Garden Friday

 

 

It's another Garden Friday and we are in a state of transition.

While we have a few things still growing in the garden,

it will soon be time to seed our fall and cover crops.

 

Believe it or not, this is our first okra of the season.

We got a late start with this heat lover,

but by the looks of the future temperatures,

summer isn't going away anytime soon.

Who knows?

We may get enough to pickle!

 

The basil was another late bloomer,

although it was planted early in the season.

I'm hoping to get at least a few batches of pesto made

and put into the freezer for later use.

 

The Red Ripper beans are starting to strut their stuff,

climbing the bamboo A-frame.

These are one of the best drying beans I've ever eaten.

 

I somehow lost the tag to this melon plant,

so I'll have to refer to my seed packets to find the variety.

I believe it is a cross between a honey dew and a cantaloupe.

 It doesn't look close to being ready to harvest.

 

A few of the Kajari melons have ripened,

but were split from the inconsistent rain we've been getting.

I'm hoping I'll still get to taste one this season.

In any case, seed was saved for next year's planting.

The sweet potatoes keep on a rockin' the bed!

They are sprawling all over the place,

and I'm thankful we have the space for them to ramble.

This bed will be filled with cover crops when it is harvested.

 

The loofah has taken on some size.

Before you know it, they are huge!

By the time the fruit gets to be this size,

it starts to get squishy,

which means that the "sponge" is starting to develop inside.

I hope to have enough to share again this year.

 

The pumpkin flowers are so striking.

So far, no fruit is forming,

but we are as patient as we need to be.

 

Some time was spent this week mixing up our soil

with the amendments we had on hand.

I had planned to fill the raised beds with it on Tuesday,

but I lost a day due to the effect of the shingles vaccine.

I hope to tackle this task on the weekend

so that I can start planting!

 

I've been working on collecting various seeds.

These are from the gorgeous moonflowers 

we've been enjoying each evening.

It looks like I'll have plenty to give away.

 

The tithonia, or Mexican sunflower, always provides lots of seeds

so that they can be planted every year.

This is one of my favorite summer blooms. 

I really want to be better about saving seeds each year.

 

This woody patch in our backyard is where I think the bunnies live.

We purposely pile up brush for critters to have a safe haven.

We often see rabbits in the front or side yard.

 

Look at this cute lil' thing I spied one evening.

When I picked it up to show C,

it squealed and squealed!

I'm not sure who was more surprised!

We've been having a problem with finding dead bees

on the front porch every morning.

Several will be found curled up in this position.

It's curious, as we don't use chemicals on the homestead.

 

I have a mind to transplant some of this supple grass.

This resides underneath a canopy of trees,

but it's so graceful that I would like to use it elsewhere.

I love any kind of native grasses

and hope to add some to the property over time.

We got over an inch of rain this week,

for which we are so grateful.

This seasonal transition is always an upbeat time.

With the hope that every lil' seed brings,

we dream of what could be,

and work to make it so.

 

May your garden and your homestead be blessed.