Veggie Garden Update Part 2- Back Home

I took these photos of my home veggie garden on the 20th for the In the Garden veggie garden update, where they have links to others' updates. I posted part one, about my garden across the street, and didn't get to this right away, then almost forgot.

So, here is the entrance, with self planted greeters, black-eyed Susans and lemon balm, with marigolds on the inside of the fence.

Facing north, this area was full of lettuce, spinach and radishes in the spring. I left room between the peppers, tomatoes, a couple eggplants and the other plants, like kale that were planted early with the lettuce, so that I could apply compost and hopefully reduce the spread of disease. As you can see, the tomatoes are having problems. I need to be taking the diseased leaves off and throw them away.

These are more of the bush tomatoes I started from seed. I have some at home and across the street.

Turning to look west a long view, with a nice sized datura next to the fence:

We are now heading west from the north side of the garden. This is last year's kale that bloomed earlier in the season. I've kept it there in hopes the cabbage whites will lay their eggs on it, and not the kale I planted this year. I have Verbena bonariensis all over the garden that the butterflies and bees enjoy. The 2 peppers and the cucumber plant I have close ups of in the next photos.

These are Thai hot peppers I planted for our son, and haven't been brave enough to try yet.

These Kung Pao peppers are also for our son.

If this looks familiar, it's because it's the same kind of bush cucumber I planted across the street. They are awfully viney, though. (I finally picked my first one across the street last night. It sure is pretty.) This was planted in the space my early maturing onions were in.

Continuing west, are the onions that are supposed to be keepers. I'm having trouble keeping them dry at this point, like you are supposed to.

This one is looking more south and west.

Back to the north side of the garden, the huge hollyhock did not bloom this year. Behind them are some stems of things I didn't want on the compost pile that I figured could be a brush pile for butterflies. There are two cockscombs, apparently from seeds from my neighbor that I don't remember tossing there in the fall. (Look right under the sunflower bloom for the gold one, and the lower right corner for the pink one.)

Now you can see them, and a couple onions:

Do you remember what is behind this fence?

Yes, the compost piles! I have done a good job turning and using compost this year. We have some new lattice to divide it, but haven't gotten it in yet. Oh, and if you click or hit the "control" and "plus" keys to enlarge, you'll see I have morning glories coming up. They must be from a few years ago, because I remember getting after my husband for putting morning glories there after the frost has killed the vines, and he stopped (I think) doing that. All I know, is that I'm also pulling them from my new curb bed. At least they stay pulled.

Heading back east, the kale here was planted this year. There are 4 volunteer tomato plants behind the kale.

A few steps more:

The volunteer tomatoes, mostly grape:

The tomatoes on this one plant are larger. I think I had some kind of heirloom tomatoes last year that were just a little larger than these. I read somewhere a couple weeks ago that you shouldn't let volunteer tomato plants grow because it causes diseases like late blight to spread more or be worse or something. The volunteers I allow to grow don't get diseased any sooner than the ones I plant. I remember a neighbor coming over when we first moved in, and I was digging in the garden that hadn't been planted in 7 years. He told me I wasn't going to be able to grow tomatoes because there is disease in the soil. Well, I always get a crop before the plants get sick and die. It's happening to my cucumbers, too. I suppose I should look up organic ways to manage these things other than putting up with them.

I forgot what kind of eggplant this is. I need to harvest them before they get soft, like my regular kind did.

I have some borage growing along the garage side of the garden. I keep forgetting to do something with it.

Looking back west and south, I have a cucumber plant growing next to the borage.

This is the area to the east of the entrance, next to the Susans and lemon balm. The four o' clocks are fun to grow, and mingle nicely with the larkspur and take over when the larkspur are finished.

I forget to show my herb garden, which is a small area surrounded by cement in our backyard and driveway, and our neighbor's yard, which is where these black-eyed Susans are. I like to plant a couple veggies in there from time to time, too. There are chives, summer savory, which is blooming, salad burnet, thyme, parsley, both flat and curly, tarragon, sage, and basil in here.

I like the rain barrel in the car port, because the hose can be put into the herb garden. The cucumbers have appreciated the rain water put on them when it's hot and dry.

I have been enjoying the orange oxeheart tomatoes, and have striven to pick them before they get bites eaten out of them by critters. I am tickled to have a huge perfect one right now, ready to be enjoyed.

You can see the pink and white morning glories on the other side of the fence, where the tarragon, sage, summer savory, and thyme are their neighbors.