This morning, before doing anything else, I took a walk around the garden with the camera to get an overview of what needs to be done in the next weeks. There were happy surprises and there were sights that made me want to cry. That's life, isn't it? You win some you lose some.
Meet Uchiki Kuri. This is our first time growing it. It will get redder in the next weeks.
Not everything in this post will be positive. It looks like some sort of tent caterpillar is attacking the plum trees. We don't use sprays. I'll cut off those branches and Ted will burn them. No great loss as it looks like none of the plum flowers were pollinated this spring. Again, you win some.....
This Rouge Vif d'Etampes is getting "plus rouge". It will be almost red in a few weeks. The pumpkins are very happy where they are. They have a sheltered spot.
When we were away, I left a bouquet of flowers on the windowsill to see how our flowers fare as time goes by. Eight days after picking, the only ones that were still perfect were Queen Anne's Lace. They make a great filler flower in a bouquet. Looks like our pollinator garden at the front is being overtaken by them.
Some things look great from a distance, but when you get closer.....
... you see that something has been nibbling on your....
..... new dahlias. 🙁
Heartbreaking. I am going to try sprinkling more diatomaceous earth on the plants to try and deter those horrible Japanese Beetles.
On the winning side of the equation: beets that I planted in the VegePod just before our holiday are up. I am experimenting with planting more cool-weather crops at this time to extend the season. We'll see how it goes.
Our second planting of salad greens are very happy.
Sunflowers are beginning to spiral open.
And, our third transplanting of salad greens survived without us. They will look great in a week or so.
I love this flower mix. These flowers are supposed to be bee and butterfly attractors. It's fun to see what surprises come up.
Here's another one.
Yellow Zucchinis are coming along nicely.
And in the negative column: I believe this is tomato verticillium wilt. This virus has been in our garden since 2008. It's something we've learned to live with as we don't have enough room to rotate the tomato plants. We just plant more.
Spinaches transplanted before the holiday are alive, but looking a little anaemic.
And, beans planted 10 days ago have had explosive growth. Maybe we'll get a late crop of beans. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I love this variety of cucumbers. They taste very nice and the plants are prolific.
Sometimes it takes years to figure out who likes to grow where.
One down.
The Japanese Beetles love elderberry shrubs. Despite that, it looks like we will get a good crop.
Our re-wilded area at the back loves this summer's weather. Some goldenrods are a foot taller than I am.
And, surprise! Surprise! The pumpkin that germinated in the compost now has spread out over all three compost areas. Only one pumpkin on it so far.
Joe Pye weed have found their way into the re-wilded area. And, do you see the cute little white spider enjoying its breakfast? Well camouflaged.
Once you have borage, you always have borage.
Now to remember to put some in a salad.
Since May 10, our gardens have shared 281 lbs. of food with the folks at Fare Share. I'd say that overall it's been a win.
“There will be a few times in your life
when all your instincts will tell you to do something,
something that defies logic,
upsets your plans,
and may seem crazy to others.
When that happens,
you do it.
Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else.
Ignore logic,
ignore the odds,
ignore the complications,
and just go for it.”
Judith McNaught
Addendum: Sometimes if you wait long enough, you win. All the years of harvesting only a handful of blueberries were redeemed this morning. I feel like the Queen.
Comments