Those look great RoxRan. How do you like Gardening, it looks like a lot of fun when you get the fruits errr veggies of your labor. Also, did you capture rain water, is that what the rain barrel is for? DD
Love gardening ... it may even pass shooting a my favorite hobby, the rain barrel is great, I used it exclusively during the Spring to water the garden, but right now it is only a supplement - during these dry spells I have to water from the hose
Awesome garden RoxRan! I only wish I wasn't so lazy to start a garden like yours but I do have a question regarding your rain barrel. I have the barrel and gutter connection ready and waiting but doesn't the barrel have to be a few feet off the ground to get good water pressure in the hose? I'm thinking of building a 2-3' stand to raise the battel off the ground and installing a brass hose connection w/valve.
This the area of the garden, I call the "tombstone", on the ground is a spread of one of my watermelons- I counted 15 baby watermelons growing - In the tomb, I mean wooden planter, I have a roma tomato plant full of nice romas growing (great sliced in salads) - interestingly, I lost at least 2 tomato plants in mid march when we had a frost here and I almost pulled this roma tomato plant because it looked like it was damaged worse, but I left in the planter because I couldn't think of what I wanted as a replacement, and now my indecision paid off ..
I actually have mine on blocks that I leveled and it is only 2 to 3 inches above the ground level - The gutter tube to the downspout is slightly higher than the attached hole to the barrel, if it gets filled up, then the water proceeds down the spout rather than the barrel - The kind I have was a fiskar (I believe) - I just use a 2 gal. watering can to water (the nozzle to the rain barrel is about 12 inches from the bottom) - right now we are in a drought where I am at and I haven't used the rain barrel in some time, but it works great and saves on water- (better for the plants too)
Thanks for the response! I also have the Fiskar rain barrel connector from Home Depot. My plan is to use the collected rain water to water a few plants in the backyard using a soaker hose and that's why I have to raise my barrel up a couple of feet to get the needed water pressure. Your pics are motivating me more to set up my rain barrel but it hasn't rained in Pearland in a couple of weeks so there's no rush for me. Your fruits and veggies look great!
gawd i love homegrown tomatoes. i want to eat that whole plastic container in the bottom right of the picture. i just got some hierlooms from fiesta of all places that taste like candy. if you want an awesome recipe besides chili incorporating tomatoes and zucchini, i make this at least once a week. it's addictive.
I've got about 6 or 7 varieties of peppers growing this year. Just had a trinidad scorpion (Butch-T strain) that wasn't quite ready... still damn hot.
Saturday afternoon, what to do? - whatever there is to do, stay the eff inside! - these multiple days of 100 degree heat is doing something alright. The A/C won't stop, kids don't play outside ..it's crazy..as for the garden, yep -the elements are tough to combat ..some of the tomato plants (esp. in the pots) are starting to wilt even with watering everyday ..... the squash in the ground as well ...Weeding in & around the garden has even slacked off -(wait,..I never did that- obviously) ... But with the tropical heat, only one crop has blown up in a good way...the cantelope ! The incredible spreading plant knows no bounds...It has now moved on to the back patio and is streching towards the door. ....anyways I am in the backyard to survey if I should even think about watering again (already watered in morning), and then look at the cantelope area - I carefully step in the area to get a closer look and realize there is a cluster of 4 to 5 in an area covered with overgrown grass - they look almost ready but not quite..maybe a few more days.. then I move closer to the center and realize 3 of them ARE ready ...and took a pic as you can see of two of them. My kids ate one even tho I told them it is better if they're chilled in the fridge, but man, they are sweet and yummy! better than the store- I was about to cut up the other two to put in the fridge when I realize this would be a moment in compilation history. Started indoors in Feb. Planted in the ground Mid-March, my first harvest of cantelope - 6/30/12! :grin: - much more to follow too !
btw, cantelopes don't ripen after picking like tomatoes do - they change from olive drab green to that desert tan color when ripe, but the better indicator when they are ready is that they actually "detach" from the plant.
