This year, the garden may seem slower than usual, but since the harvesting began, there's always been something from the garden for dinner. Last night we had turkey cakes (mini turkey meatloaves broiled like burgers) with a big Oregon Spring tomato chopped up and mixed in. On the side we had sliced fresh zucchini with ranch dip. The only veggies we are buying are potatoes and slicing onions. Those are too cheap at the market to be worth the space in my little garden. We are loving our Honey Bunch grape tomatoes! They are so sweet, I barely recognize them as tomatoes, which is a good thing for the kids and I. We can just hang out by the plants and have a tomato snack. The plants are also staying especially healthy. Only one has yellowing leaves, and that one is in a pot, so I don't know if that is part of the problem. The other three, planted in the ground against the south facing wall, are beautifully green despite being surrounded by other sickly looking tomato plants. The Honey Bunch tomatoes are listed as resistant to verticillium and fusarium. The funny thing is, my Roma VF tomatoes are listed the same yet they are the ones looking the most sickly this year. Could it be late blight? I am trying not to let the sickly plants bother me. They are still producing tomatoes so really I need to let it go!
You have to take what the weather gives you. This year we got a cold and wet June and yet we have plenty to harvest. We just have different vegetables than years past. Still no cucumbers, but plenty of Kale! I am so glad I planted a variety of vegetables. Crop diversification is keeping dinner fresh.
These Gypsy sweet peppers are getting pretty big. I wonder which will be the first to begin to turn red? 
Honey Bunch grape tomatoes.
The main vegetable garden. View from our rooftop. As usual, the zucchini is taking over and feeding us well. The "Eight Ball" zucchini is fun, but we've decided we like the regular green zucchini better and next year will try a yellow variety as well. There is a pumpkin growing in there. It's fun for the kids to have a pumpkin patch in the back yard. I enjoy having plenty of green onions to cook with. I've planted a second set of dill and cilantro. The kale is supposed to keep into winter, so we will see how long we eat out of the garden this year. 
The main vegetable garden. Here you can see my second planting of kohlrabi, center front, and of kale front left. 
Hi Kim, I agree. A little yellow on toms this time of year is hardly worth the concern. Also, 8ball was interesting, but won't return next year, and I don't expect to see in syndication. We pulled out the corn. Got enough to make it worth while to me. Planted peas. Hope to get some fall peas. Glad we got to see your garden in person. Keep adding to the soil. I'm glad you enjoy gardening. There is something about watching the changes and seeing things suddenly take off that you wondered if you should have bothered. And there is always something that is pretty disappointing. Like the empress beans and the cuc. beetles. The few we got were really good, once I realize they are meant to be opened and eaten like lima beans. The pods are leathery. Rained today. Fall may be early. Time to try to get every tomato possible. Oh! Found some potatoes in the pool. Probably harvest some tomorrow. The few I saw look real nice. Have fun. Hope your garden still has a surprise or two left in it.
ReplyDelete"Found some potatoes in the pool." If I didn't know what you meant, I wouldn't know what you mean. That seems like a smart way to grow them though especially since I've read that they are prone to lots of soil born diseases-yeah so grow them without soil. Cool.
ReplyDeleteDid you know my cucumbers are still only about an inch long? Do you think there is still any hope that they will grow? Preschooler is still reminiscing about the cucumbers last year and is anxiously awaiting them. I might have to buy one at the market and "plant" it in the garden for her to harvest!