Friday, June 05, 2009

progress photos

tabitha made pancakes. the kids enjoyed the sunflower shape.


hair plugs for root cellars?

there is still a bit of grading to do yet.

this is the dry-stack back side. i did this to keep the dirt of the garage wall.


fruit is really starting to set. these are second tier of tomatoes.


one of our tomatoes died. tabitha put this pepper in the vacant spot.


closing in on tennis ball size. not quite there yet...


this is our compost tea set-up. high tech isn't it?


i filled this bulk feed bucket two thirds the way with compost then topped it off with water and let it set in the sun. i mixed it and broke the clumps until it made a loose slurry. then we strained it.


each plant got about a quart of the stuff.


these yellow pear tomatoes are as big as they are going to get. now they just need to ripen.


any one want some dill?


i can't get over how meaty these vines are.


it is funny how some tomatoes grow in clusters and others seem to be loners.


this is a giant bloom from a cherokee purple.


it is hard to tell how big it really is.


the flea beetles are making a meal of our eggplants. this one is struggling to bloom.


pretty eggplant foliage


our giant bamboo is really taking off this year. i hope it's yearly growth curve keeps up the pace.


purple podded pole bean has purple vines. they are almost to the top.


indy has been gone for a few weeks we were worried about him.

he's home safe and sound.

this tomatillo has these deep purple veins. it is so beautiful.


yummy furry tomato plants.


this is what surround looks like on our cucumbers.

they profess that is doesn't affect the photosynthesis.

jocelyn is just too beautiful. we love her and have such high hopes for her.


the kittens are the source of great happiness and immense strife.

10 comments:

Captain's Wife - Jennifer said...

Wonderful update! Great pictures! :) Those darn flea beetles.

Ron said...

Ha! Those hair plugs are awesome. That mint sure does grow back from every little bit of root! In fact, I just might do the same thing with my root cellar, it's a great idea.

Those tomatoes are fantastic. Mine are just barely beginning to set here. Hopefully, everyone gets them coming out of their ears this year!

I ran out of compost long, long ago. Next year, I'll try to remember to save some for tea, I like that idea. I like the simple way you make it, too.

I'm sorry to see your eggplant, but mine is far sorrier. Those flea beetles don't seem to give a lick about anything else in the entire garden. Mine have blooms, and virtually nothing left of their leaves. I guess I can always plant them as a sacrificial flea beetle attractor. :)

Thanks for all the photos, it's fun to see how things are going over there. :)

Ron

Moonwaves said...

I'm very jealous of your compost tea. Really miss having a compost heap and it's killing me to throw food waste out (no kind of 'bio' bin collection here). I need to get my bum in gear and find that organic community garden I read about months ago and see if I can start bringing my compostables there.

In the meantime I will need some kind of feed for my tomatoes soon. Since I'm just growing them in my sitting room I assume they'll need all the help they can get (now that I've sorted out the mould issue I was having). Have to hit the garden centres next wekeend I think.

MotherOfBlessings said...

My tomatoes leaf are folding longways. I am giving them a deep watering every M,W,F. No soaker hoses yet. Any ideas what the problems is?

The Polar Bear said...

hi karl- thanks for the tip on the buckets. your garden/place looks so fantastic. it must feel so good to have the root cellar done and it is really a work of art.
i love bamboo but it is really only suited/works for a few types of sites and i'm glad you've got one. the kids will love it when it becomes a grove. have a great week!

Ed said...

Your garden is looking excellent as it usually does.

Ron - I've planted an eggplant for the last three years and I think I've averaged one miserable looking fruit every year. I didn't plant one this year.

warren said...

I love the rockwork on the cellar...ever consider doing up the whole house with similar stone?

Amanda Walton said...

Hi again, still loving the pictures. You have a beautiful family. I'm so happy to see your cat Indy made it home safe and sound. It's scary when a member of the family goes missing. I'm a huge animal lover and have had what many of my friends and family considered a mini farm in our suburban home. Once we started travelling we had to find homes for all our animals except one dog who is still with us. One of the hardest things I could ever do. I'm still going through your great blog and want to write about your experiences. I think you and many like yourselves who gave up the stress of the city norm (or so people think it's norm) to go back to our roots and plant some of your own is amazing. The hardest thing to do in life is make a big change and re-invent yourself and you and your family did. Hats off to you, it takes a brave person and a supportive family to do it. Have a great day and enjoy your creations.

Maria said...

Everything looks lovely!
I have a question about the Surround... It's 95% Kaolin clay, right? So, does the bag say what the other 5% is?? I'm wondering if I could just use straight kaolin on the garden... It'd be much cheaper!
THanks!

Omelay said...

maria, it doesn't say... it is like a dust and seems to stick to the leaves fairly well. we bought two big bags. i think eighty pounds worth?

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