May brings plants, sprouts, and fruit to the main garden.

The main garden has seen the largest amount of growth this month. Over the past few weeks, my parents have planted a variety of plants and seeds in the main garden.

May 12, 2014 MVG Main Garden

The melons have taken over the corn field. We had a large corn harvest last year and decided to grow a different variety of fruits and veggies in the corn field. This year we have three types of melons, summer squash, and cucumbers growing in the corn field.

May 19, 2014 melon plants X 3

May 19, 2014 cucumber sprouts

My mother found bitter melon plants at our local nursery. We have used seeds in the past but finding plants will bring forth an earlier harvest (we hope... keep your vines crossed).

May 12, 2014 bitter melon box

bitter melon plant

My family loves to eat certain veggies and our victory garden would not be a garden without tomatoes, beans, peppers, and okra.

May 12, 2014 okra and tomatoes

May 19, 2014 peas and bean sprouts

May 19, 2014 bean box

May 12, 2014 sweet pepper box

The herb garden is growing quickly in the warm summer breeze.  The herbs are about ready to be used in soups, salads, and seasonings.

Fuyu survived the winter and is now pushing out small green orbs. Arn't they cute?! There are two orbs so far. My mother is hoping for many more this season.

persimmon

Here is the official list of veggies and fruit growing in the main garden:

Burpee Plants

Block Party peppers

Cherry Stuffer peppers

Golden Baby Belle peppers
SuperSauce Tomato

Tweety peppers

Plants from our local Nurseries

Bitter Melon

Cantaloupe

Egg plant

Honeydew Melon

Okra

Red Bell Pepper

Summer Squash

Thai Basil

Watermelon

Burpee Seeds

Blue Lake Bush Bean

French Filet Stringless Beans

Salad Bush Cucumber

Super Sugar Snap Peas

Additional Plants

Catnip

Fuyu Persimmon Tree

Lavendar

Lemon Grass

Oregano

Rosemary

Sage

Strawberries

Thyme

May 19, 2014 MVG Main Garden

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

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!