Picture Perfect Cooking

Looking back over this summer’s blog posts, I realized that there were very few garden updates and I know why.  The HEAT!!!  I started out with grand plan for my little raised bed this year and most of them worked out to some extent.  Early on, my lettuce and carrots did great, and the cucumber plants were taking off.  That was before The HEAT, though, and, yes, I believe it deserves all caps!

The first generation of cucumber plants produced a few veggies, but not nearly as many as I would have liked.  You can see that second generation in the first photo below.  Again, there have been a few harvested but not many.  The third generation is coming along nicely, and there should be enough time before frost to get a few cucumbers.  I don’t know if I just don’t have enough plants or if I am doing something wrong.  I thought I would have so many that I could share them with family, but there are barely enough for C & I.  I think I need another bed so I can plant more.  Or maybe 2 beds?!!??

One veggie that has produced like gangbusters is the sweet peppers.  I only planted 3 little plants, but they have done great and are still hanging full!  That means lots of diced frozen sweet pepper for soups, chili, and sloppy Joes this fall and winter.  Yay!

I hope to add at least one more raised bed before next spring because I want to can my own tomato sauce and juice, so therefore I need room for tomato plants!  And maybe some herbs and cabbage and…well, you get the picture.  Heirloom seeds are something that interests me, too so I have started a pinboard over on Pinterest to save seed ideas for next year.  If you like what I have pinned, please follow me!!

I hope to have better luck next year. There are a few things that I should have done differently this summer and maybe I can correct those then.  I should have added fresh compost to the bed to enrich it and I should have mulched with straw so the ground would not dry out so bad.  Live and learn, people, live and learn!!