Harvest Monday 07-09-12

It was a great week in the garden. I think this has been my largest harvest ever! This with extremely dry conditions. Yesterday and today we have received a good rain and my garden looks so happy.

I didn't get pictures of everything but here are some...

The Juliet Tomatoes are happy even with the heat and dry conditions.

The Juliets above were harvested in one day.

Lots of tomatoes make my boys and their mom happy!

I was down one day and my sweet husband harvest this for me.

The heat is causing me problems with the peppers.

I can't figure out how to rotate this picture of my Louisiana Purple Beans (which I had to shell because they stayed too long on the vine) and my Florida Speckled Butter Beans.

This was my first year to grow yellow onions. I am pleased. 

They are drying in the garage and will be weighed later.

Harvest Week of 7-3-12 to 7-9-12

Okra 51.9 oz

Tomatoes 162.9 oz

Bell Peppers 17.8

Zucchini 16.2 oz

Beans 15 oz.

TOTAL 263.8 oz = 16.49 lbs

YTD Harvest 44.82 lbs

Check out what others are harvesting in their gardens at Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions.

Debbie

Harvest Monday 10/11/10 Stepping Up to the Plate

It's MONDAY and that means it is time to join Daphne and the other gardeners for Monday Harvest. Take some time to see what others are growing, planning, or creating in their gardens.

My guys are stepping up to the plate and taking care of things in my garden since I can't do it right now. Larry did a super job of harvesting the last of the okra. It was so tall that no one else could reach it!

Joshua tackled the job of clearing the okra plants (or should I say trees) from the garden. I think he enjoyed using the clippers...

and pulling the okra stalks.

He was amazed at the roots on this okra plant. I guess when it hit the harder ground at the bottom of the raised bed that it took a turn to easier territory. (Ummmm... He needs a haircut!)

Caleb continues to take care of the tomatoes. This day he picked 128 cherry tomatoes from the mystery Energizer Bunny Plant. He was eager for step 2 of harvest - EATING! (Side note: We have harvested 815 cherry tomatoes to date from this plant and it is still going strong! I think we may hit 1000!!!)

I so appreciate MY GUYS for stepping up to the plate!! They are awesome!!

We still have cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell peppers growing in the garden. We had about a week where the thermometer did not creep into the 90s but the mercury pushed back to the 90s on Thursday and has remained there. My tomatoes and peppers bounced back with the cooler temps and are still going strong. Still no rain and no rain in the forecast. Everything is so dry and there is great concern for fires across the state.

Year to date Harvest
Okra               31.9 lbs
Bell Peppers     6.27 lbs
Garlic               2.14 lbs
Onions             0.25 lbs
Cantaloupe     12.5 lbs
Squash             0.19 lbs
Cucumbers       3.25 lbs
Green Beans     0.48 lbs
Tomatoes       18.69 lbs
TOTAL          75.67 lbs

Blessings,

Debbie

Long Time No Post

I can't believe it has been over a month since my last post. I am still busy with my garden but with the start of school my days are full to overflowing.

I continue to harvest okra, bell peppers, and tomatoes from my garden. I have also harvested my first cucumbers since my last post. It is a race with the pickle worms to see who gets them first! The "Energizer Bunny" cherry tomato plant has given me 540 tomatoes to date. I have no idea if this is a normal but I am delighted with the crop from this plant. It is still loaded with green tomatoes and I expect to get many more before the weather gets too cool for tomatoes here in the South. I hope to harvest my first GOLDEN bell peppers this week. It seems like it has taken FOREVER for these plants to turn yellow. I am also getting a few green beans from my 3rd planting.

My harvest to date:
Okra         24.22 lb.
Tomatoes   16.07 lb
Bell Peppers 5.67 lb
Garlic           2.14 lb
Onion           0.25 lb
Cantaloupe  11.4  lb
Squash          0.19 lb
Cucumbers    1.64 lb
Green Beans  2.2  lb
YTD Totals   63.78 lb.

I have missed visiting everyone at Daphne's Monday Harvest. Hopefully, I will not have to miss another week with the friends I have met through a shared loved of gardening.

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 08/16/10

With school starting for us next Monday, I realize that I still have many summer projects that need my attention. This week we painted our schoolroom. All the kids helped and we felt good about our job. Now we are busy organizing for the new year. As soon as we are done, I will post a picture but here are a few pictures of the work-in-progress.

Here are a few harvest pictures from the week.

My totals for the week: (in oz)
Okra            62 oz
Tomatoes    30.25 oz
Bell Peppers 1.75 oz
Cantaloupe   67.25 oz
Weekly Total 161.25 oz = 10.08 lbs

YTD Totals: (in lbs)
Okra 8.5 lbs
Tomatoes 8.7 lbs
Bell Peppers 2.8 lbs
Cantaloupes 8.2 lbs
Garlic 2.1 lbs
Onions 0.25 lbs
Squash 0.19 lbs
Total  30.74 lbs

As of today I have harvested 200 pods of okra this year and 328 cherry tomatoes. I am totally WOWed by this number. I am so glad I decided to keep an account of my harvest this year. It has been fun to watch the numbers grow.

Now if you want to see an amazing harvest of tomatoes. Check out Daphne's kitchen counter at her HARVEST MONDAY blog. While you're there, check out all the amazing harvests across the country.

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 08-09-10 Okra and Tomatoes = GUMBO!

For a girl raised in Cajun country, okra and tomatoes in the garden means one thing . . . G U M B O !!!!! My kids have watched me save the okra harvested this year in anticipation of the BIG announcement - enough okra for gumbo!! You must realize we are a big family (7 kids) and even the adult children want to have gumbo made with mom's okra and tomatoes from the garden. (Don't worry Rachel I will send you some!) So as the okra trickles in at first, all the okra is cut and saved in the freezer. BUT today.... I cut 17 pods of okra!! We now have ENOUGH for a big pot of gumbo!

I don't have many pictures this week from my harvest. I have been busy completing this project. A friend asked me to make a t-shirt memory quilt as a graduation gift. The picture on Lauren's face makes my heart happy!

My harvest totals this week:

Okra 33.0 oz

Tomatoes 21.75 oz

Bell Peppers 9.25 oz

Squash 3.0 oz

WEEKLY TOTAL 67.00 oz

YEAR TO DATE:

Okra 74.5 oz

Tomatoes 108.5 oz

Bell Pepper 43.5 oz

Garlic 34.25 oz

Onions 4.0 oz

Cantaloupe 32 oz

Squash 3 oz

TOTAL YTD 299.75 oz (18.73 lbs)

Check out Daphne's blog to see what's happening around the world on HARVEST MONDAY!

Blessings,

Debbie

Harvest Monday 07/19/10 Ups and Downs

Each week I enjoy checking out the Monday Harvest on Daphne's blog. So hop on over and check out what others are harvesting in their garden.

This past week I drove many miles making two round trips to Nashville and one to Mobile. This week I hope to spend very little time in the car.

My harvest totals this week was 38 oz.

Okra                  7.5  oz        Count 11                    

Tomatoes       19.75 oz       Count 32 Cherry, 3 Early Girl, 5 Roma

Bell Peppers   10.75 oz       Count 3 Big Bertha, 1 Red

Blog will be short today. I need to take my new laptop to see the Geek Squad. Problems with blue screen of death and the video adapter. (sigh)

My UP... I have been watching this red pepper anticipating picking my first ever RED bell pepper.

My DOWN... when I picked it and turned it around to inspect it, I found this unpleasant surprise...

Such sadness... but I have others that are starting to turn red and, hopefully, they will be without blemish.

Blessings,

Debbie

What's Going On?

I know I am overwhelming some of you. Three posts in one day!! But there seems to be so much going on in the garden. If you have been reading my blog, you know that we received lots of rain Tuesday and Wednesday. Well as I strolled through the garden this morning, I found some amusing as well as disturbing discoveries in my garden. I am hoping that someone can help me solve a mystery or two!!

First I know we have received lots of rain especially after a long dry spell but this little guy has confused my okra with a lilly pad. (smile) He's so cute!!

Next stop, these guys grew overnight under my cantaloupe.

Found another worm today. I was really bummed. Two more tomatoes are now gone...................... (big sigh!)

Now.... What is going on with my pepper plants and this tomato plants? Yesterday these plants looked great! Today the leaves are all droopy. I know it isn't the heat because right now it is very pleasant outside. Nothing like the upper 90s we had last week. Does anyone have wisdom for me? Words of encouragement? Trying not to panic.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful Friday!

Blessings,

Debbie

Little Pleasures

I love to slow down in my garden and enjoy the little pleasures. This is some of my cantaloupe vines. It looks like they are holding hands and trying to stretch to reach out and connect hands with another!!

One of the cantaloupes growing on the trellis.

Can you imagine how long this Big Bertha bell pepper

would be if it had grown straight?

I love the okra flowers.

Here are some of the marigolds in my garden.

Debbie

This blog is linked to Fertilizer Friday/Flaunt Your Flowers hosted each Friday by Tootsie!

Refreshed

We had a good rain late yesterday and woke to a soft rain this morning. My garden looks so happy and refreshed.

Below is one bed of okra. I noticed this morning that a few of the plants have flowers and one has a tiny okra growing.

This picture has plants on the left that were planted the same time as the picture above. On the right in the back of the bed is the first okra I planted. It has been producing for about a week and a half and the pace of harvest is picking up. Soon I will harvesting okra every day. In the front of the bed is the cherry tomato plant that is definately an over achiever for which we give thanks. It was labeled as a determinate patio bush plant. WRONG!! I so wish that I had several of these plants. They taste so good and it is producing lots of tomatoes.

More pictures of my favorite tomato plant. I had to improvise with the trellis. (ha!) It wasn't supposed to get this big. I have topped out several of the vines so that it doesn't get any taller. I have rooted about 6 of the suckers I have pruned from it. But it still keeps going and going and going. Since I don't know what variety it is, I have dubbed it the Energizer Bunny!!!

This bed has bell peppers, an eggplant, ornamental peppers, and a few tomato suckers that I rooted and then transplanted.

This bed has Early Girl and Roma tomatoes. Notice Adam the Owl keeping watch over the plants. He is doing a super job of keeping the birds away. I just move him around every time I go to the garden.

Thanks for stopping by to join me on my morning walk in my garden.

Blessings,

Debbie

June 21, 2010 - Harvest Monday

I am so excited. My first post to HARVEST MONDAY!! Thanks, Daphne. I hope I am doing the link correctly.

This week I have harvested a few strawberries (they are almost gone), bush green beans, tomatoes, and the first of the okra. The strawberries and cherry tomatoes usually do not make it inside. My kids say the berries taste better straight from the garden to their mouth!! And my youngest son loves popping those little tomatoes into his mouth!!

My bell peppers continue to grow but I found this ugly spot on one of them. Is it BER?

I was excited to see small cantaloupe growing on the vines. YIPPEE!! The weather has been so hot and dry here. The high temp for today is supposed to hit 99 and the hit index should hit 105. I had to pull the remainder of my bush green beans. Bugs were eating the leaves and they were wilting from the heat. (sigh)

Enjoy the first official day of summer!!

Debbie