October 5, 2008

Brief Update

Today T & I tied the cucumber vines up the trellis. They weren't climbing on their own as we thought they might... so we helped them out.

We employed the Jerry Baker (Master Gardener) method and used pantyhose to tie up the vines. The nylon in the pantyhose attracts the electricity in the air and gives the vegetables an extra 'charge'! Attracting electricity to the garden helps things grow and improves nitrogen content, Baker says, which is why things sprout up after a good thunderstorm.

I continued to see more and more flowers blooming... but no cucumbers. But as we tied the vines up, lo and behold I saw the first signs of a cuke. Pretty cool, eh?

The carrot and beet tops are super strong looking and hearty. However, since it's a root vegetable there's really no way to know how they're doing. Except that there is this one lone beet bulging out of the ground, so it's likely they are doing well.

Did another thinning on the collards, which we'll eat tomorrow. Harvested twice as many green beans as last week which I'll cook tomorrow night as well. There are enough beans with which to make a main dish.

Tom grew up around gardens so he knows the thrill of working the seeds and soil then cooking what comes up. I did not grow up with a garden and I fell like a kid on Christmas morning when I harvest food from my backyard and cook it up. I've read many quotes from gardeners exclaiming the joys of growing your own food; how rewarding it is and how much better it tastes. I'm a believer. They aren't exaggerating and they aren't overselling the payback.

~Y

2 comments:

Phil Davidson said...

Nothing like fresh from the garden. I'm trying an experiment right now (just started) on vertical potatoes. Did the hanging tomatoes and still getting fruit. It's like they started growing all over again. Pretty neat. For the natural 'fruit fly' trap that you will need in the kitchen, see this link: http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/insects-pests/fruit-fly-death-trap-055578

Trust me it works - in minutes. I used a funnel shaped coffee filter, and rubber banded it around the glass. Cut a hole in the bottom of the filter - eraser size.

Anonymous said...

It's looking better and better. You should be very proud. No mention of the spinach. How's it doing?