June 20, 2012 - Wednesday's Walk Around the Garden (part 1)

I have to make more than one post today, because there are so many pictures!

 I'll start with the North and Kennel gardens.

 Jackpot Zucchini on the left, Early Yellow Crookneck squash on the right.

Star of Yelta morning glory and Johnny Jump Ups

The flower corner.  Pink hollyhocks have begun blooming, as well as the Shasta daisies.  The lettuce in the foreground has been nipped off by the sparrows.  I had it caged, but the openings in the wire were too large, so the birds still got in and had their buffet.  Parsley under the ladder, and two leftover pepper plants in the foreground.

 The cantaloupe in this hill is not growing well at all.  This was a compost mound, and should have been an excellent spot for them, but they are stunted and chewed up.

 These four cantaloupe plants, seeded later than the others, are growing much better.  I'll soon have to decide which two to keep, and which to pull or move.

 White onions, grown from seed, have not yet formed round bulbs.  The remainder of this bed has been planted in carrots.  Three of the rows have germinated, the remaining rows were just planted last week.

 Strawberries in the raised bed are just beginning their second round of blossoms, which should finally give me some decent berries.  These plants were just moved here this spring, and the first flush of blossoms resulted in some very small, useless, berries.  Two broccoli plants in the foreground.  The one on the right was "dead" a month ago, but is now almost ready to give me a nice head of broccoli to harvest.  The large one on the left is just now showing a little broccoli button.  All of the broccoli plants are from a packet of mixed seeds (3 varieties), so I have no idea what they are.

 The best of three beds of Fortex beans.  Yesterday I sprayed them (and myself) with fish fertilizer.  They seem to be snapping out of their bug chewed state now, and have begun their climb up the fence.

 Dill, in the pot, has begun to go to seed.  Camomile is blooming, and cilantro, in the smaller pot, is sporting its true leaves.

 Raspberries and zinnias.

 Beets are sprouting under cover, protected from leaf miners.  A few carrots, from an earlier (spotty) planting are in the foreground, and the rest of the bed was planted to carrots last week.

 A triangle of bush beans emerging on the left, cauliflower on the right.  I put in a few celery plants behind the cauliflower.  I'm hoping they grow by fall, as the earlier celery has bolted to seed.  Yesterday I pulled out the sugar snap peas and planted more Fortex bean seeds against the chain link fence on the far right.

 The oregano is beginning to flower.  I really don't need any, so I'll let the bees enjoy it for now.  Sweet peas are just beginning to blossom, but I pick them before they can give much of a show in the garden.  They smell so sweet in the vase on my desk.

 Lettuce is happy in "The Thing I", untouched by hungry sparrows and still sweet and crisp in the light shade of the kennel garden.

 Three broccoli plants shading three lettuce plants.  That's a volunteer nasturtium in front.

 The kennel garden seating area, with Grandpa Ott morning glories beginning to grow behind the bench.  The morning glories are late, due to the cold spring and the semi shaded area in which they are planted, but in past years this has been the best area for them.  I expect once they take off, they will cover the chain link and be beautiful.  All of the nasturtiums and alyssum are volunteers.

 Yellow crookneck squash in front of the Honey Select corn, which has now reached the height of 3 feet.

 Waltham Butternut squash, in the barrel and on the ground.

 Velour beans (left), mixed varieties of sweet peppers (center) and Gourmet Green French beans (right).  All of these beans are covered with blossoms and forming tiny beans.

 Pixie and Gonzales dwarf cabbages (left), celery that has all bolted (center) and carrots that may or may not be affected by nematodes (right).  I'll have to make a decision on whether to just pull out the celery and plant another row of bush beans there, or try to harvest a few more small stalks.  It was planted out way too early, before the night temperatures were 50F or higher, which caused it to go to seed.  This was my first try at growing celery, next year I'll start the seedlings much later.  I picked my first cabbage, a Pixie, this week.  At two pounds, it was quite large for a dwarf variety.  The Gonzales cabbages are much smaller.

 The triangle beds are full of broccoli, carrot seedlings a single volunteer tomato plant and flowers.  I just harvested the lettuce, which gives me room for even more carrots.  I'm determined to grow enough carrots this year!

The tomatoes next to the shed are strong, healthy and blossoming and/or fruiting.  There are basil and lettuce plants in between the tomato pots.

To be continued in post #2.