Last Bits of the Veggie Garden

So this is what it's like to have a sunny place in the garden?

Wildflowers have taken over my small veggie patch. They have grown so much better here than in the wildflower garden I purposely created in the back garden. The climate over here with 5-6 hours of sun each day is so different than all the other shady places I'm used to in my garden.

I can't say that it is all that pretty. There are dead tomato vines sprawled throughout begging to be uprooted.

Procrastination has overtaken me where this clean up task is concerned. Every time I get started I find myself digging up and potting blue porterweed and red coccinea salvia to preserve for somewhere... anywhere... I can't just pluck them all out and throw them away. So many self-seeded ... and they are everywhere.

And then there are those peppers that just keep on producing. I guess I'll just let those plants stay put and see what happens.

Although I've planted new tomato seeds in small pots this ground should have been turned and left to settle with new compost and soil in it several weeks ago. It should be ready for the fall veggie garden.

The fact that new zinnias keep popping up makes it even more difficult to make myself clear the beds for planting seeds.

Who knew companion planting would create such a challenge by the end of the summer season?
I'm just going to have to buckle down and get brutal with some of those persistent flowers. Geesh! they don't even require much water... neglect is more like it ... do you see the dilemma? If I leave them I can't plant a fall veggie garden but at the same time these are by far the most care-free flowers in one place in all of Hoe and Shovel... more procrastinating!

Helping Hands in the Veggie Garden

This job should have been done a few weeks ago. It's not one I've been eager to tackle. Not to mention I've been a little distracted with other projects. But in order to get the soil ready for the fall garden the time table can't be put off any longer.

It's interesting to note that sweet peppers are still being harvested. Sometimes the branches so full they break under the weight of the fruit.

Let's see now... where to begin in this messy place?

A quick perusal of what's become of spring's vegetable garden will quickly reveal only a smattering of food. What has happened is Scarlet Sage or Salvia Coccinea and Blue Porterweed, Stachytarpheta cayennensis have self-seeded in so many places. The tomato plants are dreadfully wilty and the beans and peas are dried up vines on the trellises. What a difference a couple of months and about 20 degrees increase can make.

Today my littlest helper (and most willing one to boot) and I got out very early to make a dent in the task of dismantling the veggie garden.

There are still carrots to pull out. They will be too bitter to eat at this late date.The heated temps of summer have stolen their sweetness. But there was good reason to leave a few in the ground.

They are one of the host plants for Black Swallowtail butterflies. Barely any stems left on them since the larva feasted on them to their hearts' delight a few weeks ago.

Our first task is to clear the remaining carrots. A perfect job for curious and busy hands. He gets the biggest thrill from reaching to the root and pulling up carrots.

The Salvia guaranitica, 'black and blue' will stay in its container pot and keep blooming through the fall.

Digging up the Blue Porterweed and Salvia Coccinea to pot up for placement elsewhere is the second order of business. We can't let all of those self seeded plants go to waste and yet they do need to come out of the veggie beds.

My little guy uses his kid-sized John Deere trowel and hand rake to help with the task of tilling the soil. At least that's what we say we're doing. It's more like making holes and throwing dirt. What abandoned fun he has discovering the earthworms all tangled up with each other in that fertile soil. He doesn't mind handling them gently as we talk about how God gave us the earth to take good care of.

As a three year old will often do ... he makes up his own plan as we go along. Hmmm... let's deposit some of this dirt in the rain gauge. No harm done. As long as he is having fun ... I'm having fun.

And there's that birdbath he can't resist splashing in like a happy little bird.

It was getting hot outdoors very fast. Who am I kidding? It started out hot ~~but temps were increasing quickly as the sun came up over the trees.

It's probably true we didn't get a lot accomplished. It was a start though. Sometimes just getting started on an unfavorable task is key. And most importantly... happy times and good memories in the veggie garden.

When I return to that job again tomorrow ... without my little fellow... I'll remind myself of today and with a smile on my face I'll go at it again.

Soon the entire veggie garden will be dismantled, tilled, and amended with some bone meal and mushroom compost. Seeds need to be sown soon.

Tropical Come Back: Pagoda Flower

Some plants were hit harder than others this winter. We endured through a couple of below freezing, frosty nights in January and several of the tropicals were taken down to the ground.

On the walk around to the veggie garden from the front we pass by one of my favorite tropical delights. It is a Pagoda flower; Clerodendrum paniculatum which towers high above all other plants and shrubs in this setting.

My sweet neighbor started me on this interesting plant a few years ago. She gave me a leafless stem she didn't know the name of and her plant wasn't blooming at the time. Needless to say, since I had no idea what it was... I had no idea where to site it or what to expect from it. Taking my chances, I (literally) stuck it in the ground next to this oak tree and kept it hydrated. It worked and it was a happy place for it. Whew!

Not one of those ginormous heart-shaped leaves was alive after this winter's freezes. In my heart I knew the plant would come back. But with my eyes, looking at it in February, it seemed impossible. It was completely lifeless and not a leaf in sight.

It stands about 8 feet tall in all its July summer splendor. Looking at the photos of it from last year, I think it is actually taller and fuller now. I know for certain the flowers are taller and more Pagoda shaped.

Looking back to the Pagoda Flower from the entry to the veggie garden.

The foliage in the beds at the feet of the Pagoda flower.

Actually, I can remember the Pagoda flower inspiring me to finally develop these beds. They had been fairly neglected prior to the lush growth of the Pagoda. Oh, I had stuck a few things here and there but never really concentrated on giving them some permanent appeal before the centerpiece of the pretty orange blooms and lush foliage was there.

Street view...

Driving by you don't see any of the foliage underplantings (pictured in the previous photos above) or the veggie garden just beyond. But you can see the Pagoda Flower. The oak trees and the palmettos do a pretty good job of concealing a very different looking back side of these planting beds that lead to the veggie garden.

Speaking of the veggie garden...

It seems a shamble these days. The sunflowers say it all.

It is time to dismantle all the stakes, the railings, the dead vegetation, and turn the soil once again. I'll be planting some tomato seeds within the next week in small pots. They'll be transferred to the ground around the first of September for a hopeful fall harvest of yummy goodness. I'm slated to get around to all that work when I finish the front lawn project.

[Side note~~ update on the front lawn project: I am 9/10ths of the way finished with that project...almost have all the plants in the ground. It has been a very fun adventure. I will update when it is completed.]

About the only thing still growing is the green peppers. They have been amazingly prolific this year. I've been leaving them on the bush and they are turning red. Exciting stuff. There is still okra in the back garden. It's not getting enough sun but what it's producing is wonderful. I'll rectify that next year and plant them in the main veggie garden.

There is no lack of critter activity in July. I'm so grateful the zinnias are oblivious to the fact that the rest of the veggie garden is spent.

And the butterflies are just so beautiful to observe on a walk-by to the back garden. It might be my imagination but it seems to me the Gulf Fritillaries are more abundant in numbers this year. But, then again, it could be my imagination.

Mr. Black Racer is getting some sun on the old chair in the veggie garden. My resident 'garden snake' startled me a bit while checking on the Swallowtail cats. I came almost nose to nose with him before I saw him. I'm pretty sure this is the same one I've been seeing all summer in this area. He's a nice sized one. I've seen some babies too.

So maybe it's Mrs.Racer after all. I sure don't mind if it's keeping down the slug and mice population, although they are known to eat birds and worms, too. It's all part of the natural ecosystem so I figure they are important. And I don't try to dictate how it works. There was a time when I couldn't live peaceably with any reptile. But now I know better. I still keep my distance but I've learned to appreciate a good snake.

Saturday Veggie Garden Update

It's been sweltering hot outdoors these past few weeks. Not good conditions for a vegetable garden.

So today with my best three-year-old helper at hand we got an early morning start. Even so, we were hot and sweaty in no time. I knew you wanted to know that little bit of trivia.

We adjusted one of his Papa's hat for the little one to help keep the sun rays out of his face. He's an eager gardener... always ready to help. His very own tomato plant has yielded some juicy 'morning sun' heirloom yellow tomatoes.

He gets so excited about them he just eats them right there in the garden as fast as he plucks them off the vine.

I prefer the taste of the 'black cherry' grape tomatoes. I've mentioned here before that even though none were officially planted in spring several came up on their own. If only tomato plants lasted as well and as easily as they get started. Notes for the veggie garden journal: must figure that one out.

Cubanelle peppers are thriving but the squash and zucchini are long gone. The succession green beans are giving us enough to add to a meal but not enough to give extras away.

We pulled up most of the remaining carrots today. I've only left them in the ground in an attempt to prolong the use of them. I planted lots more this season than last but honestly they aren't as sweet now that it has turned so hot. No matter. My little guy has so much fun pulling them up it is worth leaving a few a little longer just to share the utter joy with him another time.

After we watered and picked tomatoes and pulled carrots we noticed some very healthy pole beans hanging on the vines. The vines of those beans are not at all attractive at this point.

My little fellow went right to work pulling those, too. Then it was around to the back yard where we do have some squash and okra planted among the flowers just for fun . It was all about watering dry and thirsty plants today, a little baseball and of course cooling off with a swim. Afterall, it isn't just about the work on Saturday morning.

Overall the vegetable garden isn't looking anything like it was in its prime a month ago. But amazingly it keeps giving us some produce. As long as it keeps making efforts we will keep nurturing it.
For more blogs with vegetable garden updates go have a look at Tina and Skeeter's blog.

It was about time I joined in for their monthly garden review... but this very well could be my last entry since my vegetable garden is rapidly declining.

Morning's Harvest and a Bit of Miscellany

Every trip out to the veggie garden is more of an inspection than a culling feast these days. The soil temps are in the eighties and the bug meter is off the charts. Still... not too shabby of a morning's harvest for a vegetable garden on a rapid decline. I must say I've been pleasantly surprised the last couple of weeks while the plants hang on for life. Each basket of veggies is one more delight I didn't expect.

I'm quite thankful, too, for the black cherry tomato plants that volunteered their way up through the soil this spring. None were planted by the gardener but there are several at this point providing plenty of salad candy.

Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar
Just after mentioning my wish that the swallowtails would find the parsley... they did. Yay. Probably more like I found him ... this fellow has been around for a while.
Little Ones Adding Beauty to the Garden

Last weekend we enjoyed all the grand-kiddos at the same time. We swam, we ate pizza outside, we played games, we watched a movie, we braided hair, painted toesies and just had lots of kid-fun together. Children are marvelously invigorating and inspiring to have around.

Each of them, in their own special and individual way, has an appreciation for the garden. Early in the morning our granddaughter sat with her Papa outside in the garden. Him with his coffee, her with her hot chocolate. They were just relaxing and chatting it up about flowers and plants... and every other thing on a little girl's heart. I love it that her small, gentle hands love to touch the soft petals of flowers near by.

Native Orchids

It seems fitting to give these little beauties more blog time.

I already posted about them here if you'd like more information about the Butterly Orchid's characteristics. I'm still getting so much enjoyment from their continual blooms each time I pass them by.

The tiny but colorful blooms on Butterfly Orchids are intricate and fascinating. Each flower hardly a full inch from one petal tip to the other. So delicate and wispy they are dangling from the oak tree they are attached to. I've taken so many photos of them still trying to capture the essence of them.

Maybe it's just me but a plant that needs no soil or extra water and yet provides such simple beauty deserves lots of admiration.

I wish you all a very happy weekend... and surely that will include some valuable time spent in your garden! I'm heading in that direction now... blessings to each and every one... Meems

The Big Green Jungle

Thank goodness for the flowers planted in and around the veggie garden. Little did I know back in February when the vegetable seeds were planted out that by the time June rolled around I would be even more grateful for the flowers. If it weren't for the zinnia's bright and happy faces and ...

the nasturtiums that faithfully produce blooms...

one would take a look at the fastly fading vegetable garden and think it is just a great big green jungle in June.


As gardens go a vegetable garden is short-lived. Once the seeds are planted in warm soil they come up very fast and it seems overnight the plants mature and begin to produce their fruit.

The ground cover of Lysimachia Golden Globes is creeping along nicely across from the carrots and underneath the green bell peppers and the cosmos that are just now budding. The pretty yellow flowers should last all summer.

But not the vegetable plants. The foliage on most of them is pretty pathetic looking by this time. Certainly they are, at best, struggling to survive in the heat and humidity and not at all pretty anymore. Even so, the pole beans and green beans are still producing a handful or so a day.

The green peppers are still growing like crazy. They must not mind the 90 degree temps we've been having. I'm trying to remind myself why I planted so many of them. It might have been because they DO grow so easily in our climate. Anyone need any bell peppers?

The parsley is very green and very big thriving in the shade of the tomato plants. I keep thinking the swallowtail butterflies are going to find it for a host plant and the caterpillars will have a feast on all the pretty leafiness.

Ahhhh, now there's some color I like to see. I'm more than surprised the tomatoes haven't completely bolted. With all the rain we had a few weeks ago and now we have had no rain for over a week and the humidity and temperature have sky rocketed. Do you know how tempted I am to pick these healthy tomatoes before they get fully ripened? Every day I'm watching them... just hoping no worms, or bugs, or birds, or splits or all the gazillion things that can affect tomatoes won't happen before they are ready for harvest.

So this afternoon my patience ran out. Just like that. I just couldn't muster up the courage to leave them to fate even one more day. I only plucked three. I left the rest.

The more I walk by them, the harder it is to leave them on the vine. They are just so much safer sitting on my kitchen window sill. Don't you agree!

I hope you are all having a great weekend and enjoying your gardens.

I've had lots of fun with my grandkids this weekend.