Vegetable (AKA Potager) Garden Update July 2012

It has been forever since I've done a vegetable garden update so I thought I'd share some pictures from that garden with you today. Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) is an excellent bloomer for late summer to early fall if it is sited in a watered area. I have several plants that have self seeded in the vegetable garden and I let them grow. They are delightful. The original seeds came from Catherine in Washington. I don't think Catherine blogs like she used to but when I see these plants I often think of Catherine and her blog.

A long shot entering the garden from the east gate. Here you can see many of the self seeded lobelias. I had to remove many more seedlings in this area too. Seeds love the old brick of the paths in this potager.

The tomatoes are ripening up. Due to the amount of shade we have on the vegetable garden my tomato plants are not very prolific but I do manage to get a few.

Cucumbers are very prolific this year just like last year. I can't keep up with picking them all but then I never have quite enough to make pickles. I usually just share the extra ones with others.

This is an heirloom squash called Lakota squash. I had received the seeds in a package from Seeds of Change. This is a cool squash and is doing quite well. One of the large squash grew on the fence. I had to pick it as it was actually growing into the wire fence. I can't wait to eat these! I hope they taste as good as they look.

A long shot of the lobelia growing amongst the brick pathway.

Blueberries surprised me by ripening up in a big way. I had actually pulled this plant and it was destined for a friend's garden. Unfortunately for her she waited too long to take it so I wound up planting it in a different bed in the garden. You may remember that I moved my blueberry bushes to the center circular bed in the potager just last year when I decided to grow not only vegetables and flowers but fruits as well. Well, that bed is really too small so the blueberry bushes are all moving again. While planting this one in its new bed I disturbed a paper wasp nest and was stung about 5-6 times by three different wasps. I consider myself quite lucky I didn't get more stings. One of the wasps stuck on my sock and I could not get it off. Hence the multiple stings. Ouch! Fortunately I am not allergic to bees and the pain and wounds quickly faded. The large orange blooms behind the blueberries are from the Lakota squash. Remember I companion plant and load up my vegetable garden using the French Intensive method of gardening. In this bed alone (which is 13'x3.5') I grow: Lakota squash, cucumbers, two blueberry bushes, cucumbers, and heirloom carrots-not pictured).

This is the same blueberry as above and is called 'Powderblue'. It is a southern highbush blueberry and bears fruit quite a bit later than my northern highbush blueberries. The other southern blueberry I grow (Climax) was a total wash this year. Once I move it to the new bed I will give it some time to grow and bear fruit. If it does not it will be given away. I enjoy eating these Powderblue berries but the skin is a bit tougher and seeds are a problem whereas with the 'Bluecrop' northern highbush blueberries I don't have those two problems. I do like the idea of having a long season for blueberries so I'll continue to grow both northern and southern blueberries.

The cucumbers growing in the bed I described in an above paragraph. The reason I can cram so many things into beds is due to vertical gardening and innovative use of my ground space. Under this trellis is where the blueberries, carrots, and Lakota squash are growing. There is some overflow to the brick pathways. You can just make out the carrot foliage behind the cucumber foliage. I have a problem though as the carrots grow right where the blueberries are due to all be planted. I suspect the carrots will be pulled before they are ready; which normally would not be until next year or perhaps late this fall.

I have tried forever to get a shot of a dragonfly and have never had any luck. While standing in the vegetable garden one landed on a nearby stool and posed for me. I believe this dragonfly to be a Common Whitetail adult male. He's a beauty. I have noticed a threefold increase in dragonflies in the garden since I installed the garden pond.

One last picture of the entire vegetable garden from outside of it. My vegetable garden is surrounded on two sides by a large perennial border.  There is not much blooming in the perennial border right now and it looks like a mass of plants but it really is not such a bad garden. If you looked at the backyard garden tour post you'll see the perennials a lot better....


in the garden....

Don't forget about Skeeter's great giveaway of a Troy-Bilt rototiller found here. Good luck! 

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden