Plans for Fall Crops Announced

Bibb Lettuce
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

While it's not even August yet, the Backyard Granger is making preparations for sowing a fall crop. Seeds for radishes, beets, and spinach should be arriving shortly. Having never done anything like this but knowing that fall crops like cool weather, we'll try to sow a few seeds during the first week of August and then repeat the process every week or so until the seed runs out.

Pictured is a head of bibb lettuce, which, all things considered, was my favorite plant grown in the grange thus far. Sown indoors sometime in mid-march and moved outside about a month later, this plant yield several servings before succumbing to the heat sometime in mid-June. We loved ye like a brother and you will be missed. Godspeed, bibb lettuce.

Supersweet 100s, Day 63

Supersweet 100s Ripening
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Right on schedule, and perhaps a few days early, the supersweets are starting to ripen. From the first sign of color to actual harvest seems to take only scant few days.

Container Garden - 4th Week of July

Container Garden - 7/25/05
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

The past week has been an active week for the backyard Granger. The first of the tomatoes are starting to ripen and today I had the first fresh tomato of the season. Tasty.

With joy comes some heartache. Watering is more and more critical, especially now that a heatwave is forecast to begin tomorrow. High winds continue to twist the tomato plants into new shapes and occasionally tip a plant over here and there. The weights on the containers seem to be working fairly well, however. Even with gusts over 30 mph today only one plant went sideways.

The flowers along with the chives and basil seem to be plugging along and are virtually maintenance free.

Yellow Straight-Neck Squash, Day 60

Squash
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Planted just sixty days ago and grown in the "back 40" -- in reality a 20 square foot patch of dirt -- this plant has produced several squash already. A prolific producer, from flower to food seems to take about ten to fourteen days. Recent production has dropped off as several squash succumbed to some sort of rot. The plant seems to be back on track, however, with this latest offering.

Red Geranium

Red Geranium
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

Having overwintered in the basement, this plant looked rather sickly in the spring, but with some water and a bit of fertilizer it perked up and has been flowering for weeks.

Petunias and Marigolds

Container Flowers
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

These were recently picked up on sale and planted in a container. All of the plants are thriving and setting new flower buds. As they fill up an entire container, they don't seem to need much watering.

Supersweet 100s, Day 58

Supersweet 100s
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

These cherry tomatoes seem to be taking forever to ripen.

Container Garden - 3rd Week of July

Container Garden - 7/20/05
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

At a little over six feet tall, the tomato plants are postively gigantic. Within the next 10 days the first tomatoes should be ripe.

One unexpected problem is that the tomato plants act like sails and are prone to tipping over, hence the weights on the sides of the containers.

The basil on the right were seedlings just a few weeks ago and have certainly hit their stride.

Container Garden - 1st Week of July

Container Garden -- 7/1/05
Originally uploaded by tpl108.

The tomatoes are well on their way and are doing quite well. Given how many tomatoes these five plants are likely to produce, more basil was planted last week.