Tomato Cages

Tomato cages are used to cage tomato plants...Getting the plant off the ground and supporting it is the purpose for these cages so that the tomato will ripen beautifully instead of rotting on the ground. Indeterminate plants grow all over the place, so this caging helps to keep them in one spot as well as produce beautiful fruit. These supportive structures sometimes need to be staked in case of high winds.

We take 4' x 6' sheets of concrete re-enforcement wire and bend it into a circle to make the cage. The cost for this cage is about $5.00 and can be used again every year.

It's Summertime

There's nothing better to cool you off in the summer time than a delicious, cold watermelon.

The first day of summer and I picked our first cucumber. It's a refreshing treat on a warm day.

For supper tonight we had cole slaw and chef salad and cauliflower with cheese sauce all compliments of our veggie garden. I hope you are enjoying the fruits of your labor. My DH said he planted the seed for the cauliflower on March 4 never realizing he'd be enjoying it on his plate the first day of summer.

                                  

Cheese Sauce for Veggies

2 T. margarine melted in pan

Stir in 2 T. flour

Whisk in a cup of milk over medium heat and let it thicken for about a minute.

Add about 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese to your taste and let it melt. Sprinkle on salt and pepper if you wish.

OR

If you want to make a cheesy dish real fast, just throw on a slice of American cheese (I usually get the slices made with 2% milk.) Place the dish in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to melt over the veggie.  Sometimes the cheese melts as soon as it is placed on the hot vegetables.

Enjoy!

Update on Noah's Garden

Noah, in white shirt, cousin Corbin, and Grandpa had a weeding party the other day weeding Noah's Garden.

 

Noah is carefully clearing Every weed from his garden. See that concentration?

This has been quite a learning experience for our almost ten year old grandson. This year he is gardening in his own garden, not Grandpa's, and he lives about thirty minutes from us. Grandpa is not there all the time, so Noah is in charge. He learned a good lesson this summer. He watered the garden and shut off the nozzle, but forgot to turn the water off at the outdoor faucet. After the hose which was filled with water baked in the hot summer sun, it exploded. I am sure he will never forget to turn that faucet off again!!

Click here to see the spring planting photos of Noah's garden.

Alert: Entry Registrations for Your County Fair are Due Now

If you or your child plans to enter veggies,flowers, or projects in the county fair, you must sign up by July 1 in Michigan. Our county fair is Aug. 7, but registration is done at least a month ahead of the actual fair. Check with your fair to see when the deadline is...Our grandson Corbin's cabbage is "ginormous", heads above ours...okay, yes the pun is intended.

See ya at the Fair!

A Grudge Against Slugs

Yeewwwwww----there is nothing more disconcerting than cleaning a beautiful head of Might Joe lettuce and discovering slugs....Slugs, imagine a snail without its shell, are a problem for us this year. These slimy creatures which could star in a B Hollywood horror movie are voracious eaters and leave a trail of slime on the plants as they eat through your garden at night.

They love moist habitat, so if overwatering or rains occur, be prepared to battle the nasty invaders.

There are many home gardeners methods of ridding the garden of slugs. The simplest is to hunt them down and squish them or take a salt shaker to the garden in the night. Shaking salt on them will cause the slug to dry out, but don't over do it since salt is deadly for growing plants.

We also have the drinkers solution to killing plants. Placing a saucer of beer near the infested area will draw the slugs for party time, but when they decide to crawl in for a sip, they will drown in the beer. Be sure the saucer is deep enough that the slimy creature can't crawl out after imbibing. Spreading coffee grounds is a much touted method of killing slugs, however, we have not used them. From research on the Internet it appears that it is more of a wive's tale that coffee grounds actually kill, but may be a deterrent. Most of the information does not give credence to the use of coffee grounds.

My DH mixed up a combination of one part ammonia to nine parts water and sprayed only in the areas where he found slugs in our lettuces. He said the varmints aren't so evident now, but it could be that the areas are drier now.

Do you have any ideas on killing these disgusting creatures? We would all be much obliged to hear your method. Thanks.

Our Vegetable Garden on Memorial Day 2010

We remember those who have died in the service of our country.

God bless their families on this day of remembrance.

Alright! It's a Garden!

Our empty plot is filling up fast and now it is a garden. At last we are getting some nice rain, warm sunshine, mild nights. Here are a few shots of the garden. This year my DH planted the rows going north and south. I really like the layout of the plan this spring.

We are cutting the lettuce for delicious fresh salads, pulling the onions too. Rhubarb is a spring treat.

Broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage plants are looking healthy.

Yes, he set out the tomato plants BEFORE Memorial Day--a risky thing to do in Michigan. If the threat of frost is in the forecast, we have 5 gallon buckets to protect these babies.

Please Note: The weather man is your friend. Gardeners should check the weather every day and be prepared to take action when needed whether it is for rain, drought, freezing temperatures, winds, etc. Make Mother Nature your partner in growing veggies.

Square Foot Gardening

I am intrigued by the idea of square foot gardening. Mel Bartholomew, the creator and author of Square Foot Gardening, questioned why gardens had to be in rows separated by pathways. The answer was to be able to reach the rows to plant seeds and veggie plants, to weed, fertilize, dress, etc. Gardens laid out in rows and paths have been the accepted method of gardening forever. But what about the folks who have limited space?

Many urban dwellers have relied on container gardening with tomatoes, peppers, etc growing in pots on their patios.Square foot gardening allows these folks the opportunity to grow compact gardens making healthy and satisfying use of their property.

Bartholomew's plan is to build a 3x3 foot or 4x4 foot square made of 2x6 lumber, essentially a raised bed.  Mark off the square into one foot sections. Fill this box with good soil mix...and you know what a champion I am of having great soil for a successful garden. Begin by planting in one square foot section one broccoli plant, or one cauliflower plant, or 16 radishes, etc. After the cool crops are harvested plant the summer crops, one tomato plant, one pepper plant, etc, per one square foot. Cucumbers, squash and other crops are grown on upright trellises or wires. This is known as vertical gardening. Fall cold crops follow as the summer crops are harvested.

Families build several 4x4 boxes for their garden in as much space as available. They may have a 4x4 area of tomatoes only or plant four tomatoes in four of the sixteen squares and other crops in the remaining. The gardener can plan and  choose whatever works for him/her.

Wouldn't it be amazing to have only one zucchini plant so that you won't have to make a midnight run to sneak the extra zucchini onto your neighbor's porches? This plan allows you to grow the amount of food your family can eat and grow only what the family likes.

Square foot gardening is compact gardening. It brings all the benefits of growing your own veggies, as well as using the land in a responsible, helpful, sustainable way of living.

For more information check out the Square Foot Gardening website.