The pumpkins are growing well. I am still able to cover them at night to protect them from any deer damage but I have to uncover them first thing in the morning so that the Honey Bees can get to the flowers. All of the flowers close to the base have been male and those have gotten the bees interested in a dependable food source. Now I am starting to see female flowers.
The vines are beginning to lengthen and soon they will not fit under the cloth. I am watering these twice a week because we have had no rain.
The Sweet Corn loves the heat and is happy without mulch. I am watering these daily.
The tassels are opening up and this morning they smelled strongly of corn. The scent was heavy and sweet. When the pollen releases these will be covered in bees. There are a few corn babies with silk appearing.
The cole crops are doing well. I only got one Cauliflower, the others bolted in the heat before the heads got more than three inches across. The Broccoli started to send out side shoots but those are also bolting right away. The Cabbage is good.
My Cantaloupe vines are small but flowering. I used the bed for Sunflowers because the Cantaloupe seeds were so spotty. Why waste space? I might get some and I might not. That's the way Cantaloupe is for me.
The Cucumbers are super happy and I have started picking some small ones for salads. It will be a couple of weeks before the volume is worth trying to make pickles. I have been eating some nice zucchini. Because it is just me I pick them very small.
The Zucchini plants survived the heat wave and are off and running.
The Blackberries are really surprising me. They have several more branches flowering. I won't be making cobbler this year, but there will be a good amount of snacking.
The Grapevines are growing well.
Pole beans are climbing and flowering. There are a few baby beans in there.
The Peas are done. I pulled the first bed and the second bed is ready to pull.
It has been great weather for harvesting seed. I let the pods dry in the sun.
When they are dry and papery, but before they open on their own, I shell them into a colander and leave them out another day or two. Once they are done drying I will weigh out a row's worth (2.5 to 3 ounces) and put them in an envelope. I expect I have enough seed for several years. If I am planting for food only, I can plant one bed instead of two.
The Sweet Potatoes are loving the heat. The rest of this bed is a conglomeration of sage, rosemary, sunflowers, snapdragons, parsley and Queen Anne's Lace. It is a pretty popular place for pollinators.
The Tomatoes are doing well. I have half a dozen tomatoes larger than my fist and they are flowering again. I am getting a few cherry tomatoes.
Onions are growing well.
Bell Peppers are starting to flower again at the top. There are half a dozen good sized green peppers.
Havasu Hot Peppers are setting a second layer of blooms.
The Dahlias are starting to bloom.
This is pretty early for flowers. Dahlias are so easy for me. I have only watered these twice in order to give them fertilizer.
 |
| Crazy Legs |
 |
| Bloomquist Gordon |
The pink side is starting with the low plants, but I have buds on a couple of tall decoratives.
The direct sown Celosia are doing their thing.
Besides weekly fertilizer, I have had to hand water quite a bit. The vegetables get watered well every other day. There are some annuals and perennials that have to be watered. For what I have to carry water to I am alternating, one day I water annual containers and the next day I carry water to the perennials and shrubs that were planted this year. Petunias (in ground and containers) get fertilizer every Friday. July has been dryer than normal, but it hasn't been too bad for watering.
So that's what's happening in the garden this week. Japanese Beetles arrived on schedule. I go around and flick them into soapy water every morning. I have started cutting back the early Daylilies that are done flowering. Situation: Normal.
No comments:
Post a Comment