Summer Garden

The spring portion of our garden had been in for about a month and a half and is thriving and even producing for us already but I have just been itchin' to get the real growing started.  Typically we wait for Memorial Day weekend to put our warm weather stuff in, but I will have my toes in the sand by then, our tomato plants were starting to outgrow their starter dish and it's been nice and warm lately, no fear of frost.  

This morning, Nick started dumping bucket-fulls of dark, rich composty goodness into the garden.  

Then it was all spread out with a shovel and he started his THIRD tilling of the year.  I think he hopes the extra tilling will help with weed control.  

While he was gettin' all sweaty and dirty, I took a pile of dollar store wooden and bamboo spoons to make garden markers out of.  I just wrote on them with a sharpie and sprayed with 2 coats of clear spray paint.  My hope is that they will last for a few years before they need to be replaced.  

Then we started planting :)  

Our original plan:

We were able to stick to it pretty closely.  

What actually happened:

Everything from the left side to the onions has been in since early April.  

Watermelons, Corn and Sunflowers were planted using the "trench method".  Take a hoe and plow a trench or trough.  Put the seeds in, kick some dirt over it.  

Cucumbers and Zucchini were planted using the "mound method".  Dig a hole and put 2 or 3 seeds in.  

Peppers, Eggplant, and Tomatoes were started inside in mid April and transplanted today.  Most of the tomatoes already have their cages set up (i have to buy a few more).  The last few years, we have learned that it's never too early to cage them but it CAN be too late.  

I'm not sure how to feel about potatoes.  On one hand, nom nom nom, on the other...ugh, potato beetles.  And potato beetles could be a bigger problem this year than years past because the only thing potato beetles like more than potato plants is eggplant plants... and we FINALLY have eggplant that looks like it could survive.  But they volunteered and Nick decided they could stay.  Somehow, I feel potato beetle post take 3 coming your way at some point this summer.  

Anyways, can you taste the potential? I think I can.