Garden August 2010

JMJ

These pictures were taken the same night we ate outside and had popsicles, and here is the proof. He wears it well, don't you think?

Henry, along with his older siblings, loves to "help" in the garden. That is one of our main reasons for spending so much time and energy on the garden is so they can work along with us and we can all create something worth while, as a family. Henry is wielding Joseph's old shovel. We got Joseph this one for his birthday, but he out grew it before really getting to use it. Now Joseph has one that is more his strength and size and Henry and Aine use this one periodically.

We had peas growing up this lattice work along the side of the house and once they were done we planted beans. You do see some tomatoes there--they grew out of the compost and we decided to leave them. Can anyone have too many tomatoes, really?

These beans are really really REALLY long! We didn't know that they were any different from the standard green bean when planting them, but these things look like shoelaces! the longest ones are about 2 1/2 ft. long! They grow REALLY fast too, so one day I thought, "these will be ready to pick in a few days." I think it was two days later I looked out and saw these monsters! They are too big--over grown--so we did not eat the monsters, much to our dismay. The ones in the middle are the extra long beans picked at an edible size. The smallest ones are what I usually think when I think "green bean." I cooked both types up together and they really didn't have any flavor difference. They texture is slightly different, but they one way you can really tell them apart once they are snapped is the color.

Craig also planted pole beans near every torch we have; we like how well they cover the pole.
We haven't gotten any beans off these yet, but hopefully they will start producing soon, as the monster beans are production is waning.

This is one of our beautiful zucchini plants. We got them started late, but they grew and started producing; unfortunately, the squash bug discovered our garden and completely decimated almost all of our plants! We got some zucchini and summer squash before they plants gave up the ghost, but it wasn't even enough to get tired of it and resort to making zucchini bread--one of my favorite results of having too much zucchini.

This is the raised bed that Craig has been meaning to make all summer. He finally had the time to do it and it turned out better than we had imagined. Now, to get it full of fall garden plants.

We did sunflowers for the first time this year. These seeds are almost dry enough to harvest. We have a Praying Mantis who likes to hang out, literally, on this sunflower. I hope he is only eating the bad bugs!

We had holyhocs several years ago, but they all died off, so we replanted some this year. They aren't supposed to bloom until the second year, but this one decided to defy nature and delight us with some beautiful blooms this season.