Summer heat has set in, but I have been vigilant about watering. Very, very vigilant. As in get up at 6 AM to make sure my flower garden doesn't droop and the squash and tomatoes don't wither and die. So far, so good.
In the vegetable garden I've pulled the majority of the lettuce. The butter crunch went mostly to the compost bin as we really took a liking to the romaine! However, the butter crunch that we did eat was really refreshing (it's a bit like iceberg). But, I have to make a note to not plant so much next year. The pole beans are in flower and have climbed beyond the stakes I set up. The vines have clawed upward by wrapping themselves around each other. I'll post a picture soon, but it looks really wild. Next year I'll have to get bigger poles!
The squash and pumpkin are both in flower, and some of the yellow squash plants have already set fruit. I can't wait to see how big they are going to get. Speaking of big, one of my tomato plants is enormous. It's like a bush. I have not seen one this big ever. It doesn't have any tomatoes on it yet, but lots of flowers. That's ok, as the two early setting tomato plants have big green tomatoes on them. With the scarcity of tomatoes (or price, rather) in the store due to the Salmonella scare, it will be good to have some nice fresh, disease free tomatoes in a few weeks. Just waiting for them to ripen.
The bush beans, cucumbers, watermelon, and onions are all still in early stages of growth. The watermelon is putting off some good vines, however, and I am excited to see it flower. I love watermelon and could eat it every day. I finished putting in the bush beans and onions just last weekend when I pulled the lettuce, having been delayed by roofing, running, and my other past times, but the garden is nice and full again, and the ripples of harvest that will begin soon should take us well into September. There is still some spinach too that tastes wonderful. And the beets are being watched by me very closely. They haven't seemed to grow very well, and I think it is now too hot for them to do much. We'll see though!
In the flower garden the snapdragons are in bloom and I've begun cutting them. I've gotten one nice vase full so far that I also added shasta daisies, Queen Anne's lace, a purple bell flower that I don't know the name of, and some black eyed Susie's that I picked from a parking lot. The gladiolas are shooting out of the ground, and while I'm not a huge fan of them, I can't wait till they flower. The morning glories have climbed their ropes, and all the other seedlings are doing well. Except the sunflower. I have lost many sunflowers to squirrels and other ground munchers, so next year I'll to put out some nets. But, there are about 5 left, so in a few weeks we'll have great food for the birds!
The plants my sister gave me in the spring are doing nicely--mostly. The shasta daisy, coreopsis, lamb's ear, sedum, and a few others are tall. A few others have been lost in the weeds that are constantly invading. I hope to find the purple coneflower this weekend when I weed the front area. I've spent the past two weekends weeding the other areas. So many weeds...and grass growing where it shouldn't be!
The herb garden has come in very handy, and we love stepping outside the kitchen door while cooking. One of the tarragon plants got harvested and is drying in the kitchen. I've noticed the difference in flavors of fresh and dried tarragon. When it's dried it loses the pungency of licorice flavor (which neither Jon nor I are big fans of). However, I have been using it fresh in hamburgers. Also, I notice that thyme changes when it is dried. The best part about the herb garden is that it improves our pizzas. We make pizza about twice a month and have used the fresh herbs (and the fresh spinach!) every time. We finally got in the basil plant too, and I've been enjoying fresh basil and goat cheese for snacks. Yum!
No sign of the golden garden spider yet, but we still have hope...
Squash flower....there are tons! If you know a good recipe for stuffed squash flowers, please let me know! The veggie patch has been giving us string beans every day. I've been blanching them (boiling water for 30 seconds) and then freezing two portion bags of them so we can eat them in the winter. Makes me feel like an early settler. Or just smart.
One thing that has changed since I began gardening and cutting my own flowers is the desire to cut flowers from other people's yard. Today I had a pair of scissors in my car because I cut the snapdragons while on my way out. I passed an awesome set of black eyed susies and sunflowers and really had to restrain myself from not pulling over and snipping them. Although they were in the community gardens...and I live in the community. Maybe I'll sneak down after dark...
