The Garden Late July- Part 1

The Pool Bed

The back part of this bed has the vegetables- bush tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and basil.  They are doing ok, but were set back as this area has some challenges.  Originally it was a full of sedum which was covered with landscape fabric and bark mulch.  Five years later the fabric is under 6" of mulch.  To plant in this bed you have to dig down to the fabric, cut a hole in the fabric and then fill the hole with soil mix and put in the seedling.  The seedlings will then grow slowly till the roots reach down to the soil and then take off.

The vegetables in the back section.

'New Big Dwarf' tomato that is loaded with fruit, the first one was picked this week.

'Tennessee Spice' pepper with more than I'll ever use.

The front of the bed as seen from the pool area.

'Double Click Pink Bi-Color' cosmos, 'Salmon Sunset' four-o-clock, 'Improved Rose King' petunia.

'Imroved Rose King' petunia, 'Alderman' petunia, 'Carpet of Snow' alyssum, 'Oklohoma Salmon' and 'Oklahoma Ivory' zinnia.

One bonus is that when you are in this area on a hot day the smell is incredible, the honey scent of the alyssum combined with the perfume scent of the four-o-clocks.

The Weekend Harvest

The summer vegetables are starting to come in.  I have to admit I do get envious when I see everyone elses huge harvests.  I have to keep reminding myself that the purpose of a potager is to provide small harvests for meals and not to put up for the future. 

The peppers are sizing up nicely and some should be changing color soon.

I couldn't resist picking this, the FIRST eggplant.  The picture does not do justice to the gorgeous lilac and plum color.

More 'Victor' tomatoes. 

What was supposed to be 'Tennessee Green Pod' bean and is actually a flat podded half runner and purple 'Velour' filet beans.

The denim blue 'Grandpa Ott' morning glory.

Annie's Granny was asking if 'Grandpa Ott' was my earliest mg and it certainly is, it has been in full flower for a month.  While I love the dark purple highlighted by a reddish star, this denim blue variant shows off the star much better, I'm hoping to save some seeds for it.

Harvest Monday is hosted by Daphne's Dandelions.

If You Can't Stand the Heat...

... stay out of the garden.  Which is what I did.  Temps have been over 100f for the last three days, add the high humidity and my outdoor time becomes very limited.  The garden got a deep watering yesterday in the early morning.  A few quick harvests and picture taking rounded it out.  And, no... the pool isn't an answer, when the water temp is 88 degrees your not refreshed,,, just wet.

Above, the back bed in the PSP, pole beans and 'Caserta' squash planted on July 4.

Above, filet beans where the savoy cabbage was planted.  The other cabbage is finally heading.

Above, 'Black Cherry' tomatoes grown up poles.

Above, a volunteer 'Marmalade' rudbeckia in the pool bed.

Above, a perfect white cactus zinnia.

Above, 'Grandpa Ott' morning glories on the second floor deck railing.

Above, the pots surrounding the pool.

This coming week we are supposed to be cooler, the mid 90's... what fun.

This Weeks Harvest

This week there was only a small harvest, but that should be changing very soon.

Above, the first peppers of the season, and just in time to be added to a tomato sauce with lot's of fresh basil.

Above, the 'Victor' tomatoes are really starting to roll in.  They are about 3 ozs each and the ones I've tried are very meaty and have a mild taste.  I'm still trying to figure out at what stage they are their peak of flavor.

I'm not sure if it's the heat or the constant watering, but the I'm getting a lot of fruit set on the eggplants.  The first one is sizing up nicely and all the other plants now have tiny eggplants forming.

The savoy cabbage was a bust.  The plants got way to big and stunted the green and the red cabbage,  The slugs considered it a great delicacy and the plants looked horrible.  They were removed last week and replaced with filet beans.  I'm hoping the other cabbage can recover.

Harvest Monday is hosted by Daphne's Dandelions.

Lookie, Lookie...

A few random photo's from this morning.

Above, the first baby eggplant.

Above, 'Mini Bella Picotee Velvet' is shaping up nicely.

Above, the second plant of 'Double Click Pink Bicolor' cosmos.  The doubleness should increase as the plant matures.

Harvest Monday

Finally, something besides salad greens!

Above, the first of the 'Gonzales' cabbages.

Above, 'Serato'. 'Toscano' and 'Red Lettuce Leaf' basil.

Above, the first of the 'Victor' tomatoes.

Above, after a torrential down pour the gladiolus had broken and the carnations were flopping.

Harvest Monday is hosted by Daphne's Dandelions

Today in the Garden

Random photo's from around the garden.

Remember to click on the photo to enlarge.

Above, the pool pots are looking good.  The rudbeckia in the last pot lived over from last years pots.

Above, the bi-color double cosmos I saved seeds from last year.  First flower opening and it is coming true from seed.  I did find out that this will be a 2012 introduction- 'Double Click Pink Bi-Color',

Above, volunteer balsam.  The one on the right is last year color.  The one on the left is a light pink with white spots.  Very unusual.

Above, my favorite near white daylily, 'Alpine Snow'.

Above, look at those peppers, they are sizing up very quickly.

Above, 'Tennessee Spice' pepper that is loaded.

Above, a view of the driveway bed.

Above, these are my caged indeterminate tomatoes.  'Black Sea Man' on the right is the leader in fruit set of this group.  The bean growing up the front are 'Tennessee Green Pod', turns out that they are a half- runner.  The catalog said nothing about this!

Anticipation...

They are almost ripe...

Above, the first of the 'Victor' tomatoes, hopefully to be picked this weekend.

Above, here is one side of the rest of the plant.  Now if only all my plants were producing like this...

Last Weeks Harvest

Not much from the garden last week.

Above, the last of the spring lettuce.  'Flashy Green Butter Oak' to the left and 'Galactic' to the right.

Above, 'Summer Jewels Red' salvia is putting on quite a sow for the 4th.  They remind me of red sparklers.

It looks like this is going to be a banner year for peppers.  The plants are growing great and loaded with small peppers! 

The 'Victor' tomatoes are finally starting to ripen.  The plants are LOADED with tomatoes.  I counted over 50 fruit on one.

Harvest Monday is hosted by Daphne's Dandelions.