Big garden update

Always fun to capture a snapshot of the garden progress. Mainly because I always complain that “we’re way behind last year’s development” and the photos always prove me wrong. So much for my memory I guess.

I’ve been battling three-lined potato bugs on my tomatillo plants all summer. I think I’ve finally beaten them though. How? By either squishing the slimy, disgusting slug things or cutting the infested leaf off completely and sealing it in a jar to be thrown away. Cutting off the leaf had the added benefit of getting rid of any eggs. So the plants look pretty healthy, I’ve got a decent number of tomatillos, and I’m hopeful for many more as I’ve got tons of flowers yet.

Three plants but fruit on only one despite flowers on all.

The corn is tasseling and it’s really tall this year. Looks healthy too despite being blown over earlier this spring.

Cucumbers up front, corn behind.

My cucumber trellis is a old bed spring frame. Works great as the gaps are large enough to let the fruit hang down for easier harvest. In the fall, any dry vines still clinging to it are easily burned off. Nice!

Spreading nicely.

The first cuke 

My cabbages were planted too close together. Totally my fault. Just messed up.

Crowded but heading up

I’m once again fighting squash vine borers. I got off my schedule of spraying caterpillar killer and they took full advantage. So I’m reduced to performing vine surgery to remove the disgusting things. On the plus side the chickens love them.

Yes, this is post surgery. Ugly but alive,

Despite the vines looking terrible, the plants are thriving. I’m getting lots of zucchini.

They are also putting in new roots so all may be well.

The potato tower is doing well. No bugs, the plants put out flowers, and the leaves are dying back. I’ll be harvesting the top layer soon.

 My potato tower

All the tomato plants are doing well, although I am seeing signs of blight on the lower leaves. I trimmed all those back and we’ll see how they do with the increased air flow. 

I planted many pepper plants. Sweet, mild, hot, extremely hot; they’re all mixed in there. Getting some flowers but no fruit yet.

Sea of peppers

The sunflowers look great. I lost two so have two bare posts but the rest are growing like crazy.

Another shot of the corn field plus two more tomato plants 

My weeping mulberry is looking a bit tall. This was just before we tied water bottles to the branches to train them to droop. I’m getting berries but not enough to harvest at one time. Instead I knocked some off for the chickens. Unfortunately they quickly learned to grab a low branch and jerk it to knock them down on their own. Argh.

Mulberry before training aids were added

More sunflowers, Veronica, and Cooper (and the tall mulberry)

Cherry tomato 

Large cherry tomato? Gotta look this one up in the journal.

The kitchen herb garden is doing great. The adjusted location gets much more direct sunlight. Back row, left to right: cilantro, lemon verbena, parsley. Middle row is basil and lettuce. Front is young chamomile.

I planted a bunch of flowers in one quadrant because they’re pretty. No other reason needed.

I’ve got mammoth dill and frond dill growing in the back right corner, plus marjoram, spicy oregano, thyme, and regular oregano.

That’s pretty much everything. Not pictured was the kohlrabi (almost all harvested now), the carrots (doing well), and the garlic (nearly ready for harvest). 

Hope your gardens are doing well too!