One week after the storm and I’m pretty optimistic about the garden. I won’t get as much as I would have gotten but when we’re talking about squash and pumpkins, half is probably better. The beans were probably damaged the most and I’ll still get some but not nearly as many as I would have gotten. The lettuce would have been gone by the first or second week in June but the storm ruined it. I’m guessing I lost about 1/3 of the tomatoes and peppers. It was weird how random the damage was. The area where the lettuce, beans, okra and squash are was pretty much all damaged. The tomatoes and peppers had random damage. There are 5 or 6 tomato plants with no damage, 5 or 6 that were totally ruined, about 10 with serious damage and the rest have minimal damage. Most all the tomatoes that were already on the vines were damaged and had to be pulled off and tossed into the compost bin. Most of the blooms were knocked off but I can get tomatoes right up until frost. If I keep them watered, they can start producing like crazy when it gets cooler . . towards the end of September and they will produce maybe through mid November so . . all is not lost.
Here’s how things looked this morning.
Boston Marrow Squash
Above is a Boston marrow squash. It can get up to 35 pounds. There’s hail damage on the outside but I think it will be fine. I’m going to let it keep growing just to see what it does. This is the first time I’ve grown these.
Squash
I’m not sure what kind of squash that is. I have one in the kitchen that I haven’t cut yet. It may be another Boston marrow . . just shaped differently. I have no clue. I do see a grass burr waiting to get me!
Tomato
Here’s one of the almost unscathed tomatoes.
Squash
The squash is pretty beaten up but it’s blooming so I’m hopeful we’ll get more squash a bit later.
Okra
If I didn’t love it, I’d give up trying to grow okra here.
No Idea!
I have no idea what this is. I thought it was a sugar pumpkin but it’s way too big. Notice – I don’t have on snake boots but I don’t have on flip flops either! Not great but better, right?
The green beans are growing on the opposite end of the bean section from where most of the damage occurred and that row of beans had almost no damage at all. There are purple and green snap beans.
Beans
The garden would have been amazing had we not had the storm but it’s still going to be a better garden than I’ve had in several years.
Deb K says
That is brutal!! I’m so sorry to hear how much damage occurred. It is so very irritating when one works so hard. I know your space is much bigger than mine and so this might not be possible. I wound up putting bird netting suspended by big poles. It slowed minimized my hail damage in past years a bit. The netting also serves to give me a smoother/easier surface to slide shade cloth over during the worst heat of the summer. This is another good reason for a keyhole garden. You can cover them easier in order to shelter from hail. 🙂 (not very subtle motivation for Vince.)
cilla says
The unidentified yellow squash looks like a spaghetti squash. The green striped round thing looks like a watermelon. What d I get if I win??????? So sorry for your storm damage but enjoy your optimistic attitude. Ver positive. Hope your garden is fruitful!!!!! Up here in SE seacoast NH I just planted the seedlings. Green and yellow bean seeds are going in tomorrow as are the carrots.
Dorothy Matheson says
I had pea size hail here last week. Not much damage. The wind did a number on the squash leaves. The green beans were fine but I have them in tubs with a round wire cage sideways over them that protected them from things. The leaves had toughened up over the last couple of weeks so not much damage to them. For my quite small garden it has been quite productive this year. All we can eat and I only put green beans into the freezer. I have given away a few tomatoes and squash. Just yellow squash.
All I have are old bathtubs with composted yard waste and big pots to grow in. I no longer can deal with all the way to the ground to work.
I did have a knee replacement in December so I am every so happy with my garden this year. Best in quite some time. Early than usual spring helped.
Rebecca in SoCal says
I visited my brother in Seattle last week (bringing the first really good weather they’ve had with me). While looking at his little seedlings and things just starting, I was thinking of all the things you’re already done with! (Like lettuce…his is just starting.) Isn’t it funny how much difference there is between different parts of the country?
Diana G says
We were on a rockhounding vacation last 13 days and came home to wilted plants but they look like they will survive. So water water water… Sorry about your storm, it looks like it could rain here after I just watered watered… Hahaha.
The tomatoes, peppers and squash all have perked up and are gonna do good.. I am so looking forward to some canning this year as well as salsa!!!
Speaking of which (salsa) I gave you the wrong page number in the Ball Blue Book: It should be page 81 and you can do either the Fiesta Salsa, Jalapeno Salsa or the Pineapple Chile Salsa. Then in the Kerr Home Canning and freezing book (if you don’t have it let me know and I will copy the recipe): Taco Salsa which is what both of my son in laws request every year.. So I apologize for getting back to you so late on this …