Garden Update 2012

The tomatoes in the earthboxes had a harder time than usual. The 2 on the outside died & had to be replaced. The new ones are cherry tomatoes & very spindly, though they're fruiting. I've gotten a couple of hornworms but this has been the wormiest free year I've ever seen.

The garden is pretty empty w/ the onions & garlic pulled up. The beets & mustard seed have been pulled up since then too. The zucchini & sweet potatoes are running everywhere though.

Mike built a top to protect his potato tower from chickens & somehow got a volunteer tomato in there. Our outside eating area is here too but it is not often used. Have you ever tried to eat a meal outside w/ a flock of brazen free range chickens?

My tire tower for the potato-off. The chickens have eaten my tops but they're still alive. I stuck my host sweet potato in there too as I was finished growing slips.

4 Zucchini. 1 has been eaten by stinkbugs & lizards but as they're happy to stay on the first plant & leave the others alone I'm happy to leave it to them.

Sweet potatoes & beets. I had never grown beets before but the mother of a friend of my moms left us some pickled beets & they were so good we grew a square. It wasn't enough. We got one dish of salad greens but gave the rest to Annie for her anemia. We had planted late so they were all rather on the small side but the greens were good.

My little square of medicinals. Yarrow, feverfew, bergamot & bachelors button.

There is also a vine over by the compost heap growing like crazy which I believe to be pumpkin. However since it is in the compost pile it is mostly leaves rather than fruit w/ all of the nitrogen right there.