With August’s heat, the garden is shifting gears. The early season flowers and veggies are passed their prime, but the late summer/fall plants are just coming into their own.
The cucumber vines, while looking a little beat up, are still producing cucumbers at an alarming rate, next year I’ll plant two seeds instead of three. The cherry tomato plants are still going strong, although one looks like a modern sculpture with its branches angling in unexpected directions. You can get a tomato in your eye bending over to pick up the watering can.
The lettuce produced a third crop, and probably because I gave the individual plants the room they needed, I got the best looking heads of the season. Unfortunately, it was all looks and no taste. Or, actually, a very bitter taste. I’ve pulled them all and will throw some more seeds in the pots in a week or two to see if I can get a fall harvest.
There have been some outright disappointments. The sweet peas have never bloomed, not a one, regardless of where I planted them. Nice and green, healthy, in pots with other bloomers, just not inclined to make that final burst into sweet color. The alyssum seed I sowed with the begonias got dug up by the squirrels more than once — as were the begonias. I finally gave up. The nasturtiums have been slow to take off, but are finally putting forth a few blooms. They might actually be good for fall color.
The sedums are green and lush, although a little leggy, but they’re interesting plants so I don’t mind. And of course, the weeds are more prolific than anything.
The best is yet to come; the sweet autumn clematis is budding, right on time, promising a month of small sweet white star blossoms that I can see and smell through the kitchen window. And right along with the buds, come the praying mantises, the only time of year I see them around my house.
Weighing the pluses and the minuses in the garden, the judgment falls to the positive side this year.
Lucky you to get praying mantises! I ordered 2 egg cases last year and hatched a bunch out- but they kind of ate each other despite the fruit flies supplied them. I had 5 or 6 two inch ones to release into my veggie when all was said and done…. out of several hundred. My tomatoes have been bitten by the late blight and are still green and their leaves suffering. The cherry tomatoes are slowly dolling out a few fruit a day- they never make it back to the house though
I too have a lot of pickling cukes and asian greens. The cabbage caterpillars have finally all been squashed so they are starting to form heads. And lastly my bush beans and late swiss chard are fairing well- knocking on wood and crossing my fingers in case Mother Nature eavesdrops and has other plans.
Lovely garden update. I actually spied a little eggplant in mine this morning, so there’s hope. All the tomatoes are green yet. If the rain ever stops, I’ll look into trying some lettuce for the fall.
I wonder if it’s too hot for the lettuce. Hmmm…
Cool photo, Diane.
Lovely ‘maters. I just planted my seeds about a week ago for the fall harvest. Supposedly, it’ll work. I don’t know for sure, but it was worth a shot. They tell me I can plant salad greens now too and keep them growing all winter long.