2021 Summer Garden Pictorial Update

Wonder what this will turn into!

Hey World!  Long time no post!  

Even though I haven't been posting, I've really been gardening steadily, especially the past year and a half.

So, let's go out in the yard and see what's growing on!

Our patio is a pollinator's dream.  In spring time we have azaleas and  loropetalum in bloom, followed shortly by Knock-out Roses which bloom almost all year long.  In May and June we see the hydrangea and whatever other flowers kick into high gear.  In the fall, the Crepe Myrtles and Garlic Chives also bloom along with the Nandinas off to the right. 

Stuff words

From this angle you can see "Pea Place" aka "Root Route".  I've since pulled up the peas but you can see some carrots remain.  My daughter helped plant the sunflowers you see and we have hanging basket for beautification.  Last summer it was "Tomato Town".  Can you imagine what I planted there? ;)

So, not a great photo but it shows what's going on.  This is a large Daylily bed with a Hydrangea that my brother gave me as well as some Pumpkin plants tucked in there.  This is the first year since I transplanted it here (probably 6+ years ago) that this Hydrangea has bloomed.  My brother gave it to me, so it's pretty special.  The Pumpkin varieties are Jack-B-Little and Early Sugar or Pie.  Both are small type Pumpkins.  Today I planted some Nasturtium seeds nearby just because they are so beautiful, provide flowers for pollinators, and are known to help with pests.

Let's get into the Vegetable Garden!

Looks a little messy but I love it.  Not a fan of the walkway grass but that's something to tackle in the fall.

Here you can see Garlic Chives, Egyptian Walking Onions (which I got as transplants at least a year ago), summer Cover Crop seed mix, and compost.  The Egyptian Walking Onions bulblets have already fallen over and are trying to root, which is a neat process.  The compost has been going since the winter.  It has shrunk a lot in the rain. Three weeks ago it was easily two or three times this size.

It's a little weedy here but you can see a little bit of the Onions (Texas Early Grano that I started from seeds) and Strawberries (from about 2 years ago) with the netting.  The netting, along with decoy strawberries, is supposed to deter birds.  I still have a lot of blooms and berries on my plants which is really great.

Here is the Corn (Bantam which I direct sowed) and the garden owl.  I've had a really hard time with the corn this year...but that's a tale for another time.

Here are the Bell Peppers (which I started from seed) along with the volunteer Marigolds which I transplanted next to them.  There is also a Tomato plant (which I started from seed) in there but I cannot remember the variety.  The Garlic is behind it.  The Bell Peppers already have little blooms on them.  But the leaves have a lot of nibbles which I suspect are from flea beetles.

Here we have the Zucchini (golden, which I started from seed) next to the Corn.  And yes!  That is a live animal trap.  No, I don't bait it.  The only thing I've caught are some squirrels.  Three in fact.  Don't worry.  They were freed the next day.  But I do suspect they have been pulling up and nibbling my plants.

On the left is Polish Softneck Garlic and on the right is Georgian Crystal Garlic, which I do not know if it is soft or hard neck.  It's starting to put out scapes, which is interesting to see.  Wonder what I could make with those.... 

Birds or other animals have really momicked (this means tormented/aggravated/torn up) this part of the garden.  You can see the leaves I put down last fall and the White Potatoes that are sprouting.  I planted the Potatoes May 17th, so that's their progress after nearly a month.  You can see the volunteer Marigolds.  It's so cool how they regrow there every year.  Behind those is netting for lima beans (Fordhook & Henderson baby) and nasturtiums (Drawf Jewel Tone).  Bricks are there for fun, I guess.

On this side are Banana Peppers and Ashe County Pimento peppers, all started from seed.  They also have blooms.  Interspersed are Marigolds I transplanted.  You can see my pathetic Asparagus patch in the background.  I'm learning to care for it and this year has gone better than most.

Something knocked over most my sunflowers which was very upsetting and now some pest is eating on them (but I'll get them in the end).  I planted a bit of row cover mix.  Behind that I recently planted a collection of flower seeds (scroll back up to see what I planted).  I put down the net to deter birds from landing and picking up the seeds.  So far that seems to really work in my garden.

These are some Tomatoes I started from seed.  First off, I'm not the best at seed starting (though I am getting better).  Secondly, this is a shady spot.  Thirdly, I don't think I had the worlds best seeds and I probably will not reorder them again.  So I'm not thinking they will do very well.  But they are progressing.

Almost forgot to mention the volunteer Vincas that popped up.  I know they'll be lovely.

Just a pretty shot of the garden.

These are the Roses, Canna Lilies, and Nandinas which hide the vegetable garden from the rest of the yard.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!  I'll check in again soon, I hope :)