As summer comes to an end, the garden is definitely changing. The yellow squash and zucchini are still producing, but my focus will definitely be changing to the "greens" over the next couple of months. Above, I planted this Mesclun mix (Gourmet Greens Mixture) and it looks ready for some pretty salads.
The basil plant never got super huge, but it has given me a modest amount of leaves that I've enjoyed cooking with.
A couple of weeks ago, I planted some more Sugar Snap Peas for a fall harvest. Alayna and Gavin both loved picking and eating them right off the vine!
I was very pleased with my tomatoes! This was my first shot at growing them. I hoped to get maybe a half dozen red tomatoes and I got way more than I bargained for. I've picked at least 20 red tomatoes and as you can see, there's still more on the bush!
My Sage (top, closest to fence) and Oregano are taking over my herb garden area!
I planted some Spinach in this little spot and cut out one of those plastic containers that plants are sold in. I did this so that I wouldn't forget where I planted the seeds. I did this with my Greens Mix and then removed the plastic marker when the sprouts were large enough to see and I'd know not to step on them. However, these seeds don't seem to be taking. There are a couple tiny sprouts (if you squint, maybe you can see them) but I'm thinking those might be weeds! I'm wondering if the mulch I covered the soil with is too big for the sprouts to come through. Anyway, I re-planted a few more seeds today in hopes that I'll have some Spinach for salads and cooking.
This is a tiny Kale sprout. I planted this at the same time as the Spinach....it seems to be faring a bit better. I planted four Kale seeds in about a one foot cube area and three of them sprouted.
The corn is just about ready for harvest. Even the little plants got a tiny ear of corn on them. Probably won't have many kernels, I'm guessing....we'll see....I'm looking forward to using the stalks as Halloween decorations for the front of the house!
Here's some yellow crookneck squash......it got a late start, but its been producing very well recently.
.....and some more squash!
Zucchini ready for harvest
The green beans are pretty much done. It looks pretty ugly, but I just haven't gotten a chance to cut all of the dead vines out.
Mommy's Garden Helper
This is my new solution to fighting weeds. I read in my Organic Gardening magazine that you can lay newspaper down to create a physical barrier....kind of the same idea as when you leave something in the yard and when you finally pick it up all the grass has died under it.
My basil plant is growing slowly but steadily. I'll need to prune it pretty soon. You can also see the corner of my lavendar in the top left and my itty bitty kale in the top right corner.
The thyme got a haircut today....it was flowering all over and needed a little trim.
Some recently sprouted Italian parsley (left) and three small lettuce plants (center and right).
I've been playing "is it a weed, grass or plant" for a couple of weeks now (highly frustrating time!) and I feel good that now my plants are getting just slightly larger than the weeds making them easier to spot (and not get accidently pulled!). Here are my sweet corn plants (which for quite some time looked just like grass).
My zucchini finally sprouted! I had given up on this little guy....I assumed between the cats and kids digging in the dirt, this seed had been lost, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that this one had come up.
Green Beans are supposed to be easy to grow, so I don't know why I'm having such a difficult time with mine this year. I planted two seeds at the base of each pole and this is the only plant that has actually come up so far. I may try to start some seeds in a yogurt cup and transplant, which seems silly since the beans have always been so easy in the past.
Here you can see why I need the newspaper. The weeds get out of control and it makes it harder to actually see where the plants are. Can you spot the pumpkin plant?
We have a couple of mini rose bushes in the front of our house and Alayna kept pulling the buds off, so I was afraid we'd have no roses this year, but some of them got passed Alayna's grabby hands and they look quite pretty.
These Hydrangea's were planted the year Alayna was born (one was actually a present instead of cut flowers....smart!) and I planted two tomato plants in front of them. I separated the tomatoes from the rest of the garden this year in an attempt to keep Alayna out of them since we now know she is allergic to tomatoes. The cherry tomato plant is doing very well, but the celebrity (great big tomatoes that we loved last year) isn't fairing as well. I put the tomato cage around the celebrity thinking it would need the extra support for the big tomatoes and I put a small support stake around the cherry tomatoes....I may have to switch them!
I'm growing sweet peas in a pot this year and I noticed in the last week the entire plant is turning yellow. Its been watered plenty.....possibly overwatered? I'm nervous that we won't get any peas, which I hope isn't the case as we love eating them! You can also see all the other little pots that I started seeds in. I'll transplant them all eventually into the garden.
The mesculin lettuce mix is doing fabulously well. I've already picked some larger leaves to mix in with store-bought lettuce for some great salads!
I see a strawberry!
Another strawberry plant that I planted in a pot.
