Whirligigs and The Tomato Jungle

Yesterday's raspberry harvest.

The tomato-and-pepper jungle at the side of the house.

Loulou in the shade of the corn.

Apples!

Bea having a stretch (scratch!) on the apple tree.

 
Tiger Eye dry beans.  Uhm...I thought these were supposed to be bush beans...?

Nutterbutter squash  and a little pot of nasturtiums. I don't think the Nutterbutters are going to produce by the end of August, but we shall see...

Cucumber

Lilliput zinnias and white alyssum

The south garden - mostly potatoes, a tomato or two, greens off in the far corner.  (You can see the mustard that has already gone to seed).

Gelber Englischer Custard Squash

Red Bell Pepper

More from the tomato jungle...

 
Tomatoes, red begonias, and pink petunias

The North Garden, and sage, mint, and dahlias on the front step.

Woo-hoo!  The Whirligig zinnias finally opened.  This is my first time growing them.  So pretty!

Another view of the North Garden.

Shasta Daisies

Shasta Daisies, Scarlet Flax, and Creeping Thyme.

Silver Mound, yellow pansies, and Swiss Giant pansies.

Silver Mound, Wooley Thyme, and dwarf hollyhocks.

The "greens" bed - frisee endive, Red Russian kale, Lacinato kale, green cabbage, borage, Swiss Chard.

Raised beds along the driveway.

Carrot and red onion bed in the foreground, pea patch in the background.

Small harvest of peas...this is only the beginning!

Zucchini!

Mid-July Garden Update

Loulou in the shade with some Swiss Giant Pansies.

Nutterbutter squash (which are still small...they had a late start) and a nasturtium plant.

Swiss Giant Pansies and marigolds

Gelber Englischer Custard Squash

The North garden - looking good!

  

Scarlet Flax

Shasta Daisies

Tene's Beans and some marigolds.  The currant bush is in the background.

Assorted varieties of carrots and a few red onions among them.

 The pea patch

Raspberries - going to have to pick soon!

Zucchini

Leeks, basil, marigolds, two eggplants, and a Patio Princess tomato in the front bed, Kenearly Yellow Eye dry beans in the bed behind it.

 

Red Russian kale smothering some red Swiss Chard.

Mini Harvest

 

(28 degrees C at 12:30pm)

Herb Drying

    R. set up the herb dryer he got for my birthday from Lee Valley.  I suspect it will look like a cat hammock to Bea and Loulou.  This morning, I picked some sage, apple mint, and lemon balm to try in it.  Smells divine!

The Housecoat Portfolio

    I was out early this morning, madly dashing around, taking pictures of vegetables in my housecoat.  I am confident the neighbours are used to this by now.

    Behind the house - R. built a cat enclosure so Bea and Loulou could spend some time outside.  Bea, the more adventurous and curious of the two, escaped twice, so the enclosure had to be fortified!  This space looks cluttered and messy.  I try not to dwell on the wabi-sabi nature of our property, lest I lose my marbles.  The cats enjoy their space, and the neighbour's cat (Butters) is eager to get inside to join (or take over) the party.

Lou spotted a bird.

Mostly volunteer potatoes in the corner, pansies in the round white container, yarrow in the rectangular white container, red onions and Asian long beans in the raised bed.

Front step - savoury mint and dahlias, sage in the upper right-hand corner.

Butters photo-bombing the Pineapple Sage.  We discovered this sage at the Peavey Mart greenhouse a few days ago.  It smells SO good!

North garden - companion planting experiment, lettuce and carrots. 

We mulched with grass clippings yesterday.

"Stop walking, pay attention to meeeeeee!"

Raised bed - celery, borage, Royal Burgundy Beans.

"Hi!"

Raised bed - zucchini, not sure what variety.

"Weed inspection complete!"

The hayfield - I mean, the raspberry patch.  In desperate need of weeding and mulching.  Up there among my least favourite jobs.

The ferocious and elusive Feral Potato...!

Actually, R. just stuck some extra seed potatoes in the empty compost bin.  They seem to like it in there.

Raised bed of greens (and a few garlic) - Red Russian kale, Lacinato kale, nasturtiums, Red Chard, borage, and whatever else I planted in there.

Sage (planted last summer) gone to flower.

Strawberries.  Mwua haa haa haa!

At the top of the picture, the beet bed.  At the bottom, lemon balm, orange mint, mesclun mix (greens), and Frisee endive.

From the top down:  potatoes, Top Crop beans, parsley, Chioggia beets, Giant Southern Mustard greens.

Gelber Englischer Custard squash

Side of the house - tomatoes, peppers, a few red onions.

More tomatoes, some feverfew, the cat enclosure, Loulou, and the Spectre of Death.

Plant room window ledge - white and orange begonias, pink petunias, and pansies.

Bea on the edge of a water barrel, convinced she can still find an escape route.

Green peppers (plant bought at the greenhouse, so it feels like cheating!)  That's the tip of a green onion in the middle.

Lemon balm

Whirligig zinnias

Yarrow

Tomato in a "crater".

North and South gardens