Hello friends!
Hope you all are enjoying this fantastic summer! It is so peaceful here in these hills, the mornings and evenings are nice and cooler than usual, perfect for catching up on garden chores that we tend to put off in the summer heat!
Hope you all are enjoying this fantastic summer! It is so peaceful here in these hills, the mornings and evenings are nice and cooler than usual, perfect for catching up on garden chores that we tend to put off in the summer heat!
We have been consistently busy with many garden projects, having two main gardens this year.
The “Kitchen Garden”, which is just a few feet from our front porch and summer kitchen, is so handy for harvesting and cooking! And the “Summer Garden” a little ways from the house and across the lazy winding dirt road. It receives more sunlight and is perfect for the sun~loving vegetables and fruits that grow there.
The “Kitchen Garden”, which is just a few feet from our front porch and summer kitchen, is so handy for harvesting and cooking! And the “Summer Garden” a little ways from the house and across the lazy winding dirt road. It receives more sunlight and is perfect for the sun~loving vegetables and fruits that grow there.
In the Summer Garden red, plump tomatoes are trickling in, they are a little late in coming, but are showing a promising bumper crop over the next couple of weeks.
There is a happy, full, turtle who manages to reach a few of the lower tomatoes, never eating just one, but taking small bites of each fruit, and leaving the rest for us. Apparently, this uninvited visiter likes to sample here and there! Yet even when sharing with the wildlife, we have plenty of tomatoes stretching ever upward on their sturdy “trellis” made from re-purposed cattle panels. We pick them soon as they're ready and enjoy eating them daily! These wonderful tomatoes are made into salsa (fresh and canned), put in salads, and enjoyed sliced up with basil pesto spread on top. We also make homemade sauce and put it over spaghetti squash! Super tasty and gluten free!
There is a happy, full, turtle who manages to reach a few of the lower tomatoes, never eating just one, but taking small bites of each fruit, and leaving the rest for us. Apparently, this uninvited visiter likes to sample here and there! Yet even when sharing with the wildlife, we have plenty of tomatoes stretching ever upward on their sturdy “trellis” made from re-purposed cattle panels. We pick them soon as they're ready and enjoy eating them daily! These wonderful tomatoes are made into salsa (fresh and canned), put in salads, and enjoyed sliced up with basil pesto spread on top. We also make homemade sauce and put it over spaghetti squash! Super tasty and gluten free!
The Summer Garden back in the late spring!
This is actually the hoop-house frame & before that it was a friends chicken coop! It has worked great for trellising tomatoes!
We did not till this area! We mulched it with thick cardboard & lots of hay! Looks like it's time to mow the pathways again!
Salsa from our Cookbook- which is back in stock!
Most mornings we make fresh V8 juice with the sun-ripened tomatoes, adding celery, red bell pepper, carrots (all organic) and a pinch of Himalayan salt, it’s unbelievably good! And of course good for you! Tomatoes are packed full of vitamin C and other wonderful vitamins. It’s like we have our own vitamin shop in our garden ~ but even better because I know what’s in it and it’s affordable! There are so many wonderful ways to enjoy tomatoes, I would really like to sun dry some…maybe one day!
The sunny Summer garden, although smaller, has been a big blessing to us and others, there is plenty to share and give! From it alone, we have harvested over 25 spaghetti squash - that was from just six plants we started as seedlings! On a produce shelf at the local store I noticed that spaghetti squash sold for a dollar and thirty nine cents a pound - making one of our larger squash worth seven dollars! Wow, grow your own and save! You can even juice these squash (we substituted a spaghetti squash for cucumber). Another nice thing about this easy growing vegetable is that it stores for months, in a cool, dry place.
After picking all the spaghetti squash, we cleaned and cleared that spot and planted organic green beans. The beans have already sprouted, and should make before frost in fifty days or so, as our garden continues to grow.
Our heirloom yellow watermelons, are sooo sweet and delicious! One of them weighed a whopping 21 pounds! The seed is being saved for next year! The melon patch is small, but has produced an amazing amount for it’s size. But we are going to plant a few more next year, because, you can never have too much watermelon, right?
The sunny Summer garden, although smaller, has been a big blessing to us and others, there is plenty to share and give! From it alone, we have harvested over 25 spaghetti squash - that was from just six plants we started as seedlings! On a produce shelf at the local store I noticed that spaghetti squash sold for a dollar and thirty nine cents a pound - making one of our larger squash worth seven dollars! Wow, grow your own and save! You can even juice these squash (we substituted a spaghetti squash for cucumber). Another nice thing about this easy growing vegetable is that it stores for months, in a cool, dry place.
After picking all the spaghetti squash, we cleaned and cleared that spot and planted organic green beans. The beans have already sprouted, and should make before frost in fifty days or so, as our garden continues to grow.
Our heirloom yellow watermelons, are sooo sweet and delicious! One of them weighed a whopping 21 pounds! The seed is being saved for next year! The melon patch is small, but has produced an amazing amount for it’s size. But we are going to plant a few more next year, because, you can never have too much watermelon, right?
To get started preparing for the upcoming fall garden, I planted some organic mixed lettuce seeds in small trays in the window. Our kitchen windows are full of trays of seedlings just waiting to be planted! After we transplant them outdoors and they receive a bit of care and gentle watering, they should be ready to eat in 30 days! An abundance of greens including kale, spinach, and mustard, will be seeded in the Kitchen garden, between the glorious zinnia blooms, and towering lamb’s quarter. Now is the time to put cabbage, broccoli, and other cool weather starts right into your prepared beds!
Fall garden starts can be a challenge here in the humid South, because of the heat and never ending barrage of bugs, but just keep your seeds watered and shaded from intense sun, and it can be done!
Check your local Feed and Seed store for fall starts, or try shopping the Farmers Market. Ask a friend or neighbor if they grew more fall garden plants than they need, and you could trade fresh eggs, home baked bread, or even some canned goods from your summers bounty for plants!
We are ever thankful for the beauty of summer, the sunlight to make things grow, the rain that refreshes (and yes, makes humidity, too!), and the bounty of the earth, given by the Creator of all things. The summer garden months at times can be a challenge, but are always a blessing!
Fall garden starts can be a challenge here in the humid South, because of the heat and never ending barrage of bugs, but just keep your seeds watered and shaded from intense sun, and it can be done!
Check your local Feed and Seed store for fall starts, or try shopping the Farmers Market. Ask a friend or neighbor if they grew more fall garden plants than they need, and you could trade fresh eggs, home baked bread, or even some canned goods from your summers bounty for plants!
We are ever thankful for the beauty of summer, the sunlight to make things grow, the rain that refreshes (and yes, makes humidity, too!), and the bounty of the earth, given by the Creator of all things. The summer garden months at times can be a challenge, but are always a blessing!
We plant lots of Zinnias in our Kitchen Garden and enjoy the many beautiful blooms and butterflies.
Hope your gardens have done well this year, but the growing season doesn't have to be over yet ~ plant some seeds today, and reap the harvest in the weeks to come!
Blessings,
The West Ladies
Blessings,
The West Ladies
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