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I've been harvesting delicious cherry tomatoes now for over a week with no end in sight anytime soon... thankfully! The tomato brambles have been prolifically producing tomatoes since the beginning of the month. The first hint of red started showing up on a couple of them this week! The tall smooth shoots in the picture with the tomatoes are the onions. They seem to be doing really well too. Though I don't know why they're growing so long. Everything I've read says to harvest when their tops fall over. They haven't fallen yet... so they continue to grow.
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I noticed over the weekend that the cucumber plant had a couple of "babies" sprouting. Upon closer inspection, hiding under the stickers at the bottom there was also a BIG one. It's nearly ready to harvest. Maybe this coming weekend.
Today when I went to tie up supports on the cantaloupe vine, several had started to set fruit. It's growing up a trellis so I have too keep an eye on it to make sure the weight of the fruit is supported.I picked up a variety of southern pea seeds while on my Florida/Georgia trip. For some reason, you can't buy them locally in California. So when I returned from my trip I promptly enlisted my neighbor, Ed, and his trusty Rototiller to help me expand the garden to accommodate lima beans, pink-eye purple hull cowpeas, and two rows of sweet corn (one row is for Ed). They've been in the ground now for 2 1/2 weeks and are coming along nicely. I did have a little trouble early on with some critter digging up the corn and eating the seed off the seedling root, but I just put down more seed and counted it as a succession planting!
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Overall the garden is doing well. I direct seeded some bush beans (purple hull), basil, and yellow squash in the space where the sugar peas and broccoli were. There's still open space to add more and the bolted lettuce is ready to be pulled so there'll be even more space. It's just been so hot that I haven't decided how best to fill the space yet. Maybe I'll plant some chard this weekend and see how that does.
I'm jealous that your season is just getting ramped up and ours is winding down already. The only things doing well are the swiss chard, peppers and herbs. The peas would be doing well if Jay's Nemesis the Squirrel wouldn't keep taking the trellis twine apart. The peas are like kudzu again this year. Our noodle beans are producing, but so are the aphids. I can't wait til we can get our fall seeds in, but I guess I'll have to.
ReplyDeleteIsn't there something that will grow in the heat thru the summer? I'm experimenting this year thru the heat and trying to maximize the growing season. We'll see what works. Maybe Jay should switch from twine to electrical wire in the pea patch? All of my peas are the bush variety. I do have some climbing beans (wrapped around my cherry tomatoes & the netting!) but I much prefer the bush beans/peas. Their just less work!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so luscious! We have had cukes, watermelon, tomatoes and cantaloupe here altho the melons have been a bit bland...
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb! I'd recommend using composted cow manure (or horse will work too) to feed your crops periodically. That should help eliminate the bland flavor. Sending hugs...
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