July 26, 2022
The weather has been cycling, from heat and humidity, to rain and wind, followed by a cool down, building to heat and humidity again. It is the "Brown-eyed Susan" time of the year; love those cheery blooms that seem to be everywhere!
The garden has taken off. I swear the squash and pumpkin vines have grown about a foot over each of the warmer nights. There are baby acorn and butternut squash growing,
The cucumbers are loaded with bloom, and small cucs are forming in the depth of the greenery that is the cucumber bed. We have been eating the cherry tomatoes as they ripen...so very sweet. A couple of Scotia tomatoes are almost ready to harvest, and the Brandy wine tomatoes are getting bigger and bigger, but are still very green.
There are baby beans on the first planting and the nice scant half an inch of recent rain has popped the second planting along to be big enough to hill up. Every morning there are more bud spikes rising on the gladiola row, the first one is showing colour, and will soon be open. Phlox and day lilies are blooming, and the creeping thyme is is purple carpet that the bees are loving.
The broccoli are starting head up,
the inter-planted dill seems to be doing a pretty good job of deterring the white cabbage moths. I only found 2 worms to pick off, earlier when the plants were younger.
Today was "dig the garlic" day, as three to four of the bottom leaves are browned off.
The garlic bed has never needed to be watered, thanks to Mother Nature, and moist soil had to be gently tapped and shaken out of every root ball as I dug the plants.
They are now residing on hanging old screen doors up in the barn to cure for a month or so. I think this crop has produced the biggest bulbs I've grown so far in the five summers I've grown garlic. It is one of my favourite things to grow; plant it, mulch it, watch it grow; then dig and dry it. And bonus, the planting is done in the fall when there are no pestering insects!
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| October 19, 2021 |
Early yesterday morning, I happened to be looking to the north when a large coyote came trotting up by the barn, about 100 yards away, stopped, looked right at me, then did a 90 degree turn and trotted off behind the barn, in no particular hurry.
Later in the day, my craft group convened on the verandah after a garden tour. We are taking turns hosting for the next few weeks, then going on hiatus until later in the fall. We had a lovely breezy, cooler day for the first of our 'home' visits. We are all gardeners, as well as crafters, so I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks!
I will be enjoying your squash and pumpkin pictures as I didn't get mine planted this year. I think I'll miss the pumpkins more than the squash as several kiddlies usually come to pick out their own from the pile. :o( I planted two varieties of garlic last fall (Premium Northern White and Chesnok Red) and I've been checking the Northern White every day because it looks as though it will be ready quite a bit before the Chesnok Red. Your bulbs look HUGE! Fingers crossed mine turn out half as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mama Pea. How do you decide when it is time to dig the garlic? Those bulbs are huge...I am truly amazed! Mother Nature had cooperated with the rain fall this summer....so far!
DeleteGood idea about the dill with the cabbages. Although, thinking about it, I wonder if could grow them together in my climate. Cabbages are usually a cool weather crop here and I grow dill in summer. Ill have to try!
ReplyDeleteLeigh, it isn't perfect but does slow them down, and it is harder for the moths to negotiate through the screen of dill leaves and blooms. The sweet potato squash are just starting to send up buds. So looking forward to them!
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