July Post Travel Update

Hi All,

I hope your garden is growing well.  Mine has been attempting to grow well without me.  The past two weeks have been spent either traveling or in preparation for traveling.  So, one family vacation and one summer conference later, I'm back in the garden and ready to work.

Garden Update

So, things are for sure growing in my garden.  I will admit, it is no where near as prolific as it should be considering the size of the garden.  But, soil conditions, my lack of a crop rotation strategy and physical trauma probably all contribute to that somewhat.  Also, I don't heavily fertilize - perhaps a light feeding every two weeks.  I want to build up the soil as naturally as possible so I'll take a reduced harvest as I do that.

Successes

Things that are going well, you ask?  Tomatoes are doing great.  Some are in pots, others in the ground and they like it best being directly in the soil.  My black eyed peas are producing very well as are my beans.  The cantaloupe and winter squash are doing very well in the production of vines and okay in the production of fruit.  Ditto with the peppers.  The okra, however, is having its best year with me.  Still pulling carrots and I hope to get that all cleared out soon.

Frustrations and Changes for next year

Prune the tomatoes was the first thing that popped into my head.  They are just so big and unmanageable.  Also, while I was gone, birds discovered my garden.  They ate at least a dozen or more tomatoes - ripe or not!  I put netting over the plants and I hope that will slow them down.  I know it will affect pollination but right now, I just want the birds (or whatever is getting in there) to leave my plants alone.  My corn did well overall - it did tassel and did produce ears - but they were small and under developed.  I think considering the trampling they received they did okay.  Ditto for the squash and zucchini which for three years running now have not been a success for me.

I think I'd like to pick more herbs - especially those I might use in pickling and food preservation.

Pictures

So, without any further ado, let's see what's going on!

The Black Eyed Peas next to the Red (not Hot Chili) Peppers

Tower of Squash and Cantaloupe

A bedraggled looking Tomato Town

Valley of the Squash

Seriously hoping this will grow

One of three butternuts currently in residence

Took this yesterday, all these okra already doubled in size

Leaning Tower of Green Beans

Lots of Blooms

Corn as it's being harvested and removed

Neighbor's Invading Vines

View of the Tomato Suburb

And that is that!  I did plant new cucumber, squash, and such in the back corner but it is not doing very well.

I hope my next posts will include tips for seed saving as well as my plans for my fall garden.

Take care,

Rebecca