My garden mid August

Such odd summer weather!

August should be hot and humid.

We have had cool and wet.

The veggie garden isn't doing as well as it should be, but I am still picking lots of tomatoes and beans. The carrots and onions are doing very well too. With the zucchini's a complete loss, and the peppers and cucumbers doing poorly I am already planning next years veggie garden.

What IS doing well is the backyard flower beds!

 

 Remember that 'Black Lace' Sambuccas that I had to cut back this spring and thought was dead?

 Look at it now ... as tall as it was before the winter!

Isn't nature amazing?

Sharing this post with Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday

August 10th in the garden

The time continues to pass so quickly, I can't even believe we are into August!

In a few weeks time, Little Country Girl will be back to school, and Country Boy will be heading off to college! Our soccer season ended yesterday, and so I will have a little more time to spend at home with the kids and gardens. The veggie garden continues to produce peas, beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers, but I have given up hope of any zucchini this year.

This week we also had the first harvest of Cucamelons!

These cute little fruits taste like a mixture of cucumber and the white part of the watermelon. They have a tough skin, though, and so I'm not sure that they are loved enough to replant. I think they are more of a novelty item.

A friend gave me a much appreciated gift this week that I am still bubbling about...

49 packages of seeds!

There is a huge variety of lettuce, spinach, herbs, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, onions, squash, tomatoes... this is almost everything I need for my vegetable garden next year. The only thing missing is Sugar Snap peas! Thanks NS  :)

A few photos from the flower gardens, which will be getting a good watering today...

August already?

I can't even believe how quickly the time is passing!

Here we are, already into August!

The rabbits have disappeared since I put up the garden fence, and plants are producing well.

This one row of beans is growing and producing so many beans, that I have already frozen enough for winters use, made bean salads and eaten my fill of raw and cooked beans. Neighbors beware, you may find beans on your doorstep!

 The peas are producing too, and I have already frozen 3 bags full, and been eating plenty raw.

Tomatoes are starting too ... cherry tomatoes and the first of the 'Beef Masters'. I am picking a harvest like this every other day!

The canning tomatoes are a little slower, which is fine because I really don't have the time to can tomatoes and make sauce and salsa while I am so busy with all the beans!

The 'Sicilian Saucer' tomatoes are really starting to get big now, but no signs of any red ones yet

My Zucchini plants are really suffering this year. I have only picked 3 small zucchini's and the plants look horrible. Someone suggested I should spray them with a fungicide and they would take off. I think I may try a mixture of milk and water, but honestly I am not holding out much hope of any more zucchinis this year.

I have now made 2 batches of pickles, one batch of pickled hot vegetables, frozen beans and peas, 8 jars of strawberry jam, and 4 jars of black current jam. I have also dried enough parsley, mint, and oregano for winter use as well. The Basil isn't producing enough to supply a winters use ... I must remember to plant more Basil next year! We love it!

Still have my eye on the carrots, onions, kale and cabbage.

Also waiting for our first harvest of Cucamelons

The vine growing out in the back flower bed that I hoped were squash or pumpkins seem to be gourds. I don't think they are edible.

I did find a pumpkin vine growing on the compost pile, so Country Boy MAY get pie after all!

The back gardens are quite colorful at the moment, but that may change if we don't get rain soon.

Thankfully you can't see all the weeds.

I hope to get out there today :)