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!