This Year's Garden

If you are a faithful reader here at Tightwad Mom's, you know that growing a garden is one of my favorite frugal tools. Almost everyone can grow some of their own produce. Whether it's a few tomato plants in buckets, and some lettuce and herbs in the flower beds, to square foot gardening in raised beds, or a full scale backyard garden plot.  I live in a suburban neighborhood, and I do not have a huge backyard, but I have adapted to make gardening work for me.  You can read more about it HERE and HERE.

Usually by this time my garden is really filling in and starting to blossom. However, this years garden has been slow in growing, and a little bit behind. We had an unusually cold and wet spring that lasted well into June. I did plant the whole garden Memorial weekend (which is about the right time to plant in my corner of Idaho), but it rained steadily for a week after I planted. It didn't help that because of my unusually busy June, I ignored my poor little garden, and left it to the wolves (er, weeds).  I finally got around to pulling all of the offensive weeds this weekend, and once they were all gone, I was able to take stock of the my garden.

The yellow squash (or maybe the zucchini) plants seems to be doing well; the other, not so much.  I can't remember which is which. I guess, I should have paid better attention when I planted them. Not to worry, once they start producing I will be able to tell.

The banana squash plants are doing growing well, and just about ready to start climbing the fence trellis. I decided to grow banana squash, because they are a great substitute for pumpkin, and if you trellis them produce well in a small space.

My pepper plants, however, are not doing well at all. They are pretty tiny still, and don't seem to have any desire to grow, quickly. I was really hoping that I would have a bumper crop of green and hot pepper to freeze, and use to make salsa.

The green beans are really starting to grow. I am hoping they will start climbing up their trellis this week.

Most of the carrots must have washed away in the wet weather. I have very few that have sprouted. The same with my cilantro and dill weed. I am going to replant the herbs in hopes that they will grow now that the weather is hot and dry.

The beets are doing great. Let's hope a stinking vole doesn't come help himself to this years crop!

The cucumbers are a little dicey, as well. Only four plants germinated. That will give us enough to eat fresh, but my hopes for making pickles have been crushed (for this year, at least).

The tomatoes in the back garden are starting to grow, but I don't know how well they will produce. They were twice this size last year at the same time. I may be buying tomatoes this year if I want to make salsa.

The peas that I planted way to late, loved the cold wet spring (and the shady area of the garden they have been planted in), I do believe I will have peas before to much longer.

The onions are thriving. They must have like the wet weather, too.

The lettuce and spinach are pretty patchy. Only a few spinach plants have survived. Then only lettuce that grew well, was the butter crunch. I planted the lettuce in shady part of the garden, too. I plan on planting more spinach and lettuce tomorrow.

The front garden has cherry tomato plants, Child #4's cabbage plant (that he is growing for a school project), some kale, parsley, and a few more onions. The kale is growing well. I am hoping to harvest it in a couple of weeks.

My poor tomatoes in the front garden are spindly and stunted. My big organic, heirloom tomato plant project seems to have fizzled.

I still have hope that my garden will come out of it's slump, and surprise me! I am really hoping for a long, lovely, warm Indian Summer that will allow my garden an extra few weeks to produce. My fingers are crossed!