No matter how many years a gardener has worked the soil, the ongoing miracle of vegetative life always seems magical. ~Patricia Monaghan
I know, I know. I said I would wait to post a veg garden update, but really what is the use of waiting. Our hot summer has turned into a damp cool one and the temps went down to 48 degrees Monday night. Besides we are weeks behind because of our late cool spring and I started so many things weeks late.
But really I am not complaining. I am excited to see so many things grow and regrow in the veg garden this season. I am joining in with Dee Nash again for her virtual garden club called, Dear Friend and Gardener. I am also joining in with Christina@Creating my own garden of the Hesperides for her Garden Bloggers Foliage Day on the 22nd. Veg gardens are a perfect place to show off your foliage.
This was the first year I grew beets and Swiss chard and we had a nice harvest. And I am now getting more chard. I left 2 roots in the garden after I cut the chard and they are ready to harvest again as you can see.
My beans did not like the crowded bed or aphids so we are not getting a great harvest. But I have plans to remedy that for next year. The peas lasted through mid-August until the voles chewed them down. And I planted a second batch of radishes in late July, that I already harvested. They were yummy. The third planting is already growing.
My onions continue to be harvested. I love red onions so that is all we grow.
Okra are finally blooming and growing. Great red stems and red trimmed foliage.
And even with the cool days and nights we have some peppers growing. Many did nothing because it was too wet and too cool.
Beets are growing again with carrots. It will be several more weeks before they are ready, but boy the fall harvest will be great. I netted them so our willful deer, Alice, keeps away from these yummy greens.
Here are my watermelons. They are growing great, but far behind where they should be for late August. I love the foliage but look at that little watermelon that will be growing much bigger soon I hope. These are baby watermelons so it won’t have to grow too big.
Here’s my squash bed. My Cocozelle summer squash (zucchini) are just beginning to grow female flowers.
Look at that first zucchini. It was delicious and much firmer, less seeds and great flavor than regular old zukes. Looking forward to more growing. Can you believe this is the first time I have been successful growing zucchini. I never gave it enough room, and I think they are a bit crowded now too. My Delicata winter squash are just beginning to produce female flowers too.
Last but not least are the tomatoes. And of course they love heat too. The foliage on many are not in good shape (yellowing and browning) due to too much rain and cool weather.
Here is the tomato plant the deer ate. It is a hybrid plum that rebounded, put on new growth and is finally producing fruit. Can’t wait to see these get about three times bigger and a nice juicy red.
Our first tomatoes harvested were hybrid grapes (pictured below). Our early hybrid tomaotes are finally producing in late August. You can see we are a month behind. I bet we get tomatoes all at once, but we are not complaining.
Right now I am also loving my herbs. Sage is looking great and dill (pictured at the top of the post) is plentiful too.
We still have 2 bags full of potatoes left to harvest. The bags of potatoes that were already harvested now have kale, lettuce, spinach, herbs and arugula growing for a fall harvest. And I will have another harvest update then.
How is your veg garden growing? Any new veggies you are trying this year?
The first tomato is always the most thrilling! It’s one of those Oprah moments when everything clicks, the world makes sense, and all that hard work pays off-just for one tomato that tastes like pure joy. ~Gayla Trail
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Visit my new blog:
I want to thank all the wonderful people who have been visiting my new blog, Living From Happiness. It is a blog to celebrate life, lessons, change, challenges and creativity.
I post there every Thursday, and sometimes on Sunday with a creative post. In August I am participating in a photo challenge and posting some of my pics on Sundays.
I do hope you will join me there.
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Next up on the blog: Monday will have another Vase On Monday post. And next Wednesday, I will have that native plant post I promised for today.
I am linking in with Michelle@Rambling Woods for her Nature Notes meme. It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every Tuesday.
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