Thursday, July 24, 2014

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

I've had my hands full picking tomatoes, trying to eat what we can, and giving some away to others.  BLT's are on the daily menu as well as pasta salad...but you can't beat the simple taste of sliced tomatoes with sea salt or a bit of balsamic vinegar.

We're also picking zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, green peppers and keeping an eye on the watermelons.

Here are a few pics...

carbon tomatoes

a view over squash plants in the community garden

indigo apple tomatoes

pearly pink tomatoes

dill and tomatoes (san marzano, carbon, cherokee purple, black krim, rutgers, jetstar)

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Garden in Full Swing

Worked the morning in the garden...pruned all my tomato plants and found some ready to pick...along with cucumbers and green peppers.  I started Fan N' Sassy green peppers indoors from seed and they look like a winner. 

Green Peppers, Heirloom Tomatoes
 
 
honey bee on cucumber blossom

Friday, July 11, 2014

Picked our onions early this morning to have them available for summertime favorites: creamy cucumbers and onions, vinegar cucumbers and onions, and salsa...yummy.

onions - Texas Sweet and Candy

Thursday, July 10, 2014

A Little Bit of Everything

Worked in the community garden for a few hours this evening...picked a few veggies, moved some captured honey bees into a permanent hive, and took a few pics of growing things.

watermelon- Charleston Gray

water melon - Crimson Sweet

big green tomatoes

more green tomatoes

tonight's harvest - dill, squash, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumber, green beans

newly captured bees moved into a permanent hive

ripening tomato...Black Krim I think

sunflower

Monday, July 7, 2014

Early July Gardening

Rains have slowed and HOT weather is here...although we were spoiled right before Independence Day with lows around 52 (great sleeping weather) and 80% chance of heavy rains later tonight.  The garden is looking a bit barren right now...decided not to do green beans this year to make room for other veggies.  Before you know it, empty space will be filled again with fall beets, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.  In fact, I'll be starting some seeds indoors this week to be set out in early August.

Picking the first of the cucumbers (Tasty Green, Garden Oasis, Chelsea Prize, Boston Pickling)...picked carrots this evening, and will probably pick onions tomorrow...tomatoes are looking really good but nothing ripe yet.

Here are some pics from the garden this evening.
six squares of carrots...kuroda and nantes

 
dill plants full of tiger swallowtail caterpillars...there are two main reasons we grow dill 1) pickles, 2) food source for tiger swallow tail butterflies, 3) collect more dill seed.

carrot monster....
nope, actually this is Princess Anna of Arendelle picking carrots for Sven the reindeer.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

End of June Update

Our internet has been down for a while...but here's an update of garden happenings for the end of June.

Picked the last of the spring beets early this morning.

tomatoes are looking crazy good this year...Here's Black Krim loaded with tomatoes

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Early June Update - Sun and Rain

Great rains in the last few days...big swaths of the Midwest getting blessed water.  Gardens love it and plants are shooting out of the ground.

Cucumbers (Boston Pickling, Tasty Green, Garden Oasis, Chelsea Prize, Marketmore) are a couple feet high and beginning to climb the trellises

New water barrel in the community garden (beets, cauliflower, beets, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, tomatillos, borage, cucumbers, watermelon).
Tomato plants are looking good...nice thick stems, green growth, and blossoms coming on

Pollinator Garden - Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)

Pollinator Garden - Purple Coneflower (E. purpurea)

Pollinator Garden - Purple Coneflower (E. purpurea)