Mid July 2014 or Dang its hot!

As a Gentleman Farmer, I can take time with my gardening. I'm not raising crop for income, nor am I doing so to feed my family. And its a good thing too, otherwise we would all be dead. :)

Its been an interesting season so far. Three things I have to take away now that it is midsummer:

1) Everything that I saved from seed last year had no problem taking root this year
2) You don't really need to fertilize to death if you truly are rotating your crops and watering them as needed.
3) I hate to say it, but tilling actually really helped break up the clay VA soil. 

So, the take root part:  I normally buy seeds from one of two seed exchanges. One I don't really like, the other, I thought up until this point, was pretty good. None of them took root. None. I made a second planting. None of those took root. I even insanely (yesterday) did a 3rd planting. Lets see if anything happens with those. Yet, everything I planted that I saved seeds from last season took root and is growing fine. Conversely, those were seeds that I had purchased from the a fore mentioned seed exchanges. I don't get it. But you can bet your bottom dollar that the seeds I get this year will also be saved. (And Monsanto can kiss my big red hoe.)

Also, I have a good deal of volunteer tomatoes that have come up from last year, as well as some volunteer pumpkins. And I'm glad the tomatoes did too, because I would have none if they didn't. (except 2 plants that actually did come up from the second planting, a whole month after I planted them).

Fertilizer: Normally I fertilize every month when I have a crop, and it is usually my favorite sea bird guano. This year I only used it when I planted. Which completely when to waste with the stuff that did not come up. Since then, I have basically just been covering my beds with crass clippings, shredded leaves, and my homemade compost. Everything seems to be doing well, as if I didn't need it.

My goal has always been to make it so that I don't have to spend any more $$ to get a crop. I might be hitting that point.

So on to pictures:

These are potatoes taken from my big potato hills in Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch. Again these were just some reds I forgot about that I purchased from Whole Foods. Reds seem to do well in my yard. Russets make it, but they get diseased and full of worms. My first batch from the potato bags looked similar. I still have 4 more plants I have not dug up yet.

One of the potato bags in the front of the house. These are actually replants, as I took the first batch. I want to see if you can get 2 harvests from the bag if the plants are still good. Who knows, its just an experiment. I got more spuds from the front bags than from the hills in the back.

What's left of the hills in Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch. Still a few more to go. 

My group of volunteer tomatoes in the very front of the Driveway Bed. The plants on the right are cherry tomatoes, and beefsteak on the left. I left this section alone planning to plant corn there. I even covered it all up with grass to prevent weeds (which it did) but these tomatoes would not be denied.

Closeup of the cherry tomatoes. Just waitin'.

Closeup of the beefsteak. Hopefully the compost/leaf infusion will help these guys out.

Yeah, so what, more dirt. This is the 3rd spot for the purchased sunflower seeds. Let's see. To the left looks the same with all the remaining corn I had. I know its 60-100 days, but this is Virginia, and I don't expect a frost until Halloween. Even last year with the Polar Vortex it still didn't frost until then.

A lonely patch of beans. These were supposed to be with the purchased variety of sunflower that I bought, but the sunflowers didn't take. These beans (mine from 2 season ago) did. These guys are in front of the newly (again again) planted corn.

Carrots, planted in early May. They are pretty pathetic. I only have ever had success with carrots the first season. I mean they look good, but I pulled one and they are teeny.

The Main Bed looking up from the driveway. Pumpkins, then beans, then sunflowers. I didn't intend a staircase effect, but its cool now that there is one. Also my water barrels sitting on the side, that one is so heavy it pushed into the ground and tilted

My tiny Pumpkin Patch. All of these are "Daughters of Bertha" from 2 seasons ago, except the ones in the back, they were discarded pie pumpkins that regrew.

My Pride and Joy so far. The largest of 6 that I have counted, and she is only 3 weeks old. Remember I have large hands. :)

The smallest of the six that I can safely say is viable. She is only a week or so old.

My "Bean Trellis" which is just twine strung back and forth between 6 poles. I have no idea how many plants have sprouted, but there is a lot. Also, I have to admit, I have never eaten this variety before (grown from pods 3 seasons old), and this was just to fix some nitrogen. I hope they are tasty cuz I'm going to be up to my neck in them.

The sunflowers. Grown from 1 head that I saved from last season by hanging it on my back porch. This one is easily 7 foot.

The 7 footer from the front with the head just about to open. Not as big as its mother, but they keep getting bigger after they open so hopefully I will have enough.

That's it for the July update. Planting late seems to have helped the pumpkins stave off powdery mildew, and I think the cold winter beat the crap out of pests, because I have not seen any. I was having the worst aphid problem last year.