Stroll Through Our Vegetable Garden

We have had a lot of rain here recently, but I was finally able to capture some photos from our gardens. Would you like to take a stroll through our garden as the birds serenade us this morning? First, let me give you a quick reminder of how this year's garden started. Remember all the seedlings my husband planted and we so gingerly cared for....

Well, they were transplanted to the garden in May after the threat of frost. We didn't have much luck with eggplant last year, and someone suggested that we try planting those in buckets this year rather than directly in the garden soil. We don't know if that will make a difference, but we were willing to give it a try. Dave also made 2 triangular trellises out of wire fencing that he bought at a home improvement store. They work great as supports for the cucumber vines, and as a DIY project they were much less expensive than similar items we had seen in garden catalogs. We put down some black sheeting to help minimize the weeds. Last year we had used a greyish colored one, but we didn't find it to be very effective as the weeds actually grew under the sheeting.  Therefore, we opted for the darker sheets of weed block this year.

In addition to the eggplant and cucumbers, we planted 3 varieties of tomatoes, as well as butternut squash, 2 kinds of lettuce, zucchini, beans, peppers, onions and melons. Every inch of the garden was utilized! One of the raised beds at the entrance of the garden is home to 2 kinds of oregano, 2 kinds of chives, thyme and lemon thyme, which all grow back every year. In addition, we added flat leaf and curly parsley, cilantro, and dill. In the raised bed on the other side of the gate, we planted rosemary and basil...lots of basil because we love making pesto with the recipe I shared with you last year.

 So are you ready to take a stroll through the garden and see how it is doing today?

Outside of the garden gate on the left, which you can not see in this photo, we have raspberries, blackberries, and some wild berries growing. On the right hand side of the gate we have 2 blueberry shrubs which are still yielding some fruit.

The basil has really taken off so it looks like we will be making lots of pesto, and I have begun looking for some new recipes to try as well.

I've been pinching the tops of the plants when they are getting ready to flower, as that helps the plants grow bushier rather than stalky. I stored the clippings in jars of water until I was ready to cook with them, and look what happened...they grew roots. Well I couldn't let perfectly good plants go to waste, so what's a girl to do? I replanted them in the garden of course! At this rate we will have an endless supply of basil this year, but I am not complaining. By the way, it smells amazing as you enter the garden! Aromatherapy for the gardener's soul.

Some of the tomato plants are now as tall as me, and although none have ripened yet, there are many green tomatoes growing throughout the garden.

Look at how the cucumbers are progressing.....

The butternut squash are blooming and growing like like crazy.

The beans, zucchini and lettuce are doing great...

We've already harvested some lettuce and it looks like we'll soon be having some luscious fresh salads full of other veggies as well!

Thanks for stopping by and taking the tour of our vegetable garden on this gorgeous summer day. On the next round of our garden tour I'll share some photos of the flowers that are blooming around the yard. Until then, remember to take some time to create wonderful seasonal memories with those you care about.
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The Enchanting Rose