After some amazing amounts of rain over the last week, 3¼ inches over Friday and Saturday of last weekend, over an inch on June 29, and almost an inch on July 1.... plus warm temperatures and sunshine in between the rains....things are taking off. Shade or no shade, the spinach plants started showing a rosette of buds in their centers, so they have been pulled and consumed. The lettuce ballooned but I have another crop coming along under shade. It seems to be 'feast or famine' when it comes to leafy greens!
It is a beautiful sunny day today, but the heat from the west is coming our way, and tomorrow is supposed to be very hot and humid. I expect to see another big growth spurt, as the soil is deeply moist.
I'm looking forward to these guys ripening. It is a beefsteak variety called Ultra Sweet, and is the first tomato plant showing sizeable fruit.
Here
is a drone shot of the garden area. Our son is up for a visit with a
new toy. The beds look so small, but they are each, 64 square feet of growing space, except one which is 48 square feet. The field garden is 13' X 35'.
The mint has sure taken off in the barrel, but the oregano seed didn't come up, so I purchased 4 plants to fill it in. There is some cilantro, chamomile and summer savory here, as well as basil, parsley, a couple of sage plants and rosemary. The calendula are getting big, and hope to see some buds soon. There are tomato plants in the end.
This end of the field garden has a double row of potatoes across above the newly dug area. They are starting to bloom. Cucumbers, squash and a couple of pumpkin hills are up the left side. As the vines start to travel, I guide them with strategically placed stakes, so they travel out over the grass, so I can continue to access the other plants in the garden. Later planted spuds are across the top, and are doing well. Up at that end are two zucchini plants and a couple of tomato plants that wouldn't fit in the raised beds. That is garlic down the right side. Some stems are an inch or more in diameter at their bases, so I'm really wondering how big the bulb is 6 inches down! Down the middle is a double row of gladiola, because, what is a northern garden without glads???
Expecting dry summer weather, I planted all the crops in the field garden in hills, with an indentation in the middle to hold water. Mother Nature has looked after that very well, so far. The second planting of beans was put in a few days ago, and a second planting of carrots went in yesterday, so, all the spots are filled.
Everything is growing beautifully! That drone shot really does make things look small but your other photos show the truth. I'm so glad everything is doing well and I hope the oncoming heat doesn't stick around for long. Have a happy 4th of July Rosalea! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Martha. The heat is here now. We packed it in, and are hiding inside now. Hope you had a good Independence Day. Please don't take offense, as none is intended, but, you do know I live in Canada, eh?
DeleteYour garden looks amazing. We have just had perfect garden weather the last month and a half haven't we.
ReplyDeleteThe weather sure has been good for the gardens. Not much watering needed this year....so far! The soil is moist, deep down. I got a bunch of things mulched, so hope to hold that moisture in for a while. We are hopeful that there will be wild fruit this year.
DeleteWow Rosalea, your garden looks so good, and your soil looks so rich! What kind of beans grow in your northern zone? I planted our second batch of beans last week, but we are still picking off the first batch. What do you do with your Calendula? Have a perfect week!
ReplyDeletewyomingheart, the soil was still moist from all the rain! It is really a sort of brown colour, and is a sandy loam. It doesn't hold moisture for too long, so I mulch what I can.
ReplyDeleteI have climbing beans, which produce until frost, and bush beans, green and golden wax. They mature in 50 to 60 days. The first crop will be finishing when the second is ready for picking..usually.
I love the colours of Calendula, how they have different shades on the same flower, and have only grown a few, once before, so planted them just to enjoy this year.