Garden Tour!

I’m still taking homeschool questions if you have them.

I took these photos over the past few days. We’ve had a lot of rain and cloudy/cool (but very humid) weather. Everything seems to be doing okay, though a little behind, schedule-wise.

I’m currently picking lettuce, chard, kale, cucumbers, beans (lots of beans!), raspberries, and peas.

I got the garlic scapes the other day and am going to make scape pesto with them for the freezer. Best garlic bread/focaccia ever.

First cucumbers peeking out:

Big vegetable garden, with beans in the back left and raspberries in the back right. Tomatoes and potatoes in the middle, and greens in the front.

Greens. I got these beds weeded, finally, yesterday morning.

“Little Leaf” cucumbers from Johnnys. They’re doing really well. Cucumber beetles came out and were causing some damage, despite handpicking. I used an organic Earth-tone insect spray on it, and I haven’t had any more problems. Anyway, I’m pleased I got a few cucumbers already!

Dahlias interplanted with kale. I have flowers in with the veggies and veggies in with the flowers, and bits of lettuces everywhere. I’ve never packed so much into my garden before.

Marigolds, beets, and potatoes:

Diva cucumbers:

Best-looking potato plants ever. I’ve kept them mulched(ish) and kept the nasty tortoise-shell beetles from destroying them.

Potato close-up.

I’ve been experimenting with how to control the tortoise-shell beetles, trying both the Earth-tone insecticide (organic) spray and Bt (which I put on the tomatoes for hornworms). My biggest insect-control is simply handpicking into a bucket of soapy water: Cucumber beetles, tortoise-shell beetles, Japanese beetles, and potato beetles. Or stabbing to death with a stick/squishing with my shoe (slugs). That said, when things get out of control, I use Sluggo (slugs), and Bt (hornworms – they decimate my tomatoes otherwise). I don’t love using anything on my plants, but I’m sure what I do use is much better than Seven, etc.

Here’s a picture of the tortoise-shell beetle that has turned my potato leaves to lace:

He’s on a ground cherry plant:

I’m really curious about how these will turn out. I’ve never grown them (or eaten them, even) before.

Bush beans:

They’re in pick every-other-day-stage. Better start eating!! So are the raspberries:

They’re a beast to keep picked, because the mosquitos are out of control back there, and the thorns, and the struggle to get into the middle of the hedge, but it’s so worth it. Yum!

Garlic:

I expect I’ll harvest sometime the end of July, and then plant beets and greens there. Leggy tomatoes. It’s just not sunny enough in my yard to produce bushy plants. But I do what I can…

Broccoli was a total failure. Look at those pathetic little florets. I chopped these down, since, and will replant something else more productive there. I harvested about four little stalks. Oh well, worth a try…

The newer vegetable garden addition, pole beans to the right, brussel sprouts to the left, peas along the back, and winter squash/pumpkins in the middle:

The brussel sprouts are growing really well. I’m excited about that – haven’t tried growing them before.

You can see the squash behind the day lily:

The peas and my front perennial bed are flowing together, all out-of-control…

Actually, that whole front perennial bed is out-of-control:

Oh well. It’ll be really pretty when it starts blooming – it’s in a lull right now, as the mid-sum

mer flowers (echinncea, veronica, yarrow, black-eyed susans) are not blooming quite yet, but the spring flowers have finished. My strategy there is to plant lots of big stuff that people can see from the road and we can see from the house. And stuff that will spread. And boy has it!

Here’s the other side of the smaller vegetable garden:

Astilbe, annual bachelor buttons, calendula, orange cosmos, red sweet william, and yellow coreopsis. And Storm kitty:

The flower bed beside the house:

Some pictures above are before/after of when I cut back the evening primrose and then put zinnias and petunias in, instead. I’m getting better at figuring out what to do with “holes” as flowers die off/need cutting back.

Rock island in the middle of the yard:

Bee balm & orange cosmos, zinnias and Virginia stock, also lots of black-eyed susans, blooming soon.

Different bed, one that runs along our hill. Daisies and more annual candytuft:

Jungle kitty, Stripe, in same bed as above. I’ve since tackled the weeds, here, too…

Bellflower, with hydrangea in the background:

Bellflower is kind of a pain in the neck to keep deadheaded, but worth it.

Trellis covering up our door that no one uses. I’m trying Scarlet Runnerbeans on them, plus nasturtium in front. Never had good luck with morning glories, not enough sun…

Flower close-ups. I can’t resist… I’m growing lots of nasturtium. They’re so easy, and cheerful. I want to start putting them in salads.

Also lots of zinnas.

I like this annual candytuft as a filler:

To the side of our steps, where the grill used to be. I vote this most-improved spot in the yard this year:

In-between our front steps, snapdragons & herbs:

There it is, July gardens in Maine!