The Summer is flying by at a ridiculous rate of speed! It’s time for a recap of the vegetable garden happenings in 2017 at MTHTZ.
First of all I’m very excited to announce the start of my spin farming business (small plot intensive farming)! This Summer is my first official year in business as a producer for the Freight House Food Hub in Davenport Iowa. As this is the year of learning the business aspect of spin farming, I have kept the size of the growing area small. Next year, however, I’m all in!
With the help of My Tom, the growing areas will be expanding to 3 times the size of what I have now and I will have a larger physical presence at our local Farmers Markets.
These are the herbs I have provided for the Grower’s Choice Program.
Oregano
Mixed Herb Bouquets
Next will be tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers!
After all, they say if you love what you do, it really isn’t work! Although sometimes I have to remind myself of that when I’ve got the hoe in my hands and it’s 100 plus degrees with the heat index.
For today though, I’m recapping the 2017 garden with a few photo’s I’ve taken this season, as this is the last year it will appear as it is.
Seedlings
These are just a couple of the seedlings I started indoor under lights from seed this year.
They’re getting bigger!
By the time I hardened them off and planted them in the ground, they had progressed to this.
These are just the tomatoes and, in all reality, I probably jumped the gun a bit. I had to repot them in bigger pots before it was really safe to plant them outside. But every one that I started from seed survived and is still going strong!
Potatoes
Planting the seed potatoes. I had 3 different types. La Ratte Fingerlings, German Butterball, and All Blue.
And then this happened. This is only the German Butterball potatoes. They produced well. Stay tuned for the homemade potato chip recipe in the near future!
Peas
I grew snap peas and shelling peas.
Strawberries
Lots of strawberries for fresh eating, jam, pie, and freezing.
Mixed Lettuce and Greens
Mixed Lettuce was grown along with spinach and arugula.
Onions and Garlic
Onions
Garlic
Pole Beans
Green beans and Lima beans
Pole beans and dry beans
Trellis Gardening
Squash growing on the trellis and a row of beets in front. Spaghetti squash, butternut squash and also (not shown) summer squash and zucchini.
Broccoli
This has been one of the best broccoli seasons I’ve ever had!
Artichokes
Artichokes are a new thing for me. They are a perennial in warm climates but here in Illinois zone 5 they typically are not. I have read that it is possible to overwinter them with lots and lots of mulch. I’m going to give it a shot and see what happens.
These are my first two. I probably left them on the stalk a few days longer than I should have just because I am a newbie at artichokes but, they were still amazingly delicious!
Carrots
Red Cabbage
Peppers
These are Jalapeno Peppers, but I have also grown Bell and Poblano peppers this year. Staying away from the Ghost Peppers this season as I still have plenty of Sriratcha and frozen Ghost peppers. But next year? Who knows??
Tomatoes
This has been a great tomato season. This is a German Pink Heirloom. I also grew Amish Paste Romas, San Marzano (a roma type tomato), and Cherry tomatoes.
I’m going to stop there for now. This is not a complete list of everything growing here but I think I’ve droned on long enough! I can’t tell you how amazing it is to start something from a tiny seed and see it through to maturity! Just like having babies, but without all the people drama!
Hope this gives you encouragement to keep growing! There’s no better food for your health than from your own back yard!
© 2017, Pamela. All rights reserved.
