Early June

Still early in the growing season. Applied fertilizer for the first time today. 

Will never again start cucumbers, melon, pumpkins and squash inside again.

They all hated the transplant!

East bed

Spinach 

 Peas

Still struggling cucumbers 

brussel sprouts 

Potatoes in the est bed 

Middle Bed 

 Tomatoes

 Onion jungle

East bed 

Potato bag 

Cabbage taking over in front of broccoli 

Peppers and carrots

 Herb grow bag

Lettuce box

Vegetable Seeds Planting Dates for Denver 2013

Crop	Start Seeds Indoors	Moon-favorable Dates	Start Seeds in the Ground	Moon-favorable Dates
Beans			Apr 30-May 14	May 9-14
Beets			Apr 9-May 21	Apr 9
Broccoli	Mar 4-19	Mar 11-19	Apr 9-16	Apr 10-16
Brussels sprouts	Mar 4-19	Mar 11-19
Cabbage	Mar 4-19	Mar 11-19	Apr 23-May 7	Apr 23-25
Carrots			Mar 26-Apr 9	Mar 28-Apr 9
Cauliflower	Mar 4-19	Mar 11-19	Apr 23-May 7	Apr 23-25
Celery	Mar 4-19	Mar 11-19
Corn			May 14-21	May 14-21
Cucumbers	Apr 2-16	Apr 10-16	May 7-14	May 9-14
Lettuce	Mar 19-Apr 2	Mar 19-27	Apr 23-May 14	Apr 23-25
Melons	Apr 2-16	Apr 10-16	May 14-21	May 14-21
Onion sets			Apr 2- 9	Apr 2- 9
Parsnips			Apr 9-30	Apr 9
Peas			Mar 19-Apr 2	Mar 19-27
Peppers	Mar 4-19	Mar 11-19
Potato tubers			Apr 30-May 14	Apr 30-May 8
Pumpkins	Apr 2-16	Apr 10-16	May 7-14	May 9-14
Radishes			Apr 23-May 7	Apr 26-May 7
Spinach			Mar 19-Apr 2	Mar 19-27
Squash, summer	Apr 2-16	Apr 10-16	May 7-14	May 9-14
Squash, winter	Apr 2-16	Apr 10-16	May 7-14	May 9-14
Tomatoes	Mar 4-19	Mar 11-19

My hibernating garden

I have just started to feel a little bit of garden fever. the Territorial Seed catalog showed up in the mailbox a couple of weeks ago. I went out yesterday, which turned out to be a gorgeous sunny warm winter day to take a peek at the beds.

Still some snow that refuses to melt in the Northern shade.

I put my beds to winter by pulling everything (well except some baby purple onion who decided to actually grow at the end of the season and the parsley). Then I sprinkled on a thin layer of Kathy's worm compost and topped it off with grass clippings and mulched leaves.

Nothing too exciting at all happening to the naked eye. I'm hoping all kinds of wonder microbial things are happening (or will happen) underneath the surface.

I ran across a nice quote that I am embarrassed to admit where I found it. "Gardening is a way of showing you believe in tomorrow"...straight off a paper towel. Lol

Danger zone!

Guess what threatened us this week? If you guessed freezing temps, you are right! Although I don't think we have actually reached any yet. I "wrapped", "tucked in", "blanketed" the middle bed (yes, the only thing that matters this time of season in my mind is MORE TOMATOES!)

10/3/12 Low: 37

10/4/12 Low: 30

10/5/12 Low: 32

There was even a little dusting of snow on non-ground items (cars, trash cans) yesterday morning (10/5/12).

So there you have it. First snow of season 10/5/12. First freezing temp 10/4/12.

Thoughts for next year

Late Sept

Beginning to wind down. Weather is really cooling off, which is so nice and welcome. It has been an incredibly hot summer. I'm pleased with how well my garden has done through the hot weather. Again, another plug for the watering system that was so simple and easy. 

I don't have final counts, but I have made roughly

5 quarts of fresh pico

10 pints of salsa

3 quarts of marinara

10 quarts of canned peaches (not from my garden, but Western CO)

1 gallon bag of apple chips (also from Western CO)

12 jars peach ginger jam

12 jars blueberry jam

12 jars strawberry jam

20 quarts of pickles

5-2 cup servings green beans frozen

pesto and chimichurri sauce

I found this fella when I was pulling out cucumber plants. My mamma will be so proud. She brought a whole can full of worms for my garden in the spring.

Cucumber trellis, with half of the plant removed.

Kale, kale everywhere!

Green beans took off over the last few weeks. I think they are enjoying the cooler weather too.

East bed

Center bed. The tomatoes are still going strong. I got prune crazy earlier this week and wacked off most of the cherry tomato vines outside of the bed. Alli & Sid picked up all the cherry tomatoes that fell off the vine and were rotting on the rocks in exchange for 5 candy corns apiece. I love child labor!

The dreaded squash plants. I've really just come to hate them. IF I choose to plant any next year, it will be only one...and not in a raised bed. And it will be a zucchini. To the left is the broccoli. It also likes this cooler weather and has been producing a lot of shoots.

East bed. Be gone cucumbers.

Hi there little watermelon that could!

One last pic of the mess of squash before I destroy it. Perhaps I will need a machete or a sickle to get through this!

No surprise! There is a ginormous part zucchini/part yellow squash hidden beneath all that mess.

Be gone squash nightmare! Oh hello pumpkin vines!

Alli REALLY wants to pick this guy and can't wait to go after him with a knife to turn him into a jack-o-lantern! I think I'm going to have to do some serious bribing to spare him the agony. I'm thinking I will offer her a few store bought ones that she can do what she pleases with.

Our 2 other pumpkins. Not quiet as big and beautiful.

And last but not least, the mess of tomatoes. But they are still filled with green ones, so I'm leaving them alone for now.

Mid Sept

I've reached that point later in the season when I just done have time, energy or motivation to even think about the garden, so it has gotten ignored. I muster up the strength to get out there about once a week to harvest. Luckily the sprinkler system is in place, so I can water with the press of a button on the way out in the morning.

Cherry tomatoes are out of control, climbing up the Blue Spruce.

Red tomatoes! Yum! Don't look too close or you might see that they have been on the vine too long!

East bed. Cucumbers must have run out of nitrogen. They are yellowing quickly. I should fertilize, but that might take a lot of effort. Ugh!

Our watermelon is like The Little Engine That Could. We've been rooting it along, so proud of how it did. All in all, its still pretty small, but I can't bear picking it and seeing what is inside yet. I have hopes that it is going to take off and grow up to be a big watermelon someday.

We only ended up with 3 big pumpkins this year. I was hoping for more, but such is life. I have no idea what the heck I'm doing when it comes to pumpkin. I'm pleased.

Kale. It looks like I know what I'm doing when it comes to growing kale. Now if I only knew what to do with it once it is harvested. Guess what everyone? More kale chips!

Looking west across the garden.