This year's harvest: 27 bulbs, plus a few small ones for the table. I planted soft neck for the first time this year and it turned out well! I usually plant hard neck because I'm at the north end of 5A, and I enjoy the scapes. But the soft necks did well and since I had more cloves to start, I have more full heads to enjoy. The biggest for planting in fall, of course. The varieties are Metechi, Silverwhite, Nootka rose, and Northern white.


This is the food pantry garden I volunteer in. It's a good sized space, easily 20'x100' though I haven't measured it precisely. We grow high-producing plants, specifically tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, and onions. There's also an herb area yielding basil, sage, parsley, thyme, and tarragon. The strawberries in the foreground were planted by the last gardener and don't yield much, so will likely be plowed under next year if the pantry decides to continue the garden.


This is the garlic bed in my garden, replanted with some leftover brassicas after harvesting. The potatoes are volunteers. I'm hoping for tubers, obviously. The brassicas are two Bonnie's hybrid cabbage, three Snowhead cauliflower, and five Jade Crown Brussels sprouts. I had to buy replacement plants after the rabbits got into my other two beds and ate them.


One of my six beds. This one was planted to tomatoes this year, two each of Glovel and Firebird sweet, one each of San Marzano and red Siberian. They're much bigger now and flowering. Seeds originally from the MMMM swap. The 48 containers around the ring are usually planted with root crops, garlic, onions, beets, carrots this year.


The largest of my raised beds, which is 4'x8' and planted to squashes, onions, and peppers this year. The squashes are Costata Romanesca and long white of Palermo, inspired by seeds from the MMMM swap.


Some of the space along the side of my house, mostly for pollinators. The yarrow and lavender are for me. The bumblebees really love the white montrose Calamintha though. Weeding while the bees are foraging is a really Zen experience.


Yard side under my lilac tree, also for the pollinators. I have some prairie grasses, bergamot, mugwort, great blue Lobelia, lanterna, and the occasional lamia there. The borage, thistle, and burdock are volunteers. Weeding is forever.


Please enjoy!

You sure have lots on the go! My sympathy for the rabbit situation... those baby rabbits will get through anything.
Hope they give your brassicas a chance!

Quite an operation you's got, there; yer in Brown County?

The Gotch

Always love seeing other peoples setups

Yes @Cornelius_Gotchberg I'm in Brown County, about 3 miles from the Frozen Tundra. Close enough to hear the fireworks on game day and far enough away to avoid the crowds! A humble urban gardener just trying to stay sane.

It's amazing what can happen when the rabbits are excluded! My brassicas are coming back and I have hope for a good harvest. Of course this hasn't kept me from patronizing my local farmer! They've got early brassicas too. Some for the table, more for the freezer! Tomorrow's job, in fact: freezing broccoli and cauliflower.


Strawberry bed is coming back as well, and the onions seem happy. Hopefully I'll have a few to harvest! Of course dehydrating them in the house is no fun but as I see it, everything I can put into my pantry that isn't from the grocery store can only help.


My big squash bed. Fruits have been forming, then rotting, which is obviously BER. It has been raining incredible amounts, almost like living in a rain forest! So everyone got a nice trim, along with sprays of stop rot and copper. One plant didn't take well to my attempts to train it into the cage, so it's a bit smaller now. That'll give it the chance to incorporate some calcium before fruiting again.


Some San Marzanos have set! That's turning into a tomato Bush, rather than a vine, and flowering nicely. I'm keeping a close eye out for BER since this is a paste tomato. I'm only growing six tomatoes this year since I had an unexpected loss of space (I had to give up my community gardens plot, long story) so hopefully these will be prolific. Varieties are San Marzano, Firebird sweet, Glovel, and red Siberian. All are nicely in flower.

More roses and lavender. Yes, culinary lavender. I've harvested some flowers already and like to leave some to reseed.


I hope everyone is having a happy garden day! And I hope the rain eases up for awhile. The soil is just waterlogged, which isn't good for the roots. Happily, it's supposed to ease up for awhile so things can dry out. Please, garden gods, tell me I didn't lay all of that hose for nothing! And inspire me on where to put a rain barrel or two. I'm a bit hesitant to put it on my deck due to weight, and there isn't much space left in my yard. ??

A few shots of my deck. I used to really go to town with 12-15 pots every year. Now, a few will do. Here’s my container of Early Better Boy. I bought this and two bean containers on a garden center run for hose. The spots on all of the leaves are Miracle Gro that I thought would dissolve better than it did. Garden and learn.


My dragon tongue beans. I hope this flowers more.

Scarlett runners ditto. I’ve had better harvests, including from containers. All three containers were given some nice fertilizer when I brought them home, and the foliar spray.

My Meyer lemon. I can use the lemons even if they don’t turn yellow, and this is the most productive I’ve seen it in the years I’ve had it.

My phlox and celosia pots. Got to have a few flowers!

Today was food pantry garden day, so I was out early picking. The herbs are trying their hardest to bolt and the powdery mildew is trying its best to take hold, but I too am doing my best. Today the garden gave 8 lbs of food to the hungry. Herbs, a few nice zucchini’s, a few peppers, some beets, and a couple of scallions. A small but noticeable pile of beans and a fair amount of peas. I’m so glad to see things taking off! Hopefully the stretch of dry weather we’re scheduled for will help. Hopefully I can get over to do a serious weeding! The one I did a few short weeks ago has vanished.

Several tomatoes have set fruit. I’m told that tomatoes are very popular with the clients so we plant lots of them.

Several squashes have fruits as well. Hopefully the Stop Rot and copper sprays will keep evil at bay.


The view of the garden looking east. The squash hill is in the foreground. It was planted by the last gardener, who didn’t seem to grasp plant spacing best practices. I moved those I could find room for.


A view of a lovely sunset from my porch. I live across the street from a high school. It’s construction season. This is one of two seasons here. The other season is snow.



Happy gardening!

JayneR13 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 10, 2024 6:27 pmToday the garden gave 8 lbs of food to the hungry. Herbs, a few nice zucchini’s, a few peppers, some beets, and a couple of scallions.

Sheesh! Yer killin' The Gotch; 145 miles/233 kms NNE (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/4818+Sh ... ?entry=ttu) and harvesting?

We've had ZERO Zukes and just a few Cukes. LOTS of fruits setting in both realms (one SMR 58 Cuke vine must have >40!), but it's hard to promise someone a banquet tomorrow when they're starving today...

Thumbs up for your sharing!

The Gotch

Cornelius_Gotchberg wrote: ↑Thu Jul 11, 2024 7:18 am

JayneR13 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 10, 2024 6:27 pmToday the garden gave 8 lbs of food to the hungry. Herbs, a few nice zucchini’s, a few peppers, some beets, and a couple of scallions.

We've had ZERO Zukes and just a few Cukes. LOTS of fruits setting in both realms (one SMR 58 Cuke vine must have >40!), but it's hard to promise someone a banquet tomorrow when they're starving today...

Thumbs up for your sharing!

The Gotch

It was only two zukes! There are a few patty pans set and some others I don't know so don't worry! I'm sure yours will come along in proper time. As for the starving, giving what I have is a step in the proper direction. From what I can tell, the pantry has food coming in from a number of places. They get deliveries from Feeding America, Stamp Out Hunger, and probably from the local grocery stores as well. We all do our best, right? I'll certainly give my stuff as I have it, and my time is given in gratitude for all I have. I just wish I hadn't bought a bag of apples at the store yesterday! They had some on the table and don't seem to mind if I grab stuff. I let those pass though. I'd never eat them all by myself so give them to someone who can't afford their own.

JayneR13 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 11, 2024 9:23 amAs for the starving, giving what I have is a step in the proper direction.

I was referring to my lack of fruits at this time, and a VERY poorly worded reference, on my part, considering the subject; mea maxima culpa.

The Gotch

No worries @Cornelius_Gotchberg Forgiveness is very easy. May your squashes set many fruits and fill your pantry to the max!

Those are beautiful red roses. May I ask what kind? (that means I want them...!) And are they smelly?

Also wondering about culinary lavender. Is it a special kind? My SIL chef gets bunches of lavender from me, but IDK what kind it is.

bower wrote: ↑Thu Jul 11, 2024 2:42 pm Those are beautiful red roses. May I ask what kind?

If I knew I would tell you! I bought them at a local garden center years ago as bare root plants, and have no idea what variety they are. Of the three bushes I planted that year, they're the only ones left standing. One fell to subzero winters and the other to my blackberry bush. Which I tried to move, and now have two blackberry bushes! But this one remains. It's not very big but it is very thorny! I've lost some blood to that one myself and suspect critters leave it alone.

First tomato! An Early Better Boy, from a container tomato purchased while on a garden hose run. Taste is a bit bland with an edge, though it might sweeten if allowed to ripen more.

A couple more firsts from the garden. My first broccoli head forming. This is the one plant that escaped the rabbits.


My first cabbage head forming. This is a replacement plant, thanks to the rabbits.


My first peppers from the garden! One cayenne, the other two possibly Beaver Dam or Apple. They came off of the plant too easily to leave there. The rabbits were too busy in my brassica beds to get to my peppers.


I hope you're all having a happy gardening day! The heat index here is supposed to hit the upper 90s today and the lower 100s tomorrow, so I was out early getting things done. Morning tea and Magic await, then it's time to process some food. I have more broccoli & cauliflower to freeze, meat to repackage, and garlic to trim.

Another day in paradise!

My very first long white of Palermo, inspired by seed from the MMMM swap. It should go well with supper

My harvest from the bean containers I purchased on the hose run. I am not impressed! This represents $40 of my hard-earned cash. At the time I remember thinking that at least I'd get to keep the containers, which came with a trellis to fit. One of my garden activities this weekend involves replanting these. Bleach them out, new soil (1/2 each compost and potting mix) and replant. I could hardly do any worse and I have a ton of beans seeds from the MMMM swap to try!

Another disappointment: the tomato pot harvest. I think they contracted downy mildew or something similar, and died. Oh well. I remember thinking when I bought these that if nothing else, I get to keep the pots with those nice fitting trellises.


Which are now emptied, bleached, refilled, and replanted. Two bush beans, Jade and “something red”, one micro tomato (Totem, thanks @GoDawgs) and a German black radish, Scifferstedt. All from this years swap! This should be interesting. I’ve never seen a black radish before.


https://spoonfulsofgermany.com/2019/05 ... ck-radish/

I really feel for you, harvesting disappointments instead of lot of smiles. Hang in there!

Wow, that's one funky looking radish! I'll be interested in seeing how that turns out. Do you know if they're white inside?

I have no idea! But I guess we’ll find out! As for disappointment: nothing ventured, nothing gained. I’ll make sure the pots come in handy!