butternut squash portrait
All my butternuts got together for a family portrait. It’s been a good year. Eleven big squash from four plants.
my first summer squash
This is a great, early, and very and prolific yellow summer squash variety. Yellow Multipik. I harvested my first one today.
the Topsfield fair – giant pumpkin!
I went to the big fall fair in our area last Saturday – the Topsfield Fair. It’s THE place to see displays of local produce. Especially the biggest pumpkin in the area (why do people grow these?). I walked around and enjoyed the smell of fired dough and roasted sausages. I looked at the leather and sliver jewellery sale booths. I used to go to all the rides and games booths, but skipped them this year. Already big crowds, even early in the morning. Best, I went to the vegetable…
today’s harvest
This is the harvest from my community garden plot today. The onions are so small with the drought. I’m picking my tomatoes very green to ripen at home because the chipmunks are eating them for any moisture they can find. The green beans are hardly producing at all. I wonder what will be under the soil when I dig the potatoes and sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes droop down so fast in the dry weather. A nice thing is that I’ve had 4 pretty little acorn squash ripen very early.
seeds planted
I’ve been getting way behind with my gardening. But now that I’ve finished organizing and running our community garden workday, last Saturday, I can get back to my garden. Last night I planted: Winter squash, Waltham Butternut Winter squash, Butterscotch Winter squash, Blue Ballet Winter squash, Jarrahdale pumpkin Cucumbers, Diva Cucumbers, Salt and Pepper Cucumbers, Parisian Gherkin Cucumbers, Corinto Cucumbers, Tokiwa Cucumbers, Sooyow Nish Cucumbers, Straight 8 Summer squash, yellow, Slick Pick Summer squash, yellow, Yellow Crook Summer squash, scallop, Early white bush Summer squash, scallop, Starship Summer squash, zucchini,…
planting squash and cukes
Just planted a tray with squash and cucumber seeds. (in order of my favorites:) Squash: Waltham butternut, Buttercup Burgess strain, Jarrahdale pumpkin, New England Pie pumpkin, Hubbard blue ballet, and Acorn Honey Bear Cucumbers: Diva, Tokiwa, Sooyow nishiki, Straight 8, Sumter pickling
chickens love squash….
My chickens are growing, and happy. I’m checking for eggs, none yet. Their favorite foods seem to be: cooked squash, sweet potatoes and garlic mashed potatoes! Yummy. They’ve done a great job with our Thanksgiving leftovers. Other favorites: honeydew melon, corn-on-the-cob, kale, lettuce, cream cheese and cottage cheese. Today I went out to check on the girls, but unfortunately didn’t have time to spend with them. They clucked with pleasure to see me. Guess they’re getting the idea that I bring them good food. I’ve also been letting them out…
pumpkin vases for the Thanksgiving table
These are a couple of pumpkins from my garden. I don’t think they’re good eating pumpkins, so I used then for vases on my Thanksgiving table. It was a wild Day as we had 16 of us for dinner – 14 staying overnight with us. We had such fun cooking, visiting and eating. Anyway, the pumpkin vases worked well. I cut off the tops them stuck the flower stems into the seeds and fiber, then added water. The seeds and fibers did a good job of holding the stems in…
winter squash arbor
My winter squash vines are growing by inches, or more, a day. They have topped my arbor and lots of fruits are setting. The Waltham butternut do best on an arbor since the vines are long and flexible. I have five butternut plants growing on the left side of the arbor and, on the right side, four plants of different varieties: Hubbard Blue Ballet (a small fruited hubbard, whose vines are a challenge to train up an arbor as they are so thick), Orange Kabocha, Buttercup, and Delicata (this small…
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy
weeks and counting until my last spring frost
My garden this week
Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!
