chelle, no. I never used inoculant, just planted the peas and they always come up. Plant them now and see what happens.

I love the purple blooms on the Yard Long Beans. Some of my beans have purple blooms and some have white.

Your Cucumber is one of the asian varieties. I planted some asian cukes for the first time this year also but those are not ready yet. I just can't get over how weird they look with the non smoth skin.

I would keep chickens if it were legal here. Have always wanted chickens. Don't think I would have turkeys though I do love to eat them.

I believe I will.

I have a bunch of stuff that I can still plant...they're saying that with our strange weather patterns these days, that now is our "new spring". I'd bet that there are more than a few folks around here replanting as much of their gardens as they can right about now. I'm counting on another warm (and long!) autumn this year...I just now have sprouts of some of the warm season, shorter growing times veggies and flowers out there.

Well I had these two shrubs at the end of the driveway got prunned way back by my neighbor and myself one day last week when we had to many Margaritas. They were blocking her view.


a few days later just cut them way down.


just stumps now


Other projects around here are mulch with straw all around the pond area. Keeps out weeds!


view from the other direction

A too many Margaritas day sounds like fun!

The peas are in! I picked the first two varieties that came to hand... Snow Pea - Golden Sweet (67 days) and Sweet Pea - Early Alaska (55 days). I tossed out some sunflower seeds while I was at it... Russian Mammoth, Peach Passion (55 days), Starburst Lemon Aura (60-70 days), and Teddy Bear. I hadn't planted any of these yet this year.

It might be really late for sunflowers but you have nothing to loose. The peas should definatly take!

Sunflowers grow as fast as weeds here...it's those crazy peas that don't. It probably is too hot here...


I'm not having a heck of a lot of luck direct seeding flowers in the main gardens. I see them come up, and the next day they're gone...must be from nibbling rabbits. They have no bush beans to devour this year, so now they're munching on the flowers! Argh! I guess I'm going to have to cover them...

Oh oh. No bunnies here. I bet they would just love those nice tender green pea shoots when they start growing. Maybe that is were your peas go.

Yes, the rabbits can be infuriating, but nothing compared to deer! grrr...!

Karen

something has been digging where we picked up siberian irises. Bet it is the turkeys & their dust baths again. Rita you wouldn't want to eat these turkeys. they fly around & would be tough.

Newyorkrita said:Oh oh. No bunnies here. I bet they would just love those nice tender green pea shoots when they start growing. Maybe that is were your peas go.

I keep them covered until they're not so tender...otherwise, yes, they'd be gone as soon as they appeared. I'll have to get a picture of the critter repelling contraption around the base of my long beans...talk about ugly! But, so far, it's working.

I can't imagine seeing turkey flying around wild. Not even any wild chickens around here. But really there are "wild" chickens in New York City. I saw it on the news. There they were walking around the sidewalk pecking at things along with the pigeons.

chelle, you gotta do what you gotta do to protect your plants.

Escapees ... I can picture them together; looking at each other like, .


I thought my begonia tubers were surely dead since I hadn't potted them up yet, but at least a couple are still alive. They probably won't bloom yet this year, but maybe if they grow a bit now they'll be okay for next year.

Rita, thanks! I saw the Malabar spinach in your pea pictures and it reminded me that I hadn't started any...now that's done, too. I'm really looking forward to trying some. I'll grow it in a pot on the deck...perhaps I'll bring it indoors once it starts to get cold.

Well, you could see that mine was in a pot. First time I am trying the Malabar Spinach as it is about the only greens that will grow in this heat.

I thought that was too funny. Chickens running around on the streets of New York City.

Ha! Too funny! The first tomato I ate from my garden was a self-sown Roma! Go figure. That plant just popped up a few weeks ago, I swear! It maybe wasn't quite fully ripe, but I wasn't leaving it out there...something else might have eaten it first.

Made the first Long Bean stir-fry last night, and enjoyed the crispness of the first cucumber while I was planting more seeds.
Yum! That Suhyo hybrid is a very good variety. No bitterness and very crisp...even when it's warm from the sun. It should make some wonderful pickles!

I've begun collecting seeds as well - the gardens are in full, riotous bloom right now and I need to get rid of some of the finished stalks. Old bloom stalks of Lamb's Ears have been cut off so new ones can grow, and I've pulled most of the older borage plants to free up some space for their offspring. These two plants are a mainstay here and will feed the bees until the freeze.

I'm contemplating starting some more pansies for fall. It looks like my spring ones are going to bloom forever, but past experience says, maybe not.

I had three types of transplants survive the wildflower meadow with no rain...one is a perennial sunflower, another was salvia Chia, and one horrible-looking, but still alive, cosmos. The rest perished. The meadow looks so strange this year...the flowers that are blooming are very dwarf, in all aspects.

I just love the Yard Long Beans stir fried. In fact that is the only way I have eaten them so far. And I usually eat my cucumbers warm because I pick one and then cut it up for some type of salad or side dish. But I do have two smaller cukes in the fridge now.

I do so want to make roasted tomatoes and certainly have plenty. Plus my VIVA ITALIA paste types are just starting to ripen and they sure would make fabulous roasted tomatoes as would the Juliet tomatoes that I pick lots and lots of. Of course I could use any of the other types as well. But my oven is gass in my stove and I just don't turn it on in the summer as it heats up the entire house.

I hear you, Rita. I don't turn ours on until the low 70's come back, at least. It's outdoors or stove top cooking until then.

I tried like heck to get some Swallowtail pictures today, but both it, and the Hummingbird Moth were feeling a bit too shy. The butterfly really loves the Black Adder agastache, and the moth is always around the phlox.

Humm, I wonder if I could micro wave the tomatoes? Maybe I will try it. Nothing much to loose by trying a few.

Just skimming to catch up here...

Tamara...OMG your gardens are AMAZING!!!

Rita, those tomatoes look great, and yummy!

Chelle, I had a can of innoculant I used for a few years and always had great luck with my peas and soybeans. When I finally ran out of it I had my first bad crop ever... I'll be buying more before I try them again!

Hope everyone's having a great summer!

That sure was pruned Rita.