Progress

Since my last post, we have added the second raised bed to the backyard.  At first, we just had some marigolds planted in it - to help with pest control.  I'm not sure that that is working, but they look pretty and bring the butterflies!  You can also kind of see that we added some bean teepees to the other bed.  In the big pot, we put some cucumbers.

 

Here's a better picture of the teepees and the tomato cages.  Silly me, put them in upside down at first!  I had no idea how they went, but we did get an amazing deal on the bamboo polls and the cages, so does that make up for my lack of knowledge??!!  We did figure it out and fix it, eventually!  Look carefully at this picture, cause it sure doesn't look like this anymore!

OK, before I get to the most recent picture, try to see the problem in the next two pics:

Do you see it?  In each picture, there is a tomato hornworm.  These things are so nasty and they eat a lot!  We saw one on Thursday and got it off.  Then, we went out Friday morning to check on things, as we do daily, and there were SIX of these guys and they were HUGE!  About 3 inches long and as fat as a thumb - munching away happily on our tomato plants!  Well, thankfully, Caleb was not quite as grossed out about them as I was and he happily picked them off and killed them.  We did some research and found out that they become moths - since we are not short on moths, I felt ok about getting rid of these six.  Once they were gone, we spayed a mix of water and peppermint extract all around the plants.  Supposedly, these guys do not like that smell and it will keep them away.  We shall see!  For now, we watch vigilantly and remove if any are found. 

Here is our new bed with pumpkins growing in the front and watermelon in the back.  We have thinned a couple of times and are about to do so again. 

On a side note, it has been neat because Caleb and I are reading "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder right now for school.  So many things that are happening in the book, Caleb is able to watch in his own garden and experience for himself!  For example, the other day, we went outside and our pumpkins had the first two leaves.  The same day, we read our chapters and the very same thing was happening there!  I wish I could say that I was on the ball enough right now to have planned this, but that is just not the case!  It is just happening for us - I love it!

So, this is the most recent picture from a few days ago:

We officially have 4 zucchini, about 6 green peppers, 5 heads of lettuce, baby spinach, more tomatoes than I can count and lots of flowers on the green beans.  Yes, the zucchini has taken over the corner of the garden - it is massive!  We knew it would get big, but didn't see this coming!  Everything is growing so nicely, except the carrots and the onions.  For some reason, we keep losing these.  I don't think that there is anything left there, so we are going to try again and see how it goes.  I love watching all of the things grow!  I can't wait to start eating from the fruit of our labor!

BTW - we are using an organic pesticide.  Here is our recipe to keep the bugs at bay:  1 tbsp. vegetable oil and 1 tbsp. dish detergent mixed in 1 gallon of water.  Put in a spray bottle and saturate your plants often.    Also, to help with animals, we have done two things.  First, the last time I cut Mark and Caleb's hair, we saved the trimmings and spread them around the bed.  Then, just for good measure, we sprinkled cayenne pepper all around the perimeter of the garden.  They don't like the smell of either of these and it really seems to keep the critters out.