I’m so excited! I picked the first zucchini, and stir-fried it up for dinner with a few snow peas, onion and celery. There are 2 others that will be ripe soon.
There is more broccoli to cut, beets that are close, the first planting of snow peas is almost done, and I’ve moved on to the 2nd planting of lettuce. I have a lot of weeding and some re-planting to do for the next succession of lettuce, snow peas and may do a few more green beans for fresh eating into the fall months. It takes about 2 months to get green beans to produce, so anything planted now will come ripe in the beginning of September. So, I have time to grow a few more plantings of several items for fall eating, but I have to start planning for that now. (Update: I started working on this post on Tuesday, and yesterday I was able to re-seed a little lettuce here, a few snow peas there, and a few green bean plants. The garden is pretty full!)
There are a lot of nice herbs. I’ve been using them frequently this year.
I’ve been picking raspberries, black (Marion) berries, blueberries, and a few strawberries.
Rob and I have been freezing them all, except for the few we eat fresh. He used some for this dessert for 4th of July. We had my aunt, and my niece over, and had a very relaxing evening.
Jake’s method of planting is working! After 2 unsuccessful plantings of slicing cucumbers, I handed him a packet of seeds from the Dollar Store (25c) that were from years past and told him to go for it! He planted them in a big clump, down the sides, buried extremely deep, and so forth. We covered them up, and wow! They came up:) So there will be slicing cucumbers after all, at least in August:). I may have to start marketing the “Jake Method of Planting.” I might make a fortune!
I’m not sure if you can see all the zinnias that came up volunteer at the edge of the Sweetmeat Squash bushes. I just left them. A spot of color in the middle of the squash? Works for me:)
I’ve got some dahlias and calla lilies starting to bloom. Frankly, I’d like a lot more flowers to bloom, so am waiting impatiently for my zinnia to get big enough. I planted them from inexpensive seeds, and there are plenty. It’s just a matter of time. Patsy also planted 3 more dahlias in the corner of the garden, and I’m eager to see what colors they turn out to be. It’s fun to be surprised sometimes:)
Your garden is so beautiful! Such a stark contrast to where I live (northern AZ). We have had less than two inches of rain this year. It’s the driest year on record. Praying for the monsoon to begin soon! Your dessert looks awesome!
I could not even imagine living somewhere that was so dry. It does not seem like my idea of fun, but there are others who don’t enjoy the amount of rain we get here. I hope you do get rain, soon.
I thought Rob did a great job on that dessert, too. It made a simple dinner into a holiday:)
So excited! We got over an inch today! Honestly, I love the weather here. I love the dry air and we live about 5400 feet in elevation so it’s not hot like Phoenix/Tucson. It’s also beautiful here (mountains). It’s just been an especially dry time. I tend to get really sad when it stays cloudy a lot, although I don’t know that you have that there.
I’m glad you got so much rain (for you). I’ll bet it helps a lot.
It is cloudy a great deal in the winter. Now, it’s part sun, part clouds most of the time, with more sun this time of year than any other. That being said, we all moan and groan when it gets close to 90 degrees, and can’t “do anything” when it’s too hot:). Funny, I know, to anyone who lives in a really hot place.
beautiful garden!
Thank you! I really enjoy gardening.
Your garden is amazing! That cake is so pretty and looks delicious too.
Thank you. I’m very pleased with the garden.
I thought Rob’s dessert made the 4th into a really holiday–it’s the little things that do that for me:)
Your garden is looking great. I don’t even have zucchini flowers yet. Tell Jake great job.
I will show him his wonderful cucumbers when he gets back from vacation. His sister has a carrot row she planted, and eagerly examines. Both of them expect immediate results, so it’s good they can’t look for a few days!
I have always thought that God smiles on children planting seeds in His good earth and they grow no matter what.
Sadly all our tomatoes now have a terrible case of wilt. I am not even sure that the ones on them will ripen. Sad. 🙁
That’s awful about your tomatoes! A few years back, we lost our crop to some kind of blight. I was very worried that it was happening again, because they were wilting, but I’m thinking it’s a lack of water–that red mulch is acting like a barrier….hmmmm. So, I chopped a few holes in it with my hoe, and hopefully, the water can get through and things will perk up.
Yes, God seems to smile on little gardeners and fishermen:).
All your hard work in the garden is showing! I’m so glad your garden is thriving. Too funny that Jake’s method of planting cucumbers is working! 😀
I thought so, too!
Your garden has grown rapidly and looks great! We have had a week of rain, which is odd for this time of the year. The garden is growing so fast you can almost see it moving. For the first time ever, my cucumbers have some kind of wilt and are dying rapidly. I don’t know why. This morning I ordered new seeds for some that are disease resistant. Every year it is something different, never the same problem, well, unless it is squash vine borers or cabbage looper worms.
My tomatoes look odd this year. I’m worried. The leaves are curling up. The internet is no help. There are too many possible causes for it that I just have to wait and see if it’s a watering issue, or a terrible blight that will kill them all. 🙁 :(. Right now, there are green tomatoes on 2/3 of the bushes, so I’m not giving up just yet. I agree…always something.
I’m sorry about your cucumbers. Maybe I should send Jake over to plant you some more…