Often, I don't think things through well enough, such as, "What will be the effect of adding 10 trailer loads of horse manure to my garden?"
Answer: rapid out of control growth.
Result: I have bitten off more than I can chew.
The onions all matured this month. It didn't matter if they were planted last fall, early or late spring, when the sweltering heat arrived, the bulbs rapidly swelled and were finished.
Many began to split from too much manure.
Moisture is lodged between the sections causing them to rot so they won't store long term.
They have been separated and spread out to dry on the front porch.
The abundance has overwhelmed me.
The dehydrator runs on the porch all day long - it smells too strong for the house. I am also caramelizing and canning as many as possible plus I want to learn how to pickle the red variety. Some will be frozen and only the perfect will be stored for wintertime. This is a bumper crop and it won't be wasted.
As soon as the onions were harvested, it was time to dig the potatoes. As luck would have it, my sons happened to be home on vacation. (Luck really had nothing to do with it. The potatoes could have grown a little longer but my guys were here so I took advantage of them.)
It is hard to say "no" to Mom when she crawls in first.
I promised them they could have all the potatoes and onions they wanted (with unlimited grilled chicken, hamburgers and pork chops. They half emptied my deep freezer).
They work for food but their wages are pricey.
The second experimental row of yellow, zucchini and spaghetti squash bloomed so their cover was removed this week. The netting was moved to a third row and more squash were planted.
Everything ripe in the garden was sent back with my guys at the end of their vacations. Since the two hoop houses that held the last of the winter greens are almost empty, more zucchini and yellow squash have been planted beneath them. I am determined to have some squash this season.
As of right now, every inch of the garden has either something growing or seeds planted. The porch is piled high with onions and the kitchen floor is covered in cucumbers, beets, potatoes and green beans. The first two tomatoes have almost turned red enough to pick, the okra is blooming, the peppers are waiting to be harvested and the purple hull peas are just beginning to turn colors. The garden is coming in!
