Friday, July 31, 2015

The Vegetable Garden Update July 2015


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Good morning! This summer has been awesome for the garden. The rains have been adequate and the sunshine also perfect. The humidity we could all do without. And my brand new vegetable garden has exceeded my expectations thus far.
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The only real disappointment has been the tomato plants. They simply have not done well. Though there are a few tomatoes on the plants, the greenery is lacking. I am not sure why because last year when I planted a few tomato plants they went gangbusters all summer long. It might be a soil issue because all of this soil had been backfilled from the house build. I'll have to do a soil test soon.
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The corn has done well. The corn in the rear that has brown tassels is the early corn and it is already for picking. You can tell when an ear of corn is ready when the tassels turn black and the pointed end of the ear is rounded. Picking fresh corn is a very nice thing.
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The tiered strawberry bed has really filled in. My only issue with it is that I have to keep the strawberry plants within bounds by either chopping them off from the gravel or placing them up in their bed. Strawberry plants are beasts as far as spreading and aggressiveness.
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The little raised herb garden has filled out nicely. Thyme, rosemary, sage, basil, parsley, and zinnias grow nicely here. I do believe the rosemary will stand a good chance of wintering over.
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The cantaloupes are finally growing.
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The watermelons appeared overnight. Either that or I just have been negligent in looking for the fruits. We have three watermelons that are just about ready to pick.
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The cucumbers are growing like gangbusters. I had to start them all from seeds because the store bought transplants all died. Cucumbers are so good when fresh picked. My only complaint is that it is very hard to find the fruit in all the greenery. Sometimes the cucumbers grow so large they are inedible by the time I do find them.
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Here is one that is fairly easy to find.
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The central path down the beds is a perfect width of 24". I've found this to be just the right amount for a path without taking up too much room and without crowding from the plants or beds. As a bonus, my wheelbarrow fits through the paths fairly easily.
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Squash vine borers got the zucchini and summer squash. I did manage to get a good crop before the vines succumbed.
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The carrots were slow to get started but wow! They look pretty good now. I am picking baby carrots regularly.
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One last shot of the center and heart of the vegetable garden. The crush and run gravel paths have worked out really well for me. I hope your vegetable garden is bringing you as much pleasure as mine is....

in the garden....
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

4 comments:

  1. Your garden looks great Tina. My garden has done fairly well this summer. I wasn't surprised that you said your tomatoes didn't do very good. I haven't talked to anyone that has said that their tomatoes have done well. We have had a few but I can't figure out what the problem is. We have vines and leaves but the tomatoes themselves aren't ripening, mostly rotting. We had tons of rain to begin the season and now no rain. UGH... I bet your rosemary does winter over. It does here unless we have a severe winter, which happens often. I will have a rosemary that will last two or three years then it dies. It is fun to see if it does winter over. I have a new one growing in the garden. We will see how it does.

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  2. Great to see a post from you and to read about and see photos of your new garden beds.

    Happy gardening ~ FlowerLady

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  3. Your gardens look amazing for being so young! Your hard work is paying off in a nice harvest to come for sure...

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  4. Love your garden. No cukes for me, 1 squash for me today,' Hard work is paying off,

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