Join & Welcome, Garden Changes/Updates

I would like to start my post out by welcoming a new friend, Astarlight to my blog.

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Temperatures have dropped from triple digits, to the low 60’s in the morning, and peaking to the mid 80’s during the day.  Thank goodness for the cold front coming through.  We even received a fair amount of rain to help with the drought issues here in Oklahoma.

With all this rain, my tomato plants, especially the Pineapple Tomato, is growing like crazy.  The plant is taller than I am, and I’m 5’8”.

I’ve had to tie up this particular plant several times, because it’s grown over and around the tomato tower.   

The peas I planted on the straw bales only grew approximately 4, maybe 5, inches tall, and then stopped growing.  I’m not sure why. I’m thinking maybe the bale was packed too tight.  I was going to transplant the peas, from the straw bale into a raised bed, when I realized the roots weren’t developed enough.  These pea seedlings ended up becoming food for my compost container.  

I then planted pea seeds in the raised bed, where my green beans used to be, and now I have new seedlings popping out of the ground. Hopefully with planting in this new spot, the pea plants will grow and come to full maturity.

A blogger friend of mine, 1^st Man, over at Two Men and a Little Farm, asked me if I trellis my cucumber plants.  Initially, I placed several seeds inside two pots sitting next to one another.  Then I created a trellis using t-posts and wire.  Every day I would go out and take cucumber vines and wrap them around the wires in hopes the vine will grow on the trellis.  As you can see here, it loves the trellis……and the fence behind.  

Front two pots of cucumbers running up trellis.

 

Behind trellis, jumping over to another plants trellis.

The bucket potted corn has also started producing its own fruit.  This was an experiment, and the experiment was successful.  I’m going to continue to grow corn in 5 gallon buckets from here on out.   The idea of using buckets makes it possible to move the corn, especially if we have heavy winds or storms.

 

Here’s an update to our watermelon and pumpkin vines.  Each vine has multiple blossoms; soon we will see actual fruit.  I’m hoping to have several harvests of both before winter sets in.

Finally, my bougainvillea started flowering this week.  Usually we have flowers long before mid July.

 *****Straw Bale Update:  Disappointed with the planting of peas in straw bales.  The peas failed to grow properly……..reason may be tightly packed bales.  Recommendation, use regular beds or pots for planting peas. 

I will be taking two of my straw bales and flip them on their side, at which point, I will make a large cut down the center of the bale. This way the straw won’t be packed tight.  I will try one more time to see if peas will grow in straw bales.  Expect updates in the near future.

Life is good, let’s cherish what we have and pray for those who lost their lives today.