Friday, August 3, 2012

Early August Update


Moving right along...well here it is August already!  We began with some much needed rain as the end of July had been very dry. All open fires are banned in fact, so our firepit is getting no use, except to be filled with garden debris...not a pretty sight. The sun came out today, and I can almost feel the garden perk in it's gratefulness, blooms straightening up to kiss the sky. The daylilies are in their prime, although those spent are like sodden hankies and need plucking off.
Variety of daylilies, Persicaria Firetail to the right, clematis growing on fence.
Still, I can't believe it's August, even though the tomatoes tell me so. They've had a bit of blight hit them...not much, but enough that if I don't get on it today, snipping off lower leaves, the whole thing might get out of hand. Mulching underneath with newspaper and straw has, over the past two years, made a big difference but some varieties are more susceptible. This must be the case with Amish Paste as it is the worst hit and yet, it is in a prime spot. Go figure. Carrots and other crops are starting to make it to the table, which on rainy days, we like roasted in the oven, bit of rosemary, olive oil, hunks of garlic....lovely.
Carrots, onions, red and white beets.
Can you see our steps in the background of this photo above? When we started the garden, thirteen years ago, the back yard was a huge plot of stony dirt, with a white gravel patch where you could park a car, at the foot of where the steps are today. When I think back over the years, and the soil we made, and brought in, collectively, it seems a lifetime. But we knew even then, we wanted to see the garden from our kitchen window, and not have to walk far to gather food for supper.

I'm working outside today, so will give an update on what's growing in the veg garden shortly and in the raised beds. The bean tepees, you can just see them off center in right of the above photo, have the vines right to the top now, and are showing a variety of flowers. Meanwhile just off the deck, the tall purple flowering Verbena bonariensis, and the hugely fragrant Nicotiana 'Jasmine Alata' from Renee's Garden Seeds, are popular with the hummingbirds. The Nicotiana  pumps out perfume from late afternoon into the evening. Can't ever be a better annual to bring scent to a night garden.

Time to get my hands dirty.

22 comments:

  1. Wish our tom,atoes knew it was August - none even close to ripe yet! Hope you had a lovely day in that beautiful garden.

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  2. Oh how beautiful your yard and garden looks! All those beautiful flowers outside the fence are lovely, something I dream of having around mine someday. Right now, what I've got growing around my garden fence is a powerful lot of weeds! You have really done a great job there!

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    1. Thank you! I went to your site and your garden is so prolific...and thanks for the hint about an early eggplant variety.

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  3. You write so beautifully, it's like being there. I thinks your beans may be winning the east/west coast bean competition. Mine are budding, but not flowering.

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    1. Erin hope you are feeling better. Thanks for you kind comment re my writing. Yes, flowers on all three pole beans...but you have Brandywine tomatoes! Garden envy!!

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  4. Your garden area is so pretty - and what a lot of work it must have taken to get it to this point. I wish we had tomatoes, but mine are all coming from roadside stands.

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    1. Thank you Pondside. Yes, a lot of effort but enjoyed the journey so far.

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  5. Extra special radio show tomorrow. A real treat for the listeners. I'll be listening Brenda.

    Donna

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    1. Donna, it was extra special to me, for sure and I enjoyed the interview very much. Thank you for commenting, as always.

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  6. Hi Brenda,

    You were great on the 'Weekend Gardener'!
    I have used the photos of your garden out of "Gardens East' to inspire the white fences in my gardens. Still have lots to do before it would be nearly as beautiful as yours!

    Edie

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    1. Thank you Edie...I was a bit nervous but once I heard Niki's voice, I settled down to do the two things I had on a piece of paper beside me...Enjoy...and Answer The Question!!

      We need to visit each other's garden heh! Sharing has been the best gift of blogging.

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  7. My oh my Brenda, your gardens are ever so beautiful!! I love all the flowers and the veggies are so bright and beautiful too! Fun to see the steps in the background of photo #3 and hear how much you have added to your yard over the years! Also, sounds like you were on a radio program!!? How neat is that!!! Yay!!!

    Thanks for sharing!
    Michele

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    1. Thank you so much Michele...yes, was on a radio program..Year Round Veggie Gardener with Niki Jabbour..it was a great experience..boy I was nervous!! Thanks for the high five. How's Katie? Enjoying her veg?

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  8. Okay, now I am really depressed about my own harvest! Those carrots are glorious!! I wish mine were half so impressive. Sadly, I am the only one in the family that likes cooked carrots, parsnips and turnip. Roasting them with garlic sounds delicious.
    I liked your comparison of spent daylilies and sodden hankies. That is just what they are like.
    I grew lavatera from seed this year. Maybe next I should try Nicotiana. Love the overall photo. Your garden looks just super Bren!

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    1. Oh Stop ;-))))) You made me smile. I love your garden...love it! It is I who am depressed about my flowers when I see yours!!! and your photos. We both share a picket fence...so there is a strong comparison.

      Roasted garlic..garlic in any form...love it, and surely it is really really good for us!!! as they say.

      If you were here tonight, sitting at the computer, on the kitchen table as I respond to you, smelling the nicotiana wafting through the open windows on a hot night in nova scotia...you would never be without it. It was an accidental find years ago when we lived in another house...when I knew ditz about flowering annuals. Totally beautiful scent. Doesn't shine in the hot sun...but now.. .evening..the white glows..as white does in an evening garden.

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  9. Hello Bren - pictures of your garden are aways so wonderful - it looks super abundant compared to ours.

    'The Book' is finally finished - I'd like to send you a review copy when I get them in September, as a gift for your encouragement - I'll send you a note shortly

    Best wishes.

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    1. "Finally Finished"...those are surely beautiful words to a writer and even more, to his or her readers. I would love, and cherish a review copy, needless to say. Thank you. I don't think I was so encouraging, only just so pleased with your writing and enjoyed so much, your posts on nature and your observations which were in simpatico to my observations but educated me...making me look closer. I look forward to your note.

      Hurrah!! Wonderful news and thank you sincerely, for your comment.

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  10. Picked first tomatoe last night, small but sweet. Next year plan to try your newspaper idea, thanks for the tip.

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    1. It really works. I had one lot of tomatoes I did not newspaper and straw...they all got late blight this year, a first for my garden here in N.S. My own darn fault. At least the others are only showing early blight which one can recover from if diligent. Thanks so much for commenting and visiting.

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  11. Sorry for the very late comment, just back to blogging again. Blight? oh dear, I thought we had seen the last of it last summer. My tomatoes are just starting to ripen now in mid-August, a few patches of blossom end rot - I didn't water consistently but otherwise they appear relatively unscathed. Can't get over how tiny the mexican midgets are but what flavour! Thank you so much for the wonderful seeds. Also tried the Dragon's tongue beans this week, I haven't voluntarily eaten a bean in years but these were wonderful cooked with butter and garlic. Bet you didn't know you would turn me into a bean lover!

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    1. Welcome back Marguerite!!

      Blight..well as I commented to Sensiblegardening, I made a huge mistake not covering the soil under one lot of tomatoes. I might lose them all...nine plants, loaded with tomatoes. Am so upset with myself. The rest look okay though. Just a bit of early blight but dealing with that. If the rain stays away for the next week, all should be good. Had some blossom end rot too..just a bit. First for me here in this garden. Did I read somewhere..epsom salts? mmmmmm

      So glad you are delighted with Mex midget. Notice when you pick them, the stem tears a bit of the skin off the tomato. That is it's downfall for shipping or packaging (unless the whole truss is picked), but for home grown, it sure packs a punch heh!!! Blueberry size tomatoes. Save seed!!

      Glad you liked the dragons tongue, although not my fav but easy to grow and prolific. Garlic and butter..now that sounds so good. Especially using your own garlic I expect ))

      Bean lover sounds like a good blog post ;-)

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