Since at my last post, I had nothing planted, here is an updated list of what we've got growing:
- 4 Rainbow Pepper plants - New trial this summer. I should have yellow, red, orange, and green peppers all from the same plant!
- 5 Broccoli plants- 4 of the Broccoli I've used previously (and loved!) and a trial on a new type of Broccoli.
- Lettuce - Grows faster than I can pick it, will be replanting these until they won't grow anymore.
- Onions- I know absolutely nothing about them except that if you plant a rotting/sprouting onion from the fridge, it will grow. And it will continue to grow... and multiply. Annually apparently.
- String Beans - Well, actually that's a lie. I planted them. They're not growing. This calls for a do-over.
- Carrots - This is my first go at them. They're not growing either. Though I haven't really weeded the area yet because I have no idea what carrot plants look like...
- Potatoes - This is another plant that has come up from last year's batch. Last year's were delicious!
- 4 Tomato plants - Each plant is a different type: Glacier, Krim, Cherry, and Yellow Pear (blog post on tomatoes coming soon!)
I'm also a person all about To Do Lists so making a list helps me to be more productive in the little time I have in the mornings before work. Here is my current To Do List for garden work:
To Do
-WEED!
-get hoe fixed
-remove bolted lettuce
-plant new lettuce
-hill potatoes
-tea peppers and Glaciers
-dig/weed back squash garden
-till bean row
-plant more beans
-inspect carrots
-deal with volunteers
-Blog it!
I'll keep my list updated in my posts. We'll see if it gets longer before it gets shorter...
This morning brought along some productivity before the bugs and biting flies ruined that. After some serious weeding, it was time for a tea party with a few of my plants that needed a little extra help. When I say "tea" I'm not referring to any herbal drink or anything iced with a slice of lemon. I'm talking about Manure Tea. Many gardeners may be familiar with Compost Tea. This is a similar idea, but as I have much more manure than compost on my farm, manure tea it was. It's exactly as it sounds. I call it Miracle Grow without the chemicals. Manure Tea is a natural fertilizer made from manure and water. It is high in nitrogen and other nutrients that are good for plant growth. With all of the heat and lack of rain that we've had, a few of my plants need a little boost. Yesterday, while I was at work I had my younger brother dig deep into our manure pile (20 years of owning several horses piles up!) and fill half a bucket with the some of the darkest, cured manure that has been sitting for a few years. We filled the rest of the bucket with water and let it set for the day and "brew" in the 4th of July heat. This morning I went out and applied the tea to the soil around the plants that needed it (my peppers, some tiny onions, and my Glacier tomato plant). Dirty job? nah. The cured manure doesn't smell like fresher manure and the water dilutes the smell. I did some research on the tea (after the fact) and according to a couple different sources, I may have missed a step as my tea is less like a tea and more like a soup... oh well, I'm still new. We'll see if it does the trick! Here's a good step-by-step tutorial on making Manure Tea: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/make-your-own-manure-tea-in-number-steps#
Care for a cup?
Tea applied to one of my Peppers
To Do
-get hoe fixed
-remove bolted lettuce
-plant new lettuce
-hill potatoes
-dig/weed back squash garden
-till bean row
-plant more beans
-inspect carrots
-deal with volunteers
-Blog it!
-inspect carrots
-deal with volunteers
