Saturday, June 16, 2012

The Home Garden Mid-June

The home garden is looking pretty messy right now. I guess that it's just going through a transition from spring crops to summer. All of the rain and heat we had for several weeks didn't help much either Warning, lots of pics

Click on any pic to enlarge.
The Left Cold Frame Bed has been pretty much cleaned out. Most of the lettuce and all of the Collards, Kale & Asian Greens bolted from the heat. There are a couple of celery plants in the back and still a little bit of lettuce. I decided to plant some dry beans in this bed. They are the little sprouts you can see coming up. Later in the season, I will plant this bed with carrots.

The Right Cold Frame Bed is filled mostly with carrots. The Kale in the back is still doing well. It was planted last fall. I wonder how long it will last? There's also a little lettuce under the kale in the back and some recently planted carrots under the boards.

The Herb Garden really took a hit from all the rain. I had several newly planted herbs that just died. As you can see, the oregano was recently trimmed back. It was huge! In a few weeks it will be huge again. There's Miss Banana on the back corner of the deck. She follows me everywhere.....instead of cleaning out the bunny nests like she did when she was younger!

The back section of the Herb Garden.
This is where many of the newly planted herbs died. The Spaghetti Squash are coming up along the fence. This past week, I planted a few new herbs here...Marjoram, Curry and Variegated Thyme.

My Sage Bush is looking pretty good. It got hit late last season with a ton of rain. It used to be at least twice this size.

Some Slicing Cucs for "The Italian" are coming up along the edge of the Garlic Bed.

I don't know what is going on with the Soft Neck Garlic. It's all leaning. The Hard Neck Variety isn't doing this. Anyone know???

The four early tomatoes with a few carrots and marigolds planted here and there. My early tomatoes are usually way ahead of the later ones. Not this year. I think some of the later maters at the plots are doing much better. 

The Sungold is fruiting.
Thanks for the seeds Dave! We can't wait to taste them!

This is supposed to be an Eva's Purple Ball. It really looks like a Cherokee Purple to me. Time will tell!

This is Bed #1. It looks like a hot mess to me!
I pulled all of the Snap Peas on both ends. Those really tall leaning peas are a different variety of shelling peas. They are at least 7' tall. I like the Little Marvels much better. So, I'm going to plant a fall crop at the plots. All of the spinach and lettuce was pulled. The early broccoli is done. Right now there are a few celery plants, some dried beans, carrots under the boards, a couple of cabbage plants and the balance of the hard neck garlic at the far end.

This is one of the broccoli heads I cut a few days ago.

The Perennial Beds are very lush right now. There isn't a lot of color though. They too are going through a transition. You can see Miss Banana following me around!

We do have some bright blossoms here and.....

there!

Here's Alvin....my Flower Child. 
He sleeps all day among the plants. Occasionally he gets a vole too!

36 comments:

  1. Your garden looks terrific! I love garden tours!

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  2. That sure doesn't look like Eva Purple Ball! Mine were all perfectly round. Your perennial beds are gorgeous, the excess rain sure didn't hurt them. Smooches to Miss Banana and Alvin :-)

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    1. Nope, that's definitely not an Eva's Purple Ball. I guess that the Gremlins must have mixed up my seedlings again Granny! I have a few at the plots that are incorrect too!

      Miss Banana and Alvin says thanks and back at you!

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  3. You are cropping lots already. We have lacked the warmth to get things going so things are behind this year. Just hoping for a break in the weather as hopefully if it warms up after all the rain things should shoot along!

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    1. You really have been having cool weather. Hopefully it will warm up soon and make your veggies happy!

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  4. Beautiful garden all around! I have read that soft neck garlic flops over like onions and that's when you harvest it. My softneck is starting to lean over now too. I agree about the tomato; the Eva's I've grown in the past were round.Love your kitties!

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    1. This is the first time that I have grown softneck garlic. It's just leaning...not flopping. I grow a lot of Eva's and this definitely isn't one.

      My kitties are my little babies.

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  5. I'm always messing up my labeling. That is the one good thing about not eating tomatoes anymore. I don't have to keep my labels straight. Your garlic patch looks like a mini tornado hit it. I hope it is just the wind and nothing is wrong.

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    1. Daphne, I try to be so diligent with my labeling and every year something is marked incorrectly! Maybe I just mislabeled them when I put them in the ground.

      We haven't had any wind lately and when we did it came from the other direction!

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  6. Some of My softneck garlics are leaning over too - no idea why! I've been digging the hardnecks already. I do miss having garden buddies like Miss Banana and Alvin. I had one I named Velcro because he was always stuck to my legs when I was outside. Yours look like sweeties!

    We'll have to have a race with our Sungolds. I'm still waiting for a ripe one.

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    1. I'm glad that I am not the only one with leaning garlic! I'm sure that you will beat me with a ripe sungold. You are a little ahead of me here.

      I think my cats are sweeties.....not everyone thinks Alvin is though!

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  7. Robin, Hey, I hope your and yours are well.
    You have beautiful kale, I would love to have some that will grow. I've planted twice and they grow up to 2 inches and die. I'm wondering if the seeds are bad. I have come across several blogs that talk about their herb gardens not doing to well this year because theres to much rain. Can you plant a late herb garden?
    My corn leaned to one side, complete to the ground because of the winds we've had. Could this be the same problem with your garlic?
    Even though the tomatoes are not Eva's Purple Ball, there gorgeous and large. They should turn out nice and tasty!!!

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    1. Yes we are and thanks for asking...ditto to you!

      Kale usually likes the cool weather. This kale has been going strong since last year! Yes, herbs can be put in late. They grow like weeds. I put in a new rosemary, a variegated thyme, marjoram and curry just this past week. They should do just fine.

      Our winds came from the other direction....so, who knows what's up with that garlic.

      I'm hoping I mislabeled that one tomato when I planted it out. Since "The Italian" loves to have an Eva's for breakfast in the morning. If not, I have 6 planted at the plots.

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  8. Your garden looks beautiful! And very cute furbabies, though Alvin desperately needs a diet and alot of exercise :)

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    1. You made me chuckle about Alvin! He is in desperate need of a haircut and a diet! He is almost completely blind and is an emotional eater...I'm not kidding! He can't run much because he will run smack into something! It has happened on many occasion. I have tried to put him on a diet. But, then Miss Banana get too thin and she won't get up on anything to eat. So, I just let him be fat & happy!

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  9. Hi! I like looking at other garden pictures so thanks for posting! Looks like you have a couple of good little furbaby garden helpers! Nancy

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    1. Thanks Nancy! Yes, my little furbabies do keep me company in the garden!

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  10. My softneck garlic leaned a bit like that last year, when I harvested it the stem was weak at that point - I presumed at the time the large amount of rain we had late in the growing season had weakened the stems so that they started rotting a bit. Whether this is actually what happened I'm still not sure. Some of my bulb rotted but some were absolutely fine.

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    1. I'm going to have to inspect them a bit further. From what I have read, when they flop over and start turning brown they are ready for harvest. These aren't flopping, just leaning like they have been through a wind storm.

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  11. i loved this "furbaby garden helpers" ha! tell Miss Banana that Little Mo says 'hi'... and i'm interested in your garlic update... some of my onions are doing that and i'm guessing its the same thing. they look find.. just... listing..... humm. great work on those gardens!

    ps Nicholas is an emotional eater. maybe we should start a support group for them!?!? ha ha ha ha ha ha!

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    1. @ Ohiofarmgirl, can my Annie join that support group? LOL!

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    2. Miss Banana sends a big smooch to Mo & Nicholas :) Yes, I think a support group is in order!

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  12. A portion of my hardneck garlic is doing the leaning thing too (not the softneck) and they appear fine just look like they got too top heavy and some wind push them over. They are growing just fine and are definitely not ready for pulling yet, so I am just leaving them be - a bit of a mess in the garden (I like things tidy!) but otherwise I think they are fine. My softnecks are standing tall but they are not as "tall" as the hardnecks are.

    Your garden is looking beautiful - even if it is in transition. I really need to replace my herb pots with some new plants... they are tired.

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  13. Wonderful broccoli head! My softneck garlic started leaning before my hardneck varieties did and both were fine so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.

    Your perennial bed looks great. And Alvin looks well-fed, I'm a bit surprised he goes after voles at all :)

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    1. Thanks Perdita! I've never had the garlic lean like that before.

      Alvin doesn't really "go" after the voles. I think he listens for them and just grabs one that is within range. I've seen him do it.

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  14. I think it all looks great! My perennials are transitioning too, except for the standard orange ditch-lilies, the other stuff has been cut back once already and is in a green stage again :)

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    1. Thanks Erin, I wish all of the gardens could look good all the time!

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    1. Thanks Vanessa, I can't wait until things look a little prettier in the garden!

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  16. Your garden is beautiful, my garlic was leaning over like yours, I decided to pull them because real estate is precious in my garden, gotta make room for something else.

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