Fast growing seedlings!

The corn is here! The corn is here! It took a little over a week for the corn to push through the soil and peek out its little green leaves. The corn sprouts are very fragile and need lots of water and protection from predators. I have found a few corn sprouts with nibble marks on the top. I have not contacted the MVG authorities about the nibble incidents but I will if it happens again. I just hope the victory garden is free of thieves this year. The bean theft of 2011 took a long time to solve but we caught the bandit.

The sugar snaps are growing and growing and growing. Take a look at how fast these little sprouts are reaching for the sky.

sugar snaps April 11th

sugar snaps April 15th

sugar snaps April 20th

Even the zucchini are growing larger week by week. Most of the zucchini have grown leaves and will soon begin crawling away from the base.

zucchini April 11th

zucchini April 20th

We also have watermelon sprouts. I hope to have more luck this year with my watermelon harvest. I planted the watermelon in a full sun area with no shade. In previous years, the corn and other vertical growing plants shaded the watermelon and stunted the plant's growth. This year, I am hoping for a healthy and hearty watermelon plant. I planted three seeds total. One has sprouted and I am still rooting for the other two...GO WATERMELON GO!

cucumbers (front yard) April 20th

The cucumbers are looking good in the front yard. I have a few new cucumber sprouts in the main garden too. I am looking forward to a large cucumber harvest this year. We only produced a basket full of cucumbers last summer and they were eaten faster than we could grow them. There are two jars of 2010 dill pickles left in the pantry and this year's harvest will help replenish our dill pickle shortage.

A fork, a hoe, and lots of soil!

MVG is ready for the summer season!

The MVG has a new look, wider reach, and is showcasing lots of seedlings. I just used a fork, a hoe, and 5 bags of organic garden soil to make the necessary preparations for the 2013 summer season.

MVG Strawberries

First, I had to prepare the corn field and garden beds for seeds and plants. I started by weeding the entire garden. I like to use a hula hoe when weeding. The hula hoe is quick and very effective. After the weeding, I uprooted last summer's corn roots. I used a spading fork to uproot the corn roots and placed the roots in the compost pile. I covered the entire corn field with fresh homemade compost and used our electric rototill to mix up the dirt. The end result is a field of soft dirt.  I laid the irrigation and sowed the corn seeds. I planted four rows of 36 seeds totaling 144 corn seeds.

I also rototilled a large circle around Fuyu. Last season I planted flowers around Fuyu. This year, I have decided to plant two rings of green beans in place of the flowers. I sowed 10 seeds in the inner ring and 11 in the outer ring totaling 21 green bean seeds.

Second, I turned the soil in the garden beds, added organic fertilizer, and mixed in additional organic garden soil. We have seven garden beds comprised of two rectangle single beds, two square single beds, and three square double beds.  I sowed squash and cucumber seeds in the northeastern double bed.

cucumber seedlings

zucchini seedlings

Third, the MVG has extended its roots to the front yard. Traditionally the MVG has utilized a third of the backyard. However, we had lots of unused seeds from last summer. Instead of throwing the seeds away, I decided to plant the 2012 zucchini, cucumber, squash, and asparagus beans along the southeast side of the front yard. Many of the seeds have begun to sprout and will hopefully produce a secondary harvest for us to eat and share.

squash seedlings

Additionally, I sowed 2013 sugar snap seeds next to the asparagus beans. Both plants are climbers and will have plenty of vertical support with the wooden lattice above the seedlings' cotyledons.

asparagus bean seedlings

sugar snap seedlings

I sowed an additional 10 green bean seeds in a small flower bed underneath our front window. We usually leave the flower bed bare or adorn it with a few flowers during the summer months. I had a few green bean seeds left and thought the area would be a great place to showcase our green beans to the neighborhood.

waiting for the green beans seedlings

I sprinkled a fresh batch of Garden Bark over the entire MVG to give the space a finished look. The ground cover will help reduce the amount of weeds in the garden and keep the herb and front yard sections moist during the hot summer days. I will add ground cover around Fuyu and in the corn field once the corn and green bean seedlings emerge.

Morrison Victory Garden - April 11, 2012

Onions and herbs. A tasty addition to any meal.

We have onions! This is the first time I have planted and harvested onions. They took a really long time to grow but were worth the wait.

skinny (1/8 inch diameter) onions - Sept 2012

March 30 - big plump (2 inch diameter) onions

I harvested over two dozen yellow onions and a dozen red onions. Once cleaned, the onions will be sliced, diced, and cooked to perfection. They will taste good in stirfry, soups, omelets, casseroles, salads, and many other dishes.

Sage is overflowing in the garden bed

The MVG herbs are blooming in the cool sunny spring weather. The smell of sage, rosemary, and oregano has filled the air and will soon season our veggies with yummy goodness.

Oregano

Rosemary

Thyme

Last spring, I added a thyme plant to the herb garden. The little plant survived the cold winter weather and is starting to spread its long slender limbs. I am hoping the plant will be ready to harvest before the end of summer. I cannot wait to make and taste Summer Thyme Bread, Baked Mushrooms with Thyme and White Wine, and Lemon Thyme Cookies. Wish me luck!