Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Garden Walk

Lucky for you, I walk fast.  (in effort to blur the images of the weeds ;)  Master Gardener, I am not.  I can't rock a garden thru a hurricane like Ms. Erin!

Side Note:  I tried three times to upload this video last night.  Once directly thru Blogger to no avail.  Then I thought I'd get smart and try youtube.  Pft!  When you live in the styx apparently it takes darn near 4.5 hours during high traffic times and only 1.5 during non-peak.  Both failed.  So I actually took my laptop to my MILs and uploaded on her cable internet.  Errrrr....  She said I only want her for her speed.  :o)

Remember the pumpkin/PA Crookneck the chickens got to in the corn patch?
Found it!  I keep looking, no sign of pumpkin...getting a little too late most likely.  Lazy bees!

The sweet corn never made a full comeback. 
Very small ears too.  A little while back, I accidentally picked some of the corn I planted for drying/corn meal.  I chatted with MamaPea about this, took her advice and cooked some up regardless.  It wasn't that great.  The chickens loved it.  Then I went and picked a few more of the "real" sweet corn ears for dinner another night.  Mystery solved...duh...they cross pollinated.  So I will leave it all go to dry.  If I can keep the coons out that is. 

We also picked a bunch of beans for drying a few weeks ago. 
Not many, but there are lots more out there.  I actually enjoyed shelling these by hand.  Something about the mundane, I suppose.  The dried sweet corn on right was just a tag along.  The next jar is a "riddle me this":  do you call yours lima beans or butterbeans?  Then we have yellow-eyed which I know I will want more of next year.  And last, black beans.  I suspect I will have far more than we will eat in a year (hopefully two!).

All the bell pepper varieties are diseased and dropping leaves, but they do have peppers!  So I will take what I can get and just forget the jalapenos!
The onions all got pulled yesterday = 35 lbs.  Not nearly enough to get us thru to next year.  Many were very small.  Next year they need to go in the north part of the garden where the ground is softer.  The south end has only been worked for a second year.  Jane, here is my scientific scale method.  Start lookin'!
Lastly, you know you are "that type" when you look down after your walk and see this:
And it no longer freaks you out!  Chickens!

20 comments:

  1. That was fun! I actually took the tour twice!!! Yes, you can tell I'm "that type" because talk about the ups and downs of butter beans with roosters crowing in the background just make my day!

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  2. Your garden is huge and you keep it so well. Thanks for the tour.

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  3. Susan, I usually do the same thing! One because it's amazing to see what other blogfriend gardens look like and two because it's fun to associate a voice with the person. I think I could pick ChickenMama and Erin out blindfolded!

    Oh...butter beans - 1
    Lima beans - none

    Jody, it may be big and kinda sorta kept, but production is really down this year. :( By now I should be frazzled from canning. Shoot, I feel like I've been lounging!

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  4. Kelso!!!! What are you talking about, you have tons of tomatoes. Way more red than me. Now get to picking them before I steal them. The garden looks good, there is still lots of food in there. I think it is just later than you are used to. Now pick those tomatoes and give one to my boy Kelso.

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  5. What a fantastic garden! I loved the tour. And the rooster--what a boisterous fella. Sounds like he thinks he's "all that"!
    Wish I could get video to load up. It took over an hour for me to get a 20 second video loaded. Have I told you how bad Hughes Net SUCKS!?!?!?!

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  6. Garden looks good Di, I had to laff when I saw the chicken poop lol Ya aint a country girl les ya had chicken chit on ya bare feet. lol

    Hang in there, we have had disappointing gardens in our time too, but to plant again next year says you have hope in the future. ((((hugs)))

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  7. So glad you were able to use me for my speed today! Haven't heard that in a long time! :)

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  8. Your garden doesn't look bad to me. It may not be producing as well as in the past....but, it is producing!

    Now get out there and harvest those tomatoes and get canning girl!

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  9. Nice! Very NICE. Thanks for the tour APG. (I thought my scale was old and crappy...You wine that award...&;)

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  10. Jane, you are probably right. But you know the later timing could pose a real problem!!! Kelso and his harem get treats every day!

    Sue, all day that man just never stops! When the hens lay eggs, he changes his tune to sound like them! We had HughesNet years ago, I hear ya on that one!!

    Jan, careful now, you'll have the DEA on us!

    Stella, well it hasn't landed between my toes at least! And yes, there is always hope!

    Robin, I know, I know. It's like that kid stompin' their foot in Willy Wonka saying "But I want it NOW"

    Tami, HA! I feel honored to win the crappy scale award!

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  11. Love it! You have quite the garden gal. I am impressed. You must spend all your time putting it all up this time of year. What's your secret? common on, do tell. The music in the background really set the mood.

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  12. You have a wonderful, fantastically HUGE garden. Makes me just a wee bit homesick for Illinois soil and gardening weather! You're to be given a lot of credit for being the stubborn farmgirl you are and replanting more times than anyone should have to because of the terrible weather you had early on. But be proud of your garden (yes, even this year) because it is great and made me feel all farmish going on your tour.

    Did anyone else notice how much our Ms. APG and Erin sound alike??

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  13. Lorie, normally yes but I feel like the bad kid in class getting a 'tardy' slip. Secret? Oh that's funny! Hmmm, day in day out hag-like sun up sun down somebody put'er down or pour her a drink?

    MamaPea, funny you should mention the soil. It looks dry and hard right now, but we had heavy storm last week. Underneath, it's just right!

    What? I have a voice twin??? To me I just sound like the goofy one in my head. I hate hearing it, because it's just not what I think it is.

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  14. Loved, loved the tour of your garden and especially your sweet voice making comments on all the yummy veggies.
    The garden doesn't look that bad for all it has been through. Looks like you will be getting a lot of grapes. We laughed so hard seeing the picture of your foot with poo on your heel and nailpolish on your toes. I remember those days long ago running through the yard and having to stop and clean the poo out from between my toes. Great memories, huh??? Love ya

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  15. I just got a new Flip video camera and I was playing with it on my dogs. I was NEVER able to upload it onto google blog. I didn't want to use utube since I'm not able to pull it up at school, but may have to try that avenue!! Was frustrating!!
    Loved the tour of your garden!

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  16. ohmigosh I'm late to the party here LOL! Loved the tour, your garden is HUGE! I had to chuckle at the row of tomatoes, only because I know several people, me included, whose tomatoes look just like that, blighted with big red fruit all over, I've adopted the who cares? attitude since they were cranking out fruit til the bitter end! Chickens - hilarious! I can't get over how big that field garden is, and how do you find the time to process all that stuff, I'm amazed! And to think it seems like yesterday you were off on a work assignment and having trouble getting the planting done, then the storms and creekbed-like soil, wow! I know things aren't performing as well as you want this year, but it's been bad all over but it still looks fantastic and like you are getting plenty to keep you busy! I also had to chuckle at your voice, since it sounds so southern, almost very W.Va -VA to me :) Thanks for the tour, I love seeing other peoples' gardens like this!

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  17. Aunt Diane, now ya know I keep my toes painted cuz it looks better than dirt. I can live with out the poop squish inbetween tho! :o)

    Suzan, I always have problems with videos. Which is why I seldom do them. But this one was overdue and long, so I borrowed my MILs 'speed' to get the job done. Otherwise I would have given up. Thanks!

    Erin, you inspired me to do it! Every year it gets bigger. I think we are in a good size now tho. Although he did just tell me he wants more grapes. "The eatin' kind" he said. I hope everyone is right that it's just a late bloomer. The problem is adjusting my brain. Ya know I am thinking Fall and other things!!! Careful what you call my voice VA girl! ;)

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  18. loved the walk through the garden it really gives a sense of the sweet person you are with a tinge of accent--my husband still has his , don't ask for a pliers from him his answer "which,the wire pliers " ,never heard of a reg,old pliers called that before [ everything said with southern accent , he was raised near Bowling Green. now when I talk to you I hear your voice and if you want to think of a conversation with me just think of the movie"Fargo" "you bettscha"

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  19. Judy, my Grama always said I had more of an accent then the rest of my cousins, but I never really thought so. She also told me I could never wear red lipstick. She was right. :o)

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  20. In spite of weather and earlier problems, you're doing pretty well with your garden. Seems like a most challenging year for everyone.

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