This is a pictorial update as to what is in the mix with the garden/farm.  Thanks for checking it out and keep it up you nosey farm fanatic…because face it, that’s what you are.

Look at the tomatoes please.

These were the first of the season.  I know what you’re thinking: “Amanda, it’s July and you’re just now getting ripe tomatoes?”

And my response to you is: “Yes, so.”

According to Dr. Calvin Bey, it hasn’t been a great year for tomatoes, and I would have to agree, because it’s past mid-July and our tomatoes are just now turning ripe.

Sugar baby watermelons.  I have to tell you, it has been a trip for me to see watermelons grow.  it’s a low, sprawling plant, I’ve never seen it before, and no pest is bothering it!  Watermelons to the max next year!  Yeah, that’s what I said….TO THE MAX!

This is a fruit of the “Charleston Grey” variety, again, simply amazing…check back in another week, that fruit will weigh 50 lbs!

This is an “All Sweet” variety.  They are usually the ones you see in your local grocery store from Mexico.

One of my county fair winners, if it lives that long.

A row of Arkansas Travelers.

Arkansas Travelers.

Mortgage Lifters.

A view of my bean tower, for my pinto beans.  I thought they were bush beans, but they’re not.

An okra blossom, so pretty…and did I mention okra is DELICIOUS?

Cucumber love!  Don’t you want it?  Of course you do!!!

More cucumber love, just for you.

These here are pickling cucumbers.  You should come over and learn how to do this with me.  For real.

Our green beans are just now coming to fruition.  What’s the date?  Quick!  Somebody.

Corn.  Some harvested.

This is a “Healthy” variety of sweet red pepper.  It’s like candy.  You should try some.

Serrano peppers.  Hot.

The view from above.

Previous compost area, now a melon/pumpkin patch…if it survives.  DUH duh duhhhhhh.

Just stay tuned.  I’m just as curious as you are.

You nosey people you, you’ve been dying since I told you about the stem borers, what’s the fate of the ole’ pumpkin patch?  Well, it’s in critical condition.  Today, Paul used a knife and slit into the stems of some of my pie pumpkin plants and pulled out multiple grubs.  He was slicing and hacking, with very little regard to me, who was standing there in horror.  He ripped out plants that he deemed terminal and sliced off the unripe pumpkins and tossed their bodies to me.  Their stems wept tears all over my sun dress, some streamed down my arm.  Their fate is to turn orange in the garage with me.  It wasn’t pretty and I hope none of you ambitious few ever have to experience such heartbreak.  Some plants were de-grubbed and given a critical status, but they just might live…Hallelujah!  It’s a problem that I knew existed, but need to do more research about, for preventative reasons.  Trial and error, trial and error.

That’s right, are you in the mood for some ultra-fresh produce for your plate?  Me too!  Location?  Oh, right, you need to know where to GO to get all of this yummy awesomeness. Well, those of you in the N.W.A. (not the rap group), you take Hwy 16 west (Weddington ave.) about 6 miles west of I-540.  You turn right on 85th ave (University of Arkansas Parisitology lab sign, big blue water tower).  Go an additional 1.7 miles and turn on county road 842, drive 500 feet and you’re at my driveway, ready to spend.  Paul says we’ll open up about 8 am.  You might see him out there, don’t expect me that early….I know, I know.  We have potatoes, okra, bell peppers, some tomatoes (if you’re early enough), onions, cucumbers, etc…  Even if we’re sold out, I’ll still give you a tour on the house.  So come one, come all!  Oh, one more thing, it’s on SATURDAY.

I refuse to buy bell peppers.  There are a few reasons.  One, I try to be a conscious food consumer and eat seasonably.  Two, bell peppers are really expensive and are imported from California or Mexico.  That is why when the first one of the season comes off of the plant and cooked into our dinner it tastes oh so good.  It’s the little things like this that make this venture so worthwhile.

The man, the myth, the legend, Dr. Calvin Bey came over today.  He toured the garden and had very nice things to say.  He looked at the pumpkin patch and said “These look much better than mine.”  Then I showed him the damage.  You see readers, there are these little critters known as stem borers, who chew into the base of the stem on any type of squash plant.  They eat the yummy insides and your beautiful squash plant turns yellow and dies a slow death.  I told Calvin that I just hoped the plant stayed alive long enough for the fruit to turn orange.  He looked at me and said “Yeah”.  He also said that he has been unsuccessful at maturing a pumpkin in this climate.  Right there is where the dagger entered my heart.  It still hurts.  That is my mission this year: Pumpkin patch.  It could be all sorts of things, I’m thinking because the weather here is somewhat tropical, it’s great for all of the bugs.  Last year at the farmer’s market, here in Fayetteville, I asked a farmer with gorgeous pumpkins what his secret was.  “I spray em’.”  Yeah, that’s pretty much the answer.  However, knowing what I know and doing what I do, that’s not my answer.  Is this the end of my pumpkin patch dreams?  Not sure yet, Paul says yes.  He told me to think about what I want to plant there next.  Doh!

If you ever read the term N.W.A. here on this blog, please know that I am not referring to the rap group, but to the region in which I live: Northwest Arkansas.  Thank you.

It’s 10:51 p.m. in the N.W.A. right now and 80 degrees.  Brutal.

When Paul pulled the potatoes out of the ground, he loaded them into crates and they have sat in our garage for…a week?  They were sitting there, waiting for us to get a good idea of what to do with them.  Granted, we would eat some here and there.  So now, Paul is on the floor picking out the mushy, rotten ones.  Let me tell you, it is not the most pleasant odor.  The lesson is:  clean and scan through the crop immediately, so that this doesn’t happen.  Put that one in your pocket.  It’s free.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106457956&sc=emaf

An interesting tail of future woes.  Listen up.

Oregano, keeping it real.

My parsley is finally making its debut.

Basil and carrot action.

My beautiful chard experiment.

The little cilantro that could!

What’s going on in the herb garden as of NOW.

Not too shabby.

The bed I installed to keep my kids off of that stump…so far it’s working.

My black bean, I assumed was a bush bean until it sent out a “climber”.  You live, you learn.

Sugar-pie pumpkin #2, stone sink-ing it up, trellising on the fence.  It’s working okay, the stem-boring beetles have attacked it though.  I only hope it stays alive long enough for the fruit on it to mature.

The stem-boring beetles eat a hole in the stem and it kills the plant, notice the yellow.

This one isn’t doing as well as the pumpkin on the trellis.  It is experiencing a lot of blossom drop.

I tied this on to give it support and later in the day it grew ever so much and broke free from the restraints I tried to keep it under.  Nobody keeps my pumpkins down!

Yeah, not so much.

By the by, Paul dug up over 200 pounds of potatoes!

He deserves big props, for it was no small task digging them all up.

Our first run of squash are almost done, a new run were planted about a week ago.

This is a carving pumpkin in its infancy.

Cantaloupe melon (yuck), I hear some people like these.

Watermelon!  Do a little dance.

Bottle gourd blossom.

Oliver helping Paul out.

Did I mention over 200 pounds of potatoes?

This is a broad view of my flower bed, inviting all of the pollinators into the space.

Some more pumpkins in the mix.

A view of this way.

Watermelon mania!  Do another little dance.

Whoop!  Whoop!

A view of that way.

Pie pumpkin out in the field.

Just to let you know, this is a pumpkin called “Big Max”, can you say county fair winner?

Okra!  I just cooked some for the first time in my life tonight and let me tell you something, all of you non-southerners, okra is delicious!

Pickle me PLEASE!

MMMMmmmmmmmmmm.

Currently turning all of that basil into pesto.

The never ending post, it’s okay, almost over.

Me, trying to be edgy.  But then there’s my foot.

Back view of my “keep off the stump” garden.

I’m proud of this fruit right here, love you boo.

The newer babies, thing 1 and thing 2.

The new space for the bigger babies, there’s five of them.  Thanks for checking out these pictures, sorry for the jumbled order, I don’t blame you if you need to get a drink right now.  Actually, that sounds like a great idea.  Until next time.