We've already had 2 inches of rain but last nite we got another 3/5" of it and its drizzling again. They tell us for sure we'll have a nice Wed and Thurs with sunshine and temps around 70F. Sounds good if they're right this time.
Let's take a little stroll thru my gardens:
I'm letting the Asparagus Berm go to ferns. We had a few good meals from that bed this year, better than last. You can't beat a fresh asparagus right from the garden. Its so tender you don't have to cut off too much from the root end either so you have more to eat. Mmmmmm good!
Here's my twin tomato plant experiment. These are twin Legends growing up together. They were equally vibrant in their cell pack so I planted them both together. I want to find out if both plants will be vigorous and give me lots of tomatoes. So far, they are doing fine.
I think in this photo you can better see the two main stems side by side.
There are baby tomatoes on both of my Totem tomatoes in the greenhouse bed in my Back40. I hope they start turning pink soon. My mouth is watering for fresh tomatoes right from the garden.
The broccoli and kale bed where heads are forming on the broccs. In the back are three Better Boy tomatoes with one having blossoms.
My Early Cherry tomato in the flower bed is also blossoming. I'm really happy that my tomatoes are doing well this year....knock on wood. Last year they were a disaster. Not only were most of the seedlings stunted, but early blight hit my area for miles around and most folks didn't get much for a tomato harvest last year. I hope that's remedied this year. I'm also hoping my newspaper mulch will help in that regard. One can only hope.
On Hosta Hill beside the back deck, they are growing big and lush. I'm eager to see the lovely flowers soon, in white and lavender. I have a range of varieties, including Guacamole, Hyacintha, Christmas Tree, Birchwood Parky's Gold, Halcyon and an unknown transplanted from a relative's bed. The two in the forefront are Guacamole left and Parky's Gold, then Hyacintha the taller one in back and the blue-leaved one to her right in the rear is Christmas Tree.
You can see the blue-leaved Christmas Tree better in this view, with the white-edged unknown variety in front of it. Christmas Tree has huge leaves. The pink Bleeding Heart is still showing some pink blossoms and is huge this year pretty much crowding out that unknown hosta.
I think I'll end this stroll with the cukes sown along the trellis at the end of the asparagus berm. Summer Dance on the left and Boston Pickling varieties on the right in this view. The rain is doing them justice so I won't begrudge the seemingly endless rain this past week.
The rain was much needed in our forests. Maine has thousands upon thousands of acres in forest and a forest fire would be so damaging. The forests were like tinder only a couple weeks ago so Rain, you are welcome, but please go visit another for awhile so I can get out and weed. You're welcome to come back in a week or so if you must.
Happy Gardening!
You are such a great gardener!! I really do hope that someday I can be as good as you are!! I harvested some leaf lettuce yesterday and because I had waited to long to pick it, it bolted, so I thru it in the compost heap.
ReplyDeleteI also had to pull up my broccoli and cauliflower because something devoured it, so in an anger induced state of mind from it, I went around smushing al the stupid slugs I could find. I know some may frown on me for doing so, but I have no other way to protect my crops. Of which are struggling as it is! I wish so much that I had a green house!
Also my carrots were an epic fail! Third year in a row for a failure on all those things! I don't know what I am doing wrong??? I will NOT give up though, because for me, being able to grow food for my family is very important!!! Well enough of my rambling, I am sure you have lots to do, so i'll let you go and we will talk again soon. Have a wonderful day and I continue to look forward to your blogging!! Toodles Quiltlady :-)
Did you know that covering your crops with light-weight insect barrier is a terrific way to defeat many insect pests? Its light enuf that sunshine and rain go right thru it but it keeps off the harmful bugs. I haven't even bothered with that so far this year since I don't have much that the bugs can get in my veggie beds, but I'll be digging it out with the heat coming. I'd like to keep my Brussels sprouts, kalettes and kale safer.
ReplyDeleteDon't let things get you down. In the garden world, there's always something you have to fight against. I haven't grown carrots in 3 years now, the last 2 being losses. I just didn't get out to water them enough in the beginning.
So keep at it. Good luck.
Oh yeah I keep forgetting about that stuff is is expensive though because I am on a very tight budget this Summer. I feel bad but my boys are going to feel sad when I tell them we aren't going to be able to go somewhere in our lovely state to stay a night or two like we've been trying to do for last few years.
DeleteSee we cannot afford the type of vacation other people go on. So what I try to do is save up some money and take my two guys away for a day or two around my husband and my's bday which is Aug. 17th. Like one year we went to Mt katahdin and then one year to Old orchard beach. Last year we stayed home and I bought a huge tent that got broken in a bad wind storm.
300$ tent ruined first Summer we got it......what a bummer. I thought it'd be a good thing to buy, because then we could camp out instead of paying crappy prices at crappy hotels. But I guess it was a bad idea! Live and learn!
Since we had the land tax thing and well we need a home to live in, we just don't got the mullah to get away for a day! In the long run a roof over our head is way better anyhow!!
I will be giving up on carrots too if this time I don't succeed again, lol!
Yyour garden is looking beautiful!! And you have apples coming already. I sure woul love some fresh broccoli when it's ready and maybe a couple tomatoes. Your hard work shows...judy
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