Hello everyone - Who all planted a garden this year?   We have tried many years but our dirt is awful and we have just not had much luck.  Normally I just plant tomatoes in wooden whiskey 1/2 barrels.  This year, we decided to make a garden in our front yard!!!!!   I added about 20 bags of garden soil and lo and behold we have a garden.  I guess this cooler weather Missouri has had and all the rain plus Miracle Grow has helped.   Everything is growing great.  It's not a huge garden but way plenty for us.   We will be giving some stuff away because three of us will never be able to eat it all.  Guess I have to learn to "can".  A couple years ago I orderd Pecos cantelope (as my husband says - the best you will ever eat) - we saved the seeds and this year I soaked them in water overnight and we planted them.  Hmmm would you call them Missouri Pecos cantelope now?   But even they are growing.  My Little CSI Frog girl must be doing a good job cause the critters are so far staying out.  Several people told me to plant marigolds around the garden and guess that does seem to work at least so far.  I hope everyone had a safe Memorial weekend - Will talk to yall later

Hi Connie....Yes, we have been planting a garden for the past 3 years.  Glad you finally got you a garden .  When we got the 7 plus inches of rain last month, it washed the garden away...we watched the rain carry off 20 tomato plants, 4 rows of corn 3 rows of green beans, and 1 of shellie beans.  Ben made a new garden closer to the house and on a kind of incline, maybe the water won't pool in the low part of the yard when we get another big rain.  we did have 4 tomato plants that survived in  the first garden...and a mixeture of corn and beans.....

This year (we are surrounded by cropland on all 4 sides of our house & yard)....and all 4 fields will be in corn this year.  We don't own the croipland it belongs to two different farmers. 

And last year was when we bought a water bath canner, and we had a Food Saver.  We learned to can tomato juice, stewed tomatoes (with the onion and bell pepper in it.), salsa,  we froze corn ON the cob...and also scraped it off and creamed oh so many bags.... We have made kraut, (bought the heads of cabbage), It is nice sitting out there on the front porch in the morings...shelling beans, and husking corn...BTW...our lab loves raw corn on the cob.  got pics of her holding it dopwn with her foot and eating the corn off the cob.

What all did you plant in yours besides the cantaloupe?  I can't remember what else you said you had.....(the post I am referring to doesn't show up here.)

Good luck with it... keep me (us) updated.

sherri

Hi - we planted green beans, green onions (which didn't come up), regular onions (my husband calls them slicing onions), halopena (didn't spell that right) peppers, corn, radish.  It's just a small garden.  I think that's all that is in there.  Then another tomato plant in a wooden 1/2 barrel and a green pepper in another wooden 1/2 barrel.  I also have strawberry plants that I planted about 4 years ago.  We have had a lot of rain and cooler temps so the garden looks beautiful.    Now I have to go bake cookies.  We have a team participating in the MO Cancer Society Relay for Life event here in Warrenton.  It goes from 5 p.m. tomorrow night (6/5) to 6 a.m. Sat morn (6/6).  Our team will be selling cookies and brownies so I have quite a few to bake.  Talk to you later.  Take care

Good luck with the relay event....we have them here too.

Sounds like your garden stuff is gonna make lots of salads...  :)

I wanted green onions, but Ben said his friend planted a row for us in his garden...and I wanted watermelons...I had saved seeds from a Missouri Black Diamond...that was the best watermelon I had last year....I love those Black Diamonds, and you just can't hardly find them around here...

Have a good weekend...

sherri

Oh I forgot we also planted romaine lettuce.  Hubby has already been cutting it for his sandwiches.  I havent tried any of it yet.  Some he cut is already regrowing.  I ddn't know they would do that but I guess they do.  I would have planted watermelon but we ran out of room.  We also did Zucini.  (forgot about that too) .  I'm really looking forward to the fresh tomatoes.  I hope to make some salsa.  But mostly I just want to quarter them and eat them.  I can make a meal of that and cheddar cheese or cottage cheese.  My sister-in-law from my first marriage told me years ago a way to freeze the tomatoes and when you thaw them they taste like just off the vine but I don't remember how to do them.  Unfortunately she passed away several years ago so I can't ask her. 

Got the cookies done.  I had to leave a note on them to my husband so he doesnt eat them for breakfast.  He grabbed one before going to bed.  So I left a note on them  3 for $1.00.  I half way expect to get up in the morning and find some money laying in place of some of the cookies.  

Well it's almost midnight and I do believe I am tired.  So you too have a good week-end. 

I really miss planting a garden. Unfortunately, with having had 3 knee surgeries and 3 back surgeries and rheumatoid arthritis, I cannot do the things that need to be done. I always enjoyed planting tomatoes (even though I cannot eat them unless cooked), jalapeno or habanero peppers, crook neck and zucchini squash, green beans, and leaf lettuce and radishes. First time Mom saw me working in the garden, she about stroked out. All I ever ate as a kid was meat, potatoes, and pasta and rice. Over the years, tastes change.

the only thing i plant is basil, mint, rosemary, thyme and this year some cilantro.  i like to make pesto out of basil and i use rosemary all year long.  it is a hardy plant.  you can find it growing in parking lots.  if i don't have any, i cut some from the parking lot plant.  lol

Me I can eat fresh tomatoes all day long!!!!!!!!!  uncooked preferred -  I can remember as a kid going across the street to the neighbor who had a huge garden and eating the tomatoes right out of he field!!!!    Mama would give us money to go over and buy some.  If the Mr Pacini was the one we talked to, he gave us the tomatoes and told us kids to keep the money for ice cream.  If it was his wife, she took the money. 

Our garden is looking really good, although looks like something is eating on the zuchinni plants!!!!  so I may end up with zero on them. 

How close are you to Piggot AR - We will be there this coming week end for a family reunion on my husband's mothers side of the family. 

I just grab the spice from the cabinet and if I am out then off the store shelf!!!   ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!