Saturday, June 5, 2010

American Gothic...The Harvest !


When I started on this farming adventure I will now admit I was more than ignorant and to a great extent made a good number of mistakes. But, along the way also made a number of discoveries and have come out on the other side a wiser farmer who truly can now enjoy the harvest! As always, click each photo for a better view.


Every morning I rise to go into the backyard and pick vegetables for the day and it feels just as I had imagined.
















The sprinkler system has made watering effortless as it doles out the allotted ration for the day. There have been a few casualties along the way though. The Summer squash got a fungus and had to be pulled up. It produced squash but the fungus would cause them to rot before they reached even a decent size.






But the sweet corn is doing just great despite an attack of corn beetles (had to do a little reading to get rid of them) and corn is forming all over. By the 4th of July there should be corn on the cob for everyone.














The tomatoes are great but a surprising treat has been the cucumbers. They are sweet and juicy unlike what I have experienced from the supermarket. Sometimes I go out to cut a few and eat one as I am picking. I have placed them in cages so they grow up rather than out and it is always fun to lift the leaves looking for the juicy wonder!









The monster crop of spaghetti squash has just now begun taking off and I have made sketches of the barrier I plan to erect to separate them from the rest of the crop.

But, the watermelons have begun to spread just as much. I find it funny that one day you see this little thing the size of a marble and a few days later it turns into the makings of a melon. Very strange and wonderful indeed!




But, more than anything, I have new found respect for what real farmers go through on a larger scale. And, Daddy has not admitted defeat just yet but even he has given grudging respect to the work I put in to produce my harvest...

6 comments:

  1. Good for you!. I agree the farmers do work so hard and I am glad your Dad is acknowledging your effort! lol...Now how is his crop coming along??

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  2. Chrissy,
    He has kicked my butt with his greens! They have huge leaves and a deep green color. His major crop is okra and a few days ago we shared a joke about his okra and my tomatoes for a great dish of tomatoes and okra! I keep forgetting to take the camera when I visit, so I will have to make an effort to show his progress.

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  3. Love okra, but greens are definitely a step above for me!.. Yes, take your camera.. Would love to see his veggies. I bet he would stand proud in that photo!. lol

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  4. Oh, congratulations! :-) It's a very good harvest!! Kisses

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  5. Congratulations to the modern "Candide" you've become !
    You killed two birds with one stone !
    Whitman's wisdom for the soul and Luculus' delights for the body !

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  6. I think you should congratulate yourself on a job well done.. Your garden looks fantastic.

    There's a certain kind of satisfaction in growing your own vedge..As you said, it feels just as you imagined.. :)

    Hope to see more photoes of your garden as the summer goes on ;)

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