Mushroom hunting and country living

Came back home to big zucchini in the garden & other garden photos

I was away from the garden for a couple of days, and I knew I would be coming home to big zucchini and crookneck squash because they were already getting big. I harvested the zucchini and crookneck squash to make fried squash with rice for dinner tonight.

the top left squashes were fused together

By the way, when I was taking pictures of the garden, I didn't notice that the lens wasn't clean, so there is a smudge in the center of some of the photos.

Additionally, the buttercup squash is growing alongside the cucumbers which are also producing fruit. In a matter of weeks I will be harvesting cucumbers and buttercup squash hopefully.

The melons are flowering alongside the pumpkins and tomatoes as well, and because they are all in the very early stages it will be some time before I will harvest them. I think it's going to be a great year for a lot of the vegetables and fruits I'm growing, though because they'll have two to three more months of summer weather.

squash

tomatoes

cucumbers & pumpkin

2 rows of cucumbers, pumpkins, & buttercup squash

butternut squash, pepper, cucumber, & watermelons growing

Some other plants that are growing are the pineapples in the containers. I have 5 pineapples growing that are over 2 years old now.

pineapples & other tropical indoor plants

The grapes are getting larger as well...

Happy gardening, y'all!

Cold frames made out of recycled materials

Cold frames function like a mini greenhouse because they are small enclosures, usually low to the ground, and protects plants from the cold. Cold frames have a transparent (plastic or glass) top, allowing sunlight to enter and trap inside. This prevents heat from escaping, which creates a micro-climate providing "several degrees of air and soil temperature insulation, and shelter from wind. In cold-winter regions, these characteristics allow plants to be started earlier in the spring, and to survive longer into the fall and winter. They are most often used for growing seedlings that are later transplanted into open ground, and can also be a permanent home to cold-hardy vegetables grown for autumn and winter harvest" ("cold frame", wikipedia).

The best cold frames I have seen were made out of recycled materials, found around the yard/house or in the woods. And usually when making cold frames out of recycled materials, this requires minimal materials, less work, and usually no power tools.
Most often I see the top of the cold frame made out of recycled windows or doors. Actually I use recycled glass shelves from an old refrigerator to protect the greens growing in buckets (here). The frame can be made out of recycled pallets/pre-cut wood, sticks/branches/logs, bricks, stones, cinder blocks, straw bale, and much more.
Here I show you the cold frame ideas made out of recycled materials, or minimal materials.

pinterest

pinterest

pinterest

Landshare

High mowing seeds

SHTF prepper

photo source

Bepa's garden

Cold frames can be as rustic or professional as you can manage. The mindset is to make it happen, rather than set yourself up for limitations.

Spotts Garden Service

When starting a fall or winter garden, do not think so large scale, because you may not be able to cover and protect all your plants. Usually I grow a small patch of greens throughout the fall and winter, and that is just enough to for a salad everyday. This year I wasn't as successful because of other challenges (squirrels and other animals digging up my seeds and eating the plants). 

photo source

seasonal wisdom

photo source

Lastly, an important tip in making the cold frames: angle the cold frame so that it faces south, and the glass is 39 degrees from the back wall (which should be taller than than parallel wall.

Buttercup squash, Cucumber trellis, pumpkin & melon hugelkultur

You have seen the Hugelkultur gardens growing greens, tomatoes, peppers, but I have shown you little of the patches of gardens and container gardens around the yard. Below are the hugelkultur mounds growing varieties of melons, such as honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon. 

melons growing on hugelkultur

Santa claus melon plants

 Another hugelkultur mound, located in front of the house, is growing pumpkins. This location receives little sun, but there are patches of sun throughout the day. One problem we have been having with this hugelkultur mound in particular is that there are critters living inside and eating the roots and plants. I think birds watched me plant pumpkin seeds too and ate them. I noticed that many seeds and plants were dug up or eaten, and there were holes made throughout this bed. I am fortunate to have this many pumpkins left.

pumpkins growing on hugelkultur

I am growing buttercup squash for the first time. For these, I dug 6 big holes, filled with garden soil and planted the seeds. These have grown quickly, located in full sun in between the herb garden and grape vines. They are growing on a slope so that they can crawl downhill.

buttercup squash plants

 Also in the front of the house is a patch of cucumbers with a trellis. The trellis is a wire fencing attached to metal posts in the ground. The fencing is leaning so that the cucumbers will easily crawl up the trellis. 
Beside the rows of cucumbers are a large mound of potato varieties, tomatoes, and peas growing on a trellis. This garden patch gets morning sun, but the maple trees shade this garden for most of the day. 

cucumbers growing

tomatoes, potatoes, peas, & cucumber patch

Luffa plants growing in containers

I have some plants growing in large containers, such as Luffa (loofah) plants. I have yet to make a a trellis for them. I have been eying the fencing that I was using for the raspberries, so maybe I'll fashion the fencing into a trellis for them. 
For the cucumber plants, I leaned a pallet up against a building for the cucumbers to grow upwards, and also a piece of a baby crib for another container of cucumbers. 
Other vegetables I have growing in containers include Tomatoes, black eyed peas, black beans, and a melon plant that is either Santa Claus or Canary melon. 

Cucumbers in containers

Cucumbers & Tomato trellis

black eyed peas & black beans in containers

canary or santa claus melon plant