Beans, Beans & More Beans...

We have planted A LOT of beans in the garden, but that didn't stop dad from wanting to try something in our garden that they used to do when he was a child--especially since he owns the antique tool to accomplish this task!  We decided to plant Kentucky Wonder pole beans next to the corn stalks in our first row of Honey Select sweet corn.  The idea is to plant a bean in between two stalks of corn and when it grows, it will use one of the corn stalks as the pole it climbs on.  As if this wasn't an clever enough idea, you should see the antique tool someone invented a long time ago that makes this task easier!  Here is a picture of an Antique Corn Planter...



Dad strapped on his Ace Hardware apron, poured some pole beans in the apron pocket and started working his way down the first row of corn.  The first step is to push the tip of the planter into the dirt between two stalks of corn. Then, drop a bean through the opening at the top.  The bean falls through the tube down to the bottom of the planter.  Finally, dad squeezed the handle at the top of the planter and it would make the bottom of the planter open up, allowing the bean to fall down into the dirt.  Then he would pull the planter out of the ground and lightly tap the top of the dirt to make sure the bean was covered.  Clever invention, right?  I tried planting a few beans this way and it was SO EASY! It didn't require any bending over, which made it probably the easiest thing we've planted to date.  I can't wait to see these vines climbing up the corn stalks later in the summer. The beans should be much easier to pick this way, as well!  Here's a photo of dad in action...

Harvest Time!

We have been picking our romaine lettuce and blackseeded simpson lettuce for a couple weeks now.  But, I think I waited a little too late to pick it because it was just a little bitter for my taste.  One thing I've learned for next year (if I decide to plant lettuce, that is!) is to spread my lettuce seeds out more when I am planting and don't let it get too tall before picking. 

Last Friday, I researched on the internet to see the signs of broccoli readiness for picking.  Luckily I did because it was ready to be picked!  It felt so awesome being able to go out to my garden with a sharp knife and chop off the stalks of broccoli we have been watching grow for almost 3 months!  I loved the feeling of knowing we had grown it in our own backyard and it was one less thing I would have to purchase at the store. 

If I'd had an old pioneer dress for Kately and I to wear, we would've pretended we were back in the "old days" harvesting the garden. LOL...She would have loved to dress up and pretend, but she just had to settle for posing with her best smile and a broccoli bouquet.  We harvested 6 of these and I prepared 1 batch for fresh cooking and the other 5 for freezing, which was another NEW thing I learned how to do! 



Brett has always been my picky eater...When we sat down at dinner that night, he and Kately ate all the broccoli on their plates!  This was one happy mommy!  Broccoli plants don't continue to produce more broccoli after it is harvested, so I think we will try to plant more of it soon!

More Planting...

This is the time of year when my dad has to spend most of his spare time on a tractor in the hay fields since grass or alfalfa has a specific window of time when it is best to be cut and baled.  So...his time is very limited to when he can come out and work in the garden right now.  But, somehow, he still manages to squeeze in a little time here and there. 

Sunday, May 20...
Dad saw there might be a chance for rain, so he came over really early and planted two more rows of sweet corn.  I had no idea he was even headed over to my house and he had it all planted by the time I woke up to get ready for church.  I tell you...I CANNOT keep up with him, but I sure am happy I get to do this garden project with him!  He planted approximately 50 feet of Bodacious Sweet Corn, 50 feet of Iochief Sweet Corn, 50 feet of Peaches & Cream Sweet Corn, 25 feet of Red Indian Corn & 25 feet of Yellow/Purple Indian Corn.

Monday, May 21, we planted the following...
Plants from Aunt Elaine:  Pink Girl Tomato, 2 Roma Tomatoes, Chocolate Cherry Tomato, Yellow Pear Tomato, Sweet 100 Tomato, Rutger Tomato, 2 Hillbilly Tomatoes, 7 Sweet Potatoes, 2 Green Bell Peppers, 2 Jalapenos, Chives

Plants from Garage Sale Friend, Marsha: Red Sweet Pepper, Basil Lemon, Curled Parsley, Basil Purple Ruffles, Basil Spicy Globe, Rosemary & Oregano (Here's the way I decided to plant the herbs for this year...)

Wednesday, May 23, we planted the following...
Seeds: 20 feet Dwarf Long Pod Okra, 40 feet Kentucky Wonder Bush Beans, 40 feet Top Crop Bush Beans and 20 feet Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans.

While I planted the seeds, dad started hoeing the dirt around our 1st two rows of corn. 

As with dad, my time is also limited right now with having both kids home for the summer. Plus, my lack of knowledge of knowing how to operate the tractor/tiller, etc...forces me to wait for dad's help with the big projects, but I know if I have a little extra time, I can ALWAYS use it to re-tie up my 57 ever-expanding tomato plants or hoeing between plants in each row for grass control.  Hoeing in our garden is a NEVER-ENDING job because of all the grass that grows between each plant.  The tiller and cultivator help control grass/weed growth between our rows, but the only way to control the grass between each plant is break up the dirt between each of them and throw more loose dirt on top of the grass to kill it.

Let's Grow Wild!

After all the work we've put in on planting the garden, it was a nice surprise to find out we have a few spots on our surrounding land that have wild raspberry bushes growing in the fence row.  The other night, we went out to pick the berries.  Although there weren't a ton of ripe berries, we had fun picking what we could find!  Brett didn't come back to the house with any berries in his cup because he would eat every one we would put in his cup.  Uncle John (my youngest brother) was actually able to join us in this activity, as well.  I think I see where Brett gets his ideas for posing for pictures...Do you think it runs in the family? LOL...By the way, I love the socks, John!

Might as well try something new...

I like to cook, but like many people I get stuck in a rut and fix the same things over and over.  While making my decision regarding what to plant in the garden, I purposely left out herbs because it is VERY unfamiliar territory for me.  I've never purchased fresh herbs or been around anyone who uses fresh herbs so my lack of familiarity with them led me to decide to stay far away from them this year.

Well...Last week during my garage sale, I met a nice lady named Marsha who was headed to set-up at the farmers market on the square in Ozark.  I learned she has a greenhouse and often sells at the farmers market.  I mentioned to her about my big garden and asked her how to get involved with it if our garden produces enough to sell and who I would need to contact, etc...She ended up purchasing a chair at our sale which she was going to have to pick up at a later date.  When she came back the next day, she brought me a little gift...Yep...you guessed it...6 different HERBS and one sweet red pepper plant!

I can't let a plant go to waste, so I took this as a sign that I needed to make myself try something new...I am going to jump right in and learn about how to grow them and how to cook with them.  I LOVE SURPRISES!  This surprise came the day after my Aunt Elaine stopped by and brought me 9 more tomato plants (mostly different varieties than I had already planted, too!), 7 sweet potato plants, 2 green bell pepper, 2 jalapeno plants and some forsythia starts. 

Now, I just need to determine where and how I will plant the herbs...I don't think I will plant them in my garden...I am leaning towards some sort of pots closer to my house, but we will see!

Time to Cultivate...

One of the many things I've learned through this garden process is the words cultivate, plow and till are used interchangeably but pretty much mean the same thing.  Since our first two rows of corn were finally about 6 inches tall, dad pulled out his old cultivator to help promote better growth.  The dirt was pretty packed down and, of course, very dry. Grass was also starting to grow between the rows of corn and since grass will overtake the plants very quickly, we needed to get a jump on getting the dirt broken up again and throw some more dirt up around each plant to kill the grass growing around them.  Take a look at what the row looked like before...

His cultivator just makes tilling larger areas faster and easier.  Here's what he continues to refer to as "the old Farmall"...

     This is a 1949 Farmall "C".  My grandpa Ward (dad's father) purchased this new tractor and matching cultivators in 1949, my dad's birth year, for $900.  Grandpa Ward and dad both have plowed several 10-20 acre fields of corn with it over the years.  My dad's not "that old" but it is amazing to me this family heirloom is still in working condition and still gets the job done!  Here's a view from the rear of the tractor where the cultivators can be seen better.

We purposely planted our garden rows 42" apart so we could eventually use this tractor in the garden.  The front cultivators are spaced to plow two (2) 42" spaced rows at a time.  The rear cultivators are spaced to loosen the tracks made by the tractor wheels as it moves through the rows.  Here's a few other pictures of the people who were out near the garden watching dad do this job...Obviously, Brett is in the stage where he likes to make silly faces when posing for pictures...Oh well...He was having fun!

Stake and Sucker Time!

This afternoon, dad and I staked and suckered the tomatoes.  First, dad placed metal fence posts in the ground every 8 feet.

Then we wired six 4'x16' cattle panels end to end to the metal fence posts.  Each panel had a post at each end and the middle.  After the fence was set, dad suckered the tomatoes.  What is suckering? Here's a good explanation I found from a another blog...Just look at the little tomato below. The sucker is the shoot in the elbow of the plant, where the branch and the main stalk come together. How do you sucker? You just pinch that little shoot off. That's it.  The thought behind suckering is to create a stronger plant which will hopefully yield more tomatoes.

I followed behind dad lifting up the plants with twine and tying the twine to the fence.  This will be an ongoing process as the plants get bigger.

 

Our fencing didn't quite make it to the end of the row, so we had to add 3 wooden stakes to the end for the final 3 remaining plants.  Here's what the final row looked like...

Whew...ONE MORE THING COMPLETE! (for now, that is!)

There's nothing like a good rain...

Until yesterday, the plant growth in our garden seemed very slow.  We had been trying to keep the tomatoes watered with the soaker hose, but everything else seemed to be at a stand still.  Then came the .9" of rain we received yesterday and by this evening, things almost seemed like they were in fast forward.  Here is the 1st corn sprout I could see as of this morning...

By the early evening, I could see at least 20 of these little sprouts. 

The rain and sunshine have been really good for our strawberries, as well.  Each day there are a few more ripe strawberries to pick.  The berries aren't really big this year, but they are SO tasty!  I had forgotten how sweet they are right from the vine.  Brett and Kately could have eaten a bushel of them!  Eating the berries directly from the vine tonight really brought back memories.  I remember being barefoot in the yard and running over to our little strawberry patch to see if there was a tasty treat waiting for me.  I feel so blessed to be able to share this garden experience with my children...AND...I am so happy they get to see & taste for themselves the difference between home grown vs. store bought produce.  There really is a HUGE difference in taste in my opinion.



More Updates...

On Friday, April 27, we also planted 30 feet of Straight 8 Cucumber seed, 25 feet of Black Beauty Squash and 25 feet of Summer Crookneck Squash.  Kately also planted about a 30 feet of Sugar Daddy Peas she received from her school.  Brett thought he needed to get in on the action, too!

You may recall from my first blog post, we had found an old broken turning plow point which we estimated to be 50-75 years old.  Well, the other day, dad found another piece of it...It's kind of fun putting together this puzzle...Maybe one of these days, we'll come across another piece with a brand name on it. You never know what you'll find in the dirt!

While at Nixa Hardware the other day, my kids were so excited because they got to feed the fish...Another reason I LOVE THIS STORE! Makes this momma happy to see her kids enjoying themselves while I shop...Now they want to go there all the time!  Awe...Shucks...LOL...Just another reason for me to go there more often...What a great store experience! Now, how do you suppose I could get them to hold off on feeding the fish on the days I plan to visit? :-)



It's tomato planting time!

Who doesn't love a home grown tomato? My dad and I definitely do!

Well, I guess we were a bit excited because between the 2 of us, we purchased 33 tomato plants.  Then, my awesome Aunt Elaine brought us 15 more plants this past Wednesday!  So...yes...we had A LOT of planting to do.

Friday morning, April 27, dad and I tested our soaker hoses then laid them across the top of our tomato mound.  It was extremely windy that morning, so we determined we would try to put our weed barrier down later in the day.  So later Friday afternoon, my Grandma & Grandpa George came out to help with our big tomato undertaking, as well.  Grandma stayed in the house with my kiddos and grandpa came out to the garden to help.

First, we laid our weed barrier over our mound of dirt...This was a 3-man job for sure! We were SO happy to have grandpa's help! Here's dad and grandpa as they held their pose while I quickly stopped my job and snapped a photo!  I rolled out the weed barrier, grandpa held it down with his feet and garden tools as dad followed behind throwing dirt up on the edges of the barrier to hold it down.  Grandpa looks like a skier and dad looks like a football player...Ha! Ha!

After we finished the row, we planted the tomatoes...all 48 of them!!! Take a look below...Isn't it BEAUTIFUL?!?



We planted 11 varieities of tomatoes...Red Beefsteak, German Queen, Big Boy, Better Boy, Rutger, Arkansas Traveler, Pierce's Pride, Bonnie Grape, Red Cherry, Sweet 100 & Cour Di Beu.  We plan to stake the tomatoes in the near future but are still trying to determine which option is the best, most cost effective way to do this...