Our little vegetable garden is doing fairly well this year. I have half heartedly been planting one since we moved 2 years ago. The soil at our old house was just the way I wanted it and practically weed free since I amended it and took care of it for so many years. I am disgusted with our current soil. Last year everything grew and flourished and then. it. just. stopped. It looked like a miniature Japanese Bonsai garden. My pepper plants stayed 5 inches tall, with itsy-bitty-teeny-tiny peppers. I gave up and let the weeds have it half way through the summer.
This year though, I was determined to grow something! I stuck to the basics, peppers, tomatoes, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers and zucchini. I have kept most of the weeds at bay and managed to grow normal, full sized veggies :) This makes me smile! We harvested 8 crunchy cucumbers, 3 zucchini, 21 various peppers and a large basket of green beans today! Oh and 2 tiny yellow plum tomatoes that I ate straight off the plant.
Now our only battle is getting rid of the pesky June Bugs (Japanese Beetles) that insist on eating holes through my bean, potato and pepper leaves! Chris brought home a Safer Brand Japanese Beetle Trap
this morning. I, as usual, was skeptical, it’s a plastic bag! I hung it out around 5pm and then picked my green beans. As I was picking, the June Bugs were flying out of the plants and into the trap! It was awesome! We just checked on it again a little bit ago and there are about 2 inches of June Bugs in the bottom of the bag already! Good thing our friend at the Feed Mill told Chris they fill fast, he bought extra bags :) We plan on getting one more for the other side of the garden and another one for the front of the house where they’ve been eating my plum tree and clematis.
Now I’m on a mission to safely eliminate the slugs that are decimating my hostas! Beer in shallow saucers are first on my list to try. Any other suggestions out there?
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Great garden produce!
Insects are usually not our biggest problem, the wildlife is. Bunnies have been nibbling at my peas. I just hope the deer don't come and snip off my new baby beans.
It looks wonderful to me! Since we have rocks for yard I am totally jealous. Glad I found you through EC, I really like your blog.
@crochet lady, last year the bunnies ate many of our plants too! This year we put a low fence around the garden and it seems to have kept them out!
@dddiva, I feel for ya Our soil is a pretty hard clay so it's always a struggle t get things loose enough to grow things!
So glad you found me! I;ll be checking out your blog as well :)