That was my basket of vegetables that I harvested yesterday plus an additional four heads of cabbage.
I was pretty happy; however, I’m not yet quite sure what to think about this gardening season. I wasn’t able to sow or plant my spring vegetables in the ground early in the year like I usually do. I usually try to get most of my brassicas, peas, and onions into the ground by late April. Since we were in California during that time, I delayed my spring planting. Upon arrival to Iowa, we soon realized we were going to be having a wet spring.
With being away and our weather, I really didn’t even start planting and sowing until early June.
Here are a couple pictures of what I had growing during the spring. You can also visit this post to see what was growing earlier in the year as well.
Although these delays were a little unsettling to this organic gardeners heart, I almost forgot to mention that I was unsure if I’d even have a garden in my front yard at all this year.
This is what my front yard garden beds look like today, minus the green cabbages 😉 If you look to the right of the beds, you can see dirt in our front yard that my husband and I have been allowing to settle.
Unfortunately, We had to put in a new sewage pipe in early spring. They ended up having to dig this ginormous hole in our front yard from our home to the street. Where do you think they were dumping the dirt they were digging? Yeah, my garden area which I had been amending through the years.
I was honestly crying looking out that front window thinking there was no way I would have a garden area there this year. Praise God for an amazing husband. As soon as they filled in the ginormous hole, my hubby surprised me by building me these three beautiful raised beds over my old garden area. He brought in rocks, mulched it, and made it just perfect. So God is good!
Anyway’s, let me show you what I have growing in the front yard.
I’ve just been smitten with my brassicas this year…
…and the kids that find themselves with me in the garden 😉
In this bed I’m growing green and red cabbages, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.
I harvested the green cabbages yesterday and will harvest the reds next week.
I’m about to give up on the cauliflower and call them chicken food. I’ll be replacing the cabbages and cauliflower with fall and winter radishes and greens.
If you look up at the beds you’ll see one lonely melon plant. I’ve had to learn about critters this year. Now that both of my dogs have passed (which I still don’t want to talk about since I miss my bobo’s badly), we’ve had to deal with squinnies, squirrels, and bunnies.
Oh my, I had the entire front of the bed lined with melons and within a week the SQUIRRELS ate them. That last one was left since it was hiding underneath red cabbage leaves for some time. I’ve pretty much given up on beets this year. The squinnies go wild for beet leaves and eat them up as soon as they sprout. They did this to both my spring and fall crops I had planted. I probably have a good FIVE beets growing in the middle bed along with carrots we’ve been harvesting and more that I’ve sowed for a fall crop.
Our calendula is blooming away in the middle bed as well.
This is our third bed. I replaced the onions with fall beans to dry, chard, and squash to preserve. It’s difficult to tell but the zinnias are growing beautifully.
In my garden bed on the side of my house is where I have green beans growing this year that Little Mama likes to help me harvest.
Let me take you to my backyard garden area. This is where I have my summer crops planted.
As you can tell, I’ve had a rough time getting these vegetable to do well. I’ll need to work on my soil some more but the most difficult part about urban gardening is the shade. You can tell from this picture that my tomatoes are in the shade. They get sun but not like they want and need. If I could only add three more beds to the front yard 😉 Ah well, I’ve given this area up to God and he’s working his magic.
These are my eggplants. Well, they’re larger now but last year, man…these things were bushes in my front yard filled with fruit.
There are quite a bit of tomatoes growing that should hopefully ripen by the end of the month.
We will have tomatillos…and salsa verde!
More beans to dry and this was another story. As the beans were growing, I thought the squinnies were going to devour them. They kept eating them but the beans fought back with tenacity! I was surprised to see them continually shoot out vines to start reaching for growth. Soon enough they were much to large to be bothered by the squinnies. It was very cool to watch 🙂
Our pepper plants… yeah 😀
So, nothing has gone as expected this year, but we’ve been blessed nonetheless.
God is good and continues to provide 🙂
How has your gardening season been? Please share with me the ups and downs you’ve had.
I live in Illinois and we too had a soggy spring. Your peppers look great despite the late, wet start. Ours are not doing so well. Our cucumbers are going nuts – but one can only make so many pickles before you’re sort of pickled out…
Well, I had some pumpkins volunteer in February! Even for here, that was a surprise. By June, I was harvesting pumpkin with my granddaughter. I planted a few tomatoes, and was surprised how well the Super Souix did. Two plants are giving us a good size tomato every two or three days. Enough for hubby and I. And they’ve been so incredible on sandwiches! This was the first year that I tried Provider Bush beans; but also the first year for a raised bed. Normally, critters get my bush beans; so I don’t bother. But the yield was excellent this way. Skipped the usual pole beans, which as you learned, can outsmart the critters by climbing. It was such a dry year; so I kept to the few raised beds hubby made for me. Just now, cucumbers are coming in. A first for me as well. Normally the white flies and diseases wipe them out before I get a harvest. Not sure if it’s the variety, the year, the raised bed, or some companion plant (everything is jam packed); but they look like a huge crop will set soon. First year with beets; since hubby isn’t fond of them. I grew a 4 foot long row and it’s given me a few good dinner harvests earlier in the year. And surprisingly, I see beets sprouting again in the same row! No idea why? I’ve heard the seeds actually have several seeds in them. Or maybe some seed was just old and took it’s time sprouting. Either way, a blessing! As you and your blogs are also a blessing! Happy Gardening!
It sounds like your garden season is going great, SJ!
Diane,
Your crops look GREAT, even in spite of the critters who have munched on a small percentage. I think it’s also wonderful the loving kindness your husband showed in the surprise raised garden beds he made. God’s goodness always amazes me.
Holly
Thanks Holly! His love amazes me as well 😀
Squinnies? Does that mean squirrels and bunnies?
Alisha, a squinnie is kind of like a chipmunk. They’re only about 5″ – 6″ long and create quite the damage. GRR!!
Your garden beds look beautiful. What a wonderful setting to spend time in with the kids. I planted some tomatoes and peppers in giant pots this year, but in south Tx potted gardens are hard to keep up with. We plan to build some beds this fall so hopefully we can start a real garden next spring! Yours is so inspirational and motivating. I wish I could come spend a few days tending it with you and learning!
Just found your site and like it very much, the recipes look great, right up my alley. Really like that you have a garden instead of a lawn in your front yard. Although we do have a bit of “grass”, we grow potatoes and pumpkins in our front yard as an afront to the perfectly groomed, weed-and-feed show that is ever too common.
Diana, absolutely love your blog and the garden inspired posts! Simply beautiful and enjoy the pictures of the bounty of your work in the garden.
I have never heard of squinnies either, very interesting! It is interesting to me that you have a vegetable garden in your front yard! What do your neighbors think of that? Around here, I live in a middle class suburb in Augusta, GA, I don’t think you could get away with that. Somebody would call the zone police on you or something!