right now

right now

Jun 4, 2012

Back in the garden! Lots of photos...

First, I'll finish up the weekend...


Campsite amidst Live Oaks... my favorite tree!



The beach got too windy so we came back home and hubby decided it was time for Loch to learn how to mow the lawn...



Pretty funny stuff... don't hire him unless you just want random paths cut into the grass!


Although we are still getting nightly downpours (really strange), it has been windy enough that the garden dries out during the day and temps are very tolerable at about 80 so I headed out to check the garden.  I spent the morning today cutting blight off and tying up tomatoes that the wind and rain have been beating up.  In an attempt to spend as much time catching up out there as possible this week, this might be the only garden post I have this week, with temps forecast in the mid 70's for the next 5 days I will be taking full advantage and getting lots of work done out there (I hope)!

Here's what's going on...

Overview of the center garden, looking like a jungle -


I know I said I wasn't going to fight this again this year but...


after cutting all that away, I tied up several beds of tomatoes.

Below, heirloom "Virginia Romas" - these are the least affected by blight right now, which is interesting since this is the bed that was the most affected last year! These also aren't tied much, they seem really sturdy and upright naturally.


Below are the Brandywines, you can see how tall they are with my shoulder in the way!


Brandywines, hurry!



The pepper bed is packed closer than I've ever packed them before and they are doing really well, I think there are 22 plants in the 4x8 bed.  Peppers are easy since they don't really need staking and are pretty compact well-behaved plants :)


The bean bed is flowering now, lots of beans packed in this bed.  Yellow Wax and Green bush beans with pole beans toward the back.  You can't see it but there is a strip of lumber in there I can walk on to get to the center of the bean bed to pick the pole beans.  My bush beans are spaced about 4 inches apart in rows, I always pack these tightly too and have good success.


The grapes are "graping" :), even though I only grow them for the grape leaves for my pickle jars.  The birds enjoy the fruit.  Anyone remember when I would painstakingly tie brown paper bags over each bunch to keep the wasps and birds away?  LOL, yeah I don't fight that battle anymore.


Lots of people have asked about my Colonnade Apple trees, they put out a lot of fruit for such a small tree!

Here's one of the trees (should have pruned it, ooops!)


A lot of apples on these little trees!


Summer Squash is still well behaved -


No Squash Bugs, yet...


The side garden is out of control, I'll be in there tomorrow.  I have onions bolted and sticking me in the eyeball!  On the right are "Old Virginia" Heirlooms, since I haven't gotten to them yet they are laying all over from the wind and rain yet.


My 1st year of Hollyhock blooms!



One last thing...


What the heck is THIS?!  I haven't seen this one before in my garden, and it definitely doesn't look very helpful, so he's dead now :)  It's the size of a ladybug, actually it ended up in the pile of blight cuttings and I went to rescue it thinking it was a ladybug...not!  I wonder if there will ever be a year when I don't have to google insects...

22 comments:

  1. update: near as I can tell from the Virginia Tech Field Guide to Stinkbugs (there is such a thing!) it is the nymph of some stink bug variety. Probably had them for years LOL...

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  2. holy smokes ,it looks like harvest time almost at your house ,mighty fast mower you got ,looks like loch is dealing with a alien mower gone crazy--lol

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    1. Judy, LOL - actually we thought the mower was on its last leg but hubby spent some time "tuning it" and it appears to have gained some horsepower, ha!

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  3. It is nice to know that Dallas is not the only boy cutting the grass! He does the same wild pattern in our yard! :)

    Your garden looks great!

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    1. Christy, I don't think I'll be relying on Loch to mow if we are going to have guests over haha but at least it's a good start :)

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  4. Here comes the harvest. Thanks for sharing the columnade apple tree; I wanted to get my mom one but wasn't sure about its production.

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    1. Sustainably, those apple trees are fun - they do well in a container too. I have 3 of them for adequate pollination. I'm sure they would do better in an area that isn't as hot as it is here, but that's why I didn't bother with a full size tree since apples don't do well here as a rule. A definite conversation piece, too! I got mine from Stark Bros. online.

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  5. Amazing how far along your garden is! I have to keep reminding myself that you're well into the summer now and it hasn't even arrived here. Good ol' northern Minnesota where June is typically cool and wet! Plus, your stuff grows so much faster than ours does! Must have something to do with the heat, humidity and adequate rainfall.

    For some reason, now I picture Loch lying in bed at night figuring out patterns in which to mow the lawn in the most efficient pattern.

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    1. Mama Pea, it's even a little further along than usual, thanks to the weird spring and very wet past month we have had. Loch actually complained about mowing but Daddy had to break the news to him that I had children for that specific reason hahahaha!

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  6. You are definitely living in a jungle! Tell Loch Granny knows just how he feels. I mow the back yard, and the darned thing pulls me around just like that! It's pretty comical with an old lady behind it, but those mowers don't have a "slow" setting.

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    1. Gran, I didn't realize how light he really is until he got behind that mower LOL I certainly have more trouble pushing that thing :)

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  7. My oldest loves to mow with a push mower. We get the same wavy, weaving results! Your garden looks GREAT!

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    1. Tina, I would love to have a push mower but our yard is still big even after ripping half of it out. I wish Loch liked it but I had to get on him about learning to mow!

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  8. And there was only the tiniest sign of panic on that boy's face...at least he's energetic! Your garden looks amazing, as usual, Erin. I am always loathe to plant thing close together, but it seems to work fine. I am going to go out and double-up my beans tonight. Or, at least as soon as it stops raining.

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    1. Susan, I think packing them together really helps keep the soil moist and shaded too, at least here when it gets so hot in the summer.

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  9. I thought stink bug when I saw the bug. It looks a bit like our cedar/stink bugs but not the right color.

    I love the video of Loch mowing the lawn! LOL! We can't even get our 16 year old to cut the lawn cause he's afraid of the mower. ARG!

    We finally planted our tomatoes and lots of seeds. It's supposed to be rainy most of the week so I hope they don't rot.

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    1. Sparkless, I'm glad you got your garden going, I hope you get "just enough" rain!

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  10. I was thinking stink bug as well. We've usually got plenty- sadly. Your garden looks amazing. My tomatoes are starting to bloom and I can't wait for that first tomato.

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  11. Poor Loch, I have never mowed with a self-propelled mower before. I don't know if I would like it. I'm sure you will have some nice patterns in your yard!

    Your garden looks great! My garden at home is becoming a jungle too! My peas are more then 7' tall! Just crazy!

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  12. It's a jungle out there!!
    Sorry about the blight---I'm sure the rain doesn't help that??? I think that's why we never get it up here---it NEVER rains. There is no perfect world, is there....
    And if those brandywines hurry up and ripen while I'm still on the road, I'm swinging by to STEAL SOME....so beware-bwah hah hah!
    ;)

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  13. Great garden pics, Erin! I'm slowly getting a start on it, but mostly I'd have pics of dirt if I put them on the blog. ;)

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  14. Your garden looks amazing Erin! We were gone for a few days and it is crazy how much some things in the garden have grown. The cucumbers went nuts and I believe we might get to pick our first watermelon today. :-)

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