garden fantasy: smashed!

well, my vegetable garden in the field is becoming a worse failure than last year's epic one, and here is the pepper pic to prove it. i dont even know what happened to them, but the deer have neatly trimmed all tomato foliage and fruit above the cages...and the corn too is nibbled down low...the onions have disappeared...i saw the bugs that ate the cantaloupe and pumpkin vines...the sweet potatoes melted...this field sucks! i used weed barriers everywhere, but no poisons. ugh! i have seedlings ready to go in, but i am rethinking it. i hate giving in, but i might have too. the sad part is i would starve if i were dependent on this garden for actual food! luckily, my square foot garden, raised beds and planter boxes seem to be doing well: onion, arugula, flat leaf parsley and mixed greens are producing well...i collected squash blossoms the other day and a couple of yellow crooknecks today...the first yellow pear mini tomatoes are ready and the larger varieties are growing (no color yet, though). i have yellow beans! and basil! so, that is sort of a happy ending, right?

men at work

i never see women at my vegetable garden plot: not sure why, but it's true. maybe they know something. today all the mens worked the field. not hard enough though: i'm calling in the farmer for a deep plow, otherwise these weeds will be taking over in a few days.

moon and stars watermelon.

a picked this beautiful watermelon from my ill-fated vegetable garden: sweet! this is an heirloom variety (read: "with seeds") called 'moon and stars'. last week, there were two! im not pointing fingers or anything because the bed does look abandoned:(. no worries: there are babies! here is tip from the locals: sit developing squash, pumpkins, melons, etc. on upside down aluminum pie tins to prevent moisture and/or insect damage. none here, though!

what vegetables should i plant in july?

my vegetable garden is in shambles...again. it has been the second driest july since records have been kept. i missed two weekends of maintanance: the bugs ate the potatoes to skeletal form; i guess the actual potatoes dried up due to lack of water; the deer ate the 'bright lights' swiss chard; the onions and leeks look ok, but they are ensconced in weeds; i had mulched the tomatoes, so no weeds, but the deer trimmed all their new growth; i cant find my sweet potatoes. one surprise, though: i have two very large 'moon and stars' heirloom watermelons! the mister wants to abandon the whole project. i have done this too long, however, and am unwilling to give up! so...i am going to try and salvage this growing season by planting some fall crops right now: i have a whole box of unused seeds. i need some help and inspiration, though. found some on youtube (of course!) via gardengirltv. she has some great ideas and makes it sound do-able. back to the field!