Invasion of the Zucchini

not a single posting in july...appalling. i hope to get back on track this month.

harvesting has begun with the zucchini. my 2 plants are thriving and producing no less than 6 squash per week. our hot dry spell (100+ deg for 5 straight days) during late july kicked them into high gear. i typically freeze shredded zucchini in 2-cup quantities for use in bread, muffins, etc.

i've also been searching around for inventive recipes to use the squash in. came across this chocolate zucchini bread recipe...to die for! **note: i substituted applesauce for the oil 1:1 and used wheat flour instead.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Zucchini-Bread-I/Detail.aspx

Lightening, Wind, and Tons of Rain

we were blessed with a wicked lightening / wind / downpour storm yesterday afternoon. the wind gusts were upwards of 60 mph and my tomato plants didn't fair so well. i discovered the damage early this morning...one of my roma plants had been decapitated. i'm hoping that since the root ball was protected in the bucket and is still intact, that the stem will start regrowing leaves and still be able to produce fruit this season. we'll see.

the photo shows the underside of the bucket where the stem snapped off.

Organic Pesticide to the Rescue

i've noticed my basil plants being munched on by some teeny tiny combatant. i'm not sure what type of insect is doing the damage, so i'm not entirely sure what type of pesticide to use. i do know, however, that i'd prefer to go the organic route and stay with natural ingredients. i found a couple of great resources that offer organic pesticide recipes:

http://www.greeneatsblog.com/2008/07/homemade-pesticide-solution.html

http://www.examiner.com/x-8250-Denver-Gardening-Examiner~y2009m4d17-How-to-make-inexpensive-homemade-pesticide-for-your-Denver-garden

i think i'll give the garlic/oil/water spray a try. it sounds easy and i have the ingredients on hand. i'll check back in later to let you know how it's working.

UPDATE: (Sunday June 6) sprayed all leaves with garlic/oil/water spray. it was a little messy straining the mixture, but not too difficult. i coated all leaf tops/undersides. we'll see if it helps.

UPDATE 2: (Sunday, Aug 2) i've given it some time and lots of extra water, and the basil has triumphed. now a vibrant green color and pest-free...looks like i'll have lots in pesto in the freezer this fall.

For the record

When I planted my tomatoes last month, I forgot to post it. My toms are now thriving, so i want to make sure the same steps are repeated.

• I started by cutting a 2-in. hole cut in the bottom of my 5-gal. buckets.
  
• Carefully push the leaves of the tomato starter through the hole, leaving the root ball inside the bucket.
• Pack spanish moss around the root ball to help with drainage...about 3 inches deep.
• Fill bucket with good potting soil / compost mixture to within 3 inches of top
• Water daily
• Eat tomatoes

Starting Over...

After my initial planting splurge 4 weeks ago, we were beseiged by an onslaught of freezing cold weather and torrential downpours...day after day after day. Nearly all of my seeds FAILED to sprout at all. I waited and waited and waited, but to no avail. I was forced to face reality and committed myself to replanting everything over Memorial Day weekend. Pole beans, lima beans, snow peas, beets, carrots, onions, spinach, crenshaw, zucchini and lettuces were all replanted. Fortunately, it paid off! All veggies have sprouted but 2: carrots and snow peas are being really stubborn.

Garden Diagram: The Plan

plotting everything out in a diagram helped make better use of my limited space.

Planting Day Three

i was excited to find artichoke starts at the nursery the other day. i had previously purchased seeds and had planned to start them indoors, but this was a huge time saver. i decided to plant 2 starts, not sure how much each will yield.

the rain held off long enough to also get the watermelon and crenshaw melon seeds planted. the soil is pretty soaked, so will most likely have to wait a day or two for planting the pole beans, onions, carrots and beets.

i read online that growing ginger was easy, so i decided to give it a try. i started by soaking the rhizomes in warm water overnight, then potting them in a bit of rich soil. they're sitting in a sunny window for a week or two until they sprout, then will be transplanted to the main garden.