Garden Review – July 31 – August 6

Nothing beats coming home from work on a Monday and just chilling around the yard and garden.  

Well maybe until you realize, dang I need to mow.

Ack, I need to weed.

Uh-oh, those need trimmed.

Whoa, that smells.

Ha – wouldn’t trade it for anything.  Except maybe a white sandy beach in the Caribbean. 

Here’s this past week’s garden review. It’s been a definite shift into late season gardening mode.

Week of July 31 – August 6

Mother nature brought some much needed rain showers last week.  Thank goodness as I was going to be hand watering the garden if rain didn’t fall.  Not sure how I’ve squeaked by this hot summer with no watering, but somehow we’ve been in the line of many pop up showers. 

I also had some cool garden buddies this week…including this Black Swallowtail caterpillar.  Look at that face!

Harvest

• Bowls and bowls of cherry tomatoes (some year I need to weigh how much one plant produces)
• (1) zucchini – the last one before I pulled the heavily damaged plant
• (3) muskmelons
• (1) handful of soybeans (edamame)
• (2) banana peppers 
• (5) carrots
• Herbs – basil, cilantro, oregano, parsley, mint

Garden Notables

• Tomatoes have started to ripen…the first full ripe one had a bad case of blossom end rot
• Sowed seeds for fall crops
• Melons slipping everyday
• Peppers still disappointing with little action happening – one sweet red almost ready though
• One watermelon likely to be ready any day
• Cherry tomatoes continue to go for garden domination
• Hardy hydrangeas in full bloom and looking gorgeous
• Most annuals are still going strong, including geraniums, verbena and lantana

Peppers are slower than dirt this year.  I’ve been craving fajitas so bad but holding off hoping to get a couple out of my garden.  This guy is close. 

The wide view.  Check out that crunchy looking lawn. 

How’s your garden?  Still going strong?