The Productive Backyard, July to Dec., 2010

[Harriet]

The Productive Backyard

Here’s a space to discuss the chores and pleasant efforts that bring something from the land into your kitchen and home.

Vegetable garden harvests,
Egg gathering,
4-H projects,
Canning/freezing/putting up,
Orchard fruits,
Composting and
Livestock appreciation!

[Nancy]

Cherry tomatoes are nearly ready to pick here.
So we will be doing that soon.

Yesterday I got the bed in the front yard cleaned out
it sure looks better now! Yea for progress!!!

[blessedw2]

this is the first year I havent' had a vegetable garden in 30 years at least (even when living at home I had a vegetable garden) but I do have a list to get ready before winter:

scrape garage and paint
clean siding
clean fence
finish painting chairs
paint wood on back room
paint front door
paint lights
have someone put in water tiles
I have someone helping me with leaves this fall
close pool

dejunked desk pile

[Nancy]

I have weird shaped zuchinni they look more like pumpkins!
Baby yellow crook necked squash are coming right along.
It's nearly time to pick tomatoes again.

Have had deer eating fruit in the back yard again this year.
Learned of some ways to try to keep them out of the garden
from a gal that worked in a nursery.

[Lisa B.]

Does anyone use Mel's Square Foot Gardening method?

I've bought his book and find it's very interesting. I like the method and am thinking about using it in my garden. Maybe then the dogs will not dig up everything that I plant.

Also trying to think what would be the best for us to plant. Cannot do tomatoes as DH has severe gout (tomatoes are his trigger) when he eats them - so we've cut tomatoes out of his and our diets (we still have tomato sauce, but very little).

I would like to try cucumbers, but I've heard they are notoriously difficult to grow in our area due to the weather patterns. Maybe some lettuce, onions, beetroot, carrots.

I'm definitely going to grow some herbs. Basil, lavender, chamomile, parsley.

[Harriet]

Lisa, I love the method and know a lot about it, have lots of success stories, believe it is really great. But am not gardening right now. (I was pleased with a bush variety of cucumbers but don't know about your area - what is it that makes it hard to grow cukes where you are, climate or insects maybe?)

OKay is using the method right now and having success. I was so interested to hear about what she's doing with her beds. Maybe we can get her to pop in and chat about it.

Nancy, you and Emptynester have both been finding wildlife eating veggies lately. Hope the tips help you with that.

blessed, good job getting a plan for the things you want done before the seasons change. Hopefully the autumn will give you some opportunities.

[Harmony]

I need to clean out the garden and I have a serious case of donwanna. It needs to be solarized against nematodes, which means cleaning out, preparing soil, and covering with clear plastic. That cooks the little buggers I guess. I'm running out of time to get this done. One big tomato plant is still producing, also the pepper plants, so I'm wondering if I can just solarize all around those things...never tried that before. It's just so blame hot outside that I've been hybernating inside. Pondering how I get motivated to do this.

[Nancy]

I have looked at the zuchini and they look round may have been miss labeled pumpkins!

[Lynlee]

Nancy`-I'm`wondering`if`they`are`squash?...

Pulled`a`few`weeds`from`the`lawn`today.

[Nancy]

Pulled a few weeds
watered
and picked a few toms today.