Towering cucumbers

The cucumbers have already grown to the top of their makeshift trellis - reaching around 6 feet tall, I guess. As can be expected, the vines are really producing fruit now, too. I'm making pickles tomorrow.  :)

More harvests

This is what's being harvested from the garden every other day, and I guess we'll just have to break down and make a few pickles this year...

Two ears per stalk

Most of the corn planted in the largest raised bed has at least 2 ears per stalk - which is non-existent on the crop being grown in the self watering containers......It makes a person stop and wonder why? Hmm......

Anyway,  all I can say is that it is welcomed!

Fourth harvest of squash

Yep, this is the fourth one of this size already,  and all four have been given away to friends and family. But, this one has cucumbers included * which is a new addition. Anyway,  just wanted to let everyone know that stuff was getting harvested, and I know that Granny is salivating right now.......

*Please disregard the anatomically correct yellow squash!!!! Haha.....

Plum jelly

Most of you know that I make tons of jelly each year. Well, my preserving has officially started - with these jars of plum jelly. Even after everything I've been through, I've still got it! Yeehaw!!!!

New planter

Well, I quit my job yesterday and was kinda just sitting around waiting on potential employers to give me their best offers (me and brother can do that, Ha!), and decided to build a new planter to help pass the time away.

Three more weeks

And I'll be eating corn. Yeehaw!!!!!!!! Silks are beginning to show everywhere,  and I can't wait to have some fresh from the garden.

Jude

It's hard to get a decent picture of her, because she hardly ever sits still long enough. Just ask my brother, he can tell you......Anyway, I got her attention for a nice shot over the weekend.

Critters

Most of the garden is critter proof, but of course the 4x8 raised bed is wide open to possible damage from animals in the area. It's hardly ever a problem,  but just look at this corn plant that has been eaten......My guess is a rabbit. All I know, is that Jude better get to work,  or I'm gonna move her water and food bowls out to the center of the garden. Lol.

The 4x8 raised bed

It's used for growing watermelons each year, and as you can see in the picture - the vines are climbing the wire mesh already. I've also tucked a few corn into the same bed, and hope the inter-planting will work out okay.

A short video

 Watch "First yellow squash ready to pick" on YouTube 

Fruitset on squash

I must be pretty good at hand pollination, because there's several squash almost ready to pick now. Yum!

Plums growing too fast

Man......if it ain't one thing it's another. The plums on one of the trees have grown so fast, they are splitting wide open...... Not good at all - especially since I can't spray for the plum curculio bug now.....to do so would expose the edible part of the fruit to the agricultural pesticide I use called Imidan,  which I don't care to ingest.....Oh well, at least the other tree isn't experiencing the same problem.

Had to tie up the corn

It's reached a height of around 5 feet tall, I guess, and can easily be toppled by a strong gust of wind. So, it was tied up on Sunday afternoon before storms arrived that night. It was a good thing too, because the storms were pretty significant.

Butternut squash in May 4th

I haven't talked about these in a while, so decided to do a post on the current progress. There's 4 plants in this 4x9 raised bed - all growing toward the center, and the plan is to let all four vines grow the full length of the box. This will be a first, but I just know it'll work.....I'm hoping for at least 10 butternut squash harvested later in the season.

BTW, I wanted to point something out.....most of you know that my twin brother has a gardening blog now, but you should really check out his other one sometime. It's http://mayaruinsonly.blogspot.com  . He just started it a while back too, and I know it would interest you.

Squash flowers

An abundance of female flowers have shown up on both yellow crookneck and zucchini, but very few male - and no sign of a bee anywhere....... So, I did a little bit of hand pollinating this morning, and tomorrow will do the same. Anyway, these two were done, and I hope they turn out OK.

Megabloom

This information is really for my brother - as most other people that visit here already know that typically the first blooms to develop on a Cherokee Purple tomato plant are called megablooms, and rarely ever establish fruitset. Anyway, here's one of mine right now, just so you know what to expect.