Out in the Garden

This time of year is a busy one for us here on the Farm, and one of the things that takes quite a bit of our outside time, is the vegetable garden.  It's not a big garden by the standards around here, but for us, it's big.

We planted seven, 30' long rows, of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans, zucchini, yellow squash, and corn. We've been here in Tennessee for more than eight years, and every year we rethink the garden.  It doesn't make sense to grow more than we can use, but getting that right is tricky too.  Just how much time do I want to spend putting up produce? 

These are tomatoes, honest, even though there's not a speck of red to be seen.  I have come to fully understand the Southerner's love affair with Fried Green Tomatoes.  Waiting is very tough, but that first BLT of the Summer with a home grown Beefy Boy Tomato makes it worthwhile.  I also grow Amish Paste and Roma tomatoes especially for freezing to use in Marinara sauce, and Early Girl, Yellow Pear, and Marglobe. 

  

This year we're trying a new irrigation system my husband worked out, which is kind of a cross between a rain barrel and drip irrigation.  PVC pipe runs from the barrel along the base of the plants, and there are small holes drilled at each plant that drips water into the soil.  When it rains, the barrels catch water for us to use, or we can fill them with the hose.

These are the bush beans, a stringless variety I'm trying this year.  I like the convenience of not having to string them, but the flavor isn't as good as the old fashioned varieties like Rattlesnake and Case Knife.

Here's the corn, and so far it's looking good.  We've had a hard time with corn, and I was ready to give up, but decided to give it one more try.  I'm not counting anything yet, but we have tiny little ears forming, and if the critters cooperate, we might have corn to eat.  

I hope you all can have some home grown tomatoes this Summer.  Keep cool, from the Dog and me.