Summer Squash

Squash comes in a summer and winter variety.  Since we are focusing more on the summer plants  I am going to blog on the summer variety. Summer squash grows in a bush like plant. These plants like full sun, fertile soil, and sufficient moisture. This plant needs compost to thrive. They can grow quickly especially in hot weather. So squash needs to be checked everyday; picking these veggies encourage more growth. The summer variety should be picked before they have fully ripened.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers are another favorite of mine. Growing all of these different vegetables will be a lot of work, but worth it in the end. Not only will the food taste better, but it will help w the monthly grocery bill. So back to growing cucumbers. This is another summer plant. We have chosen to use the cucumber vine instead of the bush.We will harvest cucumbers while they are slightly immature. Remember to cut the plant from the vine. Do not pull the plant off. Plant seeds after last frost; allowing soil to become warm and to dry out.  Hints: Cucumbers like full sun. When watering the plant do not let them sit in water; cucumbers like well drained soil.  Remember Vine crops are heavy feeders so these will need fertilizer. PH level 5.5 7.0.

Watermelons

Kelly and I want to use raised beds for most of our plants. We hope this will make maintenance a lot easier. This going to sound a little ridiculous, but I want to try and grow watermelons.  This plant is a heat lover, and does not need a lot of attention. Watermelons produce large spreading vines so allow space for this. 6 ft between rows. Build soil up so the soil stays loose for the roots to grow. Planting: Make holes 1 in deep. Place one to four seeds in each hole. Apply mulch or compost.

Peanuts.

Peanuts will be a treat. This is going to be more of a touch and go plant so I am going to plant these in containers.. These plants require full sun, frequent watering, and sandy well drained soil.. We will need a fairly wide container to grow the peanuts.. Since we are using containers we will use the Peanut Bush instead of the runners.. One plant per container. We will need to buy the proper seed from a gardening center. Shell the seed right before planting or they will dry out and not germinate. Plant 2 to 3 weeks after last frost. Add extra lime to soil to balance ph. If all turns out we should yield 30 to 50 peanuts per plant.. Do not eat if the peanuts become moldy..

Future Garden

Most of my upcoming blogs will be related to our future garden. Not much to these posts just segments for us to refer back to when we go to implement our plans.. These blogs are also a good way for Kelly to keep track of the different fruits and veggies I have in my mind when he draws the plans for our garden.. So we can be on the same page when the time comes..

Snap Beans

Ok just brainstorming. Summer Gardening. First  I think I will start w some of the easier plants to grow; snap beans for starters. TThey like full sun,  however in researching these veggies I want to go w a pole bean instead of a Bush. Snap beans can be directly seeded into the garden,  however the soil.needs to be warm.. So they need to be planted after the LAST frost.  The soil also  needs to be moist and loose. Keep the plants mulched and well watered, and about half way through the growing season, the beans will need compost.  If I decide to test ph levels these plants like their soil to be slightly acidic at 6.0 to 6.2

Simplify

Sustainable Gardening.  I have such big plans which include gardening, enjoying the  outdoors, and getting back to the basics. This life style is so appealing to me. I want our whole yard to be edible; from the bottom to the top. I have been surfing the Internet researching what I want to grow.. Not only do I want to grow veggies; fruits and berries sound tasty too. Different items can be grown during various seasons, of course I will freeze the surplus in order to eat good during the winter months. This is my dream. To simplify.

I will blog more on this as I explore more on the subject. Stay tuned.