Garden Friday

Happy Birthday to Big K today!

 

 

Welcome back to Garden Friday!

We are winding down our summer garden,

and the weather has been significantly cooler.

It's enough to make a gardener think about planting fall crops!

Overall, I can't say I've been that ambitious yet,

but each day, I try to do a little something out there.

Even 15 minutes a day makes a difference.

 

We ate our first (and probably last) ear of corn this week!

It had to be harvested early, 

so it probably would have been a bit bigger.

It was sweet and juicy, and I loved every bite!

Why is it our last ear, you may ask?

 

This is why.

The squirrels not only helped themselves

to the first ear, but most of them since.

The half eaten remains lay scattered on the lawn,

on the tree stump and other parts unknown,

where they have been feasting on the fruit of my labors.

I don't have enough room to grow a large amount,

and it's just not worth the trouble.

I'm proud of myself for trying this new crop.

 

Keeping in mind the squirrels' antics,

sister suggested wrapping this volunteer watermelon

in welded wire to deter them from getting to it first.

We'll see what happens.

 

All of the seedlings that were started last week are doing well,

also wrapped in their protective shields.

 I'm hoping to get these Piggot Peas and cukes 

planted this weekend.

The Piggot Pea is an heirloom variety that is akin to

field peas or black-eyed peas.

They can be dried on the vine, used fresh,

or sprouted!

 

Not all creatures here on the homestead are destructive.

This orbital spider is working her magic 

on the front porch.

No doubt she has had many good meals here.

 

It's been a slow, steamy summer,

and I have been dealing with the lack of motivation

along with a bout of fatigue and another rooster attack,

but all in all, it's been rewarding.

Especially seeing all of the beautiful flowers emerge

without any help from me.

 

I will be downsizing the garden for next spring,

and concentrating on growing just a few things

that aren't too much trouble.

Adding more self-managing pollinator plants is on the agenda,

as well as improving the overall look of the flower beds.

 

I'm also considering doing away with the Garden Friday post

and creating a once a week post about more general things,

perhaps everything that went on during the week.

 

 

A couple of off-topic things:

I've been making fruit ice cubes for the chooks,

to help them stay cooler and hydrated.

They are a hit!

 

Our grocery store stopped carrying the Hu chocolates I love,

They are the cleanest, no sugar confections I have found.

So, my own treats have been made,

using only cocoa butter, cocoa powder (dark),

salt and maple syrup for sweetening.

I added chopped pecans here because I'm a

dark chocolate and nut lovin' gal.

Not the same as my beloved Hu bars, but mighty good.

 I will take another photo of this field when the flowers fill in,

but I just wanted to share these amazing sunflowers

being used as a cover crop at a friend's house.

Stunning, isn't it?

Just you wait until next week!

 

 

 

 

 

Garden Friday

 

watermelon lemonade

 

Welcome to Garden Friday,

where we share what's growing on in our

Zone 7b Piedmont garden.

Summer has arrived and it's the perfect weather 

for this tasty treat.

You can find the recipe here,

although I now sweeten with honey instead of sugar .

 

 

The garlic that had been cured over the last two weeks

has been braided or placed in a net bag

for all of our culinary needs.

Feels good to have a year's worth of it on hand.

The green beans are starting to strut their stuff.

This is a summer staple on the supper table,

and beans will grow throughout the summer,

as long as they are continuously harvested.

We also have drying beans growing,

so that they can be dried for use all through the year.

Rice and beans, soups, and bean burgers

are some of the different dishes in which they are used.

 

 

 

 It looks like the corn will indeed be knee high

by the Fourth of July,

so something is going right!

Time will tell if the squirrels beat us to it!

 

Next to the corn grow pinto beans,

which are making their way up

the bamboo poles.

Bamboo is one of the most versatile tools

in the garden, and its strength

makes it optimal for trellising and staking.

 

 

The elderberry is blooming,

which is a first for us.

This plant has been on the property for 

a couple of years, but we haven't gotten berries yet.

Maybe the surrounding trees being trimmed aided this along,

by providing more sunlight. 

 

 

We have tithonia blooming,

which is one of my summertime favorites.

This plant is a prolific bloomer and will 

bless you with flowers well past summer.

 

rudebekia blossom

 

The pollinator bed where the old garden was located,

is exploding with blooms, 

including these beautiful Shasta daisies.

We also have marigolds, nasturtiums, rudebekia, 

sunflowers, and zinnias planted there.

I'll take another photo in a few weeks

when everything is in bloom.

cactus zinnia

nasturtiums

 

I've never before seen the Japanese beetle damage

on zinnias, but they are eating them this year.

It seems they are getting less fussy about what they munch.

Fortunately for us, we have chooks that enjoying

the beetles as a daily treat!

 

 

Apparently, someone didn't care for my pest management

technique.  I used insect netting to cover the strawberry bed.

Except for 1 or 2 berries, this gardener has been robbed!

They managed to find a way in to the goodies.

 

 

This critter was on our cannas.

Not sure if it is friend or foe,

so I left it alone.

I tend to let Mother Nature battle these things out.

 

 

Can you ever get enough of sunflowers?

 

 

 Most of these are the Mammoth variety.

Our summer garden just wouldn't be the same

without them.

 

 

The dust bath/chill area was recently expanded

for the chooks and are they loving it!

It's rare to see them all together like this 

in one big free for all!

Welcome to July!

 

"Roll out those lazy, hazy

crazy days of summer."

~Sam Cooke

Garden Friday

 

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday,

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

Sunflowers are an all-time favorite.

Not only do they grace us with their beauty,

but they feed the birds and us as well!

 

The sweet potato bed is filling in.

A few more slips were planted 

to replace some that disappeared.

It's always so much fun to harvest potatoes of any kind.

You just never know what lies beneath the soil.

 

A couple of what I believe to be birdhouse gourd plants

showed up underneath our wooded area.

These seeds were sown last year,

but nothing ever germinated.

I guess the almost 7 inches of rain we got this week did the trick.

 

Basil has been harvested for tea,

which I did "suntea" style on the front porch.

I'm hoping to make a batch or two of pesto

that I can put in the freezer.

It's still early in the season for this crop,

so I should be able to accomplish that goal.

 

It's so exciting to see the corn growing!

Even if we don't get one ear,

it's been fun to watch this plant do what it does.

Maybe next year I will plant even more.

Nothing says summer like corn on the cob

smothered in copious amounts of butter.

 

Some of the Jacob's Cattle beans dried on the vine.

I'm pretty disappointed with my bean crop so far,

and it's something I need to get good at.

Beans are a large part of my diet.

It will be on my mind next spring when I give this another go.

 

 

Did you know that something eats okra besides humans?

I don't ever remember the okra getting decimated this way.

A closer look found these nasty buggers,

 

which quickly went into a bin and were fed to the chooks.

They love 'em some Japanese beetles!

Here's another critter found last night.

It seems to be eating holes in the cucumber plants,

but it's not affecting them, so I'll leave them be.

My approach to pest control these days

is to leave things in place as much as possible,

and let the beneficial insects take care of the balance.
 

pest patrol

 

That volunteer squash I found growing 

behind the straw bale has succumbed to a vine borer.

The plant never did develop any female flowers,

so we probably wouldn't have gotten any fruit.

I plan to sow some winter squash soon.

 The chooks have been getting a steady diet of not only beetles,

but also tomato hornworms that I've been bringing home from work.

Some of them are almost too big for one hen to handle!

It's hilarious to watch them fight over them,

trying to snatch it out of each other's beaks.

Life is better with chickens.

 

These lantana took a while to start growing,

but they are a lovely shade of pinks and yellows.

I'm hoping they will come back after the winter.

 

The cannas around the chook run have been blooming 

for a few weeks now.

They are interplanted with sunflowers

and I have a few more cannas to transplant 

from other areas of the yard.

 

The lavender and allyssum have been moved out of the sun.

The heat seemed to be too much for them,

and they weren't doing much.

I think they'll be happier on the front porch.

Ruby

 

It's amazing how rain will do so much for us.

Not only does the garden lap it up,

it cools off these humid summer days

so that the evening hours are quite enjoyable outdoors.

 

How are you spending these summer days?

 

 

Garden Friday

 

 

It's Garden Friday!

Welcome to our lil' Piedmont garden,

where we were blessed with a bit o' rain yesterday.

The flowers just drink in every drop!

 

Both of the mystery melons that grew in our melon bed

were either eaten or split before they could be enjoyed.

 

This sometimes happens when watering is inconsistent,

although when this photo was taken,

we hadn't had any significant rainfall,

and the drip irrigation is very consistent.

All is not lost though,

these were fed to the chooks,

who suck up the seeds like a Hoover vacuum.

 

I managed to save some seeds for planting next season as well.

 

 Speaking of seeds,

my order from Sow True Seed came in the mail,

so I will be ready to complete my fall planting.

I got a bit behind, as I was dog sitting last weekend,

and didn't have time to work in my own garden.

I hope to remedy that this weekend.

 

 

This year, I will be trying their raised bed mix

on one of the larger raised beds.

Every year, I choose a different bed,

and sow cover crops in it. 

I will also be sowing some white Dutch clover

to the drain field in our yard.

The chooks scratched up quite a bit of it over the last year,

and it needs a bit of resowing.

 

Each year, I snap a picture of our Mammoth sunflowers,

although this year I'm a bit late to the party.

They were well past their prime by the time we got a photo.

Fortunately, the squirrels did not climb the stalks this year,

so I will be able to harvest huge heads of seeds for next year.

 

A surprise greeted me when I was perusing the garden.

A few more of the Kajari melons popped up in the grass.

We'll see if we get to sample any.

So far, we haven't had much luck with melon tasting.

 

The sweet potatoes are surfacing, for some reason.

I've grown sweet potatoes for a few years now,

and never seen them come up out of the ground like this.

It'll be fun to see what's under there!

 

Strawberries in September?

Is it me, or are things a bit off this year?

I never expected to see berries forming now.

Not complaining one bit!

 

The loofah are getting huge!

I have sampled some of the smaller ones,

and was surprised to find out that the chooks enjoyed them as well.

The rest will be left to size up and harvest 

to use as "sponges" once they dry. 

 

The chooks have relished the extra bit of shade the vines provide.

The pollinators have delighted in the flowers.

Everybody wins!

This sweet basket was made by a friend's husband

so that C could use it to collect eggs.

I gathered some basil for pesto making

and it was exactly what I needed.

 

There are quite a few projects planned for when it gets

just a wee bit cooler.

It's coming, little by little.

I'm hoping that the drier air and cooler temperatures

will motivate me to get out there and get things crossed off of my list.

I'm not sure if I'm slowing down,

or just not willing to go out into the heat anymore.

 Do you notice the asparagus bed in the foreground here?

We've not had any significant wind events,

but the ferns are always laying over in the bed this way.

Any ideas?

 

The weather is starting to change,

and once again my favorite season will be here.

It's such a blessing to be able to send the heat of summer packing,

and welcome in a milder season.

Here's hoping you enjoy all the loveliness of this very day.