Saturday, May 26, 2012

Summer Flowers, early midsummer plantings



It is actually not 'quite' summer yet - but it is hot out! These are flowers from our garden, zinnias, cosmos and also a 'Blaze' rose. The zinnias are 'volunteers' from last year.

I am working at writing more on my gardening lens : Beans, Squash and Corn and adding links to all of the books and companies I have found the most useful over the past few years.


The garden jungle as it is
Even though I mapped it carefully as I went along, I have to say I planted 'informally' this year
and I think it is working out well...



Two different squash fruits starting


I still need to plant my purple hull and black eyed peas, and the whipporwills as well. Some of the sorghum broom corn seeded itself last year but with the temperatures turning hot it is time to put that out in a row as well.

Other notes: I am getting a zucchini or pattypan squash out of the garden nearly every day. The big yellow blossoms are so nice to see early in the morning. There are two blue Hubbard squashes started - we will see where they go - as they have a long time until they would be ripe. The eggplant has flowers. The tomatoes have still not turned yellow/red. The green peppers are producing, but not the banana peppers. We have pulled all of the green cabbage, but the red cabbage is not yet ready. I have zinnias, cosmos and marigolds blooming! I need to put out more radishes around the squashes to keep the bugs down - I've seen and killed two adult squash bugs out there already. It has been an early but strange year gardenwise.. so warm at first, then cold for a long time, and now downright hot!

The bean that has impressed me the most this year is the King of the Early bean, bought from the Little Ragamuffin's shop. It has produced so many tasty green beans already - and the plants are upright, bushy and doing very well. Almost all of the seeds that were planted germinated right off, which is why they are producing so well now.

Later:


The new bean fence, for cowpeas and Kentucky Wonder climbers


I have been in the garden - even though it is hot! I planned on planting the 'midsummer' items in a month, but they really need to go in now. Like everything, it is a month early...seems fitting for the year as it has went. I took a bean fence already made up from last year and put it up in the back of the garden. It was getting tangled by our goat the other day - so I needed to do something with it other than where it was.

I planted Mississippi Silver Crowder cowpeas by it, black eyed peas, the whipporwill heirloom peas I have, and some Kentucky Wonder climbing green beans that just happened to be on that same fence last year.


A squash, beans and corn combination


When I came inside Esme had a plan for me. We were going to build an 'inside garden.' She had a craft kit I had been given at work for her - and it was indeed an indoor planter. We built it, filled it with dirt and planted some marigold seeds in it. She is very happy and I wonder how hard it will be to get her to understand they will not be up soon. At least she is not still watching it - she went back outside to play.

I have some more whipps to plant and also some sorghum broom corn.



Esme's indoor planter
with marigold seeds



Esme doing some antic
she swears is 'being piglet pushing on the swing'
and has to stand up here because Piglet is small


We have had to watch the Pooh movie many times this week. This morning she asked me for 'on pooh Mama - all the more you find it - on the pooh cry and cry and duckie go (curvy line through air) swim and quack!' For those of you who do not translate Esme well that is her asking for me to go to the 'MORE' special features on the Pooh disc where I found the Loch Ness short cartoon. For something that is hard for her to explain, I think she did that well.

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