July 20, 2015
This week, we harvested the last of our spring carrots and the first of our summer beans
Potatoes
Tomatoes (and a handful of strawberries)
They all ripened indoors and were promptly eaten or frozen for marinara sauce in the winter. We have to ripen them indoors partially because they split from our wet July, partially because our groundhog(s) love them so much).
Cucumbers
(enough for fresh eating and then LOTS of overripe ones (on purpose) for the chickens)
Spaghetti Squash
(the groundhog was showing interest so I decided to go ahead and harvest it)
and…we harvested FIVE watermelon this week! (and one butternut squash)
or should I say, the groundhog(s) harvested them. Grrrrrr. The chickens got what was left of the unripe melons. What a waste! We made cages for the melons and winter squash we have left. (sorry, no pictures) Hopefully, this will work. We’ll see. I loathe those stinkin’ critters! If I owned a gun… and breathe. I’m sure you empathize – when you spend time growing something beautiful like butternut squash or moon and stars watermelon, you want to EAT the fruit of your labor! 😛
Anyway, we ate one of my favorite meals this week with our produce: Pasta Primavera (onion, tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, yellow squash, patty pan squash), zucchini quiche, and mashed potatoes (potatoes). Mmmmmmmmmmmm. 
This meal barely beats out my other favorite – bean burgers – with the same sides along with steamed green beans and a salad (just don’t have the energy to make ALL the sides 🙂 )
Since the whole garden is weeded (yay!), we spent the week tying up raspberries and volunteer tomatoes, making cages for the melons, and weeding the brick path. 
We will finish that up this week – then it’s on to the newly mulched area. We added a new area to the garden this winter but bit off more than we could chew and it shows! The bermuda grass is coming through everywhere. So, this week, when we finish weeding the brick area and the perennial bed beside the brick path, we’ll start tackling the bermuda grass. Pull, cover with newspaper, cover with mulch, repeat. THEN stay.on.top.of.it. I did that last year in the section we added last August and it worked.
What are you harvesting? What are your relentless critters and how do you take care of them? Check out what other gardeners are up to at Daphne’s Dandelions.
Gardening Without... 
I know how you feel about the groundhog. I’m glad that one that hit me earlier in the year seems to have gone to greener pastures. At least the rest of the harvest are looking good.
That’s too bad about the melons. I have an unknown critter that’s been chewing on the corn – thankfully, only two stalks are down but it’s tough to know what to do when you don’t know what is getting at your garden.
if they are stripping the cobs, leaving them about your garden, fully eaten, and the stalks are broken basically in half, you can be sure they are racoons.
What wonderful harvests you have coming in! Sorry you’re struggling with groundhog(s)! I’m not sure there’s anything more frustrating than an almost perfectly ripe veggie being eaten before you can harvest it! Good luck with your battle!
Saw a groundhog in my garden last week, opened the gate and chased it out, I know it is a mistake as it is sure to return but if I hit it over the head and kill it what do I do with a dead groundhog?
Nice potato harvest. Hope you get to enjoy the remaining moon and star watermelon, it is such a sweet and wonderful melon.
That is so sad about your melons. I’ve only had problems with a little bunny which wasn’t nearly as destructive as your groundhog. Makes me wonder if you have more than one in your garden. Your potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes are looking great.
I curse bermuda grass! The whole garden is under control weed-wise, but that Bermuda grass on the south side…arrrgghh!!! I’ve never had a ground hog in the garden, only moles and raccoons.