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Thursday, June 30, 2016

The so-called garden.

Leetle puny squash plants, with
watermelon plant in the front.

Pea flowers!


Tomatoes with Sandy's fool-proof
watering system.


Garlic (l) and shallots (r)

Potato row with Lettuce House



Nasturtiums, catnip, comfrey

Food for my soul



(Weedy) bean/pea/cuke bed - with a side of sunflowers
These were taken a few days ago - before our tiny bit of rain, which has perked things up for the nonce.  I doubt it will do much good in the long run, but it did fill my rain barrel.  Halleluiah!  Such a dry, hot spring it has been.  I pushed it this year with using old bean seeds and ended up having to replant most of them.  Well, duh.  My 'special' cukes did not do well, but since they must be the only cukes in the area, I am trying to coax the two survivors along.  I did, however, plant some non-'special' cukes in the back.  I mean, I must have my cukes or it ain't summer!

The potatoes are going gangbusters and I need to do one more 'hilling' and then I'm done - except for constant patrol for potato bugs.  Carrots did not germinate.  I give up.  I'll buy them from a local farm.  I stubbornly plant eggplant every year and it never produces.  This year, I am down to planting one and nursing it along.  No eggplants this year?  No eggplant plants next year.  Phooey.

All visions of a neat and varied herb garden got lost in the Great Duck Adventure, so it is still 90% mint, with 10% a combination of French tarragon, thyme, cilantro and lovage.  I will try to take pictures of the back this weekend.  The good, the bad and the ugly.

18 comments:

Karren said...

Here's a tried and true hint for you. The flowers on potato plants are not necessary at all. If you pull the flowers off the plant as they appear and take them clear out of the garden and throw them away, you'll never see a potato bug. I've been doing this now for 4 years and have told it to friends, who have the same result. No flowers, no bugs. Nice!

Fiona said...

How do people have tidy gardens?
You still amaze me with what you do with a full time job. Our weeding got away on us when it was too wet to go in the gardens...well you could go in but the weight of the clay stuck to your boots would have kept you in there.
My flowers are still looking at me as they sit in their pretty packages on my desk!
I pick the potato bugs, it is peaceful out in the patch and it takes out any frustrations with each squish...thank goodness for latex gloves!
Hang in there and enjoy the small moments:)

Gail said...

Looks good to me.

Sandy Livesay said...

Susan,

I love your garden beds, they look amazing Girl!!!! How do you like the watering system for your tomatoes? I just love it, and will stand by it every season. It really worked for me.

What type of potatoes did you plant? Are they Yukon? I think I'm going to try hoop houses next season.

Sending love and hugs your way.
Sandy

Sue said...

You can never have to much mint!! At least, that's what mint thinks, as it happily takes over the world.............
:D

jaz@octoberfarm said...

how does your self watering system work? my cuke plant is growing like crazy in a bag of potting soil in my driveway! not one of my squash blossoms has set yet. i used to get tons of eggplant but this year they are slow growing. on the plus side, i'll have tomatoes this weekend! whoop whoop!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

I haven't seen potato bugs yet, but I have been picked Japanese beetles off my trees and green beans. My shell peas are about as tall as yours right now. We finally got a spurt of rain today. I tried to weed my pathetic looking onions and garlic yesterday. It was like pulling from cement. So glad you and I got some rain.

Fiona said...

Do your chickens like the Japanese Beetles?

Mama Pea said...

Thanks for the reminder that I need to do a post on my garden's progress. Much of your stuff is farther along than mine. Sigh. Despite our most adequate rainfall, my plants are still on the puny side. Not enough sunshine? I dunno, but I'm not hopeful, at this time, for heat loving crops, such as pumpkins, cukes, etc. :o( I wish my mint had started to take over the world (or at least the raised bed it's planted in), but it's not looking that prolific yet, that's for sure.

Carolyn said...

Well, you DO have a jump on our garden.....our FALL garden, that is! Half of our squash plants have been destroyed by sqash bugs, vine borers, or stupid chickens. But we DID just have zucchini fritters from the zuke boat I found a few days ago!
Missed you so much. I'm going to try to get back reading & blogging again :)

Susan said...

What a great tip! Thank you!!

Susan said...

I don't know how anyone can keep a tidy garden! I'm lucky, I'll have a tidy square foot of my garden…

Susan said...

Thanks!

Susan said...

Sandy, your system works perfectly! It saves water and gets the water right to where it should go – the roots!

Susan said...

LOL!!!!

Susan said...

Carolyn! It's so good to virtually hear your voice! Please, please, please blog. I miss your singular voice! xo

Susan said...

Be careful for what you wish… Mint really does take over the world! Or at least your garden.

Michelle said...

I, too, suffered from bean-seed-failure, only mine were saved seeds from last year! I have ONE carrot, but do have some blooms on one of my two eggplants. My cukes and summer squash (the saved winter squash seeds didn't germinate) are slow starters, and the sprouted Yukons I had Brian plant are spotty, but everything else in my garden is looking good for a change! Ate our first picking of snap peas last night, and I need to harvest basil and make pesto, and thin the turnips for some sauteed greens.