CROP UPDATE

Things are growing quite well at Casa de Lorna. So far, the bunnies haven't eaten more than eight or nine of the beans. I've been putting cayenne pepper on the leaves, and that seems to be deterring them, and yesterday we put granular blood pellets down, which is supposed to deter them, too. In this picture, you can see the beans and almost see one that was bunny-bitten. (Bottom Middle.)

To hedge my bets, I planted beans in the ground, but also in a big container. So far, the container beans are outperforming those in the ground. Go figure. I figure they're going to start climbing before the end of the week.

Now here's a potential problem. What if I have a bumper crop of beans this year? I planted them here at home and at our family's cottage. I LOVE fresh green beans and could eat them every day. Hubby isn't quite as enthusiastic. My luck at freezing them has been hit and miss. I seem to blanch them too long, and then they're mushy when you go to cook them for dinner. (Anyone want to give some advice?)

We had a LOT of rain last week, and the potatoes said, "WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" and really took off. I'm using new dirt this year (again, growing them in a container), and they seem a lot happier than their predecessors. I'm hoping to have a bumber crop this year. (Past years haven't yielded more than two meals.)

The broccoli and Brussels Sprouts have been happy with the rain, too. Likewise the tomatoes. And already my parsley has gone to seed, which is telling me to get off my butt and pick it. (Meanwhile, I've been nipping it--hoping it'll bush out.)

This is the first year I've grown lettuce, and again, to hedge my bets, I did it in a little container. I'm hoping we'll be eating fresh lettuce by the end of the week. That pot on the bottom contains one of my heirloom tomato "seedlings." I had them in little containers and decided last week they were big enough to have their own pots. (Actually, there's two in this pot--I ran out of pots.) They're doing well, albeit late, and I'm hoping to have at least a few purple and green tomatoes before the frost.

I love going out in the garden and seeing my crops doing well, and I don't even mind weeding. (Still have some mulching to do in the flower beds.)

Who knew gardening could be so much back-breaking fun.