Garden Friday

Welcome back to Garden Friday.
We have visitors, folks.
A group of bunnies drops by nearly every day
to sample our clover.
Fortunately, so far, they have not disturbed the veggie garden.

The cukes are flowering like mad!

A bit of extra fertilizer has been given

to keep them on the way to giving us a pickle crop!

It's always exciting growing something new

because you're never really sure what to expect!

These critters were found on the underside of the leaves.

Surely, they are up to no good.

I'm thinking they are white flies,

which are found on many vining plants

and tend to suck out the sap,

which can weaken the crop.

A dose of soapy water should eliminate them.

Bless their hearts, these Slenderette beans are trying to produce.
They are so teeny and still flowering and giving us food.
I'm not sure how the heat will affect their production.

The peas were fairly disappointing,
but a new crop will be started early in the fall.
There have been enough pods to keep me happily snacking
while the garden is checked each morning.

The Yukon Gold potatoes have stopped flowering
and the stems are starting to turn yellow.
The towers will most likely be upended this weekend
to see what we've got under there.
 

 The tomatoes are holding their own so far.
I really love the stake-a-cages that will support them as they grow.
A post on how the tomatoes were planted will be added next week.

The melons are planted in the straw bales
and have decided to travel both up the wire cage
and down to the soil.
It's the first time we've grown watermelon,
so we are letting them tell us what they need to grow.

So far, so good!
This lil' beauty is about the size of a large lemon.

Beet greens fill the interior of this pot.
Due to some shade on this part of the garden,
the beets are still doing well.

 Aside from veggies growing,
other changes are taking place.
This Vitex, which was identified by a friend,
looked dead for the longest time.
It was given a fierce pruning in early spring
and is rewarding us with abundant buds.
This butterfly attractor is most welcome in our pollinator-friendly yard.

 This butterfly bush is just starting to come into flower as well.

 Cuttings will be taken to start new plants.
One of the main goals for this half-acre garden
is to support pollinators and wildlife.
Propogating my own plants will save me money
and allow me to learn something new.

 Two new colors of coneflowers were found recently
and added to the newly created butterfly bed.



 Bees, butterflies and wasps alike
will all enjoy the nectar served here.

gaillardia

 The bee balm just started blooming yesterday
and there were bees busily jaunting from one petal to the next.

 Although I haven't yet found any monarch eggs on the milkweed,
there are already seed pods showing up.
These self-seed readily with the shifting wind.

These crates were acquired at a local nursery just for the asking.
They will be lined with screen and used for our sweet potatoes.
They will make a nice addition to the veggie garden.

What's growing on in your (almost) summer garden?