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Sweet Potatoes
Last year I planted sweet potatoes and got one measly little spud. I suppose I planted too late. This year, I got them in the ground early, and they completely took over the garden. They grew up and over the trellises, across the paths and into the okra and pepper patches. They made the most beautiful purple blossoms. Just this week, the leaves have started to turn, and as I pulled out weeds from the ground around the vines, I saw glorious sweet potatoes coming up out of the dirt. I haven’t pulled up all the plants as some of the clusters I pulled looked like they could have taken…
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Harvesting Beans with Kids
Daily I am learning that my four-year-old is capable of much more than I ask of him. I find that the more responsibility and tasks he is given, the less he whines and the more he takes pride in his abilities and being helpful. I suppose preschoolers do have something in common with Thomas & Friends – they want to be very useful! This brings us to beans. Our garden is jam-packed with pole beans, bush beans, edamame, peas, and a variety of other beans we plan on harvesting to dry. I like that the legumes return nitrogen to the soil, and I like that they are easy to enjoy.…
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Asparagus in October
In March of 2010, I planted Purple Passion Asparagus up one of our property lines. These were two-year roots, and as recommended, we didn’t harvest that spring. This spring, once again we didn’t harvest but let the spears branch out for a month or so before cutting them down. Soon after, new spears popped up in their place. I decided to harvest these, and they were delicious. Another wave came to replace those, which I allowed to grow for another month before my husband mowed them over again. Now, in the middle of October, I have another harvest. I am not sure that our cultivation methods were good for the…
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Morning Harvest
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Out of Season Asparagus
Back in 2010 I planted asparagus. I believe they were 2 yr old roots at planting, so I again didn’t harvest any this spring so the roots could continue to develop. Last fall, we allowed the asparagus to grow until they turned brown in the fall, but last weekend the Man got tired of the weedy mess that was growing under them and mowed them down. Two days ago, I noticed that new asparagus was coming up. This is so unusual considering we have been mired in a heatwave, and asparagus is typically a cool season crop. I waited too long to pick some, but what I did get was…
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Onion Harvest
Yesterday I noticed that some of the onion stalks were falling over and many were turning soft, so I harvested them. I left the firm ones in the garden to give them a little more time to grow. I always expect gargantuan onions but get little tiny ones. This year I fertilized them better, and the bulbs look more defined than they have in previous harvests. I’m not sure how to get larger growth, so if you have any tips, send them y way! After braiding the garlic, it only made sense to braid the onions too since I was clearly a pro at braiding, and there’s no way my…