Back to Eden Gardening and Hugelkulture and other non-conventional garden methods

[lazy gardener]

Yes we are a great team. Our personalities and interests are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Perhaps that's what keeps life from getting boring. It takes a lot of commitment. I think our society is mixed up, and doesn't realize that love is a verb, and not an emotion.

My zucchini blossoms are swelling. I planted a bush butternut this season. I'm not fond of butternut, so trialing it to see if I truly don't like it, or if home grown is tastier than the bland stuff from the store. If I decide I don't like it, I'm sure the chickens will enjoy it. Last fall, I bought a huge assortment of squash for 99 cents each. One was a giant blue hubbard that must have weighed 25#. I saved the seed from all those varieties, and will plant a few each year to see what I get! My pole beans are loaded with blossoms. Potatoes are blooming. Need to get them mulched again. Corn is up to my mid thigh, and the stalks are huge. Carrot tops are growing very well now. I love how they sit without putting on any size for the longest time, then those plants just explode into growth! Need to work on getting the beets thinned and weeded.

So far, I'm impressed with BTE.

 

[Greenthumb83]

"love is a verb, and not an emotion"

That is one of the best statements I've ever heard. I'd like to think that all people at least mature into knowing this, but it isn't so. People get more self-centered as time goes on. The theme now is all about feelings and looking out for #1. So what if that means you give up on family, marriage, parenting, or any other commitment. As long as you are doing what "feels right you YOU" and you're "finding yourself". Bah, I shouldn't get started on that. It's sad to say the least.

Those squash you got sound like monsters! I have no idea what the name of my zucchini are but they are so big I am having to prop them with bricks. They outgrew their hill weeks ago. I went ahead and made a new hill because we are still eating them too fast though lol. I started my butternut a littler early. It's a new one for me too. They seem to be doing well. I am looking forward to them turning color. They sure stay green for a while.


I have been snagging a few carrots here and there. They are about ready to come up and I need to get a second crop in. Need to work on my potatoes today also. I'm hoping it will dry out a little today. It has been so wet here! It's about to heat up again though.

 

[lazy gardener]

My BTE garden is looking good. Garlic scapes all set. As the tops die back, I'll harvest the clumps that are in the way of the current row/bed arrangement, and leave the rest to be a perennial crop. The bulbils that were scattered in orchard last fall and again this spring are making good growth, in spite of sub optimal soil/moisture. Pole beans are loaded with buds, no bloom yet. One hill of zucchini is incredible in size and color. Need to pick sugar snaps, thin carrots and beets, finish weeding beets, tie up tomatoes, fertilize corn and potatoes. The corn is looking awesome. Huge fat stalks, to my upper thigh. Raspberries setting fruit like crazy. One of the HK squash bloomed yesterday. Unfortunately female w/o any male blossoms to take care of pollination. In the orchard, the dent corn and the sorghum that I planted a few weeks ago are growing nicely, but leaning away from the tree line: indicating there's not enough light. Not a good omen for the trees planted there. Ground hog moved into a slash pile. Not having any luck with target practice. Only a matter of time before he breeches the CP and deer netting garden fence.

 

[Greenthumb83]

Sounds like you will be harvesting some things very soon! I'm having the same problem with my pumpkins, but with male flowers. I have 20+ males and no females. I did see one, but it didn't get pollinated and too late for me to do it. Hopefully they bloom soon. I wish I had watched my butternut more and hand pollinated some.

I am picking pole beans, but not enough to can yet. Zucchini still everywhere. I have been freezing that and sneaking it into every dinner lol. Not much to report beyond that. I'm anxious for the tomatoes to ripen! Cucumbers got planted way late, so it will be a good while before I can do pickles also. We adopted 7 hens this weekend and I've been busy with them, so I'm playing catch-up with my weeding. I may let them in the garden with me tomorrow to help with that.

 

[Jntnrmn]

I accidentally came across this thread, still not sure how it happened but am glad I did...
I have one acorn squash plant. We did not plant it. I bought one acorn squash to try last winter and threw the scraps in compost pile. Now it is the largest most producing plant in my entire garden. My question is they look ready so I picked some but when I cut them open they are fairly solid inside. There isn't any of that mushy stuff with loose seeds like found in most squash. Does this mean it's too soon to pick them?

 

[Greenthumb83]

Hey there neighbor! Was them stem brown or still green? When they are done, the stem will dry up.

 

[Greenthumb83]

Several years ago, our pumpkins on the porch got stinky, so we just rolled them into the ditch. The next year we had a little pumpkin patch in the ditch down stream...

We picked them and carved them lol.

 

[Jntnrmn]

...

Hey there neighbor! Was them stem brown or still green? When they are done, the stem will dry up.
[/quote
Hi @Greenthumb83
Thanks for replying...the stem is green...can I still cook it?

 

[Jntnrmn]

Several years ago, our pumpkins on the porch got stinky, so we just rolled them into the ditch. The next year we had a little pumpkin patch in the ditch down stream... We picked them and carved them lol.

That's funny! We have been shocked watching this acorn squash grow. It's HUGE! We had no idea what it was. We just kept working around it and waited IMPATIENTLY for it to show evidence of what it was. The mister is greatly disappointed, he was hoping for something he was willing to eat

 

[Greenthumb83]

Lol! May not be his favorite this year, but it shows how valuable that lovely compost is. More chickens=more compost...