Garden Update [July 2015]

Is it really July already!?  It's been a while since my last gardening post, so... here goes!

Latest Updates:

• The garden was overtaken by weeds at one point, so we spent about 3 hours weeding -- THEN we laid down a layer of newspaper and covered that with a thick layer of grass clippings.  Ever since then, the weeds have been very manageable.
• Our neighbors gave us some leftover mushroom compost so we spread that in around the plants as well.  They seem to be loving it.
• We are having some bug problems!  I'd love any suggestions any of you have for organic pest control!
• We have been getting a TON of rain, so I have only had to water the garden about two times in the last month.

I have lots of pictures to share and things are growing like crazy!  Check out the slideshow below to see updates on the various plants and veggies :)

[If you are viewing on your phone, make sure you rotate to landscape view so you can see the text over the photos!]

Garden Lettuce

We have been enjoying garden lettuce for a few weeks now!  I cut it off with scissors and most of it has grown back at least once.  I also planted some more so we can keep harvesting all summer.  I also had to invest in a salad spinner :)

New Garden Lettuce

This is the new lettuce I planted.  It starts sprouting up within a week of planting!

Green Onions

These green onions were having a tough time competing with weeds, but once we got those cleared out, the onions have been doing much better!  They should be ready to pull in the next few weeks.

Broccoli

The broccoli plants are getting huge!  They probably won't be ready to harvest until late July / early August.

Broccoli

Look at the little baby florets in there!

Broccoli

Close up of the broccoli head forming

Green & Yellow Beans

My bean plants had a rough start and their leaves were hit pretty hard by insects.  They seem to be doing okay now and finally have some little purple flowers on them!

Cabbage

The cabbage plants are getting HUGE and taking up a ton of space.  Some kind of bugs seem to love them and the leaves have huge holes in them.  Hopefully they will survive.

Cabbage

The heads of cabbage are starting to form in the middle!  I just hope they aren't infested with bugs :(

Peppers

We planted 3 kinds of peppers:  bell, sweet banana, and jalapenos.  With all of the heavy rain we have been getting, they were falling over -- so we had to stake them up!  I bought these furring strips from the local TrueValue for much cheaper than normal gardening stakes.

Jalapenos

We have quite a few baby jalapenos growing!

Peppers

We have already harvested two sweet banana peppers and one jalapeno.

Tomatoes

We have 4 tomato plants that are all doing really well!

Tomatoes

There are plenty of green tomatoes growing on all of the plants.

Tomatoes

This guy is starting to turn red already!

Cucumbers

We planted 4 cucumber plants on a mound and put a tomato cage in the middle so they have something to climb.  Look at this little guy!

Cucumbers

This is the biggest cucumber we have so far.  Will probably be ready to harvest in the next week or so!

Zucchini

The zucchini is growing like CRAZY!  I have harvested some of the blossoms (blog post to come later), and there are at least 10 zucchini that are at least 3 inches long already!  We are going to have these things coming out of our ears.

Zucchini

There are 4 zucchini plants and they like to vine, so we may need to extend the chicken wire fence so they have more room.

Pears

We have 3 pear trees (not in the garden obviously), but they all have pears on them!

Pears

Some of the pears are getting pretty big.  I hope the bugs stay away!

Strawberries

My strawberry patch has been a huge flop.  I fenced them in with chicken wire, but despite that, something keeps eating them.  I think we harvested a total of 3 strawberries.  There are some new blooms now, so maybe we'll get a few more!

Strawberries

Since strawberries are perennials, the plants will come back next year!  I am going to have to extend the strawberry patch because it is extending outside of my brick border.  I'll also need to figure out a better security system :)

Cherry Tomatoes

I have a cherry tomato plant on the deck that has gotten HUGE.  I had to move it from a 12" pot to a 5 gallon bucket.  Two of the tomatoes are finally ripe!

Calling all fellow gardeners -- rookies AND experienced green thumbs:  If you have any tips and tricks or tried and true methods, I'd love to hear them :)

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