Harvesting and fall cleanup

Grandma Olive was a big help today in the garden.  After we got home from having lunch at school with Kaitlyn we went out and harvested most of the herbs, the broccoli, celery, beans, and a bunch of arugula.  I didn't think the big pumpkin was ready because it doesn't look completely orange, but when we knocked on it the pumpkin definitely sounds ripe so we cut that off of the vine.  I'll have Al bring the pumpkins into the garage tonight so they don't freeze.  While harvesting the herbs I potted up 3 rosemary plants and a sage plant to keep growing inside over the winter.  We also pulled a whole bunch of weeds to clean up the planting boxes before I turn the soil over before it snows.

Lots of harvesting today

tomato harvest

cucumber blossoms

sunflower

broccoli

sage

Funny looking carrot

buttercup squash

Freezing carrots

Fall garden progress

The one sunflower that sprouted

Parsley between tomato plants

Lots of blossoms on the cucumbers

One of the new rhubarb plants

Purple petunias

A pumpkin almost ready

Labor Day

We just got back from a relaxing weekend with the family in Northern Minnesota.  Kaitlyn and I went out to the garden to check on everything and ended up harvesting our first two buttercup squash, two broccoli plants, some large banana peppers, some arugula, and a whole big bowlful of tomatoes.  One of the smaller pumpkins is almost completely orange, one of the larger pumpkins is about half orange, and the biggest pumpkin is starting to turn orange.  While we were harvesting the tomatoes Jayne came out and commented on how healthy the largest pumpkin looks.  There are more wax beans ready to harvest but I was too sore after harvesting the rest to pick them.  I'll go out after I pick Kaitlyn up from school tomorrow to pick those.

This hosta has pretty purple flowers

Kaitlyn harvested our 1st buttercup squash

Lots of ripe tomatoes

Banana peppers

This pumpkin is almost all orange

Our biggest pumpkin starting to turn orange

Rosemary

Thyme

Moving the chive plants

Kaitlyn with the chive plants

The first plants in the new raised beds

Kaitlyn helped me move some of the chive plants to the first raised bed so we can finish digging where the chive plants were.

Filling raised beds & seed report

Buttercup Squash

I dug more soil into the planting beds and cleaned up some more.  Kaitlyn is having fun collecting the rocks that I dig up. J  I finished the second bed and started on the third before I was too tired and we had to come in to eat & get ready for Girl Scouts. 

I planted cauliflower, and more habanero & jalapeno peppers, rosemary, sage and marigolds in seed trays.  I moved the seed trays with mostly herbs to the corner by the red onions to make room for the new seed tray.

Several peppers are starting to come up!

The buttercup squash and broccoli are really doing well!

Most of the tomato plants are up now & doing well!

Broccoli & Sage

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

Marigolds & Thyme are coming up

Went to water the seeds and noticed the thyme is starting to come up as well as some of the marigolds!  Went to Menards for more seed starting mix.  

Started buttercup squash (6) & more sweet marjoram (12 total).  I noticed on the seed packet for the buttercup squash that the spacing suggested is larger than what I had previously read, so I adjusted the garden map to update the spacing.  We’ll plant 5 buttercup squash plants then instead of 8.

Marigold seedlings

Thyme

Seed order

Checked on the status of our Gurney’s order.  The seeds shipped yesterday and should be delivered via UPS Ground on Wednesday (3/14).  The asparagus, rhubarb, white onions, garlic, and Sean & Melinda’s blueberries & black raspberries will be shipped when it’s time to plant them.

I finally found the celery, sweet marjoram & chamomile seeds at Home Depot! Nobody else around here seems to carry them for some reason, or at least they didn’t have them out.  Started celery (12) & sweet marjoram in tray above the entertainment center.  Ran out of seed starting mix so I’ll have to wait to plant more seeds until I get more seed starter.

Asked Melinda what herbs they’d like.  They’ll take 1 of each of the kinds I’m planting.  I’ll bring their seeds to them on Thursday & help measure their garden so we can figure out their garden plan.

Getting ready to start seedlings

I collected all of the plant signs & markers from the cabinet in the garage & washed & sorted them.  Planted some of the herb plants in seed trays – sage, thyme-6, basil, rosemary-6 & parsley-10.  

Talked to Mom & asked if they’d like any plants so I know how many seeds to plant.  They’d like 1 each of sage, thyme, basil & Roma tomato (for the topsy turvy planter).  Sean & Melinda will take 1 of the Sweet 100 tomatoes and George & Dody will take a couple.