Tomatoes, Watermelon, ... and Doves

Yesterday was opening day for dove season here in Maryland, and I harvested 6 with my 20 guage shotgun. That's double my previous personal best. On top of that, it was a perfect day for sitting outside in a corn and sunflower field for four hours: nice breeze, beautiful skies, not too hot or cold.

And, when we got done, since I was already outfitted for tall grass with plenty of tick protection and planning a thorough de-ticking (actually didn't find any which surprised me), I harvested my second big batch of Italian tomatoes. Yes, they are rather overgrown with weeds... thus the relevance of the tick protection. But the great part is, I harvested around 400 tomatoes - two big dishpans full. Tomorrow it'll be a big squeezo-ing, spaghetti sauce-ing, and canning day for me. I expect I'll probably get 3 gallons or more juice out of them for another 6 or more quarts of spaghetti sauce. A good tomato year. :)

Today I watered everything and miracle-growed the watermelons. Also picked two gorgeous watermelons. The one I got earlier was 14 pounds. The ones from today were 17.2 pounds and 12.6 pounds. Best of all, there are still six more out there that I can see: two small and still growing, two medium, and two large almost ready to pick (the tendrils are beginning to dry out, but aren't quite there yet). I love watermelon, but I'm glad they're spacing themselves out a bit so we can enjoy them over a longer time period. And I still see some flowers, so who knows, there may be even more in the future. :)

Harvesting Tomatoes and Watermelon

Last Tuesday I harvested 230 tomatoes. Thursday I squashed them into more than 3 gallons of tomato juice, and Friday I made and canned spaghetti sauce. I got 6 quart jars of spaghetti sauce total. And today there are a bunch more ripe tomatoes. Didn't get a chance to pick them yet though.

Today I harvested my first ripe watermelon. It was fourteen pounds and super delicious. I'm saving some seeds, though I'll have to do some research on whether watermelon can cross pollinate with zucchini or pumpkin, and whether the cantaloupes Ann grew are close enough to cross pollinate with my watermelon. I see 7 more watermelons out there. At least one looks ripe, with the curly tendrils turning brown. The others look like they need at least a little more time. Can't wait to eat more watermelon!

Peas and Spinach

About a third of the row of peas came up beautifully. The other 2/3 came up sporadically. Today, I planted peas in some of the gaps and spinach in others.

Why peas and spinach together? It seemed as good a place for the spinach as any (already tilled and all). Just now I checked to see if they're recommended companion plants, and it seems they are. The peas provide shade for the spinach. And I'd think the spinach might keep down weeds at the base of the peas. We'll see how they do together. If they do well, I may take to planting them together intentionally in the future, not just as an afterthought. :)

Harvesting Corn and Planting Peas

I got an excellent crop of corn this year. We harvested Seneca Snowshoe July 17-25 and froze a bunch on the 25th. Then we harvested the Argent from July 26-August 4 and froze the remainder on the 4th (yesterday). Snowshoe was ripe right on schedule, but Argent was earlier than expected and we finished harvesting later than we probably should have. Snowshoe was bug free and beautiful, and the earlier harvested Argent were likewise, but some of the last ones were kind of buggy. Overall, a wonderful success!

Same day I harvested the last of the corn and cut down the stalks, I also planted a bunch of peas. They should take around 63 days to mature, putting harvest time around the 6th of October... shortly before the first frost slated for (if I recall correctly) mid-October. On one hand I wonder if I'm too late and on the other I wonder if I'm too early. But it's a good experiment. :)

Squash Bugs

I have identified the pests that are attacking my zucchini and volunteer pumpkin plants. I've seen all the stages, but didn't realize they were all related. Here's some info about the evil Squash Bug:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/PESTS/squashbug.html

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1208.html

Sadly, from what I've read, it seems the best defense may be a good offense. That is, I have to go out hunting and squashing. Yuck!

Veggie Garden Update

Recent additions to the veggie garden include:

2 Japanese Eggplants
14 Roma Tomatoes
2 Large Red Tomatoes
2 Large Yellow Tomatoes
Basil
Oregano

I've also started thinning the corn. It's not easy throwing out such beautiful healthy plants, but I know it'll help the other ones grow better.

Softouch Holly

Our latest landscaping addition is a pair of Softouch Holly (Ilex crenata) on either side of our front steps to replace the pair of azaleas of which one died. The remaining azalea is going around the corner in a shadier area.

Ilex crenata - Small, compact globe form with lustrous, dark green foliage. Mature height 2'x3'. Zone 6.

They're just the right size for the area, dark beautiful green, and will be green year round. Perfect.