Growing on in May!

It has been a while since I've made any updates. I've been busy with daily gardening and research. So for everything is growing well. The plants are doing wonderful, but as it is still early not much in development of vege's. I won't get to worried for now as I believe I started everything early enough to get the most development out of my plants before it's too hot to produce the fruit.

As for successes and failures. For the success, I've been using compost tea, and using the new compost I make compared to the store bought has been a huge difference. I'm trying to apply the tea on a weekly bases, but with the rain fall, it has been more about every week and a half. Also adding mulch is seeming to keep the soil went and keeping watering even and less frequent during the hotter days. For the most part the weather has been in low to mid 80's with occasionally hitting 90. This will soon change I am sure! :)

As for the failures, once again I failed to grow cucumbers. I have had about two small pickling cucumbers but that's about it. The leaves were also getting a spotty, mildew look. So after some research I add some baking soda and water. Unfortunately I added too much baking soda and also kept the leaves wet when the heat came. Needless to say, I totally burned my leaves to the point, I had to remove a good bit of them. They are starting to come back, but very slowly and not a lot of cucumbers as of yet.

I do see the starts of jalapenos and tomatoes in the making, and I'm hoping to have a descent growth for these. Next year I would like to add the mix that Ronnie from the Small Town Gardener, added to each plant during planting.

Growing Cucumbers

I DON"T KNOW HOW TO GROW CUCUMBERS. This is the second year that I have attempted to grow cucumbers. They tend to just be bitter and the skin is more pale green with white specks more so than a dark green color.

I can't even eat them because they just don't taste great.

I finally read some articles and even heard of other people with problems of having TOO MANY cucumbers, and found out what they suggested.... Shade.

Apparently even though every article you read says that cucumbers are a sun loving vegetable, around my part, the heat of the sun in just too much. Suggestion, grow them where they get morning and noon sun, then get shaded for the rest of the day... I will be trying this next summer, although I may try to grow in my regular, full sun bed for a fall garden.

So remember, these things need sun, but need a lot more shade that what I have been giving them.