Happy June!

I'm alive! And I'm dutifully following my mama's orders to "update your blog" so everyone in the family can see what I'm up to.

Lots of good stuff has been going on around here...

The 2011 garden is doing wonderfully! I am trying out a new biodegradable paper weed barrier and it is really keeping the weeds at bay. Now I have more time to play with and stare at the plants.


Here's what I planted this year:
2 types of heirloom tomato plants (cherry and large size)
4 cucumber (1 climbing and 3 picklebushes)
8 pepper plants (red, purple, orange, banana, green...)
8 basil plants (yay for pesto)
4 parsley plants
lots of lettuce, swiss chard, and kale
8 squash (acorn, butternut, crookneck, zucchini, spaghetti)
6 snap pea plants (which I will never grow again because they just don't do well here) replaced by
6 climbing bean plants
2 Rhubarb plants
7 Asparagus crowns (I will be so happy if these actually grow correctly!)

 I have finally decided that I will no longer be growing seeds inside in the winter months. It has been too much hassle for me and a big waste of money because the plants just don't grow well. It's nice to finally free myself from that obligation. And it fits my instant gratification personality well, too!


I am also trying out black plastic in our squash bed. It's supposed to warm the ground and keep weeds away, so it should work out really well with these heat loving plants.


I've been aided by these  3 books that I would highly recommend:


Week-By-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook - This workbook will tell you what to do in your garden each week based on your calculated frost date. It's great help for getting second and third cycles of plants in the garden.
Grow Great Grub - Lots of great tips for growing food in small spaces.
The Kitchen Garden Cookbook - Answers the perennial question of "what do I do with all of this X." It's got lots great preserving tips and techniques and wonderful recipes (mostly vegetarian/vegan friendly)