July has been hot and dry so far, with several days reaching 30+ degrees. There has been no rain to speak of, despite regular severe thunderstorm watches in our weather forecasts. I am longing for a day or two of gentle, steady rain. The plants would love the deep drink, and I would love a break from schlepping watering cans.
Smoke from wildfires continues to be a presence. Some days, the sky is blue and the air is clear and fresh. Other days, the sun looks neon pink-orange, the air is a hazy, apocalyptic orange-grey, the smell of smoke is inescapable, and the mountain on the other side of town (that we can usually see) is obscured from view.
In the garden, I was able to finally hand-pollinate a zucchini flower yesterday (first of the season) after a week of male-only flowers appearing.
A little sunflower in the south garden has bloomed, the first of the season. Several other small sunflowers had their tops munched off by the visiting deer earlier this month.
The peas in the East garden are now developing pods in earnest and the calendula planted around garden property is blooming nicely.
Of the two surviving cabbage, one looks robust and one looks like it might give up the ghost at any moment.
The kale is thriving (unlike last year), the eggplants are not (glad I only planted two).
I sprinkled some granular tomato fertilizer around the tomatoes, dahlias, and eggplants on July 5th and will water the whole garden with diluted EM-1's next week.
The snow peas ("Green Beauty") are well under way. We started snacking on them out in the garden this week, and I had my first brunch of steamed ones yesterday. So good!
As a thank-you for sharing some herb transplants last month, a fellow gardener gave me some petunia transplants. They're adding a bright splash of colour to the sea of green.
The Bachelor Buttons ("Blue Boy") are blooming in earnest now. The picture doesn't do them justice; the colour is so pretty and they are growing so densely. A volunteer snow pea came up in the middle of the Bachelor Buttons. I had to stake it yesterday, as it was latching onto the flowers to climb and ended up pulling some of them over.
Calendula ("Pacific Beauty Mix") and dry bush beans ("Arikara", I believe).
Calendula ("Pacific Beauty Mix") in the north garden.
Lettuce ("Rouge D'Hiver")
Hot day, droopy squash ("Galeux D'Eysines")
Busy bee on a tomato flower.
Tomato Progress
Favorie de Bretagne. I can't get over how many flowers these plants have!
Franchi Red Pear. One of these years, I am going to grow Frenchi Red Pear and Auria tomatoes side-by-side and see if anyone catches on.
Fisher's Earliest Paste
Hungarian Heart
Reinhard's Chocolate Heart
Sylvan Guame
Uluru Ochre
R. spotted this volunteer tomato plant growing in the potato patch. It is tiny, but producing flowers! I can tell by the leaves it is Black Sea Man. I wonder if we'll actually get a tomato or two from this little guy.
The begonia seems to like its shady spot on the herb bathtub.
The kitties like to relax outside while we're working in the garden. Here is Bea, snoozing in the shade of the lilac bush...
...and little Lou, in her "portable cat-hammock".
Wonderful blog post update! Especially enjoyed the frog planter with the pretty petunias, also the photo of Lou in the "portable cat hammock" and Bea flaked out on her back on the lawn chair taking a break for a snooze : ) Your tomatoes doing so well. I can't imagine how much work it must take to keep everything watered! An amazing garden!
ReplyDeleteCallymae 🧡