Summer Starts Out Just Right!

Can't wait to see some red!

This Summer has started off drastically different than last year. 2 1/2 weeks of rain in May - so much it caused a tropical storm and a 2nd one before June first (the official start to "hurricane season")! But the garden has been loving it. Enough heat, enough sun and plenty of rain. The tomatoes are popping like popcorn. We have at least 50 on 4 plants!
....Really need to get the rest in the ground!

The herbs are flourishing. Lemon basil in your salad —a must try! Fresh cilantro in your homemade Guacamole —yum!

Spearmint — light sugar, BEST mojito! Oh we need a lime tree!! I was just told peppermint make s great mojito. Haven't tried it yet but we will.

Lemon Basil

What have we eaten 2 tomatoes and Swiss chard. It was my first experience with Swiss chard. Just saute in olive oil and it's a bold and flavorful green.

A huge pepper, growing outside - a first for us! We're building a fabulous, homegrown salad! The cucumbers are flowering too. The beans are starting to climb. We're all in!

4 small blueberry bushes are growing. They are too small for a large yield and the birds are beating us to them. Next year nets on all the fruit trees!

2 Peppers being held up by a beer bottle!
Also tricks slugs, they get drunk and die!

What do you need to know so you can keep your garden organic. Well, you're gonna need nets and cages to keep birds and critters out. Not such a major inconvenience for the knowledge that your garden remains organic. Here, in the south we have tobacco horn worms (see last years posts for more info). Here's the organic scoop! BT is Bacillus thuringiensis. It is a bacteria that is harmless to us and all little critters EXCEPT caterpillars. Hurrah! You sprinkle the white powder over the plants, the caterpillars eat the it, die...so no eggs. If you see tiny bright green spheres those are the eggs. Paul like to crush them. Not sure I can keep the squeamishness away but hey I'll get rid of them!

Next problem the south has developed. The horrid kudzu plant has brought it's beetles from China. They are devouring soy (yuck, bad protein anyway) and peanuts (uh-oh). They are moving north and have made their first appearance in NC. They are attracted to fig trees! So we're not happy. Organic solution a mixture of different mint oils sprayed on the tree has made the beetles disappear. Hopefully this will be al we need to do but it is too son to tell. I'll keep you posted.

So I mentioned the Edible Forest we are growing. Here's what you need to know. Everything is edible. ....but you could figure that out. Plant the tallest trees in the back, moving forward by lessening height, of course. This way no tree gets caught in the shade, limiting growth and production. Eventually our mulberries will be the tallest trees and the base will be the vertical climb for beans. Each tree will be surrounded by a fruit or vegetable that needs some vertical help so it doesn't crawl every which way in your yard. It is the best use of space and sun. It will look pretty too! The mulberries have grown a foot since last year so we are well on our way. Patience is needed as we've just begun but it has already been worth it!  How does your organic garden grow? Have questions? Let us know!

Beautiful Heirloom Tomatoes on the year old plant from the indoor experiment!
(more in previous posts)