Archive for July 8, 2011

Grow Your Own – It’s A Jungle Out There

by John Weckerle

Senior Agricultural Security Correspondent Wilson demonstrates proper pest prevention positioning and his signature "Baleful Bunny Stare." This has not saved the chard, but everything else appears untouched.

Well, it’s almost a jungle, and it’s looking like it may get there soon.  Thus far, Beds 4 and 5 have produced a few very tasty nibbles: a snow pea here, a green bean there, and the radishes – ah, the radishes.  They’re delicious, and they are (or will be) many.  The first of the yellow summer squash will be ready today or tomorrow, and we’re already ready for them.

Bed 4, our “veggie decor” bed, appears to be a success.  The cabbages, which are just beginning to form heads, are a couple of feet across and flourishing.  Four of the six cauliflower plants have begun forming heads, as well, and we suspect that the other two are just a couple of days behind.  It is from Bed 4 that we’ve been sampling the snow peas and green beans, and we can take kale, thyme, basil, and oregano any time we like – although kale is best held until cool weather.  The bell peppers and eggplant remain an uncertainty; these may be affected by the shade from the surprisingly-resurrected trumpet vine, which has yet to produce any flower buds but which has grown from the ground to a height of six feet in about a month.

»» Grow Your Own – It’s A Jungle Out There