Garden 2013: War of the Weeds

Unlike last year, Kansas was cool and wet leading up to and into May. Rainy weekends continually postponed our planting, but we finally got our garden planted around mid-May. I had grand ideas of starting seedlings inside and planting broccoli and other cool weather vegetables in the spring, but due to a combination of work, laziness, and poor choices (watching Dr. Who seasons 1-4, for one), none of that happened. Lucky for us, the nursery is always happy to sell us plants grown by those who already know the dangers and ridiculousness of a time lord that fights "smart" robots with plungers for hands. We had a great time picking out multiple varieties of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. We also got pumpkins and planted our own green beans and carrots, two things we didn't have last year. 

Planted outside of the garden this year so that the tomatoes don't get groped

Everything is doing well so far. Kansas actually has had rain, so I've not had to water as often. The green beans sprouted and grew insanely fast. My husband worked hard to build some really good-looking trellises only for us to find out they were bushing and not climbing beans. Oh well. They look so good that I don't care. We left for a week in Glacier National Park (pictures to come soon!) and even though I didn't see a single baby cucumber growing, there was a completely mature cucumber waiting for us. It was delicious to taste homegrowns again! I picked a few peppers off today and can't wait to try those. I'm now waiting anxiously for the tomatoes to get big and ripe.

I am having a couple issues with weeds and pests. Our garden is chock full of crab grass. It's EVERYWHERE. It was difficult to pull out when it was short, but now that it's long, it looks like a real mess. I've been out there for hours at a time, sometimes even with husband, picking the grass out. I have filled buckets upon buckets, but the best I have done is clear the area around the plants' bases. The rest of the garden is a jungle. 

The peppers and the tomatoes...and the weeds

Note the cucumber rebelliously growing on the fence despite my attempts to put it on the classy trellis. Also note the wonderful green been trellis.

I got a book on Kickstarter last year called Home Sweet Homegrown. It's basically a hippie's guide to growing and storing food- I love it! It has a few natural weed killing recipes that include either pouring boiling water on a weed or spraying it with a vinegar/water mixture. Since I would have to run the length of my fairly long yard with a boiling kettle of water, I decided to try the vinegar mixture. You're just supposed to spray it on the leaves of a weed on a sunny day and watch the plant wilt away. I don't know what I did wrong (maybe too late in the day?) but my weeds looked refreshed when I came out the next day. I plan on trying it again in the morning on the next sunny day.

One recipe I did have success with last year and am trying again this year is a natural bug repellant. Whirl five cloves of garlic, an onion, some red pepper flakes, water, and a squirt of organic dish soap together and let sit over night. Strain the liquid, add some more water, and you have a potent nose-burning bug-repelling spray. You're supposed to spray it on the leaves of your plants. Just don't make the same mistake I did last year: I sprayed it on my arugula and had the spiciest salad ever when I picked it.

The brewing concoction. It smells like burning.

Despite the pests and weeds, the garden is succeeding. I hope to plant even more late summer when cooler-weather-loving crops, like lettuces, spinach, and broccoli, can be planted again. But I hear there's a new Doctor so we'll see....

Dunu nununununu nunununununu BAT HOUSE! aka future fertilizer factory. Another great build by my husband.