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Counting the Harvest in Pounds
We have finally reached that point! Some of you will be in awe, some of you will be as excited as we are; and, for some of you, you’ll think it’s no big deal as you’ve been doing it for years! 
Well, this is our first year to count the harvest in pounds…and it’s an amazing feeling! We’ve been able to sell some of our produce (local and chemical/pesticide free) for really good prices–and still have enough to share and for just ourselves!
What are the stars in the garden right now? Well, of course, the tomatoes are! That’s what everyone wants to know about, right? Do we have tomatoes?
Do we?
I picked 10 pounds of tomatoes this morning. I am beyond thrilled by that number. Of course, we have put a lot of work into that number, but we feel blessed hugely to see such a wonderful return on our investment so quickly!
What else is starring? Siberian Kale–a noted superfood and delicious to boot!
Herbs: thyme, marjoram, rosemary, basil (two varieties), tea herbs, elderberry, yarrow and echinacea.
Peppers! Jalapenos, sweet banana peppers, sweet bell peppers and cayenne.
Coming soon: keep your eyes open for an abundance of limas, pole beans, green beans and field peas!
Little Green Harvest to date
Just a quick update on the garden. I am adding an official harvest page to keep track of the amounts but wanted to make an official announcement as well! Today was the first day to harvest from the spring garden. We have been harvesting cabbage, kale, collards and herbs for a while now. I don’t even know how to account for them: several pounds??
Today’s harvest–>
green beans: 1 pound
mixed peppers: 1 pound
Pole beans are up in the Back 40 and tomatoes are about chest high. I’m also cloning the tomatoes this year to try for a continued harvest!
Blessings in the garden
Better Boy Tomatoes
Just making a quick list today of items I can walk outside and eat or use from the garden. It’s humbling…and makes all that weeding and watering worth it!
- onions
- garlic
- cabbage
- kale
- collards
- jalapeno peppers
- banana peppers
- bell peppers
- green tomatoes
HERBS
- nasturtiums
- basil
- marjoram
- lemon balm
- fennel
- cilantro
- rosemary
- calendula
Planting Today–>
- lettuce in containers: not sure if this will work but interested in growing tender greens for summer. Can I do this?? I’ll keep you updated!
- carrots: I always thought these were a cool-season crop in our area. Turns out, they’re pretty much year-round!
- green beans
- asparagus beans
- vegetable spaghetti (in greenhouse)
- okra (in greenhouse)
Making the mistakes, so you don’t have to…
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you are probably aware of my ongoing learning curve with our resident fish pond. In no certain order, lessons learned have been:
- electricity can kill. check your pond equipment for safety
- pond plants put oxygen into the pond during the day but take it away at night
- always make sure water hose is turned OFF before leaving house
- check tubing (this is the new one)
Just recently came home from a trip. The fish were all glad to see us and all was well for a few hours. Soon, I noticed that our giant white catfish was floating at the top of the pond, with almost no ability to swim. Since he’s the largest fish, he is always the first to let us know there is a problem. Long story short, we had a big (and invisible) problem. I was cleaning out the filter canister on a regular basis but water circulation seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. It just never occurred to me that we had a real problem–until I finally checked the tubing! The filter tubing had grown stiff. Over the year or so that it has been in use, this plastic tubing has been accumulating gunk on the inside. The same stuff that I was diligently cleaning out of the filter had also deposited itself on the wall of the tubing, making water circulation (and aeration) almost nil.
Simple fix: I had unused hose/tubing on hand and simply replaced it. Works great now.
But what about the catfish? Well, he had developed swim bladder issues and was unable to remain upright for any amount of time. Here are the reasons he may have developed this issue:
- water quality
- bacteria
- gulping air
- constipation (!!!)
There are many ways to right this problem and I tried all of them except for creating a little sling with corks. So, what did I try?
- tea tree: in case the problem was bacterial. great medication for your fish pond. check online or ask your fish professional for your recommended dosage
- green peas: act as a laxative. I actually held the catfish in my hands and inserted the peas into his mouth. thankfully, catfish has a big mouth!
- pond salt: 1 cup per 100 gallons. I just use regular rock salt.
- I massaged the fish’ belly. I did.
Did any of these techniques work? To be honest: yes/maybe/I don’t know. Fish is swimming around nervously. He won’t come to the top of the pond but he IS remaining upright!
So, there you have it. Just one more mistake you don’t have to make!
Little Green Bees Newsletter
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Gardening Tips
I pulled out my trusty Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte today to discover what plants are good companions for beans. Well, turns out that our little picklebush cucumbers are going to be the best bet for companion planting there. As usual, once I start reading this book, I just can’t stop! It’s so well written and there’s always something I need to know in there.
As I’m brimming over with information from the book, I thought I would share a few tidbits with you as well. They are, in no order whatsoever…
- interplant cucumbers and beans as they are mutually beneficial. summer savory is also a good companion plant for the beans as it increases production and flavor! keep onions and all onion family members away from beans!
- if you have trouble with nematodes on your cucumbers, spray them with a sugar spray. Ms. Riotte recommends a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar to cups water, stirred well and allowed to cool. mix with one gallon of water and spray plants. for some reason, this application is supposed to dry out the nematodes! BONUS: even if nematodes are not present, the sugar water will attract bees and other pollinators and you’ll have a bumper crop of cucumbers. WIN!
- bee balm helps improve the flavor of tomatoes, as does basil
- garlic is great for apples, roses and strawberries
- keep fennel away from pretty much everything in your garden.
- elderberry aids fermentation of compost. (for more composting ideas, be sure to check out Chris McLaughlin’s wonderful book The Idiot’s Guide to Composting)
I really could go on and on and on but there is so much information!
If you’re interested in learning more about companion planting, take a look at a post I made several years ago on the subject:
Planting Onions, Part Two
Taking Donald’s advice, I replanted our onions today! Basically, they were the same size as the ones he grew over the winter. So, I followed his steps from the transplanting point. Dug up the small sets, chopped off the tops and replanted them in a double row, six inches apart. I have photos for you to see!
Since I’m having trouble inserting the slideshow of the photos here, simply follow this link: Planting Onions
Planting Onions
Donald is in South Louisiana, so his information is applicable to us as well! He is planting “candy” onions.
