When the rain stopped in July, it really stopped. There has not been one single shower that was enough to get the whole sidewalk damp. This is normal for our area. Hubby waters part of the garden every evening and I do it every morning after the well has refilled. Having an abundance of rain in the spring was such a blessing. Now it is parched, struggling, but still producing an abundance of food.
The peanuts have not been watered because they need to dry out before being harvested. That huge chore should start any day now.
There have been successes.
Apricot Zebra cherry tomato is my favorite and it has overgrown all of the corner of the garden fence. It has taken two years and three complete failures before I finally got one to survive. They aren't hard to grow - I just kept messing up. There are none visible in the picture because they are picked and eaten immediately. The flavor is mild and sweet so few ever make it to the house.
A squirrel rushed across the yard and hopped into the tomato plant which began to shake and wobble. I panicked while watching him from the kitchen window thinking he would strip the plant and leave nothing for me. It was a false alarm. He buried a walnut deep inside the plant.
The big news is that the squash experiments are over. I can now grow yellow squash in middle Tennessee! It has taken 21 years of failure but I have done it! I WIN!
They cover every empty spot in my garden and we haven't yet tired of eating them.
There is even a zucchini with weird shaped leaves that looks like it came from outer space. However, since I know little about summer squash, maybe this is normal.
All of the squash planted early have been killed by the squash vine borers but the later ones are still surviving. THAT IS A FIRST! Getting past the third picking has never been done and this whole row is still producing.
The solution to beating the borers is to immediately cover the sprouting seedlings with a fine mesh until blooms appear. The net is removed then moved to another row where more seeds are planted. Draping the fabric did smash the small leaves but it was better than a hoop house which is vulnerable to gaps. As long as the net doesn't get blown open, it worked. The early plants would eventually get attacked but the later plantings have missed the second squash vine borer hatchings. I still have much to learn but it is wonderful to finally have a workable, non toxic solution.
The summer plants have begun winding down in preparation for winter. It is time to begin final harvests which will make room for the winter garden. We are about two weeks from our first average frost date so we still have much work ahead.
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