The sunflowers are still big and beautiful, and the Goldfinches love them.  

 

I'm never quick enough to get their picture, but the sunflowers don't move, so they are easy to photograph.  And the goldfinches are fun to watch flitting through the garden.  

 

HAPPY  GARDENING!!!

 

Did I tell you that I planted corn in the garden along with the squash?  

 

I wasn't very serious about it;  I just stuck a few seeds in the ground next to the squashes.  The squashes did great, but they shaded out the corn, so the corn couldn't grow much.  I guess I should have let the corn get up some size before I planted the squash.  

 

There are about 10 little corn plants, and they are doing what corn does:  they have grown tassels and ears.  Interesting to watch, just little.

 

Maybe next year I'll be a little more scientific about it, and plant in rows so they have room to grow, and can cross pollinate, and we'll get some full-size corn.  

 

I don't know too much about growing corn, but given the choice of squash or corn, I'll take the squash every time.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

The first year we were here we planted 2 peach trees.  Some years we get peaches, some years we don't.  But it is so exciting when the peach trees flourish and give us peaches.  And when they do, there are a lot:  about a hundred.

 

What do you do with all those peaches?  Make ice cream.  

 

Our recipe only makes a quart, so we can handle that.  And it is so good.  Makes me think of Uncle Eddie and Momma and happy summer days.  

 

I will add the recipe to the website if you like.  It's really easy and fun.  Oh yeah, and delicious!!!

 

HAPPY SUMMER!!!

 

I'm not sure why they are setting new fruits in July, but just look at the squashes.  Middle of the picture is a North Georgia Candy Roaster, and at the top is a baby Cushaw.  These aren't the only ones.  There are about 4 or 5 more baby squashes.  

 

Whatever, I just love seeing them grow.

 

HAPPY GARDENING HERE!!!

 

Do you know what we are looking at?  (Besides bad grammar?)  

 

This is my third crop of arugula.  The first two crops I planted back to back, but when they went to seed, I left them in place to dry.  Then when I took out the stems, the seeds fell on the ground, and I sprinkled a few more from the seed pods.  Three days later we could see green coming up in the arugula bed!!!  It should be ready to start picking in a couple weeks.  

 

Can't have too much arugula.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is what happens to Romaine when the weather gets hot.  It bolts.  Which means that it stops growing leaves, and focuses its attention on making seeds.  

 

This is how most lettuces look when they bolt.  These are about 3 feet tall, and full of blooms.  Lettuce and dandelions are botanically related.  See the flowers?  When they open up they are all fluffy, and when they dry they are airborne, just like dandelions.

 

If we're lucky, when the seeds are ripe, it will be dry enough to harvest the seeds and save them for next spring.  But I can assure you that some seeds will plant themselves and we will have volunteer lettuce in this section of the garden.  The whole process is so exciting.

 

HAPPY  GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Earlier I showed you a potato growing in the garden.  One of our potatoes in the basement sprouted, so I stuck it in the garden to grow.  

 

This is what I pulled out from under the dying plant.  Not the gold ones at the bottom of the picture, but the dirty ones at the top all came from that one plant.

 

The biggest one weighs 11 ounces!!  Free!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I thought you might like an update on the North Georgia Candy Roasters.  They are about 24 inches long, and starting to turn pink.  

 

What I read about them in the seed catalog is that once you've tasted these you will never eat pumpkin pie again.  Hmmmm.  

 

I am taking that to mean that they are sweet and pumpkin-like, good for roasting, and pie-making.  I hope they are good, because I planted 3 plants and have 7 squashes!!!  All this big!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

The tomatillos are getting bigger.

 

See how they look like little lanterns?  When they start out they are empty.  Just a poof of air.  Then as the tomatillos grow, the berry fills up the husk, until the husk breaks open.  You can see that on the bottom one in the picture.  See how the husk is splitting at the bottom?  

 

These bushes are about 6 feet tall, and have a whole bunch of tomatillos set, in varying stages of doneness.  

 

You have to peel off the husk, and wash them because they are a little sticky.  But then we like to skewer a few and grill them for about 5 minutes.  They get soft and sweet.  

 

I've seen them in the produce department, and you could try a few, to be sure you like them.  But they are so easy to grow; just ask Patty.  I gave her a few seedlings a couple years ago, and she still has them coming up all over her garden.  She's the Tomatillo Queen!!!  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Look at this beautiful BLUE.  

 

This is Brassica oleracea lacinato, commonly known as Dinosaur kale.  I planted 12 seeds this spring, and 8 plants got put into the garden. They are now about 3 feet tall and beautiful.  I love the deeply savoyed leaves.  

 

We pick leaves from the bottom, and they will keep on growing until the frost gets them this fall.  Some kales overwinter, and then bloom the following spring.  I'll let you know if these do that.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!