Thursday, August 9, 2018

The Vegetable Garden In August

We have had a hot, sticky summer, which is very rare for us up here in the mountains. 

I can't say I like it much....but  my veggie garden sure does!

We've had good soaking rains, which means I have my soaker hose system turned off, and everything....well, mostly everything....is thriving!

I ran out between raindrops yesterday to snap a few photos to share with you. 


I planted both summer and winter squash in a few different places in the garden this year. This acorn squash is growing along the fence line, next to the cucumbers and tomatoes. 


Speaking of cucumbers, I see a busy pickle season in my future!


We haven't had that first amazing ripe tomato yet, but soon! I always eat the first one right out in the garden, straight from the vine, warmed by the sun. Yummmmm!


I'm not sure we will have as many tomatoes as in the past, however, as the tomatoes in Sweetie's garden are being shaded by his beans. 

My tomatoes usually don't do as well as his, as they don't get as much sun. We may have to actually break down and buy some from a local market to make sauce for the winter.


I have a LOT of pepper plants this year, and I'm trying them both in the veggie garden and up on the deck in the herb boxes to see which does better.

We don't have much luck with peppers, I'm not sure why. Perhaps our summers are not usually hot enough? 

If only I had a greenhouse!  Someday.....


Meanwhile, I'll enjoy whatever peppers the garden gives me - they are always so much better than anything you buy at the supermarket!


I tried red cabbage for the first time this year, and it's doing incredibly well! 

I just love red cabbage braised with apples and spices, served along side a lovely roast pork with garlic and herbs....and it makes the most delicious pastrami reubens!


This winter squash is growing between the two wire fences....I hope I'll be able to get it out when the time comes! It's not the only one, either - yikes!

 
This winter squash has the right idea, growing up the squash arch just like I wanted it to! 

It's sad that only a portion of the flowers actually produce squash, but I do enjoy the flowers none the less!


There are 4 types of squash planted on both sides of this arch that my Sweetie made for me. Sunshine winter squash, acorn squash, butternut, and Alexandria (zucchini.) You can see that the squash in the middle bed is leaps and bounds ahead of the squash on the garage side. The only thing that does well on that side is lettuce...oh and my celery seems to be doing well over there also. That bed doesn't get as much sun, and it tends to be wetter than the other beds. 

It's all trial and error, figuring out what works where!

 
I'm trying corn this year also for the first time! Just a few plants to see how they do....I'm so excited - look, they have baby ears or corn on them!  

I absolutely love fresh, sweet corn on the cob. I could make a whole meal of it!

 
In addition to what I showed you, I have lettuce, celery, pac choi, beets, beans (for drying), carrots, and parsnips. The radishes are already pickled....the peas are frozen. The fresh green beans are going mad in Sweetie's garden, and there are many, many of them already in the freezer for the winter. He also has fennel and brussel sprouts in his garden, which I don't have in mine. 

I had a variety of spinach, but it got eaten for the second year in a row. I will skip it next year, I think. 

I also have garlic, onions, scallions, chives, dill, rosemary, basil, thyme, parsley, sage, oregano, and mint growing on the deck. The other pepper plants are in the herb boxes as well. 

I have a blueberry bush, raspberry bush, red currant, black currant, and strawberry plants also, but the birds get to the berries before I do. Next year I might just net them and see what happens.

Not too shabby for a girl from New York City! 

I do miss my chickens that I had in a previous house, and I'm often tempted to get more, but I don't need another reason to invite the coyotes and other wildlife to my house, so I shall resist.  At least for now. 

What's growing in your neck of the woods?

51 comments:

  1. YOur garden looks lovely! I wish mine looked like that. ;) I have squash and tomatoes, along with blueberries and swiss chard right now. The green onions have been producing for months. I just finished up the raspberries and the blackberries have about a week before they start getting ripe.

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    1. Sounds like you've got some pretty good eating going on over there, Debbie!

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  2. Wow, I'm impressed! I don't have room for a garden in my tiny little back yard in the city. I used to have one when I lived on a larger lot and I sure do miss those fresh from the garden veggies! At least I can get my fix at the farmers markets.

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    1. I tend to buy from the farmers' markets as well, Diane, but only the items I don't grow myself. And the beef....oh my gosh, the best grass fed black angus beef!!

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  3. All we planted this year were tomatoes and sugar snap peas. The peas only produced in the late spring and then were done (and there weren't even many) and our tomato plants are doing terrible this year because of our wonky weather. We've tried peppers in past years and they haven't done well either. I know you will have a lot of fun with all your wonderful produce...you are so good about preparing foods to freeze and use later.

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    1. My peas didn't do well either, Melanie, but Sweetie's did. Something ate mine, I think it was the same darned slugs that ate two cucumber plants and two eggplant plants!! I hate slugs! Last year I used Sluggo but this year when I tried to use it I found Molly eating it so I had to stop!

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  4. Wow, you have such a fabulous garden. I am green with envy.

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    1. It's a ton of work during the growing season, Marty, but so worth it during the long winter when I pull something home grown out of the freezer!

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  5. What an amazing garden and future recipe ideas to use sound terrific. Your garden looks lovely and lush. Summer is good!

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    1. Summer is good, you are so right Bernideen! Busy, but good!

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  6. I love seeing what is growing in other people's gardens! You much more than I do (e.g. cabbage, corn, winter squash...). I think all of your supports and fences are great! -Jenn

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    1. I cram an awful lot into my tiny little garden, Jenn! Not all of it does well (peppers and eggplants seem to hate me!)but between my garden and Sweetie's we do ok!

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  7. We have had so much rain and so little sunshine that our garden has been sort of a flop this year. Now the stink bugs are damaging our acorn squash so probably won't have any of that to enjoy either. Glad to see your garden, which is much further north than us (Virginia) is doing so well.

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    1. Oh no, that's terrible! I didn't know stink bugs ate squash....I hope they stay away from mine!

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  8. Looking good! Here I am always ahead of you in the gardening phase. My tomatoes have produced and I've eaten many and now they're pretty much dying. As are the cucumbers. They just stop. My peppers of all thing keep producing, but I found I could not eat them. Wouldn't you know it? Oh yes, you're doing great for any gardener, much less one from the city.
    Brenda

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    1. Wow, that's a shame that you can't eat your peppers, Brenda - are they too spicy? Perhaps you could freeze them for use in soups or chili in the winter months?

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  9. How wonderful that you have such a beautiful veggie garden. Fresh grown veggies are the best and the flaor is oh sooooo good. I wish I had the green thumb and space for a veggie garden. Happy Friday.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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    1. You could try growing some tomatoes in pots, Kris, on that fabulous deck of yours....or on the driveway near the garage, as I did in a previous house!

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  10. I am thoroughly impressed, Debbie! This comes especially knowing just how busy and hard-working you are in your career. I'm so glad you have a garden that gives you the reward of fruits from your labor. It looks beautiful!

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    1. Ha, that's because you can't see all the weeds and the currently overgrown grass, Rita! We've had rain, rain, and more rain and I can't get out to mow or work in the garden!

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  11. Your garden is amazing. Drooling over about all the winter squash you are growing. Do you eat the blossoms too? Heard they are good.

    Every herb planted is a favorite of mine.

    Fried sage and all your herbs are super for pesto.

    You made me want roast pork. Love it.

    Happy I'm following your blog. Lose a lot for this blogger on Instagram. I like the stories to read more information

    Very hazy, hot and humid here.

    Have a super weekend

    Cindy

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    1. Hi Cindy! No I don't eat the squash blossoms, mainly because I want them to develop into squash! I have heard they are good, though, but I just can't bring myself to sacrifice them!! I'm happy you're following my blog, too, and thanks for taking the time to comment!

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  12. Not shabby at ALL!! Your vegetables are beautiful! I could not get any of the squash or cucumbers to climb the tee pee poles this year. Seems like everything you do, inside or out, turns out beautiful!

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    1. Well, I wish that were entirely true, Henny, but some things just don't like me! My eggplant plants get eaten every single year, so I bought two from my local nursery. My pepper plants never produce anything more than baby peppers, so I bought two from the nursery as well! I think perhaps our growing season is too short, or perhaps not hot enough? I just don't know. I have tons of flowers on the pepper plants on the deck, but I'm not sure there's enough time left for them to develop into full grown peppers. Time will tell!

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  13. What beautiful produce, Debbie! I love the idea of growing the vining squash on an arch...how pretty! I just found out that this town has large, sunny garden plots for residents! And they are nearby. For years, my yards have been too shady for veggies. I'm so excited to get a garden plot next year!

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    1. That's awesome, Linda!! You'll have such fun this winter planning out your garden, figuring out what you want to grow! Will you start the plants from seed?

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  14. Oh, I wish I had one of those large green tomatoes for our supper tonight! RH just brought home a grocery bag full of okra from his brother's garden and a cut up green tomato adds just the juicy touch to it that I love in my fried okra.

    Your red cabbage is almost too beautiful to eat! But those corn ears will give you the best corn on the cob you've ever eaten! As far as what we're eating in our garden, which is all in pots, there's enough peppers from 4 pots to give me enough for every day, and Sweet 100 tomatoes, and herbs. Next year though I at least want a salad garden too and to grow some cukes up the chain link fence.

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    1. I think as gardeners we are always planning for 'next year' aren't we, Dewena? Next year I will rip out the rosebushes in the perennial bed that are just a thorny jungle....next year I will be on top of the weeds in the perennial bed....next year I will start my pepper seeds a month earlier and see if I finally get peppers!

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  15. Your garden is lovely and so bountiful! I am lucky to have a bumper crop of yellow crookneck squash, anaheim chili peppers and tomatoes this year. I decided to try some french filet green beans this year instead of the tried and true kentucky wonders or contender green beans, and I must say and I am very impressed. These beans are producing a steady crop of virtually stringless green beans! It won't be long before you bite into that first warm, juicy, vine ripened tomato... ah - the taste of summer! Cheers

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    1. I've been thinking of you, Vickie, and hoping you aren't affected by those terrible fires!!! I hope your yellow squash are better than the ones I grew a couple of years ago....they were beautiful but the skins were SO tough we couldn't even eat them! I used them as fall decorations and then tossed them onto the compost pile. Such a shame! I stick with zucchini now - the variety I use (Alexandria) has such tender skins I don't ever have to peel them, which is perfect for this busy lady!

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  16. Awesome photos you have here! Your garden looks great and healthy. I cant get anything to grow. I have tried several box gardens with cucumbers, tomato and squash but something eats them as soon as they start sprouting. Makes me so mad. I have two egg plants growing and so far I have ONE egg plant almost ready to pick.
    Lisa

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    1. That's a shame, Lisa - I wonder if it's an animal eating them or is it slugs? If it's slugs you could try Sluggo which is safe for organic gardening and extremely effective! I have used it here with great success until this year when Molly decided it was tasty and I had to stop using it - so the slugs got a few of my plants, yukkk!!

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  17. Juicy and good looking vegetables. Fine shots with the raindrops on the veggies.

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    1. Thank you, Betsy - we eat good in the summer months, that's for sure!

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  18. Your garden is doing great! Such a variety. I love how a growing garden looks and I admire your energy...after you harvest you have to put them all up for the winter! Lots of work now, great benefits later. Can you bottle some of that energy and send it my way?

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  19. I love the lush greenness of a veggie garden and yours is surely that! I admire your energy for planting it all and then having to put it all up for the winter. Can you bottle some of that energy while you're at it and send it my way?!

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    1. Ha ha there are days I feel I can barely get anything done, AnnMarie, believe me! I sometimes have to really force myself, but then I'm always glad when I plow on ahead and power through! I had quite the cook-a-thon this Saturday because on Sunday we were heading to a memorial at the Veteran's Hospital for my dad, and then having a family dinner out, so I knew I'd get nothing done around the house that day!

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  20. Your garden is doing wonderful! My tomatoes are doing great. We have been eating them for about a month now. My green beans are done and I planted rainbow swiss chard in their place. My one pepper plant is also doing well along with my herbs.

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    1. Oh how nice, Penny! I tried rainbow swiss chard at my previous house and the deer LOVED it!! :)

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  21. Your vegetable garden is outstanding. Sadly, we grow nothing edible...although we did plant some pumpkin seeds this year. They are the eating kind, but I think it's a step in that direction! Enjoy your yummy crop!

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    1. Meanwhile I've never grown pumpkins, Kim - I guess I figure they would take over the garden! One of the winter squash varieties I grow (Sunshine Squash) looks a lot like a pumpkin, though - does that count?

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  22. We've had the same weather here in CT - and my tomatoes are just turning red in the last week. As for the chickens, well, the coyotes are here whether I have chickens or not, so, I decided to keep the chickens and just be mindful. I have not found the coyotes are more abundant since having chickens. I just know that if I let them out to free roam, I do it when we'll be around, our presence known. Otherwise, they are in their fully enclosed run and coop.

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    1. That's the way to do it, Karen Ann - an enclosed run and coop. My chickens were free range during the day and went back to their coop at night. What did I know about chickens....I had just moved up from the city, ha ha!

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  23. BEAUTIFUL VEGIES.....YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO ME......I LOVE READING YOUR POSTS....HOW DO YOU FIND THE TIME AND ENERGY TO GET IT ALL DONE ?

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    1. Thank you, that's so sweet! I don't get it all done, I just can't. I work full time, so something's got to give. When the garden is spitting out produce and I'm spending a ton of time in the kitchen, the weeds take over outside. There just aren't enough hours in the week to do everything I would need to do, so I've learned to let some things go in order to keep my sanity!

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  24. Impressive garden, Mountain Sister!

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    1. Did you grown anything this year, Mountain Sister? I imagine some nice pots on your deck with tomatoes in them would do well....perhaps some boxes on the front of the deck railing for herbs....I can only imagine what would come out of that fabulous kitchen of yours if you were growing your own veggies! By the way I bought the ingredients to make your spicy peach bbq sauce - can't wait!

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  25. Your garden looks amazing and now I am really hungry. xo Laura

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    1. That's only because you can't see all the weeds, Laura - believe me there are PLENTY of them!

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  26. I LOVE the garden photos. It really makes me miss having a decent sized plot of land. Still, I haven't done badly. Cucumbers have been my cash crop this year, followed by tomatoes. Zucchini I simply cannot grow in a container or the ground. They just hate me. I got dozens, but they all yellowed, shriveled up, and died.

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    1. Too bad we aren't neighbors, Pattie, I could certainly unload some of mine onto you!!

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