Garden Update May 25th photos

Tomatoes along driveway, Ponderosa at 6 plus feet here (second one from the left)

All of our tomato cages are 6-8 feet tall.  That will give you an idea as to how tall they are growing. 

Click on any photo to enlarge

To give you an idea as to how much our garden has grown in one month, check out this POST  from May 1st.

More tomatoes

Italian Leaf Basil

Purple Basil

Close up of Ponderosa, almost to the top of cage

Green Zebra

This next group of photos is from our community garden plot.

Straight Eight Cucumber and more seedlings.  For some reason the first planting failed except for this one plant.

Bell Peppers (3 colors) and Carnival Carrots

Southern Night on left and a mystery tomato that was supposed to be San Marzano but may be Black Krim, we'll know soon.

Cocozelle Zucchini, an Italian Heirloom

Eggplants one purple one white

Dr. Wyche on left and Ponderosa on right.  As usual Ponderosa in this garden too is the tallest tomato out of the 8 we have planted here, but German Queen is trying her best to show off to Ponderosa and is just under 6 feet now.

Ronde de Nice, a French Heirloom Round Zucchini

 We have been picking Ronde de Nice every two days now.  I have 10 in the refrigerator waiting to be cooked into something yummy this week.

Nice row of Farmer's Market Blend lettuces

Purple Bush Bean, another heirloom from Botanical Interest.

Onion if front and Patty Pan or Scallop Squash, just setting the squash now.

German Queen at the top of cage already and this photo is a week old.  Lots of fruit on it!

Cherokee Purple in the back corner is much taller than photo shows, Gold Medal in the foreground, when I went to the garden today to water I see that they are both just a foot or so below the top of the cage.

Purple Heirloom Tomatillo.  Plant is very healthy.

Pole Beans, Kentucky Wonder

another view of Patty Pan

More Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans, at the top and looking for more support.  I will need to add taller stakes to it now.

This is Italian small leaf basil, six plants filled in to a mass of delight!  I have already made 3 pints of pesto, in the freezer now and picked more on Thursday that is waiting for me to make more.  I need to pick again.   Pesto fever!!!

San Marzano, not sure why this one is taking so long to get to the top, but the plant is loaded with fruit and is very healthy.

Bok Choy in the back, carrot in front

Soyu Cucumbers

a closer view of Cherokee Purple

Garden Update 2014 Growing, Growing, Growing!

Lots of photos today of the garden we have in the community plot.  Everything is growing so well even with the high heat we have had the last 3 days.  Today we have a forecast of 102 degrees! I will need to water again tonight.  The cages held up in the winds pretty well as did the tomato plants.  I did tie a few  branches to the cages yesterday morning just to make sure they didn't break in the wind.  We had 15-25 mph gusts all day.  It is 93 degrees in the shade right now (10:30 AM) heading for a hot day again, with high winds.  Fires are all over San Diego Co. So far only one in our city that was put out quickly by our Fantastic Fire Department.

We are supposed to get a break from the high winds and high temperatures tomorrow and through the weekend.  Looking forward to 80's, which is still higher than normal for May.  We should be in the 60's and 70's. 

Crookneck Squash foreground on the left

One lone Speckled Lettuce that came back after cutting.  It will probably bolt now in the heat.  Snow Peas in the center of photo.

Southern Night on the left and San Marzano on the right, although when I looked at the shape of the tomatoes forming on this San Marzano they are round and not at all like the shape they should be.  Probably was one I mixed up when planting.  Oh well, I love a tomato surprise!

Cocozelle Zucchini, before watering and looking wilted. Kentucky Wonder Beans on the tripod to the left.

Dr. Wyche on the left and Ponderosa in the corner. Peas on the tripod and Lolla Rossa lettuce that was cut and is coming back in again.

Basil plants in the background against fence and Purple Bush Beans in the center.  A gopher moved in on these and I flushed him out so hopefully he will not get back in.  The plants have a chicken wire cage underground which kept him from eating too many of the roots, but the plants suffered a bit.  They are loaded with blossoms so hopefully they will recover.

Ronde De Nice (an heirloom round zucchini) lots of blossoms on it already.  Farmer's Market blend lettuces along the edge, from Botanical Interest Seeds, doing very well even in this heat.

Cherokee Purple on the left and Chocolate Stripe to the right.

Scallop Patty Pan Squash, very healthy! Seed is again from Botanical Interests, see the link on my blog for seeds or to order a catalog.

This is German Queen.  Looking very healthy even though I have found two worms on it early on, I was able to get them off before they did any damage.  I will need to save seed from this one this year as this was the last of my seed for this variety.

Poha or Cape Gooseberry.  Seeds I saved from my fruit last year.  Very healthy and looks much better than my plants did last year!  Here is a LINK for seeds.

Anaheim Chili Pepper and Tatsoi which I am leaving for seed.  It is not happy in this heat but is in bloom now so I should get some seed heads soon.

Bull's Blood Beets, Chioggia Beets and Gourmet Beets. One row of each but I seeded more last week in another area.

Snow Peas and Carnival Carrots int he box.  I checked a few carrots last week that I pulled and they were already 6 inches long.  I will plant more in another box this weekend when the weather cools.  I like to use the boxes for them so the soil stays soft and deep for nice long, straight carrots.

The garden after watering, looking fresh and happy!

Next group of photos are from my home garden.  Tomatoes along the driveway and in the citrus grove.

Green Zebra and Ponderosa

Ponderosa, Basil,  Green Zebra, and San Marzano.

San Marzano, Basil and Swiss Chard in back, Big White Pink Stripe.

The high winds blew over two of my cages, see the one under the citrus tree!  I will wait until tomorrow to put them back over the tomatoes since we will have more high winds today.  The tomatoes are Big White Pink Stripe and Dr. Wyche.  Purple Basil in the foreground.

Garlic along the front edge, Cherokee Purple and Black Krim in cages.  Cherokee Purple's cage was tumbled over in the wind but I managed to stake the back of it to keep it from going again.  The problem I am facing is that we lined this bed with chicken wire years ago and it is not deep enough for me to pound the cages in more that about 10 inches.  We need more depth than that when we have these high winds to support the cages.  I will build up the soil in the fall and put some bricks along the back to support the deeper soil.  That should solve the problem for next summer.  Isn't gardening fun?!!!

Purple Basil setting flowers.  I will leave some flower heads for the bees, they love basil blossoms.

A small leave Italian Basil, Swiss Chard hanging in there in this heat and so far has not bolted. 

Another photo of Ponderosa.  One of my all time favorite tomatoes!!  It is halfway up the cage already and it is only May 15th, it was planted on March 22nd.

Cherry tomato bed in the grove.  L-R Green Grape, Snow Drop, Bi-Color Cherry, Brown Cherry

Not a great photo but this is the cage with the other tomatoes I am growing in the citrus grove area.  The only one you can really see in the front is Southern Night, but I have Chocolate Stripe next, then Hillbilly/Flame, Gold Medal and then Goliath.  Tony's strawberry bed to the left.

New additions to the family waiting for cooler weather to be planted in the herb bed.  Tarragon will go in a pot since it will like a little more shade in the summer.  Two more basil plants, cat mint for the girls; chives and oregano for the herb garden and another mint for a pot.

A poem for July but in this heat I feel like we need it!

When the heat like a mist veil floats,
And poppies flame in the rye,
And the silver note in the streamlet’s throat
Has softened almost to a sigh.
It is July.

 –Susan Hartley Swett (1860–1907)