Friday, June 25, 2021

Garden Friday

 
 
 
Welcome to the first Garden Friday of summer!
The garden is bursting with color
and the anticipation of tasty goodies!
 

 
There is lettuce ready for the picking
growing in the raised bed with carrots and nasturtiums.
Several varieties of lettuce include buttercrunch, green oakleaf, and rouge.
The nasturtiums are dispersed throughout every bed
as a pest deterrent,
but did you know that both the leaves and flowers are edible?

 
More lettuce shares space in another bed with beets, green beans
and room to reseed two types of peppers.

 
The leek are going to seed and it will be the first time
I will save seed for next year for this crop.
The seed head is absolutely gorgeous.

 
We have a volunteer squash growing in the chicken run.
It looks like it might be a butternut variety,
although they were not planted there last year.
Chalk it up to the bird or squirrel relocation squad.

 
One of the purposely planted squash
is starting to outgrow the bed.
I'm trying to figure out what type of trellis I want to use here.
I will be diligent in checking for squash bugs and eggs.


 
The sweet potatoes surely seemed to appreciate 
the bit of rain we got this week.
They love the combination of rainfall and the heat of summer.


 
What a thrill to be able to pick the first blueberries!
I wasn't even sure the plants would ripen this year.
My soil test showed that the soil is not acidic enough,
which is their preferred condition.
The berries were juicy and sweet,
with just a hint of tartness. 
We have several varieties planted,
which we acquired from our local Extension office.

blanket flower

The flowers are also enjoying the warmer temperatures
and modest rainfall.

 
These balloon flowers are doing so much better this year.
I'd say they have gained at least 6 inches on last year's plants.
These beauties come back every spring.

 
The moonflowers are starting their climb on the front porch posts.
These fragrant white blooms open at night,
which is perfect for us front porch sitters.


The pollinator bed near the old garden site has filled in nicely.
Residing here, we have blanket flower, daisies, nasturtiums, pinks, rudebekia
and one very happy gnome.


 It looks like we're in a good position to receive more rain this week.
No complaints from me,
as the garden responds to it like nothing else.
Enjoy some time outside this weekend
and see what Mother Nature has to offer.

6 comments:

  1. Your flowers are always so beautiful! You gotta love the volunteers, especially a butternut squash. Have a fantastic weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, God does good work!

      It's been absolutely fabulous out there so far this spring and summer.
      Hope you enjoy some time for yourself.

      Delete
  2. So happy to hear you're to receive more rain! I love the volunteer veggie plants. I've got quite a few myself this year. Your flowers are gorgeous. Have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We're happy to get any help from The Heavens that we can!
      Enjoy your weekend.

      Delete
  3. Daisy, We were getting borderline drought here in Nebraska and my rain water tank was getting low. Thank goodness it started to rain and after a couple of days of rain off and on the total was 2 inches of nice soaking rain. It filled my water tank to the brim so I'm good another month now. It's been a crazy year here with extreme swings in the weather temperatures. It has mellowed out to highs in the middle 80s this last week but July and August are looming the road ahead which are our hottest months.

    In spite of the harsh weather and my late start with planting, my "Early Girl" tomatoes broke my earliest harvest my two days. The old record from years ago was June 22nd. This year I harvested two ripe tomatoes on June 20th. Early Girl sure lived up to her name this year.

    Your flowers are gorgeous. I'm trying to plant more flowers. Who knew that some flowers can be eaten. There not just for decoration. I guess even an old farm boy like can learn new things.

    Do you grow anything in pots like the folks you helped in Florida?

    Have a great day in the garden.

    Nebraska Dave
    Urban Farmer

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dave! So good to see you here.
    Glad you were able to fill up that tank! What a blessing the rain is. Congratulations on your Early Girl! No doubt there will be plenty more to come.

    I do grow a few things in containers, but mostly in the beds, as I have ample space. I ran out of room for the sweet potato slips, so there are some growing in pots.

    Thanks for stopping by. Stay cool out there!

    ReplyDelete

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