Instead of catching up on blogs and leaving lots of insightful comments, I'm avoiding reading the blogs I most enjoy, because reading them and not commenting feels so incredibly rude, I keep planning to catch up later. . . and then summer hit, and well, "later" might be Christmas.
It's all good stuff -- lots and lots of work, many children, activities like today's berry picking, and gardening, of course. We had a small but intense heat wave that had me quite worried for a couple of days. I was draining bath tubs and siphoning rainwater to coax along baby plants and recent transplants, but fortunately the weather seems to have remembered its place, and we're back to milder days.
So, a summer overview first:
The sweet peas are down (you can see the "hay rick" load of them in the wheelbarrow), which made the garden seem more horizontal for a bit. I miss them, but some other flowers are starting. I don't think I planted quite enough though.
The pole and bush beans in the back left hand side of the garden made it through the heat snap, planted around transplanted sunflowers for poles. Here they are without their row cover on:
Because if the row cover blows off, say, a bird gets them:
Cherokee Purple and Sungold tomatoes are rocking along. The volunteer out front is probably a CP, and it's set fist-sized fruit. These haven't, but they're doing fine.
In the back, the herbs and summer squashes are rollicking. They liked the heat.
Maybe this will be the year I remember to fry some blossoms?
A semi-jury rigged support for the butternut squash. They seem to think it's an okay idea. I'll tie more ladder rungs on to it as the season goes on.
Also happy about the warmer weather are the cucumbers. This bed is nearly all Ohio pickling cukes, but along the left are three Mexican Sour Gherkins, just overtaking their teepee supports.
The tomatillos (visible behind the cucumbers above) are going to produce a bumper crop, I think. And they're so pretty. Tucked in there on one side are two Mini White Cucumbers, which I keep gently pushing back into their support cages out of the tomatillos.
Paste tomatoes got in late, but I assume that since I want to harvest them all at once and not use them fresh, and the tomatoes will cheerfully bear into November, it's okay.
Ellie has been tending her garden carefully. Yesterday saw the construction of irrigation channels. I have got to get these little beds either made bigger or put on a drip system like everywhere else.
Cat's bed has one of the garden's two strawberry plants.
And with that, we're off to a strawberry ranch. Jam tomorrow!
16 comments:
I think everyone has periods where they get behind in the blogosphere. Sometimes real life and actual gardening have to come first! I often forget to pick squash blossoms for the kitchen, which is silly really, it's one of the perks of growing your own. Your tomatoes are little ahead of ours, which have only recently started to set fruit, but they along with the squash and peppers have been loving the recent warm weather. I can't wait until we can start harvesting some summer veggies.
I know I've been on and off behind for well months now with being sick and the move. I go for reading and not commenting when time pressure is bad. If it is really bad then I don't read at all, but I hate that. I mean if you look at just my stats I have over 200 or so people hitting the page, but very few of them comment (thank goodness, reading that many comments would drive me bonkers, but I do love my regulars).
Stef, I hardly ever comment and don't feel terribly guilty about that...I do read lots and lots though as it's one nice break from working. Blogs from "friends" like yours make me smile, invariably; that's enough for me!
DO try some fried blossoms! yum
I fully understand being overwhelmed at times. I too, often feel guilty for not visiting other people's blogs, but only do it when I have free time.
No need to guilt yourself. This way you just post over the entire garden and make me drool everywhere instead of just salavating averagely. No harm, no foul. ;)
It all looks great - you must have been busy. Don't worry about commenting, the priority has to be the garden... and all the other parts of life.... at this time of year! Enjoy it and the better weather.
At times, I wish to slow down on blogging... but my posts are just little I observe and learn, and doesn't take much time to assemble one. Your garden is really thriving! ~bangchik
I do the same thing! I feel really guilty for not having enough time to comment properly, so I just save it for later! I can tell those peas are down, and everything else looks great - I love how your whole yard is kind of trellissed in, it looks so incredibly functional and kind of reminds me of walking around a library and browsing for a good book (my favorite place to be!)
I have a great recipe for salsa verde that some senoritas taught me in a cooking class we took in Mexico, while our family was at language school there.
Take your tomatillos, fresh garlic (to your liking), salt, and a jalapeno(remove all seeds to make it mild or leave them to add heat) and blend it all together in a food processor or a blender.
Then they had us dip soft corn tortillas in the salsa, fill them with finely shredded chicken, roll them, and add Mexican cheese like Cotija, or jack or white cheddar. Bake them until warm. They were delicious enchiladas.
I always enjoy your blog posts and am grateful that you share your busy life and wonderful garden with all of us. I also enjoy when you are able to comment on my blog - but there is never any expectation that you should with any specific regularity!
I am always amazed how much difference your growing region climate makes in your plant growth and harvest potential. I know you know it already - but you are a lucky duck. :D
You guys are so sweet. I started digging out tonight. Silly, silly day. I may have to blog it just to have it written down.
CVF, we have it good here, don't we.
Daphne, it is weird to see stats vs. comments, but what can you do?
el, thank you. I know you're busy crazy too.
EG, it's hard to believe that you could get overwhelmed by anything. You're so productive.
Ribbit, yes, I do it just to bother you. As much as possible, it works for me.
chaiselongue, real life really has gotten in the way of my blogging!
Bangchik, don't tell anyone, but I'm thinking of taking it easier this summer, blogwise. . .
Erin, it does sort of have that walled garden feeling. It is pretty efficient.
Kristin, that does sound good.
kitsapFG, we are spoiled, spoiled, spoiled. I drove 100 miles today through at least three different ecosystems, and each one was more beautiful (and agriculturally productive) than the last. It's paradise -- with earthquakes.
There seem to be a few of us at the moment who are busier with real life than blogging and commenting. I'm so far behind that I don't even know what to write. I'm even behind on the gardening due to more visitors, other work and then the weather turning wet again.
Well your garden is looking good anyway. :)
Thanks for the garden update, I always enjoy hearing about your gardens.
There is no commitment in blogging, is there? If so, I'm sunk.
The garden looks amazing!
BTW, the tital of this post is amazing! I completely understand where you are comming from when it comes to posting on the blog! We are just all glad that you are back! You garden as usual, is just beautiful and big! love it, love it, love it! Good luck this year!
LOL! Here I am, feeling similar to you as I catch up on reading your posts! Don't feel bad about letting "real life" get in the way. I've been doing more reading than writing & responding lately... Just a fact of blogging life sometimes, I guess. ;-)
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