July's Garden (2025)

It is incredible how quickly a garden can produce a large volume during the summer. When the rain is abundant, the vegetables are bounteous. We had a wet spring and it has been amazing.

THESE ARE THEGETABLES THAT ARE GROWING NOW

Eggplant

Cantaloupes (2 varieties)

Celery (2 varieties)

Cucumbers

Green Beans (7 varieties)

Lettuce (2 varieties are bolting and providing seeds)

Lima Beans

Okra

Peanuts

Peppers (3 varieties)

Purple Hull Peas

Squash (4 varieties)

Sweet Potatoes

Tomatoes (9 varieties)

Walking Onions

Watermelon

Wax melon

HERBS

Basil

Chamomile

Chives

Cilantro

Dill

Ginger

Oregano

Parsley

Strawberries (dormant)

Stevia

The last row of potatoes was just dug and in total there was almost 90 pounds. The empty rows were planted with fall crops. The yellow squash that replaced the broccoli under the cover is about to bloom so it is almost time to remove the net. The wish was that it would keep squash vine borers away and hopefully, some fruit could be produced before being infested.

However, just like last year, the June Bugs arrived and tore through the netting! If there is one squash vine borer within a hundred miles, I'm sure he found the hole. Heavier types of nets have been purchased and will be tested and then when something better is found, I will throw this junk away.

It has taken three years of failures but for the first time, I have wax melons!  It can take up to a month for the seeds to germinate so this time I put them in a cup on the front porch in the full sun. Two sprouted and each one is planted at opposite ends of this fence. Tomatoes are trailing up and the wax melons are aggressively spreading below. 

As they spread out into the aisle, they are directed (kicked) back underneath the tomatoes.

However, one vine got away from me and smothered  a tomato plant on this upper end. It was allowed to overtake this edge of the fence as an experiment since I don't know if it is best for it to hang or be on the ground. 

The melons are massive. One has already broken off during a storm so the other one that is hanging on the support fence has received extra support. I have never seen nor eaten one so this is exciting. They are supposed to be mildly sweet without much flavor and are used as a base in soups and dishes. Because of their thick skins, they can store deep into the winter and were a survival food long before refrigeration.

After snipping away leaves, two more were discovered safely resting on the ground. One was tied to the fence to keep it from rolling out into the aisle. Supposedly it is ripe when the stem is dry.

This magnificent looking row of green beans has been quite disappointing. McCaslan green beans are sold to the big farms around here and are quite popular. For three years, I grew them in different shady areas of the garden and assumed the poor performance was due to a lack of sunshine. They are now planted in full sun, tomorrow is the first day of August and we haven't gotten two handfuls of beans from the whole row! At least there are a few blooms beginning to appear but this is their last chance.

The deeply shaded back corner behind the cherry tomatoes was an area being saved for early winter vegetables but instead, it has just been planted with different varieties of bush beans. They are needed desperately. Summer is half over and not one jar has been canned for the winter. Hopefully, they will sprout and do something.  

It has been a good year and there are no complaints so far. All it takes is a little rain to make me happy...and maybe a big piece of watermelon. 

Last Month's June Garden (2025)

Last Year's July Garden (2024)