It's finally starting to feel like summer.

So we finally are having consecutive days of temperatures in the 90's.  Cherry tomatoes and Bibb lettuce are still being gracious and supplying me with a harvest.  My Roma tomatoes are beginning to fruit and I expect to have some ready to eat in about two weeks. The other day as I was checking my plants I came upon this melon.  I didn't plant any melons and actually bought and planted cucumbers, but it looks like they were mislabeled. To get them off the ground I tied up a rope and wrapped the vines around them.  I also had to put up an a-frame that I was going to trash as a support wall for my Roma tomato plants to get them off the ground as well but to also open up my walk path between my beds. 

The old ash tree into back yard is still growing and providing shade to about 75% of my backyard.  This after two years ago a licensed arborist informed me that it was dying and wouldn't last much longer.

Today I also cleaned out some beds of dried cilantro, withered lettuce, and some weeds to get the beds ready for some July sowing.  Seeds to plant this month are cucumber, tomatillo, radishes, carrots, and sweet corn.  I was planning on sowing some sugar baby watermelons but I think I have enough melons already growing and don't think I have the space. 

Until next time,

Get dirty and keep on gardening.  

Most useful garden/kitchen tool for this year's growing season

A cheap salad spinner. This handy tool is being used at least once a week to wash and spin my lettuce from the garden.  

A couple of changes for this years Summer garden are: 

Not worrying about companion planting. Using soaker hoses with a timer that waters every morning, early in the morning, 3 AM for 30 minutes for deep soaking and not mulching like last year.

So far this growing season is doing a lot better than last year.

So well in fact that I still have a lot of. Jalapeño peppers still in fridge to use.  

The first of many cucumbers has started to grow.  These are going to be some pretty big cucumbers. 

Here's a view of more cucumber vines, Bibb lettuce, and buckets of herbs (basil, mint, and cilantro). 

The grape vines actually started out great in May but are now beginning to turn their leaves yellow. Not sure what the cause is so will have to do a little research to find out.  On the left side is a tomato cage containing about four cucumber vines.  I have never had vines so long before, so I am looping them up in the cage to try to keep them off the ground away from slugs and other hungry critters.  This past weekend there was a squirrel convention in my backyard. I counted around 10 squirrels in and around my garden.  As son as I would chase some in one direction. Others would flank the garden from the other side.  Cassie was even trying to help me but there were to many for us.  Some of them even started charging us. These squirrels are getting pretty dangerous. I might have to break down and get an airsoft gun to protect my property and my life.  

Get dirty and keep on gardening.