Sunday, July 22, 2012

Update 7/12

Well, the garden is growing... slowly. With this drought we are having I have not been able to use the rain barrels like we intended, so the plants are getting city water, which is not really that good for them. The zucchini, all the herbs, blackberries, and cherry type tomatoes are doing great. The larger tomatoes are getting blossom rot, the onions are not bulbing correctly, the green beans are stunted and drying on the plant... I could name more, but I'll stop there. The only other thing that seems to growing wonderfully are the weeds and with this heat, I just haven't felt well enough to get out there and get this chore done. I am praying that we get more rain in the next few weeks so that I can at least have a decent harvest of my Cherokee tomatoes. I have been dreaming of a home grown BLT ever since I plated them outside.

I have also been saving seed the past few weeks. I currently have snap peas, snow peas, cilantro, marigold, and carrot. I will be harvesting lettuce, parsley, pickling cucumber, and onion in the next few weeks. I am hoping that by the end of growing season, I will have enough seed saved that I will not have to buy any seed for the next year, since I do still have some seed left (they give you so many seed of some things that I don't think I could ever use them all!).

I also have been taking cuttings of my hydrangeas and other herbs. The hydrangeas I have been growing to plant at the shop. I already planted 4 and decided that more would be a good thing. It will probably take 1-2 years to see any flowers on them, but at least there will be greenage.  The herbs, I currently only have rosemary, but before long, I need to get my sage, thyme, and oregano done, so if anyone comes to our house and would like some of their own, I can just give it to them. It really is wonderful to be able to go pick your own fresh herbs and not have to pay an arm and a leg at the grocery store for just a sprig of this or that!