Well, the height of the garden season is happening now and things are looking better…finally.
There were a few setbacks this year to make growing vegetables an adventure. First the resident bunnies and chipmunks had other ideas about what and where things should be planted. The rabbit said not here and the chippy said how about everywhere. This lead to beets and kale being eaten, roots getting chomped off , and grass seed getting planted in its place. The cucumbers seeds were getting dug up and we are just getting the first “normal” type ones now but the Lemon variety has yet to produce a lemon. The kale never really grew back the way it should have either but at least the beets and carrots ended up doing well. The anise hyssop, coneflower, and black eyed susans are much smaller than last year. The hyssop was a huge bush last year and it is maybe a fifth the size it was. I shouldn’t blame them for doing what they like doing plus I might have been encouraging the chipmunk to stay around…
My chipmunk friend and foe.
July was a cool and wet month so some things just didn’t grow as well as I was planning, namely the tomatoes and basil. There are some tomato plants that have none or just a few. I really was hoping for a few Marvels but it may not happen. The one surprise I did get in regards to tomatoes is the giant plant that is growing in the tomatillo plot. It must be a leftover seed from the compost I put on in the fall. I strongly believe that I may as well not even bother planting tomatoes in a particular spot and just lay out compost over the plot and let things grow where they want.
The cool weather did seem to help the carrots and beets because these have definitely been the best crop so far. The Danver Half Longs were perfect and the Wondertop beets are really good when sliced and barbequed with almond oil. The soy beans are developing nicely and in a week or two should be ready to pick. The bees are doing a great job pollenating the tomatillos so we have lots of developing fruit.
Wondertop Beets just pulled.
Tomatillos spreading along the deck.
The best thing about having a garden in the back yard is seeing the creatures that stop by. Besides the rabbit and chipmunk, we’ve had goldfinches eating the coneflower seeds, a few monarch butterflies checking out the bee balm, bumble bees and different honey bees feeding on the cilantro and hyssop flowers, hummingbirds, and as I am writing this a cicada came to join me on the deck for some afternoon shade.
Bee on cilantro flowers.
I just put in the zucchini plants and will plant some more carrots, beets, and Swiss chard for the fall so I hope those will do well and the rest of the summer will have some nice weather.
Scott
scottibiscotti 