Using the Garden's Bounty

I made 4 1/2 pints of salsa today with the help of my teenage boys.  I prefer the uncooked variety.

I'm just refrigerating it now, maybe I'll try freezing a jar and see what happens.  I'm sure I'll make it several more times during tomato season.  This salsa has 4 kinds of tomatoes (Early Girl, Bradley, Roma, and German Queen).

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I've been trying to use up my produce, but I can't keep up with the garden.  I've made 2 quadruple recipes of zucchini bread (in loaves and muffins, some with pecans).  We canned banana peppers previously and have tried cooking summer squash every way possible!

Still after all the baking and cooking the last few days, there are still green bags full and a garden in need of another harvest.  A couple of friends have taken some off my hands, but I'm still looking for some new recipes.  Especially for yellow squash.  If you have anything new and interesting, post it!

I wouldn't mind if the green beans started coming a little quicker.  I sure wish I had planted more 'Contender' bush beans.  They've been my favorite this year.

Butternut Squash

I love how pretty squash blossoms are.... Before the plants start sprawling everywhere.  I think I may put up some supports and grow these vertically so I don't have them going into the yard!

Pruning the Tomatoes

It's a bit difficult to reach in to prune and sneak a camera in there too!  Just trying to show how to reach in and prune back the suckers and extra branches.  Some sites recommend very mild pruning that will still leave you with overgrown tomatoes that can't get enough sun and air circulation.  I cut back heavily (some would say severely) yet I get heavy production.  The plant puts its energy into the fruit instead of the leaves!

Always prune near the main stem with a clean cut.

Let me show you why I chose today (before the rain!) to get this done:

  Before

  After

Tomato plants should be watered from the bottom as their leaves are susceptible to rot when wet.  Getting the air circulating around them helps them dry out faster.

More harvesting

Today I went out and harvest tomatoes (4 varieties), green beans, banana peppers.

I also found our first cayenne pepper and a cantaloupe.

The heat has forced me into working in the evenings when the mosquitos are out, thus limiting my time in the garden.  I desperately need to cut back the tomatoes.  They are getting quite overgrown.  I didn't realize that not everyone cut back their tomatoes, but I find they are easier to manage, have less pests and give more fruit that ripens quicker if you cut back the suckers periodically.  Just be sure to cut at the V of stem and try not to cut ones with blossoms already started.

I've made 2 fish emulsion feedings of the garden, but I'm ate on the third.  I'm considering using a different product (that is still organic) Vegetables Alive.  

Thirsty garden

Even though we had a little rain yesterday, my garden was bone dry today.  One banana pepper plant and the squash and zucchini all began to wilt.  I spent quite a while watering this evening (It's after 5PM and still in the 90's!) but there are a few that might not pull through.

I picked about 15 tomatoes tonight - mostly early girls but a few bradley and roma.

I think this week will be a salsa week!

Pickling Banana Peppers

I finally broke down and pickled some peppers yesterday. I used 2 separate recipes, one with apple cider vinegar. So many of the ones picked last week were already squishy so I only made 4 quarts.

7-24 How Does My Garden Grow

The melons are looking so great, but I'm sure they are not sweet yet.  I'm so excited!!

The fall squash is looking great.  Rather than thin it too much, I'm thinking of going vertical with them as in square foot gardening.

The Early Girls are starting to ripen more quickly.  The Bradley is still slower, but picking up speed.  So far the tomatoes from it are extremely tasty!  I took a pic of my 2nd oldest between the Bradley and the Early Girls to show how tall they are getting.  They are taller than the fence now.

Flowers From the Backyard

The hydrangea bush wasn't very profuse this year. I don't know if we cut it back to late in the season or what it was. Here are a few pics.

The first sunflower bloom peaks out over the fence. More are getting ready to bloom soon.
I love the pic of the sun setting in the background behind the fence.

Some of My Flowers

I've focused only on the vegetable garden and missed some of the flowers. I didn't get many pics this year but here are a few:

These are some of what's still blooming in the heat of summer in my front yard.

Spirea - These plants were put in when the house was built, so they are 14 years old.

Butterfly bush. It was in its bloom peak about 3 weeks ago, now only a few left. We only put this one in 2 years ago and its already the height of the house. Drastic pruning needed this fall.

Balloon Flower - These are in my front flower bed for the 3rd year. Something weird though, each year 3 are getting lighter than the others. Hmmmmmm.

First Roma and Mountain Pride Tomatoes

Today we harvested 1 roma and 2 Mtn. Pride tomatoes.  Yummy!

Of course - more banana peppers

2nd Bean Harvest and 2nd Beetle Spraying

2nd harvest of beans.  Still mostly coming from 'Contender' ones.  I'm thrilled to have decent beans this year!

The banana peppers still continue to be prolific.  I've given them away, cooked them in stuff, and my oldest eats them raw.  But still I can't use them fast enough.  I guess I'm going to be conned into pickling some to make my 2nd oldest happy!

I sprayed Organicide again to try and chase off the beetles.  I've been looking around the nearby houses to see if someone put up one of this idiotic beetle bags (which only attract the little buggers) but I haven't seen one.  I'm guessing they are just bad this year.  

The birds have been constant visitors.  Especially a cardinal couple and a lone bluejay.  The are nested in the front yard.

July 15th in the Garden

The squash plants are up and growing well.  The sunflowers are over the fence.  The  banana peppers seem to be flourishing with the cages.  I planted the sunflowers by the squash, cucumber and zucchini, but it seems to be create too much shade for the cucumbers.  I think they are dying.

The sweet potatoes 'beauregard'  seem to be growing well, but I have no comparison.  I've never grown them before.  I tried putting some slips in last year, but I was too late in the season and they did not get started.

The Tomatoes are Thriving

The weather has been great for gardening this year.  After last year's "Freeze Dried" season its a welcome blessing.  We've only had a to water the garden a few times.  Unfortunately it seems a bumper year for the Japanese Beetles and Bunnies!  The bunnies have been murder on the tomatoes.  They skipped the lettuce earlier but have loved the tomatoes.  I've had to keep the bases trimmed up.  Even with a fenced backyard, they get in!  

I have had to stake some of the later tomatoes now too as they are outgrowing their cages.  

Partly because you can't buy a decent tomato cage anymore.  They are small and weak.  So now I have to stake and tie.  I have used bamboo in the past but have to replace them every 2 years. 

This year I chose these new plastic coated poles from Lowes that have nubby texture to grip the ties.  The should last a LONG time.

Even with frequent caging, tying and trimming of the suckers, the tomato plants are huge and getting bigger.  They are full of fruit, so the trimming is working.  I just wish more would ripen at once!  I'm greedy!

First Green Bean Harvest.....and doing battle with bugs

Green beans!  The 'Contender' bush beans had a nice sized harvest.  Two of my kids helped snap them as I reminisced of snapping beans on the back patio with my mom.  My kids normally are not fans of green beans (they actually prefer canned to frozen - EEEEKKKK!) but I promised to fix them in the least healthiest (and best tasting) way - slow cooked with bacon.  I also let them stick a little at the end - I know - but I love that taste!  They actually liked them.  My 2nd oldest had seconds!

Also discovered Japanese Beetles going to town on my runner bean tepee.  Sprayed the runner beans with Organicide from Lowe's.

Status of Melons, Red Bell Pepper and Bean Tepee

My first attempt at cantaloupe in the south, both plants ('Hale's Jumbo' and 'Ambrosia') have set some good looking melons.

The bean tepee is thriving and the red bell peppers are getting larger, but not ripening yet.

2nd Fish Emulsion Feeding

Today I returned to my garden after being gone for 2 weeks.  I weeded, trimmed, tied and fed it.  Not to mention some serious harvesting!