Gardening: June, July & August
Hello.
It's been a busy time for me. The summer always seems to be that way.
The gardening life as time has gone by, has gotten interesting. More complicated in some ways, easier in others.
And also some unexpected things.
So, let's dig in.
Cucumbers Need Much More Space Than I Realized
I have two cucumber plants. I didn't want to overwhelm myself. A friend of mine had told me how cucumbers like to go "crazy" and while I believed them, I didn't think they would go that crazy.
Naturally, I bought two 3-foot trellises for my plants, and boy was that not enough. They grew to almost as tall as me, which is over 5 feet tall. Grow baby grow!
I will say, that what I've learned, is that maybe I only need one cucumber plant. I have a small garden and I think two was too much, and they weren't able to grow as happily as they wanted as they kept running out of room to grow. I also didn't properly give them the space they needed. Next year I will better prepare.
Next year, I'm definitely making my own pickles.
Maybe Give My Carrots More Room to Grow
When I was gathering what plants I wanted to grow, my mom pointed out to try carrots. I'm not sure why she said so, but I like carrots so why not?
I planted them in the ground, so excited. They grew so much and I know it usually takes 60-70 days for them to be ready to pull, or when you see them starting to budge out of the ground (which is what I saw). I waited an extra few days to a week to see how they were looking, and they were trying to escape the ground, so I assumed they were ready.
When we started pulling them out of the ground, we couldn't help but laugh at how small and strange they looked. Then I knew I probably should have spaced them out a little better. Rows would have been best. But that's what's been so fun about this gardening journey, I'm learning so many new things. It makes me inspired to try again and get better, and to cook new things!
Carrots have many benefits like improving your immunity, and lowering cholesterol, and have even been proven to reduce your risk of cancer. Look at you go little carrot! To share in the love of carrots, here is a recipe for delicious steamed carrots I'll make for when I need to make something fast.
Steamed Carrot Recipe
Ingredients
Carrots
Garlic
Olive Oil
Instructions:
Step 1: Cut up your carrots into coins.
Step 2: Place your cup of carrots in a pot or pan of water. Fill the pot so the water is only one or two inches high, lightly covering the carrots. Turn the stove on medium-high heat until it starts to boil.
Step 3: Steam your carrots for 10-15 minutes. While those are steaming, cook your rice or do whatever else makes you happy.
Step 4: Once the carrots are fork-tender, empty out the water and pour in a little bit of olive oil and fresh garlic.
Enjoy :)
Did you think I forgot about the tops? Here's another recipe for when you need to use them!
Carrot Top Pesto Recipe
Ingredients (Single Serving)
1 cup of Carrot Tops
1 1/2 cups of Basil (to spice it up, you could try Thai Basil)
1/3 cup of Pine Nuts
1-2 tbsp of Lemon Juice
2 tbsp of Garlic
2 tbsp of Olive Oil
Salt (to taste)
Water
Instructions:
Step 1: Add all of your ingredients to a blender.
Step 2: While blending, add 1-2 tablespoons to break up the ingredients. During this process, you can add more olive oil, water, or lemon juice to your desired taste. Enjoy :)
Cilantro Can Just Die?
Look at how beautiful it was.
This summer has been hot and sunny and I was worried about overwatering my plants. Turns out overwatering wasn't the issue, but rather the rays of the sun. I believed cilantro liked full sun (which they do) but it turns out extreme heat can make this little plant wilt away.
I was so excited to make some delicious garden salsa with cilantro, but it has sadly wilted away. I thought I could revive it, but it's long gone. In case you're wondering what I did with the cilantro I did have, here are my favorite ways to use it as a topping!
Tacos
Rice
Pasta
There are so many amazing ways to use cilantro. It's also amazing for your health and can help lower your blood sugar levels.
Fun Cilantro Fact: Thousands of years ago, Cilantro seeds were consumed to relieve pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammation.
I plan to add more shade spots to the garden or a cover so that when it's overly hot, my plants can get away from the hot rays! I really want to try growing it again next year.
Mint is Surprisingly Not Taking Over
You have no idea how many people told me to watch out for mint because it can take over your whole garden. I didn't know this until days after I had already planted it. So, it was time to just hope it didn't do what everyone told me to do.
Turns out, it hasn't been taking up the garden at all. Oddly, it's just been staying in its area. It's even starting to flower! I waited and waited for it to begin to take over and smother, but it never did. It just grew exactly where I planted it.
Does this mean I'll do the same thing next year? Probably not, as I want to be on the safe side. Am I glad it didn't do that to my plants this year? Absolutely.
And if you're looking for what to do with all that mint, dehydrate it and use the leaves for tea, or boil some water on the stove with some of the leaves to make your house smell minty and fresh!
The Tomato Hornworm Did NOT Just Do That
I was extremely excited about my tomatoes this year. I knew I could do some canning to make pasta sauce to last through some of the cold months. Turns out my plants were beginning to die under a certain culprit, the Tomato Hornworm.
The Tomato Hornworm is commonly found in the US (especially in northern and midwest states) and loves to chew on tomato plants and other veggies like peppers. I noticed this little guy one day while I was weeding the garden. I had already begun to notice my tomatoes were looking strange, but when I saw him I knew it was bad news.
Then I left for a road trip. Now that may sound bad, but turns out when I returned I found so many blushed tomatos ready for harvest! I also gathered a funky cucumber and two jalapenos.
And of course, I did not kill the caterpillar. I picked him up and placed him on our Lilac tree away from the garden. But you already knew that from the picture above.
Who knows? Maybe September will be the time my tomatoes begin to blossom. It took almost the whole summer but I'll take what I can get.
It seems like I missed so much for 3 months of gardening, but this is my first year and I feel like a brief overview is more fitting than me trying to tell you what to do. As I am learning how to garden.
Also, it may have been a little more tricky for me because I used no pesticides. I also let certain plants like clover grow all around. I let my garden go a little wild. Let nature take its course. It also allowed me to learn more about my local ecosystem.
Until next time and keep exploring!
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