What's in YOUR garden this summer?

[TheNorthWindShe]

Half my garden has been overtaken by the strawberries I planted two years ago, but I don't mind. Bumper crop finally, in their third season. I am glad I didn't give up the last two years and rip 'em all out!

In the other half of the garden are parked roma tomatoes, broccoli, sweet peppers and jalapenos, squash, zucchini & cukes, some lettuce and cabbage. Just a few of each, except for the tomatoes. The lettuce looks pretty funny. I'm wondering if it will amount to anything resembling food.

To deter pests last year I planted marigolds around the perimeter and randomly among the vegetables, but it only worked so-so. This season I mixed in more cosmos than marigolds around the edges. Things are looking really good. I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Can anyone tell me how deep to dig in and lay rabbit barrier around the deer fence? Is 6 inches enough? I should have done this way long ago.

Does anyone have anything spectacular growing in their garden? or maybe just a spectacular disaster? (I remember the 60 beautiful stalks of corn I grew three or four years ago where the strawberries are now. Boy was I impressed with myself! Buuut, that was STINKBUG Summer. What a bummer. I didn't bring one ear to the table.)

 

[Radiant1]

I don't have a garden anymore because it was always a spectacular disaster. The ants would destroy my strawberries before I could get them to proliferate, I couldn't keep up on removing worms from my broccoli, and my corn would dry up because I couldn't keep up on watering like I should have. The only thing I was successful at was squash and pumpkins, but you can more or less let those grow on their own anyway. My thumb is more blue than green I think.

I wish you all success this year with a lot of happy toil canning your goodies!

 

[migtig]

My kale is finished up and needs to be tidied up. Broccoli and cauliflower look great, but haven't done anything. My leaf lettuce needs to be headed back before it takes over. My cabbage is looking good. I have tomatoes, peas, beans, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and eggplant in and they are doing well, but haven't produced anything yet. Asparagus is still coming in. Herbs, basil, chamomile, mint, cilantro, dill, oregano and thyme are doing great. I planted in zinnias, cosmos, daisies, and marigolds and they are beautiful if nothing else and seem to have helped to keep the soil in good shape. This is my third year of no sunflowers coming up, so I think I'm going to give up on them. I have one more bed ready to go for another round of planting, but I'm not ready.

I have four elevated beds that my husband surrounds with poles drilled in the bed and then wraps with fencing, so I can't advice how far down you should go. I don't get rabbits, but I do get snakes, birds, and an occasional deer. Of course last year, my worst offender was turtles. They were poking their necks through the wire and nibbling on the low hanging vegetables.

I always tend to get the plants started off right and then lack the produce or a bumper crop. I think last year I got enough peas to mix in with one salad.

 

[vraiblonde]

We have a tomato plant out on the balcony that is doing very well, along with some herb pots - parsley, basil, sage, chives, and rosemary. Tonight we're making pesto to cut back the basil because it's taking over everything.

 

[Bann]

We have a tomato plant out on the balcony that is doing very well, along with some herb pots - parsley, basil, sage, chives, and rosemary. Tonight we're making pesto to cut back the basil because it's taking over everything.

I have only purchased pesto - never tried making it.

I wish I had a deck/balcony to do some container gardening. I tried a small garden plot out back the first summer I lived here, but I am not a very good garden mommy. I forget about them, and they die. Gardening has never been a very good match for me, since I'm not very patient. A couple of containers on a deck right out of my living room door would be perfect, because that is about all the patience I can muster up for plants.

 

[Agee]

Deer !

 

[DoWhat]

Tomatoes, zucchini, and bell peppers.
My cucumbers croaked.

 

[Shutout]

Tomatoes, various squash, cucumbers, parsnips, pole beans, radishes, beets, okra, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, and egg plant. So far.

 

[huntr1]

Dirt and weeds. Yet another year of no garden at Casa de Huntr.

 

[Vince]

Deer !

Now a groundhog has moved in under my shed.

 

[Bird Dog]

Potatoes, onions, lettuce tomatoes, string beans, snap peas, sweet pepper, asst. hot peppers, okra, squash..3 varieties, cucumbers, cantelope and sunflowers

 

[Agee]

Now a groundhog has moved in under my shed.

You may be short on veg, but not protein, :12gauge:

 

[my-thyme]

Nice garden this year. Picking Swiss chard, onions, blueberries, raspberries, and various herbs. Rain drowned the cabbage, broccoli, and cucs. Strawberries, spinach, lettuce, asparagus done and blackberries soon.

Planted leeks last year for the first time, they were wonderful, sliced and sautéed in fried bacon with the Brussel sprouts, oh yum! So, a full row of leeks this year.

Trying fennel for the first time, we'll see.

Beets, radish, tomatoes, peppers (sweet and hot), beans, potatoes, squash, melons, glads all looking good, put new cucumber seeds in this morning, will plant pumpkins on the 4th of July.

 

[Bann]

Nice garden this year. Picking Swiss chard, onions, blueberries, raspberries, and various herbs. Rain drowned the cabbage, broccoli, and cucs. Strawberries, spinach, lettuce, asparagus done and blackberries soon.

Planted leeks last year for the first time, they were wonderful, sliced and sautéed in fried bacon with the Brussel sprouts, oh yum! So, a full row of leeks this year.

Trying fennel for the first time, we'll see.

Beets, radish, tomatoes, peppers (sweet and hot), beans, potatoes, squash, melons, glads all looking good, put new cucumber seeds in this morning, will plant pumpkins on the 4th of July.

:

 

[Chris0nllyn]

2-3 different kinds of lettuce, switch chard, snap peas, radishes, bell peppers, TONs of tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumber, strawberries, rosemary, thyme, dill, cilantro, parsley, and a few other herbs and spices.

 

[my-thyme]

Had beautiful blueberries, best crop EVER! And the blackberries are promising to outdo them. This rain has been really good for berries.

Too much rain and not enough sun for tomatoes (and just about everything else!).

And the glads are blooming!

 

[vraiblonde]

The basil is taking over my balcony and the other herbs aren't far behind. The 'maters are coming along nicely, big good looking fruit, but they aren't ripening yet. So that's kind of annoying but mostly I'm pleased with its progress.

 

[DoWhat]

My tomatoe plants look like $hit, but we are getting some good ones.

 

[TheNorthWindShe]

I don't have a garden anymore because it was always a spectacular disaster. The ants would destroy my strawberries before I could get them to proliferate, I couldn't keep up on removing worms from my broccoli, and my corn would dry up because I couldn't keep up on watering like I should have. The only thing I was successful at was squash and pumpkins, but you can more or less let those grow on their own anyway. My thumb is more blue than green I think.

I wish you all success this year with a lot of happy toil canning your goodies!

Radiant, BLUE! I empathize. (and I love the way you put things )
My broccoli is looking pretty funny, but I plan to cut and eat it despite its ugly self; and as to canning.... I have new parts for the pressure cooker/canner, so I am up and running! Maybe an herb garden on your patio or porch would be more successful for you? Don't give up It's so rewarding. It sounds like you have the soul for gardening. Maybe your soil needs adjusting?

 

[TheNorthWindShe]

My kale is finished up and needs to be tidied up. Broccoli and cauliflower look great, but haven't done anything. My leaf lettuce needs to be headed back before it takes over. My cabbage is looking good. I have tomatoes, peas, beans, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and eggplant in and they are doing well, but haven't produced anything yet. Asparagus is still coming in. Herbs, basil, chamomile, mint, cilantro, dill, oregano and thyme are doing great. I planted in zinnias, cosmos, daisies, and marigolds and they are beautiful if nothing else and seem to have helped to keep the soil in good shape. This is my third year of no sunflowers coming up, so I think I'm going to give up on them. I have one more bed ready to go for another round of planting, but I'm not ready.

I have four elevated beds that my husband surrounds with poles drilled in the bed and then wraps with fencing, so I can't advice how far down you should go. I don't get rabbits, but I do get snakes, birds, and an occasional deer. Of course last year, my worst offender was turtles. They were poking their necks through the wire and nibbling on the low hanging vegetables.

I always tend to get the plants started off right and then lack the produce or a bumper crop. I think last year I got enough peas to mix in with one salad.

Really? Jeez, my kale is still going for some reason! Good thing, because the 16 year old and 22 year old love it. What are you going to do to tidy it up? Cut it down somewhat? bundle it? I could use some advice. If my lettuce ever got to that point, I'd jump for joy, so I can't fathom "heading it back," haha. Ahh, asparagus. I bow to you. Chamomile? so neat!!!! I agree on the addition of all those particular flowers. Kudos to you on that, for sure. Ohhhh, the sunflowers! I know what you are going through. My first year nothing happened. Then I had some miraculous ones come up last year. And this year..... I hate to say it, but I have what seems like thousands. I have been potting them and giving them away like they are the Plague. I can't wait to see them when they head and bloom. Turtles!!!!!!!!!//????!!!! hHhHhAAAAAAAAA . Sorry, But that is awesome, although not for you of course. I'd love to see your garden
I want to add, I admire anyone who has the savvy and impetus to put in elevated beds. That's just so cool.