Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday,

where we share what's growing in our Piedmont Zone 7b garden.

 

We picked and sampled our first cantaloupe this week.

What a thrill to bring this from seed to table.

The taste was mildly sweet,

but I'm still calling this a victory.

There are many more melons on the vines.

 The Blue Hubbard squash has set fruit

and I am hoping that we get to harvest it 

in the coming months.

This is a new-to-me crop,

and considering that none of my Candy Roasters germinated,

being able to eat something squash related will be a treat.

 

We do have a couple of peppers ripening

and when they turn orange, red or yellow they will be picked.

Peppers are so much sweeter when they are anything but green.

 

The volunteer squash (I think these are birdhouse gourds)

under the tree canopy continues to do well

with very little attention from me.

Can't wait to see what they turn out to be!

 

One of our watermelons is looking mighty fine

and getting me excited that we may actually be successful with this one!

(The mesh bags are tied onto the cattle panel trellis

to keep the fruit from dropping to the ground.)

 

The pollinator garden is exploding with blooms

and the bees and butterflies are eatin' it up!

The tithonia has filled in well

and it is still one of my favorite blossoms.

 

Something, it appears, has been lying down in one of our clusters of rudebekia,

but I can't think of what it might be.

Our irises also have this compressed state,

but in that location, it would be easy for something like a rabbit

or something similar to reach.

Hmmm, the mystery goes on.

 

This week, we were able to pick up a load of organic straw

for next year's garden.

We grow not only in raised beds and containers,

but in straw as well.

Construction will begin this fall on frames

in which to place the bales,

as this season, they collapsed fairly quickly.

Hopefully, the frames will extend their longevity.

 

One of the bales was shared with the chooks.

They enjoy scratching through it

to see if there are any seeds or bugs to savor.

It gives them something interesting to do,

which prevents boredom, 

which can lead to fussing and fighting.

Every few days, I rake it back up into a pile,

and it's like a new toy to them.

Life is better with chickens.

 

An orbital spider was spied on the canna stalks.

These good guys (and gals) help control the insect population,

and their webs are absolutely fascinating.

 

 

There is no shortage of bees in our garden beds.  

Behold...

 

Even the compost pile is gettin' prettied up,

with the addition of morning glory flowers.

Everything wants to bloom

during these dog days of summer.

How are things going in your summer garden?