Hello, Hello! How does your garden grow?
For me, this year ... it grows ... well, it grows weeds! And not just a few rouge ones. We're talking ... the entire garden has been taken over and you don't even know what I have planted! Seriously, it's so bad that a guest thought the weeds were my vegtable plants! Of course, a weed is only a plant that is in a location you don't desire. I mean, even the weeds do have beautiful green color, and many will put out a pretty flower! Heck, those button weeds (the ones the guest thought were garden produce) did provide quite the shade canopy for my onions! My mother tells me that my great grandfather would allow some weeds to grow to extend the early crops with shade... so.. see, I'm just following a true family tradition. Ha ha ha!
For the past few years I have let my garden get the best of me. It's hard to admit, but it's true. I have somehow let my beautiful garden space turn into a ugly eye sore! 3 years ago I had thought I was doing this WONDERFUL thing of composting the horse manure onto my garden area over the winter. Come spring, it looked wonderful! The dirt was so black and rich, amazing stuff I tell ya! So I tilled that beautiful manure into the garden and planted my seeds with hopes of an even better garden that I had received in the years past. And then, come summer it was so over taken by brome grass that I couldn't keep up with the weeds and gave up! You see, as the horse ate his grass, the seeds didn't all digest, and in the beautiful compost was a HUGE amount of seeds! I harvested what I could, and mowed it all off. Ha ha, I kid you not! I just got fed up and ran that riding mower all over the entire patch! I figured that I could do better next year!
Well, the next year came ... I had that feeling of spring planting happiness, and started yet another wonderful garden. I did well, limiting myself to just a few different items, and spread things out so that I could easily get in there and use the cultivator and other hand tools to help me combat the inevitable weed problem. I knew there would be a weed problem, so I went back to mulching. I'd read somewhere or heard someone talk about using straw as a great mulch. Oh...ok, I'll try that! Well guess what.... the straw I had still had some seeds in it! Yup, you can imagine what happened next! I had a most beautiful brome and wheat field in my garden! Uhhh... so, um... not doing that again!
3rd year rolls around and all was going fairly well until my health decided to decline. I again, had to let my garden succumb to the weeds and hope for a better year in the future.
Sadly, I must say that this story is repeating itself again this year! My health all but returned, and in excitement of that, I may have over committed myself to projects and other activities! Sadly, the garden became the item at the bottom of the list, and I am again ready to get out that mower and call my garden done.
HOWEVER! All is NOT lost! I remember back a few years when I tried planting zucchini squash for the first time. It was in the early spring. My plants were doing ok, until the bugs hit! I planted, and re-planted all spring long. I sprayed oils, and sprinkled powders. I tried all the tricks the old farmers shared with me, but nothing. And I DO mean NOTHING would keep those EVIL squash bugs away! I gave in and pulled out all of my zucchini and yellow squash plants, trying to deter those evil monsters from moving on to other plants in my garden.
Then, a few months later, when I had some room in my garden, I chose to try planting them in late summer, for a fall garden. It worked! Yes, it really truly did! The bugs had moved on, the weather had cooled off, and I had the biggest crop of zucchini and yellow squash in my gardening history!
So, if you've had troubles with squash bugs, don't give up! Try planting a fall garden! You can start seeds in the house, or just direct sew them into the ground! It's a tough time of year with many of us dealing with drought and weed issues. It's ok... don't feel discouraged, and don't give up! I'm thinking that if I go out to my garden today, lay down a tarp, and save myself a space, I can still give this years garden a chance to thrive, and have some wonderful produce this year!
A fall garden is a great time to plant some of those cool crops like lettuce, radishes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and the list goes on! Go make yourself a list of your favorite garden veggies, you'd be surprised just how many you will be able to plant and still get a lovely harvest!
Lucky for you, I'm participating in a group giveaway! And YOU could win some really great seeds from Baker Creek to plant in YOUR fall garden! They're a really great company with a large variety of seeds to choose from! Please take a minute to enter! And most of all, go out and enjoy nature! Dig in that dirt, embrace the weeds, and enjoy the sunshine!
Go Check out Baker Creek at https://www.reareseeds.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/rareseeds/
And here are the other participants! Take a moment to go see what each of these lovely ladies is all about, and what wonderful Fall gardening tips, stories, and ideas they have!
Danielle @ Spring Lake Homestead
http://springlakehomestead.com/fall-garden-kids/
Clarissa @ Clarissa R. West
https://www.clarissarwest.com/garden-basics-for-homemakers
Terri @ Our Good Life
https://www.terristeffes.com/2018/07/bouquets-from-my-cutting-garden-2018.html
Amber @ The Farmer's Lamp
https://thefarmerslamp.com/7-tips-for-preparing-the-fall-garden/
Michelle @ Souly Rested
https://soulyrested.com/2018/07/23/what-every-gardener-needs-to-know-about-egg-shells/
Kathi @ Oak Hill Homestead
https://www.oakhillhomestead.com/2018/07/plant-a-fall-garden.html
Janelle @ Homestead in the Holler
http://www.homesteadintheholler.com/blog/fall-garden-tips/
Michelle @ Mid-Life Blogger
http://midlifeblogger.com/d-is-for-discouraging/
Jennifer @ Faithful Homestead
http://faithfulhomestead.com/fall-gardening-in-a-drought/
And of course ....
Angela (me) @ The Inquisitive Farmwife
Come Join me on Social Media:
Then, a few months later, when I had some room in my garden, I chose to try planting them in late summer, for a fall garden. It worked! Yes, it really truly did! The bugs had moved on, the weather had cooled off, and I had the biggest crop of zucchini and yellow squash in my gardening history!
So, if you've had troubles with squash bugs, don't give up! Try planting a fall garden! You can start seeds in the house, or just direct sew them into the ground! It's a tough time of year with many of us dealing with drought and weed issues. It's ok... don't feel discouraged, and don't give up! I'm thinking that if I go out to my garden today, lay down a tarp, and save myself a space, I can still give this years garden a chance to thrive, and have some wonderful produce this year!
A fall garden is a great time to plant some of those cool crops like lettuce, radishes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and the list goes on! Go make yourself a list of your favorite garden veggies, you'd be surprised just how many you will be able to plant and still get a lovely harvest!
Lucky for you, I'm participating in a group giveaway! And YOU could win some really great seeds from Baker Creek to plant in YOUR fall garden! They're a really great company with a large variety of seeds to choose from! Please take a minute to enter! And most of all, go out and enjoy nature! Dig in that dirt, embrace the weeds, and enjoy the sunshine!
Go Check out Baker Creek at https://www.reareseeds.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/rareseeds/
And here are the other participants! Take a moment to go see what each of these lovely ladies is all about, and what wonderful Fall gardening tips, stories, and ideas they have!
Danielle @ Spring Lake Homestead
http://springlakehomestead.com/fall-garden-kids/
Clarissa @ Clarissa R. West
https://www.clarissarwest.com/garden-basics-for-homemakers
Terri @ Our Good Life
https://www.terristeffes.com/2018/07/bouquets-from-my-cutting-garden-2018.html
Amber @ The Farmer's Lamp
https://thefarmerslamp.com/7-tips-for-preparing-the-fall-garden/
Michelle @ Souly Rested
https://soulyrested.com/2018/07/23/what-every-gardener-needs-to-know-about-egg-shells/
Kathi @ Oak Hill Homestead
https://www.oakhillhomestead.com/2018/07/plant-a-fall-garden.html
Janelle @ Homestead in the Holler
http://www.homesteadintheholler.com/blog/fall-garden-tips/
Michelle @ Mid-Life Blogger
http://midlifeblogger.com/d-is-for-discouraging/
Jennifer @ Faithful Homestead
http://faithfulhomestead.com/fall-gardening-in-a-drought/
And of course ....
Angela (me) @ The Inquisitive Farmwife
Come Join me on Social Media:
Now, to enter the giveaway, just click the link below! You will have several chances to enter! Good Luck!
Giveaway is sponsored by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They are donating 1 package of 12 packets of seeds, perfect for planting in a fall garden, and they are shipping the seeds directly to the winner. The giveaway starts at 6:00 a.m. Central Time on Monday, July 23rd, and ends at 7:00 a.m. Central Time on Monday, July 30th. Winner announced Monday night, and will have 36 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Eligability: Open to U.S. Residents 18+ Winner will be chosen at random through Giveaway tools. No duplicate entries. There is one "free" entry per person, plus 11 additional entry "points" possible, one for each task completed.
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