Garden Friday

 

 

It's a balmy Garden Friday!

The summer heat is cranking out bodacious blooms 

and kitchen goodies around the homestead.

 

These moonflowers grew from seeds gifted me by a neighbor.

I always thought moonflowers were all white,

but this variety obviously has other ideas.

As soon as the sun comes out, they retire for the day.

 

On the other hand, I discovered these unique morning glories

near the oregano patch.

I've never seen this pattern before and it took me by surprise.

 

Our sweet next door neighbor had given me a cutting

from her hydrangea bush.

I simply stuck it in a glass of water and waited about 3 weeks.

It looks like I'll have a new ornamental bush in the garden soon!

 

Our first Mammoth Sunflower has bloomed

in the pollinator bed.

I'm estimating that it's at least 12 feet tall,

and I hope to be able to get the head off to save seeds

before the squirrels climb up the stalk and steal them.

 

The bees seem to be loving the blossoms on the loofah.

 

The first fruit has formed and I can't wait to see this plant take off!

 

Several more squash have formed on the cattle panel trellis.

Last week I was reporting that I had very few female flowers

and only one fruit on the vine.

I may even resow more seeds for a fall harvest.

The bug pressure should be reduced.

 

This lone broccoli plant is making a comeback!

Although it didn't give me a head last season,

it's decided to replenish its leaves and try again.

Fresh seed will be sown for fall planting,

but this one will be left in place.

 

The pumpkins continue to flourish without much intervention from me.

The drip irrigation is a game changer,

and I can see that they really benefit from the consistent watering.

 

The sweet potatoes are starting to arch over the piece of cattle panel

that I placed next to the bed.

I can imagine that soon the panel will be covered with vines.

The leaves of this plant can be eaten raw in salads,

or wilted like spinach.

 

Oh my goodness!

It doesn't take much to thrill me,

but this lil' watermelon did the trick!

 

And when I spotted a few more,

I was beside myself!

With multiple flowers on the vines,

it's a good time to feed this plant.

 

The turmeric resides in a shady spot

near the compost pile.

I'm also keeping about a dozen pots of aloe,

which I have repotted for a local giveaway.

Our homestead is abuzz with activity!

We have so many bees and other pollinators

and I couldn't bee more pleased!

One new task I've taken to doing each day,

is combing through our crape myrtle blossoms for Japanese beetles

and feeding them to the chooks.

They come running when they see the tin can in my hand,

for they know the treasures that abound!

Betty and Wilma chowing down

 

 

I hope your weekend is filled with what means the most to you.

As for me, I'll be right here

with everything I hold dear.

Garden Friday

 

 

 

It's Garden Friday!

Let's see what's growing this week.

 

I recently discovered these blackberries growing wild

in a little section of our woods.

They have been hit-and-miss with regard to sweetness.

Or maybe I'm just too impatient to wait for them to properly ripen.

 

The butternut squash continues to scale the trellis,

but so far, only one fruit has formed.

There is no sign of squash bugs or eggs on the foliage,

and I haven't seen as many female flowers on it.

There are two other squash plants in the same bed,

but they are not doing as well.

I'm afraid they may have been affected by a squash vine borer.

 

The sweet potatoes and melons are growing well.

The melons are flowering and I am keeping tabs

on how many female flowers are on the vines. 

melons

 

Lettuce is still being harvested a few times a week

and the less than perfect leaves are given to the chooks.

Our rooster Gandolf, especially, loves his greens.

 

 

The Green Oakleaf lettuce (my favorite),

started turning bitter as it is ready to bolt,

so I pulled some of it for the chickens,

and left a couple of plants to go to seed

and resow the bed for fall.

 

A couple of different varieties of cucumbers were resown.

They decided to come up right away.

 

The drying beans are still producing,

but are not getting as plump as I'd hoped.

I'm wondering if I need to increase the amount of water

they are getting,

as we haven't had much in the way of precipitation.

 

The pumpkins are growing, despite the lack of rain.

I sure hope we get some of these this year,

as I've not yet had success growing pumpkins.

 

The loofah has made it to the top of the gazebo frame.
Thankfully, the chooks have left the pots they are growing in alone,

and it's just a matter of time before they are climbing across the top.

gloriosa daisy

vitex

 

Our crape myrtle trees are finally blooming!

I know these are a common tree, 

especially here in the south,

but I think they are one of the most spectacular displays of flowers.

The bonus is, the pollinators love 'em!

 

This little gem was spied near the chicken run.

I think my plant app identified it as some type of mallow,

but I know I didn't plant it there,

so I still have no idea what it is.

Of course, I'm saving the seeds.

Any idea out there?

 

The garden gets ample shade in the morning,

so I can work out there quite comfortably for a while.

I'm hoping to add a few more beds to the vegetable garden,

but we'll see if the budget allows.

Until then, I'm using containers as needed.

 Our summer has been fairly mild, thus far.

I can't complain about temps in the 80's,

when there are so many suffering with triple digits.

I'm inside more than I'd like,

but fall will be here soon enough.

Until then, I will keep tweaking the garden,

one daydream at a time.

 

What's your favorite thing to grow in the heat of summer?

Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome back to Garden Friday,

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

The chooks are trying to keep cool this summer

by staying in the shade of the cattle panel cover.

They are also getting daily treats of ice cubes in their water

as well as frozen veggies.

 

The garlic, which had been harvested a few weeks ago

and left to cure in the garage for two weeks,

is now ready to use.

A good measure was given to sister,

who uses it religiously.

No fear of vampires in her house!

 

The onions are now taking up residence in our "spa" room.

They are resting on a pallet to cure for two weeks,

and then will be ready to use in all kinds of dishes.

Some may be chopped and frozen for future use.

One of the projects I've slowly been working on

is clearing out part of our "Kelsey's Woods",

(Any Andy Griffith fans out there?),

to make room for future woodland plants.

I'd love to fill up this space with hydrangea, hosta and other shade lovers.

 The framed section you see in the middle of the photo

is our blueberry patch, complete with drip irrigation.

It's been so nice to happen upon a few ripe berries to munch on while I'm out there.

 

I'm having a hard time locating any more of these twisted wire stakes.

I have no idea where I first got them,

but they work wonderfully for climbing beans.

The search goes on...

 

The beans are slowly showing up on the vines,

and it's so exciting to see them all form in their own way.

I'm not sure what type of bean this is,

but I would guess it's some sort of drying bean,

from the shape of the pod.

 

This is definitely a green bean, or string bean,

and most likely the "slenderette" variety,

the tastiest green bean I've ever grown.

 

And lastly, in this bed, the rattlesnake bean,

which is a great drying bean.

The variegated pods are so colorful!

This is the first time we've grown these,

so I look forward to sharing my experience with them.

Having dried beans in the pantry is vital for me,

as I eat no animal protein and enjoy soups, stews and burgers

made with these flavorful nuggets.

With more summer-like temperatures this past week,

the loofah is finally taking off.

It will cover the gazebo frame in the chicken run,

and give the chooks more shade to enjoy through the heat and humidity.

 I may even give them some of the fruit to see if they like it.

It can be eaten when it is smaller, around 4-6 inches,

just as you would zucchini.

We do plan to leave some on the vine to harvest for using as sponges.

 

 

Another cattle panel arch was added between two of the 4 X 4 beds

to accommodate our growing squash vine.

Adding vertical growing space not only saves room in the beds and surrounding walkways,

but it keeps the foliage off of the ground,

which can lead to fungal and pest pressure.

 

There are at least two different varieties of squash growing in this bed,

and so far, (knock wood), I haven't found any squash bugs or eggs on the leaves.

I make it a point to do a nightly check on the foliage,

to try to stay on top of it.

The garden is in a new location this year,

so maybe that is helping with pest control.

 

 

I see squash soup in my future!

One of the partial cattle panel frames that was being used over the winter

with row covers,

is being repurposed to help support our sweet potato vines.

They are just getting started,

but with the onset of more heat, they no doubt will be hard to stop.

 

The final crop was sown this week.

Two types of pumpkin seeds were planted 

in the bed where we harvested our onions.

I have thus far not had much luck in growing pumpkins,

but that doesn't mean I've given up trying!

Most likely, I will add a cattle panel trellis to the bed,

so that the plants can grow vertically and stay off the ground.

It would be great to be able to harvest the seeds

after using the pumpkins to make all sorts of goodies.

They can be eaten after roasting in the oven,

or saved to replant next year.

 

This little fuzzy fellow stays hunkered down next to our air conditioner.

Whenever I'm out there, I see him scurrying around.

I'm not sure if it's a wooly bear caterpillar,

but I read about this critter's legend:

"According to folklore, the amount of black on the woolly bear in autumn varies proportionately with the severity of the coming winter. The longer the woolly bear's black bands, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. While the wider the middle brown band is, means it will be a milder upcoming winter."

Find out more about this here. 

What do you think?

Do you know anything about this fuzzy wuzzy?

Do tell!