Saturday, August 3, 2013

Only A Couple of Days Late

Yes, I'm a little tardy, but here are my August 1st garden pictures to compare with how things looked on June 1st and July 1st of this season.

The Pumpkin Patch


Pretty close to nuthin' happening on June 1st.   (I don't think anything was happening then.  Too cold.)


Progress made as of July 1st, but nothing poking through the soil yet.


Finally looking like a respectable garden on August 1st.  This second planting of corn is between two and three feet high.  The pumpkins planted in with the corn, I'm afraid, don't stand a chance of making it.  Their vines have not even started to spread yet.

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The Raised Beds


Wow, a really slow start to the season on June 1st.  We were still replacing the wooden frames on some beds, and it was cold.


July 1st and at least there was a good start on some plants.


A big jump in growth from July 1st to August 1st.  Other than salad fixin's, though, nothing is producing except zucchini and edible podded peas.

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The Field Garden


Not much to see on June 1st except the strawberry plants.


Small growth by July 1st.


Finally looking lush and full on August 1st.  Some things hiding behind others.  (Wouldn't it be cool to have an aerial view of your garden?)

As the pictures show, I saw much more growth during the month of July than the month of June.  A cool, wet June is not too unusual up here.  A cool, wet July caused a bit of frustration.  Now August has started out in much the same way.  Can anything other than the root crops mature if we don't get our quota of heat and sunshine in August?

Will my shell peas be harvested by September 1st?  Will the corn have developed ears by then?  Will I get enough green and yellow beans this year?  There have been many signs of an early fall in our area already.  Oh, golly-gosh, I really hope that doesn't come to pass!

24 comments:

Sandy Livesay said...

Just totally beautiful! I love your garden beds.

Sparkless said...

Maybe it will be an unusually warm and sunny fall giving your plants the extra growing time they need. One can always hope. Your garden still looks better than mine.

Sunnybrook Farm said...

It has been cool and rainy in Virginia, there isn't much you can do about it, your garden looks really good if only you can get an Indian summer.

Tombstone Livestock said...

I think you have a very respectable looking garden for the late warm weather. Looks beautiful and so neat, not the way I garden in the weeds. But then I didn't even plant a garden this year, not with a rattlesnake out there on April 5th. No way this year.

Carolyn said...

Oh don't worry, the NSA has an aerial view of your garden! :)

Nice greenery going on there btw.

Sue said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE these comparison posts. Wow-what incredible progress in the garden. Your garden looks fantastic.

I've been debating pulling the pumpkin vines--they haven't even thought of forming any yet and with frosts due end of the month, I figure why bother. The bees, however, seem to love all the blossums.....maybe I should leave them?

Anonymous said...

Your garden is gorgeous! I hope mine looks that nice in a couple years (yep, realistically I know it will take at least that long). Praying you get a great harvest before the cold sets in. You are such an inspiration to me :)

Kelly said...

WOW! Your gardens are AWESOME!!!!

Unknown said...

Looks very full and lush! We're just picking our first tomatoes last 2 weeks....

Mama Pea said...

Sandy - Aw, gosh! Thank you very much.

Mama Pea said...

Sparkless - Oh, yes! A long, sunny fall filled with warmth is what I'm hoping for!

Mama Pea said...

Sunnybrook Farm - Well, that's just it. Everything does look good, just not maturing like it should. Here it is August 4th and the shell peas haven't even filled out yet. But there are sure a lot of skinny, flat pods on the vines!

Mama Pea said...

Tombstone Livestock - I don't know how you could have ever kept a garden alive with your total lack of rain and the ungodly hot temperatures you've had this summer. Let alone the RATTLESNAKE!

Mama Pea said...

Carolyn - So does our own county (%^&#!) supposedly in order to keep track of what building is happening on what pieces of property. Gotta pay those big bucks for building permits, ya know.

Mama Pea said...

Sue - Nothing says it like a picture! I had totally forgotten how "nothing-ness" the garden was the first of July.

No-no, don't pull your pumpkin vines. With the way things have been so whacky, you just might not get a frost as early as usual this year. I've had green pumpkins turn orange even after the vines were dead as a door nail.

Mama Pea said...

Stephanie - You're a wise lady to realize freshly turned sod takes a while to turn into good garden soil.

YOU are inspiring to me! When I think of all you've been up against and yet still have kept your dream alive, it makes me humbled.

Mama Pea said...

Kelly - THANKS! Just remember I don't have any kiddies (human ones, I mean) at home anymore that need and demand my time and attention . . . so I have that time to give to the garden!

Mama Pea said...

Little Homestead - Congratulations on getting tomatoes! What with so many places either being burned out by 100+ temps, or way too much rain, or temps that are too cool, I don't think there are going to be a lot of us with big tomato harvests this year!

Endah Murniyati said...

Wow... really wonderful raised bed. I'm Endah from Indonesia. I really enjoy your blog. I invite you to visit my blog. Have a nice day. Endah

Susan said...

Seems like thing ARE moving along - just slowly. Maybe you will have a looooong end of summer, followed by a loooooong mild fall, followed by a short winter. Just call me Pollyanna...c'mon shell peas! C'mon sweet corn!

Mama Pea said...

Endah Murniyati - Thank you for your kind words. The raised beds work really well for us.

Mama Pea said...

Susan - You hit the nail on the head! Everything IS growing . . . just very s-l-o-w-l-y!

Shannon said...

Your garden's are absolutely beautiful! They are so clean and weed free. Do you mulch? I'd love to know your secret. I'm only on year 5 of a really big garden and don't have it all figured out. My husband and I didn't grow up being taught any of this stuff and just try to do the best we can. We spend ALOT of time weeding and tilling, but if there is a better way, I'd love to know. Thanks!

Mama Pea said...

Shannon - I finally conquered the weed problem by doing two things. I plant intensively which I can now successfully do because we've gotten our soil worked up to a really good, healthy, productive level. And I mulch like crazy with grass clippings. I have to keep on top of this (often mulching the same area up to three times) because the clippings quickly decompose into the soil which, in turn, builds up the soil. Both those things definitely keep the weeds down. Plus, I do pull any started weeds I see (right out by their blasted little roots!) as I walk through the garden nearly every day.

I was never taught about gardening when growing up either. I just jumped in, collected a lot of gardening books, and made a lot of mistakes. I still do, every year. I love the saying, "In gardening there are no failures, only experiments." Just keep doing and repeat what works for you in your particular location.