Back in the Dirt

Everything comes to a crawl in the garden in July. I guess it's what people who actually have a winter experience in January and February. That's when I'm busy with seeds and and early cold weather plants. My garden break comes when it's so hot outside your eyelids sweat. At 9:00 in the morning. We do still have a few things growing in July, but the majority are done by the 4th and there's a lull for a few weeks before I'm replanting for fall.

I could have actually replanted corn in July but decided against it. It's hard to accomplish a successful second planting without tons of pesticides which I prefer not to use. Also, I needed the break to get things ready for school. One is officially done with home school and going to college and one is taking a full load as a dual-enrollment student. School is simpler and quieter this year. Although keeping up with everyone's schedules got a lot more complicated.

Now that August is here and school is back in session, I'm beginning to get back to work in the garden. We still have sweet potatoes in the ground and I dig them as I need them. Our peppers are also still producing. The Carolina Reapers are hot! We also had some peanuts. It was old seed that I was using so it didn't make many plants and most of what it did make the boys accidentally pulled up as "weeds". I managed to save a few plants. They didn't produce enough for a big mess of boiled peanuts, but there will be plenty of seed to be successful next year (if I can keep the boys away).

Blue Lake green beans have sprouted.

I've planted my fall red potatoes, two types of green beans and squash. We have three different types of tomatoes in the fall garden. Two are heirloom, one is hybrid. The heirlooms look great and have grown to twice the size of the hybrid plants. They don't seem to be thriving in the late summer sun even though their name is "Heatmaster". I have broccoli and cabbage in my seed trays and a variety of flowers that will go in the garden and spend the winter there. The flowers that I planted last fall were moved to spots in the flowerbeds around the house and seem to be doing well despite being transplanted in the heat of summer.

This flower (whose name I don't remember) is really pretty. It has bright pink petals at the top with mini irises on the side.

Baby figs

Still making a little jam. This one's passion fruit.

Fall's around the corner. Here come the acorns.

One of the mushrooms I saw this morning. They look like giant rusty nails hammered into the ground.

She looks like she has a five o'clock shadow around her eyes. Someone needs a shave!

This is the new chicken tractor the guys have been working on this summer. It's much bigger and is laid out differently. I'll show you more pictures when they're done.