Summer Garden 2013

This is what kept me busy all summer long on my 30X70 foot main garden and 20X30 strawberry patch.

Notice the hawk in the sky. My spot is in the center of this picture where all the stakes are.

Left side of garden. Front row across green sweet pepper plants. One plant started out with over 20 peppers in the spring and then before frost it still had over 25 new peppers growing.  It was a very good year for peppers. Next going back row of onions, row of garlic, row of dill.  My onions did OK but not that good but the garlic did not produce at all so will not grow them again.  But had a super crop of dill. Next set of rows starting on the left regular peas, basil, snap peas, behind them more regular peas, radishes, and another row of radishes.  Back row zucchini and zinnia flowers.  In the far back along the fence is my herb garden. On the right of this picture is cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash and in the far back my grape arbor and rhubarb.

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Regular Peas, Basil, and Snap Peas, Zucchini top right

These were the best tomatoes even though I got them by mistake.  They were labeled grape cherry tomatoes but this is what they grew to be.  Later I found a tag-Champagne Tomatoes. They were the most perfect tomato with no blemishes.  I will be trying these next year for sure good quantity also just wish I did not have to put up with the black spot fungus this year.  That was something else hope it does not come back next year.

Zucchini/Summer plant new hybrid. It was funny half of the plant the squash grew like this and on the other side it grew just as summer squash.  But I think it all tasted like summer squash.  It was good and hardy until the bugs killed the plants.  Try dish soap and water to keep the bugs away in a spray bottle and spray on the leaves and stems early and keep it up.  I started in the beginning then lacked off then got hit with the bugs and they killed my plants.

Wind chime and stepping stone my garden friend Jan got for me. Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes in background the best ever cherry tomatoes will never buy anything else, ever so so sweet and good.

Stepping Stone

 My $70 grape arbor and yes I did it all myself.  Well I did have some help pounding in the stakes. As you can see I did not get them very straight.  I used chicken wire for the sided and top so hopefully I will have a nice arbor before long.  Housing would not let us use their fence so I had to build my own arbor.  That is their fence along the back.  It runs the entire outside of the garden and us who garden have keys to get in.  I have red seedless grapes in the back and the label said just red for the front ones. Behind the arbor at top of picture are my rhubarb plants.  In front left of picture where stones are is part of my herb garden.  Oh yea all the stones you see here are stones I collected while I was hoeing this summer can't beat free landscaping.

Front view of arbor. Summer Squash/Zucchini bottom of picture.

Rhubarb

Metal Humming Bird Garden Ordainment got at Ladies Night Out made with silverware, nuts and bolts, nail and washer. Totally Awesome

One of my three rose bushes.  If you enlarge the picture you can see the black spots on the leaves.  That is the fungus that hit the garden big time this year.  It hit the tomatoes, strawberries and roses.  I treated the tomatoes but just took the infected leaves off the strawberries and and roses.  We are hoping it does not come back next year. It cost me $8 a bottle for five different treatments. so was kind of costly this year.

Oregano and chives

 Oregano and chives close up view

Herb garden. Back left of tree oregano and chives. Right of tree asparagus, along fence top of row of rocks sage, going down row English Thyme and up front Rosemary.  Left row of rocks I started a new patch of chives. This was a new kind called garlic/onion. since it was new I did not pick any but tasted a few and it was delicious cannot wait till next year. In the middle of rocks on left lemon balm and on right lemon thyme.  I like my spices!

New flower bed. Not sure what flowers called but think maybe corn flowers.

Some of 70 foot of flower bed outside fence. Marigolds and zinnias planted with seeds saved from last year.

Flower bed outside fence.Rose bush, Lilies, Lilies of the Valley, Peony Bush, and Sweet William.

New flower bed by gate mini glads inside garden .  Marigolds on outside fence from seed from last year.

Another new flower bed along inside garden this is some kind of ground cover with a little purple flower. Top right corner rose bush plus later planted some hens and chicks. 

Lastly my strawberry patch.  I started this last year with 600 plants.  I got about 20-30 strawberries or so every few days during June this year.  A little trouble with black spot toward the end of the season but think I did pretty good for the first year.  It was so nice to go out every morning and start the day off with some fresh fruit every day before I got started.  Along the fence between the two center rows I planted my blackberry plants.  They did not produce this year but hopefully next year.  The open plowed area is where I enlarged my area this fall to get it ready for next spring to plant some raspberries.

Raspberry spot on other side of strawberries.  Mint growing around tree.

Baby Robins in the tree by my herb garden

So that was my summer.  What do you think? Give me some feedback and let me know what you think of it.