Here's an overview of the raised beds (for you, Michelle) taken from a second floor window this morning. Empty bed front middle row was all radishes. All gone now.
Down on the ground and out tritzing through the heavy dew, here is one of the bean rows. Since the field garden is fallow this year (where I usually plant all the beans), I used one of the raised beds for an 8' row of green beans and another bed for 8' of yellow beans. No sense raising more than we can use or give away, so these are adequate.
Don't know if the Morning Glories planted at the base of this tepee trellis will ever grow big. They are as s-l-o-w as molasses in January this year.
I planted pie pumpkins in the middle of this raised bed hoping I could convince them to climb up and over the hoop trellis. There are finally some vines starting to run, but they look like they're trying to escape the bed all together. I'm going to have to have a talk with them about using this fine trellis I've provided for them.
The shell peas are planted on either side of 40' of cattle panels for their trellis. Not as much growth on them as I'd hoped to see by now.
A couple of years ago Papa Pea made a few shade cloth covers like the one on this bed over the spinach and Swiss chard. I'm hoping to keep them going longer into the season by blocking some of the too bright sunlight. The Swiss chard would probably be okay without the shade cloth cover but the spinach would not.
The scarlet runner beans are planted at the base of this garden trellis and they've finally taken off climbing.
There are colored gourds planted on either side of the trellis down the center of this raised bed. I didn't think they were ever going to germinate. (Too cold, I think.) If our fall weather holds out (and doesn't frost early), I may yet get some decorative gourds from them.
My onions are kinda scary this year. Most of them are now 3' tall! I can only cross my fingers that all their energy hasn't gone to the tops and left none for the bulbs.
The green and colored pepper plants are starting to size up and even have blossoms on them. One plant never got any bigger than when I transplanted it and eventually died. The rest are looking good though.
That's a partial tour through the raised beds. We got an inch of rain yesterday and it really gave the plants a shot in the arm. Real rain does them so much more good than all the watering I can do. With our now very summer time like weather, things were really drying out so we were glad to get the rain. Now if this humidity (gasp, gasp) would just go away . . .
I always love seeing your garden! It's so neat and tidy, compared to mine which tends to be on the wild side. Glad you're getting rain as needed. Hopefully we'll all get enough to keep our gardens happy.
ReplyDeleteLeigh - Doesn't matter one whit what our gardens look like as long as they provide us with fresh, nutritious, healthy food!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking you must be in your "middle of summer" hot, hot period where not much is going on in your garden? Being able to have an early garden, and then late garden with a break in between sounds lovely to me right now! ;o)
Sigh; I can't decide if you're inspirational or cruel. Obviously hard-working, though!
ReplyDeleteI love the tip toe through your garden! As Leigh said above, it’s so neat and tidy. It’s hotter that hades here. No one wants to spend time weeding. Watering is a must but we could just stand over the garden and water it with our sweat! We need some rain please ...
ReplyDeleteI just love, love, love looking at your garden. You grow so many wonderful things. And as always, love the raised beds!!! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI love your garden. It's so tidy and you don't scrimp on the area. You use up practically every inch in that garden.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYour growing areas, are a Thing Of Beauty!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI must give this post link, to my son next door. Who is trying to get a natural garden going. He will cry. :-)))))))))
Yours is certainly a thing to dream on. And use, for instruction.
'Course he doesn't have this much room, devoted to his garden. But, a few years ago, even this much, was not devoted to garden. :-)
And also "but," you didn't start all this, *yesterday*. All good things, take time.
Your raised beds always look so neat and clean Mama Pea :) Oh, I have to have discussions with my pumpkins...they are SO SLOW in growing this year, but I have faith we'll have a long warm autumn so they'll have a chance to grow bigger! My morning glories JUST started to come up out of the soil, another slow poke!
ReplyDeleteI would agree with you that any amount of rain is more beneficial than ground water. I've never taken the time to figure why that is. Any ideas on this?
ReplyDeleteOh, I wish my garden was as tidy. But it ain't, as they say. We had such a wet, cold spring and now a hot DRY summer. Things are just not taking off. It's going to be an interesting season.
ReplyDeleteSo glad someone is growing a lot this year. I do believe it's time for us to think about moving. Weeds are so high we can't see where the potatoes are, and we are going to get the worst heat wave in 7 years.
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ReplyDeleteMichelle - Oh, come on now, girl. I've seen pictures of your lovely garden and all the produce you've already gotten from it. Besides which, I don't have two (or is it three?) away from home jobs as you do!
ReplyDeleteKatie C - Thank you, ma'am! Here's hoping you get your needed rain soon! It's remarkable how plants can survive when it's so dry, but they do. Fingers crossed for you!
Jenn - You're encouraging me to post pictures that I think must be boring to others. So thank you for your kind words. :o)
Leanna - Thank you for commenting! There is a method to my madness: planting so intensively leaves little room for weeds to grow! And it's remarkable how much produce you can get out of an 8' x 4' bed this way.
J.L. Murphey - Well, thank you so much! I do love gardening.
ReplyDeletewisps of words - Thank you, thank you! We've gotten our soil worked up to a pretty healthy level which makes growing healthy plants much easier. IF Mother Nature cooperates with enough warmth and good old-fashioned rain! (And, oh yes, a decently adequate growing season up here near the tundra.)
Rain - So much has been slow this year, but with your assurance of a warm, long fall, we'll all do okay! Right?
Elizabeth - Although I'm no expert, I've read that chlorine and other substances, like salt, in tap water can inhibit the uptake of nutrients plants need. Rain water is more pure than even well water (such as we have). Rain with it's neutral pH is softer than tap or well water so soaks into the ground better. Plus, they say (sigh) that when we water with a hose, we don't water long enough. So bring on the rain, Mother Nature!
ReplyDeleteSusan - Hot, hot dryness is NOT conducive to garden growth! It's a wonder the little plants survive at all. So how come the weeds seem to do just fine under the same conditions???
Kristina - It's almost unbelievable the terrible (just TERRIBLE) growing seasons you had in a row now. I understand how you must be so very discouraged because I know you want/need to grow a lot of your own food and it's been nearly impossible for you to do so. :o(
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ReplyDeleteMama Pea, I only have two 'off-farm jobs,' and both of them are ver.y part-time. And I don't even have the bugs, humidity, or high temperatures to blame! Accept the compliment; you are the SUPERIOR gardener (but I love you anyway; heh)
ReplyDeleteMichelle - Big grin! And thank you, my very kind friend.
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