Here's the weekly harvest report:
42 Potatoes
8 Onions
2 Bowls of Lavender Buds
Lettuce and Sugar Snap Peas for a Medium Sized Salad
My lettuce is beginning to bolt, so I fear that the heat has been too much for it. I'm considering replanting in my harvested squares, but I'm not sure if it will pay off with 100 degree days becoming more of a norm.
I'm still waiting for the tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and blackeye peas to take off. The cantelope is growing well and the corn also looks good...just beginning to send up tassels.
In other homesteading news, the girls and I used the lavender buds to make sleepytime pillows and two wool felt dolls. It was fun to do together and the girls now have some lavender scented sleep buddies!
We also made mozzarella cheese together! It was so fun and super easy. Check out Mother Earth News for directions. I think we'll be making more cheese in the future.
What did you harvest this week?
5 comments:
WOW your garden sounds HUGE if you had that much to harvest. How soon did you start to plant everything?
I've only harvested lettuce and plums this week. What happens to lettuce when it begins to bolt? I'm nervous mine will begin bolting, I just don't know how to recognize it...
I actually plan to double my veggie garden size next year...I've got three square foot gardens and a large traditional row garden. I've also mixed in veggies and herbs in my flower gardens to maximize harvests and make use of the good soil we've built up.
My first plantings were 2 weeks before the last frost...a gamble, but it paid off. We didn't get another hard frost. But, I continually plant more. For instance, we've harvested all but a few potato plants so I'm planning to replant the area with summer squash and okra which LOVE the heat.
You'll know it when your lettuce bolts...it suddenly grows very tall and sends up flower buds. This is also called "going to seed" I think. It's still okay to eat, but it is really bitter.
From what I've read (and experience seems to validate it) lettuce bolting is more an issue of number of day light hours than temperature. You will have poorer germination as the days get hot, but succession planting (I plant every 2or 3 weeks), shade cloth, and selecting warm season varieties for summer should allow you to have salad year round.
Good luck, and do replant.
P.S. You may want to start some inside where it is cooler and transplant it. Also look for shady spots during the summer, and don't expect it to last too long. Plant smaller quantities more often in the summer since the days are so long.
I'm impressed by your harvests! I'm off to Mother Earth News to see about some homemade cheese myself now =)
Your garden is so much farther along then mine! I love the wool felt dolls idea. Would love to see a picture it you have one.
Post a Comment