2016 season is starting off with a bang!

The MVG is growing nicely. The green beans have sprouted. The green bean plants are also flowering and will be producing green beans soon.

We replanted green beans seeds to fill in the holes.

We have added a few more veggies plants to the garden.

• Charleston Grey Watermelon grown by Bonnie Plants
• Clemson Spineless Green Okra grown by Bonnie Plants
• Hale's Best Jumbo Cantaloupe grown by Bonnie Plants
• Jalapeno grown by Bonnie Plants
• Japanese Long Cucumbers grown by Kawahara Nurseries in Morgan Hill, CA
• Persian Cucumbers grown by Upstarts Organic Seedlings in Santa Cruz, CA

cantaloupe, okra, jalapeno - March 25th

cantaloupe, okra, jalapeno - June 8th

The corn seeds have pushed through the soil and reaching for the skies. We also adorned the corn bed with a nice watermelon plant to keep them friendly.

Bitter melon has persistently grown well in the MVG. This years bitter melon are no different. All of the seeds have sprouted. We also had a volunteer bitter melon sprout this year. Once the bitter melon reaches the nets, we will begin adding in our friendly bug eaters to help keep the garden clean and clear of pests.

bitter melon in the garden bed

bitter melon in a pot

What is growing on the patio for summer 2014?

basil

The seedlings are growing and the veggie plants have arrived! The patio garden is loving the warm California weather which has contributed to the growth of the seedlings and the plants.

assorted sweet peppers

Here is a list of the veggies on the patio. Most of the plants and seeds were bought from Burpee. My family has bought seeds from this company for years.

Burpee Plants

Tweety peppers

Cherry Stuffer peppers

Block Party peppers

Golden Baby Belle peppers
SuperSauce Tomato

Burpee Seeds

Blue Lake Bush Bean

On Deck Corn

Salad Bush Cucumber

French Filet Stringless Beans

Additional Plants

Kumquat tree

Sweet Basil

Catnip

Oregano

Rosemary

Sage

 
So far the plants and seedlings have settled in nicely and are growing strong. Here are a few photos that show the growth on the patio over the past month.

Kumquat on March 25, 2014

Kumquat on April 24, 2014

Kumquat on May 4, 2014

Cucumber on April 10, 2014

Cucumber on April 24, 2014

Cucumber on May 4, 2014

French Filet Bean on April 10, 2014

French Fillet & Blue Lake beans on April 24, 2014

French Filet & Blue Lake beans on May 4, 2014

Corn on April 10, 2014

Corn on April 24, 2014

Corn on May 4, 2014

Catnip on April 24, 2014

Catnip on May 4, 2014

Hot weather brings big veggies!

July 6th - biggest harvest of the season

We had a major heat wave pass through the Morrison Victory Garden. The heat brought lots of growth to the plants and also helped produce extra large veggies.  Additionally, I had to break out my big wicker basket to hold the larger harvests. So far, our largest harvest of the 2013 summer season includes 5 zucchini, over a dozen summer squash, over a dozen cucumbers, 10 okra, and a basket full of green beans.

The cucumbers and the summer squash endured a major growth spurt during the heat wave. I have included a side by side comparison of each vegetable. The smallest veggie is the regular size and can help you estimate the size of the extra large veggies. I don't want you to think I left the veggies on the vine for weeks either. I pick veggies every three to four days. I think the combination of super soaking the veggies a few days ago and our 90 degree temperatures helped increase the size of these two veggies.

The tomatoes are doing very well. All three plants have filled the tomato supports and are holding dozens of green oblong tomatoes.

Crescent Moon eggplant

Purple Rain eggplant

Nadia eggplant

The eggplants and bitter melon are showing of a variety of colors and textures. By August, both plants will be filled with ripe veggies for soups, stirfrys, and BBQs.

Bitter Melon

The ears of corn are plump and are showcasing brown strands of silk. It won't be long now. Depending on the size of the kernels I might start picking corn within the next two weeks.

Even the sweet peppers are enjoying the heat. We are proud of our Big Daddy plant. This is the largest pepper to have dangled off of a branch in the MVG. WOW!

Big Daddy Pepper

Due to our large bi-weekly cucumber harvests, my mom canned dill pickles on 4th of July. Ten quart-size mason jars were sterilized, packed, and filled with yummy dill pickle goodness. I cannot wait to try them out next year. Yum!

canned dill pickles

The hot weather has subsided but we hope the warmth will return soon. We definitely like the increase in the size of the harvests and the size of the veggies.

Herb row (L-R): Sage, Oregano, and Rosemary

Green beans are here!

green beans

The green beans have arrived. I picked the first batch of beans on June 21st and have picked a few handfuls each day since. These long slender crunchy beans will continue to grow throughout the summer. Green bean casseroles here we come, YUM!

cucumbers are bursting from the vines

The corn stalks have reached for the skies and beyond. The tassels are swaying in the wind and will soon float down to the silk to make sweet corn kernels.

Silk has emerged!

The MVG harvests are full of variety and growing in size. I am still picking zucchini, squash, and cucumbers on a regular basis. However, the radish have matured and are bringing red orbs of color to our salads and soups.

June 21, 2013 MVG harvest

Let the 2013 summer season officially begin!

The seeds have sprouted and flowers are beginning to show themselves to the world. I am very excited for the Morrison Victory Garden's 2013 summer season. We have the following planted and growing in various sections of the MVG.

IN THE FIELD

Illini Xtra Sweet Corn

corn is almost as tall as Solo

IN THE MAIN GARDEN

Supremo Cucumbers

Pic-N-Pic Summer Squash

French Filet Stringless Beans

SuperSauce Tomatoes

Fairytale Eggplant

Purple Rain Eggplant

Crescent Moon Eggplant

Cherry Stuffer Peppers (sweet)

Block Party Peppers (sweet)

Big Daddy Peppers (sweet)
Lady Bell Peppers (sweet)

Cheyenne Peppers (spicy)

Biker Billy Peppers (spicy)

Habanero Peppers (spicy)

Tabasco Peppers (spicy)

Chile D'Arbol Peppers (spicy)

Yatsuifusa Peppers (spicy)

Thai Chili Peppers (spicy)

Okra

Champion Radish

Bitter Melon

Thai Basil

Sequoia Strawberries

English Lavender

Lemon Grass

cherry stuffer pepper plant flower bulbs

IN THE FRONT GARDEN

Super Sugar Snap Peas

Asparagus Beans

Dark Green Zucchini Squash

Space Master Cucumbers

Crimson Sweet Watermelon

Early Yellow Crookneck Squash

French Filet Stringless Beans

lemon grass

IN THE HERB GARDEN

Garden Sage

Oregano

Rosemary

Thyme

 

strawberries are eaten faster than we can pick them

IN THE TREES

Plum

Fuyu Persimmon

lady bugs in the plum tree

All items listed in green were grown from seed. All items listed in orange are perennials.  All other items were bought as plants. I purchased my seeds from Burpee and Lake Valley Seed. I purchased my plants from Burpee and local nurseries.

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.