7.31.10

I planted a lemon cucumber plant near this persimmon tomato plant in order to use it as a trellis to support the cucumber vine. It seems to be working well - the cucumber is climbing up the tomato plant and the tomato plant provides shade in the hot afternoons. The vine is already reaching up over the fence.


There are lots of jalepenos. I picked some for friends, but I don't know if they are hot yet.


Ever wonder how dill seeds are formed? I'm going to harvest these seeds for use.


Loads of tomatoes..I lost count of how many.

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.

Lemon Cucumber Plant

My raspberry bush was starting to dwindle and rather than have a big, empty pot all summer, I placed a cucumber plant into the pot along with the raspberry bush. The cucumber plant has really taken off and there are lots of little lemon cucumbers on the vines. I can't wait to see them all pop up. I'm growing very fond of the container gardening. The plants are so much cleaner, less buggy, grow better and there's no weeding involved.



In other garden news:

• 2 pumpkins are beginning to develop
• 1 red gladiola is beginning to appear
• Sunflowers are starting to bloom
• Lots of english cucumber growing
  
• Need to move the Obedient plant, delphinium, wild indigo
• Next: Work on the garden bed in front of the house
  

Lemon Cucumber

There are few updates over in the casa, so check it out.

I found this little baby hiding amongst the leaves in the veggie garden. I can't wait to taste it!

Lemon Cucumbers

What's a Lemon Cucumber?



It's a cucumber that looks like a lemon. They get their name due to it's lemon shape and yellow color when mature. For maximum sweetness, harvest them young. I've been picking them while they are still light green, just as they are turning yellow. You can just bite into the whole thing like an apple. It's a great snacker!