Fourth of July Garden Report

 

As I have done for several years, I report on my vegetable garden about the Fourth of July.  Each vegetable gets a rating from 1-10, with 10 being outstanding.  I report on the good and the bad, including this year, a few zeros.

Every gardening year has its challenges and this year is no exception.  The two most challenging features of our Waushara County Garden each year are the weather and critters.  First the weather.  The season began rather normal but in May quickly turned to hot and dry.  Except for some timely watering, we would not have had a garden.  Then, in mid-June the rains began coming, some five inches in a couple weeks.  Vegetables that love hot and wet weather took off, cool weather crops struggled a bit.

            The critter story is a sad one.  Our two-wire electric fence keeps out the deer, turkeys, and raccoons.  But not the rabbits.  This year the rabbit population is greater than we’ve known for twenty or more years, and with dry, hot weather, their normal grasses dried up. They attacked some of the garden vegetables.  And they destroyed them.  These are the vegetables that received a zero in Natasha's rating.

             Natasha, my daughter-in-law, and our chief veggie gardener rated the vegetables as of the Fourth of July as follows.  No vegetable received a 10. Sweet corn and potatoes--9.  Cucumbers, radishes, zucchini,  and winter squash--8.  Pumpkins, tomatoes, gourds, and sunflowers--7.  No vegetables for 6.  Beans--5.  Carrots--4.  None for 3.   Lettuce--2.   Green cabbage--1.  red cabbage, kohlrabi, kale, and spinach (rabbit food)--0.  Zero for onions as well, as the onion sets didn’t grow.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Every garden year has its ups and downs.

 

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS:

To purchase my books, go to your local bookstore, order online from bookshop.org, or purchase from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org

If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s.  and look at their great selection of my books, including my new ones, or order a book by calling them at 1-877-634-4414. They will be happy to help you.