Garden Progress

I have a lot to learn about growing food.

A friend at the Village told me about indeterminate and determinate tomato plants.  Who knew?  Certainly not me.  Now, there is a person that knows so much about growing food.  Determinate tomato plants will only have so many tomatoes, where indeterminate plants will continue growing into the fall, producing more and more tomatoes.  I like that!  So, I looked at the types I purchased, and, of the five different types of tomatoes, only one was determinate.  There should be mandatory classes in elementary, middle, and high school that teach this stuff.  It is critical for food security in the future.

The garden is in, and that took time.  The ground needed to be plowed and fences had to be put up to keep deer from trampling it and rabbits from nibbling or gorging themselves on lettuce and strawberry leaves.  Strawberry leaves?  Believe it or not, my strawberry plants had all their leaves eaten, as they sat ready to be planted.

But, I have time . . . although I want to know it all now.  Some of the gardens are thriving and others not so much.  Is it the soil?  And, how do I test it before I plant?  Do I just amend it by adding compost and peat?  Grow a cover crop this fall for winter?  I envy all the fantastic gardens I see in my area.

My tomatoes are doing well, along with my cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, garlic, onions, kohlrabi, peas, and Swiss chard.  Celery?  Can someone tell me how to grow this vegetable successfully?  My pole beans and bush beans did not come in very well.  Some critter ate all of my sunflower plants minutes after they sprouted.

Cucumber, Delicata squash, zucchini, and cantaloupe are doing okay.  Some are taking off better than others.  The watermelon?  It didn’t show up.  My friend at the Village said it is because the ground needs to be warm for it to sprout.  The pepper plants are doing better in one garden and not so good in another.  Oh, well.

My potatoes are coming up.  Although, my cat is using the area as his personal litter box.  I hope that fertilizer won’t hurt the potatoes.  The asparagus is in, and I will know in a couple of years how it is going to do in the area I planted it in.

Will I be able to feed myself with all the vegetables I have planted?  As this whole planting vegetables thing is new to me . .  . I have found . . . that while I have many plants in the ground . . . my yield has not been so good in the past.  I do have control over my soil now, which will help.  Let’s see how it plays out.  I will keep you updated, and let you know whether you should stop over and take some of the veggies off my hands!