Tuesday, July 25, 2023

The Garden Is Taking On That Bushy Look

And that's not a bad thing since it means the plants are actually growing and producing.
 

The peach colored Asiatic Lilies are starting to bloom.  This is the one with twelve flower buds.  They may not be edible, but they do feed the soul.
 

I replanted this bed one week ago with radishes, lettuces, spinach, Scarlet Frill and arugula.  Most everything sprouted within two days.
 

Usually the red cabbage heads up before the green ones in my garden.  Not so this year.  The green ones are ready to harvest while the reds are just starting to form heads.  We've eaten one of the green heads.  The outer leaves had some holes but after peeling those off, I found a lovely, solid, insect-free head.
 

I'm so happy with the Scarlet Runner Beans on the hoop trellis.  The vines are blossoming prolifically and are close to meeting over the top.
 

Both the green and yellow bush beans are finally shaping up.  I've never seen such large leaves on the plants.  Some are 8" long and measure 6" across.  And, worry thee not that all the strength of the plants has gone into the leaves.  There are blossoms on them, too.
 

The shell peas are full of blossoms and finally growing up their trellises.  Yay!
 

Not to be outdone, the potatoes are starting to show their flowers.
 

This sweet rose bush is upwards of twenty years old and until last year spent about fifteen years in the woods near the L.P. gas tank.  (Long story.)  We resurrected it last fall and planted it in one of the berm boxes up against the house.  We were pleased as punch it actually survived the winter and now is producing lovely little roses.  The blooms almost seem to glow.  The picture is straight out of the camera with no added coloration.
 
Additional parts of the garden are not shown in this post.  More to come later.  (I don't want to jinx it, but . . . I have dill that is growing!  Shhhh.  Barring something unforeseen should happen to it, I may actually have fresh dill to use in making my dill pickles this year!) 

14 comments:

Michelle said...

And just like that, BOOM! Your garden looks tremendous!

Anonymous said...

Eating my first green beans tonight! My tomatoes are green and my onions aren’t growing worth anything! But everything else is happy. Glad to hear things are progressing well and that rose bush is beautiful! - Jenn

DFW said...

Beautiful Mama Pea. So glad your harvest is showing off!

tpals said...

Your patience has really paid off. Lovely.

gz said...

Beautiful!!
I like the bean arch..I have a square deep bed I am thinking of trying that with next season.

Rosalea said...

Absolutely beautiful! Doesn't this time of year, with everything just bustin' out, make it all worth it? Just wish this booming time would last a little longer! I just love resurrecting neglected plants...they are so grateful!

Nancy In Boise said...

Wow looks amazing. So green, congrats!!!

Katie C. said...

The heat here in Virginia is getting to everything and everybody. Ugh. I wish I could grow some lettuce but it’s just too hot!

Tim B. Inman said...

I'm really impressed with your raised beds. I'm thinking along those lines for my tarp garden next year. And I'm thinking about turning the tarp garden into a Ruth Stout garden, too! Stay tuned. Your cabbage crop has me drooling for homemade sauerkraut.

Cheers

Mama Pea said...

Michelle - Thanks! Our recent rains have made SUCH a difference!

Jenn - We had our first sampling of beets for dinner last night. Yum! Now I know they're ready to be harvested, processed and put into the freezer for this winter. (Add that to my list!)

DFW - It makes all the previous work (but I do so enjoy it) well worth it when the fruits of my labor (pun intended) start rolling in!

tpals - Patience?? I have no patience! ;o)

gz - Since I'm conscientious about rotating my crops every year, sometimes I struggle figuring out what to plant on the hoop trellis bed but I've found that the Scarlet Runner Beans make the show-i-est display! Good luck trying one in your garden.

Rosalea - I know what you mean about wishing this time of the garden would last longer. It seems such a short time now until it all starts looking beat-up and floppy and messy! A time for everything, eh? ;o)

Nancy - Our rains have really brought out a healthy, green coloring to it all!

Katie C. - Yepper, we all certainly have our advantages and disadvantages to our particular climate. My first planting of lettuce and salad greens is definitely on the way out (getting bitter!) so that's why I planted some new seeds. Hoping they will grow and provide us with more salads into the fall.

Tim - You continually experiment and try new things which is admirable, for sure. I use a lot of mulch but can't bring myself to go the whole Ruth Stout way. I can see how it would work very well in climates hotter than ours up here near the Arctic though! ;o)

Goatldi said...

I think I need to take a page from your book and just toss caution to the wind. For someone who said there may not be a lot to grow . . . Well you have a nice garden there lady! Love the flowers especially the tiny red ones with the back story. Good job!

Mama Pea said...

Goatldi - Well, I still don't even have blossoms on my pumpkins. Like none! The beans have blossoms, but no beans forming. The green peppers are the size of ping pong balls, and no pickling cukes nor slicing cukes have started to form yet. All we need is more rain (again) and some hot weather. (If my husband heard me wish for hot weather, he'd likely bean me as he was very happy with the cool summer we've had up until very recently.) Thanks so much though for saying I have a nice garden. And I have had some good harvests from it . . . with more hopefully coming! :o)

Leigh said...

When I read "bushy look" I thought of my own garden which looks like wild plant kingdom. Your garden looks fantastic! So nice to see some fall veggie starts too.

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - I revel in this "bushy" look because in a blink of an eye it will morph into wild, unkempt, falling over and on the way out!! ;o)