July's Garden (2019)

I will say something I have never said before...we got too much rain in July.  

This is a White Cherry Tomato plant drowning from too much rain.  Morbid, I know.  Bill said if I want it to stop raining, I should roll up the hose pipe and put it away.  It is the same principle that if you wash your car it will rain.  If you roll up the garden hose it will stop raining.  I did and it did.  Now plants are drooping from lack of water.  

As of now, this is the right side of my garden.  It is empty because the winter vegetables have either been eaten, died from the heat or drowned.  The empty spots will lie fallow until it is time to transplant the winter seedlings.  

On the far right in the first row, the Purple Hull Peas have produced one crop and are blooming again.  The pumpkins are spreading and taking up the empty space. There are a few kale plants left and the broccoli is making side shoots.  Not much excitement going on in this area.

      Broccoli Floret                   First Row                  Sugar Pie Pumpkin

The third row has been stripped of all of its cabbages and lettuce so only a few collard and broccoli plants remain.  A zinnia is enjoying the extra space. 

The plants in the back of this row are doing great.  It is still a ridiculous amount of basil even though I have been harvesting often.  The eggplants and peppers at the end don't seem to mind being squeezed together.

These are some of the tomatoes Reese shipped to me.  They replaced the cucumbers which died from a virus...which is what they always do.  A cantaloupe is running up the left side and Malabar Spinach is entwined in the center.  I cut the leaves and pull them through the tomato vines when I want them for a salad.

Behind Reese's tomatoes going toward the shed is the weird stuff.  Saltwort neither tastes like salt nor is enjoyable to eat.  Imagine eating spikey pinetree needle leaves.  There are no uses for this plant in my kitchen so it will be heading to the compost pile.  At least the lemongrass is a success.  It is so big it is shading the celery.

        Weird Stuff                         Saltwort                Lemongrass, Celery

The assorted Swiss Chards and White Sugar Beets are in the fifth row to the left.  

Row Five                   White Sugar Beets              Swiss Chard

The Moon and Stars Watermelon ripened early which may explain the unimpressive small size.  They have yellow spots on the rind and on the leaves which is normal, hence "Moon and Stars."  Finally, the mystery is solved.  The unknown squash seeds that went through the washing machine are spaghetti squash.

           Moon and Stars Watermelon                      Spaghetti Squash

Then there are two more rows of beans.

The area beside the field has two rows of tomatoes, a pumpkin spreading beside a row of beans and okra with sweet potatoes below.

The tomato fence with spirals on both ends has Tahitian Butternut squash on the far end.  It is covered in squash and the vines are invading the bean and tomato rows.  I think they are going to take over the garden.

It seems my White Oxheart tomatoes have cross-pollinated.  Both came from last year's saved seeds.  One has huge tomatoes, the other has tiny cherry sized.  

Both are White Oxheart Tomatoes

Last month I was unhappy because the "organic" sweet potatoes were treated with a growth inhibitor and would not sprout.  They were trashed and new slips purchased from a nursery.  They probably won't produce much since they were put in the ground so late.

The back of the garden is where the excitement is happening!

Beans, beans and more beans.

However, the real drama is in the back corner in the bed of the assorted unknowns.   A groundhog has decided to grace us with his presence.  This is last month's picture before he arrived.

This is now.

What I need is an alert, ferocious watchdog to protect my garden from hungry monsters.  Wonder where I can find one?

ZZZZZZZZZZ

Additional Links:
Next Month's August Garden (2019)

Last Month's June Garden (2019)

Last Year's July Garden (2018)

July's Garden (2017)