Hello my lovelies,
I know, I have left you for way too long. I promise that I have kept myself sufficiently lazy and busy. Lazy because after a long day at the FoodBank I enjoy my evenings puttering in the garden and sitting outside and busy because I have a garden to tend after all!
By this time of year I usually have a few posts on what I have going on outside and as they, whoever they are, say – better late than never baby!
The Herbs:
I have the usual echinacea, marjoram, caraway and lemon balm growing in my herb patch. This year I added a few perennial plants from the Rutgers Master Gardener sale (Shameless Plug) which includes two varieties of lavender, gold sage, and greek oregano. I also bought some bronze fennel and rosemary. From seed I planted a few more perennials: thyme, garlic chives and yarrow, though right now it only seems I have yarrow growing. The chives and thyme were older seeds but should still have germinated.
Wild Bergamot under a squash
Bronze Fennel on left and Rosemary on right
Echinacea on rights with Caraway and Marjoram on left and Lemon Balm in front
Golden Sage
Lavenders on top and Greek Oregano on the bottom
The Squashes:
My lovely squashes how I enjoy them. I have a few acorn squashes, a kabocha or two, a calabasa and some blue hubbard squashes. Alas, my butternuts have become butternots – as in not doing very well. Luckily I have some rogue squashes that have done spectacularly so far, now if I could only know what goodies they will give me.
Unknown Variety Squash
Acorn Squash with an Unknown Variety behind it
Calabasa with Cut Flowers and Sunflowers
Blue Hubbard Squash with and Unknown Variety in foreground
Kabocha Squash with Collard seed pods behind it
The Tomatoes:
This year I planted three varieties of tomatoes: black prince, cherry tomatoes and cosmonaut volkov tomatoes. I have to admit I didn’t think they would do as well as they have done so far. Their legginess when I planted them made me think the heirloom plants at the produce store looked good when my seedlings died. I only lost one!
Tomato
Tomato
The Peppers:
I have to admit that my peppers have become a bit of a disappointment. The seedlings had done really well but the plants, not so much. I have some yellow peppers, and jalapenos. I have one that I think looks pretty good the others – meh
Pepper
The Greens:
My pride and joy. I have my usual prolific collards and this year I planted a kale mix that has produced pretty well. My lettuce mix not so much, I think I saw two plants…
Collards
Kale mix with Sunflowers and Unknown Variety Squash and Red Cabbage
Everything Else:
The asparagus did well, even the one I thought had died came back. I also planted a purple variety so in a couple of years I hope to enjoy it. I planted beets, way too close together, I have a feeling I’ll have more beet greens than beets which works too!
Asparagus with Onion Flower in foreground
Beets with Brussels Sprouts
This year I also added two cut flower beds to the garden, looks like a lot of cosmos and zinnias which I love.
Cut Flowers
Of course we can’t forget the forage greens like dandelion, lambs quarter and purslane.
Purslane
I also expanded the garden with a new row of beds and two perennial flower beds that produce flowers for beneficial insects on each side. I put the fencing around to help keep the dogs out.
Expanded Garden
Perennial Flower bed around the border of the yard which
Every year we fill in the border of the yard with new plants and veggies, this year I added a few rutgers strawberries
Rutgers Strawberry
And how can we forget Lola with the catnip.
Lola with her favorite Catnip patch behind her
