| What an interesting gardening year. First, I decided to plant my sweet corn 1000 ft. from the house over in a new place for garden plants. Have been putting wildlife habitat stuff over there for the deer and game birds to eat on during the winter. Well that was a bad idea! Got the bottom 1/2 of a 20 x 165 ft. plot planted and the darn turkeys went right up and down the rows and picked the corn seeds out of the ground before they germinated. Got that replanted and the second 1/2 planted 3 weeks later. All went fine until the deer ate the entire first 1/2 of corn just about when it was ready. Those deer ought to be really good tasting, sweet from the sweet corn deer, when we shoot them this Nov! The rest of my main garden, 20 x 200 ft. has been a bonanza this year. Two great cycles of beets. We love pickled beets. I never ate a beet in my life and would not even try them. I'm sure my mom kicks the top of her casket each time I eat beets! Green beans by the double sink full - each night for 3 weeks. Blanched and froze them. Zuccinni's and cucumbers (picklers and slicers) by the wheelbarrow full. Need pickels? Now the tomatoes are going wild. Been bringing in 30-40# each morning. Made two batches of salsa and canned the rest. Next to the tomatoes, the bell peppers and Anehiem peppers have really turned on. Chopping those and freezing. Have had two great messes of home made chili rellenos for lunch from the Anehiems. Still have acorn squash and Bon-bon squash to harvest. The onions and potatoes have been more than we could ask for. Been digging Yukon golds spuds since July 4th and probably 100#s more in the ground. Early Nov. we will dig the white baker spuds and that should be another 100#s of spuds. We ate spinach fresh and cooled + blanched and froze it early to no end. I replanted a fall garden and have beets, green beans and spinach in about a month. The first light frost and the beans are done. The spinach and beets take a lot of frost before the cry foul. We and both my kids families eat this garden from May 1 till the spuds are done in Feb. Our veggie chest freezer is full and will last us until next years harvest. The best part, its all organic - no sprays and crap on it. So much for the garden report for 2009 Cliff |