and pampering than anyone else yet still, they failed. No one else is having this problem since I amended the soil.
They teased me with what appeared to be the first ripe tomato of the season, but alas, after patiently waiting for the perfect shade of orange, it was rotten and squished in my hand. At this point, unless they produce twice the amount anybody else does, their presence will never again grace my garden!
The rows of onion and garlic that were overrun by lettuce last month have been harvested and replanted with winter melons and sugar beets. The winter melons should store for a few months and the sugar beets will be harvested during winter.
This is what I have learned from my mistakes growing onions and garlic.
* Planting lettuce with the onions works as long as the lettuce is thinned and not allowed to overpower the onions.
* Last season I misjudged the number of onions we would eat in a year. This year twice as many were planted.
* Don't peel away the outer layers or cut off the green tops because they form a protective layer as they dry.
* My bulbs came from a local nursery and don't seem to be long-term storage onions. They were just labeled "onions." The red ones will only last a month or two. The white ones will store longer but definitely not through the winter. This harvest is too much for me to use before they go bad. I will squeeze them often and any that are a tiny bit soft will be eaten, frozen, or dehydrated.
* Last year I moved them to the basement where it was dark and cool but this year I will leave them on the hot, dry porch longer to see if that cures them better. Afterward, half will go in the basement and half in the garage to see if either place is better.
* Don't peel away the outer layers or cut off the green tops because they form a protective layer as they dry.
* My bulbs came from a local nursery and don't seem to be long-term storage onions. They were just labeled "onions." The red ones will only last a month or two. The white ones will store longer but definitely not through the winter. This harvest is too much for me to use before they go bad. I will squeeze them often and any that are a tiny bit soft will be eaten, frozen, or dehydrated.
* Last year I moved them to the basement where it was dark and cool but this year I will leave them on the hot, dry porch longer to see if that cures them better. Afterward, half will go in the basement and half in the garage to see if either place is better.
* This season I tried growing a few storage onions from seeds and was surprised by how easy it was. They weren't started very early in the year so they didn't have time to mature. I will test them to see how well they store and then buy more this fall for next year.
*Planting garlic and onions together was a mistake. The garlic was ready at least a month before the onions and began rotting in the ground. I couldn't dig the garlic without disturbing the onions so all were harvested at once. The garlic bulbs fell apart so this row in the garden will have to be used for garlic again next year. The lost pieces will begin sprouting this winter.
This row was supposed to be all okra in the center with bush beans on either side. I know I said I was determined to have a large amount of okra this year after last year's dismal harvest. However...
My poor pitiful summer squash. This pains me to say but the squash vine borers have won again. These are my defeats this month:
On a happier note, the potatoes in the back of the garden did not mind being in the shade at all and have produced as much as those in full sun. We are digging them up for meals a few at a time when the vines completely die. They are delicious.
The garden is full so I trimmed the potato vines that have spread over the path and pushed them over backward. In the empty strip that was underneath, winter carrot seeds were planted. Thinking and planning for winter is hard to do when summer is in full swing but now is the time to do it.
Not being satisfied with everything growing, I feel like we still need more food. Extra winter squash have been planted in the old compost pile and will spread down the fence. Last year the horses did not bother them.
Food prices continue to rise and I have been listening to the farmers. They are not optimistic that things are going to get better and are predicting an extremely bad year for us. I'm hearing the word "famine" being used in relation to the USA. I have never heard that before but their sober faces are causing me concern. My solution is to poke another seed in the ground.
Last Month's May Garden (2022)
*Planting garlic and onions together was a mistake. The garlic was ready at least a month before the onions and began rotting in the ground. I couldn't dig the garlic without disturbing the onions so all were harvested at once. The garlic bulbs fell apart so this row in the garden will have to be used for garlic again next year. The lost pieces will begin sprouting this winter.
All of my collard greens died from rotten stems. This problem has slowly gotten worse over the years and I was told it is caused by a boron deficiency. Borax laundry detergent was sprinkled over the whole area and the same seeds have been replanted. I tried this treatment and it seems to have worked on the broccoli.
Front Row
A bad storm picked up a metal chair, threw it across the front porch and it landed on the box of okra seedlings. All but a few were destroyed (wish it had landed on the Orange Icicle tomatoes instead). There were only enough to plant in the back row. Oh well. At least it didn't go through the glass on the front door.
Back Row
*Putting a row cover over the seedlings didn't keep the little monsters from finding a hole and getting inside.
*Repeated spraying with liquid BT didn't work since it was a year old and had lost its efficacy. I won't buy liquid anymore - too expensive for the short shelf life.
*Put up a scent trap purchased from a new company but it didn't catch anything at all. It was worthless. Added another scent bait saved from last year's batch but it was expired. Still caught nothing.
*Lost my temper and sprayed with real poison. Killed everything in the area so nothing got pollinated.
Everything died or is about to die so I planted AGAIN and have purchased new products and will try AGAIN!
