The Vegetable Garden - June 10, 2012

The vegetable garden is continuing to come to life as the days pass.  Most of the seeds are at least starting to come up.  The only thing that hasn't come up yet is the potatoes and they were planted later than everything else.

Orange peppers, jalepeno peppers, roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.

Carrots.

Onions.

Zucchini.

Cucumbers.

Kale.

Lettuce.

Swiss Chard

Early Friday evening, we got a huge downpour of rain.  I could tell from the house that a large portion of the garden was covered in water, so I took the camera to assess the damage.  At the time, I was worried for the tomato plants as some of them were in the middle of large puddles, but they seem to have all come out fine!

The garden after Friday's downpour.

Flower Garden - August 6/7

The lack of rain is starting to show it's effects on some of my perennials as well.  The blossoms aren't lasting as long and the plants are starting to droop.  A couple of things are actually starting to look like they are going to die.  Fortunately, perennials are fairly hardy and it takes a lot to do damage to most of them.  Here are a few pics from the past couple weeks.

The rubekia is giving a splash of colour all over the garden!

Rubekia.

Not the best photo, but after about five years, this monk's hood finally decided to bloom!!  The other one still has not!

Columbine seed pods . . . once again, I just let them do their thing, so there will be lots of little white columbine around next year!

Tiger Lily, the last lily to bloom this year.

Happy to see new growth on this clematis, it started off really nicely this year and then died back almost to nothing, but growing nicely now.

Despite the powdery mildew problem on my phlox, they are all doing remarkably well!

Phlox

They are starting to look a little ragged, but these echinacea have lasted for a LONG time!

Purple Phlox.

Red Phlox

Vegetable Garden - August 6/7

I have to admit that I am getting a little discouraged with the vegetable garden.  We haven't had hardly any rain in weeks and it is really taking it's toll.  I actually broke down and bought more hose and a sprinkler this week so that I could water the garden.  This is the ninth year that I've had a garden here and it is the first time I've ever needed to water it.  

The red potatoes have all died back to nothing, so I decided to dig some today.  They are small and very few.  I dug 4 hills, which is half the row and barley got enough for a meal.  The cucumbers are very slow and the lettuce is already starting to get bitter.  And today I noticed what appears to be blossom end rot on my Roma tomatoes.

I have my fingers crossed that watering helps in time to still have a plentiful garden.

On a brighter note, we did have grilled zucchini for dinner last night and it was very yummy, the few cucumbers that we have had have been delicious and there are beets that are ready to be used.  So, it's not a complete failure!  

The Vegetable Garden

Nice looking beets that will make some yummy "purple pickles".

Zucchini.

The peppers are doing well!

I had one ripe tomato earlier this week that with this lettuce and cucumber made a very yummy salad.

Roma Tomatoes were looking good until I looked closely . . . 

Many of them, including all the ones that were starting to ripen seem to be suffering from blossom end rot.  Hope some of them make it!

Disappointing red potatoes, four hills and only enough for one meal.  Hopefully the white ones are better.

Rain drops on lilies and dark clouds in the sky . . .

 Ok, so it doesn't have the same ring to it as "Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kitten" but I didn't have any roses or kitten!  Last Tuesday (June 30) evening, I did, however have rain drops on lilies and dark clouds in the sky that were screaming to have their photos taken!  So, here they are!

Rainy Day

I love rain drops on flowers, it just looks so pretty.  Last week I was able to get a few shots of my flowers after a rain shower.

Iris bud

Iris blossom

Peonie

Hosta

Rain . . .

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again on a weekday,
Weekends are my time,
To get in the dirt and play.

Rain, rain my flowers need you,
So that they can grow,
But why can't you come
At night, when I slumber?


OK, so I am not a poet, but seriously, why? why? why? can the weather be GORGEOUS all week when I don't have the time or energy to be in my gardens or yard and then when the weekend comes it RAINS??? I hope that tomorrow is nice so that I can get some pics for my weekly update and have some time to play in the dirt!  Yeah, I totally sound like a little kid!

This week, I am hoping to get some edging done on the one section of the side flower garden that doesn't have wood around it to keep the grass from invading.  Every year, I edge it, but without a barrier, the grass just works it's way in.  I am going to widen it and then just put in some plastic edging, hopefully that will help!  And it will give me a bit more space to fill with new plants!!  I wonder what mom has that I don't have yet!!