Sunday, July 20, 2008

The Pictures


The dog fence is down (too ugly, and also a deterrent to weeding)

Just one half of the apricot tree. I sort of forgot to prune it last year and it went from "dwarf" to somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty feet tall. Those poor branches are so long and not very branchy, that the tree is practically bent in half with the weight of the fruit. We'll be pruning back the branches as part of harvesting (about 7 feet's worth of pruning). So, easy picking this year.

My first Romas - about 10 so far on two bushes. I also have an Early Girl, Beefsteak, Celebrity, and one more I can't remember (and didn't write down before Ellie pulled and relocated the tag). They have climbed about halfway up their trellises. I am trying to keep the suckers pruned back in hopes of bigger, tastier tomatoes.

Can you guess which plant is the zucchini? (very back). On the left side, the tall plant is a Delicata squash with two melon plants on the right. I have a thorn-less blackberry start in this bed that needs a new home - any takers out there?

Next year, the corn and potatoes will get planted. I'd love to hear about anyone's favorite fertilizers or plant foods - the more natural, the better.

A few close-ups:
The acorn squash and cucumber bed (tomatoes on the trellis and basil in front)

The cabbage is a school contest item, or basically a science project gone awry. Any ideas what's eating it? I've never seen anything - I just might sneak out at night with a flashlight to see who's feasting on it. There are also onions, peppers, carrots, and beans in this bed.

More peppers, herbs (thyme and oregano), tomatoes, and strawberries. Next year I'm planting more berries and using a straw mulch.

Good thing I killed off the Grape tomato plant, it wouldn't have fit on the trellis! But I am going to miss those itty, bitty tomatoes for salads and pizza.

Even though acorn squash is tasty, I grew it for the cuteness factor. I'm sure I'll be calling on my cousin Alisha for pointers on what to do with all this squash - how do you store and use it up?

Hopefully, you haven't had a green overload. But just in case you have, I'll post pics of flowers next Tuesday. Head over to Lara's new place to see what others are Talking About