My first harvest for the summer
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381905)
Rockingham, Australia
February 22, 2018 3:47am CST
I picked our first butternut squash/pumpkin today – two in fact and a couple of bell peppers/capsicums. We made two raised beds from leftover corrugated iron then made another three by cutting an old water tank into thirds.
They are good for me as I have trouble with my back if I have to do too much bending. However they do take a lot of earth when trying fill them – and the kangaroos tend to jump into the tank ones to see if there is anything there that might be good to eat. I’ve had to put pieces of mesh round the capsicums after they decided the plants were quite tasty.
39 people like this
40 responses
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
22 Feb 18
it is tasty! we love bell pepper! how did you cut the water tank?
6 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (49753)
• India
23 Feb 18
@JudyEv That is a nice arrangement! How much time did it took?
2 people like this
@toniganzon (77120)
• Philippines
22 Feb 18
Wow and wow! When I was a kid, my mom would take me to our fish pond which was about 1 hectare wide, and nearby she planted some eggplants where I love harvesting.
4 people like this
@toniganzon (77120)
• Philippines
22 Feb 18
@JudyEv I did dig potatoes in my uncle's farm before and it was really fun.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (381905)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 Feb 18
It is really fulfilling to harvest food you have grown. I used to love digging up potatoes and also carrots. It was like hidden treasure as you didn't know how much you'd get (as in potatoes) or how big the carrots would be until you had them out of the ground.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (381905)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 Feb 18
@toniganzon Did you think it was like digging up hidden treasure? 
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (208801)
• United States
22 Feb 18
Apparently, kangaroos know what they like!
2 people like this
@Orson_Kart (8261)
• United Kingdom
22 Feb 18
It's only fairly recently that I discovered how delicious butternut squash is in soup. However, it's a bugger to cut up and you end up with orange hands.
1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (8261)
• United Kingdom
22 Feb 18
@JudyEv Just to join you in the conversational bed, so to speak. A pumpkin is a variety of squash that is different to a butternut squash. A courgette is also a type of squash, called a zucchini in the US, and probably Canada too. Neither are the easiest to spell.
I don't think we had any of them when I were a lad here I the UK. All America imports I think. Before that we just had turnips which are even more difficult to deal with. 
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@JudyEv (381905)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 Feb 18
@Orson_Kart UK farmers used to grow turnips and mangles (whatever they are) as stock food for winter according to many of the books I read on such subjects. Turnips are not particularly popular here.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78833)
• East Tawas, Michigan
23 Feb 18
Butternut Squash is one of my favorite vegetables! Kangaroos have good taste:)
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381905)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 Mar 18
@kobesbuddy I guess the turkeys can make a mess of a garden too.
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@kobesbuddy (78833)
• East Tawas, Michigan
24 Feb 18
@JudyEv LOL And I feel the same way, about these darn wild turkeys!
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45941)
• United States
22 Feb 18
I have tried to get my husband to put in some raised beds for gardening for me. Unfortunately our yard is quite small and often times the yard is used for parking vehicles or other equipment after the garden has gone by.
What else did you plant in your garden?
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45941)
• United States
25 Feb 18
@JudyEv I can't wait to plant a garden! Not looking forward to weeding one though.
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@JudyEv (381905)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 Mar 18
@ElusiveButterfly That's the downside isn't it?
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
22 Feb 18
they look jest lovely! i adore bell peppers, but seems i can't partake'n 'em without runnin' 'em through the blender these days. the gut jest says no otherwise. those butternut's look divine's well. i hear ya'n that bendin' thingy. we've purty much gone to bucket gardenin' here (gotta do somethin' with those large mineral buckets once empty).
'tis 'mazin' how much soil those water tanks'll hold, eh? do ya compost'n 'em, too?
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@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
23 Feb 18
@JudyEv durin' the winter months 'tis diff'cult fer me to've 'nough to add to gomer here, but'n the summer? he's well fed 'n rewards me well :) yepperz, i adore 'em, too. raw, cooked, deep fried. i finely grate 'em 'nto my food, makin' sure's not to waste much 'f those sweet juices. we'd a bumper crop 'f 'em the last few years. i dried 'em 'n froze 'em. the dried didn't turn out's 'xpected, but the frozen? jest like eatin' 'em fresh.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381905)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Feb 18
@crazyhorseladycx That's great that you can freeze them. I hate wasting food.
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@mom210 (9170)
• United States
23 Feb 18
@JudyEv Yes and my second favorite thing to get is zucchini, you can make everything from supper to dessert with it. In fact I still remember one supper we needed to get rid of some and ended up with supper being a main course of squash, and a couple side dishes of squash, then for desert zucchini pie. it was so funny!
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43577)
• Denver, Colorado
26 Feb 18
The bell peppers look great. I just don't like squash though.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381905)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 Mar 18
@teamfreak16 That sounds a nice way to cook them.
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@teamfreak16 (43577)
• Denver, Colorado
2 Mar 18
@JudyEv - I like to cut them up and saute them in Teryaki sauce.
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