Garden Update: May 23

 The first blossom on the straightneck squash appeared today. Actually two appeared. They may or may not get pollinated, we'll have to wait and see. I did see a bumblebee yesterday, but not many insects have visited our garden, so far.
It's nice and cool in the morning and beastly hot in the afternoon. No wonder everything is growing so fast. Lots of water, good soil, with good drainage and ample sun make a perfect environment for the plants to thrive.

Yesterday the first cucumber blossom opened and little baby cukes are formed. The bush still has tendrils, even tho it won't climb very far out of the tub, I see it has secured that watering stick already.

The first Big Bertha pepper has formed! I neglected to record its blossom, since I expected it to fall off, but no. Here is the resulting fruit. woowoo. The pepper plants are so wonderfully robust, and it makes me laugh to think I tried planting peppers on the mountain so often with awful results. Heat and sun are totally the reason these are doing so well.

Beets and rutabaga, both grown from seed are jumping up and sayin' Howdy! I must thin those beet greens for salad. In front of the rutabaga are newly planted sprouts, since I had the space, I thought I would do a second crop. They'll soon catch up. The seeds poked up two days after planting.

 

At the end of that tub is the Dahlia patch, with one rutabaga which musta wandered over when it was just a seed. I have never grown the big variety of dahlia before, so I may have to get tomato cages to support these big girls. 

The green tub holds hyacinth bean vines, nasturtiums and some basil too small to see. We have a trellis to hang for the vines to grow up.

From seed: cilantro, parsley, and chives. I tossed in cilantro wherever there was space, and will try to harvest them by cutting, since I've read that they will come back if cut.

I believe we will have basil in something this weekend, as it is ready for its first cutting. I have it growing everywhere, and more seeds and starters to come. New leaves have formed in the axils and that means I can cut the tops off and make a bushier plant. Fresh mozzarella is in the fridge.

 May 2nd.The same tub 21 days later.

The fab five figs. I'm counting on them to provide shade with their big leaves in a few years. And figs too.

Now that the garden is growing, it looks less industrial and more like a real garden.

 

Watermelons in the wading pool seem happy, and they are covering the chronic low spot in the yard. Tomatoes got moved to a more sunny location and topped off with compost, as I felt they looked spindly. I see a bit of improvement in their color daily.

Tony inspects along with me. So far no tomato hornworms, Yay!!!

Sun Sugar cherry tomatoes in a nice cluster.

I like to presprout some seeds, like these hollyhocks, before putting them in the soil. The white root tells me they are excited to grow, so in they go. I figure, if you have a fence, you need hollyhocks. They are biennials, but reseed willingly and they will add much color and height to the garden in coming years.

Where's Chumley in all these garden pictures? In bed. He likes to sleep in. Tony gets up and follows me around every morning. Notice the tomato cages in that tub on the left? Cantaloupe will be supported by those. I hope. And there is one blue ceramic pot that remains unfilled. I am hoping to get a special hydrangea for it. Haven't found it yet, maybe Pinky Winky...

 Of course, I am waiting for the sales.

Dave continues to bring in mulch in bags, since we no longer have our trailer. We have a very close spot with free mulch, so he sometimes goes twice a day, or night as it turns out. He's a very busy guy, playing golf every day. I think he has adapted nicely to our new place. I certainly have.