2015 Potato Harvest

We just harvested our potato patch this evening. My husband was not wanting to do the harvest so early.

However, when the plants turn yellow (and you can see potatoes on the surface), a harvesting we must!

My oldest son began harvesting…it took him longer than he and I both anticipated.

K harvesting potatoes 2015 - Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan — K harvesting potatoes 2015 – Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan

The harvest was a success!

Here is the first bowl….we thought this would be all of it.

Bowl 1 of 2015 Potato Harvest - Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan — Bowl 1 of 2015 Potato Harvest – Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan

We were wrong!

There of six of us in the family so a few potatoes go fast. (I do not eat potatoes anymore due to a nightshade allergy.) I was happy when we were able to fill up a second bowl of potatoes.

Here is the second bowl…

2015 Harvest Bowl 2 - Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan — 2015 Potato Harvest Bowl 2 – Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan

Think there is more?

You are right!

Here is the third (and final) bowl…

2015 Harvest Bowl 3 - Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan — 2015 Potato Harvest Bowl 3 – Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan

It is nice to know we have a good amount of harvest for our potatoes this summer. After all, these potatoes help stretch our food budget by reducing how many we purchase at the store.

So the harvest is done…now what?

There are a few potato plants left which are still green and thriving. We’ll harvest these once the plants turn yellow.

2015 Harvest - Just a few plants left - Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan — 2015 Potato Harvest – Just a few plants left – Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan

Our plans for 2016

We know this spot is great for potatoes. They grow well and the soil stays well drained.

For this last growing season, we used potatoes from our pantry which had started to sprout.

It is recommended to purchase seed potatoes for growing potatoes at home.

Did you plant potatoes this year? How was your harvest? What is your favorite variety?

Let me know!

~Adrienne

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Canning Pickle Relish

My husband and I have been making pickle relish for years. We only use his Grandma’s recipe.

Why Grandma’s recipe? Well, it tastes so much better than the store bought relish.

I grew up not liking relish – any of them. I did not like the taste at all.

I also did not like pickles.

Enter Grandma’s Pickle Relish

I was willing to support my husband in making his Grandma’s Pickle Relish. I said I would help him make it. I reserved the right to taste and not like it.

We made it and only changed one thing in the recipe: We increased the cucumbers and onions to compensate for not including the bell peppers listed in the recipe. (I cannot eat nightshades and bell peppers are in the nightshade family.)

Cooking up the Pickle Relish

Canning Pickle Relish - Cooking up pickle relish - Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan — Canning Pickle Relish – Cooking up pickle relish – Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan

Canning plans for rest of 2015

I am planning to get some pickle relish canned next month when my aunt is in town. I’m not sure how much we will be canning, though.

What have you canned this year?

~Adrienne

Picking Apples and Prunes

While visiting my aunt last week, we drove to her friend’s house to pick apples and prunes in her orchard.

Since my husband and oldest son were on a 50-mile canoe trip with the Scouts, it was me with my younger three boys plus my aunt.

We used a ladder for the fruit higher up in the tree. Boy did we miss the longer arms and height of my husband and oldest teenager!

The box in the photo above shows some of the apples we picked.

My little boys had a lot of fun.

PIcking Applese and Prunes - Little boys picking prunes - Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan — Picking Apples and Prunes – Little boys picking prunes – Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan

Some of our harvest

This photo shows some of the prunes we picked.

PIcking Apples and Prunes - Prune harvest - Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan — Picking Apples and Prunes – Prune harvest – Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan

After we picked apples and prunes…

We ate some and canned a majority of our harvest. We made jam and relish.

Have you ever picked apples or prunes or another fruit from an orchard? Do you have fruit trees?

Please share with our readers.

~Adrienne

2015 Tomato and Pepper Harvest

My husband and I love growing tomatoes and peppers in our garden. This year was no different!

We decided to use the two Topsy Turvy Tomato Trees we had in the garage for our tomatoes and peppers this year.

We planted three tomato plants in each tree. We planted Roma, Beefsteak, Cherry, and Grape varieties. We planted three peppers in the one tree which had room – bell pepper and two chili peppers. (Two of the chili peppers are included in first photo above.)

Tomato Tree - Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan — 2015 Tomato and Pepper Harvest Tomato Tree – Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan

Bell Pepper almost ready to eat

The bell peppers pictured here are not included in the first photo above. The tomatoes have been eaten straight off the vine since the first ones got ripe. My boys love walking outside and grabbing tomatoes to eat.

Bell Pepper - Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan — Bell Pepper 2015 Tomato and Pepper Harvest – Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan

Our 2016 Garden Plans

We have really enjoyed the ease of harvesting with these two tomato trees. We have not had problems with slugs this year eating the plants and fruit. (Slugs are a big deal for gardeners in the Pacific Northwest.)

How do you grow your tomatoes and peppers?

~Adrienne

Small space composting

Small space composting made easy

Compost is such an interesting part of the gardening process. It is one of the parts that I was not looking forward to having to worry about all the time.

A compost bin means decomposing food, worms, other insects and pests, and the possibilities of rodents and other animals in the bin. In order to avoid the rodents and other animals getting into the composting materials, it is best to keep the materials contained in a closed container.

Since we now have a limited amount of small space in our yard, we chose to buy a Yimby Tumbler Composter which is a compost tumbler that has two openings within the one container. It has two “sides” for compost. It has helped us be able to continue composting even though we do not have a large compost bin made from pallets.

Small space composting made easy with our Yimby Tumbler. (Copyright Adrienne Z. Milligan)

Our previous garden set-up

I had planned on sharing pictures in this post of our compost bin from our previous house to show how it was positioned in our yard. The compost bin was made from wooden pallets. Its location was in the far corner of the backyard when we bought the home. (I am unable to find those photos. If and when I find them, I will post here.)

We used that compost bin – and used it well – for five years. It was turned over by multiple people over the years. (We have a couple of friends that loved shoveling…so we were happy to accept their help with the flipping of the compost.)

How we use compost in our garden beds

The compost from that bin helped fill our 20 garden beds. We used then (and still use) a mix of one-third compost, one-third peat moss, and one-third vermiculite. We began using this specific ratio after I read Mel Bartholemew’s book, Square Foot Gardening. (Once you use Mel’s Mix for the first time of adding to your garden bed, when adding more soil to your beds, more vermiculite is not needed.)

D.I.Y. Compost bin from wooden pallets

In order to learn how to make your own compost bin, I am happy to refer you to a fellow blogger and friend of mine, Dianna, who recently shared on her blog about how to make your own compost bin using pallets. I am glad she shared pictures so that you can see how she did it.

Please share your small space composting experiences with us!

I would love to see pictures of you used small space composting to your advantage. Please share below.

~Adrienne

Note: This was originally posted on my writing site at Adrienne Z. Milligan. This post now has its home here on Gluten Free Preppers.