Tag Archives: vegetable gardening

Could It *Be* Any Hotter?

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The garden is full of color, from goldenrod, to madder root, pokeberries, prairie blazing star, joe pye weed, and heuchera

Does anyone else feel like summer is completely flying by?! I’m having trouble wrapping my brain around the idea that it’s going to be August in just a few days. It certainly doesn’t feel like fall is anywhere on the horizon, though. It’s been very hot and humid out, and we haven’t had any real rain in the garden in quite a few days. While I water the veggies and some of the other annuals, it’s hot summer days like these that make me grateful for all of our native plants. They are designed to withstand all the temperatures that Ohio has to offer, as well as a lack of rainfall. Most native plants have extremely deep root systems, so they can weather just about anything Mother Nature throws their way.

Spotted this katydid while watering… they have some seriously good camouflage going on!

Some of my favorite native plants are in bloom right now: the tall, willowy joe pye weed, the deep purple stalks of prairie blazing star, with flowers like fireworks, fiery pink echinacea (coneflowers), and the sunny, bright yellow rudbeckia (black-eyed susan’s). We have quite a few of each of these plants peppered all over the yard, and I love the bursts of color they provide. These flowers draw in plenty of pollinators, too, and it’s a joy to watch all of the bees and insects humming around the garden all day.

There’s lots of cheery golden color in the yard this summer: black-eyed susan’s, nasturtiums, sunflowers, tickseed, and blanketflowers

And, luckily for me, all of these gorgeous pollinators are benefitting the rest of the garden in a huge way, by pollinating the rest of our flowers and vegetables. The veggie garden is blowing me away this year. I’ve grown veggies for a few years now, but feel like, finally, I’m starting to understand what I’m doing. Our tomatoes and peppers have never looked happier, and I’ve been harvesting oodles of each a few times a week. The red skin potatoes have also continued producing plenty of goodies.

The potato and green bean plants are sending us a bountiful harvest this year!

Our two bunches of green beans, the marrowfat bush beans, and green pole beans are also going wild. I check the plants every morning while watering, and have been filling my pockets with piles of each for the past few days. The other night, we grilled up some steaks, and enjoyed the first of the green beans (cooked up with the shallots I harvested a few weeks ago, and some bacon), as well as the first of the potatoes. Being able to pop out into the garden to grab the veggies I’ll be cooking for dinner is such a treat. I love that I’ve watched their entire growth, from seed, to mealtime, and it’s important to me that no pesticides were used on our food.

The other day, while stuffing my pockets full of beans, as one does, I discovered something a little… odd. At the bottom of our steps leading off the deck, there were two plants growing that I had not planted. After a little inspection, I discovered that they were tomato plants. I have no clue how these two plants got there- it must have been from seeds that made it into the compost we used in the springtime? That or the birds have grown must more aggressive in their gardening techniques…

Two of the Rogue Tomatoes

Then, while watering the compost bin, I noticed another tomato plant growing beside it as well. That plant is most assuredly from some seeds that made it into the compost pile. I could pull the plants out, but anything that is fighting that hard to grow where it will deserves to keep at it, in my opinion. I’m curious to see what varieties these tomatoes will be, something that I grew this year, or in year’s past?

Spotted this gorgeous dragonfly yesterday. It was very tough to photograph, but I *think* it’s an eastern pondhawk dragonfly, a native in our region.

It looks like this week will continue our hot, summer weather. I imagine I’ll be outside harvesting lots more veggies and herbs, stalking the local bug population for pictures, and making sure my collection of odd (for Ohio) plants like our banana and lemon trees have plenty of food and water. I’m hoping the skies open up at some point so the neighbors aren’t subjected to my alarming attempts at rain dancing. I have some weeding to do, but have been trying to put it off for a cooler day… at this point, I may be waiting until winter if I keep stalling for reasonable weather.

Hope it’s nice out where your garden lives, and that you are able to get outside to enjoy it this week! Happy gardening!

A Whole New World, Garden Edition

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The deep red hardy hibiscus plant is in bloom again! I love it against the pink echinacea and light purple anise hyssop.

I was away from the garden for a bit, and when I returned, it felt like a whole new space. So many flowers were in bloom, and the near constant rain we had helped add a ton of growth to all the plants. The gardens are looking pretty jungle-ish now, all sprawling with lots of green leaves and summertime color.

The hostas, garden phlox, sunflowers, bergamot, cranesbill geraniums, blanket flowers, penstemon, zinnias, borage, cornflowers, day lilies, and coneflowers are still blooming their little heads off, and the blazing star, joe pye weed, jacob’s ladder, hardy hibiscus, and black-eyed susan’s are now also flowering. Mid-summer in the garden seems to be the time for bold, bright color. Even our amaryllis bulb is about to flower again! It lives in doors all winter, usually blooming a little after New Years’ Day, and I plant it out in the summertime to recharge. I can’t believe it’s about to flower for the second time this year. I must be doing something right!

Met this little grasshopper while watering the pumpkin patch.

With all the flowers blooming away happily, lots of pollinators have been visiting each day. The gardens are packed with happy bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators. The black swallowtail caterpillar I rescued from some carrots a few weeks ago made its chrysalis and hatched yesterday. She has gorgeous black wings, tipped with yellow, orange, and blue. I found a second caterpillar on the carrots over the weekend and escorted it into the butterfly enclosure to grow up safely as well. The monarchs should also be visiting the yard soon. I’m keeping an eye on all the milkweed plants for eggs and caterpillars. They always find their way here!

The newly-hatched Black Swallowtail Butterfly <3

In food news, it’s been a bumper crop for all of our herbs. I’m continuing to harvest chives, chamomile, mint, basil, oregano, parsley, dill, fennel, thyme, lavender, and rosemary every week. Some of the herbs are dried, and some I freeze. Many of the things I use most, like basil, I’ll probably bring indoors once it cools off this fall to keep growing. Being able to enjoy fresh herbs year-round is a treat.

Our sugar pie pumpkins are growing! I am SO excited!

When I left, the pumpkin plants were flowering and the vines were winding their way around the deck. They are now taking over the chaise lounge and grill, and we have three baby pumpkins growing! The pumpkins are already about 5″ tall, and still green. I am day-dreaming about the pumpkin pies the husband will be making us to enjoy this fall and through the winter. It seems a bit odd to be thinking about fall crops when it’s in the 90s outside, but at least something enjoys this hot summer weather we’re having!

Somewhere under the green beans lives a trellis. These pole beans are growing wild in the heat and rain! The lettuce growing next to the beans is also a bit unruly. We can’t eat the stuff quickly enough!

Out in the raised beds, I picked our first tomato this weekend! It was one of the san marzano paste tomatoes. The sweet italian pepper plants have also been going wild- I’m pulling off peppers a few times a week now, and dicing and freezing them for use in the family salsa we make up and can each fall. This weekend, I also harvested our garlic, which is now drying in the pantry. The lettuce we have is growing larger than I’ve ever had lettuce grow before- it’s absolutely delicious, and has made for some excellent salads.

The jacob’s ladder flower is in bloom! She lives in the shade, by the wildlife pond. I love her dainty, pale purple flowers.

I also pulled up our first carrots and a leek. The rest could use a little more growing time to bulk up, but the first ones look quite tasty and will be used in some salads this week. It was really nice at the grocery store, just breezing through the produce section- everything I’d normally buy, we have growing in the garden!

Harvest Day! I pulled up the garlic, a tomato, some peppers, red potatoes, a few wee carrots, and a leek. Yum!

Finally, I harvested the first of our red potatoes this week. That was really exciting. It’s my first year growing potatoes, and wow, I will definitely be doing that again next year. What an easy, no maintenance crop. I popped the starters in a grow bag about four months ago, and that was it. I didn’t water them much, no fertilizer, no pruning or trellising… nothing to it, just some dirt and sunshine! To harvest, I just dumped out the bag on a mat, and grabbed my spuds. The first bag had a nice little bounty, and I have three more bags to go through this week. I washed them off, and set them in the pantry to store. Can’t wait to try them out!

The black-eyed susan’s are always so cheery, and the bees love them!

This week looks to be another hot one, but things are drying out a bit. I have some weeding and pruning to do to tame the jungle a bit. I may fertilize the tomatoes and peppers again here and I’d like to do a little clean-up around the pond (the creeping charlie is starting to creep a little too much). It may be about time to harvest the bulk of the basil for some pesto-making as well. That, or I’ll just sit down next to the anise hyssop and bergamot to listen to the bees for awhile.

Hope your week is enjoyable and relaxing. Happy gardening!

The zinnias, blazing star, cranesbill geraniums, hostas, and garden phlox are putting on a real show!

Growing from Seeds

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Well, I’ve poured through the seed catalogs. I ordered more seeds than I can possibly use. I bought dirt. I dug through the piles of old seed-starting supplies in the garage. I put together my nifty little spreadsheet about when to begin sowing everything. And, I riffled through last years notes on what went well, and what… didn’t. There’s really nothing left to do but start planting.

A lot of my seeds don’t need to be planted until next month, but a few (the tomatoes, micro greens, and peppers), are ready for sowing now. So, today I gathered up everything and hopped to it.

There’s something really special about growing your own food. Being able to walk outside, pick a tomato, and then cook with it brings me a lot of joy. And starting the process from seed feels even better. There’s a magic to it. When my seeds germinate, I feel like I did something amazing, even though, I was really just a bystander that fretted about watering the seedlings too much. When you are growing from seeds, you have control over the entire process. You know what, exactly, has been put on your crops (and what has not), and you are able to utilize a much wider selection of plant varieties than typically found at the garden center.

  • Last May in one of the raised beds: marigolds, tomatoes, lettuce, rocket, green beans, and garlic. Yum!

The process for seed-starting is pretty basic. There are a few supplies you shouldn’t skimp on, but also quite a lot that you can re-use, including the pots themselves. You can grow your seeds in egg cartons, old yogurt containers, paper towel tubes, etc., and there’s lots of seed-starting kits available as well. Whatever you choose, make sure your container has plenty of drainage holes at the bottom of it.

Next, let’s talk dirt. I used to use whatever dirt I could find around the house, which was usually potting soil from some indoor plant experiment gone wrong. Potting soil is fine, but if you can find a seed-starting mix, that’s going to be your best bet for planting up your seeds. Seed-starting soils are sterile, meaning that there’s no molds, fungus, or bugs in them that could take out the wee seedlings you’re about to spend so much time fawning over. You can even make up your own if you’re feeling adventurous. Moisten your dirt before potting things up.

Finally, you’ll need your seeds, and it helps to have a container to house your growing trays in. Your seeds will also really benefit if you are able to use grow lights. Your seeds need quite a lot of light, and even the sunniest window sills may not provide enough for healthy plants to grow. Seedlings will be “leggy” without enough light, meaning they grow very thin, with tiny, pale leaves. They aren’t strong enough to support themselves, and won’t grow into healthy plants.

Once you have all your supplies, it’s time to get planting. Soak your seeds in water for a few minutes before planting to help with germination. Then, follow the instructions on your seed packet for planting depth. I usually sprinkle two seeds onto each little space in the containers. That way, if one doesn’t germinate, I’m not out any time.

I label what I planted by writing the name on a popsicle stick and sticking one into each row. I used to just tape the sides of the containers and label them that way, but the marker on the tape would bleed after two months of watering, and then I couldn’t tell what was what.

I set the containers into a tray, and then fill the tray with water to keep from disturbing the seedlings too much. The trays soak up water from the bottom and I don’t end up with dirt shooting all over the house from over-zealous spray-bottle action.

Place your seeds under a grow light, which you will want to keep on for a good 12-16 hours per day. I use 75W LED lights for my seedlings, suspended about 4″ above the plants. For my pepper plants, I also use a heat mat underneath. Peppers are fussy and require lots of heat to germinate.

Something I hadn’t tried in years past, but that I am doing this year, is covering my seed trays in plastic. The humidity will help the seeds germinate, so a clear plastic cover (or in my case, some plastic wrap, propped up by the plant label popsicle sticks) is beneficial. Once your seeds sprout, you can remove the covers since they won’t need so much humidity any more.

Finally, make a note someplace about when you started your seeds. I’ve found it really helpful to keep a gardening journal for this purpose. It’s fun to look back on your garden through a journal each year, and having a place to keep notes helps you remember what works well and what you’d like to improve.

I’ll keep everyone apprised of my seedling progress this winter and spring, but that’s all I have for now. Happy gardening!