Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The garden in mid-July

We are harvesting cherry tomatoes, can't wait for the big guys to ripen!
What a difference just a year makes.  Last year this time the garden was pretty much withering away.  This year's biggest problem is too much rain (until recently) which caused leafy veggies to get rather buggy.

Speaking of lots of rain, Hubby arrived home a couple nights ago to tell me what a gorgeous sunset there was that evening.  He also noticed that the forest is so dense this year, we cannot see said sunset from our place.

All one can see from our porch is a beautiful orange hue between trees and brush.  The vegetation on the side of the county road is so high, we can't even begin to see the neighbor's red barn, either.  But I digress... here is my garden.

The new herb garden raised bed after a couple weeks of heat and sunshine!

This year I scratched the nasturtium seeds on a nail file before planting, it worked great!

The original herb garden bed being taken over by apple mint.  :)

Parsley that reseeded itself from last year from one little plant!

Tomato plants in various stages of growth.

Bush beans in front, pole beans... on the teepee.  Bush beans are producing now.

You will notice in all the photos that the weeds abound, too, with the summer heat and sun.  Especially after the rainy Spring.  I do try to keep them in check but to no avail.

Overall, I'm pleased with the garden considering it got a late start.   I need to make a decision about the apple mint.  That length is after TWO major cuttings so far and even then it is tall again.  I do love apple mint so I think I'll keep it and move the other herbs still holding on there.

6 comments:

Vee said...

Does apple mint smell like apples? I'm not familiar with it. If it does, I'd keep it, too.

Your gardens look very happy to me!

John told me to run for the camera because the sunset was so beautiful. When I looked at the photos, all I saw was a bit of pink glowing through the trees. We're deep in the holler here, too.

Connie said...

I love touring beautiful gardens. I have a small yard and a lot of afternoon shade, so gardening is more of a dream than a reality for me. I have a cherry tomato plant on the patio, but my little dog loves to play with the pretty red balls. I can't win, LOL :)
Your garden is wonderful, you were certainly blessed will a green thumb.
Have a lovely week.
Your blogging sister, Connie :)

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Looks pretty good!

Our garden is slowly coming on...and the weeds...yes, we are trying to keep up with them.

Deanna

Anonymous said...

Love the photos of your garden! Aren't raised beds wonderful?! I only have two, outside of the larger, fenced-in garden, but I would love more! They are So much easier to maintain! I have several different kinds of mints I planted in pots last year on my deck. They grew back rather spindly this season, so I'm not sure what to do with them next. Love putting them in with tea, especially when I make sun tea. Orange mint is my favorite! Thanks so much for sharing!
Blessings,
Laura C. From WA

Anonymous said...

Your garden does look happy! Here in the Shenandoah Valley in VA, we have received quite a bit of rain this summer and our garden is gorgeous! We are so thankful. I want to thank you for your recommendation of, The Feast Nearby. I am currently reading it while on vacation in the Outer Banks. I LOVE the book! A great beach read.

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

Your garden is looking great! Isn't it wonderful that you got all that parsley from re-seeded. Free is great.

Your beans look really good. I just planted bush beans to take the spot of the lettuce that was bolting.

I've had trouble with fungus since we've had lots of rain (if it weren't for the heat and humidity it would be spring like weather).

I soak my morning glory and nasturtium seeds. I find that less labor intensive than filing or nicking hard shelled seeds.