Our current garden does not have much in the way of cutting flowers. The nasturtiums and marigolds tucked in around the veggies have short stems. However, on occasion, the modest blooms of some of the herbs can make a respectable bouquet. In this case, the daisy like flowers are from feverfew. A couple sprigs of lemon verbena provide tall spikes. The umbrella clusters of yellow flowers are fennel.
The tomatoes started ripening around Labor Day weekend due to a late start, the usual cool summers here and lack of fertilizers. And then the winds came and the cages and plants started falling over.
Some of the earlier corn plantings did not work out, but the later two did fairly well. While last year almost every ear had a worm in it, there were none to be found this year. Plus more of the ears filled out well.
The corn was not ready by July 4th, but not too many days after that, we were eating garden fresh corn on the cob. On the other hand, the tomatoes got off to a really late start and it will be sometime in August before we get to harvest the first vine ripened tomatoes. The peas did a lot better this year. A patch of peas between the tomato plants managed to produce a respectable amount before the combination of powdery mildew and crowding by the neighbors brought it to an end. Snow peas and snap peas also produced more than we could use and enough to freeze for the future. The bush beans (‘Maxibel’) did well as in past years. The pole beans did better than last year in that they produced lots of beans. But the quality did not seem as good as the bush beans and thus will not get planted again next year. Meanwhile the wax beans were much like last year — a mediocre crop as the plants seemed to break easily.
The pumpkins are again prolific. They average around six pumpkins each and show every intention of doing a lot more than that. Thus the additional growth is being removed. Likewise, some of the excess tomato vine is being trimmed this year. Last year the currant tomato would have taken over the entire bed if it had not been fighting a couple other varieties with the same goal. The goal of side-by-side comparison of tomato varieties is a failure since half the plants got off to such a late start. Plus several of the tomato plants are not doing well — perhaps a fertilizer issue — except that it effects on plant while the neighboring ones seem fine. So for next year, the tomatoes need a better indoor start and the pumpkins should not get planted until mid-June the earliest.
The new red carrot (“Samurai”) from Park’s was horrible. There were two somewhat unappealing pink carrots that were edible. For the most part it was all top growth and where there was something below ground, it was inedible. In fact, a couple that developed were so tough that they could not be cut with the kitchen knife.
The initial crop of cantaloupes has been more baseball size than the expected softball size. Perhaps the enthusiastic growth of the pumpkins in the same bed resulted in a negative impact on the less vigorous melons.
The initial plantings of corn have come in without any worms, but the ants and aphids continue to climb the stalks. Later plantings failed to germinate well enough and survive the birds, so there will be a pause in the corn harvest before later plantings are ready.
Some of the early crops – Spinach, peas and scallions were past their prime and pulled, along with the beans. Additional seeds have been planted and we should manage a second crop before the weather gets too cool.
The blackberry harvest has been more than enough for eating fresh. There was enough for one batch of jam, a couple of pies and several other baked deserts so far. The raspberries probably need another year before they are doing that much. At present, just enough to taste. Meanwhile, there has been an assortment of fruit from the orchard. Several of the trees planted last year have produced a respectable crop despite the odd winter (lack thereof). Even a few of the trees planted this winter provided a handful of fruit. The only tree in the orchard this year that appears to have more than enough for a batch or two canned to be enjoyed over the fall and winter months is the nectaplum ‘Spice Zee’ which is loaded with fruit. It also lives up to its marketing description with respect to taste — very sweet.
Ants and aphids continue to be significant garden pests. I suspect that a reduction in the ant population would make the aphids less of a nuisance. There have been a few signs of gophers, but not a lot of luck catching them. The wire under the veggie beds is working and the chicken wire baskets around the trees and berries have been pretty good at limiting the impact of gophers. There haven’t been a lot of insect pests and there have been lots of honeybees — quite a change from a couple years ago.
And of course I already have ideas for improvements next year. It will take at least a couple more years of learning experiences and resulting changes.
Several of the tomato plants have gotten huge. Recent winds were strong enough to tilt the cages. Many of the herbs have gotten large enough to require trimming. It should not be too much longer before we get lots of tomatoes. The late start this year and the usual cool weather here do not have results that match the catalog times so the harvest is always much later than suggested. The currant tomato is getting full of clusters of tiny tomatoes. It is an extremely vigorous plant. Last year it and a couple others were allowed to keep growing and they left their cages and were all over an 8′ by 4′ planter bed. This year, it is getting trimmed back to stay reasonably close to the cage.
It is really too early, but it is obvious the pumpkins are getting ripe. This one, “Rouge de vif d’etampes’, is definitely showing the red coloring.
A few of the small pie pumpkins can be seen here. It apparently liked the pathway much better than the bed and the trellis where it was supposed to grow.
There are a few pears growing. Compared to the other fruit trees, pears seem to be stealth bloomers. Plus, since the fruit will stay green, they are difficult to notice when casually walking by the trees.
The nectaplum “Spice Zee” is absolutely loaded with very sweet fruit. There should be plenty to can at least one batch this week and still have lots left. The dark reddish leaves did a great job of hiding the fruit from the birds. They only discovered it today. (Another sign it is ripe and ready to pick!)
Calendulas were planted last year in a couple of the beds to provide some color before the pumpkins ripened. They self-seeded and are a pleasant alternative to weeds. Once they get to the point where they block access to the beds, the get pulled out and new ones starting in their shadow take their place.
Most of the blackberries that were planted last year have reached the point where they are productive. Still not enough to make jam, but lots of delicious treats.The one boysenberry that survived has been producing a surprising amount of berries. Unfortunately it is not a thornless variety, so collecting the berries requires care and often means a few scratches for the effort.
he first planting of corn has tassels already. Actually, it was done in several plantings at two week intervals. The later plantings did not do so well. The germination was not very good and it appeared that the birds may have pulled some of the seedlings out.
Garden peas this year seem to be doing really well. Actually producing lots of peas instead of being wiped out by powdery mildew.
