Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The cabbage harvest

This harvest meant alot to me, because it's the first time I've ever got to harvest actual heads of cabbage from the garden. Yay! Man....the seeds were started during the last week of November, and it sure was a long wait. Three plants had to be thrown away, because the stems were rotted, and stunk! Pee-yew! A total of 13 lbs., 2 oz. was the harvest total, and I started fermenting it tonight for sauerkraut! Yummy! After the cores were removed, a little more than 10 lbs. was shredded, and prepared. Hopefully, in 3-4 weeks it will be finished, and the canning will take place.



Photo below - The corn looks so naked! Just look at those skinny legs....Ha!

Photo below - Here's my sweet potatoes in there new home. The planter at the bottom of the picture has my homemade slips in it, and the others are store bought.

Photo below - Some of the melons are growing like crazy....Right now, the sugar bowl variety is in the lead.


In more gardening related news, I planted the pumpkin seeds today, and one variety is supposed to get really big! (Thanks, Medo!) I also planted "jack-be-little", and "jack-o-lantern".
One of my pole bean vines has made it to the top of the trellis extensions, and the rest are close behind. Flowers have begun to form, and the first harvest should be just a few weeks away. Corn is tasseling, (sp?) as well, and I really need to put something into place that will keep it from falling over. That will have to take place on Friday evening after work.
Tons of cucumber flowers are waiting to be pollinated, and the squash have been hand-pollinated each morning. The bees just aren't visible like last year......
Update on the sidebar issue - one of the gadgets had a problem (most probable - "followers" gadget). Removing everything was the only way I could even get the main page to pull up. Hopefully, I can get it resolved soon.....
Take care, and happy gardening!
EG




9 comments:

Toni-zone 4 WY said...

Hey EG!

Good job on those cabbages! They look fantastic!

Kelly said...

Sad that you are not seeing bees this year. Are you using a paintbrush to polinate? I hope the bugs come sooner rather than later for you, hand pollination must be a lot to keep up with.

Your cabbage is gorgeous! (Slightly off topic- I can't remeber- did you use Mel's Mix for your beds or your own concoction? I did not use his formula but am starting to wish I had, some beds are very 'solid' even with a large amount of compost worked in. Any suggestions of what to add next year? More Peat? Can't find vermiculite locally.)

john said...

Looking good EG. Keep us posted on the kraut.

John

Engineeredgarden said...

Toni - thanks!

Kelly - no paintbrush....just tickling with the male flower. Thank you very much for the compliment!
Yes, I am using Mel's mix in the big bed, and love it! No vermiculite, huh? Although perlite wants to float to the top when it rains, it's a good thing to add for drainage (and it sounds like you need some).

John - I certainly will.....

Daphne said...

You had me at 13lbs of cabbage, but you lost me at sauerkraut. My folks used to make the stuff. Ick. However I'd have coleslaw everyday. I so love coleslaw. I wonder if you can save a head for the Fourth of July. It would be a good addition to a BBQ.

Ribbit said...

I'm going to try the cabbage again this fall. I wonder if I let it go enough being the time you let yours mature.

The boy's corn seems to double by day. I didn't know if it would tip over like my zucchini, but I'd be interested to see what you do with yours.

Engineeredgarden said...

Daphne - that's a shame! I like cabbage any way you fix it. Slaw is excellent!

ribbit - maybe....i'll grow it this fall, too - but only under a hoop cover! It's funny that you mentioned supporting the corn, because I did just that, today.

Dan said...

Way to go on the Cabbages, they look great! I will look forward to your post on the sauerkraut. Can't wait to see the sweet potatoes grow. I was going to try them in the half barrel this year but they were replaced by more tomatoes. Maybe I will make room for them next year.

Sinfonian said...

Wow, that's some grand looking cabbage! Great work. Sure will be worth the wait!

And yep, corn gets that way, it'll look like it's going to fall over. Mine's only 6-8 inches tall, but with the weather we've had, it's growing well. Also, I just gave it its first shot of fish emulsion (nitrogen)! I should take a picture, hehe.