How Does Your Garden Grow? | Mid-July, 2014

There is so much going on in the garden I decided I better do a mid-July post — one blink and you miss all the little changes.

My favorite time in the garden is very first thing in the morning.  Everything is moist with the morning’s dew and residual water droplets from the automatic watering system we have installed.  Drip irrigation, soaker hoses, and sprayers are connected to timers that allow all of the beds to get consistent hydration.

The bees are busy at work pollinating squash, cucumbers,  tomatoes, beans, and anything else that catches their attention.

The big news is the potting cottage and chicken coop is progressing!  The first wall went up this past weekend and the floor of the coop was installed.  It will be next spring before we get chickens but I’m so excited about fresh eggs!  Shhhh.  Don’t tell anyone but I’m thinking about starting a beehive too!

So, here’s how the garden looks today.

The garlic and shallots were harvested from the lower beds and a new planting of beans, beets, rutabagas, and turnips was planted for fall harvest.

The espaliered apple trees got a major pruning.  Pruning in the summer allows the stems to become spurs which will produce fruit the next spring.  Espaliered trees offer many conveniences.  For my garden specifically, we were able to nestle six trees in a confined space that divides the garden making it more visually interesting.  Pruning is easier because of the organized growth, the fruit can be harvested without ladders, and diseases are hindered because of the openness created by training the trees into a two-dimensional form.

The onions are swelling and will be ready to be dug soon.  San Marzano tomatoes can’t ripen soon enough!  And purple graces the garden in the form of haricot verts and eggplant.

The garlic and shallots have been dug.  They weren’t quite as nice as last year’s crop but still plentiful.

Those who know me know I love to make pickles.  The jars are ready and I can’t wait !

And last but not least, squash and zucchini!  Soon we’ll have more than we’ll know what to do with.

So, that’s mid-July in my garden, how’s your garden growing?