July Garden Update

Several readers have asked that I keep posting updates on my garden. But as I photographed it this morning, I came to a conclusion: The reason those veggie gardens in magazines and books look so lush and wonderful is that they haven't been harvested. In a while. I have no such luxury, so I guess photos of my garden serve as a guide to what a small veggie garden really looks like - sheared herbs, weeds, and all.

Unlike so much of the country, which is suffering from intense heat and a drought, we've had lots of overcast skies, little warmth, and unseasonable rain. It's nice not to have to water my garden so often - but the lack of sun makes most things grow very slow. I'm only just now on a second round of peas (the second round hasn't sprouted yet). Nothing else is on it's second round yet. Some things haven't even been harvested yet. It's frustrating - and means a higher grocery bill. But I try to focus on the positives: I've harvested lots of peas, blueberries, lettuce, and herbs. We've been enjoying nasturtium leaves and - especially - seed pods (they have a fantastic peppery flavor that I eat raw; my hubby likes them pickled). The collards are doing better. I have actual tomatoes on most of my tomato plants....Things could be worse!

The main garden, at a glace.
Tomatoes, with chamomile growing in the background.
I've never grown peppers before, but despite the cool weather, a few are appearing.

The garden kitty. She prefers sitting under the blueberries or chives.

Our blueberries have been very productive this year.
Apples.

The beans are coming on!

One of my family's favorites: Dragon Tongue beans.
A row packed with lettuce (middle), carrots (far sides), plus a few parsnips and beans.

The promise of blackberries.

Borage. I'm going to try making borage jelly this year.
Because every gardener has failures: Teeny tiny beets.
Clematis.
Pretties near the driveway.

Hydrangea.
The girls weeding and de-bugging the garden.

Begging for table scraps. (They really missed them when the kids went away for a week!)
The girls enjoying their spacious new run.
An early July haul of peas, nasturtium and pea leaves, scapes, blueberries, strawberries, and lettuce.



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5 comments

  1. Is that clover lying over the rest of the goodies inside the pot? What will you make with those?

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  2. It's actually a type of sorrel. I add it to salads for it's lemony flavor and vitamin C.

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  3. Lovely! Your pictures are beautiful.

    This is my first year with an actual in-the-ground garden (as opposed to patio plants). I am AMAZED at the size of my tomatoes! One plant is already near 5'! We've harvested some lettuce, but are still waiting for the rest to grow to fruition. We have apples (though the squirrels usually get them first), one tomato beginning to ripen and probably a dozen peppers beginning to grow. It's very exciting. :)

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  4. Your garden is lovely. I've often felt frustrated because mine didn't look like a photo shoot, but I've come to the same conclusion: if you grow in order to harvest there will always be some bare spots and some things just coming up a little more slowly.

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