When the Gardener's Away, the Squash Will Play...

In mid-July, we went on vacation, so I got a student we play board games with to water my garden while I was away. I had put too much time into the garden to let it completely die in the 90-100 degree weather we were having. But while we were gone, central Kentucky got lots of rain, and my garden went wild. I still haven't recovered. I have weeded some, but it's a losing battle at this point. Amid the large weeds, my spaghetti squash overgrew the nearby purple hull peas. Tendrils were twisted around pea pods and were trying to wrap around the tomato fence in the front garden, and vines were growing halfway across our driveway. And tomato plants too short to tie up were over a foot high and falling over. It was crazy.

Despite the lush growth, my harvests have been meager. My fennel bolted before the bulb was big enough to harvest. A couple of my eggplants shriveled. My zucchini and summer squash plants never made any squash, and even the plants are dead now. My cucumber plants keep making flowers, but I haven't seen any cucumbers yet.  I have gotten two "messes" of peas and will probably pick another tomorrow. I ate the entire last batch all by myself, and they were good. I only get one or two cherry tomatoes at a time, which I pop in my mouth as soon as I pick them. And they've been good. We got a few ears of corn in early July. My second planting of corn is beginning to put out ears. And the spaghetti squash plants are making nice sized squashes. I'm pretty excited about the spaghetti squash and leeks. And I've got some nice beets and carrots going. I'll try to take some pictures soon.

I need to start thinking about fall planting, but I'm already thinking about next year. I've got big plans for walled gardens and compost bins and rain barrels and companion planting and squash trellises.

What a Difference a Month Makes!

It's been a while since I last posted, and my garden has grown exponentially.

 One month ago, my corn was about a foot tall.

Now it's as tall as I am and has formed tasseled ears of corn.

A month ago

Now the green bean plants are growing like crazy, and the purple hull peas have finally sprouted. And all of my squash bowls are growing well, too. I've planted butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash; burpless and Armenian yard-long cucumbers; and pumpkins.

A month ago

Nothing but the snap peas were growing well, so I put some colorful pots of
herbs, lettuces, and tomatoes in the plot.

A month ago my fennel and eggplant were this big.

Now I've got a little eggplant growing!
And you can see the fennel in the background.

A month ago my zucchini plant looked like this.

Now it's making zucchinis!

Growing the Good Stuff

I have had two major gardening projects recently: the first, my front yard garden, and the second, my intestinal flora. The first has been immeasurably more successful.
My little garden is doing great. Things are coming up pretty well. I've got some other stuff to start, but I haven't felt energetic enough to do much.

Lettuces and spinach are sprouting.

Radishes and beets are getting big (as are the weeds behind them).

Strawberry plant is making tiny strawberries.

Cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, and basil are transplanted.

Pea plants are stretching out and climbing the fence.

I haven't felt well because of my less-than-successful gut gardening. I took two rounds of antibiotics in February and March because of sinus infections. The last round not only killed my sinus infection but all of the good bacteria in my intestines. The absence of the good stuff that aids digestion allowed bad bacteria to grow unchecked. That was a very bad thing. And it was timed very badly. I was in Florida at a conference with Matt. There are many graphic details to this story, so I won't post it online. It was bad, very bad. Many trips to the bathroom. Terrible intestinal cramps. And the solution was more antibiotics, which made me feel better in less than 24 hours. I started taking a probiotic with the antibiotic so that I can replenish the good "gut flora." Unfortunately, the bacteria I have lays spores that will hatch at a later date and start the whole thing all over again. So I have something to look forward.