August already?

There's a lot happening in the garden. So much so, that I can't seem to keep up with posting. Last weekend, I suited up and weeded the back of the yard. There must have been 150 SF of weeds; some of them the size of trees. This fall, I'm going to set the perennials in motion, so that they will be on auto pilot next summer. I just don't think I can do much of this anymore. Life is so busy!


I shaped up the circle around the dogwood tree and built it back up. I reorganized the plants around the base as well. To the left of the photo are Irises that I moved about 1' away from the deck. Last year I transplanted some in that relative location, but they sprouted right up against the fence which is a waste because you can't see them from the yard and it's difficult to weed back there. I literally just moved the entire plant and root ball along with it. It hasn't wilted so I think I did good.


Do you remember this?

Well, here's a hint.



For the 3rd year in a row, my dahlia made it! I was a little nervous this year because I put the bulbs that I dug up in the basement without a bag or any peat moss. I just left them in a container and I was afraid they dried out. But she made it!

As for the veggie garden, I'm seriously going to do a raised garden bed next year and pots. They were so much more rewarding in terms of harvest and far cleaner to deal with. I'll make a patch for corn and cucumbers in the back, but as for the other veggies I'm going to plant in a raised bed. I've been observing the sun's movement across the yard to see where is the best place to locate the raised bed. We'll wait and see.


Last year, my carrots were a wash. The soil has to be really soft and even (no rocks or hard soil), so I did them in a container this year. It was perfect! I'll do this again next year.


As you can see I have lots of red chili peppers. I don't know why I grow this since we can't use them much. They are pretty spicy and only need 1 or 2 at most. I'd like to think that they keep the animals away. In the lower right hand corner, you'll see a little pumpkin. These were cute, but I am not sure I will plant the large pumpkins again. They take over the yard.


I've been using my bell peppers for salsa and stir fry, but here are a few that are starting to turn red! The plant could use a larger container as well, but this will do for the year.


I have this one lemon cucumber vine that is a monster! And there are tons of cucumbers! It seems that the afternoon shade prolongs the life of the vine.

Salsa

It's food!

I picked some raspberries and as I ate them, I felt like Survivor Man. :D Lots happened last week. I already harvested handfuls of peas 3 times last week, 3 summer squashes, and lots of herbs and arugula.



More Summer Squash


Genovese Basil and carrots in my "test garden" container. I can't believe that early this month, these looked like this.


Do you remember the herb garden that I started in May?


Here it is now!


Here's a close up of the Sage (left) and Lemon Basil (right) I'm surprised at how well the basil did since I thought I was going to lose them when I planted them initially during the cold, rainy spring.


I need to start making some pesto very soon!

Is it food yet?

They're alive! The carrot seedlings are appearing and the basil plants are growing.



The summer squash is showing blooms already! I hope that means we will get squash soon. They came sooner than the green zucchini did last year. These are male flowers so I hope the other one is a female 'cause ummm...well I hate to break it to you, but it takes a male and female plant to make baby squashes.


Radishes are growing fast now and peeping out of the soil.


Pumpkin plants with rows of Corn in the background.


Sugar snap peas and Snow peas are also flowering, so we'll have peas soon.

Container Gardening

I know I know. With a yard like mine, why am I growing things in containers? Veggies actually do grow better in containers since you can control the soil and shield it from the elements. I decided to do carrots in a container this year since it requires very soft loamy soil to grow nice straight carrots. Also, I chose a shorter carrot (5") to grow.



I took an old plastic bin and my husband drilled large holes in it for drainage. I filled with own mix of compost, verminculite and peat moss for a soft, light consistency.



I did two rows of carrots. Then I took advantage of the space "above ground" and planted some basil plants down the center. The basil leaves will provide some shade which will help retain moisture during the hotter weeks. If they take up too much space, I can still transplant the basil without disturbing the carrots.



Also in containers, I have radishes, summer squash, white "saucer" squash, and bell peppers. I just want to see how they do in containers as compared to the ones in the ground. During the hot summer, I can also go harvest some veggies more easily without going to the back of the yard.

Ehh, What's Up Doc?

I once watched an episode of Martha Stewart where she showed us how to harvest carrots. She went to her garden and yanked up carrots the length of her arm. She bundled them up and placed them in her wicker basket. So when I was ready to pull out my carrots, I imagined the same results and being able to carry my wicker basket with honor and parade them around the neighborhood.

Ehh, not so much, DOC!



I suspect the soil was just too "hard". Next year, I'll make up a special area for carrots and mix in a lot of peat moss and other things to keep the soil soft enough for the carrots to expand.

Highlights from the garden

"Carnation" or "Peony" Poppy


I'm sorry to say this, but for such an highly anticipated flower, this flower is just ugly. I started these poppies from seed and they were rather difficult to get started actually. It took weeks and only recently have they grown to size. The flowers aren't very "flowery" at all. I plan on relocating these to give them more support next year.

Corn - Harvested some corn for dinner tonight!


Sugar Snap Peas - I think we have a runner up compared to last year's largest pea.


English Cucumbers


We have had 21 successful English cucumbers to date. They are delicious and great to pickle or bring to work (they retain their water). I've shared many with my neighbors too. The cucumbers are beginning to winde down, but I hope more come back. I wonder if I should trim the lower leaves on the vine?

Basil


More basil than I know what to do with! With the rain and heat, the basil has really bolted. I harvested, washed, dried and submerged the leaves in olive oil to save for winter use. I made tons of pesto which I've been eating on everything! I'll post the recipe soon.

Carrots


I was curious to see the progress on the carrots, so I dug a little bit just to see what it looks like. It's so cute! I don't know when it's time to harvest though???