My grocery bill has dropped significantly. The reason? Squash. I have so much squash right now, it’s not even funny. The zucchini plants are probably producing a zucchini a day at the point. If I leave them go, I end up with zucchinis the size of clubs. Last weekend, I made two batches of zucchini muffins and two loaves of zucchini bread from one large 5-pound zucchini.
But that isn’t the problem, because zucchini it very versatile. It’s the yellow squash that is hard to use up. Especially since they are rather large too. Case in point:
I shouldn’t complain. The fact is, this is the best garden I have ever had. Everything is producing and I am delighted. Even the baby cherry tree managed to produce four cherries before it was done.
Right now, I’m getting a lot of bell peppers, jalapeños, and, as mentioned, squash. But I have three loaded tomato plants, along with green beans, green onions, and leeks about ready to be harvested. My fingerling potatoes plants grew strong, blossomed, and now are starting to die away, which means I should get to dig up potatoes in a few weeks. Most excitingly, my three crane melon plans (like cantaloupe but sweeter) have gone nuts and are covered with little yellow flowers—I even have my first baby melon out there. And just a few minutes ago, I went outside and discovered artichokes! Three of them! Right there on my plants!
Here is an update from June on what I am producing:
Crops that are done from last month: Radishes (47 total), Baby Spinach (22 total), Green Onions (1).
Mushrooms: 15 in June, 19 in July. Increase of 4 mushrooms between June and July.
Carrots: 11 in June, 36 in July. Increase of 25 carrots.
Strawberries: 35 in June, 49 in July. Increase of 14 strawberries.
Peas: 34 in June, 131 in July. Increase of 97 peas.
Zucchini: 3 in June, 39 in July. Increase of 34 zucchinis.
Beets: 9 in June, 10 in July. Increase of 1 beet.
Cherries: 0 in June, 4 in July. Increase of 4 cherries.
Jalapeños: 0 in June, 34 in July. Increase of 34 jalapeños.
Yellow Squash: 0 in June, 34 in July. Increase of 34 yellow squashes.
Bell Pepper: 0 in June, 9 in July. Increase of 9 bell peppers.
There have been a few surprises here and there too. Sunflowers have magically sprouted all over my yard, including one huge on in my front window box. I may actually get some seeds off that one if the birds don’t get to it first.
The other surprise is that a nectarine tree has grown up behind the garage. The neighbor said it just sprouted there in the last year or so, I guess because a bird or child must have dropped a pit there. The thing is, the tree is loaded with fruit! The neighbors called it a weed, but Kyle and I are going to transplant the tree this winter. Why waste a perfectly good nectarine tree?