Getting ready for Spring............from inside the house :)

It has been a very long time since I actually sat down to create a new post.  The reason for that is between all the household and kids' chores, not much time to concentrate and put a pen(er..keyboard) to my thoughts.  Also, since the frost killed my garden, there wasn't much happening on the garden front.  However, I have been reading a lot of other bloggers' and really enjoying their garden experiences.  Here in Minnesota, this year especially, we've had a lot of snow.  A couple weeks ago, the temps were in 40s and we went out and bought lumber and other stuff for creating 2 raised beds.  The very next day we had about 16 inches of snow, so all the materials are waiting patiently in the basement. 

Seeds are already available in most local stores, so I've started putting together what I have leftover from last year plus what I'd like to try out this year.  The new this year would be fairy tale eggplant, sweet 'n early hybrid and brussel sprouts.  I'm still checking out online and in stores and depending on what other veggies grow here in MN(since we have short growing season) add more to the list.  Meanwhile, enjoy these photos.

             View of the backyard.  My veggie garden is buried somewhere near those plants!

View of the frontyard and driveway.  Roads are all cleaned up.

Lumber and PVC pipes for raised bed and trellis.

Harvest Monday (or Tuesday, in my case) 9/21/10

I haven't been able to post on time lately.  So Harvest Mondays hosted by Daphne's Dandelions are increasingly turning into Harvest Tuesdays for me!  Garden this week, is just a continuation of downhill in harvests.  I did harvest all my apples, which totaled 11 for the season.  They were earlier than usual since Sweet Sixteen apples are usually ready in Oct.  Last of the eggplants were harvested.  Possibly long beans too.  Peppers continue to amaze me.  Plants are dark green and don't show any signs of Autumn yet!  There's probably only 1 more week left before the first hard frost hits.  I'm trying to harvest as much of green chillies as possible.  Earlier in the season, I was letting it mature to red, but that won't happen anymore.  I still have a few tomatoes, a few watermelons, few green bell peppers, maybe squash, beets and beans.  I won't be able to cover them all from frost, so it's a sad goodbye.  Here's the pics for the week.

Sugar Baby melon, sweet 16 apple and raspberries

Red bell pepper, okra, tomatoes, chili peppers

Swiss chard

Cucumbedrs, okar, green beans, tomatoes

Tomatoes

Eggplant, green beans, chili peppers

Sweet 16 apples

Eggplant, green chilies

Sweet banana peppers, chili, tomato, beans

 

Harvest Monday - 9/14/2010

Oops!  Technically, it's tuesday today, but I've been real busy yesterday, so better late than never.......  Garden is cooling down as is the weather.  Pepper plants are going strong with dark green leaves, but everything else is on it's way out.  I've still not ripped them out, but that is going to change soon....  Here's the pics of the harvest for the past week.  Please visit Daphne's Dandelions for other postings of harvests.

Wednesday - chili peppers, beans, long beans

Wednesday - Tomatoes, okra, raspberries, red bell peppers

Wednesday - Last of the Radish pods

Wednesday - Mint

Thursday - Swiss chard

Thursday - French Breakfast radishes

Friday - Raspberries, tomatoes, chili peppers, beans

Sunday - Tomatoes, green beans, long beans, banana peppers, chili peppers

Harvest Monday - Sept 06

The temps dipped this week, as a result, some plants are dead(cucumber), most are yellowing and curling.  So I've been going out into the garden every other day, which suits me just fine.  I've been busy with other things, but I still got decent quantity of veggies and some of them are in the fridge waiting to be used.  Please also visit Daphne's Dandelions who hosts harvest mondays each week. 

Monday - white radishes, green beans

Monday - dried cow peas, chili peppers, long beans, asparagus, okra, zucchini

Monday - tomatoes

Monday - cucumbers

Wednesday - okra, cucumber, sweet banana peppers

Wednesday - tomatoes, green beans

Wednesday - Basil

Friday - carrots, zucchini, asparagus

Friday - Long beans, green beans, okra, chili peppers, bell peppers(will turn red), eggplant

Friday - Tomatoes

Friday - Sugar Baby Watermelon - First of the season!

Friday - I had to show this!  This is the ripe juicy watermelon!

Sunday - okra, chili peppers, cucumbers, green beans and tomatoes

Harvest Monday - 8/30/2010

I had a good harvest this week as well.  Things are starting to wind down in the garden, though.  Cucumber has powdery mildew and is almost at the last stages.  Lower parts of tomato plants are brown and the top is turning yellow.  Okra has started to produce now! Beans is still going strong, although the plants don't look as green as they should.   Yard long bean plants are yellowing as well.  Just a matter of few weeks, before the garden comes to an end.  It's sad to feel the end of summer, although I will have more time for everything else.  Please visit Daphne's Dandelions to see how everyone else's garden is doing.

Monday - Green Beans

Monday - Tomatoes and green bell pepper

Monday - Chili peppers, cucumbers, okra, banana peppers

Monday - Radish pods, yellow squash

Tuesday - Tomatoes, chili peppers, okra

Tuesday - More Radish pods, okra, chili peppers, toamtoes, eggplants

Thursday - Yard long beans, green beans, okra

Saturday - green beans, yard long beans, tomatoes, chili peppers

Sunday - cucumbers, chili peppers

Sunday - tomatoes

Harvest Monday - 8/23/2010

Our garden is doing great!  August is usually a great time of the year for harvest, here in Minnesota.  Almost everything that was planted should be producing now, if they produce at all.  Here's my harvest for the entire week.  Please check out Daphne's Dandelions for other great harvests around the world.

Monday - Tomatoes

Monday - cucumber, okra, beans, yellow squash, chillies

Tuesday - tomatoes

Tuesday - cucumber, red bell peppers, chillies

Tuesday - Yard long beans, okra, green beans

Wednesday - tomatoes

Wednesday - White radishes

Wednesday - Carrots

Wednesday - Lonely beet

Wednesday - First Eggplant, yard long beans, dried cow peas, red bell pepper, cucumber, chillies.

Wednesday- More green beans!

Thursday - Tomatoes, yellow squash, cucumber, okra, chillies, lone yard long bean

Friday - Green beans

Friday - Tomatoes

Friday - Red bell pepper, yellow squash, okra, cowpeas(dried), chillies

Saturday - yard long beans, green bell pepper,chillies,cucumbers, okra

Saturday - zucchini, green chillies

Saturday - tomatoes

Sunday - Sweet banana peppers, red bell pepper, okra

Sunday - Yellow squash, zucchini, chillies, yard long beans

Sunday - Tomatoes, cucumber