The days here have been so long, that I cannot even remember what I did in the mornings by the time evening rolls in. It's easy to forget how much work planting a large garden is. I know it will be worth it, and it is starting out much better than last year (in more ways than one).
Exhausted with a capital E for sure. Hard work in a good way. I'll be honest, I think we are more happy planting the garden this year.
I finally got all of the garden in, and rain is in the forecast as I type (praying it does). We are not planting pumpkins of any kind this year. We still have a lot in the freezer. We are sort of on the path of having some garden good last 2 years, so we can start to rotate what we do plant.
Last year, I did not can any hot pepper relish, sweet pickle relish, can pickles, can jalapenos etc. I planted 3 types of cucumbers this year. Praying the harvest is bountiful.
We are talking about expanding it a bit to run the fence a bit more useful, so we plan to till an area (it's between the asparagus and actual garden, and not really large) and cover it for the winter. It would also make mowing/trimming less work.
Speaking of covering the ground, we have seen this thick rubber mat that the Amish use on their gardens. Does anyone know what it is? Where do you buy it? It looks heavy enough the winter winds would not whip it up like a tarp or plastic.
Now that the asparagus harvest is done for the season, we are looking forward to what's next to harvest. The fall garlic is looking so much better this year. After growing it in grow bags, and then raised beds, we have finally decided it's 100% better grown directly in the garden. Now that it's just us two, we don't need to grow as much either.
Speaking of just us two, I froze way too many strawberries last season (long time habit of a big family), and have more in the freezer than I expected. I typically use them for baked crumbles or crisps, or even add them to oatmeal breakfast bakes. We have enough jam on hand too. Any suggestions? Muffins maybe?
I will make sure I cut back on what I freeze in the way of fresh fruit this year.
No new recipes tried. Heck, dinner has been a challenge in itself.
No Christmas planning, but hope to get some progress on that. Maybe.
Prosperous Days and Lots of Patience © June 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
8 comments:
I envy your large garden space, but not the effort to maintain it.
Christmas will come whether we are totally ready or not.
I can't imagine every having too much strawberry "stuff". We love strawberries. I hope you enjoy everything you've planted this year. The rains followed us from home to our campground here in Missouri. Tomorrow we head to Indiana, maybe it will be drier there.
Blessings,
Betsy
I think there are heavy matts at the farm supply stores, they are expensive, My son in law used a whole bunch under their pool for a solid base. Maybe the Amish make their own out of used tires or something?? Yes gardens are work, but worth the effort.
Gosh, you do so much! Planting a big garden is a job and picking and canning even harder. It's all I can do to manage our little fenced-in 24' x 48' garden.
Anne, I think the most work is when it's getting planted and then the harvest time. Canning sauces of any kind are the longest days.
Betsy, let me know how you like your Indiana campgrounds. We looked into a few last year, but had no time to go.
Far Side of Fifty, that's good to know that they are expensive. We have seen them as flooring for greenhouses too, but never asked. I should definitely ask next time.
Henny Penny, it's enough to last either one year, and now we some canned items last 2 years, so I'm hoping to cut back and rotate more.
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