Hot & Humid Harvest

It's really been Hot & Humid the last few days.  However, I managed to get outside at 6:00 this morning and harvest some beans from the garden.

I was going to blanch and freeze them tonight.  However, a very long phone call with a old friend delayed my project.
The broccoli is also looking like it's ready for harvest:

There are lots of blossoms on the squash plants.  However, there are so many huge leaves that it's hard to tell what's under there.

The pears are getting bigger.  They look great.  The squirrels are even leaving some for us.

Yummmmm!  I can't wait to harvest them.  The first tomatoes are also starting to get red.

They are cherry tomatoes but there should be some red ones in a couple of days.

The plants are loving all of this rain

The plants (and the weeds as well) are loving all of the rain we have been having.  Here are a few more pictures from the garden.  Against my neighbor's fence, I planted two rows of sunflowers.  Between the sunflowers and the peas are several squash plants.

The leek that I left in last year has a huge flower head.

The garlic is growing great . . .

I planted basil from last year's saved seeds . . . 

The squash flowers are huge.  I ate the first small zucchini in my lunch salad today.

New Neighbors in the Garden

This year, I planted a couple of new vegetables that I never tried before.  The first picture is parcel.  It's a combination of parsley and celery.  The second plant is named cardoon.  It is also called artichoke thistle, cardone or cardoni.. The plant is supposed to grow to between 3 and 6 feet tall.  The stalk is steamed and roasted.  The flower is said to look like a thistle flower.  The third picture is the lasagna method of gardening potatoes.  You put down newspaper (I used cardboard). Then, place pieces of sprouted potatoes on the paper.  Cover with layers of soil, compost, dry leaves and grass clippings.  As the sprouted potato plants begin to appear, you just keep covering it with more layers.  I'm anxious to see the results.  The fourth picture isn't really a new neighbor.  However, this is the first year that the pear tree is bearing fruit.  However, I don't know if we'll have any pears.  The crazy squirrels are already helping themselves.

The "T's" Takeover the Turtle Garden

The crazy "T" vegetables are taking over the turtle garden.  The tomatillo plants are everywhere.  They are in the herbs, in the strawberry patch, in the pepper patch and the are infiltrating the bean patch.

The turnips are also overrunning the beets, the pepper patch and even the walking path.

I also planted lots and lots of tomatoes.  However, Mother Nature decided to plant several herself.  I think we will be tired of eating tomatoes by the time the challenge is over.