Oh My!!!!

I don't know if I should laugh or cry.... and this was after I gave 6 away. Note to self: Plant less yellow squash. I don't even know what to do with it! It's not like zucchini that can be shredded and frozen for later. Any ideas??????

Bloopers

Every gardeners goes through triumph and tragedy. It's part of the cycle of life... things can't go perfectly every time. It seems that this year I am having more than my fair share of difficulty, but I think I can blame it on not having consistent irrigation (a.k.a sprinklers!). It has been challenging to get out every day and make sure everything is getting enough water.

Here is a little list of my bloopers:

1. Crazy cucumber! It started on one side of the trellis and grew through! I picked a great big juicy cucumber the other day only to find it was really bitter. Why, when they look so perfect, do they taste so awful??!?!? I did a little research online to find that cucumbers are more prone to bitterness when they have uneven watering or cool weather. I have to admit I have watered them a few times after they have wilted in the afternoon sun. I need to be more careful!

2. Just when my beautiful hanging basket was beginning to recover from the very hungry caterpillar, a gigantic windstorm during the night spun it like a top until the hook popped out of the eave and sent the basket flying. Not only was it wind whipped, but now the root ball is all skiwampus in the container. I'm not sure I'll be able to resurrect it this time.

3. The saddest of all... my blue spruce is turning to dust. I'm not exactly sure what caused its demise but when it got so hot I probably should have watered it every other day instead of 2x a week. The root ball was disappointingly puny when we planted it, but it seemed fine until about the 1st of August. Apparently Home Depot will give your money back within a year, but you have to pull it out of the ground and take it to the service desk! Not even kidding! Who wants a dead, messy tree at the service desk?

The sprinklers system is almost finished and hopefully next year water will not be as much of an issue in my horticultural success!

Producing Produce

My garden is going a little crazy. I'm happy it's healthy, but I might need to recruit some neighbors and friends to help me! The pumpkin patch is taking over the south end of the garden and I'm glad I didn't plant anything else there so it can sprawl to it's hearts content.

We have about 4 pumpkins on the vine already and this one is getting pretty big!

My cucumbers have taken off and a few are almost ready to eat.

My first tomato turned last week. There are hundreds of green ones and I can't wait to eat some tomato sandwiches.

I still have tons of lettuce that we should eat before it bolts, and my carrots and beets are densely planted and could probably feed 5 families (especially because Mike doesn't like beets). I already feel like I have zucchini coming out my ears, even though I am trying to pick them small! We also had our first garden beans for dinner. It's so fun to eat from our own garden.

THE Tree

We have had a huge maple tree sitting in our front yard for 4 months. Everyone from the neighbors to church members to my sister's father-in-law have been asking when we are going to get that thing planted. Everyone had an opinion as to how we should do it too. Thank heavens it finally happened!

Mike got about 4 feet down and 8 feet across with a shovel, but it was tough going. Our clay soil is super duper compacted! Our goal was 2x as wide and deep as the root ball, so we had about 4 more feet to go.

It sat like that for awhile and Maddie and Ella tried to refill it with clods.

Here's our saving grace! Our friend Jesse borrowed a back hoe from work and brought it over free of charge. What a good guy!

Maddie and her buddy Preston stood in the hole that was ready for the tree.

Hallelujah! A hole in one!

Isn't is beautiful? Looks like it could have grown there.