Did you know that pumpkins vines have both male and female flowers. The female flowers have a bulb like structure behind the flower. When the flower opens, it needs to be pollinated within a day. If it is pollinated, it goes on to form a pumpkin. If not pollinated, it withers. The male flower does not have the bulb. There are usually more male flowers than female flowers. If you want larger pumpkins, it is wise to limit the number of pumpkins on each plant. The slide show above shows the different flowers and the beginning of a pumpkin. The slideshow and video below show the harvesting of the garlic.
When the garlic leaves start turning brown, it is time to harvest. The mulch is removed and the soil is loosed, then the garlic is lifted from the dirt. You shake off the loose dirt and then the garlic is hung for approximately two weeks. Do not cut or trim the leaves before hanging. We braided our garlic leaves to make hanging easier. The garlic was hung in the barn and will be retrieved it in two weeks. Hopefully, no mice will be able to reach it. The video below show the harvesting and our attempts at making a string of garlic.
Flip through the slide show below. Two weeks ago, we planted more cilantro and it smells wonderful. We also harvested the last of our lettuce, and planted more corn in the spot where we harvested the garlic. Before planting the corn, we soaked the kernels to reduce the time required to sprout. The corn pieces are the red spots in the water bottle. Last, but not least, are pictures of our very first Granny Smith apple. We think we are quite a ways from harvesting this apple.
