how does your garden grow



or really...
how {did} your garden grow

because my garden...
 besides the carrots, beets, garlic, leeks, swiss chard & peppers

is done for the year

but this is what it looked like last month {grin}

we had a field of cucumbers
okay, not really a field...
but it felt like it!

greens galore

baby watermelon
that just barely ripened before the first frost

zucchini and summer squash

fragrant garlic
have you ever eaten garlic greens?
oh my, they are delish!

gallons and gallons of swiss chard {literally}...

I harvested, washed, dried, de-stemed, chopped, bagged & froze
45 quarts of swiss chard
...and there is still that much if not more in the garden right now!

beautiful mustard
...which was planted for the spicy greens

but not that it's gone to seed
...hmmmmm
anyone know about harvesting mustard seeds {grin}

sweet corn

more and more greens

leeks
some gone to seed from last year
and some still growing

scrumptious sugar snap peas
...oh how I miss them already!

basil, basil, basil
more than enough for the 2 gallons of pesto {so far}
and 10 quarts of just plain basil

most of the garden
in all it's green goodness!





so tell me...
how does or did your garden grow?
Posted by Picasa

16 comments:

  1. Amazing garden I had one this year for the first time quite the learning experience. I to have an abundance of chard, did you blanch yours first?
    Dale Canada

    ReplyDelete
  2. Quite a learning experience is right! :) I didn't blanch mine first... I just didn't have the time. From what I understand the only advantage is keeping the chard from turning dark... which I really don't mind.

    have fun with your chard! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. We had a garden too this year! I wish that i had a BIG garden like you! Anyways just wondered how you made the pesto and what did you do with the left over basil... Can you freeze it? I love reading your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am SO not even going into how jealous I am of your garden!

    I tried this year. I tried hard. But the heat, insane UV index (we're talking 11+, and yeah that's as high as it goes), and severe drought did my garden in months ago.

    I got a whopping 2 zucchini, a handful of basil, 3 cantaloupes and 1 tiny watermelon before everything shriveled into a crisp.

    Now I'm waiting for cooler weather so I can attempt a winter garden. We shall see!

    All jealousy aside, your garden is FABULOUS!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love all those flavorful greens! We had a community plot at our church. I'm inspired to have some raised beds at home, now!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh My Goodness.... I didn't realise your garden was so big. It's quite simply awesome.

    Now I know because you are a 'Farmer's Wife' now that you think "that's NOT a big garden Susan"..... but I am IN AWE!!!! Lucky you..... and to think I was SO excited to get a basket the other day from my neighbours mother with a few bunches in it! haha

    I feel kinda pathetic..... *grin

    ReplyDelete
  7. Our garden was a disaster, as usual! This is the last time I"ll attempt it until we move...or chop down some trees! *grin*
    Your pictures make my mouth water!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am envious of your garden - but I know how much work is involved - so I say YOU EARNED IT SISTA! :)
    We have friends that live on an acreage that let us plant a few rows, so we get some and they are very generous with their extras! Nothing tastes the way homegrown veggies taste!
    Canadian Cathy

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats on such an awesome garden. I'm with most of the commenters who say this is the worst season in a long while for me. But! I'm so thankful for every quart canned or frozen. It's always fun to look toward next year. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mine went pretty well; I sure do miss it! I did have problems with squash bugs. They killed my cucumbers before they even bore fruit. I didn't realize what the problem was until they attacked the zucchini. They ate out all the insides of the fruit and caused them to rot. I think I ended up yielding one? So sad. I tore them all out eventually just to kill the bugs. I read online soap and water will kill them, but I found it impossible to get ahead of them with all their eggs. Apparently dry spells cause them? I've never had this problem before; any advice?

    ReplyDelete
  11. My parents have always had a small garden, this year it was mostly BURNED by the scorching heat and lack of rain. But since I hate tomatoes, squash and okra (most of what they grow), I don't mind - ha. It is so weird to hear someone mention having a first frost, given it could still hit 100 this weekend. Ugh. So tired of this heat!

    ReplyDelete
  12. ohmygoodness WOW!! that is one heck of a garden; kudos to you for growing that :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm also slightly jealous over your garden. Where do you store all your jars of goods? Would love to see a pic!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Found your blog a little while ago and have enjoyed reading about your life and family!

    I don't have a home garden, but I worked on a few farms this summer that were filled with abundance of greens, zucchini, potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, melons, garlic, onions, and beans.

    We freeze basil at my house in freezer bags the same as other vegetables. It does turn almost black in color, but still tastes good!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful bounty from your hard work. Wish I had the ability and mobility to do some gardening. I bought some herb pots and seeds for the sunroom, yesterday!
    Beckie in Brentwood, TN

    ReplyDelete
  16. Question: How do you make your pesto without the cheese?

    We also have way too much basil, I froze 2 batches of pesto for the first time, the recipe I used said to mix the basil oil & garlic, freeze then add the pine nuts and parm cheese after defrosting.

    The most plentiful thing from our garden was the cucumbers, I was eating 2 a day and giving away extras to friends, until all the plants died last week, ah well.

    My zucchinis plants were doing great until my guy drove over them with the lawnmower...:( he claims he thought they were huge weeds, even though he helped plant them. Only a man, right? haha.

    Peas and brocoli plants got eaten by the rabbits before they had a chance to grow, darn.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for blessing me with your words!

Brittany